Cuisine: Vegan

crumble cake (Streuselkuchen)

Beitragsautor Von ILOVEWURST
Beitragsdatum 29. Juni 2014
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Whenever I harvest loads of fruit, I bake lots of cakes, muffins, tartes, etc, the delicious fruit has to be made into even more delicious pastries.
Today it’s time for my all-time favourit: Streuselkuchen (again I don’t really know how to translate the name …).
I bake this cake for a very long time, you can use almost every fruit you want, e.g. plums, apple, but it is also very nice without any fruit.

Recently I started to veganize the cake using margarine instead of butter and egg replacer instead of the eggs, and the milk can be replaced with any kind of diary free milk, I used almond and oat. Turned out very well, so feel free to make whatever version you want.

Ingredients

200 g butter/margarine
200 g cane sugar
250 g all purpose flour
100 g starch (corn or potato)
4 eggs/egg replacer
1 sachet vanilla sugar
2 tsp baking powder
ca. 1/4 l milk (diary or non-diary)
ca. 500 g fruit of choice
from here: ingredients for the crumble
250 g butter/margarine, melt
1 sachet vanilla sugar
200 g cane sugar
400 g all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2-1 Tbsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 190°C.
For the cake batter, beat the eggs, sugar and butter until light and creamy.
It’s always best if all ingredients are at room temperature.
Now mix in the remaining ingredients, except the milk, you want to have a smooth batter.
Add the milk until the batter ist gooey.
Prepare a baking tray (approx. 45 x 30 cm), I usually grease it well, but I guess you can also use a sheet of baking parchment.
Spread the batter on the tray and scatter the washed and drained fruit evenly on the batter.

For the crumble, mix all ingredients together until they form a crumbly mass. Sprinkle the crumble evenly over the tray an pop into the oven.
Bake for approx. 45 min at 190°C. If your oven distributes the heat unevenly, you might want to rotate the tray after 25 min.
As soon as a wooden skewer comes out clean, the cake is ready.

Korean inspired ricebowl

Beitragsautor Von ILOVEWURST
Beitragsdatum 26. Juni 2014
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This is the cute little brother of the asian inspired noodlebowl.
The same kind of food, that you can enjoy eating out of a big bowl while sitting on the couch.
The perfect fit for a lazy cooking moment.
The whole dish is based on an aromatic sauce, the main flavour component is a spicy korean paste called gonchujang. You can cook this dish with any combination of vegetables and proteins. I took the mixture for the sauce from a Nigella Lawson recipe and changed it a little bit.
Today I choose hokkaido and green aspargus as vegetables, combined with japanese rice.

Ingredients

2 Tbsp gochujang paste
3 Tbsp soy sauce
3 Tbsp mirin
3 Tbsp sugar
2 splashes roasted sesame oil
2 cups sushi rice
300 g hokkaido pumpkin, cut in 1 cm pieces
8 spears of green aspargus
2 Tbsp neutral oil
2 spring onions, cut in rings
1 Tbsp roasted white or black sesame

Start with washing the rice. I use a sieve on top of a big bowl, where I wash the rice in the water until the water stays clear. This takes about three batches of water. Then drain the rice a bit.
If you are using a rice cooker, top the rice with 3 cups of water. If you have the time, soak the rice in the water for about 30 min before turning it on.
If you don’t have a rice cooker, use a heavy bottomed pot and top also with 3 cups of water.
Put it on the stove on high heat, as soon as the water boils, turn to minimum, let cook covered until all of the water is absorbed, this should take about 20 min.

In the meantime chop the vegetables. You don’t have to peel the hokkaido, which is very convenient. Just remove the seeds and cut in about 1 cm pieces.
Cook in a wok in the 2 Tbsp of oil, stirring occasionally, on medium heat.
After 10 min or so, the hokkaido should be nicely caramelised, add the aspargus. To prepare the aspargus, you only need to cut off the dry parts, if the spears are very thick it’s good to peel them, but only the 3–4 cm off the bottom. If you are lazy, I am sure, you can just leave that and cope with some pieces of thick aspargus skin :-)
To prepare the sauce you only need to throw all of the ingredients together, the mirin, soy sauce, gonchujang paste and sugar, and mix until the sugar has dissolved. In the end two splashes of sesame oil.
After about 7 min the vegetables yould be ready to serve, the aspargus needs only about 5–7 min. Now pour the sauce on top, give it a good stir, that the vegetables are coated nicely and let warm through.

By this time the rice should also be ready, so you can divide everything between two bowls, rice first, then the vegetable and top with some spring onions and roasted sesam.

