Penne with ‘Meaty’ Vegan Ragu

Penne with ‘Meaty’ Vegan Ragu with Gino’s Gourmet Groceries

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I love my pasta. I love how something so simple as boiled dried dough, made out of flour and water, can bring such comfort and delight.

Casalare: Gluten Free Vegie Penne Pasta

Before I became a vegan, one of my favourite pasta sauces to make was ‘ragu’, a meat-based Italian sauce, which is rich, thick, delicious and full of flavours. It was, in more ways than one, awesome.

Spiral Foods: Organic Garlic & Basil Sugo

When I eat food, it invokes all sorts of feelings and emotions inside of me. Not all the time, of course, because sometimes eating is just the mere act of ‘re-fuelling’ oneself. The meal can take many forms, but all share the same mundane, unremarkable purpose, to stop that feeling of hunger in its tracks.

But other times, more often than not, I eat to feel things (as opposed to stop feeling things, like the sensation of hunger). I eat to make myself feel joyful, gratified, indulged, pacified, inspired, delighted, happy, and alive.

Penne with Meaty Vegan Ragu

I wanted to re-create that feeling I used to get whenever I had a good ragu back in the old meat-eating days, only this time with a vegan ragu. And so I went to my kitchen laboratory and started experimenting I chose mushroom and tempe as my plant-based proteins of choice and, boy, did they rise up to the challenge. I also added some shredded kale leaves to give the dish another layer of texture and flavour, and to boost its nutritional content, and because I just love kale in general.

The result is a thick and rich ragu that tastes so ‘meaty’ and delicious that you’ll forget it contains no meat at all. I hope you will give it a go!

Penne with ‘Meaty’ Vegan Ragu

A deliciously rich, protein-packed vegan ragu that’s nourishing, satisfying and oh so comforting.

  • 250 g tempeh (diced to about 1cm cubes)
  • Leaves from three stalks of kale (chopped or shredded (optional))
  • 1/3 cup basil leaves
  • 3 large brown mushrooms (chopped)
  • 1 large red onion
  • 4 garlic cloves (chopped)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 700 g jar of pasta sauce*
  • 250 g gluten free penne pasta*
  1. Heat the oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Cook red onion for 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until softened slightly.
  2. Add the minced garlic and diced tempeh and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally until browned.
  3. Add the chopped mushroom, cook, stirring occasionally.
  4. Add the pasta sauce, bring to boil, then add the chopped kale into the pot and stir until kale is cooked, about 1 minute.
  5. Stir in fresh basil. Remove from heat and set aside.
  6. Cook the pasta in a large saucepan of salted boiling water according to the packet instruction until al dente. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid.
  7. Mix sauce with pasta, adding the reserved cooking liquid to coat pasta with sauce. Serve with Vegan Parmesan.

*I use Spiral Foods: Organic Garlic & Basil Sugo; and Casalare: Gluten Free Vegie Penne Pasta, both from Gino’s Groceries.

This recipe is sponsored by Gino’s Gourmet Groceries, an online store that partners with the best independent producers who share their values of doing things the right way. They supply real, honest food, with no artificial ingredients and no nasties, at a fair price. I must say that the pasta sauce and the gluten-free vegan penne I got from them were some of the best I’ve ever tasted.

And because the team at Gino’s Gourmet Groceries are awesome, they’re giving you, my lovely readers, a 25% discount on our next purchase with them. Just use the code “PASSIONATELY25” during checkout.

P.S. If you make this, I’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment below or find me on Instagram and share your creation. Don’t forget to tag me @passionatelykeren so I won’t miss your post.

Keren x

Vegan Haloumi Cheese

How to Make Vegan Haloumi with Mad Millie Cheese Kit + Giveaway

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Gosh, I’m excited about this post! It’s been four years since I last had haloumi cheese. And although I’ve experimented with making dairy-free cheeses for a while, I’ve never made haloumi cheese, at least until now. And it’s the best thing ever. And thanks to Mad Millie’s Vegan Cheese Kit, you too can learn how to make vegan haloumi at home.

