Noodles with Stir Fried Veggies and Seared Tofu

Ingredients

250gms packet of spelt noodles

For the stir fry
280 gms spinach leaves (washed)
1 large carrot (peeled and cut into matchsticks)
1 onion sliced
1 small capsicum sliced
1 thumb piece size of ginger (grated)
1 clove of garlic (minced)
1 tbs tamari
1 tbs olive oil

For the tofu & marinade
500 gms firm tofu cut into thick slices
3 tablespoons Japanese style Worcester Sauce
1 tablespoon  light agave
1 tablespoon organic apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil



For the mushrooms
350 gms button mushrooms
1 tbs olive oil

Method

1. In a bowl mix the worcester sauce, agave, veinagar and sesame oil.
2. Place tofu in a tray large enough so that each piece has space around it.
3. Drizzle with marinade, and let it sit for a couple of hours, turning over every half hour.
4. Remove the stalks from the mushrooms, then in a bowl toss them (whole) with a tablespoon of olive oil. Set aside.
5. Heat your grill (I used an electric one), and place all the mushrooms on it. With the one I used, because it is also a sandwich press, there was no need to turn it over. Remove when nicely seared on both sides. Repeat with the tofu. Reserve tofu marinade.
6. Cook noodles as per packet instructions. Set aside.
7. Heat a medium sized wok, and place 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
8. Place onion, carrot, capsicum, garlic and ginger and stir fry for a few minutes. Add spinach and stir fry till wilted. Add tamari, stir well and remove from heat.
9. To serve, place the noodles on each plate, top with a mound of veggies, then two pieces of tofu, and a few mushrooms. Drizzle with a couple of tablespoons of reserved marinade. Can also sprinkle with dry chilli flakes.

Eggless Chocolate Macaroons (Vegan)

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups of almond meal
1 cup of sugar
1/2 cup spelt flour
1/2 cup of Aqua Fava (Water from a can of chickpeas)
4 tablespoons of cocoa 
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar









Method

1. Preheat oven to 145 degrees celcius.
2. Cover two cookie trays with baking paper. Set aside.
3. Sift flour, almond meal and cocoa together, and set aside. The purpose of sifting is to remove any lumps from the cocoa and to mix all the ingredients together. Do not discard the larger bits of almond meal that are left in the sieve, put them in the mix also.
4. Place aqua fava in the bowl of a stand mixer with the cream of tartar.
5. Beat on low until it gets foamy and increase the speed. Beat until stiff peaks form. Add vanilla at this stage.
6. Start adding sugar to the meringue one tablespoon at a time, ensuring it is well mixed each time.
7. Remove bowl from mixer and add all of the dry ingredients, fold them in until well incorporated.
8. Pipe them onto the cookie trays using a large piping tip or place them on the tray with a tablespoon.
9. Bake for 25 minutes, they should not brown.
10. Set aside and cool for at least 15 minutes before removing from the tray.
11. Store in an airtight container.
12. Enjoy with a nice cuppa!!!!

These macaroons improve once stored in an airtight container for a few hours. They become more chewy. This recipe was an experiment. I think that next time I make them I will reduce the sugar amount by about 1/4 cup, as they can be a little sweet. But oh my!! they are delicious and moorish!!

Aqua fava is all the rage at the moment in the vegan world after it was discovered that it can be used to make lovely meringues.

For more information and recipes join the Vegan Meringue - Hits and Misses! group on facebook. There are hundreds of people on there sharing their recipes using AF (aqua fava), their failures and successes.

This is really great news for not only vegans but for people that have egg allergies.

Enjoy!!!