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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!

Harvest Buddha Bowl with Apple Chicken

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When the weather is getting cold outside we are very likely to crave some hearty comfort foods! Unfortunately these foods mostly are not the healthiest as there are simply not as many colorful vegetables as in spring for example. BUT there still are some! So there actually is no excuse to eat a healthy, utrient-packed, hearty meal in fall. I know that it is a little harder since there are not too many vegetables in season but still quite some. To make it easier for you, I decided to share a recipe with you for a Fall Harvest Buddha Bowl!

Buddha Bowls are bowls which are made up of several different ingredients, which are cooked, baked, and raw, and a dressing. They are packed with every nutrient group and make a perfect balanced meal. In order for you to experiment a little with creating such bowls, I have a little Buddha Bowl Guide for you here:

1.The base

The base usually consists of some type of carbohydrate. It gives structure, fills you up and provides you with energy. Best is using a cooked whole grain such as

  • Brown Rice
  • Quinoa
  • Bulgur
  • Couscous
  • Buckwheat

If you are low-carb, simply substitute the cooked grain with some greens. 

2. Greens:

The greens here add some color and a bunch of nutrients. Here you are totally free and can use whichever you prefer/ like the most! Depending on what you have chosen, you can either add it raw, cooked, or steamed. For example:

  • Kale
  • Spinach
  • Swiss Chard
  • Lambs lettuce
  • Lettuce

3. Vegetables:

3.1: Baked/ Pan Fried Vegetables: The baked vegetables add some heartiness to the dish, as well as some texture. Simple drizzle them with some oil and spices and pop them into the oven. Here I like to use:

  • Sweet Potato
  • Pumpkin
  • Brussel Sprouts
  • Cauliflower
  • Mushrooms
  • Zucchini
  • Bell Peppers

3.2: Boiled/ Steamed vegetables

For the Boiled/ Steamed vegetables I like to use vegetables of which I prefer the taste when being boiled or steamed. If you do not want to use and extra pot, you can also go ahead and add them to the baking tray or eat them raw. Vegetables that I prefer to steam/ boil are

  • Beets
  • Broccoli 
  • Green Beans
  • Asparagus
  • Corn
  • Peas

3.3: Raw vegetables:

Adding raw vegetables to your Buddha Bowl is important. They add some crunch, and they (mostly) contain more vitamins than heated ones. Plus, they also add some extra crunch and freshness, which works great in combination with the remaining ingredients. The best ones here are:

  • Tomatoes
  • Carrots
  • Celery
  • Cucumber
  • Bell Peppers
  • Radishes

4. Protein

A source of protein is essential when building a Buddha Bowl! It makes the dish a complete meal as it adds nutrients. Also here you can be really creative and add whatever you like! Some options are:

  • Chicken
  • Tofu
  • Prawns
  • Tempeh
  • Edamame
  • Beef
  • Lentils
  • Beans

5. Fruits:

I know, adding fruits into your meal may sound a little bit weird but in this case, it definitely is not. The combination of adding something sweet with the savory is incredibly delicious and fruits also add a great freshness. In most cases it is best to use them raw, but with some fruits it works if they have been cooked too (I cooked my apples with the chicken, and this tasted really good too!). Here you can use

  • Grapes
  • Apples
  • Berries
  • Mango
  • Pomegranate Seeds
  • Stone fruits
  • Literally, everything available

6. Dressing

The dressing is maybe the most important ingredient of the dish because it packs everything together and combines the flavors. It coats the entire dish, which means that if you dressing doesn’t take amazing, your entire dish will be rather bad. Here you can use your favorite salad dressing or get a little more creative. If you want something thicker, to dip your bowl-ingredients into, that works great too! Examples are..

