Braised tofu & kale bulgur bowl

March 25, 2019February 3, 2020 ~ Corrie ~ 1 Comment

Being vegetarian for thirty-four-years, I’ve certainly eaten my fair share of tofu, aka, bean curd. Much like cheese, tofu is made from curdled soy milk and compressed into blocks – mmm tasty. Speaking of taste, tofu literally has none. Eaten raw it tastes wet, soft and tasteless – much like my ex boyfriend. However, cooked correctly, tofu becomes juicy, flavourful and sassy – much like Beyoncé.
To make Beyoncé tofu you need to make a bootylicious broth for your tofu sponges to soak up and I have just the recipe.

Braised tofu & kale bulgur bowl
Serves 4 / Hands on time 45 mins / Total time 45 mins / V Vn Df
300ml cold water
120g bulgar wheat
1 Knorr vegetable stock pot (½ for the stock, ½ for the stock)
1 tsp sesame oil
1 medium onion, roughly sliced
½ tsp sea salt flakes
1 tbs balsamic vinegar
1 tbs light soy sauce
2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
500ml boiling water
125g Shiitake or chestnut mushrooms, sliced
280g firm tofu, cut into 8 thick slices
4 handfuls chopped kale
2 spring onions, finely chopped to serve (optional)

Method
1. Measure out the bulgur wheat and pour into a small saucepan along with 300ml of cold water and half a vegetable stock pot. Place over a medium to high heat until boiling before turning down and simmering for 8 mins. Once the water has absorbed, remove from the heat, give it a quick stir and cover with a lid. Put to one side.
2. Meanwhile, warm 1 tsp of sesame oil in a large pot with a lid over a medium heat. Add the chopped onions, ½ tsp sea salt flakes and 1 tbs of balsamic vinegar. Give it a good stir and pop the lid on. Turn down the heat slightly and allow to soften for 10 minutes – stirring occasionally.
3. Once the onions have softened, add the garlic along with a dash of stock and cook for a further 2 mins. Add the soy sauce, the rest of the vegetable stock and the mushrooms. Up the heat and bring to the boil.
4. Reduce the heat and carefully submerge the 8 tofu slices into the broth, before covering with a lid and cooking for 10 mins. Once the tofu is cooked, add 4 handfuls of kale directly on top the tofu and cover again for a further 5 minutes.
5. Loosen up the bulgur wheat by stirring with a spoon and divide into bowls. Top with the braised tofu and sprinkle with chopped spring onions.

If you’ve had a go at making any of my recipes, I’d love to hear from you. Follow me now @corrieheale and tag your recipe pictures using #corriesrabbitfood.

V – Vegetarian Vn – Vegan Df – Dairy free

Kale, sweet potato & tahini bowl

January 7, 2019January 21, 2020 ~ Corrie ~ 2 Comments

Some might say that starting the New Year with a large Burger King meal and a side of chilli cheese bites was a little ill-advised, but I disagree. Start as you mean to go on – and, to be fair, I was dangerously hungover at the Newport Pagnall services off the M1.
It’s a very cruel place – you have to walk over the motorway to get to the Burger King – but desperate times call for desperate measures, and Jamie and I were in no state to settle for a Waitrose sandwich. So, over the bridge we went on that New Year’s day, and dined on cold burgers on plastic trays surrounded by screaming children. It was magical.
Come to think of it, I’ve never been all that keen on New Year’s Eve. Much like Burger King, it always promises so much but ultimately leaves you unsatisfied and with a bit of a dodgy tummy.
Anyway, new year, new you, right? So, in an attempt to redeem myself, I’ve made deliciously nutritious raw kale, sweet potato and tahini bowls. Happy 2019 – let the games begin!

Kale, sweet potato & tahini bowl
Serves 2/ Hands on time 45 mins / Total time 45 mins / V
Rapeseed oil spray
1 large sweet potato, cut into wedges
100g bulgur wheat
250ml cold water
½ vegetable stock pot, I use Knorr
2 large handfuls of kale, chopped
½ lemon
½ can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
125g halloumi, thickly sliced (optional)
Dressing
1 tbs tahini paste
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
½ lemon
½ tsp sea salt flakes
1 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tbs boiling water

Method
1. Preheat an oven to 200°C/180°C fan/400F/gas mark 6. Slice the sweet potato into wedges and place in a non-stick oven tray. Spray with rapeseed oil and sprinkle generously with salt and black pepper. Give the potatoes a good mix to make sure the wedges are evenly coated. Roast in the oven for 20 mins.
2. Meanwhile, measure out the bulgur wheat and pour into a small saucepan along with 250ml of cold water and half a stock pot. Place over a medium to high heat until boiling before turning down and simmering for 8 minutes. Once the water has absorbed, remove from the heat, give it a quick stir and cover with a lid. Put to one side.
3. To make the dressing, whisk all of the ingredients together in a small bowl until you have a smooth and silky dressing before passing it through a sieve to get rid of the raw garlic pulp (sieving the dressing is optional). Rinse and drain the chickpeas and put both to one side.
4. After 20 minutes, remove the wedges from the over, give them a good shake before returning to the oven for a further 15 minutes.
5. In a large bowl, add 2 large handfuls of kale along with a good pinch of salt, the juice of half a lemon and 1 tsp of extra virgin olive oil. Using your hands, give the kale a toss and a good massage for about a minute to help break down the tough fibres. Add the chickpeas and mix in half of the tahini dressing.
6. Place the halloumi slices in a non-stick frying pan with a bit of oil over a high heat and sizzle on both sides for a couple of minutes until golden brown.
7. Finally, divide the bulgur wheat into bowls and top with the kale, chickpeas, roasted sweet potato, halloumi and a good drizzle of the remaining dressing.

