Cauliflower "steaks" with black rice noodles

  Last Saturday my trip to the market was filled with anxiety as I wanted to buy the same treasures I had bought the previous week. I could only appease my anxiety when I reached Ecoseiva place and found what I was looking for: purple cauliflower!

 While I was choosing my cauliflower, Mr Nuno Lobão from Ecoseiva – http://www.ecoseiva.com - told me that in a near future they would probably have other colourful cauliflowers – humm – imagine the impact of the colors on tasty recipes when presented at the table!

  Meanwhile, I went through a brief search on the net and found out that the different colors were obtained by crossing different strains  until the desired color was reached and always without using genetic laboratories.

  Cauliflower productive season extends almost throughout the year. Choosing a good cauliflower is a simple task. You just have to pick the ones which are firm, compact and show green and vibrant leaves. Cauliflowers are very rich in vitamin C, folic acid, potassium, and in the case of the purple one, the nutritional values are even higher.

  Cauliflower is also an excellent vegetable protein.

  For today’s recipe I cooked black rice noodles to go with cauliflower “steaks” as I wanted to get  an exotic dish with a velvety texture and flavor.

  Black rice noodles are gluten and wheat free. They are produced from black rice flour and brown rice flour. Black rice flour contains five times more protein and minerals than common rice. By combining these two flours we get noodles with a different color (after cooked they turn purple), rich in calcium, iron, magnesium, zinc, selenium and B vitamins.

Ingredients:

(serves 3)

1 pack black rice noodles

1 purple cauliflower

3 white cauliflower florets

150 ml olive oil

1 generous bunch of parsley

1 tbsp pomegranate powder

salt to taste

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

Wash the purple cauliflower and cut into “steaks”.

Reserve 2 purple florets and blend in a food processor. Do the same with the white florets and set aside for garnishing the plate.

In a blender, place the olive oil, the parsley, the pomegranate powder and the salt. Grind until you get a creamy sauce.

Place the cauliflower “steaks” in a baking tray and drizzle with the green sauce.

Put it in the oven ( reduce to 375 degrees) and roast for 15/20 minutes or until soft.

Meanwhile, cook the noodles according to the packet instructions in plenty of salted boiling water (3/4 minutes).

Put the noodles on a plate and garnish with the cauliflower “steaks”.

Sprinkle the plate with the raw purple and white cauliflower “petals”.

Bon appétit!

© veggie delicious food, May 2013

Vegetable boat on spaghetti ocean

  The vegetarian diet has had a great demand in recent years and there are several social –cultural factors that motivate this demand, such as religious ones, philosophical, health, between others.

  Today it is easy to find vegetarian meals in many restaurants. However, if on one hand there is a great curiosity about this regime, on the other, unhealthy eating habits, high sugar foods and processed products increase exponentially.

  A balanced diet, especially for children, is crucial for a healthier growth and it highly reduces the risk of contracting diabetes or obesity.

  Processed products should be replaced by fresh, natural products, such as fruits and vegetables.

  Introducing some vegetarian meals in the diet of the young ones, can be enriching and fun, especially if the basic nutricional concepts of a balanced vegetarian meal are respected.   That is, if meals are based on vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, grains and vegetable proteins.

  Preparing a child’s menu is a challenge, as far as, applying imagination to food is concern and working with the pleasures of mouth as well.

  My daughter has been a vegetarian since she was born and has always loved to share with her friends her beet or spinach bread, her edible flowers, her alfafa sprouts and many other dishes that arise children’s curiosity.

  I challenge you to define a especially healthy and a 100% vegetable weekday meal!

  This week’s recipe is for the young ones!

Ingredients:

(serves 2)

1 zucchini

1 cup grated tofu

1 medium grated carrot

2 garlic cloves

2 tbsp olive oil

salt to taste

1 tbsp soy sauce

full spaghetti

3 fresh mushrooms

1 small turnip

1 carrot for the garnishing

1 parsley stalk for the garnishing

Cut the zucchini  in two halves to make two boats.

Dip the inside and cut the polp in small pieces. Reserve.

Remove the skin of the garlic and chop it.

Put the oil in a pan, heat it and add the garlic. Mix until lightly brown and add the tofu. Mix well for 3 minutes.

Add the carrot, wrap and season it with salt.

Add the zucchini pieces and the soy sauce. Cook for another two minutes. Remove from heat, cover and let it stand.

Cook the spaghetti.

Meanwhile, clean the mushrooms with a wet cloth and cut them into slices to make the fishes.

Make the mast of the boat using  a piece of the carrot you reserved for garnishing and make the flag with a small skin portion of the zucchini.

At the top of the mast, make a small hole and do the same to the flag.  Join them using the parsley stalk.

Cut a slice of the carrot to make the body of the Sun and small jilienne pieces to make the rays.

Peel the turnip and grate it to make a cloud.

To build the boat, make a small whole in the middle of the zucchini, insert the mast and fill the boat with the tofu and carrot preparation.

Organize the spaghetti in front as the sea and place the mushrooms fishes on top.

Make a cloud with a strand of spaghetti and fill the inside with the grated radish.

Bon appétit!

© veggie delicious food, April 2013

Raw cocoa on a bed of hazelnuts

  These last days my thoughts were dominated by the desire to create this recipe, but it is only on  weekends that I find the necessary conditions to fullfill my culninary dreams. I must confess that preparing a dessert based on several ingredients and low sugar is a major challenge, especially if it has a happy ending.

  The magic ingredients that I chose for this dessert were dates, raw cacao powder and strawberries which are amazing super foods. Besides these, I also added hazelnuts and bananas.

  Raw cocoa powder hardly needs introduction, it is considered the "food of the Gods", it is very rich in anti-oxidants, minerals and it is appreciated by its aroma and flavor. Strawberries, which only by their color are quite appealing, are ideal for a balanced diet, given its richness in antioxidants and especially their anti-inflammatory properties. They protect cognitive function and improve heart function.

  As I have already emphasized in previous recipes, bananas are an important source of energy, vitamins, minerals and fiber. They contribute to muscle relaxation and they are easy to digest. These are sufficient arguments to eat at least one banana a day. For this reason, banana is the basis of this dessert with raw ingredients, except for the hazelnuts wich were toasted.

  It was so tasty that there was only one left for the photo!

Ingredients

(serves 4)

150 g hazelnuts

4 bananas (one per person)

8 dates (2 per person)

4 tbsp bio raw cacao powder (1 per person)

strawberries to taste

Put the hazelnuts on a baking sheet and put them in oven for about 10/15 minutes to roast (350 degrees).

Place the hazelnuts in a paper bag and massage them to loose their shin.

Place the hazelnuts in a blender and grind until they turn to wet crumble but without releasing too much oil.

Line the bottom of the pie tartines with parchment paper, place the hazelnuts on top and spread across the base and sides.

Put a banana in a blender, 2 dates and 1 tbsp of raw cacao. Grind everything until it is pureed.

Pour it on the basis of the hazelnuts and refrigerate it.

Repeat the procedure with the remaining ingredients.

Leave it for 1 hour in the refrigerator and serve it garnished with strawberries.

Bon appétit!

© veggie delicious food, Abril 2013