Yet another stir fry (although not with tofu) and a lentil curry

I have been having stir fries really regularly recently! I love them though! This one I ate for dinner last night was made with my fave black bean sauce, a large range of veggies including peppers, sugar snap beas and bean sprouts and some udon noodles. Instead of using my usual tofu I tried slicing some of my favourite vegan sausages and stir frying them. They went really nicely in the stir fry and I would definitely use them again!

For dinner this evening I couldn't decide what I wanted to eat! I looked in the cupboard and found I had a tin of lentils, which I haven't eaten in a while so decided to use them in a curry. I used a Rogan Josh curry sauce which is a medium hot, tomato based sauce. I added some kale for texture and some fresh hot chilli peppers (because a love my curries with heat!). It was really yummy and hit the spot nicely!

Another yummy stir fry and a tasty black bean curry

I enjoyed a very nice tofu stir fry with hosin sauce, loads of veggies and some udon noodles for dinner yesterday.

As you can see I made rather a lot (I was really hungry) and the food was fighting for space on my plate!

For my dinner this evening I really fancied a curry and as I have lots of tins of beans to use up I decided I would make it with black beans. I used a Balti sauce (shop bought not home made!) which said it was 'medium' spice and as I like my curries really hot I decided to add some fresh red chilli peppers.

It was certainly really spicy and really filled me up nicely! You can't see from the picture- because I started eating it and then remembered I wanted to photograph it!) but I served the curry on bulgar wheat (my fave grain at the mo) which complemented the curry really nicely. I would definitely make it again although I would maybe add some mushrooms because I love their texture and I think that they go well with beans.

Some very tasty chocolate for xmas and my falafel dinner this evening

I hope that everyone had a nice Christmas Day. I really enjoyed my baked tofu (recipe here http://www.fatfreevegan.com/soy/baked.shtml) which was really easy to make and I ate it with all the usual xmassy veggies. I was so hungry that I didn't take a picture before eating it sorry!

I was also delighted to receive 2 lovely bars of my favourite chocolate (60 % dark chocolate with dried cherries- picured left) from my parents for xmas. They will not last long I can assure you!

If you are a fan of chocolate I highly recommend trying this!

I wasn't sure what I fancied for my dinner this evening so looked at what I had in the freezer. I saw that I had some falafel so decided to use them up. I often eat them with pitta bread and veggies but I wanted something more 'hearty' and warming so decided to make a tomato sauce with some peas (for extra veg!) to go with the falafel and served it over bulgar wheat. It was very filling and very yummy : ) I took a photo of it on my lap shortly before I devoured it!

A nice warming bowl of chilli for dinner

As it has been soooo cold today I really fancied something nice and warming for my dinner this evening. I wanted something quick to make so I made myself some chilli. I used a tin of mixed beans in a spicy tomato sauce and also added some hot chilli peppers for extra heat! It was so easy to make and took less than 10 minutes from start to finish! I used the soya mince pictured above which is really tasty. It has a lovely chewy texture and absorbs other flavours well. Although it is frozen, it cooks really quickly so is great for meals in a hurry!

A yummy but boring breakfast and some tasty choccie treats!

I love porridge! I have it nearly every morning with soya milk. I have seen loads of exciting variations of porridge (or oatmeal as Americans call it!) but I always just eat it plain! It is lovely when the weather is really cold though (like today).

I was planning to do some baking today but felt kind of lazy so decided to make some No Bake Peanut butter Chocolate Oat Cookies based on this recipe: http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=6809.msg80211 . They were so easy to make and were really tasty (although quick rich so a little does go a long way- not something I usually say about chocolate!) My family approved too and enjoyed them with a nice cup of tea.

I adjusted the recipe slightly- only using 1/2 a cup of sugar instead of the suggested 2 cups and about 1 cup of oats instead of 3 (otherwise I thought they would be too dry). Next time I would also reduce the amount of fat used as they came out a little greasy. I was worried about reducing the fat too much though as I thought that they might not stick together very well. Maybe I will use less next time and use something like half a banana mashed up to hold them together (much healthier too!)