PS: Today I ate everything on my own …

Katy’s red fruit jelly (Rote Grütze)

Beitragsautor Von ILOVEWURST
Beitragsdatum 22. Juni 2014
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Being able to have a garden is a great thing, but it brings also the necessity to use all the produce, as soon as it’s ripened.
Most things that are growing purposely in my garden are edible. Makes it easier for me to take care of them :-)

Today I picked for the first time a very big bowl red and black currants, and also some strawberries (better: what the slugs and wood louses left for me, they are so fast when it comes to eating strawberries …) And the bushes are still loaded.

So one thing was clear: today we will eat red fruit jelly!
Well, actually it’s Rote Grütze, and I am not really sure if fruit jelly translates it well, but I didn’t find another translation.

Ingredients

1,5kg mixed berries (e.g. red & black currants, strawberries, cherries, raspberries)
300g sugar
500ml water
150g tapioka pearls (the small ones)

Wash and drain the fruit and halve or quarter the larger pieces, to make sure that everything ist about the same size.
Bring the berries together with the sugar and the water to a boil in a heavy bottomed pot and cook for 3 minutes. Now strain the berries through a fine sieve and put the juice back on the stove. As soon as the juice cooks again, whisk the tapioca pearls into the liquid and reduce the heat to the absolute minimum. Let simmer for about 30 min, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. Be careful, that the tapioca doesn’t stick on the bottom of the pot, that happens very easily.
The tapioca is done as soon as it is completely clear and no white center can be seen in the pearls. Maybe it will need longer than 30 minutes.

As soon as the pearls are clear, add the berries to the pot and give it a stir.
Now you only have to bring it to the boil one final time and your fruit jelly is finished.
Pour in one big bowl or divide between small ones. Let cool to room temperature and put it in the refrigerator until set.
You can enjoy it in the classic (german) way with vanilla sauce or with plain yoghurt.

japanese inspired noodle bowl

Beitragsautor Von ILOVEWURST
Beitragsdatum 13. Juni 2014
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This is real comfort food. You can throw it together in no time, you can use whatever in your fridge looks like growing a pair of legs in a short while and tastes unbelievably good.

Usually I end up cooking these noodles on rainy sunday afternoons, when the main goal is to cuddle up on the couch and watch some episodes of my current favorite series.

I start with the sesame-peanut-sauce. In this recipe I use the US cup measurement, but don’t worry if you don’t have cups, I also added the quantities in ml.

Ingredients sesame-peanut-sauce

3 Tbsp tahin
2 Tbsp soy sauce
3/4 Tbsp fresh ginger (size of a thumb)
1 1/2 tsp chili paste
1 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp peanut butter or roasted peanuts
1/4 – 1/2 cups hot water (60-120ml)
2 spring onions, cut in rings (optional)

Put everything in a small food processor or blender, except for the water, and whiz until it forms a coarse paste. Now start with adding 1/4 cup of water, whiz again. If you think it’s still to thick, add more water. You want a creamy, but not to runny sauce.

Now it’s time to start with the noodles and vegetables.

You can use alsmost anything you like. I usually choose, what needs to be eaten fast, before turning bad. You can cook it with any kinds of green beans, like Edamame, sugar snaps, runner beans and also peas. But also Sweet potato, celerie and mushrooms. For the protein you can substitute the tofu with seitan or tempeh or leave it completely. You see, it’s very versatile this recipe, and you can always use less different vegetables. Just check your fridge and use what’s there.

Ingredients vegetables & noodles

200-250g japanese somen noodles (you can use any kind of asian noodles)
1 green or red pepper, cut into 1 cm pieces
1 small carrot, julienned
6 mini-corn cobs, cut in ca. 1 cm pieces
5 medium button mushrooms, cut in 6 wedges
1 cup china oder white cabbage, cut in 1 cm
1 cup fried tofu, in 1 cm pieces if using a big block, or those little fried pieces
1/2 cup ponzu-sauce (120ml) (optional)
1 Tbsp sesame oil, roasted
1 Tbsp neutral oil, for example peanut oil
1–2 Tbsp sesame seeds, toasted
1–2 spring onions, green and white parts cut in small rings

Roast the sesame in a thick-bottomed pan without oil on small to medium heat until the seeds start to pop. Put aside until you need it.

Now I usually heat a big pot of water, to cook the noodles in, but before that, I cook the tofu in it for 1–2 min, to get rid of the oily film on the surface.
You don’t need to do that. Now cut the tofu in 1 cm blocks if you have those little fried tofu pieces. Mariante the tofu in the ponzu sauce until everything else is ready to use. I keep the cooking water to cook the noodles in it.

