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Diet-Specific

Vegan Rice Noodle Salad with Best Crispy Tofu

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I love noodles prepared in any way. No matter if pasta in Italy, Suppennudeln in Austria, Ramen in Japan, or Pad Thai in Thailand. And because I know that we are all starting to get a little sick of the fall vegetables I decided to share a more summery recipe to boost your mood with this weather.

To be honest, I am not a Pasta Salad lover, I definitely prefer warm pasta over cold one, which also is the reason that this is a “warm pasta salad”! Especially with Glass Noodles I find that they often happen to stick together which I am no fan of at all. This super delicious dish is made with whole bunch of different vegetables and a lot of nutrients! 

The pasta dish itself is made out of glass noodles, also called rice noodles, bell peppers, carrots, zucchini, and brussel sprouts. This is what I usually have in the fridge on a daily basis and what most people have too. I love using these ingredients because I can just cook this meal from scratch without having to go to the shop, whenever I want. If you happen to have different vegetables in the fridge constantly such as celery or bean sprouts or whatever, you can just use those. This is what I love about this, it is super versatile because it is not a “traditional pad Thai recipe”.

When it comes to the sauce, let me tell you, it is super addicting! I do not only use this for the Pad Thai but also for dips, as bowl or salad dressing, or to coat in stir-fries. It is so good and tangy and just pairs so well with the rice noodles because they soak it all up and take on the flavor. To make it you have to add a few ingredients to the food processor which are peanut butter, lime juice, soy sauce, (vegan) fish sauce, ginger, scallions, and honey. Simply blend it all up and its done! Pretty simple-what?

This sounds pretty mouthwatering so far, don´t you think? But, I promise, we haven’t reached the best part of the dish so far: the crispy tofu. I know, the non-vegans out there are probably going to think, “oh no, not another one who is trying to convince me that Tofu is good! It is just plain and tastes like nothing!”. Yes, I get what you are saying and I have had that before too, but I tell you, try out this recipe and you will be convinced opposite! This way to prepare tofu is so delicious and super easy and quick too! Literally 10 minutes!

To make this incredibly tasty Tofu you first need to buy firm or extra firm tofu. Once you decide to make it, take it out of the package and take a few pieces of kitchen roll and lay them out on a flat surface. Add the tofu on top and place a few pieces of kitchen above it. Take a heav weight, this can be a book, a cutting board or whatever you have on hand, and put it on top. If you let that stand for about 5 minutes, the water will go out of the tofu and you will be left with some firmer and less moist tofu. If you do have a tofu press at home, you can skip this step and use it!

Next we need to cut it and coat it into small pieces, I like them to be like 1cm cubes but that is totally up to your preference. Coat them in some cornstarch. This will help the Tofu crisping up when in the pan. Now heat a tablespoon of oil in a pan. Sesame oil works best here because it has a really nice flavor which goes very well with this. Once hot, add in the tofu and you will be able to watch it get crispy on the outside. Stir it around and let it fry for about 2-3 minutes or until golden brown and really crispy. We are almost done, but now we have to add some flavor. This actually makes the tofu. While it is still in the hot pan, we add some sauce. I love to use a wok sauce but you can also go for soy sauce, stir-fry sauce, hoisin sauce or whatever you love. You can find these pre made sauces at any supermarket. Once added the sauce we let the tofu cook for another 2 minutes.

Now we can assemble the noodles, top with the tofu, some fresh scallions, peanuts and sriracha for that extra kick! I honestly love this dish as a quick lunch or light dinner. It gives me some summer vibes because of all the different colours and is super delicious. I hope that you will like it to and if you decide to recreate it be sure to tag me on Instagram with @uneptcuisiniere or with #unepetitecuisiniere! Also, it would mean a whole lot to me if you would leave a comment and rating under the blog post! Thank you very much and enjoy!

XX

Katie 

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Rice Noodle Salad with Best Crispy Tofu

A delicious Pad-Thai-ish recipe. Healthy and vegan and really delcious. It is amazing during hot summer days or for all of you who want to get some summer feels druing these days.

