Grain salad, marinated fried tempeh, roast capsicum.

Well look, it's country livin' and all I can do is cook like a mofo.  The grain salad is courtesy of the wonderful Hellenic Republic.  I topped with garlic tahini instead, and used burghul instead of freekah as the effing organic shop isn't open Sundays WHY.

This was delicious in every way.  I swear. x

Ingredients

1 bunch coriander, chopped
1/2 bunch parsley, chopped
1/2 red onion, finely diced
1 cup freekah (or cracked wheat or quinoa)
1/2 cup Puy lentils
2 tbsp toasted pumpkin seeds
2 tbsp toasted slivered almonds
2 tbsp toasted pine nuts
2 tbsp baby capers
1/2 cup currants
Juice of 1 lemon
3 tbsp extra virgin olive
Sea salt to taste
1 pomegranate, deseeded, to serve

Dressing
1 cup thick Greek yoghurt
1 tsp cumin seeds, toasted and ground
1 tbsp honey

Method

Blanch freekah and lentils separately in boiling water until both just cooked.

Drain well and allow to cool.

Mix the yoghurt, ground cumin and honey until combined.

In a medium bowl, place the coriander, parsley, red onion, freekah, lentils, toasted nuts, capers, currants, lemon juice and olive oil. Mix well and season to taste.

Place into serving dish and top with cumin yoghurt and pomegranate seeds.

Basic Marinated Tempeh

• 2tablespoons apple cider or rice vinegar (apple cider is my preference)
• 2tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
• 2tablespoons water
• 1teaspoon grated or minced ginger root
• 1teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 8ounces tempeh, sliced into thin strips (about 1/4 inch or a little less)
• 2teaspoons coconut oil (optional, for frying)
• • 1 large red capsicum, quartered, deseeded
  • 1 large green capsicum, quartered, deseeded
  • 1 large yellow capsicum, quartered, deseeded
  • 1 small fresh red chilli
  • 1/2 small (about 50g) red onion, thinly sliced
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh continental parsley
  • 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
  • 3 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 large garlic clove, crushed
  • Salt & freshly ground black pepper

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  • Method
  • Notes

  1. Step 1
     Preheat grill on high. Place capsicum quarters skin-side up on the grill tray with the chilli. Cook under preheated grill, turning chilli occasionally, for 8-10 minutes or until skin is charred and blistered. Transfer to a heatproof bowl, cover with a plate or foil and set aside for 10 minutes (this helps lift the skin). Peel the skin from the capsicums and chilli. Cut the capsicum flesh into thin strips and finely chop the chilli.
  2. Step 2
     Combine the capsicum strips, chilli, onion, parsley, vinegar, oil and garlic in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper, and toss well to combine.
  3. Step 3
     Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 6 hours or overnight to marinate. Bring to room temperature and mix gently before serving.

Lemon-herb tofu, kale and white beans, tomato caper couscous.

City girl just mowed a lawn, so I am covered in grass and feeling pretty good about the world.  I may or may not have done a triumphant fist pump when completing the task.  Look, life has been fairly shitty of late so allow me these small rural victories.

Cooked this for my friend and neighbour last night.  Then we played Quiddler and watched The Artist. Despite everything I am finding happiness.

Lemon Herb Tofu

Fantastic lemony flavor, and the salty edge of the soy sauce somehow bakes out. Excellent on pasta or salad.
This one can be baked uncovered.

• 1 cake firm tofu (about 16 oz)
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 3 Tbsp soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp dried herbs such as rosemary, dill, or oregano (I use 1 1/2 tsp rosemary, plus 1/2 tsp oregano)
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 2-3 garlic cloves, minced (optional)

White beans and kale

Servings: 4

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil
¼ cup celery, chopped fine
¼ cup fresh tomato, chopped
2 cups cooked and drained cannellini beans (or any white beans)
1 head kale, de-stemmed and coarsely chopped
¼ cup chopped sundried tomatoes reconstituted in olive oil
3 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes
1 teaspoon red chili flakes
¼ cup vegetable broth or water
 salt and pepper to taste

Directions

In a frying pan, sauté celery in olive oil over medium heat, stirring frequently. Let cook about 5 minutes until tender and add chopped fresh tomato, vegetable broth, and white beans. Cover and reduce heat, letting simmer for another 5 minutes.

Now is a good time to prepare your kale.

Add nutritional yeast, red pepper flakes, and kale, mixing well. Cover and cook until kale is wilted and bright green—being careful not to overcook it. Add chopped sundried tomatoes and stir well.

