Red lentil banh mi wraps

When I've been looking for inspiration for vegan food, most have come from Asian recipes. Maybe not surprising as there is an extensive tradition of vegetarian meals in many of the Asian countries. One of my favourite Vietnamese dishes is bahn mi, a baguette often filled with spicy pork pate, pickled carrots, salad, chili mayonnaise and fresh herbs. Banh mi is a perfect example of successful fusion of food traditions, french baguettes with a Vietnamese filling. Vietnam is the only country I visited in southeast Asia where you can find quite nice bread and croissants, a result from its time as a French colony. You can also find amazing ice cream bars, serving not only standard flavours like chocolate or mango, but also sweetcorn and rice (and durian, bleurgh!). Vietnam also has some of the best coffee I ever tasted, marginally beaten by Portugal and Brazil.

Got to stop thinking of Vietnam now, got such itchy feet, want to go travel now now now! Below are two images from when I went to Vietnam in 2009. It's such a beautiful country.

Floating food market on the Mekong river in south Vietnam

Beautiful lanterns in Hoi An

Anyhow, back to banh mi! You can use for example fried tofu instead of meat pate for a vegetarian or vegan take on banh mi, and I found quite a few recipes online using tofu. However, as I've just made the excellent black pepper tofu, and even though that recipe did change my mind about tofu, I didn't feel ready for another dish where the tofu would be in focus. Still, I wanted a filling with a lot of protein, and decided to instead make a filling with red lentils and Vietnamese flavours. To really up the protein, I decided to include tofu anyway, by using soft tofu instead of mayonnaise in the chili dressing.

The pickled vegetables are an essential part of a banh mi, I slightly modified a recipe I found on Post punk kitchen, an excellent vegan blog. The vegetables last for up to one week in an airtight container in the fridge. Beware, the smell when you open up the container is quite awful, but the vegetables are delicious and crunchy.

Although banh mi is traditionally served in a baguette, I decided to continue the food fusion by going Mexican and making a wrap instead. I find it easier to eat this way, and is a more low-carb alternative to baguettes.

The final result is full of Vietnamese flavours, fresh herbs, crunchy vegetables and hot chili. Perfect food to make you forget that its dark, winter and snow :)

Red lentil banh mi wraps (serves 4)
Tortilla wraps
Crunchy salad leaves, like sweet gem, iceberg or romaine
1 small bunch mint
1 small bunch coriander
1 bunch spring onions, finely chopped

Pickled vegetables
2 large carrot, cut to matchsticks
12-15 cm daikon, cut to matchsticks (can be substituted with radishes)
2 dl rice or white wine vinegar
1 dl light brown sugar
0.5 dl sea salt
1 red chili, finely sliced
1 tsp whole peppercorns, any colour
2 star anise
2 kaffir lime leaves, finely sliced

Banh mi filling
250 g red lentils
5 dl vegetable stock
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
1 large carrot, finely chopped
5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 red chili, finely chopped
1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
2 lemongrass stalks, bruised and divided in halves
2 tbsp coriander seeds, toasted and coarsely ground
1 tsp chinese five spice
0.5 tsp cinnamon
4 kaffir lime leaves, torn in halves (I used fresh, but dry or frozen will also work. If you can't find any, add zest and juice of one lime)
1 can chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato paste
3-4 tbsp light soy sauce
neutral oil

Sriracha dressing
200 g soft tofu
2-4 tbsp sriracha (Asian chili sauce, can be substituted with other chili sauce like sambal oelek)
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 lime, juice

Start with pickling the carrots and daikon by adding the vegetables, chili, star anise and kaffir lime leaves to a clean airtight glass or plastic container.

Add the sugar, salt and vinegar to a pot and heat up until it starts simmering and the sugar and salt has dissolved. Pour the hot liquid over the vegetables.

Close the container and store in the fridge for at least 30 min before serving. The pickled vegetables will keep for up to 1 week in an airtight container in the fridge

Cook the lentils in vegetable stock for 20-25 min until soft

While the lentils are cooking, saute onions, carrots, ginger, garlic, chili, lemongrass, coriander seeds, chinese five spice, and cinnamon in a large frying pan for 10-15 min on medium heat

Add tomatoes, tomato paste, lentils, kaffir lime leaves, and lentils to the frying pan. If it's dry, add 1-2 dl of hot water. Simmer for 10-15 min until most of the liquid has reduced. Stir occasionally and use a fork to lightly crush the lentils

For the sriracha dressing, mix all ingredients together to a smooth sauce. Don't add all the sriracha at once, it can be very hot!

Add salad leaves to a tortilla wrap. Then add the lentil banh mi filling, pickled vegetables, and sriracha dressing. Finally top with fresh mint and coriander leaves, and sprinkle on spring onions

Roll together to a wrap

Smaklig måltid!

Black pepper tofu

This recipe should really come with a disclaimer like "May cause conversion to tofu lover". But maybe you already like tofu? Well, I've never been a fan. I eat it in dishes like Sichuan mapo dofu or Malaysian laksa soups, but I can honestly say that 9 times out of 10 I find it really bland and uninteresting. Anyhow, I felt like I can't do this vegan experiment without cooking with tofu. If nothing else, tofu is a good source of protein for vegans.....

After browsing through quite a lot of recipes, I came across this recipe from Yotam Ottolenghi for black pepper tofu on the new great Swedish vegan blog, Vegoriket (only in Swedish). I love Ottolenghi's new vegetarian series in Guardian, I highly recommend that you look it up! Both his vegetarian and other cookbooks are beautiful, and I think I'll have to go and buy the vegetarian one, Plenty, very soon as I keep seeing recipes from this book on different blogs.

So I decided to try the recipe, and I'm so happy I did as it was amazingly good! I'm now a tofu lover :) This recipe is hot though, if you're not a fan of spicy food, this may not be for you. Still, it is not mouth burning stuff but a nice heat. I've modified the recipe slightly, decreasing the amount of tofu by half as I find 200 g tofu per serving to be quite a lot. If you're hungrier than me, you can up the tofu to 800 g. I also added a little sesame oil and a sprinkling of sesame seeds. 

