Mango Avocado Arugula Salad with Mango-mustard-dressing

I love salad in any way and a must every day. A day without a salad isn't a perfect day. Salads and I we just love eachother. 

I knew that today I only would have a short time for lunchtime and probably even this short time would begin belated. 

I thought ahead and took something with me - very simple - a salad and a vegetable-hummus-filled sandwich. Unless the salad is kept very simple, the dressing isn't. Well, I never eaten such a dressing. 

Anyway I did want to share this dish to you, especially the dressing. So go ahead, try it yourself and be astonished. 

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Mango-Avocado Arugula Salad with Mango-mustard- dressing

2 Person

Ingredients:

Salad:

1/2 ripe Mango

1 ripe Avocado

125 g Cherrytomatoes

100 g Arugula

0,5 Tbsp. lemonjuice

Dressing: (makes about 500 ml)

150 ml Mangopuree

1 vanilla bean

1 Tbsp. oil

5 Tbsp. white balsamic vinegar

3/4 - 1 tsp. pepper

2/3 tsp. salt

3 tsp. or 1 1/2 Tbsp. mustard

4- 6 Tbsp. water (depending on how thick you want the dressing)

Preparation:

Start with the dressing: Combine Mangopuree with the rest ingredients, remove the seeds from the vanilla bean and add as well, then mix well through (mixing is easier than by hand..). 

Wash arugula, pat dry and give in a salad bowl. Cut mango into pieces, half cherrytomatoes and give to the arugula. Half avocado, remove the stone, dizzle with oil and cut into cubes. Give to the salad bowl and pour the Mangodressing over all. 

Serve with a good slice of wholewheat bread or what ever like with ;)

Swiss Alpine Macaroni

Winter has fallen in since wednesday. Lookely no snow felt yet. Crudling myself in a blanket on the sofa and suddenly I knew what I'm going to cook in the evening. 

I got to say that this dish is really a perfect cold-day dish. Nothing for your bodyshape.... 

This dish is mostly served in the area near to the border to austria (grisons-area). But it is well common here as well - to good for serving in just one area. 

This dish is unusual at itself as it contains pasta and potato in one dish with lots of cheese and no vegetables - just steamed apples aside. 

To be trough I did not often eat this dish, as it is really stomach filling - but so goood! Anytime I make it I could lay in it.

If you miss some vegetables, just serve less of the carb and add additional veggies and there you got a healthy but lighter version of your dinner. 

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Alpine Macaroni

4 Persons
40 min

Ingredients:
2 large onions 
½ tbsp flour 
2 tablespoons canola oil 
1 tablespoon margarine
250 g waxy potatoes 
salt 
350 g macroni
200 g vegan cheese block (optional shredded cheese)
2 dl vegan cream 
pepper 
Majoram for garnish 

Preparation 
Cut or slice 1 onion into thin rings. Sprinkle over flour and mix well. Heat oil and butter in a frying pan and fry the onions over medium heat for about 10 minutes until crispy. When crispy lift out and drain on kitchen paper. 

Cut the potatoes into large cubes. Bring a big enough pan with plenty of salted water to a boil and cook the potatoes for 5 minutes. Add macaroni, boil for further 8-10 minutes just until tender. 

Drain well then give back to the pan. 

Cut the cheese into cubes and together with the cream give to the pasta. 

With deactivated stove let it stand covered for about 5 minutes until the cheese is melted. (if you use shredded cheese it's faster done). 

Season with and pepper. Sprinkle with onions and garnish with marjoram. 

Serve with cooked apple slices. (originaly served with)

Roasted Vegetable Salad

A bright, sunny and warm day. Great after a bit rainy holiday week.....

Since I'm in a Facebook-Group I have to admit that I'm totally addiced to it. The calls: "I pack on my vegan plate.."
It's so great to see what everyone posts as all looks so great that I immediately want to go into kitchen and try it as well. 

The only thing that stoppt myself is all the prepared food had to be eaten by myself and the lack of the needed ingredients. I already made too much this week and felt like eating all the time. 

Well back to today, I've been brave and made only a dish.  Perfect on this sunny day. I really hesitated to turn on the grill, but as the oven was already on I choose the oven way. I have to admit I didn't want to clean the grill - too lazy. I wanted to enjoy the sun instead! 

