Ever since I discovered Red Pepper Nectar (see my Red Pepper Pesto recipe) I have been experimenting with it. It makes a deliciously delicate but aromatic salad dressing.
I felt like creating a bowl and using up what I had available. As always, it’s all about the sauce! Feel free to substitute anything; I like a mix of cooked and raw items. This one uses wholemeal linguine, rocket, shredded red cabbage, quick pickled red onions and then cooked mushrooms and grilled marinated tofu.
Tofu, mushroom, rocket and red cabbage top off noodles with a creamy deeply umami miso dressing.
Author: Deb
Recipe type: Bowl
Serves: -
Ingredients
Handful of rocket
Handful of finely shredded cabbage
Wholemeal linguine
Steamed broccoli
Marinated tofu, grilled
Quick pickled onions (finely shredded, tossed with white wine vinegar for 15 mins)
SAUCE: (makes enough for 8-10 servings)
¾ cup soy milk
2 tablespoons miso paste
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon grated ginger
3 garlic cloves, crushed / grated
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon tahini
1 tablespoon bottled teriyaki sauce
1 tablespoon caramelised onion relish
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Instructions
Prepare the other bowl ingredients (or substitute with your own options).
Sauté the mushrooms whole in a large skillet with a lid until they are tender, using a dash of soy sauce or tamari to flavour.
Marinate the tofu in soy sauce, vegetable stock and a little tomato paste for 30 mins, then cook on both sides in a medium pan, turning twice. I used a grill pan to get the stripes. You can also use a sandwich press.
Whilst the pasta and broccoli are cooking, put all the sauce ingredients into blender and blend until very smooth and creamy.
Arrange items in the bowl, top with the broccoli, tofu and mushrooms.
I have always loved this tangy, salty, creamy sauce! Using miso, sesame flour, and soy milk I have managed to significantly reduce the fat in this more-ish sauce. A little goes a long way, this really packs a punch!
I have tried every single tofu mayonnaise recipe I could find and didn’t like any of them. Until I decided to wing it with the amount of other ingredients I added and bingo! Delicious! Finally I have a low fat mayo that I can dip my potatoes into with abandon!
Light but creamy textured mayo with a lemony hum. If you like add a clove (or more) of crushed garlic to the lemon juice and let it steep before adding in to create more of an aioli.
Author: Deb
Recipe type: Sauces
Serves: 1.5 cups
Ingredients
300g of Macro Slightly Firm Classic Tofu
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2.5-3 teaspoons American style yellow mustard
½ teaspoon black salt / kala namak (for the eggy aroma)
½-1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pure maple syrup or other liquid sweetener of choice
2 dessertspoons mashed potato flakes
Instructions
Gently drain and rinse the tofu of all its liquid.
If making the garlic variety, crush or microplane the garlic and drop into a little dish with the lemon juice, leave for 5-10 minutes.
Put all the ingredients into a blender (I used a Nutribullet) and blend until very smooth.
If you want a slightly richer mayonnaise add 12 raw cashews to the mix.
I am finally getting around to adding my vinaigrette recipes on here! Sometimes you want a traditional, light dressing for a green salad more reminiscent of those oil and vinegar ones we used to make! This is the 1st of three I make on a regular basis. They all keep in the fridge for a couple of weeks with no problem.
Tangy refreshing vinaigrette with a hint of garlic
Author: Deb
Recipe type: Salad dressing
Cuisine: French
Serves: 6
Ingredients
1 clove garlic
4 T vinegar (I used white wine but any kind will work and will change it slightly)
1 T fresh lemon juice
4 T soy / almond milk
2 t date syrup
½ t salt
1 t Dijon mustard
10ml tahini
2 tsp miso
Slice onion
½ cup water
Instructions
Finely grate or chop the garlic and put in the blender with the lemon juice and vinegar. Allow to steep for 10 minutes before adding all the other ingredients and blend until thoroughly combined and silky smooth.
I have been using this method of roasting vegetables for a little while, which I learned from Chef Julia. Basically you mix a little tahini into a couple tablespoons of of vegetable stock and use that to toss with the vegetables before putting in a hot oven (around 220 degrees C). I usually mix them up again around 20 mins in and then just keep an eye on them to make sure they don’t burn.
The sauce is rather pesto-like but with a more pronounced lemon twist. I used pasta from a fantastic local company who make an amazing wholemeal sourdough pasta range, but substitute your favourite pasta, this works well with any shape.