If you’ve had a go at making any of my recipes, I’d love to hear from you. Follow me now @corrieheale and tag your recipe pictures using #corriesrabbitfood.

V – Vegetarian

Saag paneer with kale

August 28, 2018February 11, 2020 ~ Corrie ~ 5 Comments

This is what I order every time I eat in an Indian restaurant. I always have the intention of trying something new, but I don’t like change. So, when the waiter looks at me, pen poised, I always utter the same words. “…And I’ll have a saag paneer, taka dhal and a chapati, please. Oh and I’ll just share Jamie’s rice.” (Jamie scowls.)

This isn’t the first time I’ve had a go at making saag paneer, though – I’ve made it once before the more traditional way, using a ton of fresh wilted spinach, drained and squeezed by hand – but I ain’t got time for that these days, far too hungry. So I came up with this quicker, less labour-intensive version (#storyofmylife).

Saag paneer with kale
Serves 4 / Hands on time 50 mins / Total time 50 min / V ❄

You’ll need: A hand blender or food processor, kitchen roll
1 tbs rapeseed oil

500g paneer, cut into chunks

1 white onion, peeled and chopped
½ tsp sea salt flakes
Knob of ginger (1 inch), grated

5 garlic cloves, peeled roughly chopped
1 green chilli, de-seeded

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground turmeric

½ tsp ground fenugreek

½ tsp garam masala
500ml vegetable stock, I use 1 Knorr vegetable stock pot

150g spinach leaves

150g kale, roughly chopped

Handful of fresh coriander, roughly chopped
To serve
Lime wedges, chapatis, brown basmati rice

Method
1. Slice the paneer into chunks and fry in batches in the rapeseed oil over a medium to high heat in a casserole dish with a lid (the paneer can spit a bit so you may need to cover with the lid). Once the paneer has browned on all sides, remove from the pan and leave to drain on kitchen roll. Put to one side.
2. In the same casserole dish, add the chopped onion and a dash more oil and the salt. Give it a mix before covering with a lid and cook on a medium heat until soft – around 10 mins. Add a dash of water to the onions if needed halfway through to help them steam.
3. Add the garlic, fresh ginger and the chopped green chilli. Cook for a further few minutes before adding all the spices. Add a dash of water to help loosen the spices a bit and to stop them from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Cook for a further 5 mins.

4. Add the stock and give it a good stir before adding the spinach in batches. Once wilted, add the kale and continue to cook until the kale has softened. Remove from the heat and blend with a hand blender until smooth.

5. Return the sauce to a medium to high heat and add the paneer. Bring to the boil and cook for 5 mins or until the paneer has softened. Serve immediately with rice, chapatis and lime wedges.

If you’ve had a go at making any of my recipes, I’d love to hear from you. Follow me now @corrieheale and tag your recipe pictures using #corriesrabbitfood.

V– Vegetarian ❄ – Freeze the fried paneer and curry sauce separately. Defrost before combing and heating through until piping hot. Consume within 3 months.

kale & walnut pesto

August 6, 2018July 29, 2020 ~ Corrie ~ 1 Comment

I don’t know why I thought that making my own pesto would be such a chore, but even in my hungover state it only took 10 minutes. Good thing, too, as I’d spent the previous evening dancing the night away – along with 60,000 other people – to Britney Spears at Brighton Pride. The last time I saw Britney thrust her way across a stage in her knickers was back in 2003, and she hasn’t changed a bit. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for me, although I did manage to squeeze my rather soft 34-year-old self into a corset and some fishnets – classy.
Anyway, so Sunday morning was a bleak affair, waking up with panda eyes and covered in other people’s glitter. I couldn’t face leaving the house’ so made do with what I had – a bit of kale, a handful of walnuts and an overactive basil plant. I hope you enjoy the results stirred through some delicious pasta.

Kale and walnut pesto
Serves 2-4 / Hands on time 10 mins / Total time 10 mins / V Vn Gf Df ❄
You’ll need: A food processor
50g walnuts (about 2 handfuls)
1 garlic clove, peeled and roughly sliced
1 handful of kale, heavier stems removed and discarded
20-30g fresh basil
4 tbs Pomora extra virgin olive oil

Method
1. Roughly peel and chop the garlic before adding it to a food processor, along with the walnuts and a handful of kale (heavier stems removed). Blitz on full for about 10 seconds or until you have a rough paste.
2. Add the fresh basil, a good sprinkle of salt and pepper and give it another blitz – this time for a bit longer until you have a slightly smoother paste.
3. Lastly, add 3 tbs of extra virgin olive oil before blending for a final time (how long you blend is up to you depending on how smooth you like your pesto).
4. Spoon into a jar and top with 1 tbs of extra virgin olive oil. Store in the fridge for up to a week and enjoy stirred through pasta, drizzled on salads or simply spread on toast. Tasty!

If you’ve had a go at making any of my recipes, I’d love to hear from you. Follow me now @corrieheale and tag your recipe pictures using #corriesrabbitfood.

V– Vegetarian Vn– Vegan Gf– Gluten free Df– Dairy free ❄– Suitable for home freezing in an airtight container. Consume within 3 months.