29/09/2010

Potato Scramble

A hot and filling lunch which is ideal for these cold days. You can use whatever you like in this and vary different spices to create this simple meal.

Potato Scramble

Adapted from Skinny Bitch in the Kitch:-
Potato Scramble
Serves 1

- 3 or 4 new potatoes
- 100g firm or extra-firm tofu, diced
- pinch of sea salt
- pinch of pepper
- pinch of paprika
- 1/2 tablespoon rapeseed oil
- 1 vegan sausage, sliced
- 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
- sprinkle of chili flakes
- handful of baby spinach leaves to serve (optional)

How to:-
1. Boil the potatoes until tender (around 15-20 minutes) and then slice/chop and set aside.
2. Cook the vegan sausage according to packet instructions and then slice and set aside.
3. In a bowl, combine the tofu, salt, pepper and paprika, and add the sausage and potatoes.
4. Melt the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.
5. Add everything into the pan and cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
6. Serve immediately on the bed of spinach leaves if using.


Notes: I used Cauldron tofu and Linda McCartney's vegetarian sausages (vegan friendly too). As mentioned above, you can make countless variations of this dish; add mushrooms, beans, cheese, garlic, tomatoes etc.

23/09/2010

Apple crumble

I love comfort food, especially as the weather begins to get colder. This is one of my favourite desserts, best served hot/warm and with plenty of ice-cream. Drizzling maple syrup all over makes it even more perfect. You can make this with whatever fruit you like, I've recently made it with peaches and it was delicious.

Apple crumble

Adapted from Skinny Bitch in the Kitch:-
Fresh Fruit Crumble
Serves 4

- 100ml rapeseed oil, plus a little more for the pan
- 60g unrefined light brown sugar
- 75g wholemeal flour
- 45g rolled oats
- pinch of salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 6 small dessert apples, cored and sliced
- juice of half a lemon
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- vegan vanilla ice cream to serve (optional)
- maple syrup to serve (optional)

How to:-
1. Preheat oven to 190c/Gas 5. Lightly oil a 20 x 20cm baking pan.
2. In a medium bowl, combine 50g of the sugar, 60g of the flour, the oats and pinch of salt.
3. Using a pastry cutter or your fingers, swirl in the oil, mixing until the biggest pieces are the size of peas. Set aside.
4. In a large bowl, combine the remaining sugar, flour and cinnamon. Mix in the apples, lemon juice and vanilla extract.
5. Transfer the fruit to the baking pan, spreading evening. Sprinkle on the crumble topping.
6. Bake for about 30 minutes.
7. If the fruit isn't yet tender (depends on the type of fruit used), cover lightly with foil and for bake for an additional 20-30 minutes.
8. Serve warm with ice-cream and maple syrup if using.


Notes: I couldn't find Sucanat so I used store-brand fairtrade unrefined light brown sugar. As I like to pile on the ice-cream and maple syrup with my desserts, I reduced the amount of sugar that I used from the original recipe and also reduced the amount of oil used. For the vegan ice-cream I used Swedish Glace's Smooth Vanilla, which is a great alternative to dairy ice-cream.

Vegan McMuffin / breakfast sandwich

This little beauty reminds me of those calorie and fat laden McMuffins that McDonalds serve. Thankfully, this one is completely vegan and has much less fat! You can play around with what you want to put in them; try a portobello mushroom, add some tomatoes or cheese, load it up with salad, put in a sliced faux sausage, the options are endless. P.S I was in a little hurry taking the photo so I realise that the muffin is upside down, it was still tasty though :)

Vegan McMuffin

Adapted from Skinny Bitch in the Kitch:-
THE Breakfast Sandwich
Serves 1

- 50g tofu, sliced
- 1/2 tablespoon rapeseed oil
- 2 slices vegan bacon
- soy butter/marg spread for the muffin
- 1 wholemeal English muffin, split and toasted
- pinch of sea salt (optional)
- pinch of pepper (optional)
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce (optional)
- ketchup for serving (optional)

How to:-
1. If using, mix the tofu with the soy sauce and set aside.
2. In a frying pan, melt the rapeseed oil. Add the tofu and bacon and cook for a few minutes.
3. Toast the muffin and spread lightly each side with soy butter.
4. Assemble as desired with the tofu and bacon, adding the salt/pepper/ketchup if wanted.
5. Serve immediately whilst hot.


Notes: I'm trying to eat wholemeal/wholegrain carbs nowadays and avoiding the nasty white stuff wherever possible. Wholemeal English muffins are to die for. If you don't have much love for the whole stuff, try these. I used Cauldron tofu and Redwood's Organic Bacon Style Rashers. I didn't like the bacon much, it was very chewy. If I was making this for myself, I would probably use bacon from Quorn which would make it vegetarian. I also tried using Tofutti's Cheddar Cheese Slices which are simply awful, so I skipped those. For the soy spread I used Pure.

22/09/2010

French tofu scramble

I've wanted to cook properly with tofu for a while but never got around to it, until now. I'm really pleased with how this turned out for my first effort. I am AMAZED by how similiar scrambled tofu is to scrambled eggs. Seriously, after making this, I could quite happily not eat whole eggs ever again and I doubt I would miss them. This is a nice cooked breakfast on its own or you could easily bulk it out with more veggies and a side of carbs to turn it into a more substantial lunch or dinner time meal.

French scramble

Adapted from Skinny Bitch In The Kitch:-
French Scramble
Serves 1

- 100g firm or extra-firm tofu
- handful of grated vegan cheese
- 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped or put through a press
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- pinch of sea salt
- pinch of pepper
- 1/2 tablespoon rapeseed oil
- 30g sliced mushrooms, any kind - I used normal white button ones
- handful of baby spinach leaves to serve (optional)

How to:-
1. In a bowl combine the tofu, cheese, garlic, soy sauce, turmeric, salt and pepper. Set aside.
2. In a non-stick frying pan over medium heat, melt the oil. Add the mushrooms and cook until tender.
3. Stir in the tofu mixture and cook for around 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally and until any excess liquid has evaporated.
4. Serve immediately on a bed of baby spinach leaves if using.


Notes: I used Cauldron tofu and Redwood's Cheezly Mozzarella for this one. The vegan cheese grated and melted easily with the scramble. I couldn't taste it a great deal whilst eating so if you prefer a more cheesier dish, just add more cheese! The original recipe calls for spring onions which I left out because I hate onions and nutritional yeast flakes which I left out as I couldn't find them. I have since ordered a tub of Marigold Engevita's nutritional yeast flakes via eBay and will use these next time I make this dish. I also couldn't find any refined coconut oil so used rapeseed oil instead, and I prefer to eat spinach raw rather than cooked so that's just a matter of personal preference.

Strawberry, grape and melon fruit salad

I've recently read Skinny Bitch by Rory Freedman & Kim Barnouin. Loved the book and found it very informative on a lot of issues. I've started to change some of my eating habits and the first one that I've found the easiest to do was to have something simple for breakfast. Fruit is the breakfast of champions so I've been enjoying this simple fruit salad lately.

Fruit salad

Strawberries are probably my favourite fruit. I could eat them all day, everyday and I'm always sad when they go out of season. I love grapes and all types of melons so this is a perfect little starter in the mornings for me.