Tiny Meals

I was hoping to have a new recipe today ... for some tofu and bean patties I tried. They were something of a flop and not worth sharing sadly. Will try again.

But on a far more cheerful note, I have been really inspired by this blog 'Tiny Simplicity'. The latest post is about 'Tiny Meals' and its got me thinking.


If any of you read my other blog, you'll know that I strive for simplicity. While it has always been something I have strived for, lately inspired by some fabulous bloggers I have been going hardcore when it comes to decluttering and simplifying.


I love the idea of a 'tiny meal'. While Chris doesn't give us any examples, I have been thinking about what a tiny meal would look like for me.


A 'tiny meal' would have just a few ingredients, and little or no cooking. It would be fresh, health-ful and balanced. Of course, it would also be delicious.



- a half avocado with some grainy bread and sliced tomato

- quinoa with chickpeas, fresh herbs and diced capsicums, with some lemon juice and olive oil

- an omelette (with organic, ethically sourced eggs) with mushrooms

- marinated tempeh on grainy bread with veganaise, tomatoe, avocado and salad greens

- wholemeal pita breads with hummus and salad greens

- boiled potatoes, hard boiled eggs, salad greens and veganaise

- baked beans in a tortilla with quacamole and lettuce



Sometimes, a more substantial 'tiny meal' could be easily pulled out from the freezer and heated in a saucepan. In this case, I think a 'one pot rule' should apply if a meal can be considered 'tiny'.



- some good vegetable soup (recipes to come)

- lentil and brown rice bake

- vegan lasagne

I would love to know if you have any thoughts about tiny meals. Do you seek to simplify your meals? I can see this approach would really make my time in the kitchen much more peaceful.

"I can't believe its vegan " Chocolate Cake

This recipe I found in a great wee cookbook called "the great new zealand vege road trip" ... it is full of recipes from cafes around New Zealand. This recipe harks from the Eutopia cafe in Kaiwaka which is an unlikely have for organic and vegan food, mainly because of the success of Kay Baxter's Koanga Gardens.

Anyway, I have made the recipe largely as per the instructions, although I find a smaller banana makes the recipe more chocolately. I also added in a splosh of very strong espresso because I love that kind of flavour.

I have made it as a whole cake, but actually prefer it as cupcake, in which case this recipe will make about 18 - 24.

I baked some as cupcakes for a bunch of committed carnivores, including a large policeman friend of mine, and he actually couldn't believe it when I told him (after he had eaten several) that it was vegan.

Cake
3 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup cocoa
2 cups sugar
1/ 2 cup rice bran oil
2 Tbsp vinegar (I used apple cider but white would be fine too)
2 tsp vanilla essence
2 cups cold water
1 small-medium banana, mashed
2 Tbsp strong coffee, optional

Icing
1 Tsbp olivani or other dairy free spread
2 cups icing sugar
1/2 cup cocoa
1 Tbsp vanilla essence or strong coffee
1 Tsbp approx boiling water

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celcius fan bake.
Grease a 23 cm cake tin and line with baking paper, or grease 2 x 12 hole muffin tins.

In a large bowl combine the dry ingredients. Make three wells in the mixture and in each place the vanilla, oil, and vinegar. Pour cold water over, add the banana and coffee if usig. Mix well and then pour into prepared tins.

Bake for 45-50 minutes (15 minutes for cupcakes) until a skewer comes out clean.

For the icing place all the ingredients in a pyrex dish and mix well. Add a few drops more water if needed. Ice cakes once cool.

Italian Bean Stew

This is the ultimate comfort food - a rich broth and creamy beans, full of late summer vegetables.

Italian Bean Stew

1 large red onion, finely chopped
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1 large eggplant, peeled and cubed
2 courgettes, finely sliced and then chopped
1 - 2 red or yellow capsicums (bell peppers) cored, deseeded and chopped
2 tins of chopped Italian tomatoes
1 cup vegetable stock
1 Tsbp balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp sugar
1 cup dried white beans, soaked overnight (cannellini beans are lovely)
1 tsp mixed spice
8-10 basil leaves, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

In a large saucepan coated in spray oil saute the onion, garlic and eggplants until they soften. Add the remaining ingredients except the basil, and cook for approximately 2 hours, until the beans soften. (will be less if you are using tinned beans). Taste and season, stir through the basil and serve.

This is ideal over spaghetti or polenta, and freezes very well.

Mushroom and Spinach Lasagne

Yet another use for pureed tofu ... this makes a seriously yummy, ultra low fat lasagne. It freezes well and looks beautiful for entertaining.

Many mainstream brands of pasta are made with just semolina flour and water, but obviously if you are vegan check the labels!