Course bowl, dinner, lunch, Main Course
Cuisine asian, thai
Prep Time 15 Minuten
Total Time 25 Minuten
Servings 3 servings
Calories 483 kcal

What you will need

For the Base:

  • 150 g Rice Noodles about 0.5cm thick
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • 1 zucchini
  • 3 carrots
  • 1 bell pepper I like to use red one
  • 6 brussel sprouts

For the Sauce:

  • 1 tbsp peanut butter
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 tsp fish sauce vegan
  • 2 tsp honey or brown sugar
  • 3 cm ginger
  • 2 scallions
  • 1.5 tbsp lime juice
  • 1 tsp sriracha
  • 1 tbsp Water

For the Tofu:

  • 250 g firm Tofu
  • 2 tbsp corn starch
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce

For the toppings:

  • crushed peanuts
  • fresh scallions
  • some hot sauce

How to

That is how it works:

  1. Bring a pot with water to a boil and cook the rice noodles according to package instructions.

  2. Lay down a piece of kitchen roll down on a flat surface. Add the tofu on top and another piece. Above lay something heavy such as a cutting board or a book and let it press for about 4-5 minutes.

  3. Meanwhile cut the vegetables into thin strips. The thinner the better, because they will be easier to eat with the noodles.

  4. In a small blender add all the ingredients for the sauce and blend until smooth.

  5. Cut up the tofu into 1cm sized chunks. Coat them in the corn starch. Heat up 1 tbsp of sesame oil in a pan. Once hot add teh tofu and let it fry for about 3-4 minutes. Then add the soy or stir-fry sauce and let it cook for another 2 minutes.

  6. Meanwhile heat up 1 tbsp of sesame oil in a pan. Once hot add the vegetables and stir-fry them.

  7. By now the noodles should be done cooking. Reserve a little of the cooking water, and drain the noodles. Add them into the pan with the vegetables and pour over the sauce. Add some of the reserved water, it will help everything to combine very well.

  8. Once mixed together seperate it onto the plates. Top it with the Tofu and some crushed peanuts, thinly sliced scallions and some more hot sauce if you like!

  9. Serve and enjoy!

Breakfast Quinoa 2 Ways

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This recipe is for all of the breakfast lovers out there who want to switch up their usual morning game. With these breakfast quinoa recipes you can add a healthy twist to the absolutely best meal of the day, which, with no doubt is breakfast! If you do not know what breakfast is so important you can go check out my Ultimate Breakfast Tacos Blog Post. 

Ok, I get it, you know how important this meal is but still do not want to spend a lot of time in the mornings cooking your meal because sleep?! Well, no problem! I got you. These recipes are super quick and come together in under 10 minutes in the morning, which is so amazing! This also works great if you are the type of person, which I am, who eats breakfast food for every meal of the day, no matter what time it is, because these meals are perfectly balanced meals with great nutritional value. The contain carbohydrates, protein, fibre, vitamins, and fats. So what do you want more? Delicious, quick, healthy, and super nutritious!

Although I rather am the savory type of person, I know that not all of you are so I decided to make both, a version for the sweet tooth, and one for hearty lovers. And honestly, I could not say, which one I like more. They are both super delicious and can be adapted to whichever season it is if you want. 

The sweet breakfast bowl is made with frozen fruit to sweeten it up and give it flavor, which I love because if you buy frozen fruit you 1) can be sure it is fresh because it is frozen directly after being harvested and 2) it does not vary depending on the season, which means you can have berries in winter, since they have been grown and frozen in summer. The frozen berries are mixed with the pre cooked Quinoa, the sweetener of your choice and the Almond milk when the grain is reheated. This actually is great because you do not have to heat them up separately! 

Once this mixture is heated up it can be transferred into a bowl and topped with whichever toppings are at your preference. Here you can totally decide on what you like most and be creative. I like to top mine with some plant based yoghurt, some fresh fruits such as bananas or other seasonal fruits, nuts and nut butters and some granola for that extra sweetness and crunch. That’s it is what you are thinking? Yes! It is as simple as that. And with such little effort you just created a super delicious and nutritious breakfast. Amazing, no?

The savory option is not much more complicated but you do need one more pan than for the sweet one (but it actually is not necessary). So first you fry up the bacon in a pan to get it nice and crispy. When it is done, you take it out of the pan and lay it out onto a kitchen paper to let any excess fat drip off. The bacon grease that remains in the pan does not have to wasted because we can use this to fry up an egg if you want to. I personally prefer poached eggs over fried ones so I would use the bacon grease if I wanted to add some more sautéed vegetables, but this is optional. 