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Roasted Vegetable Salad

2-3 Persons

Ingredients:
1 kg of potatoes 
Salt and pepper 
8 tablespoons olive oil 
2 red onions 
2 yellow peppers 
500 g broccoli 
6 tablespoons white wine vinegar 
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard 
1 tablespoon agave nectar

3-4 stalks of parsley

Sides: If you want so a piece of V-meat. Or just with roasted bread. 

Preparation:
Preheat oven up to 200 ° C. Peel the potatoes, wash and cut them into cubes (about 2 x 2 cm). Season with salt and drizzle with 2 tablespoons oil. Put the cubes in a roasting pan and cook them in  the hot oven for about 45 minutes. Frequently turn them over.

Meanwhile, peel the onions and cut into wedges. Peel the pepper, wash and dice. Cut the broccoli from the stalk into florets and wash. 
After 25 min of cooking time for the potatoes, add the peppers and onions. At the last 10 min add the broccoli florets.  

For the vinaigrette, whisk together vinegar, salt, pepper, mustard and agave nectar, then wisk under 6 tablespoons of oil. Wash the parsley, shake dry, pluck off the leaves and chop finely. 

Take the vegetables from the oven and mix with the vinaigrette and let cool a while. Mix in parsley. Season salad again and serve with some roasted bread and a piece of V-meat. 

Vegetarian / vegan butcher's and delicacies shop

Yesterday I planed to make a trip to Zurich for visiting the first Vegetarian / Vegan Butcher's shop. It has been open since about a year and started by the very well known Hiltl Restaurant www.hiltl.ch/ . 

I was so curious about that, although knowing that I won't be a economical trip at the end of the 



Hiltl Vegetarian / Vegan Butcher's shop 

                      

The V- Meatcounter






Cold and frozen section.








I bought a few things such as the first "real V-Tunasandwich" a V-BLT-Sandwich I've ever seen being selled, V-Tartar, Root Beet-nuggets, Okras.
A few V-marinated Scampi, V-Wine, Ham and so on. Well a little kind of expensive trip so far but it was worth it! 

Well maybe those you just get around the corner, but for me it ment to travel by train for quite a bit of money. 

I just had to post it....

Fiery jamaican Tofu on Cauliflower rice

I'm not having a really big refrigerator and sometimes it happens, that I almost forgot an ingredients in the very back of it. This nearly happened with the firm tofu. 

Actually I buyed the tofu for preparing some zucchini patties, but at the end it didn't really catch me that much. 

It should be something more special - a not often kind eaten prepared tofu. Well, if the belowed way to serve the tofu is very special I don't know - but for me it is. 

I consulted my old Tofu-Cookbook for an idea, but couldn't find anything that really exhausted me. I decided to try a mix of two marinates by changing them a little for an accurate taste. At the end I prepared I fiery jamaican marinate that goes very well for tofu, seitan or tempeh. Even Vish will work well. 

My next try will be adding some of the marinate to the seitandought for steaks or so. 

Thought the marinate is quite fiery, after roasting the tofu it is just right. 

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Fiery jamaican Tofu on Cauliflower rice

2 Persons

Ingredients:

1 big cauliflower

1-2 pack (each about 220g) extra firm tofu, drained and pressed
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 pak choi, halved and depending on their size into third

Marinating sauce:
4 garlic cloves, minced

1 dried chili, seeded and minced

4 green onions, chopped

1 tbsp minced ginger

1 tbsp ground allspice

1 tbsp dried thyme leaves

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground black pepper

1 tsp  salt

1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper

1 -2 tbsp agave nectar

1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice 

1/3 cup freshly squeezed lime juice 

Filtered water if necessary to thin

1 tbsp olive oil

Note: the marinate is quite fiery and if it may be to fiery for you, just leave out the dried chili or cayenne pepper or add more agave nectar)

Direction:
Start first by preparing the marinate for the tofu. 
In a small sauce pan, add olive oil and saute green onions, chili, ginger and garlic until soft, about 4 minutes, being careful not to burn.

Add mixture to a food processor or blender, along with all the other ingredients and blend until smooth.
After tofu has been drained and pressed, cut into cubes and marinate for about an hour or more if you like. 

