Darn Fine Fast Food: Sesame Noodle Bowl for the Lazy Vegan.

You know when you are back from work a bit late and you haven’t really planned anything for dinner? You then start to pick out ingredients from the seemingly empty cupboards at random. You start adding the stuff together, praying that it will be somewhat tasty although at this stage you do not really care for taste – you just want calories. And then, by some miracle, the dish you have created turns out to be a really tasty one. You are not sure whether it tastes this great merely because you are at this point of starvation, or because there might be a slight chance that you are somewhat of a genius.

Well, there is only one way to find out. This dish here, let us call it a Sesame Noodle Bowl – seeing as that seems to be a word of trend in the culinary world as of now -, is the result of this scenario described above.

I have since had it again and again… The verdict stands as clear as that first hangry Monday evening: This here is some darn fine fast food! And here is how it is done ↓

SESAME NOODLE BOWL

Tahini Dressing
− 1 heaped tbsp tahini
− 1 tbsp soy sauce (or tahini for GF)
− 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
− 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
− 1 tsp lemon juice
− 1-2 tsp sweetener, like agave or maple syrup
− 1 tsp sesame seeds (opt)
ADJUST TO TASTE

− 1 portion rice noodles
− 1-2 nori sheets
− veggies of choice: I used carrot, avocado, tomato and cucumber.

Start by putting on the kettle.
Meanwhile, stir together the ingredients to the dressing in a mug or such.
Once water has boiled, soak noodles according to package instructions (and use the same bowl as you’ll later eat from – saves dishes!).
Spare a little of the hot water, a table spoon or so, and add to the dressing to dilute. While waiting for the noodles, slice and peel and chop your vegetables of choosing.
Once noodles are done, toss with dressing. Add your veggies on top and dinner is served! Sprinkle with some more sesame seeds and/or fresh coriander if you will.

More recipes with tahini:

∼ Shakshuka the vegan way
∼ Creamy ZUCCHINI Dip.
∼ Red Curry Lentil Lasagna

New Potato Picnic Wraps | with Cauliflower Rice & Cashews.

Potato. My one true eniment love in this life. It also so just happens to be the theme of this month’s Månadens Gröna, hosted by initiator Annie from Vegokäk, or New Potatoes to be specific.

So here is my, falling-right-on-the-deadline-last-minute-contribution.

I have been swamped with going back to full days of work along with plentiful of paintwork done of both in- and exteriors of the summer cottage. (It is me, Stephen Fry reading Harry Potter into my ears and circa one thousand mosquitos hanging out down there in the late pm.)

All in all, I haven’t really felt like I had much time to make a dish this month, but then realised I kinda already had – in shape of my lunch wraps filled with potato and a magnificent nutritional yeast dressing. So here it goes ↓

POTATO PICNIC WRAPS with Cauliflower Rice & Cashews

→ 500 g new potatoes
→ a couple of cauliflower florets
→ fresh mint & parsley
→ wraps
→ cashew nuts

Nutritional yeast dressing:
→ ½ dl apple cider vinegar
→ ½ dl olive oil
→ ½ dl water
→ 3-4 cloves of garlic
→ 3-4 tbsp nutritional yeast
→ salt to taste

Start by washing the potatoes, if needed, before bringing them to a boil. While potatoes are boiling, shred the cauliflower and leave aside in heat proof bowl. In a mixer, combine ingredients for salad dressing until smooth. Finely chop your fresh herbs.
Once potatoes are cooked, pour its boiling water over the shredded cauliflower. Let sit for circa 1-1½ minute before combining with salad dressing, herbs and potatoes cut into chunks.
Serve in wraps, sprikling a generous amount of cashew nuts on top for extra crunch.

I also threw some left over chickpeas in there; excellent chance of a fridge cleanse!

