I love this. It's easy, fast, and delicious. The sort of slightly fancy comfort food that looks appetizing in the frozen dinners section of the super-market. Don't go there! They're not vegan! Also, this is more delicious and almost as easy.
Vegan Carbonara Sauce
I cannot remember where I found this recipe online, but it is amazing:
INGREDIENTS
2-4 Tbsp cashew paste (or cashew meal, whatevs)
1 Tbsp white miso (I have never tried this, in all honesty. It's fine without).
1 Tbsp tahini
1/2 tsp dijon mustard
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
pinch nutmeg
salt and pepper
1 cup plant milk (I've done it with water instead, with some soy flour thrown in)
1 cup stock
2 Tbsp starch
3 Tbsp chickpea flour (optional, but I like the colour and slight egginess it provides)
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast (optional, not sure how it'd go with the miso though)
METHOD
1. Whisk the cashew paste, tahini, miso (if using), mustard, garlic, nutmeg, salt and pepper until smooth (add a little of the plant milk if needed). Whisk in rest of the milk, stock, and starch (dissolved in a little liquid first, so you don't get clumps), nutritional yeast and chickpea flour (if using) until combined.
2. Heat over medium-low, stirring lots (don't let the bottom catch!) until it begins bubbling and becomes thick and creamy. Turn off heat.
For Pasta alla Veganara, serve this sauce with pasta, peas, other veg if you're keen (spinach or broccoli would
probably work nicely. And for some reason I'm thinking corn... what is
this turning into? Sorry, Italy.), and Vegan Dad's delicious tofu pancetta. The last time I made this I was thinking of trying smoky soya sauce chickpeas instead of tofu, but that'll have to be next time...
Timing wise, put your pasta on first and start your pancetta. The sauce comes together very quickly (I don't even really bother measuring anymore - it's very forgiving). When everything's done - add your sauce to your pasta, 'pancetta' and peas (can add direct from frozen) and warm through until everything is hot.
Showing posts with label tofu. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tofu. Show all posts
Saturday, March 16, 2013
Monday, January 7, 2013
The Bready Brunch
Yesterday I got up, ate some of the dreaded porridge with some lingon berries to liven it up, and set to work on making bread.
First up was my favourite wheat bread recipe - dense, filled with delicious seeds and carrots. But before adding these, I split the dough in half, put the to-be-seeded bread part aside and added more flour to what was left, to make a smooth white bread dough. This, after rising, was turned into Panipopo - Samoan buns that I loved as a child (note that I followed the linked recipe only for the sauce, which is vegan). There were a few bakeries in Newtown where you could get aluminium trays of the things, delicious browned buns with a thick coconut sauce soaked into the bottom. Delicious. So dessert (morning tea? I don't know, what do you call the sweet things you eat after brunch?) was sorted. (I also sneakily saved some dough for frying and turning into toutons, delicious things that my mother keeps writing to me about from her RSL in Newfoundland. Not having molasses on hand, we ate them with fig jam.)
The seed bread we ate in thick slices with scrambled tofu - fried with garlic, onion, cumin, paprika, thyme, green olives, broccoli, and a small sprinkling of nutritional yeast. So, so good.
So that was a lot of links there, but here is my favourite bread recipe, which started the whole thing.
Wholemeal Bread
(you can use white flour too. If you want to omit the seeds and grains, as I did for the toutons and panipopo, then just add some more flour a little bit at a time till a smooth dough forms).
3 cups white flour
2 cups wholemeal flour
2 cups mixed seeds/grains (my favourite combo is rolled oats with linseeds and sunflower seeds)
1 1/2 Tbsp sugar
3 tsp salt
1/4 cup oil
1 grated carrot (optional)
Mix the above together in a large bowl.
The heat the following liquids to finger warmth:
1 1/4 cup water
1 1/4 cup plant-based milk (or more water)
Dissolve 50g fresh yeast in the liquid.
