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Mushroom & Tofu Noodle Bowl with a rich miso 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.


Mushroom & Tofu Miso Bowl
 
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Tofu, mushroom, rocket and red cabbage top off noodles with a creamy deeply umami miso dressing.
Author:
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
  1. Prepare the other bowl ingredients (or substitute with your own options).
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. Whilst the pasta and broccoli are cooking, put all the sauce ingredients into blender and blend until very smooth and creamy.
  5. Arrange items in the bowl, top with the broccoli, tofu and mushrooms.
  6. Serve with the sauce to pour over.

 

Vegan “Egg” Salad

vegan egg salad

When on holiday back in the UK last year I came across a vegan “egg” salad sandwich in Marks & Spencers.. needless to say I had to try it!  It was so good and realistic that I snapped a photo of the ingredients and decided I would try and copycat it, making any necessary replacements when I got back here.  It uses cannellini beans and tofu as the egg replacement.  I had just created my vegan mayo so this was the perfect addition for a sandwich.  The recent royal coronation was a perfect opportunity to try it out.  It has been very well received by vegans and non-vegans! 🙂

Vegan "Egg" Salad
 
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Creamy mayo with mashed white beans, tofu, onion and parsley. If you can find (or grow) cress that would be perfect!
Author:
Recipe type: Sandwich filler
Cuisine: English
Serves: 4-6 sandwiches
Ingredients
  • 400g can cannellini beans drained
  • 3-4 tbsp my tofu mayonnaise
  • (If not using my mayo add ½ teaspoon black salt for that eggy aroma)
  • 200g Macro medium firm silken tofu
  • 2 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 2 spring onions (scallions) trimmed and very finely sliced
  • 1 tablespoon finely sliced fresh parsley (or cress if you have it)
  • 1 tsp salt or to taste
  • black pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Mash the drained beans in a large flat bottomed bowl with a fork or masher until no whole beans are left. Crumble in the tofu gently into large pieces. Add the mustard, onion, parsley, seasoning.
  2. Add the mayo and stir gently until all well combined

 

Garlic Vinaigrette

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.


Garlic Vinaigrette
 
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Tangy refreshing vinaigrette with a hint of garlic
Author:
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
  1. 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.

 

Roasted Vegetable Pasta with Basil Lemon sauce

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 Vegetable Pasta with Basil Lemon sauce
 
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Roasted vegetables alongside steamed broccoli, pasta and a tangy creamy pesto-inspired sauce
Author:
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
  1. Roast your vegetables (see description on my method in opening paragraph)
  2. 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.
  3. Adjust seasoning as required.
  4. Cook the pasta.
  5. Steam the broccoli.
  6. In a large bowl mix together the pasta, vegetables and sauce.
  7. Top with toasted pine nuts plus more shredded fresh basil if liked.

 

Poke Bowls

poke bowl

Poke Bowls
 
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I have used rice and quinoa but you can use any variety and mix of grains you like.
Author:
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
  1. 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.
  2. Prepare your vegetables:
  3. Pickle the red onion
  4. Steam the broccoli, or microwave
  5. Finely slice the cabbage
  6. Stir fry the sliced capsicum, then dry toast the seeds in same pan
  7. Slice the spring onions
  8. Defrost / microwave edamame / peas
  9. Dice the avocado
  10. Grill the tofu
  11. Mix in a jug all the sauce ingredients, adjust to your liking
  12. When rice is cooked let everyone assemble their own bowls, top with the sauce.

 

Lentil Broccoli & Quinoa Soup with Lemon, Mint & Chilli

Bright and refreshing yet comforting and sustaining, this is my favourite soup right now! I was looking for a recipe for a friend when I came across the recipe “Broccoli and Red Lentil Detox Soup” by Beauty Bites. When I was making it several days later I decided to add some cooked quinoa I had in in the fridge to make it a whole meal and then had a hankering for a strong lemony flavour.  I also used fresh turmeric instead of powdered, added more broccoli and mint which have such an affinity for the chilli and lemon.  I’ve been known to eat this whole batch in one go.. 🙂


