feel food club

spring

The Best Ever 15 Minute Veggie & Tofu Peanut Noodle Stir-Fry

by Kommentar verfassen

This sounds very complicated, I know, but indeed it actually is super super easy. And don‘t be fooled, easy does not mean boring. Because this is everything else than boring. We have got crispy, stir-fried veggies and tofu combined with saucy, peanuty noodles and topped with a decent amount of fresh herbs. The combo? Insane! The time needed? Insanely little! 

When I asked you all on instagram which dishes you would like to see more of, there were soso many that said „quick meals“. And really, I get you! Some days we just cannot stand spending large amounts of time in the kitchen preparing dinner and still want to have something healthy. And this can be a challenge. So recipes like these are perfect for when you want something quick and yet healthy and delicious! 

What is special about this dish? 

Well, it is super super quick. All we need to do is fry the veggies and tofu, cook the noodles and combine everything with the sauce! It comes together in something like 10-15 minutes, really! 

And then also, it is not very traditional. You could say it is pad-thai inspired, just way simpler, with fewer ingredients and a bit healthy. Maybe something like a mix between a pad-thai and a wok. So basically, with this we are inventing an easy and healthy dish.

Is this dish healthy? 

Yup Yup, it is. How come so? It is packed with all the nutrients we need to stay happy, healthy and full. The large amount if different veggies that we are using add a whole bunch of fibre and vitamins to the dish. The fibre helps our digestion and the vitamins our immune system and organs. Then we also have the tofu, which is another great source of fibre and also of protein, to help us strengthen and repair muscles.

Now what’s left are the noodles and the sauce. So as for the noodles, they are our source of carbohydrates, which we need for our energy. And the sauce, which is made up from peanut butter, honey (or maple), soy sauce, sesame oil and lime juice, is a great way to sneak in some healthy fats and more protein (from the nuts and oil). Yes, the soy sauce makes it contain a lot of salt too, so if you want less of that, you could just go for sodium-reduced soy sauce. 

How to make this dish? 

As the name implicates, this is easy peasy. So, what we need to do is chop the veggies, here you can really use whatever you want. I personally love asparagus, edamame (you don‘t have to chop this), bell peppers, spring onions, or broccoli and carrot, but really, just use whatever’s left in your fridge. That‘s what makes this so easy and versatile.

Then we also need to finely chop some ginger and cube some tofu and them throw everything into a pan with hot oil. This then is stir fried for 2-3 minutes until crispy. Then we turn it down to medium heat and cook the noodles. Depending on what you package instructions say, the cooking time may vary, but should probably be around 5 minutes. While they are cooking, we can mix everything for the peanut sauce. Then, once drained, we add the noodles to the pan, take it off the heat and mix it all with the sauce. Voilà, that‘s it! Now we just need to garnish it with the mint and cilantro and a lime wedge and our meal is finished!!

Perfect for meal prep! 

How come? Shouldn’t it be served warm? Definitely! Surprisingly though, it also tastes incredibly delicious when being served cold! The sauce gives it kind of a salad-vibe, so it tastes at least as tasty when it is cold. You could just add it to a tupperware and enjoy it cold. 

Honestly, this is one of my favorite quick and lazy meals! Perfect for busy work days or evenings when you are just tired and don’t feel like cooking! It is just perfect! 

Print

The Best Ever 15 Minute Veggie & Tofu Peanut Noodle Stir-Fry

Easy, delicious and healthy. These stir-fry noodles not only are easy to make but also taste so incredibly delicious and addicting. Soft noodles tossed in a tangy and salty sauce along with fresh veggies and perfect tofu. Really, there is no reason you would not want to have this.

Course Main Course, mealprep
Cuisine asian
Prep Time 5 Minuten
Cook Time 10 Minuten
Total Time 15 Minuten
Servings 4 servings

What you will need

  • 400 g glas noodles (rice noodles)
  • 400 g firm tofu
  • 2 tbsp oil
  • 1 2cm piece of ginger
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 200 g edamame beans
  • 200 g mushrooms
  • 2 bok choy
  • 2 spring onions
  • 1 bell pepper

For the sauce:

  • 3 tbsp peanut butter
  • 3 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • 1 tsp rice vinegar
  • 2 tsp honey/ maple
  • fresh cilantro & lime for serving

How to

  1. Cut the tofu into 1cm sized chunks. Peel and finely mince the ginger. Heat up the oil and fry the ginger for 1 minute before adding the tofu and frying this for 2-3 Minutes on each side until crispy. Then add 2 tbsp of soy sauce.