Best picnic tip must be: wraps and a large salad. All you need to bring in terms of cutlery is a bowl and a spoon for serving. No washing up needed! (Well, hardly any…)

More potato recipes:

− Oh My Sweet Potato Risotto.
− Pizza con Patate.
− ÌSpiced Potato & Leek Soup

Burmese Chickpea Tofu | and other stories.

To be honest with you, at present I have THREE different drafts for posts in my sidebar all titled something along the lines of Burmese Tofu… I suppose here we finally go!

The first time I ever tried Burmese Tofu was on set. Me and Heidi riding our bicycles around the big lake of Inle in central Myanmar, passing through countryside schools and, as pictured above, fields with tiny yellow flowers as far as the eye could see. Our aim with said rented bicycles was to reach a place that served this particular tofu.

Now what differs Burmese, or Shan, Tofu from its world-renowned cousin, is that it is made with chickpea flour rather than from soybeans. This makes for a creamier yet delicate texture, not too far from silken tofu; and is also a perfect alternative for those not wishing to get on the soy bandwagon.Furthermore, it is ridiculously easy to make!

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For more things burmese have a look at: Mingalaba Yangon! | All the temples of Bagan (+briefly on budget)| On and around Inle lake. | Mandalay (or ‘temples that sparkle and garage comedy’)

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BURMESE CHICKPEA TOFU

• 4 dl chickpea flour (also goes under the name garbanzo bean or gram flour)
• 8 dl water, divided
• a pinch of salt
• ½ tsp ground turmeric powder

Start by bringing half the amount of water to a boil in a medium sized pot. Meanwhile, combine your flour, salt and turmeric in a seperate bowl and add in the same amount of water as flour. This will look a bit like pancake batter.
Once water is boiling, slowly pour your batter into the pan, whisking as you go along. The mixture should thicken almost instantly, but keep stirring for about 5 minutes before pouring into a prepared parchment paper lined tin.
Let cool down in room temperature, then leave to set in fridge for a couple of hours before cutting.

You can use chickpea tofu just as you would soy tofu; in salads, stir fry’s, scrambled, top of salads… For this I made a mega bowl of rice, mango, avocado, coriander and carrot; topped with this dressing with added peanut butter + ginger, and finally some cubes of burmese tofu that I quickly marinated with some soy sauce and sesame oil.

This post is my last minute-contribution to Månadens Gröna, hosted through February by Annie/Vegokäk with the theme legumes.

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Some of my recipes including tofu to try:

→ Thai Green Curry Stuffed Sweet Potatoes.
→ Scrambled Tofu.
→ Khao Soi for the reminiscing Vegan.

Vegan Quesadillas.

I am off to spend the weekend in Edinburgh – only THE (yes, italic, bold AND underlined to get my point across!) UK Vegan Capital, so I am beyond excited for all the food we will be having this weekend. (And to be honest, a little stressed – so many great places, so little time!!!) but before I step on the train I wanted to share with you some weekend grub in shape of Vegan Quesadillas!

→ 1 batch vegan queso, like this from brilliant minimialistbaker (+ for no cashews required!!)
→ 6 soft tortillas
→ ½ can black beans + ½ can chickpeas
→ fresh veg such as avocado, tomato, spinach
→ fresh coriander
→ tomato salsa
→ 1 tsp paprika
→ 1 tsp cummin

Prepare your “cheese” sauce first. Then chop your veggies + coriander into tiny pieces and combine in a large bowl together with the black beans and chickpeas, then sprinkle in the spices.

On a tortilla, cover a half circle with your bean salad (see photo above) then top with salsa and cheese sauce. Fold to cover. Repeat with the remaining tortillas, then place in a heated dry skillet on medium heat. Let cook for a few minutes on each side, flipping once they have caught a nice golden colour.

Next week is a Pasta themed one on the blog; I will be posting 3 x simple vegan pasta dishes so stay tuned for that! Until then, have a great weekend!

And don’t forget to follow the blog on bloglovin’ as to not miss any posts!