Add the liquid to the dry ingredients and knead on a clean, lightly floured surface for 5-10 minutes until smooth, adding flour as necessary. Place in a greased bowl, flip dough over once (so that it is greased all round), leave in a warm place until doubled in bulk.
Knead lightly and shape, and leave again until doubled (I don't always do this). Bake at 200 degrees Celsius for 30 mins until golden.
First up was my favourite wheat bread recipe - dense, filled with delicious seeds and carrots. But before adding these, I split the dough in half, put the to-be-seeded bread part aside and added more flour to what was left, to make a smooth white bread dough. This, after rising, was turned into Panipopo - Samoan buns that I loved as a child (note that I followed the linked recipe only for the sauce, which is vegan). There were a few bakeries in Newtown where you could get aluminium trays of the things, delicious browned buns with a thick coconut sauce soaked into the bottom. Delicious. So dessert (morning tea? I don't know, what do you call the sweet things you eat after brunch?) was sorted. (I also sneakily saved some dough for frying and turning into toutons, delicious things that my mother keeps writing to me about from her RSL in Newfoundland. Not having molasses on hand, we ate them with fig jam.)
The seed bread we ate in thick slices with scrambled tofu - fried with garlic, onion, cumin, paprika, thyme, green olives, broccoli, and a small sprinkling of nutritional yeast. So, so good.
So that was a lot of links there, but here is my favourite bread recipe, which started the whole thing.
Wholemeal Bread
(you can use white flour too. If you want to omit the seeds and grains, as I did for the toutons and panipopo, then just add some more flour a little bit at a time till a smooth dough forms).
3 cups white flour
2 cups wholemeal flour
2 cups mixed seeds/grains (my favourite combo is rolled oats with linseeds and sunflower seeds)
1 1/2 Tbsp sugar
3 tsp salt
1/4 cup oil
1 grated carrot (optional)
Mix the above together in a large bowl.
The heat the following liquids to finger warmth:
1 1/4 cup water
1 1/4 cup plant-based milk (or more water)
Dissolve 50g fresh yeast in the liquid.
Add the liquid to the dry ingredients and knead on a clean, lightly floured surface for 5-10 minutes until smooth, adding flour as necessary. Place in a greased bowl, flip dough over once (so that it is greased all round), leave in a warm place until doubled in bulk.
Knead lightly and shape, and leave again until doubled (I don't always do this). Bake at 200 degrees Celsius for 30 mins until golden.
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Jerk Tofu
Tonight we had baked jerk tofu (and jerk veges), with rocket, polenta, and a spicy tomato sauce. The sauce and tofu marinade are adapted from the collection of caribbean recipes in the World Food Cafe 2 cookbook. I loved everything, especially the combo with creamy polenta. The tofu was exactly what I was craving, dense and flavourful.
Jerk Tofu
Press the crap out of a block of tofu. Cut it into strips (not too thin, like at least a cm thick).
For the marinade, blend:
1/2 an onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 an inch peeled and grated ginger (or use a tsp ginger powder)
1 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp oil
2 Tbsp soya sauce (or tamari)
1 Tbsp vinegar
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp cinnamon
pepper
Marinate the tofu for at least half an hour, then bake on oiled aluminium foil until browned. Obviously grilling would be awesome too. We also drizzled the sauce over some staves of zucchini and capsicum, and chucked them in the oven with the tofu.
Spicy Tomato Sauce
Sautee 1 diced onion, 2 cloves garlic (finely chopped) in some oil until softened. Add 1-2 tsp dried thyme and some fresh chilli or a generous sprinkling of chilli flakes. Stir and let cook for a couple of minutes more, then add a tin of crushed tomatoes, 1-2 Tbsp lime juice, salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, then simmer under a lid until reduced and saucy.
Jerk Tofu
Press the crap out of a block of tofu. Cut it into strips (not too thin, like at least a cm thick).