  2. In the meantime prepare the noodles according to package instructions and undercook them for a minute. Peal (if necessary) and cut all veggies into bite-sized pieces and add to the tofu. turn onto medium heat.

  3. In the meantime combine everything for the sauce.

  4. Once the pasta is done, drain it and add it to the veggies along with the peanut sauce. Give it a good mix and serve with fresh cilantro & lime wedges!

  5. Enjoy!

I genuinely hope that you‘ll enjoy this and make it on repeat! 
Love,
Katie// Une Petite Cuisinière 

Super Quick, Family-Approved, Herby Prawn and Avocado Salad

by Kommentar verfassen

Summer season = salad season. We all know that. When it’s hot outside (which it hopefully is soon) and the sun is shining we neither want to spend hours in the kitchen, nor can anyone really eat something warm. So salads are the perfect dish to eat. They are quick to make, healthy and mostly. But they can be boring so easily.

They definitely can, but they don’t necessarily have to be. If you only make the same one over and over again, I agree, this would be boring. If you switch it up though, and add basically an entire herb garden and make the best garlic prawns ever, and still only spend 15 minutes making it, then it is a really good kind a salad. And yep, it is very delicious too (my brother ate the entire bowl so it‘s got to be delicious!)!

What is special about this dish? 

Well, it definitely is not your average salad! Its not just greens & dressing & maybe some veggies – no; it is way more delicious!! To make it taste a bit more like summer and a bit fresher, we are adding a whole brunch of herbs. Mint, basil, parsley, really, whatever you have on hand. 

And also the dressing is really really fresh, since we‘re adding some lemon and even more herbs to it, but also some honey. It‘s sweetness balanced the sourness of the lemon out perfectly. And not to forget about the prawns. They are SO. good. They are fried in olive oil with fresh garlic. While it probably is not the best recipe for a date, it definitely is the most delicious way to cook prawns!! The combo of garlic and prawns simply is unbeatable! 

Is this dish healthy? 

It definitely is! There are a whole lot of greens in here. All the herbs and also the salad are packed with different nutrient and vitamins and also a lot of fibre. Adding herbs to dishes is such an easy and flavorful way to add vitamins and fibre. We also get a decent amount of essential nutrients, and also a lot of water, from the cucumber. 

The prawns account for the right amount of protein and the olive oil makes sure we are not lacking those unsaturated fats. The lemon keeps our immune system strong with its Vitamin C. The only thing that is not directly included in the salad is a source of carbohydrates. But here you could just have some whole grain bread on the side or add some quinoa or couscous in the salad. 

How to make this dish?

There are three things that need to be done. 1. prepping the veggies; therefore we need to wash the salad, slice the cucumber and peel and chop the avocado into cubes. 2. making the dressing; here we need to mix some olive oil, lemon juice, honey and the finelly chopped herbs. And 3. we need to make the prawns; that really only comes down to finely slicing some garlic, frying it in hot oil for about 30 seconds and then adding the prawns and cooking them on each side for about 3 minutes. And voilà! 

In case the prawns are frozen

just add them to a bowl with some hot water (not boiling one, just warm one) and let them stand for about 30 minutes, changing the water every 10 minutes to let them thaw without cooking. Then just pat them dry with a kitchen towel and cook as the recipe says! 

This salad is amazing for those hot summer days or for whenever you are craving something light and healthy and fresh. It anyway is very easy to make and a must try! 

Print

Super Quick, Family-Approved, Herby Prawn and Avocado Salad

Salads in summer are simply perfect. But always having the same one over and over again also can be veryyyy boring. That’s why we need to switch things up and make this delicious goodie.