Talk to any vegan or aspiring vegan, and they will tell you one of the hardest transitions to make is quitting dairy. It’s getting a little bit easier now to source good vegan cheeses, but they’re still like finding purple MnMs, still quite hard to find, and can be pretty pricey. The best (and the most affordable) way to get your cheese fix, therefore, is to make your own.

But making your own nut cheese is not without its challenges. I own three vegan cheese cookbooks and I can probably count the number of recipes I’ve tried from these cookbooks using just one hand (in other words, not a lot). Some of the ingredients can be hard to source, some of the recipes can be quite complicated and intimidating for first-timers, and sometimes it can be a long wait before you can eat your cheese, ranging between three days to 3 weeks.

What I love about Mad Millie’s Vegan Cheese Kit is that it provides you with all the ingredients you need to make your own vegan cheese. The recipe is also very simple and easy to follow. No specialised equipment or experience is required. Just add your choice of nuts and kitchen spices. The best thing is that all the cheeses can be made in less than a day!

The kit contains a thermometer, cheesecloth, citric acid, agar, tapioca flour, yeast flakes, cheese salt, instructions and recipe booklet. The kit makes approximately 3.6 kg of cheese before you need to replenish some of the ingredients. That’s a pretty decent amount of cheese I think, enough to feed a family with two hungry teens… or ten.

I have to say that the vegan haloumi I made using the kit was unexpectedly divine! Even Nat (my pescetarian/vegan hubby) says it tastes as close as 80% to the real thing… and I think that is excellent as far as dairy-free cheese goes. And Nat is a severe critic as he loves his haloumi!

I love adding this haloumi to salad or simply serving it with some fresh tomatoes and a drizzle of olive oil. Nom!

How to make a vegan haloumi

Seriously, you won’t believe how easy it is. You don’t even need to do any culturing! Click on the video below to see how to make vegan haloumi using the cheese kit.

You can see all the ingredients required to make the cheese, all provided in the kit (except the nuts and some pantry items of course). It’s a simple blend, cook, and chill process so you can spend more time eating them :D

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skXX6xDr-0Y[/embedyt]

Vegan Cheese kit Giveaway

Because the Mad Millie team are so awesome, they’ve agreed to give away one Vegan Cheese Kit to a lucky reader of Passionately Keren. To enter the giveaway, simply do any one of the following action to gain entry points.

Winners will be drawn on the 8th of December 2017. I think it would make a lovely Christmas gift, don’t you agree?

Mad Millie Vegan Cheese Kit

Do you like Haloumi cheese? If not, what’s your favourite cheese?

 

Vegan Triple Cream Brie

Vegan Triple Cream Brie

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Gosh, I love cheese. How can you not? I especially like the soft and creamy kind… like Brie, my favourite cheese ever. And so it makes sense to veganise it, doesn’t it? I honestly believe this Vegan Triple Cream Brie is the closest thing to Brie I’ve made in a long time.

Vegan Triple Cream Brie

For a couple of years now I’ve been experimenting with nut cheeses. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don’t. When they work, I get so excited that the whole thing is gone before I have the chance to photograph it (hence the lack of vegan cheese blogposts). But when they’ve failed, however, it knocks me down for months…. such as that time I tried to make hazelnut cheese. It was a massive fail. The problem with nut cheese is that the ingredients are expensive. Hazelnut is close to $30 a kilo and raw cashew is about $35 a kilo.

Vegan Triple Cream Brie

But lately I’ve been having more luck in the cheese department. And this vegan double cream Brie was a success in one go. I’ve since made it a few times and have been able to consistently reproduce it.

Vegan Triple Cream Brie

This recipe was inspired by Julie Piatt’s ‘[amazon_textlink asin=’0735213798′ text=’This Cheese is Nuts’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’passionatelyk-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=”]’ cookbook. I’ve modified the ingredients to simplify the process a little. I definitely recommend you check out the book if you want to explore the world of nut cheeses. Unlike the other non-dairy cheese books I own, it has the least amount of ingredients, so you won’t have too much trouble sourcing most of them.