TOMATO CAPER COUSCOUS

Ingredients

28 oz can diced tomatoes
1 1/2 cups whole wheat couscous (uncooked)
2 tbs. olive oil
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp ground cloves (optional)
Generous pinch cayenne pepper
2 tbs capers, drained

Directions

In a medium bowl, strain the juice from the tomatoes to measure 1.5 cups of juice, squeezing as much as possible to remove excess liquid. Discard any remaining juice; if not enough juice is available to total 1.5 cups, add either vegetable broth or water. Gently crush any large chunks of tomatoes and set aside.
Combine the juice, olive oil and oregano in a medium saucepan. Cover and bring to a boil. Stir continuously and add the couscous in a steady stream. Quickly stir in the salt, cayenne and cloves. Stir to combine, turn off heat, cover pan and allow to sit for 5 minutes, or until the liquid is absorbed.

Meanwhile, fold the tomatoes and capers into the couscous, and allow to sit for 2 to 3 minutes to warm the tomatoes.

Serving Size: 4 servings

Wild seaweed salad.

It is baking hot here and we are sweltering (including the pooch).  Only thing for it is baked tofu, salted cucumber and wild seaweed salad.  See you on the other side (of the heatwave).

Wild Seaweed Salad Recipe

I used wild nori here, but feel free to experiment with different types of seaweed - also, feel free to play with the amount of seaweed you use, I could certainly imagine using more in this particular salad.You can make certain components ahead of time - the dressing and tofu, and the rice.

1 cup of loosely packed (wild) nori seaweed
12 ounces extra-firm nigari tofu

Grated zest of 1 lemon
Fresh ginger, cut into a 1-inch cube, peeled, and grated
2 tablespoons honey
scant 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
3/4 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup unseasoned brown-rice vinegar
1/3 cup shoyu sauce (wheat-free soy sauce)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

2 medium shallots, finely chopped
2 cups pecans, toasted
1 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves/stems, chopped
6 cups cooked wild rice

Preheat your oven to 300F degrees. Toast the nori for 7-10 minutes, or until crisp. Let cool for a few minutes, crumble and set aside.

Drain the tofu, pat it dry, and cut it into rectangles roughly the size of your thumb (½ inch thick and 1 inch long). Cook the tofu in a dry nonstick (or well-seasoned) skillet over medium-high heat for a few minutes, until the pieces are browned on one side. Toss gently once or twice, then continue cooking for another minute or so, until the tofu is firm, golden, and bouncy. Leave the tofu like this, or cut into strips, or cubes (whatever you like). Set aside.

In the meantime, make the dressing by combining the zest, ginger, honey, cayenne, and salt in a food processor (or use a hand blender) and process until smooth. Add the lemon juice, rice vinegar, and shoyu, and pulse to combine. With the machine running (or by hand), drizzle in the oils. Set aside.

In a large bowl, just before serving toss the shallots, pecans, cilantro, crumbled seaweed, and wild rice with a generous amount of the dressing. Mix well and add the cooked tofu. Toss (gently) again, taste, add more dressing (and a bit of salt) if needed, and serve family-style.

Quinoa casserole with spinach and cheese sauce.

CHEF'S NOTE:

I grated Vegusto into this - DELICIOUS.  I also sauteed some mushrooms and added them because this is how I 'roll'.  I eht it with my face.  Starting to feel kind of relieved nobody actually reads this blog except me.


*

A cheesey, saucey quinoa casserole recipe perfect for vegetarian and vegan kids who like their cheese but need to get their protein. Filled with quinoa and spinach, this is a healthy twist on traditional comfort food and southern-style baked macaroni and cheese casserole. If you need this recipe to be gluten-free, use cornstarch or a gluten-free flour in place of the regular flour, since all of the other ingredients are wheat- and gluten-free.

See also: More high-protein vegetarian meals

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups quinoa
• water for cooking quinoa
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp flour
• 1/3 cup soy milk
• 1/4 cup shredded vegan cheese or nutritional yeast
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp sea salt or kosher salt
• 1 bag of fresh spinach
• 2/3 cup vegan Italian seasoned breadcrumbs (or regular bread crumbs plus 2 tbsp mixed Italian seasoning)
• 2 tbsp vegan margarine
• 2 tbsp vegan Parmeasan cheese substitute or nutritional yeast
• extra salt and pepper, to taste

Preparation:

Bring about 4 cups of water to a rolling simmer and add quinoa. Cook, partially covered, for about 12 minutes, or until quinoa is cooked and fluffy.

Meanwhile, lightly grease a 9x12 baking dish and pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.

In a separate small pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat and add flour, mixing to form a paste. Once a paste forms, add soymilk, salt, garlic powder and onion powder, stirring to combine. Mixture will begin to thicken. Add vegan cheese or nutritional yeast and spinach and combine well. Heat just until vegan cheese has melted and spinach is just beginning to wilt.

Stir in quinoa, then spread evenly in prepared casserole dish.

Combine the melted vegan margarine, breadcrumbs and 1 tbsp nutritional yeast or vegan Parmesan. Arrange this topping on top of the quinoa and season with a bit of extra salt and pepper, to taste, if you'd like.

Bake for 20 minutes. Turn oven up to 450 and bake for an additional 10-15 minute, until breadcrumbs are lightly crisped.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes before cutting and serving.