Mushroom and spinach lasagne

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 large red onion
3 large garlic cloves, minced
2 cups button mushrooms, washed
1 packet of soft tofu
1 large handful of basil leaves
1 cup of frozen spinach, cooked and squeezed out
2 tins of tomato passata
1/2 tsp freshly ground nutmeg (or dried is fine too)
large pinch each of salt and pepper.
1 packet of lasagne sheets (egg-free pasta is fairly easy to find)
a large handful of grated cheese (or cheeze) for the top

Get out your food processor and finely chop the onion and mushrooms. In a large saucepan heat the oil and then saute the onion, garlic and mushrooms. Season with the nutmeg, salt and pepper. Stir in the spinach.

While these are cooking puree the tofu and basil leaves in the food processor.

In a large lasagne dish sprayed with spray oil place one layer of lasagne, then top with half the mushroom mix, then half the tofu mix, then half the passata. Place another layer of lasagne and then the mushroom, tofu and passata again. Finish with a layer of lasagne, top this with some leftover passata (brush it across the pasta, especially the edges) and some grated cheese.

Bake for 30-40 minutes in a moderate oven.

Hummus in a hurry

"Hummus is to vegetarians and vegans what air is to the rest of humanity" Veganomicon

You really don't need a recipe for hummus, but I find myself writing this one down for people quite often. Certainly, you can buy some great hummus at pretty much every supermarket even in the most rural parts of New Zealand - but nothing beats home made.

I like my hummus quite thick for sandwiches. I particularly love a wholegrain roll with hummus, sliced avocado and tomato - it is my favourite lunch at the moment.

If you prefer a thinner hummus you can add water - start with 2 Tbsp and go up from there. I tend to be quite light on the tahini and heavy on the lemon juice - its all about personal preference. I use a 'whizz-stick' (immersion blender) as I can never be bothered dragging the food processor out, but the food processor or a full blender would make it much smoother.

Hummus

1 x tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 Tbsp olive oil
juice of a large lemon
1 Tbsp tahini paste
1 clove garlic, minced
Large handful parsley or coriander
Salt, pepper and chilli flakes (to taste)

Place all ingredients in a large bowl, and puree using an immersion blender.

Eggplant and Brown Rice Bake

I made this today for our family lunch ... it managed to feed 10 hungry people and seemed to please everyone from hard core vegans to staunch carnivores.

We served it with a big salad (thanks Kate!), some crumbled feta and some ciabatta bread.

Eggplant and Brown Rice Bake

2 cups brown rice
1 large onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large eggplant, peeled
3 large red capsicums, cored and sliced
1 tin chopped italian tomatoes or passata
1 cup vegetable stock
1 cup frozen spinach, cooked and drained
2 packets tofu, or if you are not catering for vegans try 1 tofu and 1 feta
large handful of basil
pepper, salt and chilli

Firstly, boil the brown rice in a large saucepan of salted water for 30-40 minutes until just tender.

In a food processor finely chop the onion and garlic, and then cook these in a large frypan coated with spray oil. Using the food processor again (you don't need to clean it out obviously) chop the eggplant and capsicums, then add these to the frypan. Cook over a moderate heat.

Meanwhile use the food processor to puree the tofu (and the feta if using) and basil.

In a very large casserole dish or lasagne pan place the brown rice, the frypan mixture, the tofu mixture, the stock, the tomatoes, and the seasonings and mix well. You could top it with cheese if you felt so inclined.

(It can be cooked ahead to this point and left overnight)

Bake for 45 minutes in a moderate oven.

All about quacamole

Its avocado season, which means I can buy them for about 50 cents each and almost always get a beautiful one!

Guacamole is a great way to use lots of avocados. It goes wonderfully with all sorts of foods - obviously its great with mexican (try it with the pinto bean casserole) and I love it in burgers. Its great with potato wedges, or as a dip for raw vegetables.



There are so many ways to make quacamole, but in my not-so-humble opinion the essential ingredients are avocado, lemon juice and a decent amount of salt. Under salted quacamole just won't quite have the same taste I'm sorry to say.



After those 3 ingredients its a question of your own personal taste. Sour cream makes for a creamier dip obviously, garlic and tabasco sauce makes it delicously pungent, you can even mix it with some whipped up light cream cheese (which is the cream cheese/cottage cheese blend).

Here is my recipe for my perfect vegan quacamole.



Gypsy's Quacamole

2 large, ripe avocados
juice of 1/2 - 1 lemon
generous pinch of salt
a few drops of tabasco or a pinch of cayenne
1/2 small garlic clove, minced

Use a fork to mash the avocado until its smooth but not pureed. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Eat immediately. Use your fingers to lick the bowl!