If you're not sure about tofu, I really recommend you try this. Not interested in tofu at all? Try this with slices of fried chicken or beef instead, because this sauce is seriously to die for. 

Black pepper tofu (serves 4)

400 g firm tofu, cut in cubes

corn flour

12 small shallots, thinly sliced

8 red chillies, thinly sliced

12 garlic cloves, minced

3 tbsp fresh ginger, grated

3 tbsp light soy sauce

3 tbsp sweet soy sauce (ketjap manis)

4 tsp dark soy sauce

2 tbsp light brown sugar

0.5 tbsp sesame oil

5 tbsp black pepper, crushed (it should be quite coarse)

1 bunch spring onions, finely sliced

3 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

vegetable oil

Toss the tofu in cornflour, shake of the excess. Pour enough oil to come up to 0.5 cm on the sides of a large frying pan or wok and bring up to frying heat

Fry the tofu in batches, turning the cubes until golden all around with a thin crust. Transfer to drain of excess oil on a paper towel

Remove the used oil from the pan, and add 1 tbsp fresh oil. Add shallots, chillies, garlic and ginger, and saute for around 15 min on low-medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the contents are shiny and totally soft. While cooking, crush the peppercorn using a pestle and mortar, they should be quite coarse 

Add the soy sauces, sugar, sesame oil and black pepper to the pan and stir. Add the tofu and let it warm through for 1-2 min. Finally stir in the spring onions and sprinkle with sesame seeds

Serve with steamed rice or noodles

Smaklig måltid!

Let's talk about milk

Before this vegan month I had really very little experience of non-dairy milk. To be honest, I'm not a big fan of milk, I would never drink a glass of milk on its own. I do however drink milk in coffee, which means that I actually consume quite a lot of milk as I can't function without a large cafe latte in the morning, and preferably another in the afternoon to keep me going. In addition to using milk in coffee, I use dairy products like milk, cream, creme fraiche and yoghurt in different recipes. And then there is cheese, mmmm, glorious cheese.......

Before I disappear into some kind of weird cheesy daydream, let's get back to milk. I'm not going to go into why milk and dairy production is a sensitive issue. Many people have written a lot about this, just google it if you want to know more (but if you enjoy milk, you'll likely to need a strong stomach to continue drinking it afterwards without considering at least briefly if there isn't an alternative way).

Anyhow, so what are the alternatives if you want to drink non-dairy milk? Turns out that there are much more alternatives than I knew! I thought it was just soy milk, but there are also almond milk, coconut milk, rice milk, hazelnut milk, oat milk, and even hemp milk. All of these different varieties were available at Sainsbury's, pretty impressive actually. Many of these have added calcium and vitamins to reach similar nutritional values as dairy milk. There are fresh non-dairy milks, but also a larger range of UHT non-dairy milk.

I decided to try a couple of different ones. As I don't have a sweet tooth, I only tested unsweetened versions, which removed quite a few options. I selected soy milk, almond milk, coconut milk, and hemp milk. See below for my comments:

Soy milk - quite neutral in taste, slightly grey colour, tastes OK in coffee but slightly more bitter than dairy milk. Works well in cooking

Almond milk - slight almondy/nutty taste, colour slightly grey/brown, creamy and nice in coffee. Works well in cooking

Coconut milk - this is not the same as the coconut milk bought in cans for cooking! Or, it is the same but diluted and in different packaging. Anyhow, nice white colour with a slight coconut flavour, nice and creamy in coffee. Works well in cooking, in particular Asian flavoured dishes

Hemp milk - slightly bitter taste with greyish colour. The worst of the ones I tested.

My favourite so far for my morning coffee is definitely the coconut milk. I buy an organic coconut milk with added calcium and vitamins, and it's just delicious. A little addition of cinnamon and cardamon to the coffee, and that cold boring commute becomes a warmer and nicer experience. For cooking, I have good experiences with soy, almond and coconut, either one would work with most dishes.

Personally, I feel better without dairy products. Let's just say my stomach is happier and not go into more details than that. I actually think that even if I stop the vegan experiment in February, I will continue drinking non-dairy milk.

For more discussion on different non-dairy milk alternatives, read Replacing dairy milk by Oh she glows. She also has a recipe on how make your own oat milk. Though making my own milk feels like a step to far for me....

So what about other dairy products like yoghurt and cheese, and their non-dairy alternatives? I'll come to that in a later post, but it's a much more negative experience compared to non-dairy milk.

Asian coleslaw

Like many others I've started this new year with new goals and resolutions, determined to make positive changes to my life. The vegan resolution is going really well, it's been such a positive thing that I might continue for longer than just one month. Anyhow, today it was time for the next step, to join a gym again. That's how original I am, like thousands of others, I join a gym in January....

After signing up, I went to Whole foods market at Kensington High Street for the first time. I've thought about it before but never got around to it. Which probably is a good thing for my wallet, because it was so amazing and I wanted to buy enough food to last me for months! Things like freshly made pistachio butter, marcona almonds, red quinoa (which I see in so many recipes but I never find), fresh chantarelles... In addition, a pretty amazing cheese room and nice organic meat selection. I will go there again for sure when I want something special or to indulge. Or if I want something ready made, they had an impressive selection of salads, cold and hot dishes for take away, including vegan dishes.

After browsing through the store for a ridiculously long time, I finally got home and had some of the coleslaw below. Coleslaw is easy to do, well at least once you get past all the peeling/shredding/grating, and a large batch will last for up to 5 days in the fridge. This recipe is again a modification of a recipe from River Cottage Veg Everyday. I made this to complement the sweet potato and peanut gratin, but this could be served with so many different things, from spare ribs to noodle salads to tortillas.

