We have an open jar of Thai yellow curry paste that I used in the fabulously satisfying Red Lentil Thai Chili (we used yellow curry paste because shrimpless red was hard to come by at our local. And used pumpkin instead of sweet potato because it is phenomenal with Thai flavours).
I wanted stir-fried noodles to eat with my frozen dumplings, but we didn't have any exciting sauces and I was too lazy to whip one up. Thus curry-fried noodles are born!
Curry-fried Noodles
Chop up an onion. Fry for a few minutes with some oil in a wok or large frying pan.
Chop up a carrot, some cabbage (I used red), some green beans (these pretty much just need their tops and tails off), and pea shoots. Add them to the pan, with the tougher veges first. (These were the veges I had on hand, use whatever that stir fries nicely).
Start cooking a packet of rice noodles.
Towards the end of your frying, add 3 heaped tsp of yellow curry paste, and stir well. Add the noodles when they're done, and mix everything around. Season with a dash of salt and soy sauce (or tamari) to taste. Yum.
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Lives on Drury Lane...
I have made (and eaten) ALL THE MUFFINS!
I had this chocolate and I we had these nice tinned peaches and some frozen berries, and I wanted to try to recreate the ones they have at Fidels.
So I adapted this recipe of Isa's:*
Chunky Chunkster Chocolate Peach Berry Muffins
(makes 12)
INGREDIENTS
2 cups flour (use white, just do it)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup syrup from the tinned peaches (top it up with a bit of water or plant milk if needed)
1/2 cup canola oil
2 teaspoons vanilla essence
1 cup high quality tinned peaches chopped into chunks
1 cup frozen raspberries
100g chocolate chunks
METHOD
1. Preheat oven to 190 degrees Celcius. Lightly grease muffin tins.
2. Mix flour, BP, soda, and salt. Make a well in the centre, and add the syrup, oil, and essence. Mix, and about half way through, add the fruit and chocolate. Don't overmix.
3. Fill muffin tins 3/4 full and bake for around 25 mins until browned on top and a skewer comes out clean.
* I should also mention that I had a go at the original recipe, Orange Cranberry Muffins, using hazelnuts instead of the pecans, and they were probably the best muffins I have ever made. Possibly the best muffins I have ever eaten. Although me and my sister did reckon they'd be jolly nice with some white chocolate in there somewhere.
I had this chocolate and I we had these nice tinned peaches and some frozen berries, and I wanted to try to recreate the ones they have at Fidels.
So I adapted this recipe of Isa's:*
Chunky Chunkster Chocolate Peach Berry Muffins
(makes 12)
INGREDIENTS
2 cups flour (use white, just do it)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup syrup from the tinned peaches (top it up with a bit of water or plant milk if needed)
1/2 cup canola oil
2 teaspoons vanilla essence
1 cup high quality tinned peaches chopped into chunks
1 cup frozen raspberries
100g chocolate chunks
METHOD
1. Preheat oven to 190 degrees Celcius. Lightly grease muffin tins.
2. Mix flour, BP, soda, and salt. Make a well in the centre, and add the syrup, oil, and essence. Mix, and about half way through, add the fruit and chocolate. Don't overmix.
3. Fill muffin tins 3/4 full and bake for around 25 mins until browned on top and a skewer comes out clean.
* I should also mention that I had a go at the original recipe, Orange Cranberry Muffins, using hazelnuts instead of the pecans, and they were probably the best muffins I have ever made. Possibly the best muffins I have ever eaten. Although me and my sister did reckon they'd be jolly nice with some white chocolate in there somewhere.
"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.
Mum's been throwing herself into vegan cooking, with an inspired orzo casserole and a coconut rice pudding. She's a total genius!
Orzo Casserole with Nutballs
(fed a hungry family of 6)
INGREDIENTS
1 cup mixed nuts, chopped finely
1 cup fresh wholewheat breadcrumbs
1-2 tsp dried herbs (eg. thyme, oregano)
about 3 cloves fresh garlic, finely chopped
1 'egg's worth of no-Egg
enough vegetable stock to make it all stick
lots of onion and garlic, chopped
1 packet cooked orzo pasta
2 tins crushed tomatoes
2 tsp brown sugar
pinch chilli powder
bread crumbs mixed with olive oil
METHOD
1. Mix together first lot of ingredients and form into small walnut-sized balls. Fry and set aside.
2. Sautee onion and garlic until soft. Mix with the orzo, tomatoes, sugar and chilli powder in a large baking dish. Pop in the meatballs at strategic intervals. Top with the breadcrumbs mixed with oil.
3. Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 30 mins. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mum's very own Coconut Rice Pudding
INGREDIENTS
8 Tbsp short grain rice
4 Tbsp brown sugar
1 can coconut cream (~350mL) + enough soy milk to make 1 L of liquid
2-3 tsp nutmeg
METHOD
1. Stir together all ingredients except nutmeg until well combined. Place in a very lightly greased baking dish and sprinkle with nutmeg.