Course lunch, Salad
Prep Time 10 Minuten
Cook Time 10 Minuten
Total Time 20 Minuten
Servings 4 servings

What you will need

For the prawns:

  • 800 g prawns*
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic

For the salad:

  • 1 head of salad
  • 1 avocado
  • 6 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 lemon (only the juice)
  • 1 tsp mustard
  • 2 tsp honey
  • 1/2 tbsp chopped mint
  • 1/2 tbsp chopped parsley
  • 1/2 tbsp chopped dill

How to

  1. Peel and finely dice the garlic. Heat up the olive oil and butter in a pan and sauté the garlic in the hot oil for about 30 seconds, then add in the prawns. Fry them on each side for about 3 minutes until pink and cooked through. 

  2. In the meantime finely chop the herbs and mix them with the olive oil, lemon juice, mustard and honey. 

  3. Wash and tear the salad into bite sized pieces. Half the avocado, remove the pit and scoop it out with a spoon. Then cut into about 1cm sized chunks. Also add this to the salad. 

  4. Mix with the dressing and divide onto the bowls. Top with the prawns and garnish with fresh dill. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

*if the prawns are frozen, add them to a bowl and cover them with warm water. Let stand for about 5 minutes, then drain and repeat until they have thawed. Then lay them onto a kitchen towel and tap them dry. 

I genuinely hope that you‘ll enjoy it! 
Love,
Katie // Une Petite Cuisinière 

Family Favourite Easy Pea(sy) and Mint Risotto

by Kommentar verfassen

Risotto always is a good choice. Everyone loves it. And the best part about it (besides it being ultra delicious); it is so versatile! You can make it with anything and everything, try different combos, make it seasonal and make it as you like it! Just like we’re doing it with this one. To make it fresher and more summery, we are throwing in some greens & herbs and just taking it next level!

What is special about this dish?

The combination! Mint and pea is a combo that we (unfortunately) do not find very often. Yet, it is so ultra tasty! The peas add a buttery, soft taste to the risotto and the mint accounts for a fresh taste, which you would usually not expect in risotto, but is really, really good. If you want some more risotto recipes, you can check out the wild garlic risotto or the creamy, green vegan risotto!

A little risotto story

Actually, it is quite surprising that I still like risotto as of today since I have a little history with it. As a kid (and still now), when eating out, I’ve always loved trying every single dish on the table. So when we went out to eat, I’d pick up my fork and walk around the table to try the dish my brother ordered, my mom had and my dad ate. I simply loved exploring new flavours.
So once during our holidays in Italy we went out to eat. I was very little, something like 6 or 7 years, and ordered a risotto. My parents‘ and my brother’s dish had arrived before mine did, so I took my fork and walked around the table. Not surprisingly, I could then not finish my risotto, because I have already had quite a bunch of food before I even started eating mine.
My dad, teased me and said (it was well obvious that it was a joke) I should finish or I can never try his meal before mine again. So I, as a little defiant and stubborn kid, knew it was a joke but because I was so stubborn I finished it anyways. My mom and my brother had a lot of fun watching me and my dad and I was so full afterwards that I couldn’t have even looked at more food. Well, anyways, the chef then came out of the kitchen and asked everyone how they liked the meal. You can probably imagine how my family bursted into laughter when he came to ask me.
Although this was (a teeny tiny bit) unpleasant for me, I did not learn my lesson (because I did not want to) and up to this day try everyone else’s dishes.
And, despite all of this, I still love risotto.

Is risotto healthy?

Back to the more important things. While risotto is incredibly nourishing for the soul and the happiness, it is not quite as nourishing for our bodies. Why? In order for it to taste this delicious, it is packed with many saturated fats from the cheese and butter, which are not so great for us. Nevertheless, there are a few things we can change to make it more delicious.

For example, instead of using butter only, we are using a mix of cream cheese and butter. This makes it a bit lighter in terms of fats. Then also, we are adding some peas, for extra fibre and vitamins and mint for extra nutrients. Justa. few swaps, and they do make a difference.

How to make this dish?

