What a crazy day. First the weather's crazy. Sun, rain, snow - everything on one day, this makes it hard to decide what to wear....Thick or thin coat?? Luckely I was already at home when it started to snow heavely. Second: I receive a lot of phone calls, always when I layed myself on the sofa covered with a blanket a few minutes later the phone was calling. The last phone was defenetly one getting on my nerve. You know those phonecalls someone trying to sell something to you, arg......

 

I was going through my recipebooks for getting an inspiration what I could cook. Then I had an idea. Carrots, ginger and lemon is just such a good combination and all this in together with Lentils - lets give it a try. The result was a fresh and creamy dish. 

Lemony Carrot Dhal

 

Serves 4
Ready in 30 to 60 mins

 

Ingredients
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
450 g carrots, peeled and chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 green chilli, deseeded and chopped
2.5 cm piece root ginger, peeled and chopped
225 g split red lentils
1 tbsp medium vegan curry paste
zest and juice of 2 lemons
1.15 lt vegan stock
2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander, plus extra to garnish

How To Cook
1. Heat the oil in a large pan, add the onion and carrots and sauté for 3-4mins. Add the garlic, chilli, ginger and sauté for 1min.

2. Stir in the lentils, curry paste, lemon zest and juice and stock. Bring to the boil, then cover and simmer for 25-30 minutes or until the carrots are tender and the lentils have broken down.

3. Remove from the heat, stir in the coriander and season to taste. Serve hot with your choice of Indian side dishes.

Sometimes time runs by so fast and life passes by also so fast. Unbelievble. Monday is usually the day when I clean up my apartement. Don't ask we why. Years before saturday was my cleaning day, but by then I was working, and now no job and my cleaning day changed. I guess it's because I'm always lazy on sunday and on monday I feel like Popeye full of power.

Well I guess you all know popeye the seaman always eating spinach wich gives him strengh.... Well it's a myth. And as i felt like popeye I wanted to make something with spinach. I still had some cannelloni in my cabin and so I decided to make stuffed spinach cannelloni. Simple, easy and pretty fast done.

Smoked tofu and spinach cannelloni

Serves 2.
Preheat the oven to 200 °C

Fry 1 red onion (peeled and chopped) until soft. Add 1 clove garlic (peeled and crushed), 225g spinach (with tough stalks removed) 1/2 tsp thyme and some black pepper. Fry until spinach is wilted.

Mash 1 pack of smoked tofu with a fork and stir it into the spinach. Stuff 10 tubes of cannelloni pasta with the mixture and place the tubes in an ovenproof dish. Pour a tin of chopped tomatoes over the top and sprinkle with more thyme and black pepper. Add some grated melting vegan cheese (optional) and bake for 35 minutes.

Thai Bean burgers

Snowy or even sometimes rainy day. The sky all grey and it's never getting really day. Urgg.

I had to do some household anyway, so no matter.

 

Yesterday my parents were over for dinner and wanted to do a dish they've never eaten before (or done so). I've learned a lot from my mother about cooking and she's a really good cooker. I know that they're hardly eating asian dishes at home and therefore I wanted to surprise them.

The Bean burgers are made without bread topping and so good! Though it contains flour it's soft and tangy you won't feel overeaten.

Thai Bean Burgers & Sweet Potato Wedges

 

Serves 4Ready in 30 to 60 mins

 

Ingredients

For the potato wedges:
3 large sweet potatoes – peeled
1 tbsp olive oil
sprig of rosemary – taken off stalk
freshly ground black pepper

For the burgers:
1 garlic clove, peeled and chopped
2.5cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
1 small red chilli
handful fresh coriander leaves
1 small lemongrass stalk, topped and tailed, then smashed under the handle of a knife and chopped
1 lime, juiced
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 x 400g tin butter beans, drained and rinsed
6-8 spring onions, chopped
100g plain flour
freshly ground black pepper
olive oil for frying

How To Cook
1. Preheat oven to 180C. Cut the potatoes into wedges and place on an oiled baking sheet. Turn in the oil. Sprinkle with rosemary and pepper. Back for about 20-25 minutes.

2. In a blender/processor, put the garlic, ginger, chilli, coriander, smashed and chopped lemon grass, lime juice and soy sauce and whiz until a smooth paste. Roughly mash the butter beans, add the chopped spring onions and paste, mix well and mould into burger-shaped patties.

3. Put the flour on a plate and season with freshly ground black pepper. Gently turn the patties in the flour to coat. In a large frying pan add the oil and fry the burgers on a high heat for a few minutes each side.

4. Serve with a fresh salad.

Indonesian Vegetable Curry

Have you ever been too tired to get up even if it's sunday. The alarmclock woke me up at 10 am. Not that early but I needed some time to awake and the shower did the rest.
While eating breakfast I realized it was already 11 am. I was never that late, even on sundays.