Vegan Triple Cream Brie

Vegan Triple Cream Brie

Creamy and delicious vegan brie

  • 2 cups raw cashews
  • 1 probiotic acidophilus capsule
  • 400 ml 13.5 ounce can coconut of milk
  • ¼ cup unrefined coconut oil (plus extra for greasing the mould)
  • 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
  • ¾ tsp sea salt
  • You will also need 2 mini spring-form round pans (11cm diameter)

The night before:

  1. Place cashews in 3 cups of filtered water. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
  2. Place the can of coconut cream in the refrigerator overnight.

On the day:

  1. Oil the pans with coconut oil (you can also use coconut oil spray).
  2. Rinse and drain the cashews. Transfer to your power blender (I use my beloved Vitamix). Add coconut oil, lemon juice, sea salt and the contents of the probiotic.
  3. Open the can of coconut cream and scoop out the solid cream at the top of the coconut milk. Take ¼ cup of the remaining coconut milk in the can. Transfer the coconut cream and coconut milk into the Vitamix.
  4. Blend on medium speed, using the plunger to distribute the mixture evenly until smooth.
  5. Transfer the mixture into the spring-form round pans. Cover with baking paper cut to fit the pans.
  6. Dehydrate for 24 hours at 35C. You can do this in the oven if your oven can be set to lower temperature, otherwise leave in the oven with the headlight on for 24 hours.
  7. Carefully remove the cheese from the mold using a sharp knife to release the edges. Place in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a day before serving. You can also age the cheese by placing them in a wine fridge for 1 to 3 weeks. Rub fine sea salt over your cheese every few days or so to prevent mold growth.

I recommend eating the brie on crackers or sliced cucumbers. It’s so good that sometimes I just eat it on its own.

P.S. If you make this, I’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment below or find me on Instagram and share your creation. Don’t forget to tag me @passionatelykeren so I won’t miss your post.

Keren x

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Brown Rice, Kale and Bean Salad

Brown Rice, Kale and Bean Salad

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Brown Rice, Kale and Bean Salad

If I have to pick my favourite grain, it’ll be rice every time. It’s delicious, nutritious and most importantly, it’s filling. This is especially important when making a plantbased salad, especially when you want something substantial that can keep you going for a few hours. This Brown Rice, Kale and Bean Salad is one of my favourites salads to make because, not only is it easy to make, it’s also a great make-ahead dish for dinner party, lunch boxes or picnic. Unlike most salads, this salad stays fresh for about three days in the fridge. In fact, it tastes better the day after you make it.

The sturdiness and toughness of kale leaves makes kale perfect for this salad. They hold their shape and keep their crunchiness and freshness in the salad mix even after three days in the fridge. You don’t even need to shred them finely, just chop the leaves and then ‘massage’ the leaves in olive oil for about 2 minutes. If you don’t know what that means, you’re essentially scrunching the leaves with your hands to break down the cell walls which, in turn, softens the leaves to make them more enjoyable and easier to eat. It also helps release the sugars within the leaves to make them less bitter. You know you’ve done enough when the kale feels softer and tastes somewhat sweeter than before.

This salad is also a great way to use up cooked brown rice. I cook rice regularly and so I always have leftover rice. This salad is a perfect way to transform a day or a two day old rice into a delicious lunch or dinner meal. I hope you give this salad a try!

Brown Rice, Kale and Bean Salad

A deliciously simple salad that’s full of protein and fibre. It is satisfying, easy to make and can be made a day ahead. Perfect for parties, potlucks, picnics and to fill up lunch boxes.

  • Kale bean salad
  • 2 stalks of kale
  • 1 cup of black beans
  • 1 red onion (finely chopped)
  • 1 avocado (diced)
  • 1 to mato (diced)
  • 1 cup brown rice
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  1. Wash and rinse kale, tear the leaves off the centre leaves and the stem and then tear or chop to bite size pieces. Place into a bowl, add oil and a pinch of salt. Massage for about 2 minutes until kale softens and turns to a bright colour.
  2. Combine the massaged kale, red onion, brown rice, and beans. Set aside.
  3. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, cumin and garlic powder until thick, about 45 seconds.
  4. Drizzle the dressing over the salad. Gently toss, taste, adjust seasoning if needed and then top with diced avocado (I usually add the avocado last so it doesn’t get mushed when I mix the salad dressing). Let it sit to marinate for at least an hour if you can or leave overnight in the fridge for the flavours to develop.

