It’s eggless omelettes, omg…

(makes two omelettes, takes 15-20 mins including filling prep.) 

  

On those precious mornings when you have a bit of extra time for a leisurely lie in, you get up and fancy a flavoursome cooked breakfast… I think an omelette loaded with a hot filling is just perfect. Way more indulgent than a cold bowl of cereal and more health-conscious than a full greasy fry up. You might be thinking, errr, Sonia, is this not a VEGAN blog? Omelettes means EGGS. To which I respond, au contraire, mon frère. Going dairy free doesn’t mean you have to miss out on this tasty one-pot meal…

The secret is CHICKPEA FLOUR (also known as gram flour).

Yep. A soft and powdery flour made of ground up good old chickpeas. This means it is lighter than most flour and is also gluten free. Nice work, chickpea flour, you deserve some recognition. It is easy to find in the big supermarket chains and can be used in recipes for which you need to make a batter. So I’ll tell you about how I made my epic and filling omelette. Do make sure you use a good quality, non-stick frying pan for this or you might end up with a scramble… 

  

INGREDIENTS

• 4 tbsp chickpea/gram flour
• 4 tbsp non-dairy milk of your choice (I used unsweetened rice milk)
• ½ tsp coarse salt
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
• ½ tsp turmeric powder
• ½ tsp baking soda

For the filling:

• ½ sliced red bell pepper
• 2 handfuls of fresh spinach
• ½ sliced medium red onion
• 1 clove minced garlic
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tbsp olive oil

METHOD

• Make the filling first. Heat the oil in the non-stick pan, add the garlic and red onion. Cook for around 4 minutes on a medium heat until browned.
• Add the sliced pepper and cook for a further 2 minutes, stir to make sure it’s all cooked and coated evenly.
• Take the pan off the heat, add the spinach and oregano and stir. The heat of the cooked vegetables will wilt the spinach.
• Empty this mixture onto a separate plate.

• Now make the omelette mix: add all of the ingredients for this into a bowl and whisk very well for a few minutes, ensuring there are no floury lumps. Continue until smooth, light and frothy.
• Return the pan to a low to medium heat (the oil left in the pan after making the filling should be enough for the omelette batter – if it doesn’t seem enough, add a small glug. Only a light coating is needed).
• Pour half of the batter mix into the pan, tilt the pan if you need to, ensuring it is spread out evenly.
• Cook for approximately 4 minutes, until you can see the edges starting to crisp against the pan and the middle of the batter starts to bubble, like this:

  

• Using a slotted spatula/turner, gently slide under one side of the omelette and fully flip over in the pan to cook the other side for a further 3 minutes.

  

• Flip out onto a plate, and repeat the process with the other half of the batter to make your second omelette.
• Once both are cooked, share the filling out between them and fold over. Reheat them folded in the pan on a low heat, or microwave. Serve immediately with your choice of condiments and/or an extra garnish (I used vegan mayo and hot sauce with the filling and served with chopped yellow tomatoes, avocado and flaxseed).

  

What you are essentially making here is a light chickpea flour pancake. But as the texture is soft and fluffy on the inside, browns and crisps up well on the outside, it is an ideal egg substitute for omelettes. The turmeric, vinegar, salt and pepper gives it a savoury taste which again, I think makes it more like an omelette than a pancake. You can do a range of different fillings! Mushrooms! The next time I make this, mushrooms need to happen. You can also use the same batter recipe and make a frittata with potatoes and vegetables all in one pan. 

Amazing fact of the day: 1 egg contains the same amount of protein as 2 tbsp of chickpea flour! 

As you can see, I use 2 tbsp in my recipe per omelette. THIS is an example of how vegans get their protein. It’s not hard to find, and is lower in cholesterol. 

Thank you, chickpea flour, you are really awesome. 

 S.x

EDIT: it’s the next morning and I just made myself another one of these (half the batter mix). Stuffed with a mashed up bean burger (made a while ago and kept frozen). Red onion, spinach, sriracha. It’s dreamy. GO EXPERIMENT, FOLKS ☺️

  

It’s massaman curry, omg… (featuring mock duck)

(recipe serves approx 8 – I make big curry batches and freeze!) 