Asian coleslaw (serves 4-6)
0.5 small white cabbage, finely shredded
0.5 small red cabbage, finely shredded
4 medium carrots, coarsely grated
1 bunch spring onions, chopped
1 bunch coriander, chopped

Dressing
2 limes, zest and juice
1 red chili, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
2 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp light brown sugar

Combine cabbage, carrots, spring onions, and coriander in a large bowl

For the dressing, whisk all of the ingredients together

Pour the dressing over the vegetables and toss thoroughly. Leave to marinate for 15-20 min before serving

Smaklig måltid!

Sweet potato and peanut gratin

I can't believe that it's already Sunday evening! The weekends are way too short, in particular since I started studying as well. I was supposed to go to a friend's birthday party yesterday, but I was completely knackered after uni and decided to take a nap before going out. Guess I forgot to set an alarm, as woke up really late at night and figured it was quite pointless to go out then. Quite a failure of an evening....

Today I was going to study, but ended up going for coffee with friends instead and then went home to cook. One of the things I've cooked to today is this lovely sweet potato and peanut gratin, which is from a slightly modified recipe in the River Cottage Veg Everyday cook book. The addition of peanut butter, lime and chili gives the gratin a lovely satay-like flavour. I served this with a crunchy Asian flavoured coleslaw (recipe to come soon), a nice contrast to the soft gratin. 

Sweet potato and peanut gratin (serves 4)
1 kg sweet potatoes, thinly sliced
200 g chunky sugar-free peanut butter
2.5 dl milk (I used almond milk)
2 tbsp neutral oil
3 red chillies, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 lime, zest and juice
1 pinch sea salt
black pepper

Preheat the oven to 190C and lightly oil a large oven dish.

In a large bowl, toss the sliced sweet potatoes with the oil, chili, garlic, lime zest and salt

Stir milk, peanut butter, and lime juice together

Add half of the sweet potatoes to the dish. Pour over half of the milk and peanut butter mixture

Add the rest of the sweet potatoes, then pour over remaining liquid

Cover the dish with foil and bake for about 15 min. Remove the foil and bake for another 15-20 min until the top starts to brown and crisp

Smaklig måltid!

Black bean burrito with corn salsa and guacamole

This could possibly be the most amazingly delicious burritos I have ever had, irrespective of with or without meat. I thought I might miss cheese with this, but didn't at all, they are so full of flavour, with rich refried black beans, spicy corn salsa and lemony guacamole. Promise me you'll try this, ok?

This vegan experiment has been a great experience so far, with some great new dishes. I really don't miss meat/chicken/fish or dairy. I find that cooking vegan food is actually easier than I thought, I have definitely not have had to compromise on flavour. Someone asked me if I don't get hungrier quicker eating vegan food, but no, I haven't experienced any difference. The only thing is probably that I have to plan a bit more in advance, but hey, I'm a list maniac and spend at least 2 h a day commuting, I have time to plan...

Regarding milk, currently trying a lot of different non-dairy milk options, will come back to this in a later post.

Black bean burrito with corn salsa and guacamole (serves 4)
Flour tortillas

Refried black beans
2 cans of black beans, approx. 400 g drained weight
2 large flat mushrooms, finely chopped
1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
1 large red pepper, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
2 red chillies, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 large tomatoes, chopped
1 tbsp chipotle paste
1 tbsp oregano
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt
1 pinch cinnamon
1 pinch light brown sugar
2 tbsp tomato paste
3 dl vegetable stock
oil

Corn salsa
150 g sweetcorn
2 tomatoes, seeds removed and diced
0.5 red onion, finely chopped
2 small or 1 large lime, zest and juice
1 small bunch of coriander, chopped
1 small garlic clove, minced
1 pinch salt
1 pinch light brown sugar
black pepper

Guacamole
2 avocados
1 small lemon, juice
1 pinch salt
1 small garlic clove, minced
black pepper

Fry the mushrooms in oil in a large frying pan until they start to concentrate and caramelise. Add one finely chopped garlic clove and a little salt, and fry for a few more minutes. Transfer the mushrooms to the side

Add onion, red pepper, carrot, garlic and chili to the frying pan, and fry on medium to high heat for 5 min

Add beans, tomatoes, vegetable stock, chipotle paste, tomato paste, all spices, sugar and salt to the frying pan

Simmer for 10-15 min until most of the liquid has been reduced. Stir occasionally and use a fork to crush the beans into a coarse puree

While the beans are simmering, make the salsa and guacamole

For the salsa, stir together all of the ingredients

For the guacamole, in a bowl, mash together the avocado with the other ingredients

To serve, add refried beans to a flour tortilla and top with salsa and guacamole. Roll together to a burrito

Smaklig måltid!

Fried chili and rosemary polenta with mushroom ragout

One of the reasons I wanted to try a vegan diet for a month was to challenge myself to cook new things and experiment. I've been in a bit of a cooking rut, cooking the same or similar things repeatedly. To get more inspiration, I decided to buy a new cookbook with vegan and/or vegetarian recipes. I went to Waterstones close to Piccadilly circus, one of the biggest bookstores in London. To my surprise, although they did stock quite a lot of vegan/vegetarian cookbooks, none of the vegan books they had were particularly appealing. Most of them had no pictures, and I'm sorry, for me cookbooks are all about raising interest and appetite, and for that I need pretty pictures. Shallow, I know, but that's what I want. Cookbooks are my food porn.

Anyhow, instead of buying a vegan book, I ended up buying River Cottage Veg Everyday by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall instead. And I'm so pleased with this book! Loads of amazing recipes, a third which are vegan and loads of others that easily could be adjusted. In addition, the introduction captures a lot of my own thinking on eating and cooking delicious food with more vegetables and less meat.

I've combined and modified two of the recipes from this book into the below recipe of fried polenta with mushroom ragout. This is a seriously tasty comfort dish, with crisp polenta wedges and a deeply flavourful mushroom ragout. Not a vegan and want to make something really indulgent? Stir in some hard goat cheese, parmesan or mature cheddar in the polenta before you spread it out. The polenta slices would also be great served with a tomato sauce, or eaten as snacks with a romesco or garlic dip.