  • Balsamic Vinaigrette
  • Hummus
  • Mashed Avocado
  • Tahini Sauce
  • Yoghurt Dressing

7. Topping:

This is the last, but definitely not least ingredient in this dish. Here you have the last option to add some healthy fats and crunch. I like to top this with some nuts or some chopped up vegetables like

  • Walnuts
  • Spring onions
  • Coconut chips
  • Sunflower seeds
  • Pepitas
  • Nori

For this bowl I used one or two ingredients from every group. I used Bulgur (Carbohydrate), Kale (as a green), Sweet Potato (as a roasted vegetable), mushrooms (sautéed vegetables), beetroot (steamed vegetable), Carrots (raw vegetable), chicken (protein), Grapes & apple (fruits), Dijon-Tahini-Sauce (dressing), and walnuts (topping). 

This together makes an awesome combination off several super delicious and nutritios fall ingredients into one bowl. The flavors work really great together. If you tend to ave prepared some of those ingredients ahead of time and store them in the fridge, which a lot of people have, then this bowl comes together really quick. This meal is a great way to enjoy all the fall ingredients, I hope you like it!

If you decide to recreate this recipe, share it with me on intsagram with @uneptcuisiniere or #unepetitecuisiniere and be sure to leave a comment, thank would mean a lot to me!

Enjoy!

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Fall Harvest Buddha Bowl

A delicious meal that packs all the delicious fall ingredients. A perfectly balanced meal with all the food groups. Super delicious and comforting!

Course bowl, dinner, lunch, Main Course, Salad
Servings 2 bowls
Calories 586 kcal

What you will need

For the Chicken

  • 150 g Chicken
  • 0.5 tbsp Oil
  • 1/2 apple
  • 100 ml white wine
  • 2 tbsp apple sauce
  • 100 ml water

For the remaining bowl:

  • 60 g Bulgur
  • 150 g Sweet Potato about 1/2
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp paprika powder
  • 100 g mushrooms
  • 1 cooked beetroot
  • 1 carrot
  • 2 handful kale
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp Oil
  • a few seedless grapes
  • 10 g walnuts

For the dressing:

  • 1 tbsp Tahin
  • 2 tbsp orange juice
  • 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
  • 2 tsp Dijon Mustard
  • 1 tsp Honey

How to

Thats how it works:

  1. Preheat the oven to 180C. Cut the sweet potatoes into 1cm sized chunks. Coat them with the tbsp of oil, the paprika powder, and the cinnamon. Place it on a baking tray and bake it for 10 minutes. Take it out, add the mushrooms, stir it all around and bake it for another 15 minutes.

  2. Meanwhile prepare the bulgur according to the package instructions.

  3. In a pan heat up the oil for the chicken. Chop the apple into small cubes. Once hot, add the apple into it and sautee it for 2 minutes. If using one chicken breast cut it in half, so it is thinner and will cook faster. Add the chicken breast to the apple and fry it on both sides for about one minute. Add the wine, apple sauce and water and let it simmer for 8-10 minutes.

  4. Massage the kale with the lemon juice and set aside. Grate the carrots and slice up the beetroots. Half the grapes and chop up the walnuts.

  5. For the dressing add all the ingredients into a food prosessor and blend until smooth. If too thick, add some more water.

  6. By now the sweet potato and bulgur should be done too and it is time to assemble.

  7. Seperate the ingredients onto two bowls. Drizzle the dressing over everything, serve & enjoy!

Healthy Apple Crumble Cake

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During this time of the year I eat at least 1-2 apples a day. In every different way. Whole, in Apple sauces, in oatmeal, on toast, with almond butter, or even in cake. I love apples, they come in so many different shapes, colors and flavors and they just taste amazing! Also, they are packed with nutrients. The saying an Apple a day keeps the doctor away doesn’t exist for no reason! 

Honestly apples are one of my favorite fruits. They make the perfect snack because you can just throw them into a bag and eat them on the go whenever hungry. Fall is one of the best seasons because it’s Apple time, which means eating tons and tons of local apples! 🙂 When I came up with this recipe we had a lot of apples at home (A LOT!) and we were going on holidays the week after so we had to use them all up! Since I did not want to cook them all into my delicious Apple sauce (the recipe is coming soon), I decided I need to make something else. 