2. Bake at 135 degrees C for 2-2.5 hours until creamy and liquid mostly absorbed.
Orzo Casserole with Nutballs
(fed a hungry family of 6)
INGREDIENTS
1 cup mixed nuts, chopped finely
1 cup fresh wholewheat breadcrumbs
1-2 tsp dried herbs (eg. thyme, oregano)
about 3 cloves fresh garlic, finely chopped
1 'egg's worth of no-Egg
enough vegetable stock to make it all stick
lots of onion and garlic, chopped
1 packet cooked orzo pasta
2 tins crushed tomatoes
2 tsp brown sugar
pinch chilli powder
bread crumbs mixed with olive oil
METHOD
1. Mix together first lot of ingredients and form into small walnut-sized balls. Fry and set aside.
2. Sautee onion and garlic until soft. Mix with the orzo, tomatoes, sugar and chilli powder in a large baking dish. Pop in the meatballs at strategic intervals. Top with the breadcrumbs mixed with oil.
3. Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 30 mins. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mum's very own Coconut Rice Pudding
INGREDIENTS
8 Tbsp short grain rice
4 Tbsp brown sugar
1 can coconut cream (~350mL) + enough soy milk to make 1 L of liquid
2-3 tsp nutmeg
METHOD
1. Stir together all ingredients except nutmeg until well combined. Place in a very lightly greased baking dish and sprinkle with nutmeg.
2. Bake at 135 degrees C for 2-2.5 hours until creamy and liquid mostly absorbed.
Monday, April 23, 2012
Corny Muffins
Ate Krishna food today at Higher Taste, pretty good. Not much room left for Dad's Antipasto Ebly salad, but still enjoyed it thoroughly. But now, dear food blog, you can have my favourite savoury muffin recipe. It's based on a cornbread recipe which I got from somewhere, and as such comes out quite crumbly and yellow and corny. It's a pretty forgiving recipe, I kind of stick to the base recipe and bung whatever I want in, so they never come out the same way twice. But they're always, always good.
Corny Muffins
(makes 6 big muffins or 12 little ones... or 9 medium ones)
INGREDIENTS
2 Tbsp ground flaxseeds
6 Tbsp boiling water
1 cup flour
1 cup cornmeal or polenta
1/8 cup sugar 4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt some cayenne pepper, paprika, dried thyme (all optional). More paprika than thyme is good.
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1/2 a medium sized zucchini (or even more), grated
one or more of: sliced green olives, basil, sliced pickled jalapenos, preserved roasted red peppers, finely chopped celery, or even actual corn if you're that keen
1 cup soy milk (or water)
1/4 cup canola oil
1 tsp apple cider vinegar (or other light coloured vinegar)
METHOD
1. Preheat oven to 220 degrees C.
2. Add water to flax seeds, letting it sit for a minute or so before whisking until thickened.
3. In a big bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (I usually use a fork).
4. Add the veges, flax egg, milk/water, oil, and vinegar. Mix until smooth, but don't go crazy on it.
5. Pour into greased muffin tins and bake in the middle of the oven for around 15-20 mins depending on how big your muffins are. Do the toothpick test.
Corny Muffins
(makes 6 big muffins or 12 little ones... or 9 medium ones)
INGREDIENTS
2 Tbsp ground flaxseeds
6 Tbsp boiling water
1 cup flour
1 cup cornmeal or polenta
1/8 cup sugar 4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt some cayenne pepper, paprika, dried thyme (all optional). More paprika than thyme is good.
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1/2 a medium sized zucchini (or even more), grated
one or more of: sliced green olives, basil, sliced pickled jalapenos, preserved roasted red peppers, finely chopped celery, or even actual corn if you're that keen
1 cup soy milk (or water)
1/4 cup canola oil
1 tsp apple cider vinegar (or other light coloured vinegar)
METHOD
1. Preheat oven to 220 degrees C.
2. Add water to flax seeds, letting it sit for a minute or so before whisking until thickened.
3. In a big bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (I usually use a fork).
4. Add the veges, flax egg, milk/water, oil, and vinegar. Mix until smooth, but don't go crazy on it.
5. Pour into greased muffin tins and bake in the middle of the oven for around 15-20 mins depending on how big your muffins are. Do the toothpick test.
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Wintery warmers
I always laugh when my sisters say there's no food in the house. You can make such delicious things with such simple ingredients. Yesterday I used the leftover pastry from my soup pie to make an improvised savoury tarte tatin with onions, tomatoes, and zucchini, jazzed up with some dried thyme and a sprinkling of brown sugar. That was a tasty lunch.
Then for dinner for the whole family I made this simple and delicious recipe from the wonderful Isa Chandra. Except without the dill as I'm not much of a fan (somehow living in Sweden for three years has made me associate dill with fish). And with the more substantial texture of wholemeal flour in the dumplings, made with fresh rosemary seeing as my parents grow a ton of it. We bunged in an extra can of beans to bulk out the protein content (fava, because we ran out of white beans). Worried too about it not being enough for a hungry family of six, Dad fried up some cabbage and orange capsicum dressed with lemon juice and black pepper and a drizzle of rosemary and garlic infused olive oil. This was not only delicious on its own but also went well just dumped in the soup as my Mum ate it.