  

 Thai food is my absolute favourite. I have my answer ready for that hypothetical question “what would be your last meal?” Thai massaman curry would easily be my main course. (I haven’t decided on my hypothetical starter and dessert yet, but that’s a whole different hypothetical blog post 😉 I won’t digress…) By the way, this is fabulous to impress your friends and family with. I find it hugely satisfying creating complex flavours from scratch. So if you’re feeling adventurous, do have a go at making this curry paste. Buying ready prepared ones will be a thing of the past! 

 This curry uses an array of exciting spices which are not traditionally used in Thai cuisine, combined with those which are typically Thai. Do not let that put you off, it really is not overly complicated and is definitely worth the end result: a fragrant, rich and nutty curry with a subtle spicy kick. Usually the main ingredients along with the herbs and spices are potatoes and meat. So without further ado, I’ll tell you how I veganised my favourite curry… 

 MOCK DUCK 

Okay so I’ve heard mixed opinions on the use of canned, mock meats. Some think it’s weird – what is it even made of? Is it not just a load of preservatives?

My view is that it is a great source of protein for vegans, and it provides another texture to your dish. It is made of wheat gluten, stewed in soy sauce. Once in a while as a treat, I consider it a delicious convenience – it takes on the flavours of your curry sauce. I have also shredded, marinated in hoisin sauce and grilled to make mock duck crispy pancakes. Delicious! Once again, it is stocked in Oriental supermarkets (gosh I love that place) and is about £1.30 per can. 

Alternatively, you can skip fake meats entirely and adapt my take on this massaman recipe to include different vegetables or tofu. It’s all good. 

  

 HERBS & SPICES 

 As I mentioned before, there are a few different spices going on in this recipe so I’ll talk you through my quantities:

• 1 tsp coarse salt
• 2 tsp coriander leaves (I only had dried, but you can use a fresh bunch)
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tsp ground cloves
• ½ tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp ground cardamom
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 2 tsp turmeric
• 1 stick lemongrass – either lightly crushed and remove before serving the curry OR remove outer leaves and finely chop the inner core (I do the latter)
• Thumb size piece of ginger – finely grated/chopped
• 3 cloves garlic – minced
• 3 chillies – finely chopped (this gives it a medium heat – alter to your preference)
• 1 tablespoon palm sugar (or soft brown)
• 1 tbsp tamarind paste
• 2 tsp soy sauce (make sure it’s vegan!)

  

Again, I’d like to stress that you should not be put off by this list. Once you have a decent spice rack in your kitchen the possibilities are endless. It is so worth the time sourcing herbs and spices in Asian supermarkets. And you won’t have to worry about checking through the small print on pre-prepared sauce jars to see if they are suitable for vegans. What can I say; herbs and spices really excite me!

 

INGREDIENTS

• Spices as above
• 1 large onion finely diced
• Juice of 1 fresh lime
• 3 fresh tomatoes finely diced
• 2 tins mock duck drained and rinsed
• 2 large potatoes chopped into 2inch pieces
• 75g cashews, crushed
• 1 tin coconut milk (400ml)
• 3 spring/green onions sliced
• Your choice of fresh veg: I had 70g of baby corn and sugarsnap peas. You can also use a couple of carrots
• 2 tablespoons oil (I use raw coconut oil, olive oil is also fine)

  

METHOD

• Heat the oil in a wok or large saucepan, add the diced onion and minced garlic. High heat with the lid on for approx. 4 mins until the liquid has evaporated. Reduce to a medium heat with the lid off and continue until browned, add the ginger and lemongrass, stirring occasionally to avoid sticking, cook for a further 3 mins.
• Reduce to a low heat and add all of the remaining herbs and spices (though if you are using fresh coriander leaves, add this right at the end when the dish is complete). Continue stirring, cook for 2 minutes. By now your kitchen should smell amazing and the paste should look like this:

  

• Add the potatoes and cashew, stir to coat with the curry paste, then add the coconut milk, the mock duck and 1 pint of cold water. Turn the heat right up and bring to the boil. Once boiling, lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
• Add the rest of your vegetables – fresh tomatoes, carrot, corn, peas (your choice!) and continue to simmer until the potatoes are fully cooked. Add the lime juice.