For the marinade, blend:
1/2 an onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 an inch peeled and grated ginger (or use a tsp ginger powder)
1 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp oil
2 Tbsp soya sauce (or tamari)
1 Tbsp vinegar
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp cinnamon
pepper
Marinate the tofu for at least half an hour, then bake on oiled aluminium foil until browned. Obviously grilling would be awesome too. We also drizzled the sauce over some staves of zucchini and capsicum, and chucked them in the oven with the tofu.
Spicy Tomato Sauce
Sautee 1 diced onion, 2 cloves garlic (finely chopped) in some oil until softened. Add 1-2 tsp dried thyme and some fresh chilli or a generous sprinkling of chilli flakes. Stir and let cook for a couple of minutes more, then add a tin of crushed tomatoes, 1-2 Tbsp lime juice, salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, then simmer under a lid until reduced and saucy.
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Better than my local Chinese restaurant
One thing I really miss about Wellington is the food. As my Mum says, New Zealand is really starting to wake up to the fact that it is a multicultural Asia-Pacific nation, rather than little England 30 years behind the "motherland". In Wellington you can get delicious Asian food that actually bears some resemblance to the stuff you get in different parts of China, or Vietnam, or Japan, or Malaysia, etc. Sometimes you get fun fusion foods that make the best of local ingredients. In Sweden, the Chinese food I've tried hardly deserves to be called food, much less Chinese. So I've started learning to cook my favourite Asian food myself - sometimes with heavy moderations based on what ingredients I can find/afford - but often I'm pretty impressed with the result.
Yesterday we had Isa's fabulous Mango Fried Rice, with a side of salt and pepper tofu because we were out of nuts. Varied the veg a bit too - carrots, cabbage and zucchini chopped small, and some mung bean sprouts. All good.
Southeast-Asian lunch
On the weekend I had a group of friends over, and we made Vietnamese summer rolls (example) - a favourite in my family. I was trying to make the most of the final days of warmish weather before rainy autumn sets in. I also like how summer rolls are interactive - like tacos - you just put out little bowls of different ingredients and a bowl of warm water in the centre for softening the wrappers, and people can construct their own. (In Vietnam they even have a chain restaurant called Wrap and Roll).
Summer rolls
(gluten-free if using tamari instead of soya sauce)
What I put in mine usually depends on what I have on hand, but I usually make a base of
- mung bean or rice vermicelli noodles (lightly seasoned with sesame oil so that they don't clump together)
Then add:
- grated carrot tossed with some lime juice to prevent browning
- mung bean sprouts
- finely chopped roasted peanuts
- fresh herbs (at least one of mint, coriander, thai basil).
Other good vege accompaniments are:
- thin staves of cucumber and/or capsicum
- avocado
For protein you can either upp the peanuts, or add some marinated tofu, tempeh or soy/wheat meat.
I like this marinade.
For dipping sauce I usually just mix soya sauce, rice vinegar, lime juice, chilli flakes and a little sugar together.
Coconut Agar
For dessert I made coconut agar jellies based on this recipe (using soy milk instead of cow) from the wonderful Shesimmers. I separated the coconut mixture into two loaf tins, and only made half of the coffee mixture which I layered with the coconut in one tin. For the other, I blended the flesh of a mango and a little sugar with some soy milk and then followed the same procedure with the agar-agar. Both were delicious, and even better the next day, for some reason. They weren't quite like the coconut agar I'm used to having at Chinese yum char restaurants in Wellington (the recipe was for Thai jellies), which are more coconutty and don't have the other layers. Next time I might try going all coconut and put in some dessicated coconut soaked in coconut milk (as per my genius Mum's suggestion).
The jellies were very pretty when cut into diamond shapes or hearts and stars using biscuit cutters. We ate them with fresh berries supplied by one of my lovely guests, which set off the tastes and colours beautifully.
Yesterday we had Isa's fabulous Mango Fried Rice, with a side of salt and pepper tofu because we were out of nuts. Varied the veg a bit too - carrots, cabbage and zucchini chopped small, and some mung bean sprouts. All good.
