vegetarian

June 9, 2014

tofu with black bean sauce

I had some leftover black beans and some rice that was already cooked so I thought I might try a black bean sauce – obviously it’s not traditional since the beans aren’t fermented, but it made a really lovely dish.

For 2 people I use half a block of tofu and half a can of black beans.

Cut the tofu into 1in pieces and dry fry the tofu in a tefal pan.

In a cup mix a teaspoon corn starch with a tablespoon water until it’s smooth.

Cook some garlic & onion in soy sauce, I used the spring version of both as that’s what’s come up in the garden. Dump the black beans in & rinse the can with a couple tablespoons of water and pour that in as well.

Add in some chinese 5 spice, dried chili flakes & the corn starch mixture & stir it all up, mushing the beans a little.

Mix the tofu into the sauce and add more soy sauce as necessary. Serve on top of rice with some fresh coriander and toasted cashews.

adminautism, cooking, eating, events, food, gluten free, lactose free, overcoming multiple sclerosis, recipes, vegan, vegetarian

May 12, 2014

Cous Cous with grilled veggies

Cous cous is incredibly fast & easy to make, you just mix the dried cous cous with twice as much freshly boiled water, cover and let sit for 5 minutes. Meanwhile cut & grill your veggies, whatever you want to put in. For this one I used mushrooms, onions, broccoli, & spinach. I also always add in some nuts, seeds & dried fruit, this time going with currants & cashews. Lastly add a little salt & pepper & chili flakes. It’s great as leftovers for lunch as well and tastes good straight out of the fridge.

adminautism, cooking, eating, events, food, lactose free, overcoming multiple sclerosis, recipes, vegan, vegetarian

April 28, 2014

super easy roast pumpkin

I often get a half of a pumpkin in my vegbox and this is a super easy & quick way to cook it. Just rinse it off, scoop out the seeds and sprinkle the flesh with some spices, I used:

smoked paprika
cumin
salt & pepper
cayenne pepper
lemon juice

Cover the pan with tin foil and cook it on 185c/375f/gas mark 6 for about 40 minutes. Be careful when opening the tin foil because it gets quite steamy. You can easily slice the skin right off now and cut it into chunks. I added some cashews, dried currants & quinoa for a complete meal.

adminautism, cooking, eating, events, food, gluten free, lactose free, overcoming multiple sclerosis, recipes, vegan, vegetarian

April 14, 2014

wild garlic & cashew pesto

I get wild garlic leaves in my veg bag quite a lot and I have a hard time using them all up usually. They have quite a strong flavour so you only need to add one or two to most dishes. With this pesto I used them all up in one go and it was fab!

Here’s a picture of wild garlic leaves:

I just threw the whole bunch in the food processor with a half a cup of cashews, a sprinkle of salt & pepper, a teaspoon mixed italian herbs, a tablespoon of lemon juice and a few big glugs of olive oil. Blitz until combined and add oil/lemon juice until you get to a good consistency. Meanwhile boil up some of your favourite pasta and cut a handful of cherry tomatoes in half. Toss it all together and you’ve got a healthy, tasty, vegan pesto extravaganza.

adminautism, cooking, eating, events, food, lactose free, overcoming multiple sclerosis, recipes, vegan, vegetarian

April 7, 2014

pasta primavera

Just a simple pasta and vegetables. Cook whatever kind of pasta you like. Grill assorted vegetables on a dry cast iron or tefal grill. Toss with extra virgin olive oil, fresh crushed garlic, dried red chili flakes, salt & pepper.

Top with some vegan parmesan if you like.

adminautism, cooking, eating, events, food, lactose free, overcoming multiple sclerosis, recipes, vegan, vegetarian

March 24, 2014

broccoli pancakes

This is a great way to use up leftover veggies (not just broccoli) and have a quick, easy, healthy dinner. I use a basic american pancake recipe as the base.

1 cup (130 grams) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 large egg, lightly beaten (replace with 1 tablespoon milled flax seed mixed with 2 tablespoons water for vegan)
1 cup (240 ml) buttermilk (I use soy milk and a teaspoon cider vinegar instead)

For savoury pancakes I like to add some herbs and spices instead of sugar, for these I did a teaspoon each

salt & pepper
cayenne pepper
mixed italian herbs
nutritional yeast

Mix all the dry ingredients, add the wet ones in a well in the middle, including the broccoli (or other veg). I had about a cup leftover, be sure it’s well cooked and mashed into smaller bits. Mix it lightly just until incorporated, the secret to fluffy pancakes is not to overmix (especially if you use wheat flour).

If you have a good tefal pan you can fry them dry. Be sure the pan is hot and wait for a couple bubbles to burst before you flip them. Leave them in a warm oven until you’re ready to serve.

