Moroccan-Flavoured Tofu with Apricots, Olives, and Almonds

When cooking for the Jewish New Year, you are looking for something sweet, as a hint on how the year should turn out. The recipe had to be vegan, so I couldn't use any of my regular recipes. In my search I came across a great site, VegKitchen (http://www.vegkitchen.com), and this recipe is from there with some very small adaptations.

The recipe is easy and quick to cook; just prepare all the ingredients in advance. I served it with quinoa, but you can be more authentic and use couscous.

Ingredients >   3 Tblsp olive oil >   1 packet of firm Tofu, cubed >   1 medium onion, halved, thinly sliced and the slices halved >   2 tsp grated or finely chopped ginger >   4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced or chopped >   6 scallions, thinly slice both the white and green parts, but keep them separate >   3 Tblsp flour >   2 cups (500 ml) vegetable broth >   1 tsp cumin >   1/2 tsp turmeric >   Pinch of cinnamon >   2 Tblsp (or more to taste)of lemon juice >   3 Tblsp (or less) Agave syrup or granulated sugar - can use date syrup  >   1 cup sliced green olives >   3/4 cup sliced dried apricots >   Salt and freshly ground pepper For the quinoa >   1 cup quinoa >   1/2 tsp turmeric >   1 tsp cumin >   2 cups water Garnish >   1/2 cup slivered almonds, lightly toasted >   1/2 cup chopped parsley

Steps 1.  Prepare all the ingredients as listed. 2.  Heat half the olive oil in a large pan (I use the wok), fry the tofu cubes until lightly brown. 3.  Pour the tofu into a bowl and put aside for later. 4.  prepare the quinoa. Follow these instructions so that you have a really tasty quinoa without any bitterness. a.  Put the quinoa in a fine mesh sieve and rinse it vigorously with water, to get rid of the bitterness. Let in drain. b.  Put the drained quinoa, turmeric, cumin and water into a saucepan. c.   Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. d.  Turn off the heat and let the quinoa stand for 5 minutes. 5.  In the meantime, heat the remaining oil in  the pan, add the onion and ginger and fry  over a medium heat until translucent.   6.  Add the white part of the scallions and the garlic and continue frying until the onions are golden. 7.  Stir in the green part of the scallions and stir. 8.  Sprinkle the flour over the mixture in the pan and quickly stir in. 9.  Add the broth and stir constantly until the liquid thickens. 10.Stir in the turmeric, cumin and cinnamon. 11.Stir in the lemon juice and agave syrup. 12.Stir in the tofu, olives and apricots. 13.Season well and heat through. 14. Spread the quinoa on the platter, pushing it around the sides and leaving a well in the centre. 15.Pour in the tofu mixture. 16.Garnish with the almonds and parsley. Update: Today I made it as a general, not festive, meal. I simply mixed the prepared quinoa into the tofu mixture and added the almonds. Still delicious, but easier to serve and store leftovers.

Vegan "honey" cake

One of the traditions for the Jewish New Year is to bake a honey cake, and my kids knew that the New Year was coming by the wonderful smell emanating from the kitchen. This year my eldest son invited us for the traditional meal. They are vegan and also my son no longer likes honey. So I looked up an alternative on the Internet, and adapted it based on my previous recipe. It  came out moist, tasty, and... no honey or eggs were harmed in the process.

Ingredients >  2 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour >  1 Tblsp baking powder >  1 Tblsp cinnamon >  1/2 tsp ground ginger >  1/2 tsp mixed spice (allspice) >  1/2 cup vegetable oil >  1/2 cup agave syrup/nectar >   1/2 cup pure maple syrup >   1 cup applesauce/puree >   2 tsp vanilla extract >   1 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) dissolved in 100 ml orange juice >   1/2 cup raisins >   Sliced almonds for the top

Steps 1.  Heat the oven to 170C 2.  Sieve all the dry ingredients into a large bowl. 3.  Make a well in the centre and pour in the oil, agave, maple, applesauce and vanilla. 4.  Beat well until the ingredients are thoroughly combined and the mixture is smooth. 5.  Dissolve the soda in the orange juice and pour onto the mixture with the raisins. Stir. 6.  Pour the mixture into 2 lined loaf tins.  7.  Sprinkle the almonds on top. 8.  Bake for 40 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. The cake should be firm to the touch. 9.  Let the cake cool out of the draft. 10. When quite cold, wrap in tin foil and leave until needed. The taste improves with time.

Mediterranean Fish Pasta

Omri brought this tasty, and yet so simple, dish to my attention. He saw it on Jamie Oliver's food channel, where it was a guest post by Gennaro. This is for 2 people and adapted to easy lunch cooking.

Ingredients >  150 gm pasta >  1 Tblsp olive oil >  3 anchovy fillets broken up into small pieces >  1 clove garlic, thinly sliced or chopped >  1 small red chilli, sliced >  1 Tblsp capers, rinsed >  10 cherry tomatoes or 2 regular, roughly chopped >   2-4 fish fillets (whatever amount or type you have) >   Salt and black pepper >   2/3 ladle of water from cooking pasta >   Handful of fresh parsley, chopped >   Squeeze of lemon juice

Steps 1.  Boil water, add salt and start cooking the pasta. 2.  Heat the olive oil in a large pan (I use the wok), and add the anchovies, garlic, chilli (or Togarishi), and capers. 3.  Stir and let cook while you roughly chop the tomatoes. 4.  Add them to the pan and cook on a low heat for a few minutes. 5.  In the meantime, slice the fish fillets and then add them to the pan.  6. Stir, add a bit of salt and pepper, and 2/3 ladle of water from the cooking pasta. 7.  Let the fish cook, about 5 minutes, and then add the parsley, a bit more oil if you think it necessary. 8.  Add the pasta, stir well and squeeze fresh lemon juice on top (not much). 9.  Serve with a green salad.

