You've probably heard it said that if you don't like tofu then it's because you don't know how to cook it or haven't tried it cooked properly.
Welcome to the recipe post that's sure to turn any tofu hatred into an epic love saga.
I was inspired to try this after seeing a post by @southernveganeats on Instagram. Hers was more of a dry rub of spices + orange. My take on it goes the gooey, sticky, finger-licking route.
The ingredients are so simple, you won't believe it.
Although I used an air fryer to crisp up my tofu, by all means go ahead and use your oven if you don't have one. Air fryers are a cool kitchen gadget to have if you have the extra counter space and want to save a tad bit more cooking time.
I served mine with a side of sticky rice and home-grown kale. Other suggested ways to serve: tossed with noodles or thrown into a salad. Whichever way, the tofu will be the star - guaranteed.
Ingredients (serves 4)
- 1 large block of extra firm tofu (about 400g), diced into bite-size cubes
- 1 tbsp sunflower oil
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 5 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1-2 tbsp ginger, finely chopped
- juice from 4-5 large oranges
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 vegetable stock cube
Air-fry or oven bake the diced tofu for 15 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius until crispy.
Shepherd's pie (also known as cottage pie) is traditionally a meat based pie with a mashed potato crust/topping. I was drawn to making a vegan version, and at first considered using sweet potatoes instead of regular white potatoes for the topping. But then I thought that it was only right to put a proper spin on it. It wasn't a long stretch for my brain to travel from sweet potatoes to sweet plantains. (Have you seen how obsessed with plantains I am??) And so this little number was born.
Underneath the layers of delectably soft and crispy sliced plantain is a rich sauce that I loaded with green lentils, mushrooms, carrots, sweetcorn and red onion. There's a healthy kick thanks to the addition of scotch bonnet and the whole thing pays homage to a traditional Nigerian red stew.
I hope you're inspired to try this recipe out for yourself. If you do, please share it online and tag @vegannigerian. It'll put the biggest smile on my face :)
Ingredients (Serves 8-10)
- 1 tin chopped tomatoes
- 1 large red bell pepper
- 1 scotch bonnet pepper
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 tbsp sunflower or coconut oil
- 1 red onion (chopped)
- 200g chestnut mushrooms (roughly diced)
- 4 large carrots (diced)
- 100g sweetcorn
- 1 tbsp curry powder
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- Salt to taste
- 2 tbsp cornflour
- 500g cooked green lentils
- 4 stalks green onions (chopped)
- 3 yellow (ripe) plantains
1. Preheat the oven to 180C.
2. Rinse the plantains thoroughly and cut off the tops and tails. Make a shallow slit down one side of each plantain then cut each plantain (with the skin still on) into three large pieces. Place the pieces in a pot of boiling water and allow to simmer for about 10-15 minutes until the plantain softens. Drain and set aside.
3. Place the chopped tomatoes, red bell pepper, scotch bonnet pepper and garlic cloves in a food blender and mix until smooth.
5. Add the blended tomato/pepper mix to the saucepan and season with curry powder, thyme and a dash of salt.
6. In a small bowl, mix the cornflour with about 4-5 tablespoons of water to form a runny paste. Add it to the saucepan and stir well to combine. This will help the sauce to thicken.
7. Allow the sauce to simmer on medium-low heat for about 15 minutes or until the sauce has thickened slightly. Add the cooked lentils and half of the chopped spring onions. Stir to combine. Transfer the filling to a large oven dish.
8. The plantain should be cool enough to handle now. Peel each piece and slice each one into thick rounds. Arrange the plantain rounds over the top of the filling to cover the entire oven dish.
9. Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes. The top of the plantain should brown nicely and if not, you can pop it under the grill for 1-2 minutes for a crispier finish.
10. Serve piping hot with the rest of the spring onions sprinkled on top for garnish. Goes great with a fresh side salad and wholewheat bread rolls.
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During this lockdown, it seems that everyone is rolling up their sleeves and baking up a storm. Whether it's getting in on the sourdough bread craze, or making a batch of brownies to comfort eat our way through these uncertain times.
Still, there are some who are struggling to find any flour at their local supermarkets (ongoing panic buying?) and therefore deprived of the therapeutic joys of whisking up a cake batter.
Over the last few weeks, I've shared recipes for orange cake and coffee walnut cake. For every comment or message from someone saying how much they've enjoyed the recipe, there's been a comment to lament the lack of flour in the store cupboard.
