peanut

If I hear the word Veganuary one more time, I’m going to stuff my ears full of cauliflowers. Yes, I know I’m vegetarian, but I don’t bang on about it constantly to anyone who’ll listen. In fact, in my experience, the opposite is true.
“What? So you don’t eat chicken?”
“Nope.” I smile faintly, trying to attract the waiter’s eye.
“Not even lamb?”
“Nope,” I reply again, as I swig from my empty wine glass.
“But what about bacon? Surely you’ve eaten bacon?”
“Nope, never eaten bacon,” I say, exasperatedly “Scuse me? Can we get another bottle of red for the table, please?”
“So, you’ve never even tried a bacon sandwich?”
Ugh, why do I always get sat on the weirdo table at weddings? I think, as I continue to shake my head to this awful man’s line of questioning. Finally, my starter arrives, but instead of leaving me alone, he surveys it carefully before diving his fork in and telling me how surprisingly delicious it is. Who invited this guy?

Anyway, my point is that I’m always so baffled that anyone even cares what I eat? I couldn’t care less what other people eat, so when someone who has been vegan for like, a day, tries to lecture me about the dairy industry, forgive me for walking off. That being said, all this talk of Veganuary must have seeped into my subconscious, because I created this gorgeous bowl of vegan deliciousness. So, on that premise, Happy Veganuary everyone!

Peanut ramen
Serves 2 / Hands on time 30 mins / Total time 30 mins / V Vn* Df
1 tsp sesame oil
2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
Knob of ginger (1 inch), grated
1 tbs Thai green curry paste*, I use Blue Dragon
1 can light coconut milk (you can use full fat but I find it makes the sauce too thick)
300ml vegetable stock, I use ½ a Knorr stock pot
2 ½ tbs crunchy peanut butter
1 tbs light soy sauce
1 tsp palm sugar or granulated sugar
1 nest of rice noodles* or egg noodles
1 lime, cut into quarters
150g chestnut mushrooms, sliced
1 large bulb pak choi, cut into strips
2 spring onions, chopped
Handful fresh coriander to serve

Method
1. In a large saucepan over a medium heat, add 1 tsp of sesame oil. Once warm, add the chopped garlic along with the grated ginger and cook for 2 minutes stirring continuously.
2. Add a dash of water along with the Thai curry paste and continue to cook for a further 2 minutes stirring continuously. Add the coconut milk and the peanut butter – the peanut butter will need little help to be incorporated so gently work it against the side of the saucepan using the back of your spoon until dissolved.
3. Add the vegetable stock, soy sauce, palm sugar and the juice of half a lime before mixing well and bringing to the boil. Once boiling, reduce and simmer for 5 minutes. Use this time to slice the mushrooms and the pak choi.
4. Add the mushrooms and the pak choi to the sauce and cook for a further few minutes before submerging the nest of noodles. Cook the noodles according to the packet instruction in the sauce (usually 3-5 minutes, depending on what noodles you’ve gone for).
5. Finally, spoon into bowls and serve topped with chopped spring onions, fresh coriander 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 Vn*– Vegan’s please substitute egg noodles for rice noodles Df– Dairy free
* Some Thai green curry pastes contain crustaceans and fish. I use Blue Dragon which does not.

I refuse to call this a ‘buddha bowl’ even if it is one. By definition, a buddha bowl is a hearty filling dish made up of raw or roasted vegetables, greens, beans, grains, rice and so on. So nothing to do with Buddha then. Stupid.
Anyway, as I now hilariously go to the gym once a week, I thought I better try and up my protein intake. At first, I thought this meant I could eat more cheese (score) it didn’t (boo). So I stocked up on chickpeas, peanut butter and tofu, in the hope that in 8 weeks, I would have the arms, legs and face of Jennifer Aniston. In the words of Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston, “there can be miracles, when you believe”.

Peanut tofu with roasted greens

Serves 2 / Hands on time 20 mins / Total time 50 mins / V Vn

You’ll need: A baking tray and a wok or large frying pan
1 tsp rapeseed oil or rapeseed oil spray (see tip below)
396g pack of firm tofu

1 can chickpeas, drained

100g tender-stem broccoli

4 spring onions, trimmed

2 tsp light soy sauce

2 tsp toasted sesame oil
½ lime, quartered
Satay sauce

1 tsp toasted sesame oil

1 tbs boiling water

3 tbs crunchy peanut butter

1 tbs light soy sauce

1 tbs rice vinegar
2 tbs sweet chilli sauce

To serve
Brown rice or bulgur wheat to serve (optional)

Freshly chopped coriander (optional)

TIP: Use microwavable brown rice to save time and washing up.

Method
1. Preheat your oven to 200°C/180°fan/400°F/gas mark 6. Drain the block of tofu and cut into large chunks. Line a baking tray with baking paper and place your tofu chunks on it, evenly spaced apart.
2. Bake in the oven for 10 mins before turning the tofu and continuing to bake for 5 more mins. Meanwhile, make the satay sauce by combining all of the ingredients together in a medium sized bowl, large enough to include the tofu later. Put to one side.
3. Drain the chickpeas and prepare the veg by trimming the stalks of the tender stem and halving the spring onions.
4. Once the tofu is cooked, remove from the oven but keep the oven on. Transfer the tofu a bit at a time to the satay sauce coating the cubes carefully with a spoon. Once all the tofu is well coated, put to one side to marinate. If you’re making rice or bulgur wheat, now is good time to put it on (I recommend cooking just 50-60g for 2 people or you may end up with too much food).
5. On the same baking tray you cooked the tofu on, add the broccoli, spring onions and chickpeas. Drizzle with a tsp of sesame oil and 2 tsp of soy sauce and bake in the oven for 15 mins, giving it a shake halfway through. 10 mins before the vegetables and chickpeas are due to come out the oven, heat a tsp of sesame oil in a wok or large frying pan over a medium to high heat. Once hot, add all the tofu along with all the sauce and fry until sticky and a bit singed. The sauce will stick to the pan a bit as it’s quite sweet but simply scrape it off with a wooden spoon – these bits will add a delicious burnt caramel flavour.
6. Divide the cooked rice or bulgur wheat (if using) between two bowls and top with the chickpeas and greens. Spoon over the tofu and finish with a squeeze of lime and a sprinkle of chopped coriander (optional).

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