Risotto making really is not difficult but it is a workout. It takes some time and effort because you constantly need to stir. We start by frying the finely chopped onions in some olive oil. This adds a really delicious flavour to the entire dish. Then, we add the rice and fry it too before we deglaze it with some white wine. Now the fun part starts. A scoop at a time, we are adding some vegetable broth and letting it simmer (while stirring) until the rice has absorbed it. Then we add another scoop, and another, and so on until the rice is ready to eat. Shortly before that, we’ll add the peas.

As soon as the rice is done and the liquid is absorbed (it really should be very well absorbed because otherwise it’ll be too runny), we can stir in the chopped mint, butter, cream cheese and parmesan. And that already is it! If you want, you could add something on top like grilled zucchini, prawns or anything else, or just enjoy it as is!

This, as the name already suggests, is a real family favourite. And really, you can barely go wrong with it. Very easy to make, and very, very delicious!

Print

Family Favourite, Easy, Pea(sy) & Mint Risotto

Not your average risotto. Much more fun, a bit healthier and SO much flavour. The combination of peas and mint is just outrageous and perfect for spring and summer. An absolute family favourite!

Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Prep Time 5 Minuten
Cook Time 25 Minuten
Total Time 30 Minuten
Servings 4 people

What you will need

  • 1,5 l vegetable broth
  • 320 g risotto rice
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 white onion
  • a splash white wine
  • 400 g peas
  • 1 handful mint
  • 25 g butter
  • 45 g cream cheese
  • 80 g parmesan cheese

How to

  1. Finely dice the onion. Heat up the oil and sautée the onion in it until it is glassy. Add the rice and gently stir through until everything is combined and slightly covered with the oil. Deglaze it with the splash of white wine after about a minute. Reduce the heat to medium-high and add a scoop of the vegetable broth. Constantly stir everything until the vegetable broth has fully been absorbed by the rice, then add the next scoop.

  2. Repeat until the rice is cooked through, for about 15-20 minutes.

  3. In the meantime grate the parmesan, measure out the other ingredients and finely chop the mint.

  4. Once the rice is almost done cooking (after about 20 minutes), add in the peas. When done, take it off the heat and stir in cheeses, butter and mint.

  5. Once everything is well combined, plate it and garnish with some extra parmesan cheese and mint.

Have fun making (and especially eating) it!
Love,
Katie // Une Petite Cuisinière

20-minute (vegan) Peanut Tofu & Greens Spring Sushirrito

by Kommentar verfassen

Sushiwhat? Sushi + Burrito = Sushirrito! Still no idea what this is supposed to be? Well, basically a sushi roll (like maki) just so giant that you roll it up like a burrito and can eat it holding in your hands. Pretty genius invention right? Sushi to-go basically.

Biting into this is like biting into soft (and sushi flavoured) rice, fried & salty peanut tofu, crunchy cucumber & aspragus, soft avocado and creamy sriracha sauce. An explosion of flavours in your mouth and it really is ultra delicious! Plus, it actually is not too difficult to make.

What is special about this dish?

First of all, it is vegan. Vegan sushi with tofu is not very traditional in Japan. Usually it is prepared with raw fish like salmon or tuna or with fresh veggies or fruits like avocado (yep, avocado is a fruit) and cucumber. Or sometimes tempura (vegan) vegetables or prawns. You see, nl tofu in here. Nevertheless this is not a reason for us not to add tofu into this dish.

And secondly, well a gigantic sushi wrap is not quite normal. Yeah, it kinda is like an ultra thick maki, just one you can take bites from. This shape is very untypical because you (obv) cannot eat this with chopsticks, at least it is a challenge. It is more like street-style, meal prep, on the go sushi. Still, is tastes at least as good!

Is this healthy?

Damn yep. The amazing thing about this is that you can add any veggies you like into these rolls. Whatever you think would taste good in combination with the tofu & rice. I love cucumber, asparagus, avocado and spring onions but you could also add sweet potato or carrots or whatever you love. Adding all these kinds of different veggies makes this really incredibly nutritious. And obviously, depending on which veggies you choose, you‘ll have different nutrients! 

Besides the veggies we also have the tofu. Tofu is a great source of plant based protein and fibre. Together with the peanut sauce is also serves as a source of healthy and essential, unsaturated fat. Not to forget about the rice. This itself is not too nutrient dense, yet it provides many carbohydrates to keep you energized. If you also wanted some fibre and minerals, you could swap it for brown rice instead.

