Crispy Chilli Soy Tofu with Cauliflower Rice

Ever since going Vegan I have been avoiding recipes with tofu in them like the plague, as I had been told countless times that tofu is bland and gross by other people so rather than trying it and deciding for myself I did the smart thing and listened to other peoples opinions (I'm a real free thinker!).
I didn't even know what tofu was made from.....
Tofu, also known as bean curd, is a food made by coagulating soy milk and then pressing the resulting curds into soft white blocks.
Mmmmmm doesn't that description make tofu sound even less appetizing, well the little adventurous optimist voice inside my head decided to remind me that a large percentage of the world eat tofu every day and I like soy milk so I most likely will like the pressed curd blocks (it doesn't sound anymore appetizing when you call them curd blocks) too.
I searched pinterest for some yummy looking tofu recipes and then merged them all together to make one of my new favourite meals......

Crispy Chilli Soy Tofu with Cauliflower Rice 

• 500 grams firm tofu, organic if possible
• 1 Tsp sesame oil
• 1 small head cauliflower
• 1 Tbsp coconut oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce or tamari
• 3 Tbsp brown sugar 
• 1 tsp mirin
• 1 medium red chilli
• 1/2 tsp sweet chili sauce
• 1 lime
• 1 tsp sriracha
• 1 bok choy bunch
• Spring onions

Before you do anything remove the tofu from packet, set out on absorbent paper towel and place a plate over the top then leave for 20 minutes to squeeze out any extra moisture in the Tofu. I didn't do this straight away and had to wait a extra 20 mins for the tofu to drain.

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius.

2. Slice the tofu up into small cubes and plan on a lined baking tray then bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until slightly golden and crispy.

3. Leave the tofu to cool.

4. Combine 2 cloves of garlic crushed, 1/3 cup soy sauce, 3 tbsp brown sugar, 1/2 red chilli, 1/2 tsp sweet chilli sauce, 1 tsp sesame sauce, 1 tsp mirin, and 1 tsp sriracha to make the chilli soy sauce for the tofu.

5. Once the tofu has fully cooled place in the chilli soy mixture and leave to marinate for 1/2 hour.

6. Shred the cauliflower using a food processor until it resembeles grains of rice.

7, Heat up a pan, then add 1 tbsp coconut oil, 1/2 red chilli sliced, juice of 1/2 lime, 1 clove garlic crushed and the cauliflower stirring gently until the cauliflower crisps up slightly.

8. In another pan add the bok choy and 1 Tbsp water then cover with a lid and leave to wilt down for 2 minutes then add in 1/2 tbsp soy sauce and cook for another minute then transfer to a plate.

9. Place the tofu into the pan that was just used and pour in a tbsp of marinade, let the tofu crisp up slightly but watch out for the marinade catching a burning. Once cooked transfer to the plate with the bok choy.

10. Divide the cauliflower between 4 bowls then top with the tofu, bok choy, sliced spring onions lime juice and some fresh red chilli.

This recipe has shown me the wonders of tofu, super easy and fast to cook yet it tasted amazing. Not at all what I had imagined, I will be cooking with tofu constantly from now on.

What do you think of Tofu?
Do you have a tofu recipe I should try?

How to become a Vegan

I know that the idea of becoming vegan is daunting and almost terrifying at times. The thought of being judged by friends and family, having to completely change what you cook and eat, stop using make up, burn all your clothes, shoes and accessories, turn your hair into dreadlocks, ditch the deodorant and perfume, start protesting and throwing red paint on celebrities.
Just kidding..................................................
Granted if that's what you want then you do you honey, more power to you but the reality is that changing to a vegan lifestyle is pretty simple, there is no one way to live and most of the vegan community is supportive no matter how small the changes you begin with.
So I have broken down some tips I think will help when becoming vegan below.

• Become acquainted with your local farmers market or better yet plant your own vegetable garden, this means that you will always have the freshest of vegetables available and will help keep costs down.
• Don't be afraid of carbs! Eat both complex and simple carbs, just eat until you are full, no need to stuff it in and no need to avoid them.
• Buy all the banana's in the shop. Most fruit and veg shops will bag up the banana's when they start to become spotty and sell them a discounted rates. This when they are at their ripest so I always buy the whole display then I come home, peel them and store them sealed in the freezer.
• Eat as much avocado as you like. I know that some High Carb Low Fat vegans like to demonize avocado because of its fat content but at the end of the day a little bit of healthy fat is good for you plus avocados are amazing.
• If you like the mock meats and fake cheese then go for your life. I am yet to meet a mock meat that I enjoy so I don't cook with them but I am sure it would make the transition much easier. Also if you have a good mock meat let me know, I am still on the out look for a good one.
• Finally eat what you want when you want, as long as you aren't eating animals you are doing alright in my book!