  

Serve with jasmine rice, cooked according to packet instructions. You could crisp up some lotus root to serve it with (see my previous blog post), and I like to sprinkle on a few sesame seeds and extra fresh tomatoes/chopped cashews for additional colour and crunch. 

 This dish is so adaptable. I have subbed the mock duck with shallow fried tofu before, with potatoes, aubergine and mushroom. You could try serving this to non-vegans; I bet they won’t have much to complain about!

 I do hope you give this a go and enjoy it as much as I do!

 S.x

It’s lotus root, omg…

My current favourite vegetable is the Japanese lotus root (renkon). I picked this up at my local Oriental supermarket. This is also my current favourite place for finding exciting and unusual ingredients. An added bonus is they sell tofu which is cheaper, and things like brown jasmine rice which is healthier than the regular white you find in larger supermarkets! Bonus! Don’t be afraid to ask for help, as I found that the assistant was really friendly and approachable. I  was handed this large and weird looking baton…thing. 

  

It freezes well once you’ve peeled off the outer skin and sliced it up. It looks really pretty on the plate, and tastes fresh and crunchy, quite like water chestnut. It’s a great source of both fibre and vitamin C and is ideal for use in stir fries and noodle soups.

I do find that the crunchy and crispy texture is something that I quite miss when attempting to eat healthily most of the time. It’s not always possible to get that satisfying chomp when biting into a cooked vegetable! I took off the outer skin with a regular vegetable peeler, sliced some of the lotus root into discs as finely as I could and lightly fried in some sesame oil until golden brown on both sides. About a table spoon of oil, medium heat and around 3 minutes each side. 

  

Drain off on a paper towel, and enjoy! Wonderfully crunchy. They would work really well as a snack instead of opening a packet of crisps, which is what I’ll definitely be doing seeing as I have a huge tub of these tasty discs in my freezer now. 

  

So, yes. Get to your local Oriental shop and buy this versatile vegetable! Tasty times ahead.

The store I went to in Bradford doesn’t have a website but this is their facebook page: Sing Kee Supermarket

You can read more about lotus root here.

 S.x

It’s Sonia, omg! An introduction…

HELLO INTERNET!

I have been a huge fan of food and cooking for many years but fairly recently, something happened and it became even more exciting than ever! Which I never thought was possible, because I was already one of those people who woke up in the night with recipe ideas and annoyed my friends by taking pictures of every meal we went out for. Ingredients and all their possibilities is pretty much always on my mind, and so, this blog will be where I share my recipes and reviews of places I go. Hopefully someone will read it.

So, anyway, this thing that happened, which I mentioned above… I went vegan for one month. More as a health kick (I basically felt like I was made of meat, seafood and cheese at this point), and as a test of my willpower. Within about ten days into this, it dawned on me that it was easy. It was healthy. I felt more energised. I decided I was going to stick to it for good. I didn’t miss anything. In fact, I was eating a more varied diet than ever before. It was fantastic. The realisation that it is possible to eat food which doesn’t compromise on flavour and is way more nutritious than animal products. This does not mean I was living on boring salads. For the most part, I was eating a lot more fresh produce and beans/pulses, but I had fat days. I still had sausage sarnies (thank you Linda McCartney) not to mention many snack foods which are “accidentally vegan”… Oreos. McCoys Chargrilled Steak crisps. Isn’t that bonkers? I devoured an epic burger (and a half) to soak up my birthday hangover at V Revolution, Manchester in February. And it was not some tasteless mushed up veggie patty. It was this:  

 

 There are so many choices out there. I do not need to eat dead animals to live. Removing myself from the horrors of the meat and dairy industries was one of my best life decisions, and I have a point to prove that vegan food is delicious.

 I feel like I’m rambling now, so I’ll stop here. I’ll be posting some recipes next! Hope you enjoy it!

 S.x