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?

Lemon and Asparagus Risotto

One of my favourite things about being Vegan is that I get to chow down on as much risotto as I can handle (which happens to be alot). I am obsessed with risotto's, if I was on death row, the last meal I would eat would be a perfectly cooked risotto. I like to think I have risotto cooking down, its a labour of love for this meal but if you put the time and love into it, it will always taste amazing.
Below is my standard GO TO risotto recipe that is easy to make and tastes amazing.

• 500g Arborio Rice
• 4 Cups Vegetable Stock
• 2 Lemons
• 1 Bunch of Asparagus
• 1/2 Cup White Wine
• 1 Bay Leaf
• 2 Cloves of Garlic
• 2 Shallots
• 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
• Pepper to season

1. In a large sauce pan heat the vegetable stock over a low to medium heat.

2. In a large pan add the olive oil, bay leaf, crushed garlic and diced shallots and stir until fragrant and the shallots are starting to brown.

3. Add the rice and stir for around 2 minutes or until all the excess oil has been absorbed then turn the pan down to a medium heat.

4. Add the white wine and stir for a minute whilst the alcohol cooks down.

5. Add the juice of both lemons and the rind into the rice mixture and stir.

6. Begin to add the heated stock into the rice mixture one ladle at a time ensuring that you continuously stir the rice, when you can drag your spoon through the rice and it doesn't immediately slide back together it is time to add another ladle of stock.

7. Continue slowly adding the stock until the rice has released its starch and become quite creamy, if you bite a grain it should still be slightly Al dente but not hard.

8. Add the diced asparagus and stir for 2 minutes then season with pepper.

9. Divide evenly between 2, garnish with extra lemon rind and enjoy.

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?

Leek and Potato Soup with Garlic Croutons

I don't know about you but I am all about soups, especially in winter. There is nothing better than a pipping hot bowl of soup to warm you up in the middle of winter. I am obsessed with potato and leek soup, whenever I make it I am always reminded of my mother when she would make it specially for me as a child.
This recipe is super easy to make and you can make it in large batches then freeze and should keep pretty well. Of course I was just making this recipe for dinner and lunch the next day so I also made some extremely addictive garlic croutons to garnish. 
*Warning the garlic croutons are super addictive and I had to kick my husband out of the kitchen to stop him eating them*
Okie Dokie so lets get to this recipe shall we...

For the leek and potato soup

• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion sliced
• 1 leek sliced
• 1 garlic clove crushed
• 2 potatoes diced
• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1 cup vegetable stock
• 1 tbsp white cooking wine
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 2 sprigs of thyme
• spring onions

For the garlic croutons

• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 slice of crunchy bread
• 1 garlic clove crushed

1. In a pot of boiling water add the potatoes and let them boil for around 5 minutes or until the potato is soft.

2. Place the sliced onion, leek and crushed garlic into a large pot with olive oil and cook until everything has sweated down so around 5 minutes.

3. Once the potatoes are cooked, drain and then place in the onion mixture. Allow the onion to caramelized slightly.

4. Add the vegetable stock, white wine, garlic powder, onion powder and thyme then bring the mixture up to a boil, reduce to a simmer and the leave to cook for around 20 minutes.

5. Whilst the soup is simmering its time to make the garlic croutons, rub oil and crushed garlic over the sliced bread.
6. Cut the bread into small cubes and then place in a hot no stick pan for a few minutes or until it becomes golden and crispy.

7. Once the soup mixture has cooked for 20 minutes, remove the pot from the heat and use a stick blender to puree.
8. Serve the soup in bowls garnished with sliced spring onions, garlic croutons and pepper. This recipe should make around 3 to 4 serves depending on how hungry you are. This recipe was souper duper easy (See what I did there!) and only took around 30 minutes to make, perfect when you have had a long day at work.
What are your favourite soup recipes?
Do you have a recipe you think I should try?

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?