Cauliflower Tacos | with Mango + Ginger Salsa.

PSA – cancel all your plans for this evening. Something way more important has just come up. You need to go home and make Cauliflower Tacos. ASAP!

Take it from the girl who has made this very same dish no more than three times the past week – you are in for a treat! (It is okay, you can thank me later.)

This post also marks the comeback of my infamous Mango + Ginger salsa on the blog!
Cauliflower might not be a common causer of excitement, but this cabbage flower reaches other dimensions once it has been roasted in the oven. The taste really develops after a mere half hour in the oven, giving it an almost buttery flavour (which is probably why it also works so well in say a mac and yeast.)

→ 1 cauliflower head, broken into florets
→ 1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
→ 6 tortilla wraps of choice
→ 3 tbsp olive oil
→ 1 tsp paprika
→ 1 tsp chilli
→ ½ tsp cumin
→ salt + pepper to taste

→ 1 mango, diced
→ 5 cm fresh ginger
→ 1/2 red onion
→ 3 tbsp fresh coriander
→ juice of ½ lime (or lemon)
→ 3-4 tbsp olive oil
→ a pinch of salt
→ chili, or sriracha, to taste (opt.)

Set oven on 220°C. Toss your cauliflower florets and chickpeas in olive oil and spices, evenly distributing the mixture. Roast in oven for approx. 25-30 minutes, tossing them half way through.

While your cauliflower is roasting, prepare the salsa by dicing the mango and chopping all other ingredients finely. Add in a pinch of salt, olive oil and lime juice, stir to combine.

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This is my contribution to January’s Månadens Gröna themed inexpensive meals for the everyday. I know Mango might not spring to mind when you think of the word budget, but hear me out. Here are some ways to make this dish a lot less expensive:

◊ Bulk buying frozen produce.
Not only is it less expensive, but in this particular case will probs save you a bit of prep time. Both cauliflower and mango normally comes ready diced.

◊ Focus on a few ingredients.
and thus skipping the “ordinary” taco fillings; sour cream, tomato, cucumber, cheese, sweet corn, mince substitutes, salsa, etc. It turns into a fairly long list when all added up! Rather let a few powerful ingredients shine through.

◊ Skip the pre-made spice mixes.
These can easily be made at home for a fraction of the price.

In total I spent around 4 pounds for 4 portions worth of cauliflower tacos, however that excludes the spices added + olive oil used, although I count them as staples and doubt the amount used would be higher than a few pennies. Further things to keep into consideration for keeping a tighter food budget ↓

◊ Bulk buy on spices (at your local asian supermarket.)
This one goes hand in hand with the previous one but deserves a bulletpoint of its own. This will save you loads of money compared to buying the small ones found in your local supermarket – AND you will be able to liven up any dull meal. Some I tend to always have at hand are cumin,  paprika, cayenne, turmeric, cinnamon, cardamom and garlic powder. Of course not to underestimate the power of good ol’salt and pepper!

◊ Recipes are merely a reference.
Recipes are by no means a holy script just because it is written down. Is some ingredient missing or out of season/budget? Swap it for something else! Just make sure to taste as you go along. Your imagination is the only limit here.

◊  Check kilo prices.
It might sound obvious but can easily be forgotten. Just do a quick scan whilst in the supermarket to see what will give you the most of your moneys worth.

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Some further inspiration for inexpensive vegan grub:

→ Shakshuka the vegan way.
→ Carrot + Tarragon soup | Cheap vegan meals.
→ Creamy Dreamy Avopasta.

Spicy T*na Rolls.

Remember how one can make tuna out of sunflower seeds? I have done so again and this time as part of a spicy tuna maki with cucumber. Back when I lived in Melbourne one of my standard on-the-go foods would be just a sushi roll from one of the many joints surrounding the CBD — fast food that is actual food!