Fry the vegetables in 1–2 Tbsp oil according to the time they need to soften. Start with the carrots, after 2 min, add the baby corn and the pepper. Now remove the tofu from the ponzu sauce, keeping the sauce, and add the tofu together with the mushrooms.
Depending on the noodles you use, you want to cook them now. Of course according to packet instructions. When done, rinse with cold water, to get rid of all the starch.
To finish everything, add the cabbage and the ponzu sauce, mix everything and let the cabbage wilt a little bit.
Now everything ist ready. I usually add the noodles, and mix them with the vegetables, before dividing between to big bowls. Spoon the sesame peanut sauce on top, sprinkle the toasted sesame and the spring onions over everything. That’s it.

yummie grilled vegetables

Beitragsautor Von ILOVEWURST
Beitragsdatum 6. Juni 2014
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A few years ago a gas grill entered my live and from this moment I actually enjoyed having a barbecue.
No more annoying waiting for the grill to be hot enough. In the meantime out of despair you eat plenty of bread, salad or whatever there is and as soon as you actually can start with the grilling you are already full.

And afterwards you have to get rid of the ashes, but first you have to wait for hours until it is cool enough to be discarded. When this eventually happens, I’ve for sure forgotten, that I have to do this.
Before the next barbeue: BIG dissapointment.

But thanks to the gasgrill, all of this is no longer happening.
Hey, I am hungry, and I am in a mood for a little BBQ.
No Problem, let’s turn on the grill, brush a little oil on the vegetables and there you go.

My mother always made the most delicious grilled vegetables, accompanied by potatoes and onions wrapped in aluminiumfoil and cooked in the fervency.

Let’s start!

It’s incredibly easy.
All you have to do, is to brush a little seasoned oil on the vegetables that you want to grill, and put it on the cooking grate.
It almost doesn’t matter, which vegetables you want to use.
Most often I grill augergine, zucchini, bell pepper and button mushrooms.
But a few days ago, there was a carrot lying on my grill, finely sliced, and surprinsingly it was very delicious too.

I already tried the following, and they were very nice:
aubergine, oyster mushroom, green aspargus, carrot, bell pepper, beetroot, sweet potato, button mushroom, zucchini.

Ingredients Marinade

1 garlic clove
1 Tbsp fresh thyme, leaves picked
1 Tbsp fresh rosmarin, leaves picked
1/2 Tbsp fresh majoram or oregano, leaves picked
1/2 Tbsp fresh parsley, leaves picked
1/2 Tbsp fresh mint, leaves picked
1 fried chili
1 pinch sea salt
freshly ground pepper
olive oil

You can either chop the herbs in a food processor or by hand. Top off with a good amount of olive oil and mix well.
If you don’t have all of the herbs mentioned, don’t worry, just use what you have. You can also make this mariante with dried herbs, still tastes good.
I usually make a bigger batch of this herbed oil, because it keeps well in the fridge. Also you can fill up the oil as long as there are some herbs left.

To prepare the vegetables slice them according to their firmness. The firmer the thinner. Carrots can be about 3mm thin, aubergines and zucchini should be 6–7 mm thick.
Just try it out.
Thoroughly brush on both sides with a brush and grill on medium heat (260°C), flipping at least once.
It’s very wise to use a special vegetable tray on the grill, mine is a barbecook.
The time needed to cook depends on the type of vegetable and the thickness of the slices.
Whenever you think the vegetables are ready jut add a little bit of salt or fleur de del and that’s it.

Chickpea Rucola salad

Beitragsautor Von ILOVEWURST
Beitragsdatum 2. Juni 2014
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The perfect match for a nice summer day – like today – is a fresh and tasty salad.
Todays choice is a salad with chickpeas. I wanted to make one for so long, so today is the day :-)
The result is inspired by a bean salad recipe from the LEON cookbook.

Since I planted two rucola plants in my garden two years ago, there is always enough. Now I have rucola growing in almost every corner of the herb garden.

The ingredients are plain and the salad is thrown together in no time. It is just important to let it sit for a few moments, so the flavours can develop.

That’s what the finished salad looks like.

Ingredients

1 shallot or small red onion
4 Tbsp lemon juice
1–2 15 oz cans of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 handful of rucola
1 handful cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
8 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tsp lemon zest
2 Tbsp parsley, minced coarsely
sea salt, fresh black pepper

First of all, cut fine dices of the onion/shallot and put these with the lemon juice in a bowl.
Marinating the onion makes it sweeter.

In the meantime prepare all the other ingredients, meaning cutting the tomatoes in half, drain and rinse the chickpeas, etc …

Finished with all the preparations, put the tomatoes and the chickpeas in the bowl together with the onion. Add pepper and salt to taste and mix well. Let it stand for 5–10 minutes so the flavours can meld.

Now add all the other ingredients, check seasoning, grate ssome lemon zest on top and tuck in.