I've compiled a list of savoury and sweet snack ideas that do not require any flour whatsoever. Flourless delights, if you will. I hope it gives you some ideas and satisfies those quarantine cravings.
Cauliflower wings, cauliflower bites, crispy cauliflower... whatever you want to call it, they're amazing and worth making.
The spices used can be customised to suit your taste - whether you want something mild (mixed herbs, cumin etc) or fiery (cayenne pepper, paprika, etc) - so feel free to play around with different combinations until you discover your signature flavour. I've gone for a combination that's heavy on the garlic and heavy on the heat.
I am yet to make these in an air fryer, but I imagine you'll get solid results. If you decide to bake them, spray with a little oil before baking and make sure the florets are spread out evenly on the baking tray.
As always, share your wonderful cooking trials with me over on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter (tag @VeganNigerian) so that I can repost and share the food love.
Have a fabulous weekend,
Tomi x
Ingredients
(serves 2-4)
- 16 cauliflower florets
- 1/2 cup plain flour
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tsp fenugreek
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2-3 cloves garlic (finely chopped or grated)
- sunflower/vegetable oil for frying
Place the florets in a pot of cold water (enough to cover the cauliflower) and boil for 10 minutes until slightly softened. Drain and place in a large bowl.
Add the flour and spices. Toss gently to coat the florets evenly.
Heat some oil in a frying pan and fry the florets in small batches, allowing them turn golden brown and crispy on all sides (you may need to turn the heat down to medium-high to prevent burning).
Serve on its own or with a dipping sauce as a snack. Or serve as a side dish to your main meal. Enjoy!
Pop a few next to your jollof rice... utter deliciousness!
Remember when kale chips were all the rage? I have visions of the mounds of kale chips we used to make daily at the vegan restaurant I worked in back in 2016. We'd use it to garnish meals; we'd serve it in small bowls to put on the restaurant tables as a snack. I massaged and seasoned my way through more mounds of kale than I care to admit.
Kale chips haven't gone out of style for me. And on days when I need to use up yellowing bunches of kale, this is my go-to for a quick, healthy, moorish snack.
The chips need to be baked at a low temperature (think the temperature of a dehydrator) but if I'm impatient, I give them a 10-15 minute blast in the oven at 160 degrees celsius. At 110-120 degrees celsius, you'd be looking at 25-30 minutes.
The very easy process is as follows:
1) Wash the kale under cold water.
2) Pick the leaves off the stalk.
3) Add a bit of oil, seasoning and salt. Mix to coat the leaves.
4) Spread the kale leaves out on a baking sheet and bake for 15-30 minutes, checking periodically to remove any that crisp up faster than others.
Some of the seasoning I like to use (in various combinations):
- salt
- black pepper
- lemon/lime juice
- nutritional yeast
- chilli flakes
- hot sauce
- curry powder
- ginger powder
- garlic powder
If I make a large batch, I like to store my kale chips in an airtight container for up to 2 days. (I usually eat it all in one sitting though!)
A few weeks ago, I saw a post on Twitter that joked about pulling out a can of sliced pineapples from under the bed to surprise someone on their birthday during the coronavirus crisis. Rather post-apocalyptic. I had a little chuckle because I thought it was so over the top. If I'm being honest, the severity of the crisis hadn't hit hard yet. Fast forward to now, living through a lockdown, and this scenario doesn't seem so far-fetched.
It was my mum's birthday this past week and because your girl's got mad skills, there was not a tin of fruit in sight. Instead, I made this beaut of a cake: two layers of orange flavoured sponge cake with orange buttercream frosting.
The ingredient quantities make up enough for a two-layer, 8-inch round sandwich cake. Feel free to halve the quantity for a one-layer cake. The buttercream is just enough to spread in the middle and on the top. For a rustic 'naked cake' effect, you can smear small amounts around the outside.
If you'd like to have some virtual company and bake along with me, you can prep all your ingredients and check out my YouTube video. Let's bake together!
