feel food club

easy vegan

Easy Peasy Rainbow Quinoa Salad with the Best Peanut Sauce

by Kommentar verfassen

Basically spring in a bowl. You have all the vibrant and colourful fruits and veggies you could wish for, plus some fluffy and tangy quinoa to fill you up and some fresh greens for even more vitamins. Oh, yeah, and not to forget about that sauce, which tastes like straight from heaven. What’s more, this is so incredibly easy to make and SO quick – you’ll want to make it every day!

Originally I shared the recipe in the Vegan What I Eat in a Day IGTV on Instagram. And you guys went nuts about it and wanted the recipe so you also are able to make it – so here you go, voilà. Tbh, I can very well understand you – this recipe IS really good. Sine then I think I have made this at least 4 or 5 times, it has become a staple that we make on repeat.

What is special about this dish?

What makes this so special is that you cannot really label it. It is no special cuisine, has no geographic origin or is typical for the food in a certain area or country. It is just a wild mix of flavours, colours and ingredients. It may seem a bit odd that we are throwing so many different things into a bowl, but don’t judge before you try. They all work together in perfect harmony and there’ll be an explosion of flavour in your mouth.

Besides, as already mentioned, this is like spring in a bowl. One the one hand side because of the way it looks. So many different colours and so many greens, just like nature is starting to bloom all the colours start to pop up at the side of the street. And on the other hand because it is so refreshing, so light, so easy – kind of just as spring is. If there is any time you should try this recipe, it is now.

Is this dish healthy?

Definitely!! I mean, if you think of a healthy meal isn’t something exactly like this what you’re thinking of? Probably. And yes, it really is very nutritious. Where should we start? Quinoa – it is a nutrient bomb. Super high fibre, super high protein and all the carbs you need to stay full and full of energy for the rest of the day. Plus, it is extremely high in minerals and vitamins and it’s super tasty.

Besides quinoa, our bowl is loaded with fruits and veggies. We have got corn, high in fibre, magnesium, vitamin B. Then we have tomatoes, which are loaded with antioxidants, vitamin C and K. Bell pepper; vitamin A, C, potassium, fibre. Cucumber and broccoli – much water, many antioxidants, Vitamins A, C, E, K and folid acid. Edamame, protein and fibre king. Mango, not only tastes like heaven but also great for your immune system. The peanut butter; a great source of healthy fats and protein. The list goes on and on, and I think you get the point. Yep, this dish is incredibly healthy and still soso delicious!

How to make this dish?

As the name already suggests, it’s easy peasy. Really, it only comes down to preparing the quinoa, which is not greatly different from preparing rice, cutting the veggies and making the sauce. As for the veggies, we need to chop some into bite sized pieces, and some need to be steamed for a few minutes, such as the broccoli and edamame. The sauce also is incredibly simple, as it just requires you to mix a few ingredients – which you probably all have at home already.

And then comes the fun part – the plating. If you are patient enough and not too hungry, you can style it prettily. Or if you are just normal – you can just throw everything into a bowl and mix mix mix. In the end, we just top it off with some fresh herbs and spring onions and that’s it! Voilà!

When and how to best have it?

Whenever you want! It works perfectly as a quick lunch on busy days, when you don’t want to spend much time on preparing your lunch. Otherwise, it also works great as a meal prep. You can just prepare everything, store it in the fridge and toss is with the sauce when you are ready to eat. Since it is a salad, it is just as delicious when served cold! And, not to forget, it also is perfect for picnics. Just prepare, pack and enjoy in the sun!

I genuinely hope that you’ll enjoy this recipe at least as much as we do and that you’ll have an amazing time cooking & enjoying it! Have a wonderful spring!

Print

Easy Peasy Rainbow Quinoa Salad with the Best Peanut Sauce

easy, healthy and SOSO addictively good. I promise, you'll want to make this on repeat. A bowl of spring, loaded with all the fresh and vibrant veggies, along with some light and fluffy quinoa, and the best, creamy peanut sauce. All in all, heaven!