They are a great snack on the go just plain but for diner I like them with a dip of some kind and a side salad. This time I did a soy yoghurt mixed with garlic & onion powder. They are great with a pickle, chutney, hummus or bbq sauce too.

adminautism, cooking, eating, events, food, gluten free, lactose free, overcoming multiple sclerosis, recipes, vegetarian

March 17, 2014

Arrabiata Pasta

This is a spicy warm variation to your typical tomato pasta.

Makes enough for 4

Ingredients:

400g pasta
4 cloves minced garlic
1 medium onion chopped
150ml red wine
2 tablespoons brown sugar
700g tomato passata (or tomato chunks)
5 tablespoons chopped fresh basil (leave a little to garnish)
2 teaspoons crushed red chilli flakes
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
sprinkle of salt

Cook the onion and garlic in a splash of red wine. Once tender stir in the rest of the wine, sugar, salt, pepper, chilli flakes and passata. Bring to a boil. Turn down to low and let it simmer uncovered for 15 minutes. Cook your pasta while you’re waiting. Stir in basil a the end. I sprinkle a little vegan parmesan and fresh basil on to serve.

adminautism, cooking, eating, events, food, lactose free, overcoming multiple sclerosis, recipes, vegan, vegetarian

March 10, 2014

Vegan Chili

Start off by chopping and boiling a bit of root veg, whatever you have. For this one I used a carrot and a parsnip. You could go with potato, turnip, squash, anything you like really. Throw in a chopped onion at the end just to blanche it real quick.

Once those are tender drain most of the water out and turn it down to low.

Add in:

two cloves chopped garlic
salt & pepper
a chopped chili or teaspoon dried chili flakes

Then add in a can each:

kidney beans
tomatoes
corn
any other kind of bean

Stir it all up and add in a teaspoon each:

garlic powder
cumin
smoked paprika

Let it simmer for about 10 minutes.

I serve mine with a side of tortilla chips. Tto make home made ones just cut corn tortillas into chip pieces and cook on a hot, dry grill until brown, turning once.

I also add a handful of torn fresh coriander and a few slices of avocado on top.

adminautism, cooking, eating, events, food, gluten free, lactose free, overcoming multiple sclerosis, recipes, vegan, vegetarian

February 3, 2014

Singapore Noodles

A combination that is so wrong, it’s right. Indian curry powder & Chinese 5 spice are the main flavours of this popular noodle dish.

For 4 People:

Start out by dry frying a block of tofu cut into 1in/2cm triangles. Dry fry an onion and a hand ful of halved mushrooms as well.

In a wok or frying in use a bit of soy sauce to fry 2 cloves of minced garlic and a teaspoon of minced ginger. Add in half a head of shredded cabbage and fry using soy sauce. While it cooks add in a teaspoon each brown sugar, Chinese 5 spice and dried chili flakes.

Use the whole pack of the rice vermicelli noodles. Just pour boiling water over to cover them and let them sit for about 5 minutes, just until they’re al dente. Only make them when you’re about ready to add them so they don’t go mushy or stick together.

Add the noodles in a bit at a time, sprinkling Indian curry powder on them as you do, about a tablespoon in total. Most recipes call for madras style. I use a combination that I keep on hand that has madras, garam masala, & turmeric.

Taste them and add a bit more spice or soy sauce as needed.

adminautism, cooking, eating, events, food, gluten free, lactose free, overcoming multiple sclerosis, recipes, vegan, vegetarian

December 23, 2013

Vegan Bailey’s & Chocolate Treats

It’s holiday time! Tomorrow evening I will sit down to my yearly Christmas ritual of extravagant food & drink, paired with a viewing of It’s a Wonderful Life and the original cartoon version of The Grinch Who Stole Christmas! This will be my first year doing it as a vegan though!

First up Vegan Bailey’s:

For every shot of whiskey (Jameson & McCallum are both great choices)

Add in:

1 shot soy cream
1 shot simple syrup mixture:

On low heat warm 2 parts water to 1 part sugar until dissolved in a pan containing a few coffee beans. Add in a couple drops of vanilla & a quarter teaspoon cocoa per shot.

Keep it in the fridge & serve over ice – tastes remarkably like the real thing!

On the side will be a sweet chocolate treat that you don’t have to feel guilty about!

Blitz 1/2 cup hazelnuts or almonds in the food processor, leaving them quite chunky, and sit to the side.

Now blitz until combined:

2 cups walnuts
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup cocoa

Now add in slowly while it’s on:

1 and a half cups dates

It should be a crumbly texture that sticks together when you squish it. Mix it together with the larger chunks of nuts from before. Press it into molded cups or any pan and let it sit in the freezer for an hour. Best served straight out of the freezer or else it gets quite crumbly.