How to make this dish?

If you are a professional sushi-chef, you probably have got this ready in 5 minutes. If you are not (just like most people including myself) it‘ll probably take you 20 minutes – if even. And what takes the longest is cooking the rice. Therefore that‘s also what we‘re starting with. Here we‘re using sushi rice just because it has this special sushi flavor and texture. You can either find that at the supermarket or an asian store. This we just boil with twice the amount of water and then we mix it with a mix of vinegar and maple. This combination really adds the flavor we want.

Then we also need to marinate the tofu. This essentially is done by combining a few ingredients including peanut butter, soy sauce and lime juice. The longer this can marinate, the better. While the rice is cooking, the tofu is frying in hot oil until crispy. In the meantime we can also finely chop or slice the veggies. 

Then comes the fun and challenging part; rolling (or more like folding) it up. For this we need to divide the rice into the amount of sandwiches we make. If we make two sandwiches we divide it into two. And then we need to half it again (so we have rice for the top and the bottom). We start by adding one half of it into the middle of a nori sheet and pressing this into a square or rectangle. Then we add the veggies, whichever you like, and tofu, then the sauce, more veggies and the other half of the rice. We need to make sure to keep everything in this square or rectangular form. Then we take a second nori sheet and lay it on top. Now we take a small bwol with water and dip our fingers into it to wetten the sides of the nori and then fold the sides in and roll the rest like a burrito. It is important to really keep everything very tight here so the burrito does not fall apart when eating. And that’s it!

Meal prep friendly?

Yes! Definitely! That is the great thing here – it is not only great to be eaten the next day, it also is amazing to be eaten on the go, or in the park because you do not need cutlery or chopsticks or anything. It probably lasts 2-3 days in the fridge, so you’ll have a delicious meal for several days!

Print

20-minute (vegan) Peanut Tofu & Greens Spring Sushirrito

Like Sushi, just with Tofu and rolled up like a Burrito, so you can easilyyy eat it! An explosion of flavours and not difficult to make.

Course dinner, lunch
Cuisine Japanese
Prep Time 10 Minuten
Cook Time 15 Minuten
Total Time 25 Minuten
Servings 2 servings

What you will need

For the tofu:

  • 200 g tofu
  • 2 tbsp peanut butter
  • 5 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 lime
  • 1 tbsp maple syrup
  • 1/2 tsp garlic & ginger (dried or fresh)
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • 1 tbsp oil

For the rest:

  • 120 g Sushi Rice (you can find that either at your super market or asian store – alternatively you could go for basmati rice)
  • 1/4 cucumber
  • 2 tso vinegar
  • 1 tsp maple syrup
  • 1/2 avocado
  • 100 g green asparagus

For the sriracha sauce

  • 1 tbsp sriracha
  • 2 tsp mayo
  • 2 tbsp greek yoghurt
  • 4 nori sheets

How to

  1. First mix all the ingredients for the tofu marinade. Then cut the tofu into two equally sized (about 1cm thick) blocks and let them marinate for as long as possible.

  2. Add the sushi rice, along with twice the amount of water and some salt, to a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and let simmer until all water is absorbed. Then turn down to very low heat and let sit until fluffy and soft.

  3. In the meantime mix all the ingredients for the sriracha sauce. Finely slice the cucumber, avocado and asparagus. Fry the asparagus in some oil for about 3-4 minutes until soft.

  4. When the sushi rice is done, combine the vinegar and maple and mix it with the rice. Then divide the rice into however many burritos you are making.

    Then add half of each portion into the middle of a nori sheet and press it into a flat and tight rectangle or square. Now layer some veggies and the tofu on top. To with the sriracha mayo and the remaining rice. Press everything together so it sticks well and does not fall apart. Top with another Nori sheet. Then fold in the edges and drizzle a bit of water on the sides, so they'll stick. Then tightly roll in the burrito and fold in the remaining edges.

  5. That's it! Serve with some soy saue and enjoy!

I really, genuinely hope that you’ll enjoy this as much as we do and that you’ll have a great time cooking this!

All the best,
Love,
Katie