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.