Course bowl, lunch, Main Course, Salad
Prep Time 10 Minuten
Cook Time 10 Minuten
Total Time 20 Minuten
Servings 2 servings

What you will need

For the salad:

  • 100 g quinoa
  • 100 g broccoli
  • 100 g edamame
  • 1/2 bell pepper
  • 1/2 cucumber
  • 100 g canned corn
  • 1 handful radishes & tomatoes
  • 1/2 avocado
  • 1/2 mango
  • 2 handful greens such as salad, baby spinach, kale (whatever you like and have on hand)
  • 100 g pomegranate seeds

For the dressing:

  • 3 tbsp peanut butter
  • 1/2 lime
  • 1 tbsp maple syrup
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp coconut milk

How to

  1. Add the quinoa to a pot along with twice the amount of water and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer and let it simmer with the lid on until all water in absorbed. Then close the lid and let it stand on low heat until fluffy.

  2. In the meantime cut the broccoli into bite-sized pieces and steam it in some hot water, along with the edamame, for about 3-4 minutes.

  3. Finely dice the bell pepper, radishes and cucumber, half the tomatoes, peel and cut the mango, wash the greens, drain the corn, slice the avocado and add it all to a bowl.

  4. Mix all ingredients for the peanut sauce, then add the broccoli, edamame and quinoa to the bowl and toss everything.

    Serve and enjoy!

Love,
Katie // Une Petite Cuisinière

Super Easy 20-Minute Sticky Orange Tofu

by Kommentar verfassen

Put all our prejudices aside and make this recipe. If you used to think tofu is boring, you will be proven differently. We have got the sweet and slightly spicy flavours of orange and chilli combined in a sticky sauce that covers the tofu. Definitely not your average tofu.

Orange Tofu is a dish that originally is made with chicken instead of tofu and therefore also called orange chicken. Orange Chicken originated in China, where it is rarely found in traditional restaurants today. It got really popular in the US through Panda Express. There the chicken is battered, then fried and then tossed in a orange sauce, which thickens and caramelizes. 

What’s special about this dish?

It is a vegan version if the orange chicken and a mich healthier one too. It is not battered and deep fried and also not tossed in a sauce loaded with white refined sugar. It is a much healthier, easier and quicket version of the original and still tastes really intense and good! So you could say that it rather is a Chinese inspired dish and less the original one.

Is this dish healthy? 

Yep yep. What is it made of? Well our main ingredient is tofu. Tofu is really high in protein and also comes with some fiber. Then our main „ingredient“ is the orange sauce. This is mainly made from freshly squeezed orange juice, which is a vitamin C bomb. Then we have some soy sauce, vinegar, fresh ginger and garlic and some honey, plus some cornstarch in which the tofu is tossed and then fried in a little hot oil.

Contrary to regular orange chicken, we have rather little fat here because instead of deep frying it, it is simply stir fried in a pan. Also, we are using honey instead of white refined sugar. Honey still contains sugar but less per 100g in comparison to regular sugar and it actually comes with antioxidants. 

How to make this dish:

This is super simple. So, we start by pressing the tofu. To do so we just lay some kitchen paper beneath and on top of a block of tofu and them let something heavy press it down for a few minutes. This will make the liquid drain from the tofu so it gets crispier in the pan later on.

Next we just chop it up into about 1 cm sized cubes. These are then tossed in some cornstarch. The cornstarch binds the remaining liquid and kind of forms a crust when frying. After that, the tofu is fried in some hot oil from each side for about 1-2 minutes till crispy. 

In the meantime we combine the orange juice & zest, soy sauce, honey or maple, cornstarch, ginger, garlic and vinegar in a bowl and then pour it over the tofu and let it simmer on low heat for a few minutes. Because of the cornstarch the sauce will thicken and the honey makes it caramelise. That already pretty much is it, we now only have to divide it onto plates or bowls and garnish with some greens!