So if you want to poach an egg you have to bring a small pot with water to a boil. Once it boil, add about 1 – 2 tablespoons of vinegar to it and reduce it until it barely simmers. Crack a room temperatured egg into a small bowl and let it slide into the hot water slowly and carefully. The whites will set around the yolk and the egg can be taken out of the pot after 3-6 minutes depending on how soft you want the yolk to be. Place it on a kitchen paper to let any water that is still on it drain off. Meanwhile reheat the quinoa in a small frying pan with some fat. Here you can use olive oil, butter, or even the bacon fat. When I made this I actually had some truffle butter leftover in the fridge and heated it up in this and it was heavenly. You can also find truffle oil in any supermarket which will totally bring this to the next level for your upcoming Sunday brunch. Once this is reheated you can assemble everything. The quinoa on the bottom, topped with the egg, bacon, some fresh greens, and some sliced up avocado. If you feel like doing it, add some hot sauce on top or sprinkle some grated cheese. This is a perfectly balanced meal which is so decadent and delicious while still being healthy!

I hope that you will really like these recipes and if you do so be sure to show me if you recreate them and tag me with @unptcuisiniere or #unepetitecuisiniere! 

Enjoy!

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Sweet breakfast Quinoa (Vegan)

This breakfast recipe is a new way to switch up your breakfast game with adding some more nutrients into your first meal, plus making it super delicious!

Course bowl, Breakfast, brunch, Dessert
Prep Time 4 Minuten
Cook Time 6 Minuten
Total Time 10 Minuten
Servings 2
Calories 310 kcal

What you will need

For the base:

  • 250 g cooked quinoa equals 100g raw
  • 140 g frozen blueberries can be substituted for other frozen fruit
  • 150 ml almond milk
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tbsp agave or sweetener of choice

For the toppings:

  • 3 tsp nut butter
  • 4 tbsp plant based yoghurt
  • some fresh fruit & nuts

How to

That is how it works:

  1. Into a small pot add the pre cooked quinoa, the frozen fruits, almond milk, cinnamon, and sweetener of choice. Bring it to a boil. Once hot transfer it into two bowls.

  2. Add the yoghurt and nut butter and whichever topping you desire. I really love fresh fruit such as banana as well as granola on top!

    Serve and enjoy!

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Savoury breakfast Quinoa

This is my savoury twist on the breakfast quinoa recipe. It is perfect for all those who love something hearty in the morning but healthy, plus it comes together in only 10 minutes!

Course Breakfast, brunch, lunch
Prep Time 3 Minuten
Cook Time 7 Minuten
Total Time 10 Minuten
Servings 2 servings
Calories 355 kcal

What you will need

  • 250 g Cooked Quinoa equals 100g raw
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 avocado
  • 1 handful greens
  • 4 thin strips of bacon
  • 2 tsp oil

How to

That is how it works:

  1. Heat up the bacon in a pan until crispy on both sides for about 4 minutes.Tka it out of the pan and place it on some kitchen paper so the remaining fat can drip off.

    Meanwhile bring a pot with water to a boil. Once it is at a boil add in the vinegar and reduce the heat so it barely simmers. Crack two room temperature eggs into two seperat bowl and gently slide one after the other into the hot water. allow the first egg to set a little bit before adding the second. Let them simmer in the water for abou 3-6 minutes depending on how soft you want to yolk to be. Then take them out and place them on a kitchen paper so the excess water can drip off.

  2. If this is too much work for you you can also simply fry up an egg or use a soft boiled one.

  3. In the meantime heat up the oil in a pan or simply use the dripped off fat from the bacon. Once hot, add the quinoa into it and stir it around until it is reheated and a little crispy.

  4. Seperate the quinoa onto 2 bowls. Top with the eggs, the bacon strips, the fresh greens, the sliced up avocado and a generous pinch of sea salt. Serve and enjoy!

Thai Sweet Potato Cauliflower Soup

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It’s finally soup season over here! October hasn’t been too much of a fall weather so far but now the temperatures are starting to drop. Finally! It’s time for comforting soups on cozy evenings in front of your TV in PJs! Couldn’t wait for that time of the year.

