Spicy BBQ-Sauce

Summer time is coming and with the warm temperatur the grill get started warmed up. 

Summer is definitely my time! Sitting or being outside, relaxing or with a good book on the balcony. 

To begin the great pleasely eveving, I already prepared a big bootle of BBQ-Salsa. This sauce keeps - stored well in the refrigerator - for a long time. Last year when I made it, it kept for really long - well this depends naturally very much on how often you grill or with whatever you enjoy this spicy Sauce. 

If you got children at the table, you may reduce the spicy or make an extra little bottle - as it is kind of spicy - not too much - but enough....


Spicy BBQ-Sauce

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, diced
3-4 garlic cloves minced
24-ounce jar of strained (or crushed) tomatoes (or a 28-ounce can)
7-ounce jar of tomato paste (or a 6-ounce can)
2 tablespoon Srirache
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup whole grain mustard
1/4 cup agave nectar

Preparation:
Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onion sauté for about 5 minutes, until the onion is slightly tender, add the garlic and saute for another minute or two.

Add in the remaining ingredients and stir well to combine, reduce the heat to a medium-low and allow to simmer for 30 - 40 minutes, stirring often.

Taste the sauce 

Remove from the heat, allow to cool for a few minutes, then puree until smooth in the food processor or blender.

note: if you don’t like spicy, you can skip the sriracha, add less or use just a pinch of two of red pepper flakes instead.

Colorful Tomatosalad

Today during lunchtime I shortly went to the not ordinary supermarket - a little bit more expensive, but got things a usual supermarket does not sell (or never seen). I walked trought the vegetable lines and there I saw the different and colorful tomatoes - some of them I've never tasted, but beside layed some cutted pieces to try and after it - I had to buy them, they just looked and tasted great!

Hesitating weather to make different colored ketchup I changed to prepare a simple, colorful salad for lunchtime. Ketchup could wait for sure. 

This salad was great when I made it the next day for my lunch and while sitting in the sun on my balcony. 

Of course you can make this salad with any kind of colored tomatoes, but with non-usual- ones it's something different for the regular one. 

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Colorful Tomatosalad

4 Persons
30 min

Ingredients:
1 red chili
juice from one lime
salt
sugar
4 Tbsp. sunflower oil
half tsp. grounded crosscumin
800g fresh mixed tomatoes
1 red onion
half bunch of coriander
100g (one small can) chickpeas

Direction:
Halve the chilli lengthwise, remove seeds and chop finely. Wisk together Lime juice with salt, sugar and oil. Stir under cumin and chopped Chili. Wash the tomatoes, cut into slices and arrange on a plate. 


2 Cut onion into thin rings. Pluck Coriander leaves from the stems.Drain and rinse Chickpeas in a colander. Distribute chickpeas, onions and cilantro onto the tomato. 

Drizzle with dressing and serve immediately. 

Fresh Tomato & Wholemeal Bread Soup

I had such a hardworking day and coming home and passing through the market lanes, I saw fresh, big and so great smelling italian tomatoes (unfortunatly I forgot their name..). I had to buy them immediatly. First I was thinking about making a tomatosauce for my next tomorrows dinner, but then being back at home I changed for the soup. But this will have to wait till tomorrow

Sunday, one hour back of time changing into winterseason. Every half of year the same and mostly every time I forget it and realize it when waking up, hearing the news on the alarmclock-radio. This year was different, I knew the time would change the day before but I forgot it. When it the alarmclock ran I turned it off - some more sleep, but when getting up the radiospeaker said the hour and I was lightly shocked - what? - oh now... For a sundaymorning a little bit early I have to say.

After I passed the morning through with kitchenwork, I needed a lunchbreak. The idea about making a soup with the fresh yesterday-bought italian tomatoes. This soup would calm my stomachrumors for sure.

As almost every soups, this one is very fast done, perfect if you are in a hurry! AND of course so tasty. Enjoy!

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Fresh Tomato-Wholemeal Bread Soup

Serves: 4-5

Ingredients:
1 tbsp rapeseed oil
1 large onion
800g fresh tomatoes
1 lt vegan vegetable stock
4 medium slices of wholemeal bread
25g pack basil

Direction:
Heat the oil in a large saucepan and fry the onion for five minutes. Add the tomatoes, cover and cook for a further five minutes. Stir in the stock and bring to the boil.

Roughly tear up the bread and add to the soup. Simmer for five minutes. Add the basil and purée with a hand blender or in a food processor. Season to taste.

Merry Christmas!

I wish you all a Merry Christmas and have a beautiful evening with the people you love.

 

 

I have done all my things, especially the appetizer I made, which took me about an hour and a half. Now I'm ready for the evening and still have some time left till my sister will pick me up.