Fried chili and rosemary polenta with mushroom ragout (serves 4)
Polenta
1.5 dl quick-cook polenta or semolina
2 dl water
2 dl milk (I used fresh full-fat soy milk)
1 cube vegetable stock
1 tbsp olive oil
1 red chili, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 tbsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped
100 g sweetcorn
salt and pepper

Mushroom ragout
650 g mushrooms (I used a mix of chestnut mushrooms, portobello and large flat mushrooms), thickly sliced
2 shallots, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
3-4 sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves chopped
150 ml wine, red or white
150 ml water
1 cube of vegetable stock
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tsp corn flour
salt and pepper
olive oil

First saute the red chili and garlic for 2 min in olive oil without letting the garlic colour. Add the rosemary and set to the side

Add water, stock and milk to a pot and bring to the boil. Pour in the polenta while stirring. I find it easiest to use a whisk for this

Cook for 4-5 min while stirring until the polenta is quite thick

Remove from the heat and stir in sweet corn and the garlic, chili and rosemary mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste

Tip the polenta on to a cold surface and spread it smoothly into an even disc, about 20 cm thick. Leave to cool completely

While the polenta cools, prepare the mushroom ragout.

Fry half of the mushrooms in olive oil in a large frying pan. When they start to concentrate and caramelise, add half of the shallots, garlic and thyme, and some salt and pepper, and fry for a couple of minutes more.

Transfer mushrooms to the side and fry the other mushrooms in the same way.

Return the first batch of mushrooms to the pan. Add the wine, water, vegetable stock and soy sauce. Simmer for about 15 min until the liquid is reduced to 1/3-1/2.

Stir the corn flour into a little water to form a loose paste, and then stir it into the ragout to thicken the sauce

Taste and add salt/pepper if necessary

Cut the polenta into slices or wedges, brush lightly with olive oil, and fry either in a non-stick pan over medium heat for a couple of minutes on each side until golden, or on a baking sheet under the oven grill

Serve the polenta wedges with the mushroom ragout

Smaklig måltid!

Noodles in ginger broth

First two days as a vegan was easy, with crispbread and red pepper hummus for breakfast, red lentil coconut soup for lunch and noodles in ginger broth for dinner. Can't say that I missed anything, except possibly milk. Soy milk works OK in coffee, but I don't want to use too much soy products. There is definitely a lot of controversy around soy, how it's produced and possible health implications. Think I will try almond milk next time I go shopping and compare.

Anyhow, this ginger broth is hot, spicy, and fragrant, everything you need on a chilly day :) The carrot and sweet corn add some crunch and sweetness. Hopefully this broth and the numerous oranges I've been munching on is finally going to help my immune defence get rid off a very persistent sinus infection. I'm so fed-up with being ill! I've basically spend most of the last two weeks in bed, watching Downton Abbey and Sons of Anarchy...

This is quite a light meal, but you can add some stir-fried tofu for a bigger meal. Or for non-vegans, simmer thinly sliced chicken or salmon in the broth before adding to the noodles, or add a handful of prawns.

Noodles in ginger broth (serves 2)
120 g noodles (instant, egg, soba or udon)
0.5 tsp sesame oil

Broth
10 cm fresh ginger, chopped
2 stalks of lemon grass, bruised and chopped
2 shallot onions, chopped
2 red chillies, chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 star anise
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 L of water
1 cube of vegetable stock
1 pinch of light brown sugar
1 small can of sweet corn
1 large carrot, finely sliced into matchsticks

Garnish
4 spring onions, finely chopped
1 small bunch of coriander, chopped
1 red chili, finely sliced
1-2 limes, in wedges

Prepare all ingredients for the broth and garnish

In a medium pot, saute ginger, shallots, chillies, garlic, and star anise for 2 min at high heat

Add water, vegetable stock, soy sauce, rice vinegar and sugar. Simmer for 15 min

While the broth is simmering, prepare the noodles according to pack instruction. Toss with the sesame oil and keep warm

Pass the broth through a sieve or colander

Transfer the broth back to the pot, and add the carrot and sweet corn. Simmer for 2-3 min

In bowls, add the noodles and ladle over the hot broth

Sprinkle over the garnish and serve with lime wedges

Smaklig måltid!

Red lentil coconut soup

Happy New Years everyone! Have you made any resolutions for 2013?

I'm not going to promise to post more recipes, but I will try :) I've actually got another resolution regarding food, I'm going to go vegan for a month. 

So why do I want to try going vegan? I've always cooked quite a lot of vegetarian food, and I think that in general we in the Western world eat way too much meat and fish. The main food industry is horrid (please do pay a bit more for your dairy, chicken, pork, beef and seafood to ensure you get animals that are better treated and responsibly sourced!), and there really is no reason to have meat with every meal. Not to mention the impact raising large amount of animals have on the environment, and that we are (permanently) destroying the ecosystem in the oceans by overfishing. In addition, the dairy and egg industry are also treating and keeping animals in awful conditions. So one reason to go vegan is that it is a more ethical and sustainable lifestyle. That said, I'm not against eating animals, we're omnivores, but I think everyone should eat less and that the animals raised for food should be treated well.

Another reason is plain curiosity, can I as a cheese addict survive without eating dairy products for a month? I do anticipate serious withdrawal symptoms and cravings for cheese. Another craving will for sure be for bacon. I also feel that I need a bit of challenge in the kitchen, taking away not only meat/fish, but also dairy and eggs, will definitely give me that challenge. 

I will however continue using my leather bag and shoes during this month. Maybe not very vegan, but I think there are levels of commitment to everything, and it is up to everyone to find a level they're comfortable at. This goes for pretty much for anything in life from recycling to exercising to working. Better to do something than nothing. Getting rid of the bag or shoes I usually use is a waste, I got them already, and buying new ones just for this month doesn't make sense and goes against my general attempt at downsizing my possessions (more on that another time). 

