Sunday Scramble… Curry & Coriander Scramble on Rye Sourdough

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Sunday Scramble… Curry & Coriander Scramble on Rye Sourdough

I can unequivocally say that I never thought I would hear this sentence come out of my mouth, but I LOVE scrambled tofu. It has become my favourite vegan breakfast recipe.

Like many people that transition to a plant based diet, I was not a tofu fan by any stretch of the imagination. But I am slowly coming around.

If you have never had scrambled tofu, do yourself a favour and try it before you decide you don’t like it. There are many versions of it, but after much experimentation this is my favourite combination of flavours.

I honestly use to think people were bonkers for trying to replicate scrambled eggs but it turns out they weren’t.

 

YOU NEED

2 slices of rye sour dough

1/4 cup of water

150grams of organic firm tofu

1 tablespoon of tamari

2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast

½ teaspoon of curry powder

Handful of fresh, washed and roughly chopped coriander

 

YOU DO

Toast the sour dough.

Bring the water to the boil in a non stick pan. Turn the heat down to a simmer and crumble the tofu into the pan. Cook gently until the tofu is heated through and almost all the water has gone.

Add the tamari, nutritional yeast and curry powder. Stir till everything is well combined and continue cooking on a low flame until you get the texture you want. *Some people like their scramble wet, in which case you would serve it now. For a drier texture, continue cooking for another minute or so.

Check the seasoning. Mix the coriander through and serve with the toasted sourdough

 

Yields: 1-2 serves

Time: 5-10 minutes

Notes:  If you don’t have tamari you can substitute it with soy sauce.

Nutritional yeast is an inactive yeast that makes things taste cheesy. You can find it in health food stores and online.

For a super Sunday Scramble I love adding some chopped roasted potatoes, roma cherry tomatoes and fresh spinach to my scramble. Serve it alone or with baked beans, mushrooms and veg sausages.

#dairyfree #eggfree #vegan #veganbreakfastrecipes

Cauliflower & Chickpea Curry

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I had some cauliflower that needed using up and then I picked up some organic tomatoes and capsicum for 1/2 price and had an urge to make a curry. The following is what I came up with.

 

YOU NEED

1 head of cauliflower (approx 4 loose cups), cut into florets

1 can chickpeas, rinsed well

6 tomatoes, core removed and roughly chopped

1 medium brown onion, peeled and finely diced

1 teaspoon of fresh ginger, very finely diced

1 small red chilli, seeded and very finely diced

1 teaspoon ground cumin powder

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 heaped tablespoon of curry powder

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups vegetable stock

1/3 cup tomato puree

1 capsicum (also known as bell pepper)

1 bunch fresh washed coriander, roots removed, stems finely sliced and leaves roughly chopped

2-3 teaspoons besan flour (also known as chickpea or garbanzo flour)

 

YOU DO

Heat a small amount of water in a large non stick pan and sauté the onion on a low to medium heat until it softens. Add the ginger and chilli and cook for another minute or so.

Add a little more water and add the cumin, turmeric, curry powder, ground coriander and salt and continue to stir on a low to medium heat for a few minutes. Add a little extra water if you need to, in order to stop the spices from burning.

Add the tomatoes, stir all the ingredients together and let them gently simmer for another couple of minutes to allow the tomatoes to start breaking down.

Pour the vegetable stock and tomato puree into the pan. Add the cauliflower, capsicum and chickpeas. Cover the pan with a lid and simmer very gently for about 10 – 15 minutes until the cauliflower is cooked. I allowed mine to remain slightly firm.

Just before the cauliflower is cooked, place 2 teaspoons of besan flour in a small dish with enough water to make a loose paste and pour the mixture into the pan. Stir it through the other ingredients and allow the dish to simmer and the sauce to thicken. If you want the curry to be a little thicker, make a paste with the remaining teaspoon of besan flour and some water and repeat. Serve, once the cauliflower is tender.

Garnish with lots of fresh washed coriander. Serve with steamed basmati or brown rice and pappadams.

 

Servings: 4

Time: 30 minutes

Freezing: Not recommended.

Notes: Fresh whole spices are always more fragrant. You just grind them as you need them.

