PB&J cinnamon tofu sandwich... protein packed!

Whilst I was experimenting with Keto eating, boosting my protein without beans and pulses needed a little more planning. 

I don't tend to cook with a lot of tofu, partly because I don't really enjoy it as a meat substitute but also because tofu tends to get a bit of a bad rap on terms of digestibility and it being more processed than other food options. I also eat soy yoghurt as my go-to non dairy option (convenience more than anything) so I don't want to rely on tofu in other forms and overdo it.

All that said, there are times when it is a great low carb, high protein boost. I really enjoy it in chocolate mousses an baked croutons (recipe in my book) or now ...as a sandwich! It made great 'bread'.

It worked really well here as a sweet option. Though I imagine a savoury filling and seasoning would be good. I served it hot and crisp from the pan. If it cooled I imagine it could get a little rubbery... i'll leave you to test that :-)

I used a handful of raspberries that I mashed with chia seed to make a quick 'jam'. Depending on how much fruit you used would depend if it fell into the keto camp in terms of carb count. You could literally use a thin layer as a little taste which a big slather of peanut (or even better almond) butter.

Recipe: PB&J cinnamon tofu sandwich

Ingredients:

• 4 slices packaged tofu (approx 8-10mm thick)
• 1 tbs coconut oil
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp vanilla (optional)
• few drops stevia

Filling:

• handful raspberries (or other berries)
• 2 tsp chia seeds
• approx 1/4 cup peanut butter (or other nut butter)

Method:

Mix the berries and chia on a small bowl and set aside.

Slice the tofu and lightly press it to rid some of the water. Warm the coconut oil in a frying pan (or griddle for pretty lines!) then add the cinnamon, vanilla and stevia and swirl around the pan to mix.

Fry the tofu slices in the oil mix until cooked through, crispy and golden- approx 5 mins turning halfway. 

Serve hot as a stack layered up with nut butter and the chia jam.

Why not sign up for my newsletter where you'll get my latest blog roundups, special offers plus my FREE ebook! To buy nibbles you can also find me over at Wholeplus. 

Day to day you can always find me hanging out in these places:

• Instagram
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Pinterest

Creamy tofu tomato soup

The sun is out! 

It's still chilly BUT the sun is out here and with it are brightening spirits... and a sense of needing to spring clean the house!  Anyone else with me there?

Regardless of the sun, it is still not quite the season for summery salads and I still have lots of soups going down in the kitchen.

This little super quick dish is a nice way to get some high protein in your diet without needing to add beans and lentils as I would usually. It's super light and creamy and makes for a nice change, perfect for the changing seasons! I don't really use tofu that much, sometimes it ends up in baked good like this turtle cheesecake (yum!) and simple baked tofu which I love and don't make nearly enough. Tofu is often seen as a controversial ingredient in terms of it processed nature and source of intolerance on sensitivity fir some, but I think it's a very useful source of protein every now and again. I have beans a plenty the rest of the time! :-)

I topped this soup with my carrot pickle which was delicious, but you could top it with roasted chickpeas, sauerkraut or whatever takes your fancy really. Or top it with nothing at all.  

What's favourite dish to whip up as the seasons change?

Recipe: Creamy tomato tofu soup

Serves 2

Ingredients

• ½ pack silken tofu - drained
• 1 tbs cashew or almond butter (optional for extra creaminess)
• 4 large tomatoes
• 1tsp Indian spices (I used a mix or garam masala and cumin) you could also use a ready made paste.
• 2 garlic cloves- crushed
• ½ cup boiling water
• 1 small onion- sliced finely
• 1 cup of veg of choice- good options are peas or sliced courgette.
• large handful of spinach or massaged kale- optional
• Topping of choice

Method

Cook the onion and courgette if using for about 4 mins in a medium sauce pan with a dash of oil or just sauté in a little water. Meanwhile, blend the tofu, cashew butter (if using) and tomatoes together with the spices and garlic until smooth.

Add the tofu blend and all other ingredients (inc kale/peas if using) to the sauce pan, bring to the boil and simmer for 5 mins until heated through and veggies cooked.

Serve immediately with a dollop of topping as desired.

I'd love you to join me in other places too!  