• Make up is a very personal preference, I myself love a full face of make up or at least a bright lip and some mascara. Make up makes me feel confident and well presented so when I went vegan I was terrified that I would have to give that all up. Thankfully I didn't.
• There are quite a few cosmetics companies that do not test on animals, that doesn't mean that they don't contain animal products so if you are unsure just contact the company and ask if they are vegan.
• PETA runs a page that lists cosmetics that are not tested on animals, feature the PETA bunny label and are or aren't vegan. I thoroughly suggest checking the site out HERE.
• Some of my favourite vegan products are made by Australis there liquid lipsticks are everything, Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics and E.L.F which are extremely cheap and are amazing especially their moisturizing lipsticks.
• Its all good and well to have make up but you need some brushes to apply it, I love the vegan make up brushes my Morphe (granted there are other non vegan brush sets so make sure you check before you buy!) and the cheaper E.L.F studio brushes (only the studio sets are vegan).
• What to do with old products I hear you ask, I know there are people out there that once they make that decision its out with the old in with the new. I personally cannot justify not using the full products I currently have and replacing them with vegan products so I have decided to continue to use them until they are empty and then buy the vegan products but that's a personal preference.

• Unless you live in a nudist colony clothing is not really optional but I'm not one for baggy hemp, again if that's what your into more power to you, I'm just more flaunt what you got hide what you need to kinda girl. Thankfully more and more companies are using vegan friendly products in their clothing lines.
• Looking for vegan shoes look no further than these guys Bourgeois Boheme they create amazing and super stylish shoes, Cri De Coeur sell amazing shoes and bags, Vegan Style has amazing bags and shoes a little on the pricy side but they are amazing and Vegan Wares do amazing things with faux leather and even make footballs.
• Not sure where to buy stylish vegan clothes Stella McCartney created a vegan line, Vaute Couture has heaps of adorable slogan tee's and ships worldwide, Zazzle have heaps of stuff even cute vegan slogan baby onsies, Blessed Earth make clothing and bedding, Green Horse sell beautiful from clothing to skincare and Herbivore Clothing sell everything from clothing to home-wares. 
• As with make up I have a lot of non vegan clothing that I bought previously which I am also choosing to wear until they need replacing but if you want to get rid of everything non vegan consider giving it to a company supporting the homeless or needy.

• In a prefect world you would wake one day, decide to become Vegan, tell your family and friends and then that's that. However life is not that easy and normally family and friends can be the most critical of your veganism, this is mostly caused by ignorance and their love for you.
• To help combat the negative questions and to help inform your loved ones of their misinformation it helps to be highly educated on the hot topics and there are plenty of sources around these days.
• Looking for films and documentaries check out Home, Meat the truth, The 11th Hour, A River of Waste, Food Inc, Earthlings, Behind the Mask, Gary Yourofsky's Best Speech You Will Hear, Food That Kills and Forks Over Knives, 
• Looking for great books check out Eating Animals, The China Study, Skinny Bitch and The Kind Life.
• There are also countless youtubers and bloggers out there are not only information but inspiring. 
• Find the right information and then use your social media platforms to educate others.

Finally just enjoy yourself, if you are living the best life possible then you are doing the right thing. You may have slip us, you may eat something that's not correctly labelled only to find out after, you may squash a bug before it dawns on you that its a animal too, you might be given clothes that aren't and you may do none of that and be the perfect vegan it only matters that you can start your vegan life, live it too its fullest and love animals.

What do you think of my vegan tips?
Do you have any tips for me?

Quinoa Chili

I was never the biggest fan of meat chili's when I was growing up, the whole idea really confused me. I guess its because I always associated chili with spaghetti bolognase and felt like I was getting ripped off without the pasta. I never really found chili that appetizing but when a friend suggested replacing the meat with quinoa I got quite excited about the idea of making it and the recipe below is the result.