Southeast-Asian lunch
On the weekend I had a group of friends over, and we made Vietnamese summer rolls (example) - a favourite in my family. I was trying to make the most of the final days of warmish weather before rainy autumn sets in. I also like how summer rolls are interactive - like tacos - you just put out little bowls of different ingredients and a bowl of warm water in the centre for softening the wrappers, and people can construct their own. (In Vietnam they even have a chain restaurant called Wrap and Roll).
Summer rolls
(gluten-free if using tamari instead of soya sauce)
What I put in mine usually depends on what I have on hand, but I usually make a base of
- mung bean or rice vermicelli noodles (lightly seasoned with sesame oil so that they don't clump together)
Then add:
- grated carrot tossed with some lime juice to prevent browning
- mung bean sprouts
- finely chopped roasted peanuts
- fresh herbs (at least one of mint, coriander, thai basil).
Other good vege accompaniments are:
- thin staves of cucumber and/or capsicum
- avocado
For protein you can either upp the peanuts, or add some marinated tofu, tempeh or soy/wheat meat.
I like this marinade.
For dipping sauce I usually just mix soya sauce, rice vinegar, lime juice, chilli flakes and a little sugar together.
Coconut Agar
For dessert I made coconut agar jellies based on this recipe (using soy milk instead of cow) from the wonderful Shesimmers. I separated the coconut mixture into two loaf tins, and only made half of the coffee mixture which I layered with the coconut in one tin. For the other, I blended the flesh of a mango and a little sugar with some soy milk and then followed the same procedure with the agar-agar. Both were delicious, and even better the next day, for some reason. They weren't quite like the coconut agar I'm used to having at Chinese yum char restaurants in Wellington (the recipe was for Thai jellies), which are more coconutty and don't have the other layers. Next time I might try going all coconut and put in some dessicated coconut soaked in coconut milk (as per my genius Mum's suggestion).
The jellies were very pretty when cut into diamond shapes or hearts and stars using biscuit cutters. We ate them with fresh berries supplied by one of my lovely guests, which set off the tastes and colours beautifully.
Monday, May 28, 2012
Udon!
I wanted udon, I wanted them bad. I wanted seven spice udon, like I remember seeing in the Vegan Yum Yum cookbook and had always planned to make. Unfortunately, my udon craving hit me in New Zealand, while my VYY book is in storage on the other side of the world! Oh noes. I knew I would miss it. I remembered that the recipe had udon, Japanese seven spice, and finely chopped brussel sprouts and grated carrot. I didn't have any seven spice, but I was undeterred. Seven spice is pretty much garlic, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, chilli, pepper, orange peel and seaweed. Here follows my improvisation. When reunited with my beloved cookbook, we will see how it compares.
(feeds 3-4)
INGREDIENTS
2 tsp poppy seeds
2 tsp sesame seeds (or some sesame oil instead)
1 tsp chilli flakes
zest of 1 orange
2 tsp seaweed flakes (like wakame or nori)
1 tsp pepper (sechuan pepper if on hand)
2 large cloves garlic
350g brussel sprouts, shredded
3 handfuls haricot beans, topped and tailed
2 zucchini, chopped into thin sticks
3 carrots, grated
3 small packets pre-cooked udon
3 Tbsp soya sauce
2 Tbsp mirin
cooked marinated tofu (i.e. teriyaki, or the delicious Bean Supreme stuff)
chopped toasted almonds (optional)
chopped spring onions
METHOD
First, make your delicious seven spice! Take poppy seeds, sesame seeds, orange zest and seaweed and dry roast in a pan on the stove for a few minutes until it all smells roasty. Keep an eye on it, don't let it burn! Remove quickly from the pan when ready, as they can burn even when you turn off the heat. Put aside.
Stir fry the brussel sprouts, zucchini and beans with a little oil, in a wok on high heat. When nearly done, add carrots and sesame oil (if using), udon, soya sauce, and mirin. Stir everything around until all heated and cooked, then season with the roasted components of the seven spice, together with chilli flakes and pepper. Sprinkle with toasted almonds and spring onions, and serve with tofu.