Roasted vegetables alongside steamed broccoli, pasta and a tangy creamy pesto-inspired sauce
Author: Deb
Recipe type: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian inspired
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
Sauce:
½ cup cashews
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 clove fresh garlic
30g fresh basil
2 rounded desertspoons nutritional yeast
4 tablespoons boiling water
1 teaspoon lemon zest
salt & pepper to taste
Toasted pine nuts (optional)
Extra fresh basil, shredded (optional)
1 heaping cup roasted vegetables per person
Suggestions of vegetables:
Butternut Squash
Sweet Potatoes
Capsicums
Red onions
I usually make a big batch once a week and store in the fridge
400g wholemeal pasta - used fusilli
Instructions
Roast your vegetables (see description on my method in opening paragraph)
Meanwhile put all sauce ingredients apart from lemon zest in a blender and blend until smooth. Stir in the lemon zest and allow it to sit at room temperature.
Adjust seasoning as required.
Cook the pasta.
Steam the broccoli.
In a large bowl mix together the pasta, vegetables and sauce.
Top with toasted pine nuts plus more shredded fresh basil if liked.
Why MMMM dressing?! Apart from it being mmmm delicious it has 4 ingredients beginning with M! Tangy, sweet, salty and fabulous drizzed over steamed vegetables, a cooked grain or noodles or tossed through a fresh salad. Hope you love it too!
I can’t believe it has taken a decade to get this recipe up on my page. I first had this type of salad at the Open Air Cinema in Sydney and loved it so much I actually wrote to the catering company to ask for the recipe! It has been amended and simplified a lot over the years to make it easier and quicker to make. Use any noodles you like; it works well with brown rice vermicelli, or wholemeal spaghetti.
Crunchy salad with noodles; make it as hot or mild as you choose and add any toppings you like. If you're short on time feel free to use a bag of prepared coleslaw instead of individual vegetables
Author: Deb
Recipe type: Salad
Cuisine: Thai / Vietnamese
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
1 pack noodles – for 4 people
1 red / other capsicum - finely sliced
½ small white cabbage - shredded
2 large carrots - grated
4 spring onions - finely sliced
Optional: celery / other capsicums / marinated tofu pieces etc.
Cook the noodles, rinse in cold water and set aside
Meanwhile finely shred, chop or grate the vegetables to desired textures and place in a large bowl
Add the herbs – finely chopped, and mix well
Blend all the ingredients for the sauce except the lime leaves. Snip into them with a sharp knife or scissors and place into the dressing to infuse for at least 30 mins (gets stronger the longer you leave it).
Mix the noodles with the vegetables, top with the sauce and mix thoroughly
I have used rice and quinoa but you can use any variety and mix of grains you like.
Author: Deb
Recipe type: Bowl
Cuisine: Hawaiian / Japanese
Serves: 6
Ingredients
2 rice cups brown rice, 1 rice cup quinoa
Use any vegetables you like, a variety of cooked and raw. In this example I used
purple cauliflower, grilled in a sandwich press
broccoli, steamed,
1 large red capsicum, sliced and pan-fried still slightly carameiised
Bunch of spring onions
1 cup frozen peas, defrosted,
¼ white cabbage, finely shredded on a mandolin
1 large red onion, sliced and steeped in red wine vinegar for 30 mins
⅓ cup sunflower and pumpkin seed
½ cucumber, sliced
1 large avocado, cubed
1 bag frozen edamame beans, defrosted
Slices of marinated tofu, cooked on the grill
Pickled sushi ginger
Sauce:
½ cup sushi seasoning (we like the Obento brand),
½ cup soy sauce,
1 tsp crushed garlic (or paste from a jar)
1 tsp finely grated ginger (or paste from a jar)
1 tablespoon tahini
1 tablespoons date paste
Couple drops of toasted sesame oil (makes a huge difference)
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 teaspoons chilli (paste, semi dried or flakes - up to you!)
Instructions
Put the rice and quinoa into your rice cooker and fill level of water to 3.5 cups. If you've no pressure cooker or if you're short on time use precooked bags of rice / quinoa or grab some you've already made from your freezer and defrost (good tip!) Otherwise cook in your favourite way.
Prepare your vegetables:
Pickle the red onion
Steam the broccoli, or microwave
Finely slice the cabbage
Stir fry the sliced capsicum, then dry toast the seeds in same pan
Slice the spring onions
Defrost / microwave edamame / peas
Dice the avocado
Grill the tofu
Mix in a jug all the sauce ingredients, adjust to your liking
When rice is cooked let everyone assemble their own bowls, top with the sauce.