• 1 Can Crushed Tomatoes
• 1 Can Red Kidney Beans
• 1 Celery Stalk Diced
• 1 Onion Diced
• 1 Capsicum Diced
• 1 Zucchini Diced
• 1 Garlic Clove Crushed
• 1/4 Cup Quinoa 
• 1 Tsp Paprika
• 1 Tsp Chili Powder
• 1 Tsp Olive Oil
• Tabasco Sauce to taste
• Coriander for garnish

1. Boil a pot of water on the stove.

2. Wash the quinoa under cold running water for around 3 minutes, this will remove the bitter taste and any grit.

3. Pour the quinoa in the boiling water and leave to cook for around 10 minutes or until the quinoa is soft and fluffy, then drain.

4. Place a pan on medium heat and add the olive oil, garlic and onion and cook until golden brown.

5. Add the Capsicum, Zucchini and Celery to the garlic and onion mixture and leave for around 5 minutes or until everything has sweated down.

6. Pour in the crushed tomatoes and then fill the empty can half way with water, swirl the water in the can to remove any of the tomato juice still left in the can and then pour in with the tomato mixture. 

7. Add the drained quinoa, paprika, chili powder and a few drops of Tabasco, I used around 6 drops but it depends on your taste.

8. Bring the heat to the boil then cover and reduce heat to a simmer then leave for around 10 minutes or until reduced slightly and thickened up.

9. Once the chili has thickened up add the drained kidney beans and stir for 2 minutes or until everything is completely combined.

10. Divide evenly between 2 to 3 people, serve immediately and garnish with coriander.

The secret ingredient to this chili really is the Tabasco sauce, it gives it that real smokey flavour.

There you have it a delicious and extremely filling chili which only takes 30 mins to cook, freezes well and can altered depending on your taste.

What are your thoughts on Chili? Do you have any Vegan recipes I should try?

AlfredNO Pasta

It's Tuesday so that means its time for another recipe post, I love creating Vegan recipes and have a back log of posts because I tend to create new recipes or fiddle around with old ones every night for dinner so there is always a back log!
Last night I was really craving a creamy pasta which is odd because normally I can't stand creamy sauces so I thought I would try my hand at a Vegan Alfredo so here I give to you my delicious and fast AlfredNO Pasta.......... (see what I did there!)
This recipe makes 4 serves and the cheesier flavour can be altered by adding more Nutritional Yeast. 

• 1 Bunch Asparagus
• 300 Grams Bowtie Pasta
• 4 Cloves Garlic Crushed
• 3 Tbsp Olive Oil
• Spray Olive Oil
• 1/4 Cup Plain Flour
• 2.5 Cups Unflavoured Almond Milk
• 1 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast
• 2 Lemons
• Salt and Pepper to taste

1. Pre heat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius. 2. Place trimmed Asparagus on a baking sheet, spray lightly with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, pepper and sliced lemon then bake for 20 minutes or until golden.

3. Bring a large pot of water to the boil and cook pour in the bowtie pasta. 4. Heat a deep pan and pour in the olive oil and crushed garlic. Let the garlic cook for around 3 minutes on until golden. 5. Pour the flour into the garlic mixture and then using a spoon stir the mixture until the flour has absorbed all the oil and is starting to brown.

6. Pour the almond milk in half a cup at a time waiting until the milk has thickened before adding another half cup. 7. Once all the milk is combined lower the heat to low add the nutritional yeast, the juice of one lemon and season with salt and pepper.

8. Cut the baked asparagus spears into small lengths and place in the sauce. 9. Drain the cooked pasta and add into the sauce stirring to combine.

10. Divide evenly between 4 and enjoy!

There you go, only takes around 30 minutes to cook, is extremely filling and delicious!!
* A lot of these photos are pretty blurry but that was because this recipe is so quick I didn't really have time to take photos whilst cooking*
What are your favourite Vegan pasta recipes? Do you have any suggestions?

What I ate Wednesday - 29th July

I really love to follow Vegan bloggers who post regular What I ate Wednesday posts because it really is interesting, Veganism is such a broad lifestyle term and there is so many different ways one can eat vegan including HCLF, Raw, Raw till 4, The Starch solution, Vegan junk food, plant based and of course my favourite Orea's for every meal ha ha.
I personally like to eat a plant based HCLF lifestyle because it means more adventure in the kitchen, I often start with a animal based recipe I find on pinterest and then using my vegan wit I subtract a few things and then add a few steps then presto and delicious meal reminiscent of regular meal.

