peanut butter

gado gado

~ aplotzi ~ 3 Comments

This salad is inspired by the street food in Indonesia and this is my take on it. It’s a brilliant combo of crunchy and soft and sweet and sour, in fact I think it tastes pretty mind blowing. But, so it doesn’t end up looking like the contents of the bottom of a dustbin when you plate it up, it’s best to layer it with the sauce at the bottom. You can use other vegetables like cucumber or blanched carrot sticks or blanched cabbage, and fried tofu or tempeh too.
All work well, it’s up to you, it’s really great for using up vegetables in the fridge.

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pad thai

~ aplotzi ~ 3 Comments

This version of Pad Thai is a delicious warm noodley stir fry salad. Perfect on a summer evening. You can add cooked prawns or chicken to this recipe, if you want to, it’s totally versatile, but stands alone as an outstanding vegan recipe. I love that it’s a tangy mixture of flavours and it’s a variety of textures. It was a great hit at dinner with my vegetarian boy pals (it can be made with white noodles too).

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asian cucumber and peanut salad

~ aplotzi ~ 2 Comments

This salad is lower carb, and for me it has the right combination of textures and flavours, because it tastes fresh and delicious. It has the creaminess of the coconutty and peanutty sauce mixed with the crunchiness of the cucumber and the sweet and sour flavours from the limes, maple syrup, Sriracha and coconut cream dressing. This is a vegan recipe at its penultimate best and is fab served with fish like my (Asian sea bass) but you can serve it with chicken or steak and if you aren’t low carbing it, serve with Thai sticky rice. Yum.

Recipe

Serves 4.

Ingredients:
1 large cucumber
A sprig of fresh coriander finely chopped
A handful of chopped roasted peanuts
2 salad onions finely sliced
1/2 teaspoon sesame seeds (I use black sesame seeds)

The dressing
3 tablespoons of smooth peanut butter
1/2 clove of garlic
1 tablespoon of coconut cream
1 lime juiced
2 tablespoons of water
1/2 teaspoon of Sriracha (chilli sauce)
1 tablespoon of soya sauce
1 tablespoon of maple syrup

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gado gado snacks

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Don’t you love a snack? I love them and I’d be happy to live on them for the rest of my life. These are a lower carb version of a Gado Gado salad, but in a small snack form. So if you are on a lower carb regime they are perfect. Great as a canapé or starter, or just in front of Netflix with your favourite box set. They are crunchy, creamy and sweet and sour, which is, if you read this blog, my favourite  combo… blinking delish.

Serves 3-4.

Ingredients:
12 Quails eggs (£2.60 doz from Sainsbury’s)  or 4 normal size eggs
1 red pepper very finely chopped
1 head of chicory or a lettuce
1 small cucumber, julienned(I use a julienne peeler)
A handful of crispy onions (supermarket)
A small sprig of fresh coriander

The sauce:
1 clove of chopped garlic
3 tablespoons of maple syrup
5 tablespoons of peanut butter
Juice of 2 limes
1 teaspoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon of soya sauce
1 tablespoon of tamarind paste
Chilli sauce to taste (optional)

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japanese fine beans

~ aplotzi ~ 2 Comments

These delicious peanutty fine beans were part of a sushi meal I had at a Japanese restaurant in Spitalfields. They went so well with the sushi and were the highlight of the meal, so I have try to guess what the sauce was, and after a few attempts I think I’ve nailed it and think it’s just as delicious. It’s an easy recipe and the sweet and savoury sauce is sublime…and makes an excellent side dish..do try it.

Serves 2-3.

Ingredients:
200g approx of fine beans topped and tailed
1 heaped tablespoon of peanut butter
1 teaspoon of soya sauce
1 teaspoon of maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon of toasted sesame oil
1/4 garlic clove chopped
1/4 teaspoon of grated fresh ginger

japanesefinebeans_ingredients
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