Why not sign up for my newsletter in my sidebar where I feature roundups and special offers  plus me FREE ebook. If you are new round here check out my 'About' and 'Getting Started' tabs up top. To buy nibbles you can also find me over at Wholeplus.  Day to day you can always find me in these places:

• Instagram
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Pinterest

Chilled chocolate banana chunks

Phew, crazy week!  I feel like i'm using that word a bit too much recently. Too many high and lows for my liking... yup still working on the old balance thing!

You will hopefully have noticed that my e-book has been released yay!  I'm not the best when it comes t marketing- it's just not my strength and i always feel like i';m pushing things on people, BUT i am actually really happy with this little achievement and want to celebrate with you all!

There is menu tab up top called shop- hopefully i;ll have more things in there over time. You'll also find the e-books I have written for the dal Food Source you'll notice the similarity in page design ;-)

I also gave my first event public seminar of 'plant based food for fitness' last week. Ut was so streusel leading uo to it (stress out upon myself for no good reason!!) but it went really well and i got come lovely feedback. 

So far 2014 has been filled with a few milestones! 

back to my book- there is are over 30 recipes, half are taken from the blog over the years and half are new recipes created for the book only.

This little recipe is a great example of an old recipes tweaked and taken further into a new one.

Everyone is pretty up to speed with good old chocolate pudding using silken tofu, right? That was one of the first recipes I ever created for my blog... the photos were not great back then! I re-vamoed the recipe photography for he book and then decided to take it a step further and make frozen choc banana chunks. The chocolate pudding works really well to create a thick chocolate coating. You could add flavours or other dressing if you like!

Recipe: Chilled chocolate banana chunks

Serves 3-4 medium bowls  (depending on bowl sizes)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 packet silken tofu (approx 360g)
• 30g cocoa powder
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tbs agave (or other syrup) and approx. 1/4 tsp pure stevia to taste
• 1 tsp flavourings (optional) orange, mint or almond extract
• 1 tbs coconut oil (don’t skip this as it makes it set to a thicker mousse)
• 2-3 bananas sliced in to 1 cm chunks

Method:

Add all ingredients (except bananas) to a blender and blend away until fully mixed and very smooth, the mixture will be fairly runny but will firm up further in the fridge due to the coconut oil content. Allow to set in the fridge for a little while until beginning to thicken- but still easy to work with.

Once the mixture is thick, coat the bananas and lay them on a lined sheet, or on skewers, or as mini lollies if using larger banana pieces.  

Allow to fully set in the freezer. Store in the freezer for a sweet treat nibble in times of post-Christmas chocolate cravings!

Note: Make sure you use silken tofu and not regular firm tofu as it wont blend so smoothly!

P.s this is the chocolate mousse version as captured for the book before being made smothered around the banana! Why not try both ways!

I'd love you to join me in other places too!  

Why not sign up for emails in my sidebar where I feature roundups and special offers. If you are new round here check out my 'About' and 'Getting Started' tabs up top. To buy nibbles you can also find me over at Wholeplus.  Day to day you can also find me here:

• Instagram
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Pinterest

Double choc banana blondie

On Monday and Tuesday I celebrated my birthday with my work colleagues.... I told you I like to drag out my birthday (which was on Friday) for as long as possible!

At the weekend I'd baked an experimental 'double chocolate banana blondie' to surprise my work colleagues with...they knew it would be healthy and vegan, I then also told them it was gluten free and sugar free....just before they took their first bite I also told them that it had an added secret ingredient...could any of them guess?

Nope......but can you guess? Go on, you should know me well by now. 

Oh yes...beans! Well, actually chickpeas.

This was originally going to be a simple 'blondie sponge' based on this blondie recipe, however I realised I had no sweet potato so decided to wing it and sub this for banana and a little tofu instead, this gave the cake a lovely subtle banana kick, not overly so bananary the way a full on banana cake would be but it really complimented the chocolate layer (which I decided needed to be added for visual pizazz) and the choc chunks and nutty crumbles on the top really well.

The verdict....recipe requests, just like this time!

 I should probably share my baking experiments more!

So that was Monday, but yesterday it was my turn to be surprised when I was presented with a vegan banana cake that had been ordered for me specially and had taken a while to be delivered. It was such a sweet gesture. So after lunch, we all had a slice...it tasted pretty good, although more like a tea bread as it was much dryer than my cake and the apple juice that had been used as a sweetener overpowered the banana in my opinion. The unanimous vote was that my cake was better…yay!!  