I always have cooked rice in the fridge I didn’t have to cook the rice. However, you can also buy instant brown rice at the shop that takes minutes to cook in the microwave.

What’s your favourite way to use up leftover rice? 

P.S. If you make this, I’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment below or find me on Instagram and share your creation. Don’t forget to tag me @passionatelykeren so I won’t miss your post.

Keren x

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Cardamom pistachio cookies with rose petals

Vegan Cardamom and Pistachio Shortbread Cookies (with Rose Petals)

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I don’t normally bake cookies, but when I do, I go all out, calories and everything. No skimping on the fat or sugar (okay, maybe a bit less sugar than your traditional cookies, but only because I don’t like my cookies way too sweet). I especially love making shortbread cookies because they remind me of my childhood. My parents used to buy us a huge tin of butter cookies for Christmas, and I fondly remember those crispy, tender, melt-in-your-mouth buttery biscuits of goodness. Lately, I’ve been obsessed with putting spices in baked goods, so when I saw a packet of ground cardamom at the shops, I knew exactly what I had to do. And that’s how these Vegan Cardamom and Pistachio Cookies were born.

Cardamom pistachio cookies with rose petals

Cardamom pistachio cookies with rose petals

For these cookies I used ground coconut sugar, but you can use normal powdered sugar if you prefer. I pulsed coconut sugar in a power blender for a minute or so until it turned into powder form. I also did the same thing with the rose petals (just not for as long) – I removed the petals from the stem, and then pulsed a couple of times using my NutriNinja until crumbs form.

Cardamom pistachio cookies with rose petals

These cookies have that enchantingly sweet and aromatic smell of cardamom. They’re nutty and spicy, with a hint of aniseed and perfumed rose flavour. They will keep for about two weeks in an airtight container at room temperature, but I must say they didn’t last that long in our household before they were all gone.

Vegan Cardamom and Pistachio Shortbread Cookies (with Rose Petals_

Deliciously nutty, spicy, and aromatic buttery cookies that just happened to be vegan :)

  • 1 cup vegan butter or Nuttelex (220g, room temp)
  • 1/3 cup powdered coconut sugar (see note)
  • ½ cup pistachio nuts
  • 2 1/3 cup plain flour
  • 2 teaspoons rose water
  • 1 teaspoon almond extract
  • 1 teaspoon cardamom powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon of salt
  • 2 tablespoon dried rose petals (plus extras for sprinkling (see above))
  1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees.
  2. Sift all dry ingredients together (flour, sugar, and salt).
  3. In a medium bowl, using a wooden spoon, mix butter and almond extract together.
  4. Pulse pistachio nuts in a blender a few times until fine crumbs form.
  5. Add the dry ingredients and the pistachio nuts into the butter mixture and mix everything together. Use your hands if necessary to incorporate the butter and get the dough to come together. Stop when it has just come together. Careful not to over mix.
  6. Shape 1 tablespoon of the mixture into even sized balls and press into flat discs. Place onto a baking sheet lined with baking paper.
  7. Bake for 12-15 minutes until set and the edges are golden brown.
  8. Leave to cool completely.
  9. Enjoy!

To make powdered coconut sugar, pulse coconut sugar in a power blender for a minute or so until powdery.

If you’re a cardamom fan, I hope you will try this recipe. And if you do, I’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment below or find me on Instagram and share your creation. Don’t forget to tag me @passionatelykeren so I won’t miss your post.

Keren x

Cold Pressed Beetroot Juice

Halloween post – my new routine and the cold-pressed blood juice

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I have a new routine. For about three weeks now, I’ve been doing half-day juice fasts for two or three days each week, and it’s been great. I will talk about this more in the next blogpost, but today, I thought I’d give you a quick rundown of my routine, what I use to juice, and share a Halloween-themed juice recipe – Cold Pressed Blood Juice, seeing that the big trick-or-treating day is just around the corner.

