Veggie quickie

A simple veggie lunch plate, with a refreshing dessert. It’s hot, which is normal for the season, even if the news want to make us believe it’s a surprising phenomenon. I eat in consequences.

I’ve started with the mushrooms, cooking them in olive oil with minced garlic and salt. Then added red cabbage.

Then mixed in natto, goya (bitter squash), mitsuba leaves and stalks.

On top : flakes of chili pepper.

I bought these cubes of nata de coco. I really like eating them very cold in Summer. I’ve covered them with home-made coconut yogurt and sprinkled a little nutmeg.

Sour coconut on coffee jelly

A refreshing delight with no added sugar. The contrast is interesting, tartness of the coconut sauce, bitterness of coffee.

I made a coffee jelly with instant coffee, instant coffee and gelatin (agar agar can also be used). Let chill overnight.

I also had home-made coconut yogurt.

Crush some jelly.

Garnish with yogurt, and coconut flakes.

Three Asian flavors for Italian Easter rice pies

The bunny and the bells wish you a Merry Easter, even you don’t believe in chocolate eggs.
Well, that’s a personal version of the Italian Easter pies filled with rice and ricotta. This one is simplified and plant-based.

I’ve added flavoring to cooked rice, let it overnight to soak the liquid.

That’s the Asian touch. Lots of zests of yuzu, mikan (mandarin orange) and kumquat, and some juice. I also mixed it a good amount of firm tofu, after squeezing water out of it and crumbling it. Then some coconut yogurt.

Filled pies (the crust is simply flour, olive oil, water sugar, yuzu zest).

Decorate them. That doesn’t cost more and that’s so much prettier.

Bake about one hour at moderate heat.

Let them cool. Ideally wait till the next day so the flavors have the time to develop fully.

Yummm… I love Easter sweets.

Chicken in hot sesame sauce and coconut yogurt

An Asian fusion lunch.
The main dish is a chicken curry with Thai red curry paste, but I have used pasted sesame (tahini) instead of coconut milk. I’ve added broccoli and yuzu too. A good mix.

To go with steamed rice.

That’s my first plant based yogurt and I really like it. I should have tried that before as that’s easy.
I have mixed warmed canned coconut milk and some soy yogurt that I bought. I have only added a little sugar to the milk.
After a night in the yogurt maker, I let it one day in the fridge. Some white liquid was floating over “water”. I have mixed once, then it stayed mix for several days. The result is liquid as I expected since the commercial yogurt is thickened with agar. It becomes sour from the second day, so patience is necessary. Then it can be kept… 4 days so far (it’s the second batch).