Citrus BBQ Veggie Stirfry with Lemon Baked Tofu

Citrus BBQ Veggie Stirfry with Lemon Baked Tofu 

Photography By Ctrlaltdelete Design Solutions (Copyright 2017)

I adore oriental flavours, that marriage of sweet meets savoury with a kick of tang, just heavenly-I can’t get enough of it! This recipe is a firm favourite in my home, I make it every Monday without fail; sometimes I make it twice a week as I get cravings for the crisp juicy veggies; it’s super duper healthy and extremely simple to make. I hope that you enjoy making and eating this dish as much as my husband and I do.

  

What Will I need?

Baking Tray

Baking parchment (NOT Greaseproof)

Teaspoon

Small Bowl

Large Wok

Wooden Spoon

Mortar & Pestle

Sharp Vegetable Knives

Measuring Spoons

Ingredients

Serves 2-3

For the Sauce

2 tbsp. Light Soy Sauce

1 tbs. Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ Marinade

1 tbsp. Agave Nectar

1 x Large Clove Garlic crushed

1 Thumb size piece Root Ginger crushed

Zest & Juice 1 x Lime

Generous Splash of Water

1 tsp.cornflour

For the Stir-fry

Glug Ground Nut OR Vegetable Oil (the healthiest possible!)

400g Block Firm Tofu

Juice 1/2 Large Un-waxed Lemon

2 x Large Carrots sliced at an angle (about 2cm thick)

1 x Large Red OR White Onion roughly chopped

½ Medium size Broccoli Portion cut into small florets

5 large Chestnut Mushrooms roughly chopped

1 x Large Yellow Bell Pepper

¼ bag Curly Kale

 Method

Pre-heat your oven to 180 degrees C 

1. Line a baking sheet with Baking Parchment (NOT Greaseproof paper as it’ll just stick to the tofu!).
2. Drain the Tofu, then cut depth ways down the centre so you’re left with two thinner halves; then cut each piece diagonally to create two triangles, you should have 4 large Tofu Triangles. Lay these onto the lined baking sheets and then drizzle with freshly squeezed lemon juice. Let bake for 40-45 minutes until golden.

 Meanwhile you can make the sauce, which is literally placing all your ingredients in a small bowl and mixing well with a teaspoon-very straight forward! Then prepare all your veggies!

For the Stir-fry

1. Pour a good glug of your healthy cooking oil of your choice into a large Wok (NOT Olive), and let heat up over a moderate heat, until sizzling hot then place all your prepared veggies into it. Stir the veggies to coat them In the oil then allow to cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent them from burning.
2. Remove the cooked tofu from the oven, then l allow to cool for 10 minutes before cutting into 16 triangles; then add these to your veggies. 
3. Once the veggies are slightly tender, add the prepared sauce and cook for a further 5 minutes until thickened add a little splash of water if too thick).

Your veggies should be tender yet still crisp and the tofu slightly crisp on the outside but fluffy on the inside. Serve piping hot over steamed wholegrain rice. Delicious!

Chocolate, Coconut & Banana Breakfast Brownie

Chocolate, Coconut & Banana Breakfast Brownie

 Photography By Ctrlaltdelete Design Solutions

Breakfast is one of those meals that many of us get a bit frustrated with, we end up making the same old thing morning after morning, until it just gets repetitive and dull, so I decided to delve into my recipe book collection to see if there was anything that might inspire me and guess what? I did! I stumbled upon a glorious recipe by Aine Carlin in her book ‘Keeping it Vegan’ that amalgamates the humble chocolate brownie with that traditional healthy staple that is porridge (OR Oatmeal as many of you may also know it as), to create BREAKFAST BROWNIE! I of course have pinched a few basic measurements of some of the ingredients, but swapped and added to create my own version.

Now I know what you may be thinking…Chocolate Brownie…healthy, isn’t that a treat? Yes it is very much so a treat indeed however, oats release energy slowly and we are using unprocessed organic chocolate combined with natural sugars. You wouldn’t want to eat this every day, but to include as part of a healthy and balanced diet; it allows for an exciting variation during the week.

This morning treat will not only get you motivated, but is super quick and simple to make and will keep for up to three days in an airtight tin to be enjoyed another day.

What will I need?

1 x Measuring Jug

1 x Medium Mixing Bowl

1 x Small (ish) oven-proof Glass OR Ceramic Dish (oval OR square are ideal!)