Cold Pressed Blood Juice

My half-day juice fast routine

Essentially I’m drinking just juice from the morning until the afternoon. When possible I’m trying to have my first juice as late as possible so I can maximise my ‘fasting’ period. I normally undertake this routine on Monday, Tuesday and sometimes Wednesday as well.

I find it easier to do the juice fast during the first half of the week as I have more time to prepare on the Sunday prior, and I like to make my juices in advance so I needn’t waste time in the morning juicing. Cold-press juicing does take quite a bit of time, and since I personally hate cleaning up, I always like to do everything in bulk so I won’t have to clean the juicer every day.

Green Juice

Here’s a breakdown of my juice fast day

  • 8 pm (the night before): Finish dinner
  • 9 am: Breakfast – 450ml green juice (kale, spinach, celery, parsley, green apple and lemon)
  • 11am/12 pm: Lunch – 450ml carrot and beetroot juice (carrot, beetroot and ginger)
  • 3pm: Afternoon Snack – 450ml orange and carrot juice (or other fruit juice)
  • 5pm: Light snack (can either be fruits, nuts, rice cakes or other light snacks)
  • 6:30-7pm: Normal dinner

My Cold Press juicer

I use the Hurom H25 Alpha. It’s a bit pricey but it’s a great little machine. It’s much smaller than my old Breville Fountain juicer that I used way back in the day.

I must say that assembling the machine for the first time was quite daunting. I’ve never used a cold-pressed juicer and there were so many more parts than what I’ve used to. I had to actually read the user guide (as you should!) to make sure that I was assembling it correctly.

It has a pretty small chute, which means that you have to chop your larger fruits and veggies so they fit through. I had known about this requirement from reading reviews of the juicer and I honestly don’t mind the process. I mean, as a vegan, I already spend 80% of my time in the kitchen chopping fruits and vegetables so a bit more chopping won’t hurt. And, furthermore, I find chopping to be rather… therapeutic.

Cleaning the machine has been a breeze, especially now that I’ve gotten used to it. It took me 10 minutes to clean at the beginning but now, I’m down to about five minutes flat.

Overall I’m very happy with my Hurom H25. It does its job, it’s quiet and compact, and it looks pretty slick on the kitchen bench.

Hurom H25 Alpha

Here’s the video to see me (and the juicer) in action, making my favourite carrot juice and the Cold Pressed Blood Juice.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrU6wxNvtpY[/embedyt]

Cold-Pressed Blood Juice

This recipe is so simple that I almost didn’t want to share it. But it really is one of my favourite juices to make. And it does look impressive, especially when served in a skull jar!

Cold-Pressed Blood Juice

This recipe is so simple that I almost didn’t want to share it. But it really is one of my favourite juices to make. And it does look impressive, especially when served in a skull jar! Cold-Pressed Blood Juice (makes 500ml)

  • 8 large carrots
  • 1 large beetroot
  • 1 knob of ginger
  • Coconut water (optional)
  • <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Glass-Decanter-Container-Whiskey-Tequila/dp/B07427T8QW/ref=sr_1_7?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1509265589&sr=1-7&keywords=skull+jar"><a href="http://amzn.to/2yZDvV8">Skull jar</a></a> (optional)
  1. Wash and rinse your vegetables. Chop them if required.
  2. Add the carrots, beetroot and ginger into your cold press juicer and run as per manufacturer’s instruction.
  3. Transfer to a jar and top with coconut water if required.
  4. Serve immediately or store in the fridge for up to three days.

What’s your favourite cold-pressed juice? I’d love to hear from you!

Keren x

Easy Strawberry Jam

Easy Strawberry Jam

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I love strawberries! Especially when they’re in season. Sometimes I like adding strawberries to my smoothies and oats, but mostly I like eating them fresh out of the punnet. However, the other week, I made some vegan waffles and I felt like slathering them with some peanut butter and strawberry jam. But the problem is, I don’t have any jam. I’ve stopped buying jams two to three years ago as I find them too sweet for me. Did you know that traditional jam uses 1 cup of sugar per 250g strawberries? That’s insane! So I’ve decided to make my own quick and easy strawberry jam.