Roast vegetable and bulgur salad with awesome dressing.

From Eat This My Friend.

I really like this new blog.  Jade has a beautiful eye for vegetables (that is a compliment).  I made this and then we ate it for the next three days, it keeps particularly well.  Also I added a buttload more Dijon  and salt to the dressing because, you know.  Dijon and salt.

SPICED SWEET POTATO, CARROT + CAULIFLOWER

with BULGUR WHEAT + CHICKPEAS

serves 2, or more as a side

- 1/3 cup fine BULGUR WHEAT

- 2 CARROTS, peeled and sliced into rounds

- 1 cup CAULIFLOWER, cut into florets

- about 1/2 a medium SWEET POTATO, cut into a 2cm dice

- glug of OLIVE OIL

- 1 cup CHICKPEAS (cooked fresh or tinned)

- 1/4 cup SULTANAS

- 2 Tbsp CAPERS, rinsed and drained

- 2 Tbsp PINE NUTS, dry toasted in a skillet

- small handful CHIVES, chopped

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C. Place the sweet potato, carrot and cauliflower on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Season with salt and pepper, add a big glug of oil and toss to coat. Roast for about 20 mins, or until tender.

Meanwhile, add the bulgur wheat to a bowl with 1/3 cup of boiling water, cover and let sit for 15 mins. Fluff with a fork to loosen the grains.

Prepare the dressing (see below).

When your vegetables are cooked, add them to a large dish, along with the bulgur wheat, chickpeas, capers, sultanas and chives. Toss gently to combine. Pour on your dressing, I generally use about half of it and pop the rest in the fridge for another delicious day. Toss gently again and top with your toasted pine nuts.

     Dressing

• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 Tbsp honey
• 1/2 Tbsp dijion mustard
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp  ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp  turmeric
• 1/2 tsp  ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
• 1/4 tsp  cayenne pepper
• 1/4 tsp  ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp  freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp  ground cinnamon

Add dressing ingredients to a jar, screw the lid on tight and shake vigorously till combined.

San Choy Bow.

From Vegan Easy.

Serves 4

2 tbsp olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped

1 tbsp grated fresh ginger

500g mushrooms, chopped

1 carrot, grated

300g (1 packet) Sanitarium Vegie Delights Mince

1/2 cup vegetable stock

2 tbsp lime juice

1 tbsp sweet soy sauce

1 handful fresh, chopped coriander

1 cos lettuce, carefully remove and wash leaves

Sweet chilli sauce to serve

Heat wok over high heat. Add oil, onion and garlic. Stir fry for three minutes. Add chilli, ginger, mushroom, stir-fry for a further three minutes.
Mix in veggie mince and stir-fry for five minutes, breaking up the lumps as you go. Add the stock and bring to boil. Reduce to a medium-low heat and simmer for 10 minutes or until the stock has been absorbed.

Stir through lime juice, soy sauce and coriander.
Arrange lettuce leaves and top with the mixture. Serve hot with sweet chilli sauce.

Asparagus and sundried tomato quiche.

From The Sweet Life Online.


CHEF'S NOTE:

This was a damned fine lunch.  I added garlic powder and miso paste and a smidgen more milk to the tofu mix to make it creamier and saltier.  Served with green bean and walnut salad.  HELL YEAH.

Asparagus and Sun-dried Tomato Quiche
makes  one 9” pie (or two 6” pies)

1 vegan pie crust*

(1) 14 ounce block of medium/firm tofu, drained
3 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tbsp non-dairy milk or creamer (I used Wildwood soy creamer)
1 tbsp + 1 tsp all purpose flour
1 tsp dehydrated minced onion
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp liquid smoke

1 tbsp canola oil
1/4 cup white onion, minced
1 cup fresh asparagus, chopped
3 tbsp dried tomatoes, chopped
1 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
1/3 cup vegan cheese (I used Diaya’s Mozzarella)
salt and pepper

*I don’t like admitting it, but I am not a fan of making my own pie crusts. For this recipe I bought (2) frozen 6” crusts and saved myself a lot of mess and hassel. However, if you want to make your own, I’ve linked to Savvy Vegetarian’s Pie Crust (above) which is a great, easy, and versatile recipe.  

Prepare pie crust according to directions and place in the freezer while making the filling.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a small skillet heat 1 tbsp oil over medium heat. Add onions and saute until translucent and fragrant (about three minutes). Add asparagus and tomatoes and saute for another three minutes until asparagus becomes slightly tender. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a food processor or blender combine tofu, nutritional yeast, non-dairy milk, flour, onions, turmeric,  liquid smoke, lemon juice, and sea salt until smooth. Transfer to a bowl. Add asparagus mixture, fresh basil, and vegan cheese and stir everything together. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Spoon filling into chilled pie crust, smoothing over the top. Bake for 30-45 minutes until top has browned slightly and a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Remove from heat and allow to cool for 20 minutes before slicing.  Serve warm.