And if you do make this cake, share a picture of it online and tag me @vegannigerian so that I can repost :)
Ingredients for the cakes
- 5 cups self-raising flour
- 2 and 1/2 cups caster sugar
- pinch of salt
- 2 cups vegan milk (I used Alpro coconut)
- 1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
- 1 cup sunflower or vegetable oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- zest from 4 medium oranges
- juice from 1/2 medium orange (for syrup)
for the orange buttercream
- 2 cups icing sugar
- 1/2 cup vegan margarine
- zest from 1 medium orange
for garnish
- 3 semi-dehydrated orange slices
- fresh mint
Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
To make the cakes, combine the flour, sugar and salt in a very large bowl. Set aside.
In another bowl or large jug, combine the vegan milk, orange juice, oil, vanilla extract and vinegar. Whisk to combine.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and fold gently with a spatula until just combined. Add the orange zest and fold again to distribute. Be careful not to over mix.
Prepare 2 round 8-inch round cake tins, coating the insides with a dab of vegan margarine and dusting with a little flour to prevent sticking. Use a round of baking paper at the bottom of the tins if you have any to spare.
Divide the cake batter evenly between the two cake tins. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until golden brown and cooked all the way through (a toothpick stuck in the centre of the cake should come out clean).
Once the cakes are out of the oven, leave to cool slightly before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Drizzle the extra orange juice onto both cakes. This will soak into the cake and act as a syrup to keep them moist and enhance the orange flavour.
While the cakes are cooling, prepare the buttercream and garnish. To make the buttercream, combine the icing sugar, vegan margarine and orange zest in a mixing bowl and whisk until smooth and creamy (I used an electric hand whisk to seed up the process).
Prepare the garnish orange slices by baking them at 120 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes until they are semi-dehydrated. The idea is to draw out most of the moisture so that it doesn't make a mess of the buttercream.
Assemble the cake by spreading half of the buttercream between the cakes and the other half over the top. Decorate with orange slices and a sprig of fresh mint.
How's everyone coping with the lockdown? Hope you're thriving and resting and enjoying delicious home-made grub. Here's another recipe to add to your list of things to try: aubergine 'nuggets'.
A snack idea that's simple to make, melt-in-the-mouth and totally delectable. They're dairy-free and egg-free (of course) and can be adapted to suit a gluten-free diet.
I made a batch of these nuggets for my family recently and they loved it, so do give it a try and share your attempts on social media, tagging @VeganNigerian so I can repost.
As you'll see in the ingredient list below, I used spices that may seem unusual and uncommon. That's simply because I happen to have them in my kitchen cupboard and felt like experimenting. Feel free to use whatever you have available at home.
Ingredients (serves 4)
- 1 large aubergine
- 500ml water
- 1/2 cup plain flour or wholegrain flour or gluten-free flour
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp fenugreek
- 1/2 tsp mace
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- salt
- sunflower oil
Peel and cut the aubergine into large nugget pieces. Submerge them in a simple brine mixture of water and salt (to taste).
In a large bowl, mix the flour with the seasonings/spices of your choice.
Heat some sunflower oil in a large frying pan - enough for shallow frying.
Shake off the excess water from each nugget and dip each piece in the flour mixture to coat completely. Place in the hot oil and fry on both sides on medium-high heat until golden brown. Depending on the size of your pan, you can fry multiple pieces at the same time. Drain on kitchen paper to remove any excess oil. Serve warm with a sauce of your choice.
In this era of self-isolation and social distancing during the coronavirus crisis, a lot more of us will be cooking and baking. I recommend this as a way to stay busy, learn a new skill, manage anxiety and/or expand your recipe repertoire.
As much as we should be choosing healthy, immune-boosting meals where possible, there will no doubt be moments where we want a cheeky treat. I had such a craving this weekend and this vegan coffee and walnut cake absolutely hit the spot. It's easy to make, perfectly sweet, moist and balanced in flavour. It's the ideal sharing snack if you're in quarantine with family or housemates. If you're isolating solo, even more for you to enjoy over the course of a week or two.
If you do try this cake, be sure to take a pic and tag me on social media @VeganNigerian.
In a large bowl, combine the flour and brown sugar. Set aside.
Heat up about 50ml of the dairy-free milk and dissolve the instant coffee granules in it. Combine with the rest of the milk in a large jug/bowl and whisk in the vanilla extract and sunflower oil.
Add the wet ingredients to the flour and sugar. Fold and combine gently to form a smooth batter.
Pour the batter into a lightly greased or lined baking tray (12" x 9") and sprinkle the chopped walnuts over the top. Bake for 25 minutes at 160 degrees Celsius. Leave to cool before slicing into squares.