Meal prep friendly

You can easily make this dish in advance and reheat it. If you have a stove I would prepare everything in advance and store the tofu and sauce separately and heat it up together whenever you want to have it. If you do not have a stove when eating it, you can simply heat it up in the microwave all together. Maybe you’ll then need to add a little water.

Print

Super Easy 20-Minute Sticky Orange Tofu

Easy, delicious and healthy. A vegan and lighter version of the american-chinese classic and let me tell you, it at least is as delicious!

Course dinner, lunch, Main Course
Cuisine American, Chinese
Prep Time 10 Minuten
Cook Time 10 Minuten
Total Time 20 Minuten
Servings 2 servings

What you will need

  • 300 g tofu
  • 4 tbsp cornstarch
  • some rice or quinoa to serve with

For the sauce:

  • 1 orange zest & juice
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1 cm ginger
  • 1 tbsp cornstarch
  • 60 g honey or maple
  • 1 tbsp vinegar

How to

  1. Lay the tofu onto some kitchen paper and cover it iwth some more. Lay something heavy on top and let it press for abou 5-10 minutes, so as much liquid as possible goes out in order for the tofu to become crispy when frying. Then cut into 1 cm sized cubes and toss it in the cornstarch

  2. In the meantime grate the orange, then press it. Combine it with the remaining ingredients for the sauce.

  3. Heat up the oil in a pan and fry the tofu on each side for about 1-2 minutes until crispy and golden. Turn the heat down to medium heat and pour in the orange sauce. Give everything a good mix and let simmer for about 3-4 minutes until it has thickend a bit.

  4. Serve with some rice or quinoa and garnish with some cilantro! Serve and enjoy!

Honestly, this dish is so quick, so easy to make and so good! You’ll really, really love it and it is so so simple! I hope you’ll like it as much as we do and have a great time cooking it!

Enjoy!
Love,
Katie // Une Petite Cuisinière

The Ultimate Barbecue Cauliflower Wing Stir Fry

by Kommentar verfassen

Really, I do not quite know what this is or how to name this respectively but what I can tell you is that it is seriously good! It kind of is a mix of wings, a barbecue salad and a stir fry. Yepyep, I know this sounds a bit interesting but honestly, it could not be more delicious!

We have got the wing shape and texture since the cauliflower is baked. Then we have got the stir fry flavours, especially in the vegetables and the good old barbecue taste. The cauliflower has the good soggy-after-crispy-saucy taste (I hope anyone understands what I mean here). It’s like when you bake something crispy and then toss it in a sauce and it gets softer and so full of flavour. Definitely amazing! If you only are a fan of crispy wings, you should go check out my cauliflower taco recipe and try this (insane!)

What is special about this dish?

It is not a classic of any cuisine, that needs to be said. We have so many different flavours and textures, like a fusion of the whole world in one bite. And, even though it is such a fusion, it really is not difficult to make. It comes down to a few minutes essentially. Plus, it really is something that everyone will like. It is one of those family meals anyone wants, while at the same time being great for just making it for one self. So, it is kinda extra but not hard to make.

Is this dish healthy?

I would definitely say so. We have got the cauliflower. I think cauliflower really is worth all its hype because it simply is great. Not only can you make an incredible variety of dishes with it, ranging from pizza to gnocchi and wings but it also is really nutritious and very very filling. Cauliflower is high in fibre and antioxidants as well as several Vitamins such as C, K, and B6. Just a really cool vegetable, plus it mostly is grown locally so, no excuses to not get it.

Besides the cauliflower we have got (plant based) milk, wholewheat flour, breadcrumbs, spices, oil and barbecue sauce. Wholewheat flour is a great source of fibre and carbs, same as the breadcrumbs (if you chose wholegrain ones). The spices, milk, and oil also contain several minerals, vitamins and healthy fats, which are great for your body.