 VEGAN SPICY T*NA ROLLS

→ 1 batch vegan “tuna”, as by Green Kitchen Stories
→ sushi rice (+ apple cider vinegar + maple syrup)
→ nori sheets
→ cucumber (or other filling of choice – perhaps avocado?)

→ 1 tbsp vegan mayo
→ 1 tsp sriracha
→ 1 tsp lemon juice
→ ½ tsp sesame oil

First off, leave your sunflowers to soak for at least 6 hours or simply leave them overnight. Once sunflowers are set, cook the rice according to package instructions. I like to add a tablespoon each of cider vinegar and maple syrup once the rice is cooked, for extra flavour. While rice is cooking; prepare your tuna mixture in the food processor then add in the spicy mayonaise.

Once ready to roll; place nori sheet with the rough side facing you. If you do not have a bamboo mat you may use a kitchen towel and some plastic foil for rolling your sushi. — Spread the rice in an even layer with wet hands, then your cucumber sticks and tuna mayo mix before rolling it.

The tea towel and plastic wrap-trick is particularly handy for two reasons:

1) it holds the roll together whilst the nori gathers some moist from the fillings and thus stabilizes.

2) storing the sushi in the fridge → handy grab-and-go snack!

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For more sushi related pieces:

∗  Deconstructed Sushi Bowl.
∗ ONIGIRAZU (or ‘Sushi Sandwich’) | with Sweet Potato & Fried Tofu.
∗ Cauliflower Sushi

ONIGIRAZU (or ‘Sushi Sandwich’) | with Sweet Potato & Fried Tofu.

So a sushi roll walks into a bar… Not any bar but a SANDWICH BAR!

What do I know, but that could perhaps have been the beginning of how the Onigirazu, or Sushi Sandwich, came into being.

Needless to say, I’m glad that it did! I stumbled over this creation in a Aqua faba-forum of the world wide web and was instantly intrigued. (I mean, how can one NOT be?!)

VEGAN ONIGIRAZU, or Sushi Sandwich (filling ideas)

→ nori sheets
→ sushi rice (I seasoned mine w/ cider vinegar and maple syrup)
→ cling film
→ pickled cabbage
→ panko breaded tofu
→ oven roasted sweet potato
→ avocado
→ spinach
→ grated carrot

HOW TO:

1. Lay your nori sheet, shiny side down, on a piece of cling film larger than the sheet itself.
2. Using wet hands, place a handful of rice in the middle of your nori and shape it into a compacted square.
3. Stack your preferred ingredients on top, before finalizing the pile with more rice.
4. Seal the four corners of your nori sheet, as you would make an envelope, around your filling. Stack one side over the other, using a little bit of water to glue them together, before continuing to overlap another side until you have a small package.
5. To finalize, bring the bits of cling film together and tie it at the top. Set the rice package aside to rest for a few minutes, giving the nori a chance to soften a little before cutting in half with a sharp knife.
And there you go! It’s not often one has such a colourful meal; I find it really appealing to look at. (Not so much that it prevented me from stuffing my face with them later, of course! 😉 )

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On another note, I’ve created a more comprehensive category system so rather than all my recipes being under “Food” they are now divided roughly into “type of meal”. xx

Månadens Gröna: Strawberry & Avocado Salsa | with Quinoa, Roasted Black Bean & Sweet Potato Wraps.

Behold the longest darn blog post title of the year!Another month, another vegetarian food challenge! This month it is time for Strawberry to go under the radar for the Swedish veggie cooking challenge; Månadens Gröna. Exciting times!

While making this I took two things into consideration
a) how many cakes I have made lately and
b) how many wraps I have eaten lately.
Now, the first thing I am fairly fed up with but I am still having wraps about each and every day during the summer months. However, I often find myself adding the same old combinations to said wraps and so to spice things up (quite literally) this Strawberry, and avocado, Salsa came into being.