Preheat oven up to 220°C. After marinating time, shake off excess marinade and bake tofu on a sheet tray for about 30 minutes until firm, turning frequently.

While the tofu is baking prepare the rice. 

Pull off the leaves and break the cauliflower into large florets, then rinse them well. Leave them in a colander to let all the moisture drain off or pat them dry with a paper towel. 

Break the florets into smaller pieces, then put half of them in the large bowl of a food processor and pulse until finely chopped, then dump the rice out and pulse the remaining florets. (faster may work if you grate the cauliflower - haven't tried yet).

Now it’s time to cook your cauliflower rice! Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and swirl around about a tablespoon of oil to coat the bottom. Once the oil has heated, add the garlic and rice and cook it for about 5 minutes, or until it’s softened and just beginning to turn golden brown. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Wash and clean pak choi and steam in pan till soft, season with salt and pepper. 

After everything is prepared arrange everything on a plate, maybe sprinkle some lemonjuice over the rice or serve with the left over marinate. 

Now enjoy a great dish!

Linguine with pea-pesto

Sometimes I stand in kitchen with so much ideas on mind to try or prepare, but I have to decide. Then I ended up to prepare first something for saturday lunch, more to prepare later on. And so it came. 

If started with the fasted idea and right after having cleaned up the dishs I went on with other stuff to prepare. 

Well back to the lunchmeal. There are vegetable I mostly buy canned (shame on me, sorry) - but it's just much faster than pulling the peas from the pod. Since having a week off from work, there is plenty of time for pulling. No excuses for canned peas. 

It was worth the work as I sensed the fresh peas stronger than canned ones. 

Of course Pea-pesto is not a normal pesto, but worth trying. Probably next time I will add a garlic knob to the pesto. 

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Linguine with Pea-pesto 

4 Persons
30 min

Ingredients:
500 g Pasta, for exemple Linguine

Pesto:
400 g fresh peas in the pod, triggered or frozen/canned 150 g peas
1 bunch flat-leaf parsley
1 bunch cilantro
100 g pine nuts
1 dl olive oil
1 tsp. lemon juice
salt and pepper

Preparation:
First for the pesto solve the peas from the pod. 

In plenty salted cooking water cook the peas till soft, with a perforated ladle scoop the peas out, deter cold and drain well. KEEP THE SALTED WATER! Set a few on the side for garnishing. 

Process the rest peas together with parsley, cilantro, pine nuts, lemon juice and oil into a pesto, season salt and pepper. Set aside. 

In the remaining salted water cook pasta according to package direction until al dente. 

When done drain and give back into the pan. Mix under the pesto, season with plenty of pepper and garnish with the set aside peas, dizzle some oil over and serve.

Enjoy!

Vegan tuned up Potatopancake deluxe

Yesterday while waiting at the dentists waitingroom I glazed trough a Lady Magazines and most magazines helds some recipes (of course non vegan), but I have a look at them either, as almost every recipe you can prepare vegan. 

I studied the recipe and before been called up for examine my teeth I asked the desk worker for copying the page. 

And so I went home and decided to try it the vegan way. So it happend a few days later. Of course making a pancake vegan is very easy but I've never tried a pancake made of potatoes. But potato itself helds so much starch that you can probably use less egg-replacer - I just went for the secure side.

If you want the potatopancake with less calories just change the milk with the water and you've already safed some. 

I could have been layed in these pancakes - tto delicious to resist!

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Tuned up Potatopancake deluxe

50 min and 2 hour for the dought to rest.
For 4 units 

Ingredients:

Pancakes:
600 g Potatoes
1/2 cube fresh yeast 
250 ml soy milk, (lukewarm) 
eggreplacer for 3 eggs, such as silkentofu, No Egg-powder or apple mousse
300 g flour
salt 
pepper 
150 g onions
10 g vegan butter/margarine
100 g baby spinach 
4 slice smoken Tofu 
8 Tbsp. oil
2 Tbsp. Chardonnay vinegar 
1 Tbsp. nutoil,(z. B. walnut oil) 
40 g fresh horseradish 
200 g vegan ham or vegan salmon (in thin slices) 

Mustard "honey" sauce
3 stalks flat-leaf parsley 
60 g dijon mustard 
40 g agavenectar
100 g vegan sour cream 
salt 
pepper 

You will also need some kitchen paper

Preparation:
For the pancakes, peel the potatoes and on the fine side of the grater grate very finely. Give potato mixture in a cloth and squeeze it. 
In the milk dissolve crumbled yeast while stirring. Give potato mixture, yeast milk, eggreplacer, flour, 1 tsp salt and some pepper in a large bowl and mix with the beaters of the hand mixer to a smooth dough. Let dough covered go in a warm place for two hours until it has doubled in volume. 