Another thing I'm not going to really bother with is if the wine or beer I drink are vegan. Mostly because there will be very little of either this month as I got a finance exam and crazy amount of work. I'm also skint....

Part of the difficulties with eating vegan for a month is going to be eating out. There are of course vegan restaurants in London, and many others serve at least one vegan dish, but I'm thinking more of having a coffee at work (fingers crossed they'll have soy milk, or I will be (even more) grumpy and tired at work), or having a quick bite on my way to university. 

Another challenge is breakfast. I typically have something like crisp bread with cheese, yogurt or omelette for breakfast, all non-vegan options. I have to admit though that most mornings my breakfast is just coffee with milk.... For when I want something more, I think that probably crisp bread with hummus or a fruity smoothie would work well. 

I will also have to think a bit more about supplements. It can be more difficult to get enough calcium, B12, iron and D vitamin eating a vegan diet, and I will start taking a multi vitamin to ensure I get enough. 

For anyone else thinking of trying a vegan diet, I found helpful tips and food inspiration on Serious eats - The vegan experience, Post punk kitchen, Vegan yum yum, Vegie head, Oh she glows, and Vegan yack attack. 

So from now and for 30 days, until 3rd February, I will try a vegan diet. I'll try to keep the blog updated with my experiences and recipes.

The first vegan recipe for this month is this delicious red lentil coconut soup. It's a bit spicy with sweet coconut and a bit of zing from lime and coriander.

Red lentil coconut soup (serves 4-6)

250 g red lentils

2 yellow onions, chopped

2 peppers (any colour), chopped

1 garlic bulb, finely chopped

2-3 red chillies, finely chopped

3 tbsp fresh ginger, grated

2 tbsp tomato paste

2 tbsp coriander seeds, toasted and ground

1 tbsp curry powder

3 limes, zest and juice

2 tbsp mango chutney

1 pinch of brown or white sugar

2 cans of chopped tomatoes

1 can coconut milk (full-fat, trust me on this, it tastes better and half-fat is just diluted full-fat anyway)

0.5 L water

2 cubes of vegetable stock

0.5 tsp salt

1 bunch of fresh coriander, chopped

oil

Toast the coriander seeds in a dry frying pan for a couple of minutes and then grind to a coarse powder

In a large pot, add onions, garlic, peppers, chillies, ginger, curry, coriander and lime zest. Fry for 4-5 min

Stir in the tomato paste and fry for another 2 min

Rinse the red lentils in cold water, add to the pot

Add the cans of tomatoes and coconut milk, mango chutney and water

Cook at medium to high heat for 10-15 min, stir occasionally

Add the vegetable stock and salt, and simmer for 15-20 min until the red lentils are soft. The reason for not adding the stock and salt from the beginning is that it may result in harder and more bitter lentils. I'm not sure it really makes a difference though....

Using a hand mixer or food processor, blend 3/4 of the soup, reserving 1/4 to keep some chunky bits in the soup

Transfer the soup back to the pot, add more water if it is too thick, and stir in the lime juice and fresh coriander

Taste and adjust by adding more salt or sugar if necessary

Smaklig måltid!

Spiced apple caramels

One of my favourite food blogs is Smitten kitchen, who recently came out with a cook book that I have to get! She recently posted a recipe for apple cider caramels, and this is my slightly adapted version of the recipe. These caramels taste of hot apple cider and are utterly delicious!

I made these tonight to bring with me when I'm going home tomorrow to Sweden to celebrate Christmas. My tiny flat (aka the shoe box) now smells of apple, cinnamon and caramel :)

Merry Christmas and God Jul!

Spiced apple caramels (25-30 caramels)
1 litre of fresh apple juice
2 dl white sugar
1 dl light brown sugar
115 g butter, cut into chunks
1 dl double cream
0.5 tsp cinnamon
1 pinch ginger
1 pinch cardamon
2 tsp flaky sea salt, like Maldon for example

Boil the apple juice in a pan on high heat until its reduced to a dark and thick syrup, about 1.5 dl in volume. This takes 30-40 min. Stir occasionally.

Line the bottom and sides of a 20 cm square baking pan with baking parchment

Once the apple juice has reduced down, remove it from the heat and stir in butter, sugar, cream and all spices except the sea salt

Return the pot to medium to high heat, nad let it boil for 5-15 min. Test that the caramel is ready by dropping a tiny spoonful into a glass of cold water. The caramel is ready when it becomes firm, chewy, and able to plied into a ball.

Remove from the heat, stir in the salt, and then pour the caramel into the prepared pan

Let it sit until cool and firm, then cut into squares either using a sharp kitchen knife that has been oiled with a neutral oil, or using kitchen scissors

Keep in an airtight container at room temperature or in the fridge for up to two weeks.

Smoked salmon, saffron, and orange pirogues

Look who's back :) I've had such a crazy busy autumn with quite an intense mix of work, studying, moving, and although I have been cooking, there just haven't been enough time and energy to also blog about it.

Anyhow, I made these little pirogues or pasties recently. Saffron and oranges are two common flavourings for a lot of typically Swedish Christmas treats. Here I incorporated saffron and oranges with smoked salmon in puff pastry pirogues. The results is a salty tasty treat with a hint of sweet citrusy zest, perfect as a starter or served with drinks. The pirogues can be made the day before, and served cold or hot.

I was lazy and bought puff pastry. If you too feel like not making your own, buy a high-quality all butter puff pastry.

Smoked salmon, saffron and orange piroges (30 mini pirogues)
1-2 packages of puff pastry
300 g smoked salmon
200 g cream cheese
0.5 g saffron
1 dl chives, finely chopped
1 dl dill, finely chopped
1 orange
black pepper
pinch of chili flakes
1 egg, beaten

Heat the oven to 200C

Prepare the saffron; I find it easiest to grind the saffron threads with a pinch of salt using a pestle and mortar to a powder. I then add a little water, this makes it easier to transfer the saffron and infuse it into the other ingredients

Mix salmon, cream cheese, saffron, chives, dill, chili flakes, zest from one orange, and juice from half an orange in food processor to a coarse mix. Season with black pepper.