Now we have got the barbecue sauce left, which is a tricky one. Let’s put it that way: Homemade ALWAYS is better than store bought. Why? You actually know the ingredients that are in it and you can pronounce them. Store-bought ones are often loaded with sugar, preservatives, artificial colouring, and, and, and. You know, the list goes on. If you decide to get a store bought one, make sure to check the label and see which ingredients it contains. Nevertheless, you can easily make a homemade one. You verrryyy likely already have all the ingredients at home and have it mixed in less than 5 minutes. The recipe will be down below here or in the barbecue chicken salad recipe.

How to make it:

If you have watched my Vegan What I Eat In A Day on Instagram, you by now know. It is everything else than tricky or complicated. No need to pre-cook anything or something like that, just an easy recipe. We start by chopping up the cauliflower and tossing it in a mix of plant based milk, cornstarch, wholegrain flour and spices. Next, we toss them in the breadcrumbs. Now they go on a baking tray, are drizzled with some oil and baked.

That’s it for this part. now you an chop up some veggies. I believe what works best here are bell peppers and spring onions, but feel free to use whatever you like and desire. These are just quickly stir fried in a hot pan with some oil. When the cauliflower is done baking, it is added along with the (homemade) barbecue sauce. Just combine all of this and serve with some rice, salad, bread, potatoes, or anything else you like! That already is it!

How and when to best have it:

You can meal prep it and store in the fridge with some extra barbecue sauce if you want. I most of the time serve it with rice and/or salad but it also must taste great in salad, or with some crispy, fries-style potatoes! That is it!

Print

The Ultimate Barbecue Cauliflower Wing Stir Fry (Vegan)

Soggy-after-crispy sauce & super flavorful barbcue caulidlower wings. So easy, so good and so healthy. Just heaven.

Course Appetizer, dinner, Main Course
Prep Time 10 Minuten
Cook Time 25 Minuten
Total Time 35 Minuten
Servings 2 servings

What you will need

For the barbecue sauce:

  • 100 g unsweetend ketchup
  • 4 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp maple syrup or coconut sugar
  • 1 tbsp vinegar
  • 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tsp hot sauce
  • 1 tsp salt

For the rest

  • 1/2 head of cauliflower (or one small one)
  • 200 ml plant based milk
  • 5 tbsp wholegrain flour
  • 1 tbsp cornstarch
  • 5 tbsp breadcrumbs
  • 1 red bell pepper
  • 3-4 spring onions
  • rice to serve with

How to

  1. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Break the cauliflower apart into smaller, bite-sized florets. Combine milk with flour, cornstarch, paprika and salt in a bowl. Add the cauliflower florets and toss them in the mixture.

  2. Add the breakcrumbs into another bowl and toss the cauliflopwer in it after the mixture, so they are all covered with the crumbs. Add them noto a baking tray and drizzle with oil. Here it is important that every floret is covered with some oil, otherwise they won't be crispy after baking and bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown and crispy.

    Combine all the ingredients for the barbecue sauce!

  3. In the meantime deseed and chop the bell pepper and pealed spring onions into about 1cm sized pieces. Heat up about 1tbsp of oil in a pan and stir-fry those for about 2-3 minutes. Then add in the baked cauliflower and the barbecue sauce and give it a good mix! Fry for another 2 minutes, then serve with some rice and/ or salad! Enjoy!

Super Easy and Creamy Vegan Mushroom Alfredo Pasta

by Kommentar verfassen

Take a delicious pasta favourite recipe and make it healthy. Tangy mushrooms in a creamy vegan sauce tossed with soft pasta. Digging into this bowl is like digging into a bowl of comfort. Such a creamy and rich sauce but still filled with nutrients and so much protein!

What’s special about this dish?