***** BONUS YAKISOBA IMPROVISED RECIPE *****
I made yakisoba in a similar way with similar veges (slightly bigger bits of carrot, and broccoli cause it's yum) but instead of seven spice I seasoned it with soya sauce, mirin and Rocket Fuel sauce. Stirred everything through soba noodles and ate it with vegetable tempura and miso soup with soft tofu in. Yum.
(feeds 3-4)
INGREDIENTS
2 tsp poppy seeds
2 tsp sesame seeds (or some sesame oil instead)
1 tsp chilli flakes
zest of 1 orange
2 tsp seaweed flakes (like wakame or nori)
1 tsp pepper (sechuan pepper if on hand)
2 large cloves garlic
350g brussel sprouts, shredded
3 handfuls haricot beans, topped and tailed
2 zucchini, chopped into thin sticks
3 carrots, grated
3 small packets pre-cooked udon
3 Tbsp soya sauce
2 Tbsp mirin
cooked marinated tofu (i.e. teriyaki, or the delicious Bean Supreme stuff)
chopped toasted almonds (optional)
chopped spring onions
METHOD
First, make your delicious seven spice! Take poppy seeds, sesame seeds, orange zest and seaweed and dry roast in a pan on the stove for a few minutes until it all smells roasty. Keep an eye on it, don't let it burn! Remove quickly from the pan when ready, as they can burn even when you turn off the heat. Put aside.
Stir fry the brussel sprouts, zucchini and beans with a little oil, in a wok on high heat. When nearly done, add carrots and sesame oil (if using), udon, soya sauce, and mirin. Stir everything around until all heated and cooked, then season with the roasted components of the seven spice, together with chilli flakes and pepper. Sprinkle with toasted almonds and spring onions, and serve with tofu.
***** BONUS YAKISOBA IMPROVISED RECIPE *****
I made yakisoba in a similar way with similar veges (slightly bigger bits of carrot, and broccoli cause it's yum) but instead of seven spice I seasoned it with soya sauce, mirin and Rocket Fuel sauce. Stirred everything through soba noodles and ate it with vegetable tempura and miso soup with soft tofu in. Yum.
Sunday, April 29, 2012
"I woke up this morning to a perfectly grey day"
Cold grey Sunday. Which means, delicious baked things! These are two classic recipes which you can find everywhere. Can't remember where I got these from, though I'm sure the pudding recipe is out of my Mum's own handwritten book of recipes she's been collecting and concocting since she left home. It's currently written in my own version of such a book, but the number of times I've wished I had it online totally justifies me posting it here.
Spinach Tofu Canneloni
(also works as a lasagne filling, of course)
Tomato Sauce
If lazy you can use two things of prepared tomato pasta sauce, otherwise make your own with 2 tins of crushed tomatoes.
Tofu Filling
Blend:
500g tofu
60mL soy milk
2 garlic cloves
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp fresh basil (or dried oregano/other Italian herbs)
1/4 cup nutritional yeast (optional)
Add 50g frozen spinach, thawed and drained
Season with salt, nutmeg, black pepper and a small amount of chilli flakes.
Blend till smoothish.
White sauce
Melt 2 Tbsp margarine on medium low heat. Add 2 Tbsp flour, and stir till lumpy.
Warm till toasty, then stir in about 2 cups of soy milk, slowly, stirring all the while. Bring to boil, season with salt and a pinch nutmeg.
ASSEMBLY
1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celcius
2. Pour tomato sauce in bottom of a dish with enough space for 20 canneloni tubes.
3. Stuff tubes with tofu and spinach filling. Arrange in dish.
4. Top with white sauce so that the tubes are entirely covered.
5. Bake for 40 mins till browned.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Basic Chocolate Self-Saucing Pudding
This is a tried and true recipe that always satisfies, with minimal effort or ingredients.