Roll out the puff pastry, and cut it into squares roughly 4 x 4 cm

Add 1-2 tsp of the filling to each square, fold over the pastry to a triangular shape and join the edges. Crimp the edges using a fork to form a seal

Transfer the pirgoues to a lightly oiled baking tray and brush the top with egg wash

Bake for 10-20 min until golden brown

Transfer to a cooking grid to cool, or serve directly

Smaklig måltid!

Meet Mr Kenwood

I have finally bought myself a food processor, and hopefully that means less blood in the coleslaw and more grated beetroot salads!

I've been ill for the past week, got a pesky cold and nasty cough. I'm feeling really sorry for myself, in particular as it meant that I spent last bank holiday weekend in bed. Not fun :(

Anyhow, since I bought this beautiful machine earlier, I could treat myself to mango milkshakes, yummy! Highly recommended when you feel sorry for yourself. Just blend one ripe and juicy mango with 1-2 generous scoops of vanilla ice cream and enough cold milk to make one pint of tropical sunshine to enjoy :)

Summer holiday and food in Sweden

The beautiful Swedish west coast

 

Back in a hot and sunny London after a fantastic holiday in Sweden. One week full of great times with family and friends, and of course lots of food. Swedish cheeses, sausages, my dad's BBQ pork, crayfish, filmjölk (soured milk, you eat like yoghurt for breakfast), cinnamon and cardamon buns, salty licorice, my mum's citrus aioli, chantarelles, raspberries, fermented herring, licorice ice cream....

I know, it sounds like I did nothing but eat, but in between all meals I also managed to visit the west coast with both my Swedish and Danish family, my home town Uppsala, and Stockholm, and see lots of my friends and their kids, including the newest addition, the tiny 5 day old son of two of my best and oldest friends. Not bad for one week ;)

Here's a couple of pictures from my holiday

Grundsund on the west coast

Reimersholme in Stockholm, where I had ice coffee and cardamon buns with Sofia by the water just outside her flat

Beef cheeks with truffle potato mash at Rolf's kitchen in Stockholm with Sigrid. Read her blog (Swedish only) here

My parents place outside Uppsala

Toast with chantarelles - possibly the best thing ever

Raggmunk - Swedish potato pancakes with bacon and lingon berries

Fermented herring on crisp bread with fresh potatoes and red onion - and of course schnapps

My grandma's beautiful raspberry cake

Peanut butter truffles

 

I'm going home to Sweden today for one week, so looking forward to just relaxing and meeting family and friends! I wanted to bring a small treat home with me, and decided to make salted caramel chili chocolate truffles. That does sound awesome, doesn't it? As you may have noticed though, this post is not called salted caramel chili chocolate truffles...

The reason is that I couldn't get the caramel to work. Seriously annoying, it shouldn't be that difficult! The first batch I had too much water in as I decided to freestyle and not read any recipes before. Second batch I burned and then spent 20 min cursing as I tried to get the caramel mess out of the pot. Third batch, well, the less that is said about the third batch the better. Then I was out of sugar, and patience. Clearly this was not the day to make caramel!

So what to do instead? I was after that combination of salt and sweet and chocolate, so what could I do instead? Peanut butter truffles of course! I tweaked this recipe from Joy of baking, and it was so easy to do, no pesky caramel to make, and are crunchy, salty and sweet. Quite like one of my favourite sweets from the US, Reese's peanut butter cups.

Have a great weekend wherever you are, I'm going on vacaaaaaaation :)

Peanut butter truffles (makes approx 30 truffles)
300 g of crunchy peanut butter
30 g of butter
approx 1-2 dl icing sugar
approx 1-2 tsp salt
200 g dark chocolate (60-70%), chopped

Add peanut butter and butter to a bowl, and microwave for 1 min to soften. This could be done in a pot on the stove as well

Combine well, then add enough sugar to make a loose dough that can be easily rolled

Add salt to taste. Obviously adding the sugar in the step above will make it sweeter, and if you're a salt aficionado like me, you need to balance it with adding more salt

Roll the dough into balls and leave on tray in the freezer for 1h or overnight

Melt the chocolate

Dip the peanut butter balls in the chocolate and place on a baking sheet

Leave in the fridge for 1 h

Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or freeze

Merguez and feta sandwich with tomato jam and pickled red onion

Not to brag, but this could possibly be one of the best sandwiches ever. Spicy sausage with salty feta, sweet tomato jam with middle eastern spices, tart pickled red onions and the zing of fresh mint. Yummy yummy yummy.

I've posted the recipe for pickled red onions before, see below for the recipe for the tomato jam. This tomato jam has a middle eastern touch, with cardamon and cinnamon. If preserved properly, it will last for a long time, otherwise use within one week. Tomato jam is great on sandwiches, or together with poached eggs or an omelette. Basically anything you can serve with ketchup, you can serve with tomato jam instead.

Merguez and feta sandwich with tomato jam and pickled red onion (serves 1)
1 ciabatta or small baguette, toasted
1 merguez sausage (I bought mine from the great butcher at Natural kitchen in Marylebone), fried and sliced
feta cheese, sliced
salad leaves of your choice, for example iceberg, ruccola, spinach or little gem
tomato jam
pickled red onion
fresh mint, chopped

Toast the bread in the oven or in a frying pan, drizzle the bread with a little olive oil

Add salad leaves and tomato jam, then merguez sausage and feta cheese

Top with pickled red onion and fresh mint leaves

Tomato jam
1 kg of tomatoes, chopped
1 dl brown sugar
1 red onion, finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 large lemon, zest and juice
3 bay leaves
2 star anise
5 cardamon pods
1 tbsp salt
5 cm fresh ginger, grated
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp chili flakes
0.5 tsp cinnamon
0.5 tsp black pepper

For the tomato jam, combine all ingredients in a medium sized pot

Bring to the boil, and then turn down the heat to a simmer

Let simmer for 1-2 h, stirring occasionally, until it has a thick and jammy consistency

Taste and adjust the seasoning

Add to clean glass jars and store in the fridge for up to a week

Pasta with green pea pesto and feta cheese

I think I have mentioned previously that I'm going to start on a part-time MBA program in September. I love science, but I want to learn more about business and finance and hopefully that will give me more opportunities in the future.