// Breakfast // I love a good smoothie for Breakfast, something I can grab on the go and can drink whilst working. This morning I had to make 2 because the first smoothie I made I put cumin in instead of cinnamon, not a great start to the morning! The smoothie I did end up drinking was my usual go to 1/4 cup oats, 1 cup vanilla flavored almond milk, 1 large frozen banana and a good sprinkle of cinnamon.

// Lunch // Normally I make enough dinner each night to take the leftovers for lunch however if I am lazy and didn't make anything or mostly likely I was rushing in the morning and ran out the house forgetting to grab the lunch I had sitting in the freezer then I usually grab a crushed watermelon juice and a fruit salad for the health food shop by my office like I did today.  

// Snacks // I get home from work and am usually starving so I tend to gravitate towards the toaster, toast some delicious home made bread, slather on the vegan butter and than devour the toast before I can take a photo of it for a post just like I did today!
// Dinner //  Tonight's dinner was certainly a new fan favourite! It was Quinoa Chilli, now I have made this before and felt that it was lacking the right flavour so tonight I added a secret weapon Tabasco which gave it just the right amount of kick and that little flavour that was missing. I will be posting this recipe sometime soon, be sure to check it out when I do as I think this tasted better than the stuff I ate before becoming Vegan.

// Dessert // I love myself some dessert, I have always had a crazy sweet tooth that cannot be satisfied which is what I blame my severe oreo's addiction for. Tonight I was craving something sweet hard core so I made one of my favourites what I call a Apple Pocket. This is a quick recipe, the dough take around 5 minutes to make then just pile in the apple and dried cranberries, a little bit of coconut sugar for extra sweetness and bake in the oven for 15 mins. Is there anything easier or sweeter? I think not.

It was a pretty plain Wednesday food wise, Monday to Friday afternoon is all pretty similar home cooked meals and then Friday night paves the way for Vegan Pizza, Saturday is all about the farmers market and Sunday is normally home made bread and Indian takeaway. I need to stop eating out so much on the weekends but its one of my only vices at the moment so oh well.
What was your WIAW like? Do you have any suggestions?

Cheat's Mediterranean Risotto

It is a really cold winter this year and I seem to be craving comfort foods hardcore, thankfully being vegan means that mean high fat comfort food is still readily available (HELLO HOT CHIPS!) unfortunately I really really want to try to eat high carb low fat plant based dinners so that means that when it comes to comfort food it means making the real deal that normally takes a little bit of time.
Monday night I was craving risotto more than I though humanly possible but CBF standing at the stove for a couple hours and cooking so I came up with this sneaky little recipe that took me about 1/2 to cook and most of that was leaving a pot on the stove cooking.
Here is one of my new favourites.......

So my cheat's Mediterranean Risotto is really just baked veggies with pearl barley instead of rice but hey it gave the desired effect and filled my risotto craving without standing around WIN!

• 1 Zucchini chopped
• 1/2 Eggplant chopped
• 1 Onion chopped
• 1 leek chopped
• 1 tsp Olive Oil
• 2 Cloves Garlic crushed
• 1/3 Cup Pearl Barley
• 1 Cup Salt Reduced Vegetable Stock
• 1 Bunch Broccolini
• 1 tsp Mediterranean spices

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
2. Chop the Eggplant, Zucchini and Broccolini into cubes and place on a baking tray, drizzle the veggies with half the olive oil and Mediterranean spices then place in the oven for 15 minutes or until crispy.

3. In a large pan place the other half of the oil, the crushed garlic, chopped leek and chopped onion then allow to sweat down on a medium heat for around 5 minutes or until translucent.

4. Once the onions, garlic and leek have cooked down add the vegetable stock and 1/4 cup of water. 

5. Place the pearl barley into the pan, bring to the boil then reduce heat and leave to simmer for around 15 minutes.

6. Once the pearl barley has absorbed most of the vegetable stock turn the heat back up to high and stir continuously until the stock has completely cooked down.
7. Add the roasted vegetables to the barley mixture and toss to combine, then serve.

• Servings: 2
• Calories: 248
• Fat: 3 g 
• Carb: 51 g  
• Fiber: 11 g 
• Protein: 8 g 
• Sugar: 11 g
• Sodium: 562 mg 

Well there you have it, a cheats way at achieving a high carb low fat plant based comfort dish which doesn't take hours to make. 
Do you have any recipes I should try? Did you try this recipe? What did you think?