Wooden Spoon

Silicon Spatula (don’t worry if you don’t have one of these)

Pallet knife

Medium size plate

Ingredients

Serves 1-2 people

100ml Hemp OR Almond Milk

½ tbsp. Raw Cacao Powder

½ tbsp. Coconut Sugar

½ tsp. Natural Vanilla Extract (NOT Essence)

75g Rolled Oats (NOT instant)

1 tbsp. Desiccated Coconut

4 Walnuts roughly chopped

2 Large squares Organic dark chocolate (at least 70% Cocoa Solids)roughly chopped plus an extra square for melting

Pinch of Pink Himalayan Rock salt OR Sea Salt

1 large Ripe Banana

Method

Preheat your oven to 160 degrees C

1. In a measuring jug, pour in the Almond Milk, then add the Raw Cacao Powder, Coconut Sugar and Vanilla Extract and whisk until well combined; then pour into a large mixing bowl.
2. Add the Oats; Salt; Desiccated Coconut, Walnuts & chocolate to the wet ingredients and with a wooden spoon mix until well combined.
3. Cut the Banana in half, then slice down each half lengthways, about 5 slices on each half I found to be perfect! Lay these across the bottom of your dish.
4. With a spatula OR wooden spoon, scrape the chocolaty oaty mixture over the top of the banana slices and then spread evenly with a pallet knife OR the back of a spoon.
5. Let bake for 20 minutes then leave to cool for 10 minutes before turning out onto a plate.
6. Melt the remaining square of chocolate in the microwave for 20 seconds and drizzle over the top, then cut in half and enjoy!

TIP! For a gluten-free version, you can use Organic Gluten-free oats! 

 Serving Suggestions

Pour over a little extra Hemp OR Almond Milk and a drizzle of Agave nectar for extra decadence! This is also delicious served with a dollop of soya OR Coconut yogurt.

A Friendly Note

I am extremely passionate about animals and their welfare, so much so that I have decided to send a donation to a chosen small animal charity each month. Although not mandatory, I am asking for a small donation for every recipe that you use, 10% of it WILL go to the charity. Find out more here.

Wholemeal Lemon & Ginger Scones

Wholemeal Lemon & Ginger Scones

Photography by Ctrlaltdelete Design Solutions (Copyright 2017)

There is absolutely nothing better than a proper homemade scone, with lashings of fruit preserve and a cuppa; the perfect afternoon treat one feels.

One must admit  though that I did pinch the very basic ingredient measurements off of the marvellous Paul Hollywood as his recipe really is fail-safe, but taking away a couple of ingredients not needed.

As you may know by now, I am not one to stick to tradition when it comes to baking, I do love to have a play with flavours and create something that is just that extra bit special and my version of this scone recipe is no exception! Crunchy on the outside, fluffy on the inside the lemon and ginger really compliment each other (as well as a couple of other unconventional ingredients) and give a whole new dimension to what is a traditional British afternoon tea table must have.

What Will I need?

Scales

Measuring spoons

1 x Large mixing bowl

Grater

1 x Measuring Jug

1 x Wooden Spoon

1 Pallet knife (OR dinner knife if you don;t own a pallet knife)

Rolling pin

Round OR Square Cookie Cutter (7cm recommended)

Small glass OR Cup

Pastry brush (if you have one)

Ingredients

Makes 6-7 Scones

400g Wholemeal Bread Flour

50g Plain Bread Flour (plus an extra 50g)

80g Soya OR Sunflower Butter

5 tsp. Baking Powder (I’m not joking!)

100g Coconut Sugar

50g Golden Unrefined Granulated Sugar (such as Billington’s)

Zest 1 x Lemon

1 tsp. Ground Ginger

1 tsp. Ground Cinnamon

Pinch of Pink Himalayan Rock Salt OR sea salt

250ml Almond OR Soya Milk plus a little extra for glazing

Method

Pre-heat your oven to 225 degrees C

1. Line a baking sheet with Baking Parchment (NOT Greaseproof paper as your scones will get papery bottoms and we don’t want that!).
2. Place your flour in a large mixing bowl along with the butter and then rub together with your fingertips to resemble fine Breadcrumbs.
3. Place the remainder of the dry ingredients in with the flour mixture then mix well with a wooden spoon until well incorporated.
4. Make a well in the centre of the dry mixture and pour about half the Almond OR Soya Milk and then mix well, turning the bowl in a clockwise motion (this helps to add air into the mixture evenly). Add the remainder of the milk to form a dough; the mixture should be quite wet and stick at this point.
5. Tip the dough onto a clean work surface; then pour the 50g of plain white flour over the top. Fold one quarter of the dough over the flour then make a quarter turn, repeat this another 3 times until all of the flour has been folded into the dough (this again helps to add air into the dough).
6. Lightly flour your work surface then roll out your dough about 3cm in thickness, then brush it with a little of the dairy free milk (OR use your fingers if you don’t have one), then fold in half. With your hands pat the dough to about 5cm thickness.
7. Cut 7 rounds OR Cut into squares with a clean sharp knife. Place on your lined baking sheet and let rest for 5 minutes to allow the baking powder to work it’s magic a little.
8. Brush your scones with a little dairy-free milk, sprinkle with a little sugar if you wish and let bake for 25 minutes. Allow them to cool for 15 minutes then serve warm.

TIP! For a really crisp crust, opt for the granulated golden sugar

Serving Suggestions

I like to keep it simple by serving these warm with lashings of Raspberry Conserve OR a dairy and egg-free Lemon Curd and a good old fashioned cup of Earl Grey tea, but it MUST be served out of a proper Teapot, Cup and Saucer, nothing else will do! 

Enjoy and let me know how you get on, I would so love to see your results!