It snowed the morning but cleared up and the sun was shining and it stopped snowing. I'm thinking about going outside for a walk. I haven't decided yet.


Today I was craving for an curry and I grabed my cooking book looking up for what I shall cook. Then I came across an indonesian vegetable curry. I only changed the vegetable, cause I had not the ones that were calling for in the recipe. The result was the same, GOOD and spicy!!


Indonesian Vegetable Curry

Serves 4

Ingredients:
3 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic gloves, chopped
1 Lemongrass, chopped
1 tsp. coriander powder
1/2 tsp. cumin
1 cm fresh ginger, finely chopped
1 tsp. curcuma
1 tsp. sambal oelek
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
175- 200 ml coconuss milk
150 g green beans
3 Peppers (red, green, yellow) copped into 3 cm pieces
200 g Cauliflower
250 g small asian eggplants, copped into cunks
150 g Napa cabbage, sliced into fine strips

Direction:
For the gravy mix:
put the coriander, cumin, ginger, garlic and lemongrass together in a mortar, grind and set aside.

1. Preheat a wok or a big pan over medium heat. In oil saute the onion till glassy. Add the beans and roast for about 5 min. Add the three peppers, eggplants and cauliflower and roast for another 3-5 min.

2. Add 1 tsp. curcuma, the coconut milk and the gravy mix and cook for about 10 min.

3. After the 10 min. add the napa cabbage, 1 tsp. sambal oelek, 1 Tbsp. Soy sauce, stir well and cook another 10 min. or till the vegetable are fork tender. Put in more salt if desired and serve with parfum rice.

P.s. The result is quite spicy, so if there are children at the table use less sambal oelek or add more coconut milk.

Italian tofu scramble

A year ago I couldn't imagine eating tofu scramble. The name reminded me of egg scramble and I never liked egg scramble before being vegan. But since I figured out how i like it with the right ingredients I eat the scramble more often. The red wine brings all the flavor together and it don't taste winy.


Italian Tofu Scramble

Italian Tofu Scramble

• 1 block extra firm tofu
• 1 med onion, diced
• 1 med red bell pepper, diced
• 2T sunflower oil
• 1/4c red vegan wine
• 2-3t garlic, minced
• 1.5t whole fennel seeds
• 1t dried oregano, sage, basil
• 1/4t smoked paprika [or 1/4t liquid smoke]
• 3/4t salt
• black pepper
• sage, chopped [to top]

1. Cut tofu into 8 even slices, and lay flat on a doubled over kitchen towel. Lay another towel [doubled over] on top, place a cutting board over that, then place a few heavy books on top. Press for 20 min.
2. While pressing, prep the veggies + garlic.
3. Preheat a large pan over medium heat and add 1T oil.
4. Add the onion + bell pepper and cook for about 5min, stirring frequently until softened.
5. Crumble the pressed tofu into the pan and cook for another 2-3min, stirring gently, trying to not break up the tofu too much.
6. Add the other 1T of oil to the pan, then add the garlic, fennel seeds, oregano, sage, basil, smoked paprika, salt + pepper.
7. Cook for 2-3min, stirring gently.
8. Slowly pour in the red wine, scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan and cook for another 2-3min.
9. Preheat your oven to broil + spread the mixture evenly onto a large baking sheet.
10. Broil on the top rack until lightly browned, stirring once. ~8-12min *Time can vary depending on your broiler. Keep a close eye on the tofu so it does not burn.
11. Add more salt + pepper to taste and top with fresh chopped sage if desired.

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Stuffed Potato Cakes

INGREDIENTS

 

- 3 large yukon gold potatoes

- 1 tsp salt

- 1 tbsp margarine

- 1 small onion, diced

- 1" piece of ginger, minced

- 1/2 tsp chili powder

- 1/2 tsp tumeric

- 1 tbsp chopped cilantro

- 1/2 cup frozen peas

- 1 tsp lemon juice

- 1/4 tsp garam masala

- 1/2 cup soy milk

- 1/4 tsp lemon juice

- 1/3 cup bread crumbs

- oil for frying

METHOD

 

Makes 5 large, or 10 small, potato cakes

 

1. Boil potatoes with skins on for about 15 mins, until tender. Drain and set aside to cool. When cool, peel and mash. Add 1/2 tsp of salt and knead for 1 min until smooth. Set aside.

 

2. While potatoes are cooking, saute onion and ginger in the margarine over medium heat for 5 mins. Add chili powder, tumeric, cilantro and cook for 1 min. Add peas and mix well. Add a splash of water if needed, and cook until peas are heated through. Add lemon juice and garam masala and mix well. Remove from heat and let cool.

