Fantastic Mango Dip.

There was a half mango left in my fridge and I it had to be a dip. So I made the best mango dip today, using three ingredients:

- half a very ripe mango
- few leaves fresh mint
- 1 tsp soy sauce 

Puree everything together, et voilá: creamy, fruity, fresh, luscious, colourful, fancy but ridiculous simple and quick. It's perfect for a lot of hearty, spicy dishes and fried stuff.

I ate it to fried tofu slices together with mashed potatoes (sprinkled with coconut bacon) and salad.

Mashed potatoes are one of the best things and I truly don't understand how it's possible that there are people who don't recognize the importance of mashed potatoes. To vary my mashed potatoes I cooked them today together with a kohlrabi. I had a purple one! They're very pretty (but look the same like the pale green ones, once you've peeled them).

- potatoes
- kohlrabi
- vegan butter
- salt
- rosemary
- soy or rice milk

Dice potatoes and kohlrabi (kohlrabi dices should be smaller than your potato dices) and cook in slightly salted water until very tender and almost overdone. Drain the water and mash with vegan butter, salt, rosemary and a splash of soy or rice milk until fluffy and creamy.

Fried tofu slices are also simple as hell: cut tofu into thin slices, marinate in soy sauce for a few minutes and then fry the slices in (olive) oil until the edges get golden brown and crispy. Some garlic is highly recommended.

There are lots of coconut recipes out there, I used this as an idea but I skipped the liquid smoke and used shoyu instead of tamari. AND: I made it in a pan, this version is a bit quicker. Just use a very slightly oiled pan on medium heat and stir very often.

Parsley Pesto Again!

This pesto is slightly tart, fruity and tastes like summer. It's basically the Parsley Cashew Pesto  but with only a third of the cashews and additional dried cranberries.The dried cranberries give this pesto not only a tart taste but also a very light texture.

No Egg Salad w/ Chickpeas And Raw Zucchini

There are lots of vegan "Egg"-salad or No-egg-salad recipes out there. As I can't follow recipes anyway I just made a version of my own, vaguely remembering what other people use and what I used the last time when I made one (I think I used a recipe back then). I added raw zucchini to have a more fresh taste.

- small can chickpeas
- 100g pasta
- one small finely grated zucchini (or half a medium one)
- a few spoons vegan mayo
- salt (if you have use kala namak but be careful)
- parsley


Cook pasta al dente and let cool a bit. Drain chickpeas and smash with a potato smasher or a fork. You can smash the pasta too if you want to, to have this egg-salad consistency. I had small mezzo pennones so I didn't want to smash those beauties.

Mix chickpeas with mayo and parsley, salt slightly. 

Then add the finely grated zucchini and pasta. Mix thoroughly and season to your taste. Cool the salad in the fridge for at least 30 minutes

 

Pretty in pink.

Mix very ripe bananas with a handful of frozen raspberries, soy milk and the sweetener of your choice with a handheld blender. 
Bright pink, ice cold deliciousness. 

Parsley Cashew Pesto.

Pesto is not used very often in my kitchen and if so it's store bought. Now and then I try a version of my own and this time I had parsley, cashews and a very good, mild and fruity olive oil. Look at the bright green colour of the olive oil!
Turned out really well. I totally love parsley.

- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 3/4 cup cashews (unsalted)
- bunch parsley

Pull apart the leaves and stems of the parsley. I also use the thin stems and discard only what's really to bad. Roast 3/4 cup of unsalted cashews in pan on medium heat, stir very often and watch carefully. After a few minutes it begins to smell adorable and the cashews get golden-brown spots. Turn down the heat and replace the cashews in a bowl where they can cool.

Then mix parsley, roasted cashew nuts and olive oil in a food processor or with a handheld blender until you have smooth and creamy pesto.
You can use it to for pasta (mix with a little hot cooking water from your pasta pot) or use a little for sandwiches. 

Pasta with king oyster mushrooms and parsley cashew pesto.

Eggplant spread.

- 4 eggplants
- 1 big onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- olive oil
- salt, pepper


This is one of the best spreads at all. Don't let you fool by the boring colour - it's amazing. Go ahead, you eggplant lovers.

First the eggplants have to be baked. Put them in the oven as they are, just cut the skin once or twice with a knife or they could explode in your oven. This happened to me many years ago and you don't want to a have a oven full of eggplant slobber so please avoid this. In a gas oven at gas mark 6-7 they need around 30 minutes. Once they're very soft and done, let them cool completely.
Then cut them into halves and scrape out everything you get off the skin with a table spoon. 