The dimensions of this dish are plentiful. The strawberries with their fresh subacidity, the avocado gives a creaminess, the chilli some heat and the coriander… well, is just being coriander! (Orgasmic, i.e.!) Okay, rant completed – let’s move on to the recipe shall we!

For one batch you will need:

→ circa ½ a litre of strawberries
→ 1 ripe avocado (opt.)
→ fresh coriander, to taste
→ ½ red onion
→ 1 red chilli (make sure to remove the seeds if you want a milder salsa!)
→ juice of lime

1. Rinse and hull the berries.
2. Chop/dice everything finely.
3. Combine in a large bowl and squeeze the juice of one lime over the mixture.
As the strawberries are meant to be the star of the show this month, I wanted the rest of the wrap to be a little more modest. It contains of a thin layer of hummus with caramelized onion, a slice of violife’s dairy free cheese and a salad mix of quinoa, roasted sweet potato and black beans in garlic, cumin and paprika powder. To top it all off, a sprinkle of roasted sunflower kernels.

To participate with your own Strawberry creation or see a fine Pizza Blanco creation, visit Lovisa’s blog (click).

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Check out my other salsa recipe:
> Mango + Ginger Salsa.

Sweet Potato & Roasted Chickpea Buddha Bowl | with Tahini Dressing.

I sort of “came out of the veggie closet” the other day at work, all that consumption of hummus and soy cappuccinos must have given me off. The overall reaction was the common sort of why’s and you are crazy’s and the big Q of carnivores “but what do you eat then?”

I felt a bit like well… what do I NOT eat? You know, apart from limbs from other beings etc…

And then I go home to make something as stereotypical as a bowl of veggies. But oh darn, I don’t mind being a stereotype if it tastes this good!


I follow Minimalistbaker’s recipe as a starting point, but use the following:

→ 2 large sweet potatoes
→ 1 bundle broccoli
→ 1 red onion
→ 2 large handfuls baby spinach
→ 2 tbsp coconut oil
→ 1 can of chickpeas
→ cummin
→ garlic powder
→ paprika
→ chili powder
→ ½ dl tahini
→ 1 tbsp syrup
→ ½ lemon, juiced
→ 2-4 tbsp hot water to thin
→ salt + pepper

1. Start oven at 200°C.
2. Cut sweet potatoes in halves and bake for about 10 minutes using coconut oil.
3. After 10 minutes, flip the potatoes over and add the red onion cut in wedges and the broccoli. Bake for another 10-15 minutes.
4. While veggies are roasting, toss the chickpeas with seasonings and add to a large heated skillet with 1 tbsp oil. Stir frequently until they have browned, about 10 minutes on medium heat will do the trick.
5. Mix together tahini, syrup and lemon juice. Add hot water until you have reached desired consistency.
6. Slice the potatoes in bite size pieces, divide the veg in serving bowls, sprinkle with roasted chickpeas and drizzle over tahini dressing. Enjoy!

DECONSTRUCTED SUSHI BOWL.

Alternative title lazy person’s sushi! This is what I indulged for lunch today after some hours of essay writing (Read: attempts at essay writing). It is perhaps one of my favourite meals. Why? Because it has all the same flavours as regular sushi- only less hassle, less fiddling and less time consuming. Cooking the rice is the longest part of the process. We like that.

It is also provides a great chance to clean the fridge, as you can put almost whatever veg in there.

You’ll need: 
→ 2½ dl uncooked rice
→ 2 tbsp. tamari (or soy sauce)
→ 2 tbsp. rice vinegar
→ freshly grated ginger (opt.)

+ Toppings of choice, I used:
→ avocado
→ carrot
→ cucumber
→ red cabbage
→ a nori sheet
→ mushrooms marinated in some lemon juice

Cook the rice according to instructions. Meanwhile, you may start chopping whatever vegs you fancy. Once the rice is cooked, wait for it to cool down a little before adding the tamari, vinegar + ginger. Stir to combine. Portion the rice and add your toppings!