INGREDIENTS
1 cup self-raising flour
3 Tbsp cocoa
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup plant milk (I like almond)
1 tsp vanilla
30 mL oil
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
1.75 cups hot water
METHOD
1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees.
2. Mix flour, salt, cocoa and sugar.
3. Stir in milk, vanilla and oil and mix till smooth.
4. Pour into a lightly greased casserole dish. Smooth top of pudding.
5. Sprinkle over brown sugar and cocoa and carefully pour hot water over pudding.
6. Bake for 40-50 mins.
Spinach Tofu Canneloni
(also works as a lasagne filling, of course)
Tomato Sauce
If lazy you can use two things of prepared tomato pasta sauce, otherwise make your own with 2 tins of crushed tomatoes.
Tofu Filling
Blend:
500g tofu
60mL soy milk
2 garlic cloves
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp fresh basil (or dried oregano/other Italian herbs)
1/4 cup nutritional yeast (optional)
Add 50g frozen spinach, thawed and drained
Season with salt, nutmeg, black pepper and a small amount of chilli flakes.
Blend till smoothish.
White sauce
Melt 2 Tbsp margarine on medium low heat. Add 2 Tbsp flour, and stir till lumpy.
Warm till toasty, then stir in about 2 cups of soy milk, slowly, stirring all the while. Bring to boil, season with salt and a pinch nutmeg.
ASSEMBLY
1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celcius
2. Pour tomato sauce in bottom of a dish with enough space for 20 canneloni tubes.
3. Stuff tubes with tofu and spinach filling. Arrange in dish.
4. Top with white sauce so that the tubes are entirely covered.
5. Bake for 40 mins till browned.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Basic Chocolate Self-Saucing Pudding
This is a tried and true recipe that always satisfies, with minimal effort or ingredients.
INGREDIENTS
1 cup self-raising flour
3 Tbsp cocoa
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup plant milk (I like almond)
1 tsp vanilla
30 mL oil
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
1.75 cups hot water
METHOD
1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees.
2. Mix flour, salt, cocoa and sugar.
3. Stir in milk, vanilla and oil and mix till smooth.
4. Pour into a lightly greased casserole dish. Smooth top of pudding.
5. Sprinkle over brown sugar and cocoa and carefully pour hot water over pudding.
6. Bake for 40-50 mins.
Saturday, April 7, 2012
Brunch in the Easter sun with family friends. It was so hot we had to break out the sunblock!
We had a feast of tofu and bean patties (a recipe by the DomPost's Ruth Pretty), polenta crostini topped with olive and sundried tomato relish, and home-made palmiers! Our hosts completed this with freshly squeezed orange juice, coffee, roasted tomatoes, sliced avocado, bread and dukkah, and a delicious sauterne wine that was like drinking sunlight.
Me and J rounded the day off rockhopping down in Owhiro Bay and a stroll through Island Bay, stopping at the Empire for gelato, one lemon, one melon. The best thing really about having someone you regularly swap germs with is that you can swap ice creams and avoid the whole dilemma of deciding. Though we do take care that our individual flavour choices are always anagrams of the other's. Got home in time to find vegan Nasi Goreng take-aways waiting for us in a steaming heap of spicy deliciousness.
All in all, a wonderful day.
Some recipes...
TOFU & BEAN PATTIES
Ingredients
- half a smallish pumpkin, cut into 1cm cubes and roasted till soft (about 10 mins)
- 1 big onion, finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- can of chickpeas, mashed (300g cooked)
- can of kidney beans (300g cooked)
- 200g firm tofu, 1cm cubes
- some cooked brown rice (medium grain) (about 2/3 cup uncooked)
- some corn kernels, fresh or frozen
- 1/2 cup Thai sweet chilli sauce
- 2 Tbsp chopped coriander leaves
- 2 Tbsp chopped parsley
- 2/3 cup rice flour
- salt and pepper
Method
Fry onion for a few minutes till soft, then add garlic and fry another minute. Put in a mixing bowl, and add all the rest of the stuff. Mix until able to form patties, adjusting flour amount as necessary. Fry patties in oil on medium high.
