Monday 16 May 2011

Big breakfast Vegan Fry Up

Squash, Aubergine, Mushrooms and Beetroot

Here in Brit land we have a time honoured tradition of a hearty breakfast, often eaten around 11.00am so becoming brunch.  Here's what I rustled up over the weekend - the choice of vegetable is pretty open really, on this occasion I added broccoli at the last few minutes, and some tasty beetroot sauce.  The whole thing took less than 20 mins to prepare.


Ingredients
Per person (amount is approx - depends on appetite!)
3 chestnut mushrooms - sliced
1 or 2 slices of organic pumpernickle per person
1 small aubergine (or a couple of slices off a large one)
2 slices of butternut squash - 1 cm
2 slices beetroot - half cm
3 broccoli florettes
1 tablespoon cold pressed (virgin) oil
Seasoning

Put oil in heavy frying pan on medium heat

Breakfast Fry Up with Beetroot sauce
Saute mushrooms for 3 mins or till browned then put in covered dish in a warm oven

Add aubergine, squash and beetroot - saute for about 10 mins, turning once

Place the vegetables in oven when they are soft

Fry pumpernickle 1 min on each side

Add a drizzle of more oil if required at any point.
Put pumpernickle on plate and add broccoli to pan with a little water.

Cover and steam for 3 or 4 mins whilst you arrange the rest of the food on the plate.

Beetroot may be liquidised with a little water, umeboshi and soya sauce to make a smooth condiment
Enjoy

Sunday 24 April 2011

Quick delicious sushi

For the recipe for perfect brown rice - see the tab above "easy basic meal 45 mins"

Have you got any sheets of nori in your cupboard?  If so you can easily make sushi with left-over ingredients.  The filling can vary and natural condiments make it very tasty.

Quick brown rice sushi
I had a small piece of salmon left over from a meal out - too good to waste, I brought it home and later for tea I wrapped it in nori and seasoned rice along with some rocket, and ginger umeboshi pickles, although any naturally fermented pickle (eg gherkins) will do. (Buy the one's from the Polish section at Morrisons - they contain only cucumber, salt, garlic and dill and the water goes cloudy when you shake the jar.)

Hold firmly, and gently squeeze when rolling Sushi
I seasoned the rice with umeboshi sauce and brown rice vinegar, then topped off the final result with a squeeze of lime juice and a pinch of gomasio.  A squeeze of lemon and a pinch of sea salt would be just as good.

Once you have laid out the ingredients, roll up keeping firm by gently squeezing, and seal with water.
Then you can slice it with a wet sharp knife.


Adding a miso soup would be nice with this, and you can follow it with some delicious desert. Voila you have a full tea-time meal.  I had left a portion of macrobiotic strawberry apple jelly topped with tofu cream and roasted almonds, mm mm.

Macrobiotic meal

Serve with miso soup or else followed by plain Japanese Bancha Tea

Sunday 17 April 2011

Apricot Amaranth Breakfast

1/4 cup dried apricots
1/2 cup amaranth
water
Breakfast - usually needs to be quick and easy, porridge oats fit the bill (I think the organic ones taste better).  As it's so easy we may eat it frequently, and if so, here is an alternative that is just as convenient. Like porridge instead of bringing to boil, you can simply put it on a low-low-medium heat when you get up and it can be left in a reasonable pan (not too thin) for as long as 30 mins without stirring as it gently comes up to a gentle boil then simmers. Meanwhile you can have a shower, get dressed etc. Make sure you leave the lid ajar!

Apricot Amaranth Breakfast
Just add a little of the cooking syrup and soya milk if desired

1) Wash half a cup of apricots
avoid Turkish ones I hear they have higher radiation levels.  I am guessing the organic turkish ones will be ok - you can buy these from the Bear in Todmorden if you are local.  I would imagine your local main supermarket  will have them too or try Holland and Barrets.

2) Cover and simmer apricots for 20 mins (or more if you like) with lid ajar. Just add a bit more water if needed.

3) Measure one part amaranth and add to pan with 3 parts water.  It's tricky to wash as you need a finer mesh sieve than normal.
I order my amaranth along with lots of other stuff online from Goodness Direct.  Delivery is free on orders over £35 so do a big shop less frequently or team up with friends to order.  It may seem pricey but actually goes a very long way and considering how nutritious it is, it works out as very good value.

4) Bring to boil, cover and simmer amaranth with lid ajar for 15 mins stirring occasionally. Just add a bit more water if needed.  Serve and allow to stand for 5 mins.  Add some apricot along with a little syrup and a little soya or rice milk (optional)
Nice served with warm pressed apple juice for a sweet summer breakfast

The amaranth has an unusual texture, almost chewy yet so easy to eat and digest, very soothing for the stomach and will keep you feeling satisfied till lunch.  It is described as:

Amaranth Supergrain
One of the oldest cultivated plants, amaranth was part of the staple diet of the Aztec and Inca civilisations.  Rich in calcium, protien and fibre. 

I reckon if it's good enough for eating before building pyramids, it will suffice for my daily breakfast needs!

Any other dried fruit may be used as a substitute for apricots.  Prunes, apples, raisins etc,
Fresh fruit may also be used as a substitute, either raw berries or cooked apple

Saturday 2 April 2011

Breakfast - Grilled Veggies on Pumpernickel Toast and Ginger Lemon Tea


Sauteed Mushrooms and Zucchini on Pumpernickel

ingredients

Vine tomatoes - 1 per person - cut in half inch slices*
Mushrooms - 3 or 4 or a portabello mushroom (the large ones) for each person - half inch slices
Courgettes - 4 or 5 slices per person - half inch slices
Olive oil - 1 teaspoon per person
Shoyu (natural soya sauce) - 2 teaspoons per person

  • 1. Wash and slice vegetables
  • 2. Mix the soya sauce and oil together whisking a fork
  • 3. Toss  the vegetables in half of the shoyu/oil mixture and place them on the wire rack of a large grill pan. 
  • 4. At the side of the veggies, put one slice of pumpernickel per person.  
  • 5. Grill for about 5 mins (should be gently sizzling)
  • 6.  Turn over the veg slices and bread and grill for another 5 mins.
  • 7. Layer the veg on the pumpernickel first the tomatoes then the mushroom slices, then the courgettes.  Pour over these the other half of the shoyu/oil mix and grill all for a further 2 or 3 mins or until sizzling and starting to brown slightly. *Alternatively you can half the tomatoes, and serve them grilled on the side.

Serve garnished with chopped chives or finely sliced spring onions, followed by ginger lemon tea for a quick macrobiotic* cooked breakfast.

This is a quick meal made substantial by using pumpernickel bread, it makes a great breakfast if you feel extra hungry, also can be eaten for lunch or supper.  Organic sliced wholemeal bread can be substituted for a lighter meal.

You can buy great organic pumpernickel at most supermarkets.  The one I got from Morrisons only cost about a £1.09 - it contains 8 slices and keeps for weeks till opened.  It is made with whole rye flour and cooked whole oats and barley, it has no wheat content at all.

Twinings do a lemon and ginger tea, which I noticed at both Morrisons and the Co-op.

*strictly speaking, tomatoes are avoided when aiming for macrobiotic ideal balance, as they are extremely yin.  Personally I tend to be pretty tolerant in regards to nightshade vegetables (potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, aubergines . . etc), on an occasional basis.