Ah ha, here is me and a slice of my surprise banana cake...figured you might want to see a photo of my silly face at birthday time...a rare occurrence to see an actual photo of me on this blog!

The recipe below is for my banana cake. You could make it into a loaf, slices, muffins or a nice round sponge as I did. Options, options...feel free to get a little crazy with your toppings too.

Recipe: Double choc banana blondie

Makes one 7” round cake

Ingredients

• 1 medium banana
• ½ cup silken tofu
• ½ cup mashed chickpeas
• 1/3 cup coconut butter- melted
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• ¼ cup agave plus ¼ tsp stevia
• 1 cup GF flour mix* (I used 1/3 cup each of almond meal, buckwheat flour, tapioca flour)
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• A pinch salt
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• 3 tbs cocoa powder
• Handful dark chocolate chips
• Handful nuts (I used hazlenuts)

*you could substitute spelt or regular flour for non GF

Method

Blend the wet ingredients in food processor until very smooth. Pour into a bowl, add dry ingredients (except cocoa, chocolate and nuts) and blend together well mixed.

Divide the mixture into two bowls and add the cocoa two one half of the mixture and mix through well.

Spoon the chocolate mixture into a greased/lined  7” round cake tin (or square tin or loaf tin) and smooth out. Spoon over the blondie layer and gently smooth across taking care not to disturb the bottom layer.

Add the choc chunks and nuts to the top. Bake in the oven at 180C for approx. 20 mins until lightly golden at the edges and a skewer comes away clean.. Allow to cool before slicing and serving.

This recipe is shared with Slightly Indulgent Tuesday's

‘Twelve Days’ day 11: mini choco-nog sponges

I had really enjoyed my chocolate yule log, it was so indulgent yet not at all heavy and sickly sweet (meaning I could eat a lot in one go). It was the combination of the light and airy fat-free swiss roll sponge combined with the luxurious (but healthy)

chocolate frosting that made such an amazing pairing and so it got me thinking….how else could I achieve that same effect?

Frosting is the obvious answer, so this time instead of going for the obvious cupcake and frosting scenario, I decided to make another tray of swiss roll sponge but this time instead of rolling it up, I cut out circles with a cookie cutter and frosted those instead. So then you have mini chocolate sponges.  But the chocolate sponge needed something a little bit special and a little bit (ok, a lot bit) seasonal to top it. 

I’ve already given you a number of cranberry and mincemeat inspired creations (and I haven’t quite finished with the cranberries yet!) so I didn’t really want to go down the fruit route again.  This left the Christmas spiced combo up for grabs. Not that I mind…I love ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla- all warm and creamy dreamy. Mmmmm.

So egg nog anyone? Or maybe more accurately in this case, simply ‘nog’. Or even more appropriately… choco-nog mini sponges!

Ok, so now you’ll think I’m crazy…but…I have never actually tried egg nog. I’m not sure I’ve ever even come across it on the shelves (although often if you’re not looking for something you don’t realise it actually exists when its right in front of you face!)  So, here I am making what I call a ‘nog’ frosting having never actually tried egg nog before!  This may be nothing like real ‘nog’ but it’s a warm and creamy nutmeggy-vanillary frosting and to me that sounds like a noggy creation…or what I imagine one to be!

I’ve used banana in this recipe which does give a little bananary taste. If you would prefer a more neutral base to let the spices shout more loudly then feel free to reduce or omit the banana and substitute for more cashew (or other neutral) nut butter instead.

I know…I really must find some egg nog to try this Christmas, I’ve heard the vegan versions are pretty good so I just need to track some down! In the meantime whipping up a bit of this frosting with some almond milk and a dusting of nutmeg on the top may well just do the trick- I’d certainly recommend it and it's definitely the best way to clean up the remnants in your blender!

