Sunday 12 January 2014

Veggie Lettuce Cups


Sang Choi Bow isn't usually the most vegan friendly dish in the world, but I have had Chinese restaurants create a veto version for me, which still normally costs more than it should. So I like to make it at home. Sometimes I omit the lettuce cup part and eat the mix with rice instead, also good. Being in the middle of summer things are starting to heat up, in Tassie anyway, the rest of the country is already sweltering. And after an afternoon in the sun and having a dip in the pool at the gorge (Launceston cataract gorge) we only felt like something light and fresh for dinner. So lettuce cups it was.

This is the kind of dish I just through together with whatever I have on hand. Last night it was beans, capsicum, carrots, spring onions and tofu puffs. 

Ingredients
Whatever veggies you want
Whatever protein you want (tofu, tempeh, TPV, whatever)
Lettuce cup (Sang Choi Bow) sauce. I used Lee Kum Kee brand, but you could make your own with soy sauce/tamari, Chinese five spice, garlic, mirin, some chilli if you want. Whatever tickles your fancy.
Iceberg/Cos lettuce to serve
Rice to serve if desired

Method
Chop veggies and protein very small, no bigger than 1cm pieces.

Stir fry veggies and protein.

Add sauce, stir fry some more.

Serve when cooked with prepared lettuce and/or rice.

Simple and tasty!

Enjoy (:

Banana Wholemeal Pancakes.


"I wanted to wake up and want pancakes for breakfast." That's what I told my hubby, he replied with a suitable quizzical expression and then asked "What's it like being you?" whilst patting my shoulder in a patronising fashion. Fair call really, I am quite odd! 😝 

When I saw a had some VERY overripe bananas I decided I should couple them with my idea of wanting pancakes. I jumped onto taste.com.au and checked out a recipe that needed modifying and here is what I came up with.

Ingredients
1 ripe banana
1 1/2 cups wholemeal self raising flour
1 1/2 cups soy milk
1 1/2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons of rice syrup (or your fave honey substitute)
2 'eggs', I use "No Egg"

Method
Sift flour into a large mixing bowl. It may seem silly to sift wholemeal flour, but I do it to aerate the flour and then I add the bran back into the bowl. Make a well in the centre of the flour.

Add vinegar to soy milk and set it aside.

Mash banana in another mixing bowl or large jug.

Prepare egg replacer. 

Add egg replacer, soy milk and honey substitute to the banana and mix well.

Pour the wet ingredients into the well in the flour and and whisk until smooth. Set mix aside for 10 minutes.

Heat pan and cook as you normally would, about 1-2 minutes each side, depending on how hot your pan is. Just like regular pancake cooking, watch for the bubble to appear on the surface, but be aware that this is a bit of a dense mix so it doesn't bubble very much.

I used Nuttelex to cook them in after my first few got burnt when I used cooking spray. The Nuttelex worked very well! 

These are good hot or cold (that's how I am eating them today for afternoon tea). Serve with jam, yoghurt, ice cream, extra banana, berries, drizzled with honey substitute, or just eat them plain like I do.

Enjoy (: