baking

Lemon Herb Roasted Tofu And Kale With Quinoa

February 25, 2013 by Zizi

I love roasting tofu because it gives crispness to this vegetarian “cheese” (although I don’t like to call it cheese). Tofu has a low calorie count, relatively large amounts of protein, and little fat. It is high in iron and, depending on the coagulant used in manufacturing, may also be high in calcium and/or magnesium. It is also rich in vitamin B1 and B2.

Kale is also a healthy ingredient that is great if it’s roasted or toasted. It is a plant that very high in beta carotene, vitamin K, vitamin C, lutein, and reasonably rich in calcium.

Lemon Herb Roasted Tofu and Kale With Quinoa
(Inspired by The First Mess)

Ingredients (serves 2)

– 300 g firm tofu, pressed and diced
– 1 medium bunch of kale, leaves removed and torn into bit sized pieces
– juice and zest of 1 lemon
– 2 cloves garlic, sliced
– 2 sprigs rosemary, leaves removed and chopped
– 3-4 sprigs thyme, leaves removed and chopped
– 1 teaspoon chili flakes
– 3-4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
– salt, pepper
– 1/2 cup cooked quinoa

Method

Preheat the oven to 180C (356F). Line a large sheet with parchment paper.

Place lemon zest, sliced garlic, chili flakes, rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper in the bowl of a mortar and pestle. Grind it up until a dry paste is achieved. Add olive oil, lemon juice and grind + combine until mixture is unified.

In a bowl mix together tofu cubes with half of the olive oil, lemon juice and herb mixture. Place onto the baking sheet and roast for 20 minutes until golden brown (halfway mix through the tofu cubes with a wooden spoon). Remove the roasted tofu cubes into a bowl. Toss the kale with the remaining olive oil, lemon juice and herb mixture in the same bowl. Place kale onto the same baking sheet and roast at 160C (320F) for about 5-8 minutes.

Serve the lemon herb roasted tofu and kale with cooked quinoa.

Penne With Beetroot Cream And Toasted Poppy Seeds

February 17, 2013 by Zizi

Look at this beautiful red colour! We should be grateful to Mother Nature for giving us beetroot that has an amazing colour like this!

My body has a lack of iron (just a little bit) these days so I try to eat as many meals as I can that are rich in iron. Iron rich foods can fortify your blood, in a properly balanced diet. Iron, the metal, is an element that is also a nutrient mineral that humans need to consume as a part of our everyday diet. Iron, in some form, is essential for good health. It is also important to eat foods rich in vitamin C because this vitamin enhances the absorption of iron into our body. If we are not getting enough iron, the best way to increase our iron intake is by effecting a slight change in our eating habits.

If you are a vegetarian like me it’s good to know that foods such as beans, whole grains, spinach and dried fruits have a significant amount of iron.

Penne With Beetroot Cream and Toasted Poppy Seeds
(Recipe inspiration: Bev Cooks)

Ingredients (serves 2)

– 200 g penne pasta
– 3 medium beetroot, peeled and diced
– 3-4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
– 2 sprigs thyme
– 4 tabelspoons olive oil
– 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
– 1/2 cup vegetable stock
– 1/4 cup cream or oat cream
– 1/2 cup grated parmesan
– 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
– salt, pepper

Method

In a bowl mix together the diced beetroot with 2 tablespoons olive oil, thyme, salt and pepper. Place it on a baking sheet and roast at 180C (356F) until tender (about 30-40 minutes). In the last 10 minutes baking, sprinkle the beets with the garlic and bake them together.

Transfer garlicy beets to a food processor and add balsamic vinegar, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1/4 cup grated parmesan and pulse until it gets smooth. Transfer the mixture to a pan and add vegetable stock, cream and the leftover parmesan. Season with salt and pepper and simmer on low temperature while you prepare the rest of the dish.

In a medium sized pan bring water to a boil. Add salt into the boiling water and cook the penne al dente. Drain and set aside. In a dry non-stick pan toast the poppy seeds in 2-3 minutes.

Pour the beetroot sauce over the penne and serve immediately. Sprinkle with fresh thyme, the toasted poppy seed and some parmesan.

Enjoy!

Vegan Walnut Sandwich Cookies With Dark Chocolate Fudge

January 18, 2013 by Zizi

Cute bite sized walnut + whole spelt flour cookies or cookie sandwiches with a touch of cinnamon and vanilla, sticked together with creamy rich dark chocolate fudge. And they are vegan. How does it sound? I think we can call this a healthy indulgence.

Reward yourself with these cookies while nurturing your body with omega-3 fatty acids from walnut, antioxidants from the dark chocolate. A small piece of good quality dark chocolate everyday keeps your heart and cardiovascular system running well, not to mention that it stimulates endorphin production, which gives a feeling of pleasure and it contains serotonin, which acts as an anti-depressant.

I think these are all enough reasons to go into your kitchen and start making these cookie sandwiches. You will thank for me!

Because we all need chocolate, cookies and love…

Vegan Walnut Sandwich Cookies With Dark Chocolate Fudge
(Recipe inspiration: Healthy Happy Life)

Ingredients (makes about 36 cookies)

For the cookies
– 1 cup whole spelt flour
– 3/4 cup ground walnut
– 2 teaspoons cinnamon
– 1 teaspoon salt
– 1 teaspoon baking powder
– 1 vanilla bean, split and seeded
– 1/3 cup cane sugar
– 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
– 1/4 cup almond/rice/oat/soy milk
– 1/3 cup liquid coconut oil
– 1/2 teaspoon almond extract (optional)

For the chocolate fudge
– 3/4 cup dark chocolate (70% cocoa content)
– 2 tablespoons almond/rice/oat/soy milk
– 1/4 cup coconut oil
– pinch of salt

Method

In a bowl add all dry ingredients: whole spelt flour, ground walnut, cinnamon, salt, baking powder. In another bowl mix together coconuti oil with cane sugar, apple cider vinegar, almond milk and almond extract. Add dry ingredients into the wet and mix until combined. Wrap the dough into clingfilm and place in the fridge for 15-20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 180C (356F). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Take two teaspoons of the dough, form a ball and place on the prepared baking sheet. Flatten the ball slightly, then repeat with the remaining dough. Bake for 15 minutes until golden brown.