Anyhow, the MBA tuition fee isn't exactly cheap, so right now I need to save a lot of money. Fingers crossed, I might get a scholarship, but otherwise I'll have to live on quite a restricted budget for the next two years. One area I need to spend less money on is food. I'm already quite good at saving money when it comes to food as I cook most of my own meals for example and I try to eat according to the seasons (so no expensive strawberries in January for example). Still, I need to improve. So from now on (or actually since beginning of the summer, this is a recipe I did earlier but didn't manage to post at the time), this will be a gourmet on the cheap blog. It is possibly to eat great food for very little money.

This dish is one example that food doesn't have to cost a lot, or be complicated to do, to be delicious. I used one of my staples, frozen green peas, in this dish. If you have fresh green peas you can use that instead, but green peas is one of the few vegetables that I think freeze really well.

I use the term 'pesto' in the loosest possible way here, as there is no pine nuts or parmesan in this recipe, just peas, basil, onions and spices blended to a 'pesto' like sauce.

Pasta with green pea pesto and feta cheese (serves 4-6)
500 g pasta, I used conchiglie
5 (3 +2) dl green peas, fresh or frozen
1 yellow onion, finely diced
3 garlic cloves, finely diced
1 lemon, zest
1 tsp lemon juice
1 dl chicken stock
1 pinch of chili flakes
2 dl fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
200 g feta cheese, diced
olive oil
salt and pepper

Start with heating up a large pot with salted water for the pasta.

Add the pasta to the boiling water.

While the pasta cooks, prepare the sauce.

If you use frozen peas, cover the peas with boiling water for 1 min, then drain

In a frying pan, saute the onion, garlic, chili flakes and lemon zest for a couple of minutes.

Add 3 dl of peas and the chicken stock to the frying pan, simmer for a couple of minutes

Add the peas with the stock and spices to a blender, add the basil, lemon juice and a drizzle of olive oil and mix to a smooth consistency. Taste, and add more salt, pepper, or lemon juice if required.

Drain the pasta, stir in the pea pesto, 2 dl green peas, and the feta cheese.

Smaklig måltid!

Pizza with radicchio and gorgonzola

I and my sister J went to Sardinia for a weekend earlier this year. We both live abroad, I in London and J in Århus in Denmark. We see each other a couple of times a year, but I do miss my sister and want to see her more. So last year we decided to start going for a weekend away just the two of us once a year instead of buying Christmas and birthday presents. The first sister weekend was this year in Alghero on Sardinia. We had a lovely time, despite quite a lot of rain, and of course we had a lot of good food. In Alghero I had one of the best pizzas I ever had was with radicchio and gorgonzola.

When I got home, I decided to try to recreate it. The recipes I used for the pizza dough and tomato sauce are both recommendations from J, who got them from the Swedish food magazine Allt om mat The result was great, with crisp thin dough topped with slightly bitter radicchio and cheesy gorgonzola. Yum yum yum.

The recipe below is for one large pizza. Any leftover dough can be used to make bread rolls or can be frozen and used later. Likewise leftover tomato sauce can be used on pasta or frozen to be used another day.

Pizza with radicchio and gorgonzola (serves 2)
Pizza dough
3 dl water
15 g dried yeast, I use Sainsbury's fast action dried yeast
4 dl strong flour
1.25 tsp salt
1.25 tbsp olive oil

Tomato sauce
1 can of whole tomatoes of good quality
1 garlic clove, minced
5 tbsp olive oil
0.5 tsp black pepper
1 tsp sugar
2 bay leaves
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp oregano
1 sprig of fresh rosemary
salt

Topping
4 small radicchio heads, roughly chopped
250 g gorgonzola, cubed
100 g mozzarella, sliced
olive oil
black pepper

Start by making the dough by mixing flour with yeast and salt.

Heat up the water to 45C and add to the flour mix. Knead the dough for 10-20 min. If necessary, add more flour

Add the olive oil to the dough and knead for another 5 min. The dough should be elastic and easy to work with. Add additional flour if necessary

Cover with a tea towel and leave to prove for 40 min

Take up the dough and knead for a couple of minutes and then divide the dough into two balls. Lightly dust the dough with flour and leave on a tray covered with a lightly damp tea towel to prove for another hour

While the dough is proving, make the tomato sauce

First lightly fry the garlic in the olive oil in a medium sized pot

Add all spices, herbs and sugar and saute for 1 min, then add the tomatoes. Lightly crush the tomatoes

Cover the pot with a lid, and simmer the sauce on low heat for 30 min

Mix the sauce using a blender or stick blender to a smooth consistency. Add salt to taste. Let the sauce cool down before use

Heat up the oven to 300C. If you have a pizza stone, heat it up, otherwise do like I did and heat up a large flat oven tray

With a rolling pin, roll out one of the dough balls into a thin rectangular shape the same size as the oven tray for one large pizza. I do this on a baking sheet dusted with flour, as I think it makes it easier to transfer the pizza to the oven tray. If one dough ball is not enough, use also part of the other one. Otherwise you can freeze the leftover dough for another day

Cover lightly with tomato sauce. Don't add a thick layer, as it will usually make the pizza too doughy and it won't cook properly

Drizzle the radicchio with olive oil and sprinkle it over the pizza. It will look like a lot of radicchio, but it will wilt and shrink when it's cooking. Sprinkle over the cheese

Take out the hot tray or pizza stone from the oven, slide on the pizza and put it back in the oven

Cook for 5-10 min

Sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper

Smaklig måltid!

