Raw Pad Thai with Tofu

I love this raw Pad Thai - its so full of flavour.
However, I find it totally complete with the sauteed tofu as a topping :-)
Maybe that defies the purpose of the Pad Thai being raw - oh well, I never said it was a completely raw meal! ;-)

Serves 2

To make the Pad Thai you'll need:
1 zucchini
1 carrot
1 cup bean sprouts

Rinse the bean sprouts. Put into a salad bowl & shread in the carrot & zucchini. I use a julienne shredder - you could always chop them into matchstick pieces by hand if you don't have a julienne shredder. Put the lid on & shake til mixed well.

To make the sauce:
Put into a food processor 1/4 cup almonds, juice of one orange, 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic, 1/2 teaspoon minced ginger, 1 medjool date, squeeze of lemon & lim juice.
Process until smooth.

Pour the sauce over the vegetables & put the lid back on & shake again til the sauce has mixed through all the vegetables.

For the topping I use:
6 button mushrooms sliced
1/2 pack sesame tofu - cut into small cubes
1/2 red onion, chopped into small pieces.

Put all these ingredients into a warm frying pan. Stir frequently until all ingredients are well browned.

Place your pad thai onto a plate & top with the mushroom/tofu mixture!
So tasty!

Pastry wrapped pears

These are fiddly although not very hard, but well worth the effort. Simple dessert that is so satisfying & can have varying taste depending on how you decide to top them!

Topping Ideas: maple syrup, chocolate sauce, cashew cream, fig jam or other fruit spread.

For each pear you want to wrap you'll need a quarter of a puff pastry sheet.
Cut the quarter into 3 pieces lengthwise.
Each strip should be about 1.5cm wide.
Starting at the base of the pear wrap the pastry up and around the pear pressing the pieces together as they meet around the edge of the pear. Towards the top you may need to overlap a bit of pastry to allow it to cover the pear completely.
Sprinkle with cinnamon.
Bake at 200C for 30-40 minutes until pear is soft.
Add desired topping.

This half sheet does 2 pears.

Press the pastry around the base of the pear, gathering to fit where needed.

Wrap around in layers

Join each layer to the other without any gaps

Press layers together gently and smooth edges so the pastry doesn't separate when cooked.

Gather top together and press down again.

Awaiting their trip to the oven!

Banana Okara Muffins

These muffins are so moist & tasty. The smell of them cooking in the oven is so divine!

You'll need:
1 cup of wet okara
3/4 cup soymilk
1/2 cup applesauce
1/4 cup agave nectar

Mix all of these ingredients in a bowl & combine well.

Mash 2 over-ripe bananas.
Add them to the moist mixture.

Add 1 cup wholemeal flour, 3/4 cup white flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder & 1 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda. Stir until well combined but do not overmix.

Lightly spray a 12 cup muffin pan. Sprinkle dried banana chips over the top.
Pour mixture into muffin pan & bake at 180C for 25 mins (or until lightly golden).

NB:  I recommend adding the plain flour 1/4 cup at a time. You may only need 1/2 cup depending on how moist your okara is. I have found that 3/4 cup works well for the okara that comes from my soymilk maker machine.


Perfect match = Chocolate soymilk!

Easy Zucchini Fettucini

This makes a great lunch for one, esp on cold days. It's very quick & easy.
Or dinner if you wish!

You'll need:
1 zucchini
4 asparagus spears
1/4 cup frozen peas
1/2 tin italian tomatoes
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon minced garlic
black pepper, dried parsley to garnish

Step One:
Spiralize the zucchini & put in a microwave dish with 1/4 cup water.
You can just use a vegetable peeler if you don't have a spiralizer.
Microwave for 1 minute til zucchini is tender - longer time if you like your zucchini soft - or not at all if you want it raw!

Step Two:
Place cut asparagus, peas, garlic & lemon juice in a frypan. Lightly fry until asapargus has browned. Add the tomatoes & cook until tomatoes are bubbling - approx 4 mins.
Stir until well mixed.

Drain the zucchini, place in a bowl with the tomato mixture on top.
Sprinkle with black pepper and parsley to your tasting.


Note:
I have a Betty Bossi Spiralizer.
It's so easy to use & doesn't take up alot of cupboard space like a lot of other spiralizers do - also it is inexpensive by comparison.
Check it out here at victoriasbasement.