 

3. Divide potato mixture into 5 or 10 pieces. Flatten a piece in your hands and place a tbsp (less for smaller cakes) of the pea mixture of in the middle. Fold potato mixture over and seal all sides. Repeat.

 

4. Mix soy milk and lemon juice together in a small bowl. Place breadcrumbs in a separate bowl. Dip potato cake in the soy milk and roll in breadcrumbs. Fry in oil over medium heat for 2-3 mins per side, until golden brown.

 

5. Drain potato cakes on a paper towel or paper bag and serve.

 

 

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Nice crispy crunchy crackers that are crazy healthy. I like making up a couple of batches and just leaving them around to munch on when I want a snack. They’re also great with spreads like hummus or moke salmon dip.

 

Flax Crackers

 

 

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Yield: About 24 crackers

Ingredients:

2 cups ground flaxseed (you can buy it pre-ground or grind whole seeds in a coffee grinder)

1 cup water (start with 3/4 c. and add more as needed to make a workable dough)

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

 

2. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients and mix until an even dough forms. Spread evenly onto a parchment or silicone lined baking sheet - about 1/8-1/4 inch thick. Gently cut dough into squares on the baking sheet (be careful not to cut up your silicone mat or cookie sheet!)

 

3. Bake for 20-30 minutes until crisp and edges are browned but not burnt.

Seitan with Okra

Today I saw fresh Okra at the bigger supermarket and had to buy it immediatly. I have not made them many times since I first ate them at a chinese restaurant.

Seitan wtih Okra

Ingredients

for the okra dish

2 loafs white seitan, cut in pieces
1 onion, diced
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/3 cup of olive oil
1 ½ – 2 cups of water
1 kg/2 pounds fresh or frozen baby okra
2 fresh tomatoes processed in the food processor or 1 can of crashed tomatoes
1/3 cup vinegar
Salt and pepper

1. Place the okra in a colander, rinse with cold water, sprinkle with salt and vinegar and shake to coat all of them. Set aside at least for 2 hours before cooking. 

2. Heat the olive oil in a big pot over medium heat and sauté the onion, garlic, and seitan for about 10 minutes. Stir in the tomato, okra and water, season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Cover the pot, lower the heat and let it cook for about 25 to 30 minutes.

3. Serve with plain rice and enjoy.

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These are like meatballs but made with beets. Easly put throw together and pan fried they can be served plain as an appetizer, snack or as a dinner ingredients with pasta and sauce.


Beetballs

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Yield: 30 meatballs or 6 patties

 

Ingredients:

• 3.5 cups shredded beets (about 3 beets)
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/4 fresh parsley or 1/2 cup wilted spinach
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp fennel (optional)
• 1/4 tsp white pepper
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1 1/2 cups brown rice flour (or any other flour)
• 1 Tbsp oil plus more for sautéing

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients except flour in a large bowl. Blend with a stick blender or food processor until very smooth.
2. Add flour 1/2 cup at a time until the mixture is thick enough to form into balls or patties - it will get more stable after it cooks, it just needs to be firm enough to maintain its shape while you cook it.
3. Shape mixture into small balls or patties and sauté in oil in a skillet over medium high heat until evenly browned on all sides and heated throughout. Serve immediately.

Golden Nectar Smoothie

Luck doesn't seem to be a good friend of mine. Like the weather (rain) my mood is bad right now. I just received a call about a job and got an negativ answer. Well, I could have scream out loud. I've been searching for a job that long and always get a negativ answers. This is just that frustration.

 

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This smoothie is defenetly the one I love the much. It's so easy and so fast done.

                  

Golden Nectar Smoothie

 

 

This energizing drink can be served at breakfast, or over ice as a pick-me-up at any other time of day.

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Ingredients

2 cups freshly squeezed orange juice (about 6 oranges)

1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon raw honey

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 teaspoons finely grated fresh ginger

2 ripe bananas

 

Directions

1. In a blender, puree all ingredients until smooth. Serve immediately.

 

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Tofu in sweet orange sauce

 

 

Ingredients:

1 package firm tofu, pressed and drained, cut in triangles
3/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp tamari
chopped fresh parsley
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp salt
flour and salt for coating the tofu
2 Tbsp olive oil

1. In a small plate place a little bit of flour and pinch of salt and toss in the tofu, mixing it around until all sides are coated with the flour/salt mixture. Set aside.

 

2. Add the olive oil in a cast iron pan and heat over medium high heat. Place tofu in the pan and let it cook until golden. Flip it over and cook the other side until golden as well. Add the sugar, tamari and spices in the orange juice and mix well until the sugar is dissolved. Lower the heat and pour the orange juice mixture over the tofu. Let it cook until the sauce becomes syrupy.

 

3. Add the parsley, mix and serve with rice. Enjoy!