Glorious food in China

Jingshaling Great Wall of China

I went to China for the second time for three weeks in May. The main reason for the trip was my friend P's wedding in SuZhou, a beautiful city close to Shanghai. The wedding was amazing, with a banquet with 18 dishes including lobster! After SuZhou I first went to HangZhuo and did a walk around the West lake there. The day after, I jumped on the bullet train up to Beijing. I had a great time in Beijing, it's an interesting city with lots to see and experience, including of course trips to the Great Wall. However, it's quite polluted so I decided to go down to Qingdao on the coast for a bit of fresh air and time on the beach. My last stop was in Shanghai, another vibrant city and quite a contrast to the more traditional Beijing.

It was interesting to see another side of China, as the first time I went to China I was mainly in the southwest regions, Sichuan and Yunnan and did lots of trekking in the mountains, this time it was mainly the big cities. The only trekking I did was 2 days on the Great Wall, and let me tell you, that is hard work! It is so incredibly steep and lots of endless steps. But the views are well worth it. All in all, a fantastic trip with great experiences and memories, and of course food. Some of the food I had are below.

Won ton soup

Soup dumplings, a speciality in SuZhou and Shanghai, filled with hot soup and a pork meatball. Delicious, but tricky to eat without scalding yourself....

Sichuan dandan noodles and dry fried green beans

 

Peking duck - a must when you're in Beijing

For something different: Korean bulgogi and kimchi

 

Spicy noodle soup and cool sesame marinated cucumber

Best breakfast with a view: Soup dumplings at People's square in Shanghai

Dim sum

Very spicy Hunan dishes: Pork with green beans, and spicy aubergine

Lovely tapas at Opera Tavern

Padron peppers

A couple of months ago, I went with my sister and brother-in-law to the Opera tavern. Opera tavern, in a converted pub close to Covent Garden, and serves Italian and Spanish influenced tapas. After reading lots of great reviews about the Opera tavern from other food blogs like a A girl has to eat and the blog from a fellow London Swede, Matarkivet, I had to go there.

We went early on a Friday evening, and were seated upstairs in the relaxed and airy dining room. We started off with a very well deserved G&T, and then it was time for tapas heaven. In addition to traditional dishes like Padron peppers, a must for me anytime I can find them on a menu, some of the more memorable dishes we ordered were goat cheese filled courgette flowers and of course the mini Iberico pork and foie gras slider. The courgette flowers is one of my favourite dishes also found at Saltyard, not suprisingly as both restaurants are run by the same people.

Courgette flowers filled with goat cheese

The Iberico pork and foie gras mini burger must be one of the most written about dishes in London during the last year, and I had very high expectations. I must say every expectation was fulfilled, it was glorious, meaty, and delicious! Probably one of the best burgers you can have in London.

 

Iberico pork and foie gras sliders

Other dishes that really stood out was the desserts, like a divine creamy ice cream with rosemary and rhubarb, and great combination of beetroot and chocolate.

Ice cream with rosemary and rhubarb

Beetroot and chocolate combination

All in all it was very enjoyable meal and I'll be happy to go back there and try more of their dishes. And of course have one more of those sliders....

Potato gnocchi with tomato sauce

I've tried making gnocchi before, and it was a disaster. Instead of beautiful fluffy potato pillows, I got chewy and doughy clumps...., quite disgusting. I wanted to give gnocchi another go, and after reading loads of different recipes, I decided to use one of my food heroes, Jamie Oliver's, recipe. This recipe use baked potatoes instead of boiled potatoes, the idea is that this will result in drier and fluffier potatoes for the gnocchi, thus requiring less flour and lighter gnocchi. I was so right to trust Jamie, the result was great! I served the gnocchi with tomato sauce and Parmesan, but if you want to be really indulgent, serve with Gorgonzola cheese and fried sage....

If you aren't cooking all the gnocchi, they can be frozen on a tray. Once frozen, they can be stored in bags and then cooked by dropping directly into boiling water for 1-2 min, super easy when you need a quick meal.

Gnocchi with tomato sauce (serves 4)
Gnocchi
750 g potatoes
1-2 egg yolks (1 large or 2 small)
1 tsp salt
1-2 dl flour
0.5 tsp black pepper
1 pinch grated nutmeg

Tomato sauce
1 can of high quality tomatoes
1 garlic bulb, cloves sliced in thin sections
1 tbsp capers, finely chopped
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp fresh basil, finely chopped
0.5 tsp dried oregano
1 bay leaf
1 pinch of chili flakes
1 pinch of sugar
salt and black pepper

olive oil

Parmesan cheese, grated
black pepper

Bake the potatoes at 225C for about an hour until soft

While the potatoes are cooking, make the tomato sauce. First saute the garlic in olive oil in a pot on gentle heat for 2-3 min, then add the capers and chili flakes. Saute for another minute, then add tomatoes, tomato paste, vinegar, sugar, and herbs. Simmer for 30 min. Add water during the cooking if the sauce starts to get to thick or dry. Add salt and black pepper to taste.

Let the potatoes cool slightly, and then, while they are still warm, scoop out the flesh. Put the potatoes through a ricer or sieve into a large bowl

Add the egg yolk(s), salt, pepper, and nutmeg, stir into the potatoes. Add enough flour to bind the mixture until you have a doughy consistency. The dough should keep together, but be soft and supple without being wet or sticky. Be careful not to add too much flour as the more flour added the firmer the gnocchi will be.

Divide the dough into three parts, and on a flour dusted surface, roll each part out into long roll around 2 cm wide

Cut the rolls into 1-2 cm long pieces, and using a fork lightly press down on each piece to make a ribbed pattern

Let the gnocchi rest for 10-15 min on a floured tray.

Cook the gnocchi in gently boiling salted water for 1-2 min, or until they float to the surface

Serve with the tomato sauce, a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese and freshly ground black pepper

Smaklig måltid!