You can purchase besan flour in any well stocked health food store.

Convenient Beetroot Falafel

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The best recipes are often the most simple. This is a favourite in our household and always a hit anytime we have served it to others.

These are SO quick and SO easy.

You ready?

 

YOU NEED

a packet of falafel mix from the supermarket

1-2 cloves of fresh garlic, peeled and minced

1 small fresh beetroot

a handful of fresh parsley, washed well and drained

a handful of fresh coriander, washed ell and drained

½ teaspoon of salt

pepper to taste

 

YOU DO

Prepare the falafel mixture as per the instructions on the box and set aside as it needs time to absorb the water. This is usually about 10 minutes.

In the meantime peel and grate the beetroot. You need ½ cup. Set aside any leftover beetroot for another day.

Finely chop the coriander and parsley. Add the beetroot, coriander, parsley, garlic, salt and pepper to the falafel mixture and stir all the ingredients until they are well combined.

Make teaspoon size balls out of the mixture and place them on a plate.

Carefully shallow fry the falafel balls for a minute or 2, in rice bran oil until golden brown then place them on paper towelling to drain.

DONE

I serve my beetroot falafels with hummus, grated (unpeeled carrot), sliced capsicum, diced fresh tomato, steamed corn on the cob, soft tortillas, fresh spinach and spicy guacamole. It’s a delicious meal!

 

Yields: 30 small falafel balls

Time: 15 minutes. 25- 30 minutes if you are serving them as I have suggested above.

Notes: Make sure there is a lot more falafel mix than there is beetroot or its impossible to ball and will fall apart when you try to fry it.

To test if your oil is hot enough, just throw a little bit of bread into it and if it sizzles the oil is hot enough.

Lebanese Pizza with Macadamia Cheese

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Lebanese Pizza wm

Lebanese Pizza with Macadamia Cheese

 

This is my take on a popular Lebanese breakfast pizza. It’s the easiest and most rewarding dish, packed with flavour and includes a lot of my favourite ingredients.

 

YOU NEED (for the macadamia cheese)

½ cup of raw macadamias, (pre soaked in water for a couple of hours)

¼ cup of nutritional yeast

½ teaspoon of salt

½ teaspoon of onion powder

½ teaspoon of garlic powder

2 tablespoons of water

2 tablespoons of lemon juice

 

YOU NEED (for the pizza)

2 tablespoons of dried thyme

1 ½ teaspoons of ground cumin

½ teaspoon of allspice

¼ teaspoon of chilli powder

pinch of salt

2 tablespoons of rice bran oil

1 cup of cherry tomatoes, halved

2 wholemeal Lebanese breads

1 cup of fresh mint leaves, washed

olive oil to serve

fresh lemon to serve

 

YOU DO

Preheat your oven to 185c.

Drain and discard the soaking water from the macadamia nuts. Blend all the remaining macadamia cheese ingredients together until the mixture is smooth.

Put the thyme, cumin, all spice, chilli, salt and oil in a bowl and stir well to combine. Evenly distribute the mixture over the bread.

Evenly distribute the cherry tomato and spoonfuls of the macadamia cheese onto each pizza.

Place in the oven for 5 – 10 minutes, until the base starts to get a little crispy and colour slightly.

Squeeze some fresh lemon juice over the top. Drizzle with a little olive oil. Add the mint leaves and serve immediately.

 

Yields: Serves 2 hungry people and 4 slightly less hungry people.

Time: 10 minutes prep. 5- 10 minutes cooking time. Plus the soaking time.

Notes: Nutritional yeast gives you the cheesy flavour. You can get it from most health food stores, online and at vegan grocers.

This can easily be made gluten free if you use a gluten free base. But as always, double check every ingredient listed as well.

Bean & Corn Tacos

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Easy Bean Tacos 1 wm

Bean & Corn Tacos

This is an absolute favourite in our house. We have it with tacos or burritos and left overs are eaten with steamed rice.

