OKRA MASALA

Just a quick one today and the last in the series of Vegan Eats World pics, I promise. I have lot's of exciting new posts in the pipeline and feel excited to share all my ideas with you.

I had to share this last dish as I love okra, I usually make it in a standard tomato and onion sauce but the masala was an interesting twist and added a whole new dimension to my idea of okra! I would never have thought to put the two together but it works perfectly, the okra makes this a substantial vegan meal while the spices and comforting (optional) brown rice, make this an ideal Winter warmer.

On a side note I'm currently recovering from a chest infection so I'm craving lots of healthy food, now more than ever - and strangely lots and lots of tomatoes.  This dish was great for that, it was also relatively quick and easy to make so this one will be going in my book of favourites for sure. 

VEGAN EATS WORLD

Vegan Eats World by Terry Hope Romero

I had to share with you my new recipe bible that is Vegan Eats World. This book came into my life recently and I'm so glad it did as I haven't been able to stop cooking/drooling over it's pretty plant based pictures ever since. 

This food is comforting, wholesome, filling and really flavourful. The instructions are clear and easy to follow and with over 300 international recipes there's bound to be something to take your fancy on any given day of the week.

Here are 3 of my favourite dishes so far:

Eggplant Shakshuka with Green Tahini Sauce

Egyptian Lentil Soup  

 Tofu and Potato Adobo Stew

This weekend I'll be making a Pad Thai from the book but what I really can't wait for is the dessert section (insert smug emoticon here). If this lot is anything to go by then they're bound to be incredible! Does anyone have any recommendations?

MY VERSION: WAGAMAMAS CHILLI MEN

Wagamamas Yasai Chilli Men

When I first went vegan I was worried I wouldn't be able to eat out with my friends and family like I used to, for fear of every vegetarian option on the menu consisting of either cheese or egg (am I right?). I needn't have worried as most places, especially big chains (weirdly enough) are fairly accommodating to meet your dietary requirements and will often omit the dairy ingredient from any given dish.

One of my favourite places to eat out has always been Wagamamas (partly because I can convince myself it's Japanese and therefore healthy). Thankfully they are very accommodating to vegans and even have a dietary guide available on request to aid you in your decision making. Most of the veggie noodle/soup dishes can be made vegan by swapping the egg noodles to udon noodles. Or by simply asking them to leave out the egg in dishes such as the Yasai Cha Han and the Pad Thai. However I have heard the pickles that come with the Cha Han contain milk (I don't know why either) so stay away from those!

As far as desserts go I'm pretty sure there's no choice but to opt for their real fruit ice lollies. If you try the cherry one you won't even care, it's amazing!

As a vegan my new favourite dish on their menu is the Yasai Chilli Men with udon noodles, the meal is very filling and quite spicy with loads of flavour. The tofu and vegetables come in huge chunks of deliciousness and this is one of those dishes that actually tastes better with the Udon noodles! This rainy weekend I ended up walking along the river thames at night, it was getting very chilly and dark so I couldn't wait to huddle into Wagamamas and be presented with a hot plate of spicy chilli men, the perfect antidote to a cold a winter's evening.

If you don't have a Wagamamas restaurant nearby, or you would prefer to cook your own it's a very easy dish to replicate. You can even buy a jar of Wagamamas own brand spicy chilli men sauce from the supermarket and simply stir fry it in a big wok with these ingredients:

- 1 block of firm tofu, I recommend Dragonfly organic tofu (also available from Wholefoods and Holland and Barratt).
- Approx 2tbsp olive oil
- 1.5 courgettes
- 1 red onion
- 1/2 packet of mangetout
- 1/2 pack of white button mushrooms
- 1/2 a green pepper
- 1/2 a red pepper
- Pinch of salt
- Soy sauce/hot sauce to taste (optional)
- 2 parcels of Udon noodles boiled separately (I recommend the Clearspring organic ones).

This meal serves two (simply double the ingredients if you want to feed four). Sorry for the not very accurate measurements as this is my own made up recipe!

My version of Yasai Chilli Men 

Let me know if you make this at home, I'd love to hear your results. Do you have a favourite vegan dish when dining out?

TERRIFIC TURMERIC TOFU

I have been adding turmeric to my favourite tofu scramble for a while now, mainly as it gives it that yellow 'egg' look and also because I love the warm taste and fragrance it gives to an otherwise (let's face it) pretty bland dish, but it wasn't until this week that I discovered the long list of fantastic health benefits it has too, such as:

1.) Combating depression

2.) Anti-inflammatory properties

3.) Preventative cancer blocking

4.) Radiation reduction (from daily usage of mobile/cell/cordless phones etc.)

5.) Boots the immune system 

And too many more to mention here! You can read more about the fantastic benefits of turmeric here.

Above: Linda McCartney vegetarian sausages (vegan friendly), tofu, spinach, onions and tomatoes.

I love this dish as you can eat it for breakfast, lunch or dinner! It's so easy to make and you can get lots of veggies in one go if you chuck 'em all in to the mix. Be sure to use organic tofu though as 89 percent of soy beans grown are genetically modified. 

Here's how I make my scramble:

1.) Take a block of tofu and drain any liquid, if you prefer the scramble to be dry then pat with a kitchen towel. (It doesn't have to be firmed first as your going to scramble it). 

2.) Heat some oil in a frying pan then add the tofu and begin to break it up in the pan.

2.) Fry the onions separately till lightly brown, then add the tomatoes and fry for a couple of minutes.

3.) Boil some spinach, do this towards the end as this only takes around 4 mins.

4.) When the tofu is cooked after around 6-8 mins, add the fried onions and tomatoes. Stir in (approximately) a teaspoon of turmeric then add some salt and black pepper.

5.) Serve with veggie sausages or vegan 'meat' substitute. Also equally nice on toast or a bagel. 

I also recommend adding generous amounts of turmeric to rice and curry dishes. Another easy way to make sure you get a large dose of turmeric into your daily diet is by taking capsules. I have been taking Viridian capsules as in my opinion these are the best brand (and vegan too), you can get them from Revital stores or online here.

Do you have any great turmeric recipes to share?