Serve with relish or tahini dressing (tahini mixed with some lemon juice, crushed garlic, olive oil and water).
(makes about 15 decent-sized patties)
POLENTA CROSTINI
Basically, fry rounds of polenta till crispy. This can take some time. I set my polenta in greased muffin tins, so the rounds were all ready to go.
PALMIERS
Get some vegan puff pastry. Get some vegan white sugar. Sprinkle some on a surface. Put the (defrosted) pastry on top. Sprinkle sugar on top of pastry too, going for an even layer. Use about 1/3 cup for the top and 1/2 a cup for the bottom. Roll the pastry out thinner, pressing in the sugar as you do so. Fold the left and right hand sides in until they meet at the middle. Repeat, then fold over like closing a book. Cut log into slices and arrange on baking paper on a baking tray. Bake at 230 degrees until caramelised on bottom (or top, if your oven is crazy like ours) - about 6-10 mins, then flip and cook the other side. Keep an eye on them. Likewise when they're out of the oven, these things disappear at lightning speed!
We had a feast of tofu and bean patties (a recipe by the DomPost's Ruth Pretty), polenta crostini topped with olive and sundried tomato relish, and home-made palmiers! Our hosts completed this with freshly squeezed orange juice, coffee, roasted tomatoes, sliced avocado, bread and dukkah, and a delicious sauterne wine that was like drinking sunlight.
Me and J rounded the day off rockhopping down in Owhiro Bay and a stroll through Island Bay, stopping at the Empire for gelato, one lemon, one melon. The best thing really about having someone you regularly swap germs with is that you can swap ice creams and avoid the whole dilemma of deciding. Though we do take care that our individual flavour choices are always anagrams of the other's. Got home in time to find vegan Nasi Goreng take-aways waiting for us in a steaming heap of spicy deliciousness.
All in all, a wonderful day.
Some recipes...
TOFU & BEAN PATTIES
Ingredients
- half a smallish pumpkin, cut into 1cm cubes and roasted till soft (about 10 mins)
- 1 big onion, finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- can of chickpeas, mashed (300g cooked)
- can of kidney beans (300g cooked)
- 200g firm tofu, 1cm cubes
- some cooked brown rice (medium grain) (about 2/3 cup uncooked)
- some corn kernels, fresh or frozen
- 1/2 cup Thai sweet chilli sauce
- 2 Tbsp chopped coriander leaves
- 2 Tbsp chopped parsley
- 2/3 cup rice flour
- salt and pepper
Method
Fry onion for a few minutes till soft, then add garlic and fry another minute. Put in a mixing bowl, and add all the rest of the stuff. Mix until able to form patties, adjusting flour amount as necessary. Fry patties in oil on medium high.
Serve with relish or tahini dressing (tahini mixed with some lemon juice, crushed garlic, olive oil and water).
(makes about 15 decent-sized patties)
POLENTA CROSTINI
Basically, fry rounds of polenta till crispy. This can take some time. I set my polenta in greased muffin tins, so the rounds were all ready to go.
PALMIERS
Get some vegan puff pastry. Get some vegan white sugar. Sprinkle some on a surface. Put the (defrosted) pastry on top. Sprinkle sugar on top of pastry too, going for an even layer. Use about 1/3 cup for the top and 1/2 a cup for the bottom. Roll the pastry out thinner, pressing in the sugar as you do so. Fold the left and right hand sides in until they meet at the middle. Repeat, then fold over like closing a book. Cut log into slices and arrange on baking paper on a baking tray. Bake at 230 degrees until caramelised on bottom (or top, if your oven is crazy like ours) - about 6-10 mins, then flip and cook the other side. Keep an eye on them. Likewise when they're out of the oven, these things disappear at lightning speed!
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