Lentil Broccoli & Quinoa Soup with Lemon, Mint & Chilli
 
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A delicious all-in-one meal in a bowl soup!
Author:
Serves: 2-4
Ingredients
  • 1 medium onion
  • 1 garlic clove
  • ½ tsp ground cumin
  • ½ tsp ground turmeric (or preferably a small chunk of fresh, grated)
  • ½ tsp ground ginger or fresh, grated
  • 1 heaped tsp chicken style stock powder
  • 1 medium head of broccoli - finely chopped - stalk and florets
  • ½ cup red lentils
  • 1 heaped tsp semi dried chillies (Garden Gourmet brand)
  • Freshly squeezed lemon juice (2-4 tablespoons or to taste)
  • A dozen or so mint leaves, from 3 sprigs of mint, finely chopped
  • 1.5 cups cooked quinoa (I used ½ cup raw, cooked)
Instructions
  1. Peel and chop garlic and onion, wash herbs and vegetables and chop broccoli, mint leaves. Juice the lemon. Cook the quinoa.
  2. PC method:
  3. Sauté the veg for five minutes in splash of water then add all other ingredients except lemon, mint and quinoa, enough water to generously cover then cook on high for 10 minutes. Release pressure, stir in quinoa, lemon and mint and serve.
  4. Regular method:
  5. In your saucepan sauté the garlic and onions then add the spices (turmeric, ginger and cumin) adding and add a splash of water. Move around the pan for 2-3 minutes, making sure they don't burn.
  6. Add the chopped broccoli, the lentils, a pinch of salt, enough water to cover by around 2 cm.
  7. Place on the lid and cook on a low heat for about 10-15 minutes or until the lentils and broccoli are tender.
  8. Add the mint, quinoa and lemon juice and remove from the heat.

 

Superfood Burgers

“Superfoods” was such a buzzword a couple of years ago and I hate to use it really as the fact is that all fruits and vegetables are actually “superfoods” with their own unique blend of phytonutrients.  But this one does happen to contain 3 of the most recent foods claimed to be superfoods so I couldn’t resist calling them that.  I based this on a recipe from those you can buy at Forest Way Fresh; a large delicatessen / independent grocers in Terrey Hills on Sydney’s Northern Beaches.  They were so delicious I tried to recreate them! This is a very kid-friendly recipe (adults love them too though!) as they are sweet, with a great firm crispy texture. If your kid aren’t  keen on quinoa or greens this is a great one to try!


Superfood Burgers
 
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Quick and easy kid friendly burgers
Author:
Recipe type: Burger / Pattie
Serves: 12-20 burgers
Ingredients
  • 1 medium brown onion, finely chopped
  • 1 t ground cumin
  • 2 t ground coriander
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 750g sweet potatoes, (baked and mashed weight)
  • ½ cup raw quinoa, cooked (1.5 cups)
  • 140g bag chopped kale, cooked & squeezed
  • ½ cup dry roasted pecans, pulsed in food processor to a coarse meal
  • 1 cup oats, pulsed to a coarse meal
  • 1 cup sesame seeds, for coating
Instructions
  1. Pre-prep: Bake sweet potatoes, cook quinoa & kale, chop onion and kale, toast and pulse pecans and oats.
  2. Preheat oven to 200 degrees centigrade.
  3. Cook the onion with a little splash of water in a large frying pan, add the spices and once they’re smelling fragrant; tip into a large bowl and add the sweet potato, cooked quinoa, pecans, kale, oats and seasonings and stir well. Test the seasoning. Add some maple syrup if not quite sweet enough.
  4. Form into burgers and roll in sesame seeds before chilling.
  5. Bake in a hot oven for 15 minutes then flip and bake again for another 10 minutes. They should be golden brown and crisp.

 

Oooh this is exciting…

.. but I haven’t a clue what I’m doing!  Have already had 2 support chats with Bluehost as I’d no idea what to do next!  And I thought I was fairly technical (jobs in IT and all that..!). Rather a steep learning curve!

Anyway, very soon I will be posting our first recipe.  I’ve been trawling through my old recipes trying to find a family favourite which has stood the test of (vegetarian and now vegan) time and I think I’ve got the one.   It’s been on the repertoire for around 13 years so it’s a goodie!  I need to make it this week so I can take a reasonable photo to accompany it.  Watch this space, it’s coming soon.. 🙂