YUM! This easy strawberry jam is not only simple to make (you only need four ingredients), but it also tastes soooo fresh. I use raw sugar in this recipe, but you can replace it with your favourite natural sweetener such as Stevia, Norbu or even Xylitol. Nowadays, I don’t mind a bit of sugar here and there, and plus, it’s nowhere near the amount of sugar in storebought jams. Only three (3) tablespoons instead of one cup of sugar used in the traditional jam recipe!

Easy Strawberry Jam

If you ever wanted to make a small volume of jam, without all the fuss of finding jam sugar, pectin, or having to sterilise jars, then this recipe is for you.

Easy Strawberry Jam

Make your own homemade low sugar strawberries using only a handful of ingredients.

  • 1 punnet (250g fresh strawberries)
  • 3 tablespoons of raw sugar*
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • Zest of half lemon
  1. Wash, drain and hull strawberries.
  2. Add to a small pan on medium heat and start mashing the strawberries (use potato masher or fork).
  3. Add sugar and lemon juice into the pan.
  4. Bring to boil and then lower the heat and simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated and the mixture thickens, about 15 minutes.
  5. Transfer into a clean, airtight jar (I got mine from IKEA), let it cool, and store in the fridge for about 2 weeks.

*You can replace sugar with your favourite sweetener such as Stevia, Norbu or Xylitol

If you make this, I’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment below or find me on Instagram and share your creation. Don’t forget to tag me @passionatelykeren so I won’t miss your post.

Keren x

 

Turmeric Stir Fried Brown Rice

Healthy Turmeric Stir Fried Brown Rice

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Today I will share with you one of my favourite things to make (next to these tasty things). *Drumroll*….. please be upstanding for the Healthy Turmeric Stir Fried Brown Rice!

Healthy Turmeric Stir Fried Brown Rice

Everyone has a favourite recipe. It’s that dish that you love, that everybody else loves, that always works, no matter how crazy you get with the ingredients or how lazy you may get with the steps. It’s the recipe that you can almost make blindfolded.

For me, that go-to recipe is fried rice!

Boy, do I love making fried rice. It’s such a simple and delicious dish with endless possibilities! I love loading mine with veggies and tofu and, lately, turmeric. The turmeric adds such a nice spicy and earthy flavour to the rice. At home, back in Indonesia, my mum used to make me a similar dish so it always reminds me of her whenever I prepare this dish. And I make this almost every week.

Healthy Turmeric Stir Fried Brown Rice

Here’s the recipe video followed by the full recipe. Some professional chefs and seasoned cooks might express scorn for adding my aromatics (onions and garlic) after the tofu and not before, and how I haven’t set aside the tofu pieces after browning them. Sorry. I’m occasionally lazy, and in my opinion, there isn’t a significant difference in taste. Furthermore, it saves me an extra few minutes and a dish which, at 6 pm after a long day at work, makes all the difference in the world.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1NWaWpxGX0[/embedyt]

You can get really creative with this dish. I use brown rice with broccoli and carrots but you can use different veggie combinations or a different type of rice. One time I even used cooked barley and it worked well, too. You can also use tempeh instead of tofu, seitan, mushroom, chickpeas, or all the above. Trust me, I’ve tried almost every possibility under the sun.

Healthy Turmeric Stir Fried Brown Rice

Healthy Turmeric Stir Fried Brown Rice

  • 1 head of Broccoli (cut into florets)
  • 1 Red Onion (diced)
  • 5 garlic Cloves (sliced)
  • 200 g Firm Bean Curd (sliced)
  • 2 cups of cooked Brown Rice
  • 2 Carrots (sliced thinly)
  • 3 tablespoons of Coconut Oil
  • 1-2 teaspoon of Light soy sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon Turmeric Powder
  • A sprinkle of Ground Pepper
  • 1 cup chopped fresh Coriander
  • 1-2 cups of chopped mushroom (optional)
  • A sprinkle Kala Namak  (optional)
  1. Heat oil in wok (preferably non-stick) over high heat, add sliced tofu, swirling to coat surfaces; add sliced bean curd.
  2. Add 1 teaspoon of salt to bean curd and then add 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder. Stir-fry for 2 minutes until brown.
  3. Add chopped red onion, stir, add garlic and then stir-fry until onions are soft and slightly brown, about 3 minutes.
  4. Add brown rice, broccoli and carrots, stir. Then add soysauce and stir for about 3 minutes to mix.
  5. Add chopped mushroom (optional) and, stir-fry for another 2 minutes more, taste.
  6. Adjust the flavour by adding more sauce or season to taste.
  7. Fold in chopped coriander to finish.
  8. Serve