Recipe: mini choco-nog sponges

Ingredients

Frosting

• ¾ cup cashew nut butter
• 4 dates
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• ½ tsp rum extract
• ¼- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
• ½ a frozen banana (or another ¼
• cup nut butter)
• ½ cup firm tofu (water pressed out)
• 3 tbs maple syrup/brown rice syrup/agave nectar
• Pinch of stevia powder (approx. 1/6 tsp or to taste)
• 3 tbs coconut butter melted- if you want a thicker frosting (omit for a soft whippy frosting)
• Makes approx. 1 ½ - 2 cups

Sponge

• 10 1/2 oz. firm silken tofu
• 1/3 cup rapadura
• 1/3 cup agave syrup
• 1 tbs vinegar
• 1 tbs water
• 1 tbs vanilla extract 
• 1 tbs ground flax mixed with 2tbs hot water
• 1 cup whole wheat spelt flour
• ¼ cup ground almonds
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ½  tsp salt
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder.
• Makes approx. 20 mini sponges (depending on their size and shape)

Method

Prepare frosting by adding all the ingredients to the food processor and blending together until smooth. If your blender is less powerful you may want to chop up the dates and soak them in a little hot water first. Once fully blended, the mixture will be thick but fairly runny. Set aside to use as a soft frosting or if you added the coconut butter for a thicker frosting, spoon into a bowl and allow to firm up in the fridge for an hour or two.

To make the mini sponges. Preheat oven to 180C degrees. Line a 10x15 inch pan with baking parchment.

In a food processor, mix tofu, rapadura, agave, vinegar, water, vanilla and flax mix (see note below). In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, ground almonds, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Pour the blended tofu mixture into flour mixture; stir together thoroughly.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan. Smooth the top of the batter evenly and bake for 10-12 minutes. 

Once the sponge is cool, lift out of the pan, place on a cutting board and using a circle (or any simple shape) cutter, cut rounds of sponge out of the slab. There will be a little wastage (or nibbles), so to avoid this you could cut the slab into squares.

Once the frosting is prepared, drizzle, spoon or pipe the nog frosting onto the individual sponges and serve immediately. The frosting and sponges can be prepared up to a day in advance and stored separately for last minute frosting.

---

‘Twelve Days’ day 4: Chocolate Yule Log

Yesterday was a full of crazy happenings in the kitchen… a chaos that took over much of the dining room as well!  The reason....? It was my work Christmas party and this year we were cooking a gourmet meal ourselves, and yes you guessed it I was in charge of all the veg. Piles of peelings and sprout leaves adorned all surfaces.

In amongst all of that I was also determined to create a festive dessert that would both look and taste the part.

….Please enter the healthy Christmas Yule log, complete with a sprig of holly (I picked this from a hedge outside after having already taken the first few photos and felt it needed something more!)

The meal was a great success, with everyone eating seconds and even thirds. The only down side to this was that no-one really had much room for cake further on into the evening! However those that did have a slice gave it their seal of approval.  I can also vouch for its ‘yummyness’ the second day in having eating a slice for breakfast ‘dessert’ today!

I used my chocolate frosting recipe with a little extra added coconut oil to create a slightly firmer frosting although that wasn’t really necessary.  I had also planned on using a ‘healthy’ vanilla frosting for the centre, but I have to admit here that timing got a little crazy and amidst all the rushing around I had to resort to a more speedy traditional ‘butter icing’ made with vegan spread and icing sugar. I have included below the recipe I would have liked to have used but please note I have not yet been able to test this. Let me know how you get on if you do use it as I plan on trying it out very soon. You could also add a layer of sugar free fruit spread along with the vanilla frosting if you wanted to go all out!

Recipe: Chocolate Yule Log

Ingredients

For sponge roll:

• 10 1/2 oz. firm silken tofu
• 1/3 cup rapadura
• 1/3 cup agave syrup
• 1 tbs vinegar
• 1 tbs water
• 1 tbs vanilla extract 
• 1 tbs ground flax mixed with 2tbs hot water (see egg replacer note below)
• 1 cup whole wheat spelt flour
• ¼ cup ground almonds
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ½  tsp salt
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder.

For chocolate frosting:

The frosting is pretty much the same as this original recipe reprinted below for ease with an additional table spoon of coconut oil. Note- this recipe makes more than required for the cake (unless you frost very thickly!) so set aside for cupcakes or eat as a dessert, or I have even frozen it successfully.

