Succulents and Cacti Craze

I'm crazy about cacti and succulents. I always find myself drawn to these plants every time I see them in garden centers. Aside from the fact that they are low maintenance, it has this unique beauty in them. Every succulent and cactus has its own personality and that's what I love about them. My husband asked me why I loved them so much and if it means anything to me - like do I see my personality in them? In a way, maybe, yes. But I think that question was meant to be a joke.

I can hardly wait to finish my succulents and cacti project. Pictures coming soon!

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Simple Raw Kale Salad

This is the first time I prepared raw kale. I was a bit hesitant in the beginning thinking that the raw leaves would taste differently like it might come off too strong for a salad. But then again, arugula is used for salad, and it's undeniably strong tasting. Inspired by kale salad recipes I found online, I jumped to the unknown. It turned out quite simple tasting, just like any simple tossed salad. I guess what really made this special is that you can fully take advantage of the nutrients of kale, given that it's served raw. 

Ingredients:

200 g (approximate) shredded raw kale. Stems removed.
4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice or juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp agave or honey
salt and pepper to taste

Toppings:

some roasted cashes and pine nuts
1/4 cup dried cranberries

(Note: Add more kale if you feel like 200g is too small)

1. Wash the kale and dry on a salad spinner to remove excess water.

2. Shred the kale and set aside.
3. Mix the olive oil, lemon and honey in a small bowl. If it's too sour for your taste, adjust by adding more honey. Add some salt according to your liking.
4. In a salad bowl, toss the kale and about 2 tbsp of the dressing. Toss until the kale is well coated adding more dressing gradually as necessary (this will be according to your taste). Set aside and let it sip the dressing. This will also help soften the kale leaves.
5. Heat a small pan. Toss the nuts and stir often so it doesn't burn. Once it's turning a bit brown and fragrant, transfer the nuts in a bowl and set aside.

6. When ready to serve, add the nuts and cranberries to the salad and toss well.

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Good Old Monday - Back to Regular Programming

The holiday fever is officially over and Mark has to go back to work. It was a bit of struggle to get up this morning because we kinda got used to sleeping and getting up late the past few days. On the other hand it was quite a relief that holiday's over. I can finally get back to my routines (boring) and get hyped with work again.

And even though Monday sounded like an ordinary day, it doesn't mean that it's not lekker. I'm quite happy I had a productive work day with no distraction (Mark). And of course, having my cats around give me so much joy.

What I'm not quite happy about is I'm not taking good food pictures lately. Quite disappointing, really. It's because it's either I'm always rushed to finish and don't really have time to focus on composition, or we are just too hungry I want to get over it. Or maybe the fact that after all these time, we still haven't cleaned up and organized our supposedly workshop/studio room where creativity is suppose to happen... But yeah, enough excuses, I'm sharing it anyways.

For today's lekker food dig, here's a simple thai inspired noodle soup that I discovered from Pinterest. What I love about this soup is not exactly what is in it, but the broth itself.

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp tom yum paste (or use the entire pack if you have the ones that come in a sachet)
320ml Coconut milk
1 cup vegetable broth

1/2 cup water

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

Some vegetable (or egg) noodles - cooked and set aside.
Some zucchini, cut into little sticks
Some red bell pepper, cut in to little sticks
Some sliced mushrooms (optional)
Some fried tofu for toppings(optional)
Some Thai basil for toppings

1. Heat oil in a pot.
2. Saute the tom yum paste for about 2 minutes.
3. Add vegetable broth, water and coconut milk. Bring to a boil.
4. Simmer for about 3 minutes.
5. Add the vegetables and simmer for another 2 minutes, just enough to get them tender but not over cooked.
6. If needed, add salt to taste.
7. Get some of the cooked egg noodles in a bowl, and add the broth. Top it with thai basil for added flavor.
7. You can also top it with fried tofu if you want it to be filling.

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Tofu Steak

Being in a vegan home, tofu is one of the food you will regularly see in our fridge. It is one of the staple foods in this house. You may think it can get boring, but not really. It's just a matter of knowing ways to prepare it. In fact, it's very versatile. I made a number of yummy dishes from it such as a mock feta cheese, scrambled eggs, and a meat substitute for my favorite Filipino dishes (tinola, adobo, bistek tagalog and many more!). The easiest, simplest, and by far, my favorite is of course, fried.

We have enjoyed this Tofu Steak recipe a number of times. I first discovered the preparation from Youtube - runnyrunny999 channel, and its actually quite addicting. The only cooking involved is frying the tofu. The rest just involves chopping and mixing. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 firm tofu (extra firm if you may, good for frying)
2 white onions, finely chopped
1 ripe tomato, chopped OR
4 pcs cherry tomatoes, quartered
some fresh chopped parsley
some all purpose flour for tofu coating
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp Ketchap Manis (optional)

1. Pat the tofu dry. Remove water from tofu as much as you can by wrapping it in a paper towel and putting a small plate on top of it so that it presses the tofu. Set aside.

2. In a mixing bowl, pour extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, ketchap manis, and mix well. This step is actually going to depend on your taste. If you feel like adding more olive oil, or balsamic vinegar or soysauce, or maybe add a bit of salt and pepper, it's all up to you.

3. Add the chopped onions and tomatoes and coat well. Again, this is also according to your liking. If you want more tomatoes in the toppings, feel free to add more. On the other hand, I'm a fan of onions so I like to have the onions dominate the toppings ;).

4. Sprinkle some chopped parsley.

5. When the tofu is drained slice the tofu. You can either slice it in half, or make it thinner by slicing it horizontally. It's really up to you.

6. Dust the tofu with some all purpose flour. Now you are ready to fry.

7. Heat oil in pan. When it's hot enough, begin frying the tofu.

8. Fry the tofu on all sides, making sure it gives you that crunchy golden brown crust.

9. When done, blot it with paper towel to remove excess oil.

10. Top with the steak dressing and serve.

Check this Youtube link to get to the original recipe. The video is so easy to follow :).

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