Serve with slices of fresh chilli for spicy boost.

If you make this, I’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment below or find me on Instagram and share your creation. Don’t forget to tag me @passionatelykeren so I won’t miss your post.

Keren x

 

Healthy Turmeric Stir Fried Brown Rice

 

Perfect Roast Potatoes

How to make perfect roast potatoes

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Today I will share with you some of my tips on how to make perfect roast potatoes. You know, the kind that have a deliciously crispy crust and are fabulously fluffy inside.

Let’s get to it.

Tip #1. Start with the right type of potatoes

To make perfect roast potatoes you need to use the right type of potatoes. There are two main types of potatoes:

Floury potatoes

These potatoes have a higher starch content and low moisture content which makes them perfect for roasting and chipping.

and…

Waxy potatoes

These potatoes are higher in moisture and lower in starch content. They’re good at keeping their shape when boiled and therefore are excellent for salads and soup.

You need the floury kinds.

Tips: You can also use the popular all-rounder which often have a medium starch content that sits somewhere in between the waxy and starchy potatoes, such as Desiree or Royal Blue potatoes.

Did you know that most of the potatoes in Australia are grown in South Australia?

Here’s a good website that lists the different varieties of potatoes. Contrary to what you see at the shops, there is much more variety of potatoes beyond ‘washed’ and ‘brushed’ potatoes.

For roasting, my favourite are Coliban, King Edward and Kestrel Potatoes.

Tip #2. Get them rough around the edges 

In order to get that lovely crispy skin which makes roast potatoes so delicious, you can do two things:

  1. Pre-boil the potatoes and cook them until the edges start to get rough, or
  2. Cook them in the oven and shake the pan to rough the surface once the potatoes are cooked.

The oil will gather in the cracks and crevices creating a crispy outer skin. Method number one produce crispier potatoes but it does involve another step (and an extra dirty dish). Number two is a tad simpler, but it takes a bit more time as the potatoes take longer to cook in the oven.

Tip #3. Do not skimp on the oil

If you do, you won’t get that lovely crispy skin you’re lusting after. For 1 kg of potatoes, I won’t use less than two tablespoons of oil. And for the oil, you can use oil you like. I normally use olive oil and coconut oil because I like the flavours.

Tip #4. Do not crowd your pan 

You want a single layer of potatoes on your pan, no more.

If your pan looks a bit overcrowded, use a second pan. You need enough space between each piece of potato to ensure perfect roasting and maximum crispiness.

Tip # 5. Be patient

To make the perfect roast potatoes you need to be patient. It takes time! Between 1.5 to 2 hours to be exact. Some things you just can’t rush!

Here’s my basic roast potato recipe, which makes deliciously crispy potatoes, every time.

I hope you will try them.

  

Perfect roast potatoes

Make deliciously crispy potatoes at home.

  • 1 kg Coliban potatoes (or any floury potatoes)
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • Fresh herbs to flavour (optional)
  1. Cut potatoes into halves or quarters (depending on their size). I like keeping the skin on but feel free to peel them. Wash under running water to remove the starch and then drain.
  2. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Transfer potatoes into a large saucepan and then add enough water to cover them.
  3. Cook for about 20 minutes until the potatoes are soft but not mushy. Drain potatoes. Return to the pan and heat for a few minutes to evaporate any remaining water. Then shake the pan briskly to ‘rough up’ the surface of the potatoes.
  4. Pour olive oil into a roasting pan big enough to hold the potatoes in one layer. Add the potatoes to the pan and coat them in the oil.
  5. Place in the oven and cook for 45 minutes. Turn and then cook again for another 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are golden brown and crispy all over.
  6. You can also add one to two tablespoon of fresh herbs such as rosemary or oregano at the end of the baking period to give a nice boost of flavour to your roast potatoes.
  7. Serve immediately.

 

How to Make Perfect Popcorn On The Stove

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Seriously, who doesn’t know how to make popcorn on the stove?

Well, as it turns out – a lot of people, including my poor sister. She often buys these bags of awful, artificially flavoured microwaveable popcorn.

Microwave popcorn is evil

There was a case in 2007 where a heavy consumer of microwaved popcorn was diagnosed with “popcorn lung” (an irreversible lung disease) after inhaling fumes from microwaved popcorn over time. He sued the popcorn company for failing to warn that “preparing microwave popcorn in a microwave oven as intended and smelling the buttery aroma could expose the consumer to an inhalation hazard and a risk of lung injury.”

He won the case in 2012 and was awarded millions of dollars in damages.

Scary huh!

The chemical that causes this lung injury is called diacetyl. It’s what gives microwaveable popcorn that intense buttery flavour. And while some popcorn brands have replaced diacetyl with another type of ‘flavouring’, the chemical is still considered safe by the United States’ FDA and, in Australia, no regulation has been established.

If you’re still buying microwaveable popcorn, maybe it’s time you try to make it yourself. It’s so easy and it costs just pennies to make.

After I showed my sister how to cook popcorn on the stove, she’s been making popcorn for my parents and herself almost every week; and the best thing is, she has now stopped buying microwaveable popcorn!

How to make perfect popcorn on the stove everytime

Fresh home-made popcorn is delicious and it is such an easy, quick, healthy and tasty snack that everyone can make.

If you can, get good quality organic popcorn (I got mine from The Source Bulkfoods. It really does make a difference. I find the organic popcorn more flavourful and ‘popped’ more evenly so you get very little un-popped kernel, if any. After been making popcorn for years I finally realised that a lot of my failures are the result of bad quality popping corns.

Here’s a recipe which you can follow. I generally don’t measure the ingredients. I just use enough oil to coat the base of the pan and then add just enough popcorn kernels to cover the base (depending on the size of the pan). The secret is to only have a single layer of kernels covering the pan’s base so they all get an equal amount of heat, otherwise you may risk having unpopped kernels mixed among the popcorn.

How to Make Perfect Popcorn On The Stove

Learn how to make perfect popcorn on the stove. This is favourite snack to make. It’s so quick to make, easy, and taste delicious!

  • 3 tbsp vegetable oil (I also like to use coconut oil)
  • 1/2 cup popping corn
  • 1/2 tbsp of finely ground salt (optional but recommended)
  • Other seasonings (my favourite is nutritional yeast for B12 boost)
  1. Add the oil in a heavy-based pan with a vented lid. Turn the heat up to medium-high (I use level 7 on my induction cooktop), add 3 corn kernels and cover.
  2. Once the kernels have popped add the remaining popcorn kernels and salt in an even layer. Cover.
  3. Remove from heat and count for 30 seconds. Don’t skip this part as it will bring all of the other kernels to the same temperature so they will pop at roughly the same time later, and you won’t have too many unpopped kernels, or burn your popcorn in an attempt to pop them all.
  4. Return the pan back to heat and wait for that popping sound (or if you have a clear lid, you can see the action happening).
  5. Once the kernels begin to pop rapidly, gently shake the pan by moving it back and forth.
  6. Open the lid a tiny bit to allow excess steam to escape.
  7. When the popping slows to a few seconds between pops, turn off the heat. Wait a few extra seconds for the last few pops, then remove the lid and pour into a large bowl.

Tips: Use oil suitable for high temperature cooking such as canola or peanut oil. If you want to use olive oil for flavour – mix the oil with peanut or canola 1:1 so that the oil won’t burn.

I’d love to hear from you if you make this popcorn recipe. Leave a comment below or find me on Instagram and share your creation. Don’t forget to tag me @passionatelykeren so I won’t miss your post.

Keren x