Finely chop the onion and smash the garlic. Fry in 2-3 table spoons olive oil until translucent. Then add the baked eggplants and stir for another 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, you can also add a tiny bit of lemon juice. 
Blend everything with a handheld blender until smooth. 


This spread is already very good when it's still warm. The best thing is to put in the fridge and wait until it's completely cool. Enjoy on white bread, baguette or whatever. Out of the above-mentioned ingredients I got a tiny bit more than 1 and 1/2 cup of spread.

Fancy simple stuff.

- 2 king oyster mushrooms
- 200g tofu
- one small broccoli head
- one small onion
- one clove garlic
- 1 tblsp shiro miso
- soy sauce
- olive oil
- pepper
- salt


Cut the broccoli into florets and cook in water with some salt. While the broccoli is cooking cut the piece of tofu into small cubes, dice finely the onion, slice the mushrooms and smash the clove of garlic. Heat 2 tsp olive oil in a pan and first add the tofu. When the tofu begins to get slighlty golden-brown add onions, garlic and mushrooms. Stir from time to time until tofu is brown and crispy. Deglaze with some soy sauce and season with a tiny amount of pepper.
In a small bowl prepare the dressing for the broccoli: mix the tblsp miso with some hot water and 1 tsp olive oil. 
Cook the broccoli only for a few minutes until it gets soft but not wibbly-wobbly. Strain it. Then toss the broccoli into the miso dressing. I had some arugula left and tossed it in, too.
Serve tofu-mushroom mix with the broccoli and add some of the dressing.
Very hearty and umami but light and fresh though.

Scrambled Tofu w/ Arugula, Mushrooms And Cranberries.

And it's time again for a scrambled tofu variation!

Today I had a very savoury, crispy kind of scrambled tofu.
Here we go:

- 200g firm tofu
- 2-3 big button mushrooms
- 3 tbsp breadcrumbs
- 2 tbsp dried cranberries
- lime juice (of half a lime)
- arugula
- oil
- rosemary salt
- one clove garlic


First heat 1-2 tbsp oil in a pan and add the smashed (and or minced) garlic clove. Crumble the tofu and add together with the sliced mushrooms and bread crumbs, let fry for a few minutes without stirring on medium heat. Add some salt, then stir and add cranberries. Fry til tofu is golden brown and add the fresh lime juice. Then serve on a big handful of arugula salad. I guess I say this very often, but this combination of flavours is just perfect. The breadcrumbs bring a very crunchy consistency, the arugula is slightly bitter and tangy and the cranberries and lime juice add a nice freshness.

Beetroot Hummus.

Last week I asked my mother if she had any more ideas what to do with beetroots. She came up with this hummus variation which turned out so lovely - in appearance and taste. The beetroot not only provides a nice pink but also a subtle sweetness. I slightly changed the original recipe and now I have a big bowl of pastel pink hummus in my fridge to make lots of sandwiches this week:


400g canned chickpeas
2 beetroots
3 tblsp tahin
1 clove garlic
salt, pepper, cumin
fresh lemon juice


Peel the beetroot, dice and cook until tender. Strain, but keep the cooking fluid. Blend chickpeas with beetroot, tahin, garlic and cooking water with a handheld blender until creamy - than season with lemon juice,salt, pepper and a dash of cumin.

Kale-Coconut-Stew

- potatoes
- root parsley
- root celery
- 1-2 carrots
- small can coconut milk
- small can chickpeas
- onion, garlic, ginger
- few leaves kale (curly kale)
- oil
- tofu, cut in stripes and fried in oil with some added soy sauce


This was a stew made out of a lot of different things which had to be used and this fresh green kale. As I made this a few weeks ago I'm not quite sure if I remember everything correctly, but it's a stew. You can't go wrong.

Cut onions, smash garlic, grate ginger and dice both the root parsley and the root celery. Oh and the carrots, too. I think I had one small carrot.
Fry in a teaspoon of oil, until onions get translucent.

Then add one litre water and salt, pepper, veggie broth,  a dash of paprika.

Let cook for 5-8 minutes and then add the potatoes and the kale.

Cook for another 8-10 minutes, then add the drained chickpeas and some coconut milk. I did use probably 3/4 of a small can. But these are just details and you can adjust this to your taste.
Let cook for a few minutes more until the potatoes are done or even a little longer, then taste if you need more salt and pepper. Serve hot with tofu stripes on top.

I love to make a big pot of soup or stew and have lots of leftovers the next day. Then I usually take some for work. You know, these stews taste better the next day anyway and so it's the perfect lunch at work.

Pasta with red cabbage and orange.