 

For the appetizer I made some small - well the ended up not so small as I thought - "panzanella" sticks with a paste from tomato (spiced) and then a tomato a cucumber and in between some meat or fish, and the finish a basil leave. I did not made them vegan cause I'm the only vegan person and I knew they probably would have problem having no meat or fish. For myself I made some without meat or fish and some cucumber sticks with a vegan spread to dip with.

 

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"Panzanella" with vegan meat

 

 

serves about 10 persons

per person: 4 "sticks"

preperation time: 1 hour and a half

 

Ingredients:

- weat round toast bread (about 40 rounds)

- 4 tomatoes

- 1 big cucumber

- one pack dryed tomato or tomatoe in oil

- oil

- 3 garlic gloves, chopped or pressed trough

- 2 tsp. grounded black pepper

- salt to taste

- 1 tbsp. balsamico vinaigrette

- 1 pack basil leaves, washed and dryed

 

Preperation:

 

Made the day before:

Unpack the dryed tomatoe and soak them in oil together with the pressed trough garlic gloves and 2 tsp. grounded black pepper, stirr well and mix it well trough with the "mixer" (sorry don't know the word exactly in english) until you get a Paste. (like a sauce). Taste it will salt and pepper, maybe more garlic till the paste is spicy. Let stand in the fridge over night to get a good flavor.

(Do the same with the tomatoes in oil but without extra oil. )

 

On the day for using:

Chopp the tomatoes and cucumber in about 5 mm thick rounds and soak them with the balsamico vinaigrette and taste with pepper and salt.

 

Take the toast rounds

 

 

 

spread on some butter and then the tomatoe paste.

Then one tomatoe, some vegan ham, then a cucumber, some paste and finish with a basil leave.

 

Put in a teeth stick or another stick to hold them together and place it on big plate.

 

Ready!

 

It's a very simple and easy appetizer.

 

Enjoy

 

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Simple Salt and Pepper Tofu Triangles

 

 

Simple Salt and Pepper Tofu Triangles
vegan, makes 10-14 triangles depending on size
14 ounce firm tofu, sliced into triangles as shown
1/4 cup safflower oil
fine black pepper to taste (enough to coat)
1-2 tsp agave syrup
1/2-3/4 tsp salt
“cheezy” option: sprinkle with nutritional yeast fresh off the saute pan — or during last minute of cooking.

To Make:
1. Drain tofu. Remove from pack. Squeeze dry with a paper towel. Remove as much water as you can without breaking the tofu. Slice into triangles.
2. Heat a saute pan on high with the 1/4 cup safflower oil heating. Wait until oil is hot and carefully drop tofu. Be careful as oil may slightly splatter. Try to evenly space tofu in pan.
3. Do not disturb the tofu for the first few minutes — simply let it cook, heat and toast that first edge. During this time you can add a very thick layer of fine black pepper to the uncooked side of the tofu. the pepper should cling to the raw, still damp surface. Also add an even amount of salt to the tofu. You can add more salt later so don’t over-do it. A light sprinkle will do. Drizzle in the agave or maple – this adds a slight nice sweetness to compliment the saltiness. When the edges start to appear browned you can flip the tofu.
4. Allow this second side to cook for a few more minutes.. You want all sides to be toasty brown and crisp. You can start flipping more casually as needed now until you like the browning on each edge of the triangles.
5. Remove from heat and cool on a paper towel to absorb excess oil. You can add some nutritional yeast for an added “cheezy” flavor and texture.
6. Serve hot, warm or even chilled!

 

 

Worse than yesterday

Worser than yesterday is the weather today, much more rain and much more colder. Winter is defently coming, althought I hoped it would never come....

Not really the perfect weather for my parents coming home from south africa and I had to get them, give back the car and going home without a car. Sad about that, I get used to it.

Many years ago I had a car by myself, but then I had an accident and it was complete useless after, too much was broken to repare. Since then I can't affort another one - beside that where I live now I don't really need one. I live that close to all the local traffic (Bus, train, "metro").

This morning I allready prepared my vegetable for dinner, saves time in the evening.

Raw Zucchininoodles or in my way I'm going to steam it before eating.

And here's the result:
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Zucchini Spaghetti with Marinara Sauce

3 large heirloom tomatoes, or the equivalent of the same amount of cherry tomatoes - cut in chunks

2-3 halves sun-dried tomatoes

1-2 dates - pits removed

1-2 garlic cloves

1 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice

1/4 cup olive oil

1 cup or more fresh basil leaves

1-2 leaves, or 1 tbsp of fresh oregano (optional)

Handful of flat leaf parsley (optional)

Celtic salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Asian noodles cooked, set aside

Combine all the ingredients in a food processor. Serve over mixed noodles and zucchini (shaved on a spiral slicer) on the spaghetti setting.

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