It did not take me long to decide to bake a cake, because cake always works! This cake is just so delicious and packs a bunch of fall ingredients into it. Cinnamon, apples, nuts, oats, all the good things. It is super easy to make, just takes 30 minutes and packed with so much flavor. Actually, when I made this, my cousin was here and he instantly ate 3 pieces because he liked it so much! 

The cake consists of three layers. The first one is a cake batter. It is fluffy, made with whole grains and full of fiber. It is made out of eggs, a little bit of margarine, oats, whole grain flour, and wheat bran. If you do not have wheat bran on hand, just use more flour, but if you do them use it because this contains so much fiber and nutrients! 

The second and middle layer is only made out of 4 ingredients. Apples, coconut oil,  cinnamon, and sea salt. The apples are fried in coconut oil and softened in the pan before baking because otherwise they would not be soft by the time you take the cake out of the oven. The cinnamon totally gives it fall and cozy vibe while the sea salt helps to bring out the flavor and the coconut oil with softening.

The crumble is not made like traditional crumble but much healthier. It gets its texture from Walnuts and Pecan nuts, oats, chia seeds for fibre, cinnamon, because there can never be enough cinnamon, coconut oil, for some healthy fats and to help it all stick together, and last but not least, some honey, for sweetness and it also helps the sticking. When this is baked it is very similar to Granola but even better and it works great on cake. It may sound a little silly but it is amazing!!

To make it you first have to bake the first layer by itself for 4 minutes, because if you would add the apples right away they would sink down and be at the very bottom of the cake, which doesn’t make great layers. After 4 minutes you spread the apples on the pre baked cake and top it with the crumble. To finish it off drizzle some extra honey on top to make it caramelise and then it is baked again.

This is so incredibly delicious when enjoyed warm with a melting scoop of vanilla ice cream but it also tastes amazing when cold. It even makes a great breakfast because it is loaded with carbs, proteins and healthy fats which makes a perfectly balanced meal or snack. I hope you really like this recipe and it gives you some fall inspiration!

Happy cooking!

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Healthy Apple Crumble Cake

A delcious way to use the seasonal juicy and sweet apples and make a cake out of them. Super healthy and a great fall dessert.

Course Breakfast, Dessert, Snack
Cuisine American
Prep Time 15 Minuten
Bake Time 15 Minuten
Total Time 30 Minuten
Servings 12 slices
Calories 159 kcal

What you will need

For the first layer:

  • 100 g stevia
  • 50 g brown sugar
  • 1 tsp vegan butter
  • 100 g oat flour oats processed in a food processor until very fine, like flour
  • 20 g flour can use wholegrain
  • 30 g wheat bran
  • 1 tsp baking powder

For the Apple layer:

  • 2 red apples
  • 1 tbsp coconut oil
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt

For the Crumble:

  • 30 g Pecan Nuts
  • 30 g Walnuts
  • 50 g Oats
  • 1 tbsp Chia Seeds
  • 1 tbsp Coconut Oil
  • 1 tbsp honey to drizzle

How to

That is how it works:

  1. Preheat the oven to 180C.

    Add the eggs, the magarine, and the sugars into a mixing bowl. Mix on high speed for about 10 minutes until fluffy.

  2. Meanwhile in a bowl combine the flour, oat flour, wheat bran, and baking powder. Set it aside.

  3. Cut up the apples into 1cm sizes cubes. In a pan melt 1 tbsp of coconut oil. Add the apples, the cinnamon and the sea salt into it and let the apples soften at medium heat.

  4. Carefully fold the flour mixture under the eggs and pour into a baking form. Bake for 4 minutes.

  5. In the meantime, roughly chop up the nuts, and combine them with the remaining crumble ingredients in a bowl.

  6. Now the cake batter should be pre baked. Take it out of the oven and add the apples on top followed by the crumble. Drizzle with some more honey and bake for another 10-12 minutes until the cake batter it baked through. You can test this by sticking a tooth pick into the batter and if it comes out without any dough sticking to it, it is done.

  7. Cut it into 12 pieces and serve warm with some vanilla ice cream or cold as a snack! 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!