Then for dinner for the whole family I made this simple and delicious recipe from the wonderful Isa Chandra. Except without the dill as I'm not much of a fan (somehow living in Sweden for three years has made me associate dill with fish). And with the more substantial texture of wholemeal flour in the dumplings, made with fresh rosemary seeing as my parents grow a ton of it. We bunged in an extra can of beans to bulk out the protein content (fava, because we ran out of white beans). Worried too about it not being enough for a hungry family of six, Dad fried up some cabbage and orange capsicum dressed with lemon juice and black pepper and a drizzle of rosemary and garlic infused olive oil. This was not only delicious on its own but also went well just dumped in the soup as my Mum ate it.
Monday, April 16, 2012
Places to Eat in Wellington
I love Wellington. I love its contours, its colours, the varied corners and cultures. I also love the explosion of vegan-friendly eateries. You can almost always get soy milk for an added charge (usually around 50c) at any place that sells barista coffee, i.e. most cafes and many restaurants in Wellington. Here follows a list of places I've had choice food.
Aunty Mena's
Has to top any list. Last time I asked they told me the whole menu was vegan. I'm busily trying to eat my way through it. Nasi lemak, wonton noodle soup, dumplings, roti chanai, have all been a hit.
Midnight Espresso
Good range of vegan food on the menu - the nachos are nice, as is the vegan big breakfast. Also often have a good range of counter-food, like rice bakes, sandwiches, cakes, and biscuits. But it's variable, and sometimes I've gone in feeling like something exciting and found the range somewhat depleted.
Tulsi
Says in their menu that many of the mains and sides can be veganised on request. We tried a couple of the vegetarian curries with naan, and everything was absolutely delicious - even without cream.
Maranui
This is one of my favourite cafes in Wellington. It's in Lyall Bay, right on the beach, and has a reasonable range of vegan breakfasts, mains, salads, and delectable vegan cupcakes.
Pranah
This probably IS my favourite cafe in Wellington. In Newtown, only a 15 minute walk from where I live, I would give them all my money if I could. It's real handy for the Newtown vege market on weekends, so we often reward ourselves for getting up early with a coffee and a bite to eat there. They are all-vegetarian (I think?), and a significant proportion of their stuff is vegan (often around 50%). And it's all really good and reasonably priced. I love them. Their baking in particular is amazing.
Burger Fuel
Went to these guys in Taupo, but their menu is the same at all the outlets. They have one burger specifically labelled vegan, which has a gluten free bun (I think?), made on an all-vegan production line. They also have another vegetarian burger suitable for vegans if you just ask them to leave out the aioli, and I don't think it suffers for that. When I asked about the difference between the vegan and the vegetarian burgers, the senior staff member present told me that the bun was made under strictly vegan conditions, whereas the other vege-burgers had buns that were produced on equipment that also handled dairy products. Nice to know that they are so dedicated in thinking about these things. And the burgers are yum.
Fidels
Often a bit disappointing on the vegan front, but they ususally have really scrummy vegan muffins with berries and big chunks of chocolate in them.
Aunty Mena's
Has to top any list. Last time I asked they told me the whole menu was vegan. I'm busily trying to eat my way through it. Nasi lemak, wonton noodle soup, dumplings, roti chanai, have all been a hit.
Midnight Espresso
Good range of vegan food on the menu - the nachos are nice, as is the vegan big breakfast. Also often have a good range of counter-food, like rice bakes, sandwiches, cakes, and biscuits. But it's variable, and sometimes I've gone in feeling like something exciting and found the range somewhat depleted.
Tulsi
Says in their menu that many of the mains and sides can be veganised on request. We tried a couple of the vegetarian curries with naan, and everything was absolutely delicious - even without cream.
Maranui
This is one of my favourite cafes in Wellington. It's in Lyall Bay, right on the beach, and has a reasonable range of vegan breakfasts, mains, salads, and delectable vegan cupcakes.
Pranah
This probably IS my favourite cafe in Wellington. In Newtown, only a 15 minute walk from where I live, I would give them all my money if I could. It's real handy for the Newtown vege market on weekends, so we often reward ourselves for getting up early with a coffee and a bite to eat there. They are all-vegetarian (I think?), and a significant proportion of their stuff is vegan (often around 50%). And it's all really good and reasonably priced. I love them. Their baking in particular is amazing.
Burger Fuel
Went to these guys in Taupo, but their menu is the same at all the outlets. They have one burger specifically labelled vegan, which has a gluten free bun (I think?), made on an all-vegan production line. They also have another vegetarian burger suitable for vegans if you just ask them to leave out the aioli, and I don't think it suffers for that. When I asked about the difference between the vegan and the vegetarian burgers, the senior staff member present told me that the bun was made under strictly vegan conditions, whereas the other vege-burgers had buns that were produced on equipment that also handled dairy products. Nice to know that they are so dedicated in thinking about these things. And the burgers are yum.
Fidels
Often a bit disappointing on the vegan front, but they ususally have really scrummy vegan muffins with berries and big chunks of chocolate in them.
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