I love eating soups, they are so filling, warm, delicious and can be packed with so many nutrients. They are just like pasta, so versatile, just amazing. The first soup we usually make each year is a pumpkin cream soup with sausages. One of the best dishes my mom cooks! Or we go for a beef soup, which is a typical Austrian food and so delicious. We also make it for Christmas ever single year, and no one gets sick of it! 

When not making it for guests, it is such a perfect Sunday night dinner. An ideal meal to round up the week and enjoy while sitting together when it’s cold outside! This Thai Sweet Potato Cauliflower soup is a great dish for such an occasion but it also works great as a starter for guests or even for meal prep to take for lunch or enjoy for dinner. Jut make a big batch on the weekend and keep it in the fridge when enjoying within a week, you can just heat it up whenever you want, or freeze it in pre portioned containers so you can store them over moths and have it whenever you are craving it!

The soup is vegan, and only 9 ingredients! Isn’t that amazing?! It is super easy to make doesn’t ask for a lot of work! First you need to sauté the onion, ginger, and lemongras in the oil until glassy and soft. This already brings out such a nice smell and the glazing it at the beginning intensifies the flavor which makes an awesome soup later on. Next you add the chopped up sweet potato and cauliflower and let the roast for a few minutes. Once these are also coated in the oil it is time to pour over some vegetable stock and let it simmer. The vegetable stock gives it more density and more heartiness.

This should simmer for about 20 minutes but really until the sweet potatoes and cauliflower are soft, this can be easily tested by piecing through it with a fork! Then either blend it with a hand blender until creamy or if on hand, blend it with a high speed blender! I used my Kenwood blender which gave me a perfect result! If it is too thick, add a little more broth. The soup already smells so good it’s incredible! But honestly your entire house will smell amazing.

After it has been poured back into the pot, there is only one thing left to do. Add the coconut milk and stir it in. You can either serve it now or let it sit for later or freeze it right away. When serving it, top with some Resy cilantro if you wish and some more coconut milk. If you are not opting for a plant based version some Asian marinated chicken or prawn skewers would be a great addition but it also is really delicious as it is. Serve with some toasted croutons on the side and enjoy! 

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Thai Sweet Potato Cauliflower Soup

A asian inspired soup that packs all the falll goodness. Sweet Potato, Cauliflower, Coconut milk. Perfect fall dinner and even vegan.

Course Appetizer, dinner, lunch, Main Course, Soup
Cuisine asian, thai
Prep Time 15 Minuten
Cook Time 35 Minuten
Total Time 50 Minuten
Servings 4 people
Calories 371 kcal

What you will need

  • 2 tbsp oil neutral in taste
  • 1 white onion
  • 2 stalks lemongrass
  • 2 stalks celery
  • 4 cm Ginger
  • 500 g Sweet Potato
  • 500 g Cauliflower
  • 2 l vegetable stock
  • 250 m Coconut milk
  • cilantro for garnish

How to

That’s how it works:

  1. Finely mince up the onion and ginger. Remove the purest layer of the lemongrass and finely mince it too. Peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into about 1,5cm sized chunks. Also cut the cauliflower into smaller pieces. 

  2. In a large pot heat up the oil. Once hot add the onion, lemongrass and ginger. Let this glaze until see through and glassy. Meanwhile set up a second put with some vegetable broth, this can either be pre packaged or made with stock cubes, whatever you have on hand. 

  3. After about 2-3 minutes of glazing the vegetables add in the sweet potato and cauliflower. Let them roast for another 3-4 minutes until they are all coated with oil. Pour the vegetable stock over and let it all simmer for about 20 minutes. 

  4. The vegetables should be soft by now, simply test it by piecing through with a fork. Of not ready yet, continue for a little more. If ready, pour it into a high speed blender or blend it up with a hand blender until creamy and no chunks left. When not blended in the pot, pour it back into there now. Add the coconut milk.

  5. Serve it either right away or keep it on the stove until eating or freeze it right away if prepping it. When serving hernias with some fresh cilantro, a little more coconut milk, and some croutons on the side. 

Notes

Notes:
If making a big batch, it will last in the fridge for about a week. If wanting to keep it for longer, freeze it up to several months. 
Also, when not vegan or vegetarian, serve it with some Thai prawn or chicken skewers for some extra protein!