 

YOU NEED

2 brown onions, peeled and finely sliced

2- 3 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced

3 capsicum (also known as bell peppers) I use 1 yellow, 1 green and 1 red, remove the core and chop into a dice

1 1/2 cups of vegetable stock

2 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 1/2 cups of corn kernels

1 x can of creamed corn

2 x tins of kidney beans, rinsed well

2 tablespoons of Old Elpaso Fajita seasoning powder sachet. (This gives you a kind of smokey flavour)

chilli powder to taste

 

YOU DO

Heat a little oil or water in a wok or large pan and saute the onion until it softens. Add the garlic and capsicum and cook, stirring regularly for another minute or 2.

Add the stock and tomato puree, bring to the boil and then turn down to a simmer. Then add the corn kernals and creamed corn. Stir to combine all the ingredients, add the kidney beans and continue cooking on a light simmer.

Continue cooking until the mixture thickens and is no longer a watery consistency. This takes about 15 minutes,

Check the seasoning and add extra tomato paste and/or fajita seasoning. If you like spice, throw some chilli in.

Serve as is with brown rice.

or

Eat with tacos or soft tortillas and go the whole mile and serve with steamed or blackened corn, chopped tomatoes, avocado, carrot ribbons, garlic chives, fresh spinach, fresh coriander and dairy free sour cream.

 

Serves: Serves 4 – 6

Time: I have never timed this one but it’s so quick and easy to make and left overs are fine for freezing and great for serving on a busy night with just rice

Freezing: Great for freezing.

Harissa Bean Tagine

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Harissa Bean Taginewm

Harissa is a hot paste from Tunisia (North Africa), made from chilli, herbs and spices. Traditionally cooked in a tagine, this dish can also be done by gently cooking on your stove top. Choose good quality chopped tomatoes and go easy on the harissa paste if you are not great with chilli

This is such a simple, uncomplicated, warming, economical and nourishing dish. Loads of fresh herbs lift its earthy notes.

 

YOU NEED

oil for cooking

1 large brown onion, peeled and finely diced

4 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced

2 x 400 gram cans chopped tomatoes

1 – 1.5 teaspoons of harissa paste

2 teaspoons of pure maple syrup

2 cans cannellini beans, rinsed well and drained

1 cup of fresh parsley, washed well and roughly chopped

1 bunch of fresh coriander, washed well, stems finely diced, leaves roughly chopped

1/2 teaspoon salt and cracked black pepper to taste

#optional – 1 teaspoon of dried chilli

 

YOU DO

Heat a small amount of oil in a large pan. Alternatively just use a little water and sauté the onion until softened.  Add the garlic and cook on a gentle heat for another minute or two.

Add the crushed chopped tomatoes, harissa paste and maple syrup. Stir to combine and simmer gently for 10 minutes.

Add the beans. Stir through the parsley and coriander. Bring everything to the boil.

Check the seasoning. Add some chilli flakes if you want more heat.

 

Serving suggestion: This is lovely served with cous cous, steamed maple carrots, loads of salad dressed in fresh lime juice and olive oil.  Fresh bread to mop up all the juices is also a great accompaniment.

Yields:  4 small serves

Time: Takes about 30 minutes.

Notes: Harissa paste is available in well stocked delis.

I often also add a generous handful of good quality Kalamata olives to this dish, when I add the beans.

If you have left overs, this is delicious on toast the next day.

Coconut Curry Corn Soup

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Simple. Sweet. Fast. Creamy.

 

YOU NEED

1 large brown onion, peeled and roughly chopped

1-2 tablespoons of curry powder

1-2 cloves of garlic, peeled and roughly chopped

1 x 400ml can of coconut milk

2 cups of vegetable stock

4 cups of corn kernels

 

YOU DO

Heat a little rice bran oil in a medium pot, add the onion and cook on a gentle heat until the onion has browned.

While the onion is cooking, place the curry powder in a small non stick pan and dry roast it on a low to medium heat for a few minutes to bring the flavour out. Stir regularly.

Add the garlic to the pot with the onions and cook for a minute or so. Then add the curry powder, coconut milk, stock and corn to the pot. Bring everything to the boil, then turn it down to a very gentle simmer and cook for about 10 minutes.

Blend, check the seasoning and serve.

Too easy!

 

Yields: 4 small serves

Time: 20-30 minutes

Notes: I have also made this with Bonsoy instead of coconut cream. If you are avoiding soy then try using oat milk.

