Spicy tofu peanut stew

A few weeks ago I took my other half away for a long weekend in North Wales. We stayed at an amazing retreat called Trigonos, which serves incredibly imaginative and tasty vegetarian and vegan food. On the first night we stayed there we were served a really good tofu tomato and peanut stew. As I didn't write down the ingredients I could taste at the time and my other half has swanned off to Indonesia, I had to try to guess what was in it. I am pretty pleased with the outcome, and will happily attempt it again.

The peanut butter really thickens up the sauce and gives it a very luxurious texture. I used 100% peanut butter with no added oil/sugar/salt as I find the normal sugary peanut butters too sweet. I did however add sugar to the recipe to sweeten the tomatoes, so you can use whatever peanut butter you have in your cupboard. If you have decent quality tinned tomatoes or sugary peanut butter you could completely miss out the sugar.

Spicy tofu peanut stew

Serves 2
Olive oil
Half a block of tofu (I used Cauldron firm tofu), chopped into 2cm pieces
1/4 aubergine, chopped into 2cm pieces
 1 large handful kale
2 chestnut mushrooms
1 can chopped tomatoes
1 tablespoon chunky peanut butter (I used no Meridian no added sugar/salt)
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 vegetable stock cube
40ml soya milk (or alternative)
1tsp sugar (optional, depending on your peanut butter and quality of chopped tomatoes)
1tsp chilli flakes
1/2 tsp paprika
a few dashes of soy sauce

1. Heat a splash of olive oil in a saucepan over a medium/high heat and add the tofu
2. Cook for around 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until the tofu has begun to brown
3. Add a few splashes of soy sauce to add colour to the tofu
4. Add the aubergines and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally
5. Add the garlic, chopped tomatoes, stock cube, peanut butter, sugar, paprika and chilli flakes
6. Turn the heat down to low/medium and cover the pan
7. After 5 minutes, add the kale and soya milk, and taste to check seasoning and adjust if necessary
8. Cook for a further 3-4 minutes or until the kale is cooked with a little bite
9. Serve with rice or bulghar wheat (as above)

Melanzane alla Parmigiana with butterbean salad

I'm going away to Snowdonia this weekend. We are staying in  place called Trigonos. It has its own organic farm, with space for workshops, conferences and classes, overlooking a lake and surrounded by the most beautiful mountains. I can't wait! The food is all vegetarian, unless specially requested, which is a welcome change. I have heard amazing things about the food at Trigonos so I am really looking forward to eating there. My next post I'm sure will be raving about the quality and standard of the place.

But more to the present, I cooked Melanzane alla Parmigiana for my lovely friend Erin who came around last night. The translation means aubergine, tomato and Parmesan bake, and the recipe was taken from the BBC Good Food website.

The topping looks like all cheese but in fact it is an egg with a sprinking of Parmesan. This meal is also unintentionally wheat free.

Melanzane alla Parmigiana with butterbean salad

Serves 2
2 garlic cloves, crushed and chopped
Splash of olive oil
1 400g carton passata
1 aubergine, cut into long, 5mm thick slices
Large handful of spinach
 85g Parmesan (or vegetarian alternative), freshly grated
20g pack basil , leaves torn
1 free range egg , beaten

1 400g can butterbeans
Half red onion, finely chopped
Half red bell pepper, finely chopped
Half lemon
Fresh basil leaves, torn
Fresh spinach, chopped
Splash balsamic vinegar
Splash olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Salad leaves

1. Heat oven to 200C. In a shallow pan, mix together the garlic and the olive oil. Cook over a high heat for 3 minutes, tip in the tomatoes, then simmer for 8 minutes, stirring every now and then.  
2. Meanwhile, heat a griddle pan until very hot. Brush a few of the aubergines with a little oil, then add to the pan. Cook over a high heat until well browned and cooked through, about 5-7 mins. Turn them halfway through cooking. Lift onto kitchen paper and do the next batch.
3. When all the aubergines are cooked, lay a few of them in the bottom of an ovenproof dish, then spoon over some sauce. Sprinkle with Parmesan, spinach and basil leaves. Add seasoning, then repeat this process with the remaining ingredients. Finally, pour the egg over the top, sprinkle over a little more Parmesan, then bake for 20 minutes or until the topping is golden. 
4. Meanwhile, mix the chopped onion and lemon juice together (this will take the edge off the onion).
5. Mix in the rest of the ingredients below and set aside.
6. To dress the salad leaves, make extra dressing out of the lemon, basil, balsamic vinegar, olive oil and seasoning, or use a little from the butterbean salad. 

We also had really good Ecuadorian dark ginger chocolate, and white needle, lily and jasmine blooming tea for afters, mmmm

Sicilian smoked paprika aubergine, olive and tomato spaghetti

Today I made the mistake of waltzing into a gym class without looking at the description. I saw Body Pump, so I thought aerobics, some heart pumping exercises... how wrong was I. Now I realise 'pump' probably stands for 'pumping iron', I was sandwiched between a bunch of ripped men and women, having to do bench presses and squats for an entire hour. I can still barely lift my arms, so I needed something comforting, carby and quick to cook when I got home.

This recipe ticked all the boxes, with very few ingredients and good full bodied flavours. I have called the recipe Sicilian because it was a take on a Jamie Oliver Caponata recipe, which can be found here: Incredible Sicilian aubergine stew. I also found a really good looking recipe by Sophie Dahl, which I will hopefully be testing out soon Sophie Dahl's spicy aubergine and tomato with poached eggs.

Sicilian smoked paprika aubergine, olive and tomato spaghetti

 Serves 2-3
Olive oil
1 medium purple aubergine, cut into 2cm cubes
1 large garlic clove, crushed and chopped finely
1 red onion, chopped roughly
1 can chopped Italian tomatoes
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
Splash balsamic vinegar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Handful olives, chopped roughly
100g wholemeal spaghetti
70g rocket leaves
1/2 avocado
Lemon juice

1. Heat a splash of olive oil in a medium sized saucepan over a medium heat and throw in the aubergine with a pinch of salt. Shake the pan every so often to ensure the aubergine doesn't burn, and so it colours on every side (about 4-5 minutes).
2.  Place the wholemeal spaghetti in a pan of boiling, slightly salted water and cover. Turn down the heat and leave at a rolling boil. Keep an eye on it to ensure it doesn't bubble over. (Note: if you are using white pasta, it will take around 5 minutes less to cook, depending on the brand, so start this step after you have completed the next step)
3. Add the red onion and garlic to the aubergine, and leave to cook through for another 5-6 minutes, or until the onions begin to turn translucent.
4. Throw in a splash of balsamic vinegar and let this evaporate away.
5. Add the smoked paprika, black pepper, olives and chopped tomatoes. Turn the heat down to low and let it simmer for about 10 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, wash some rocket leaves (or the salad leaves of your choice) and dice up some ripe avocado. Squeeze some lemon juice on the salad to stop the avocado turning brown.
7. The pasta should be al dente now, so check it is cooked and drain.
8. Check the seasoning of your sauce and adjust if necessary, and pour over your cooked pasta. Mix all together and serve with the salad.