• 350g (1 carton) firm silken tofu (I use Mori nu)
• 1 tsp melted coconut oil
• 60g cocoa powder
• 25g coconut flour
• 40g agave nectar
• 1/4 tsp stevia powder
• 1tbs vanilla extract

For vanilla centre:

• 2 cups cashews, soaked overnight
• 1/3 cup water (add more for a runnier frosting)
• 3 Medjool dates (soaked 1 hour)
• 2 tsp vanilla
• Pinch salt
• 2 tbs agave plus a pinch of stevia (to taste)

Method

To prepare the frosting and vanilla centre, blend all ingredients listed together in a powerful food processor (to handle the cashews) until a smooth consistency forms. Spoon each into bowls and set both aside, if too runny place in the fridge whilst preparing the sponge.

Preheat oven to 180C. Line a 10x15 inch pan with baking parchment.

For the sponge, in a food processor, mix tofu, rapadura, agave, vinegar, water, vanilla and flax mix (see note below). In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, ground almonds, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Pour the blended tofu mixture into flour mixture; stir together thoroughly. 

Note: In some recipes I noted that egg replacer was used instead of a ‘flax egg’. I don’t use egg replacer but this may help with the integrity of the finished sponge. If you decide to use egg replacer, in a small bowl, beat Egg Replacer and water together until soft peaks form and then fold into blended ingredients as the final step.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan. Smooth batter evenly into pan; bake for 10-12 minutes. 

(tricky part coming up!)

Take the cake from oven, loosen sides and carefully invert onto a tea towel or more baking parchment sprinkled with cocoa powder. Carefully peel off the waxed paper that it was baked on. Sprinkle cake with more cocoa powder. Fold one end of the towel over the short end of cake; carefully roll up the cake, with tea towel inside it, trying not to crack the cake. (Do this while the cake is hot.) Set rolled cake and towel aside on a rack to cool

. Note- my sponge split a bit but once frosted and assembled it was barely noticeable so don't worry if this happens!

To fill the roll, carefully unroll cake, leaving it on top of the tea towel. Spread cake evenly the vanilla frosting.  Carefully roll cake up again as neatly as possible. If desired cut the end off cake and attach to the side of the roll as a ‘branch’.

Fully frost the cake and decorate with cooked cranberries (as I did originally) or holly!

Voila!  It takes a little time…but it is worth the effort!

On a side note, I think my love of vegetables is now becoming a little renown….since this was my Secret Santa gift this year!

For more Christmas themed recipes... check these out!

---

Healthy chocolate frosting (or mousse!)

I just love this stuff, so much so that I would probably rate it as one of my most successful recipes so far! Well, its so good it even made it to the blog banner! Aside from tasting super indulgent whilst being super healthy, it is so simple to make and can be used everywhere...

• Filling for a cake spread with a spatula
• Topping for a cupcake piped with a nozzle (or simply spooned on if you can’t wait!)
• Layered up in a tall glass with fruit and vegan yoghurt/cream for a ‘posh’ dessert
• Eaten as a chocolate mouse-y pudding in its own right

…Basically anywhere you need a rich, thick, creamy, chocolatey accompaniment… and where wouldn’t you want that??

Shhhh- I keep a tub of it in in the fridge for quick access when I’m in need of a little fix!

Recipe: Healthy chocolate frosting

Ingredients

• 350g (I carton) firm silken tofu (I use Mori nu)
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 1 tbs melted coconut oil (use 2 tbs for a firmer frosting)
• 2tbs lemon juice (not essential)
• 2 tbs agave nectar
• 1/6 tsp pure tsp stevia powder (or omit and add extra agave or powdered sugar)
• 1/2 tsp alcohol free vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste/powder

(Note: This makes enough to fairly generously frost 12 cupcakes)

Method

So simple!! Put all ingredients into food processor and blend up very thoroughly. Spoon into a bowl and store in the fridge ready for use.

Some yummy frosting variations to try….

1. Add 1tsp grated orange rind and 1 tsp orange essence to the mixture and reduce vanilla essence to 1tsp. (if want to make frosting slightly runnier like a mouse then add 1-2 tbs orange juice).This one is my favourite flavour combo.
2. Add 1tsp instant coffee dissolved in 1tbs of boiling water. Reduce vanilla to 1tsp. Add to the mixture. 
3. Add 1tsp peppermint essence and 1 tsp of ground mint leaves to the mixture and omit the vanilla.

Let me know of any more delicious variations you have tried!

P.S. You will notice above that I have included ‘Stevia’ in the ingredients list. You can find more info here on Stevia. You can also understand more about how and why I use Stevia in my recipes here.

---