Japan fails to sell 75 per cent of 2011 whale-meat harvest - News

The growth of meat free meals (by campaigns such as Meat Free Monday) along with growing opposition from consumers is significantly starting to impact Japanese Whaling returns. Hopefully this is the beginning of the end of Whaling around the world.

Japan fails to sell 75 per cent of 2011 whale-meat harvest - News

Crispy Tofu salad with lime dressing

I love crispy tofu!

I make it all the time for stir fries or with a simple vegetable accompaniment. With this recipe I love the combination of crispy tofu, simple salad and the flavoursome lime dressing 

Ingredients

(for serving 2 people)

For the crispy tofu and salad:

• 150g thin rice noodles
• 1 tablespoon peanut oil, canola oil or rice bran oil
• 1/2 c flour (ideally brown rice flour)
• 1 inch fresh ginger, finely minced or grated
• Salt and pepper for seasoning
• 100g firm tofu, sliced and blotted dry with paper towels
• 1 small or 1/2 large red bell pepper, cut in 2-inch-long julienne
• 2 tablespoons minced chives
• 1/4 cup minced cilantro (coriander)
• 4 cups slivered romaine lettuce leaves
• 50g dry-roasted peanuts

For the dressing:

• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 2 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
• Salt to taste
• 1 small garlic clove, puréed
• 1/3 cup unrefined expeller-pressed or roasted peanut oil
• 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
• 1/2 teaspoon Asian hot pepper oil

Method

1. Place the rice threads in a large bowl and cover with hot water. Let sit for 20 minutes while you prepare the other ingredients.
2. Mix together the flour, ginger, salt and pepper in a shallow bowl.
3. Cut tofu into long thin sticks (about 1 finger thick) and lightly coat in the flour mixture.
4. Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat for 2 minutes and add 1 tablespoon peanut oil, canola oil or rice bran oil. When the oil is hot, add the tofu and sauté on both sides until golden brown. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
5. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add salt to taste if desired. Drain the noodles and add to the boiling water. Boil 1 minute, then drain, rinse briefly with cold water, and using a scissors, cut into manageable lengths. Transfer to a salad bowl and add the tofu, red pepper, chives, cilantro, lettuce and half the peanuts.
6. Whisk together all of the dressing ingredients in a small bowl or measuring cup. Pour over the noodles and toss together. Sprinkle the remaining peanuts over the top and serve.

Cauliflower Purée with Parmesan and Thyme

My husband hates cauliflower so it gave me great delight to feed this to him (without him knowing it was cauliflower) and watch him eat it with relish.

Great accompaniment to Fry’s Schnitzel

Ingredients

(for serving 4 people)

• 2 cups milk
• 3t Salt
•  Pepper to taste
• 1 medium cauliflower in florets
• 1 small bunch fresh thyme – tied in a bundle with kitchen string
• 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan
• 1 tablespoon crème fraîche or cooking cream cheese
 

Method

1.   Bring milk to a boil in a large pot. Add half the salt, cauliflower and thyme bundle. Reduce heat to medium and partially cover the pan so that the milk doesn’t boil over. Simmer for 10 to 12 minutes until cauliflower is very tender. Strain in a colander, reserve the milk and let stand for 10 minutes until well drained. Discard thyme bundle.


2.   Place the cauliflower florets in the bowl of a food processor and process with a steel blade until coarsely chopped. Add the balance of the salt, pepper, parmesan and 2 tablespoons of the reserved milk. Process for another 30 seconds until very smooth. Add a bit more reserved milk to the desired consistency, if needed.


The purée can be prepared to this point up to 1 day ahead. Transfer the purée to a bowl, let cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate until ready to use.


3.   When ready to serve, place the purée in a medium saucepan and heat over medium heat until very warm, stirring frequently. Add the crème fraîche and stir until well incorporated. Transfer the purée to a serving bowl and serve immediately.

Vegetarian week takes new approach | Health | MiNDFOOD

I found this old article from Mindfood that was worthy of a quick read. While everyone is vegetarian for their own reasons, this article focuses on the environmental and health impacts.

Vegetarian week takes new approach | Health | MiNDFOOD

Blue Cheese and spinach pasta with toasted walnuts

Not the healthiest recipes but it is one of my favourite to indulge in.  

I prefer to cook this with fettuccini, though any pasta will do. If you really want to impress your friends, stuff the blue cheese mixture into Conchiglioni pasta shells

Ingredients

(for serving 4 people)

• 100g of walnuts pieces, coarsely chopped
• 200g of spinach leaves (frozen spinach is good for this recipe, make sure you defrost and squeeze out excess water)
• 150g of blue veined cheese or similar, crumbled
• 300ml of creme fraiche (I love Philadelphia Cooking Cream Cheese)
• 150g of pasta (such as penne pasta quills)
• Salt and pepper for season, plus garlic flakes for garlic lovers

 

Method

1. Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions.
2. While the pasta is cooking, heat a frying pan and dry fry the walnuts for 1 minute, or until lightly toasted. Remove and set aside.
3. Thoroughly mix in the creme fraiche/cream cheese, blue cheese and walnuts, season to taste with salt and pepper. If using frozen spinach, once defrosted and drained, add to this mixture.
4. Drain the pasta, reserving 4 tbsp water. Return the pasta and reserved cooking water to the pan and add the spinach. Cover and return to a low heat until the leaves begin to wilt.
5. Add in the blue cheese mix and mix thoroughly.
6. Serve