Meanwhile make the chocolate fudge filling – in a small pan melt the ingredients over low heat. Stir until smooth. Place the melted filling into a bowl in the fridge. Cool until it has a state like chilled peanut or almond butter.

Assembly: spread the fudge filling on a cooled cookie. Place another cookie on top. Continue until all the cookies are prepared.

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

January 8, 2013 by Zizi

I think we all agree that chocolate chip cookies are the ultimate comfort food with a glass of milk, a cup of tea or coffee. Chocolate chip cookies always help, don’t they? There are plenty of classic recipes on the Internet but only a few of them are vegan.

I found this recipe on Emily’s blog and decided to give it a go. This recipe taste just like any of the classic ones, you won’t even know they’re vegan. These cookies are so easy to make, crunchy outside and chewy inside because of the buttery coconut oil and one banana. When you have guests come over, bake for them (without saying it’s a vegan recipe). I bet they will love it too! Share the vegan chocolate chip cookie love!

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients (makes 25)

– 1 cup (120 g) whole wheat spelt flour
– 1 cup (135 g) white spelt flour
– 1/2 cup (110 g) raw cane sugar
– 1/2 cup buttery coconut oil (not solid and not liquid)
– 80 g bittersweet chocolate chips
– 1 ripe banana, peeled and mashed with a fork
– 1 teaspoon baking soda
– 1/2 teaspoon salt
– 2 tablespoons almond/rice/oat or soy milk
– 1 vanilla bean, split and seeded

Method

In a bowl add all dry ingredients: whole spelt and white spelt flour, baking soda and salt. In another bowl cream together coconuti oil with cane sugar. Once the mixture is fluffy and light, add mashed banana, vanilla, almond milk and with a wooden spoon beat until combined. Add dry ingredients into the wet, fold in the chocolate chips and mix until combined.

Preheat the oven to 180C (356F). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Using a cookie or ice-cream scoop, portion out small balls of dough, then flatten the balls slightly with your hands. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.

Best Of 2012

December 31, 2012 by Zizi

I’m sharing my favourite top 12 recipes from 2012. Some of them were very popular – according to statistics – but I loved these 12 the most. I really enjoyed looking back at all of these vegetarian or vegan meals I cooked or baked over the past year.All in all I shared more sweet recipes than savory. Of course it doesn’t mean we only eat sweets, I just somehow like taking photos of these delicious yuminess!

I’m excited for the new year and all it will bring! I hope you’ll still be here reading my short stories, commenting and enjoying my recipes. You inspire me to make this blog better and better day by day. See you in 2013!

Let’s see the favourites of 2012…

January

This month I really loved cocoa, chocolate and walnut cookies! I bet you did too! Also shakshuka was a new way for me to poach eggs in herby tomato sauce. Yum!

February

In February we challenged ourselves. We were planning to do a 29 day sugar-free (no cakes, no chocolates, no sweet fruits only apple, lemon, orange and mandarin sometimes) vegan challenge but we ended it on the 25th day. 25 days were enough. We enjoyed it, we had ups and downs but we couldn’t bear not to eat anything sweet anymore.

As a result of the challenge this month only brought savory recipes. One of my favourites is this spring roll with citrus soy sauce but I also loved the udon noodles with creamy tahini sauce, roasted kale and tofu.

March

This month it’s unequivocal that the best recipe was the raw chocolate ganache cake. This has been one of the most popular recipes on the blog.

April

In April I shared the first recipe from the cookbook, Veg Every Day. I could cook and bake all the recipes from the book because all of them are vegetarian or vegan. With over 200 recipes and vibrant photography, River Cottage Veg Every Day is a timely eulogy to the glorious green stuff. This kale and mushroom lasagne was a big hit.

May

The biggest challenge in May was making strawberry leather or you can call it the healthy version of gummy candy. This leather thing is exciting not only for children, for adults too. It’s very easy to make (and a few hours) but don’t miss it.

June

Another sweet favourite in June: vegan chocolate popsicles with roasted almonds. They are creamy, thick chocolate-y vegan popsicles to enjoy! Yum! I also loved making and eating this raw zucchini spagetthi with creamy tahini sauce.

July

I love nut roasts and vegetarian/vegan patties. I made these yum quinoa patties for a picnic.

August

From the end of the summer my favourite recipe is this milk pie I baked with my recently deceased grandmother. This is actually a thick pancake baked in the oven. It is not too sweet but moist and soft.

September

Imagine little sweet indigo-coloured berries and little sweetish yellow corn kernels in soft, moist muffins with a bit of crispness from the cornmeal. You got it? These vegan corn blueberry muffins are just like I described.

October

I love cooking pancakes. I used carrot to make this soft, vegan and sugar-free pancakes. You can use honey, agave, rice or maple syrup to pour over the pancakes. A real autumn Sunday indulgence…

November

I added pumpkin purée to this oatmeal that’s why its colour looks bright yellow. With a bit of maple syrup and spices it is one of the best comfort food breakfast during winter time. It is a small bowl of harmony in terms of its colour and taste.

December