- 250g tagliatelle
- 250ml soy cream
- 1 large red onion
- red cabbage
- 1 orange
- garlic
- oil (olive oil, for example. Pumpkin seed oil works here very good, too)
- salt, pepper

Cook pasta according to instructions. Meanwhile finely dice the onion and smash the garlic (I used two cloves). Fry in 1 teaspoon oil and add 100ml water. Shred the cabbage and add to the onion/garlic mixture.
Bring to the boil and cook for about 3-4 minutes, then turn off the heat. Add salt, pepper and soy cream.  The cabbage is supposed to be just slightly cooked. Not raw anymore, but not completely soft and done.
I had the half of small cabbage head.

Peel and slice the orange.
Mix the tagliatelle with the cabbage-cream sauce on a plate and add some slices of orange. 
I love orange and salt by the way. Just try one piece on its own with a little salt sprinkled on it.

Beetroot-horseradish soup.

Basically this is a beetroot-horseradish soup. Actually it was a big clean-out-the-fridge-action which included said beetroots, a big piece of horseradish, a carrot, garlic, a yellow bell pepper, a piece of cucumber, a few potatoes. Only horseradish and garlic were fresh, everything else was days old and had to be used one way or another. 
The result was excellent both in colour and taste. 
The topping is a finely shredded radicchio in a soya yogurt-mustard dressing. 

First I fried some smashed cloves of garlic together with diced horseradish in some oil, added cold water and the diced beetroots and potatoes. When everything was boiling I added all the other stuff and some salt, pepper, veggie broth. Mixed thoroughly with a hand held blender and served then with the radicchio topping.

Banana-Peanutbutter Milk Shake.

4 ripe bananas
1 heaped tablespoon peanutbutter
soymilk (ca. 300ml, depends on your preferred consistency and your glasses)


Mix everything with a handheld blender. Sprinkle with cocoa. Serve immediately. Enjoy. Be happy.

Hokkaido-Mango-Soup w/ fried beetroot

- onions
- oil
- 3-4 medium potatoes
- 1 medium hokkaido squash
- 1 mango
- 3 small beetroots
- juice of 1 lime
- veggie broth
- salt, pepper


Fry finely diced onions (I had two small ones) in a little bit of oil until golden brown. Add diced potatoes and two of the beetroots and stir for a few minutes. Then add 1 litre of cold water and a bit veggie broth. Cook for five minutes, then add diced hokkaido and cook until everything is very tender. While your soup is cooking cut the remaining beetroot in very thin slices and fry from both sides in oil until crispy. Put them on some paper towel until needed.
Add one ripe, diced mango and salt and pepper to taste to the pot. Turn off the heat, add the lime juice and puree with a handheld blender until you have your preferred consistency.
Serve with some of the fried beetroot slices. 
This soup is totally recommended if you just got a tooth pulled out.

Hummus with peanut butter.

As I didn't have any tahin at home today but wanted to make hummus, I decided to use peanut butter instead. 
I'd prefer tahin but it was tasty though and definitely a variation which I will keep in mind. And it's Woschech approved! 

- 1 big can chickpeas
- 2 tablespoons peanut butter
- salt
- smoked paprika (optional)
- cumin
- olive oil
- paprika


Blend the drained chickpeas together with peanut butter, salt, smoked paprika and cumin. Add splashes of water until you have the preferred consistency. Serve with a little olive oil on top and sprinkle with paprika.

Inari Sushi.

Inari Sushi (fried tofu bags filled with sushi rice) and a salad made from lamb's lettuce, beet root, arugula and avocado. Loganberry sauce on top of the salad, dressing was made of shiro miso, water and other things which I forgot. It was pretty good.

Peanut Butter Cheese Bagel w/ Spinach

It is a beautiful day and I made a beautiful bagel and I even was in the mood to do some more pictures than I usually would take on something I cooked or prepared. I'm not very interested in food photography. If I cook something the daylight has normally already gone, my kitchen is a mess and I'm not very ambitious to prepare a fancy looking table to shoot a fancy food pic. I'm way better in cooking than baking as it is easier to improvise and so I'm also better in taking pictures just on the spur of a moment. But maybe I will work on this a little bit.

Back to the bagel: I totally love the combination of peanut butter and cheese, the lingonberry sauce adds a sweet and tart-ish taste, the fresh spinach is also quite tart, fresh and crispy.

This bagel was so perfect.

Toast your bagel. Spread one side with peanut butter, the other with lingonberry sauce (or cranberry sauce, both are quite similar).

Add one slice of vegan cheese (I had this one, the classic version) and some leaves of fresh spinach. Put together and enjoy.