Cut onions into fine dice. Heat butter in a pan and fry the onions until golden brown over medium heat. Remove from heat and let cool. Wash spinach, clean, spin dry, cover with a damp kitchen towel and refrigerate. 
Slice smoked Tofu into slices and roast in a skillet over medium heat till crispy, then chop coarsely. 

For the mustard-honey sauce pluck off the parsley leaves and chop finely. Mix mustard, agavenectar, vegan sour creme and parsley. Season with salt and pepper, then chill in the refrigerator till using. 

Take the potatopancake batter and with a wooden spoon lift under onions. Let rise again for 20 minutes. 

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a nonstick pan (20 cm diameter). Pour 1/4 of the pancake batter into the pan and bake until golden brown for 2-3 minutes over medium heat. Turn the pancake using a large pot lid and bake for further 2-3 minutes. Slide pancake onto a flat plate and cover with another plate a keep warm in a preheated oven at 80 degrees until all pancakes are cooked. 

For the spinach, wisk vinegar and walnut oil and pour over the spinach and mix gently. 
Peel horseradish. 

Place the pancakes on plates and spread some mustardcream on top. Something sauce give the pancakes. Spread, disturb the vegan ham on the pancake, put some on some spinach and sprinkle with finely grated horseradish and tofubacon. Serve with remaining sauce. 

Avocadocutles on a bed of salad

Can you remember when you have eating a special kind of food for your first time? I do with Avocados - but the first touch was not a really good one - not that the avocado was bad or so, no we ate mexican and made our own Guacamole and after eating it I had such heartracing that for many many years I avoided Avocados. Curiously since then I disliked it for real. 

Years after I gave the avocado another change - and tatata everything was good, still I had to get in touch with the taste of it again. . If I like avocado or not is very much depending how it is prepared. 

To tell you ahead the dish below I really do LOVE! Crunchy on the outside and soft inside and all this together with a salad. A perfect lunch or entree for dinner. 

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Avocadocutles on a bed of salad

4 Persons

Ingredients: 
2 pink grapefruits (or half a Pomelo) 
Salt and pepper 
6 tablespoons oil 
1 romaine lettuce heart 
1 radicchio 
75 g field salad 
200 g light vegan cream (such as soycream or selfmade cashewcream), spiced up
4 tablespoons sweet and sour asian sauce
100 g Panko breadcrumbs
water, salt
2-3 tbsp. nutrional yeast
5-7 tbsp. flour
2 ripe avocados 
3 tablespoons lemon juice 

Preparation:
Peel the grapefruit and remove the fleshs from the white skins. Cut fleshs into slices - collect the juice! Season the juice with salt and pepper, add 2 tbsp.oil and wisk well.
Clean, wash and drain salads, cut the romaine lettuce cut into strips, pluck radicchio into pieces. When cleaned mix with the grapefruit vinaigrette.

For the creamy dressing take the soy or cashewcream and stir in the asiansauce, season with salt and pepper.

For the breading pour some water in a deep dish, add some salt and about 2-3 tbsp. nutritional yeast. Wisk till smooth, then add the flour about 5 -7 tbsp.and wisk again. The breading should be plump. In another dish give the breadcrumbs. 

Now halve the avocados lengthwise and remove the core. Solve flesh from the shell and cut each half into 3 columns. Drizzle with lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Dip the avocado columns first in the wet flour mixture, then into the panko breadcrumbs. Lightly press the breading to the avocados.  

Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a large skillet and fry avocado columns around until golden brown on both sides over medium heat. Then drain on a kitchen paper. 

Distribute salad on four plates. Arrange the grapefruit-slices and the avocadocutles on top and dizzle over some of the asian-mixture-sauce.