Super Green 20-Minute Curry

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The temperatures are sinking and it’s getting colder outside. The time for cozy sweaters and comfortable evenings with hot chocolates is coming. Finally! Isn’t it one of the best times of a year? I do believe so (at least when you don’t have to go outside)! But also when it’s not warm outside you want to have something warm on the inside and you can best get this with a warm, comfortable dish. 

A big bowl of pasta, some good soup, a pot roast or even a curry. I love a good curry at this time of the year, especially when it’s spicy, it really gets me warm and makes me have a comfortable feeling. But I don’t only love curries in the winter to be honest, they are one of my favorite dishes of all. They are so flavorful, versatile and super nutritious. With a hearty side such as rice, quinoa or naan they make a perfect balanced meal.

Also, I really love the different colors you can have when making curries. It feels like eating the rainbow and they are all the same but different in flavors at the same time. You can make them spicy, mild or without any spice at all, you get basically add whichever vegetables you like, and eat it with whatever side you like. 

In this Curry I added three different greens as I think especially in this time of the year when comfort meals are in focus, it is hard to get all the veggies in an eat balanced meals. The great thing with veggies in curries is, that even if you don’t like the taste of a single vegetable a lot, it won’t matter that much since they are going to absorb a lot of the flavor of the curry paste. So you can be generous with the vegetables you add in. Just be careful, since they might have different cooking times. 

As a protein source I used chickpeas in this recipe because I decided to go for a vegan version. But again, it is very versatile. If you want a meaty version you can add in chicken, lamb, or beef, if you are craving fish, feel free to add salmon, mixed fish, or prawns or if you want to go for something plant based but don’t like chickpeas it don’t have them in hand, it works great with tofu too. Since the chickpeas are already pre cooked I add them at the end, but if you use something like chicken that is not cooked beforehand, make sure to add it before the vegetables so it will get completely cooked through. 

I like to serve mine with a side or rice but really any carb works. This curry is really great for meal prep too, I actually believe that it intensifies the flavor of you keep it in the fridge for one or more days. I also like this dish as a weeknight dinner because it is really simple and quick when you don’t feel like cooking after a long day. I hope that you will enjoy it and I would love to see it if you recreated to be sure to tag me with @uneptcuisiniere or with #unepetitecuisiniere on Instagram and leave a comment! 

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Super Green 20-Minute Curry

A great comforting dish for any weeknight dinner or as a perfect meal prep dish. Warming, nourishing and super delicious! The best part? – It only takes 20 minutes!

Course lunch, Main Course
Cuisine thai
Prep Time 5 Minuten
Cook Time 15 Minuten
Total Time 20 Minuten
Servings 2 people
Calories 473 kcal

What you will need

  • 100 g rice
  • 200 ml water
  • 1 tbsp oil
  • 50 g green curry paste you can use homemade or storebought ones, whichever you prefer or have on hand
  • 150 g Brussel Sprouts
  • 200 g Cauliflower
  • 1/2 Zucchini
  • 200 ml Light coconut milk
  • 100 ml water
  • 100 g canned chickpeas rinsed
  • 2 handful spinach
  • Cilantro for garnish

How to

That is how it works:

  1. In a pot add the rice along with 200ml of water and a generous amount of salt. Bring it to a boil and then reduce to a very low simmer and cover with a lid. Let it simmer for about 12-15 minutes without lifting the cover.

  2. Meanwhile half the brusselsprouts, and cut both the zucchini and cauliflower into small chunks. In a non-stick pan heat up the oil. Once hot add the curry paste and gently stir until it is all combined with the oil. When adding the paste before the vegetables the flavors get even more intense.

  3. Next, add the veggies except the spinach. The zucchini has a slightly shorter cooking time, so if you do not want it to get extra soft then add it maybe 3-4 minutes later. If you do not mind or actually like it, as I do, just add it now with the brussel sprouts and cauliflower.

  4. Fry them for about 3 minutes then pour the coconut milk and the water on top. Stir until the curry paste from the veggies and the sauce is well combined. Let this simmer for about 8 minutes and then add in the precooked chickpeas and the spinach. The greens will wilt down so do not worry if they seem huge at first! Let it all simmer for another 5 minutes. Salt it if necessary, this depends on your curry paste.

  5. By now the rice should be done too. Fluff it up with a fork so it gets nice and soft. Seperate it onto the plates and add the curry too! Top it with a little cilantro and some crushed peanuts if wanted.

    Serve and enjoy!