Another stir fry

I finally have boguht some batteries for my camera so am back with a picture of my dinner this evening. Feeling a little uninspired tonight I decided to plump for the quick and easy option of a stir fry. I knew there were loads of veggies in the fridge, as well as tofu, a stir fry sauce and rice noodles so I didn't need to buy anything extra.

I used a new stir fry sauce (I should really try making my own but there are some really yummy ones you can buy). The one I used for my dinner this evening was a sweet chilli and garlic sauce. I was a little disappointed as it didn't really have much flavour so wouldn't buy it again. I think my favourite sauces are Black Bean and Spicy Tomato Szechuan, both made by Blue Dragon. They both have strong flavours and coat the tofu and veggies really nicely.

I plan to do some baking tomorrow. I can't decide what to make though- I am thinking either cookies or muffins of some sort (and probably either will involve chocolate!). I will post pictures of whatever I do decide to make!

My first vegan macaroni cheese!

I managed to track down the cheese I was after, although I could not track it down in either of my local supermarkets, they had some in a health food shop in a shopping centre not too far away. I had to go out to do some last minute xmas shopping anyway and was pleased to have finally managed to buy some cheese!

I was thrilled with how it turned out as I didn't follow a recipe of any sort. But this is what I did:

I brought water to the boil and began to cook the pasta (you can't buy wholemeal macaroni where I live so fusilli had to suffice!)

I used 250ml of unsweetened soya milk and all of the cheese (the package is 60g and is in powdered form).

I added both and heated them together on a medium heat until the sauce began to thicken (this happened really quickly)

I used a whisk and stirred it regularly to stop it going lumpy.

I then drained the pasta and added it to the sauce until all of the pasta was nicely coated.

And then I ate it and it was yummy!

I don't think it tasted exactly like regular macaroni cheese but it certainly tasted good and will be something I will definitely make sometime again soon!

What I am craving right now...

I really fancied some macaroni 'cheese' for dinner this evening but have been unable to find my usual vegan cheese anywhere! I settled with spaghetti with bolgnaise sauce instead (it happened to be what I had in the cupboard).

I usually buy Parmazano (pictured left) and it is really yummy. It has quite a strong flavour and really tastes similar to dairy cheese. Both my local supermarkets are out at the moment though- I was not impressed.

I will continue my search tomorrow!

A Tofu Stir Fry with Black Bean Sauce

I wanted something nice and quick for dinner this evening (I was starving!) so a tofu stir fry fitted the bill perfectly.

I used a block of firm-style tofu, a sachet of black bean sauce, some udon noodles and a selection of veggies including peppers, beansprouts and carrots.

It was ready in about 10 minutes and looked nice and colourful. Most importantly- it was really yummy so I enjoyed it mucho! : )

Chocolate Banana Cupcakes

I decided to do some baking this afternoon (I should have been doing revision for my upcoming uni exams but couldn't face it!) I fancied baking either muffins or cupcakes and wanted something chocolatey.

I went onto the PostPunkKitchen website and found this recipe for Chocolate Banana Cupcakes: http://www.theppk.com/recipes/dbrecipes/index.php?RecipeID=279

I was really pleased with the result! Both my parents sampled one and I think they passed the taste test! I also enjoyed one with a cup of tea in my favourite mug (which was especially appropriate with the cupcake- see picture above!)

A yummy meal with a friend

A friend of mine came over for a meal the other evening and I cooked us spaghetti bolognaise, one of my favourite meals when the weather is cold as it is nice to have something really 'hearty'.

I made it using wholemeal spaghetti as usual and used dried soya mince (my recent new food find) for the sauce with a tin of chopped tomatoes. Meal is pictured above.

For dessert, my friend baked a gorgeous chocolate cheesecake that we have enjoyed several times before. (See picture below)

The recipe can be found here:

http://www.veganvillage.co.uk/recipes/deepchoc.htm

It is called a 'Pie' in the recipe but comes out just like a cheesecake. It can be really rich if you use dark chocolate with a very high cocoa percentage so it is worth considering this before you make it. It always turns out really yummy though!