Vegan carrot cake

This is the first time that I have baked a vegan cake. I checked on the Internet and found this carrot cake. It came with a nut icing, but we prefer un-iced cakes, though I think it would have added something.

Ingredients >  2 1/4 cups flour (I used half whole, half white cake flour) >  3 teaspoons baking powder >  1 teaspoon baking soda >  3 teaspoons cinnamon >  1/2 teaspoons nutmeg >  1 teaspoons salt >  1/2 cup applesauce >  1 cup soy/almond/whatever milk >  2 teaspoons vanilla essence >  1 cup sugar >  1/2 cup (melted) coconut or canola oil (I used canola) >  2 cups grated carrots (about 450gm) >  Optional: 100 gm walnuts or pecans, roughly chopped, or ground if very young kids are eating it

Steps 1. Pre-heat the oven to 170°C. 2. Grease a 9x13 inch (or similar) baking pan 3. Grate the carrots finely. 4. Sieve all the dry ingredients (first 6) into a bowl. 5. In a large bowl, whisk the apple sauce, almond milk, vanilla essence,      sugar and oil. 6. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. 7. Gently stir in the carrots and nuts (if used). 8. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin, level it and place it in the oven for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.  9. If you want the icing recipe, let me know.

Leek, Peas and Mint Soup

A few months ago I went to a vegan restaurant and fell in love with their leek and pea soup. I tried to reconstruct it (and failed as now I see that they used Persian lemons), but it came out delicious. I added a tiny amount of Togarashi to lift it, and kept adding mint leaves until I got the taste I wanted.

Update: This time I added lemon juice, and the result was really great. 

Ingredients >  4 large leeks, white and light green part >  1 large onion, peeled >  2 medium potatoes, peeled >  2 Tbsp vegetable oil (olive or canola) >  Salt and freshly ground black pepper >  400 gm peas (can be frozen) >  1.75 litre vegetable stock >  5 Tbsp mint leaves, chopped >  1/8 tsp chilli powder or Togarashi (completely optional) > 1/2 - 1 squeezed lemon (optional)

Steps 1. Cut each leek in half lengthwise, then slice in 1/2 cm slices. 2. Chop the onion and potatoes into cubes. 3. Heat the oil in a large saucepan. 4. Put in the leeks, onions, and potatoes, add salt and pepper, cover the pot and sweat the vegetables for 15 minutes. 5. Add the chilli (if using), peas and stock, stir and bring to the boil. 6. Turn the heat to its lowest and cook for a further 20 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked. 7. Turn off the heat and stir in the mint, and if used lemon juice. 8. Puree the soup using a hand blender stick. 9. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

Spicy Vegetables

I love this dish. It is mildly spicy, with a mix of whole and ground spices.

Ingredients >  1 Tblsp olive oil >  1/2 tsp fennel seeds >  1 tsp cumin seeds >  1 tsp coriander seeds >  1 onion halved and sliced thinly >  1 tsp grated ginger >  2 cloves garlic, crushed >  1/4 tsp ground cumin >  1/4 tsp ground coriander >  1/4 tsp chilli powder or Togarashi seasoning (what I use) >  150 gm tin of chopped tomatoes >  1/2 cauliflower, cut into small florets >  1 large carrot, peeled and then cut into strips >  120 gm green beans, sliced on the diagonal into 3-cm pieces >  3 Tblsp water >  Ground salt to taste

Steps 1.  Prepare all the ingredients as mentioned on the left before you start cooking, putting each group of spices in small dishes. 2.  Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan, and add the fennel. cumin and coriander seeds. Stir-fry until the seeds start to pop. 3.  Add the onion and cook for around 4 minutes until the onion is soft and golden. 4.  Add the garlic and ginger and stir-fry for a further 2 minutes. (If you have the time and a stick blender, make them into a paste with a drop of water beforehand). 5.  Add the ground cumin, coriander and chilli powder (or equivalent), stir for a few seconds and then add the tomatoes.  6.  Cook for about 1 minute and then add the cauliflower and carrots.  7.  Add 3 Tblsp water, stir the mix and then cover the wok and cook for 2-3 minutes. 8.  Uncover and add the green beans and salt. 9.  Continue cooking, uncovered, until all the vegetables are cooked but still crunchy. Serve with rice. It looks better with white rice, but we only eat whole grains.

Easy-peasey Flapjacks

These are fail-safe flapjacks, so quick to make and even quicker to devour. The original recipe comes (I think) from Mary Berry. She used golden syrup, which I cannot get here, so I substitute it with date syrup. The recipe also calls for margarine. I wanted to swap this with oil, but so far have failed to get it right. It tastes good but crumbles more.

Ingredients > 100 gm margarine or 6 Tblsp vegetable oil > 100 gm brown sugar (I use demerara) > 1 Tbsp date syrup (or other sweet syrup) > 150 gm porridge oats

Steps 1. Pre-heat the oven to 160°C.  2. Grease a smallish square or oblong tin. 3. Melt the margarine in a pan together with the sugar and syrup.  4. Stir in the oats and mix well. 5. Turn the mixture into the greased tin and press flat. 6. Bake in the oven for about 35 minutes or until golden brown. 7. Remove from the oven and mark into squares, but leave in the tin until cold. 8. When cold, remove from the tin and store in an airtight container.