I prefer to use fresh organic corn kernels, but on occasion I have used frozen corn kernels instead.

I also often add 1 loose washed cup of fresh basil leaves into the soup when I blend everything.

Smokey Mushroom Wontons w/ an Asian Broth

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YOU NEED

 

1 tablespoon of rice bran oil

1 small onion, peeled and roughly chopped

1 large clove of garlic, peeled and roughly chopped

100 grams of button mushrooms, roughly chopped

1.5 litres of vegan chicken stock

1/4 cup of soy sauce

1.5 tablespoon of Chinese rice wine (got mine at the supermarket from memory)

1 teaspoon of minced ginger

¼ cup of smoked almonds

¼ cup of spring onions (also known as scallions)

¼ teaspoon of salt

16 wonton wrappers another ½ cup of spring onions, washed and sliced on a long angle

extra spring onion for granish

sesame oil for garnish

 

YOU DO

Heat the oil in a large pan and cook the onions until they soften and caramelise. Add the garlic and cook on a gentle heat for a couple more minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook for about 10 minutes until they are also softened and browned, then turn the heat off.

While the mushrooms are cooking place the “chicken stock”, Chinese rice wine, soy sauce and ginger into a large pot. Bring to the boil and then turn down to a gentle simmer while you make the wontons.

When the mushrooms mixture is ready scrape it into a blender, add the ¼ cup spring onions, the salt and the smoked almonds and blend until smooth.

Lay the wonton wrappers in rows along your bench top. Dip your fingers into some clean water and run them around the edge of the wonton wrapper Place about a teaspoon of mushroom mixture into the centre of each wrapper. Bring the sides of the wonton wrapper up till they meet and press them together firmly with your fingers into whatever shape you prefer. Continue until all the wontons are complete.

Carefully place the wontons into the broth and cook very gently for a few minutes until the wrappers are cooked through. This takes about 5 minutes.

Once the wontons are cooked, serve the soup immediately. Garnish with the rest of the spring onion and a few drops of sesame oil.

To make it more of a meal, simply add generous amounts of steamed Asian greens.

 

Servings: Serves 2 large or 4 small.

Time: 30 minutes

Notes: It’s crucial that the wontons are sealed at the edges or they will break up when you cook them. Absolutely make sure that you don’t boil the broth when you are cooking the wontons too.

I found smoked almonds at Safeway. The Home Brand ones are vegan. These are what give this dish that “meaty” flavour.

You can get wonton wrappers at Asian grocers. You can get them in most supermarkets too. Just check that they don’t contain egg.

 

Sweet Asian Greens w/ Almonds & Sticky Rice

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YOU NEED

1 tablespoon of sesame oil

1 tablespoon of minced ginger

2 large cloves of garlic, peeled and minced

red chilli (to taste),  cut in half lengthways and sliced finely

½ cup hoisin sauce

1 tablespoon of soft brown sugar (or agave)

2 tablespoons of mirin

1 bunch of bok choy, washed well and ends trimmed

1 bunch of asparagus, woody ends removed

handful of Chinese broccoli, ends trimmed

good handful of green beans, top and tailed

1 bunch of spinach, washed well, ends trimmed

handful of almonds

1 cup of glutinous rice (I get mine from my local Asian grocer). Otherwise steamed basmati or brown rice goes beautifully with this dish too.

 

 

YOU DO

Cook the rice as per packet instructions

Heat the oil in a wok (or large pot), gently sauté the garlic, ginger and chilli.

Add the hoisin, sugar and mirin. Stir till the sugar is dissolved and all ingredients are well combined.

Steam your vegetables. I just barely cook my veg. I like it quickly coloured but super crisp. I do my asparagus and Chinese broccoli 1st for a minute or so and then I add my beans for another minute or so and finally my bok choy and spinach.

Reheat the sauce, add the veg and toss it through the sauce. Throw in your almonds.

DONE.

Serve with rice.

 

Servings: 2

Time: Approx 30 minutes

Freezing: Not recommended

Notes: You could cook your vegetables in the wok, but I prefer not to because my sauce reduces  too much so  just gently steam them and add them once cooked.