Healthy, creamy pasta. Usually a creamy pasta sauce is either made with lots of cheese and butter or with cream or all together. Not very nutritious but loaded with saturated fats. But is it possible to make such a sauce in a healthy way? Yes it is!

It is very common to make it with soaked cashews. I need to say that I really like this but tbh only soaked cashews tastes very intense. But they do make the sauce really creamy and nutrient dense. In order for this sauce to still be creamy but not too intense, we are using a mix of soaked cashew nuts, butter beans and nutritional yeast.

What’s nutritional yeast:

Nutritional yeast is a very popular cheese alternative for vegans or people who do not consume dairy. It is basically the same as yeast, it just is dehydrated and has a cheesy – like flavour. You can buy this in the form of little flakes. In German it is Hefeflocken.

Is this dish healthy?

It definitely is very nutrient – dense. Why? We have wholegrain pasta as a base. They provide lots of complex carbohydrates and fibre to give you energy and keep you full for longer.

Then we have the mushrooms, which are high in vitamins and fibre like any vegetable. And the sauce: it is made out of butter beans, great source of protein, fibre (lots of that!) and vitamins, cashew nuts, many unsaturated fats and protein, plant based milk to thin everything out. Besides we have nutritional yeast, which also is high in vitamins and antioxidants. That already is pretty much it, so you can see – a very balanced meal with carbs, protein, fibre and fats.

Can wholegrain pasta be tasty?

Oh, yes! Definitely! I totally agree that whole grain pasta can be very boring or not delicious. But there are various things you can do to change this. It starts with the pasta you are buying. I LOVE the one I am using, and have only been buying this ever since I tried this. This really is not sponsored but I am just truly amazed by their quality and taste. I always buy the organic one form Pastafani that is produced in Austria from Austrian ingredients. You can really taste the difference to conventional whole grain Pasta. If you want to try it, you can safe 10% with UNEPETITE10 !

How to make this dish:

Really really simple. First boil the pasta according to package instructions. In the meantime fry the mushrooms with the onions. In the meantime we blend everything for the sauce up. Once the pasta is done cooking, we preserve some pasta water, drain it and then mix it with the mushrooms, the sauce and the water. That’s as easy as it gets!

When, how, meal prep?

You can make this anytime because it literally takes 20 minutes to make max. So it is a great quick lunch or dinner, easy to make and super tasty. It also is very family friendly, since everyone loves pasta and if desired, you can add in some chicken for example. It does work for meal prep, just be sure to know that the sauce won’t be as creamy anymore.

Print

Super Easy and Creamy Vegan Mushroom Alfredo Pasta

A bowl of (healthy) comfort. A delicious, tangy, creamy bowl of pasta with a healthy mushroom sauce. Definitely not your regular pasta recipe but it's absolutely delicious!

Course dinner, lunch, Main Course
Prep Time 10 Minuten
Cook Time 10 Minuten
Total Time 20 Minuten
Servings 4 servings
Calories 658 kcal

What you will need

  • 500 g pasta
  • 500 g mushrooms
  • 1 white onion
  • 1 tbsp oil
  • 1 can white beans
  • 20 g cashews (soaked for a few hours if you do not have a high speed blender)
  • 200 ml plant based milk
  • 40 g nutritional yeast
  • 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
  • 1/2 tsp oregano
  • 1 tsp mustard
  • salt & pepper

How to

  1. Prepare the pasta according to package instructions.

  2. Preheat the oil. Finely chop the onion and slice the mushrooms. Fry them in the oil. To a blender add all of the remaining ingredients and blend until smooth. Before the pasta is done cooking preserve some pasta water.

  3. When the pasta is done cooking, drain it and add to the mushrooms with the sauce. If too thick add some of the pasta water.

  4. Serve with more nutritional yeast and enjoy!

I really enjoy this pasta and hope that you will enjoy it too!
Have lots of cozy nights and fun cooking,
Happy cooking,
Enjoy,
Katie // Une Petite Cuisinière