Anyone who knows me will tell you that I believe there is nothing that can’t be veganised, so when I saw a recipe for crab omelette online, I was up for the challenge! I’m a late convert to the wonder that is banana blossom, and knew right away that it would be the hero ingredient in this dish. Our vegan daughter said that she thought this vegan crab omelette was one of the best dishes I’ve made in eleven years of being vegan, which is praise indeed! I hope you love it just as much as we did.
This makes two omelettes.
Ingredients
1 can banana blossom, drained, rinsed, and chopped finely
1 tablespoon dried seaweed
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
260g gram (chickpea) flour
16 oz water
2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp kala namak
Parsley, sprouts (I used sprouted alfalfa), spring onion and lemon to garnish
1 tsp and 1 tbsp cooking oil
Method
Make the crab meat by combining the banana blossom, lemon, soy sauce, seaweed and parsley.
Heat a tsp of cooking oil in a small pot and place the crab meat in it to warm through, stirring frequently.
Heat a tbsp of cooking oil in a frying pan. Combine the gram flour, water, turmeric and kala namak and pour into the hot pan, sliding a spatula to loosen round the edge.
Once the underside is cooked, flip the omelette over and add the warm crab meat to the top.
Once the other side of the omelette is cooked, fold the omelette over the crab meat and serve garnished with lemon, parsley, chopped spring onion and sprouted grains.
I can think of no finer example of British cuisine than the traditional British breakfast. It’s not something that I’d want to start every day with, but on a Sunday morning, once in a while we’ll treat ourselves to the works. There’s no reason that vegans have to miss out on the delights of a full British, and here’s our take on it if the thought has your mouth watering too!
I know I’m like a broken record with tofu, but it’s so important that you press and marinade the tofu at least a day before cooking. If you don’t, the tofu will be damp and flavourless – it absorbs flavour like a dream the longer you marinade it, so it really is worth it.
This serves two.
Ingredients
200g (half a can) of cannellini beans
10 new potatoes, boiled and sliced thinly
1 ripe avocado
100g kale
1 block firm tofu
2 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp turmeric
1 tsp kala namak salt
1 tbsp rapeseed oil plus 1/2 tsp for the kale plus 1/2 tsp for the beans
8 cherry or plum tomatoes, halved
1 tbsp thyme
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp chilli flakes
2 x quarter limes, to season.
Method
At least one day in advance, press the tofu using a tofu press or by wrapping it in a clean tea towel and placing it in a sieve over a large bowl, with heavy books on top.
After pressing the tofu (give it at least an hour), place it in a clean bowl and using a fork or potato masher, mash it up with the sesame oil, soy sauce and turmeric. Cover the bowl and place in the fridge.
When you’re ready to make breakfast, preheat the oven to 180 C then heat up a wok with the tbsp rapeseed oil.
Add the kale to a baking tray and season with salt and pepper and a drizzle of rapeseed oil. Bake for 10 minutes until crispy. If you have an air fryer, you can make crispy kale by placing it in the air fryer for two minutes, then tossing it in oil, salt and pepper.
Add the tofu mixture, sliced potatoes, tomatoes, and thyme to the wok and sauté for ten minutes, stirring frequently.
In a separate pot, add the drained cannellini beans plus a tsp rapeseed oil, the paprika, and the chilli flakes. Stir to warm through and to allow the beans to absorb the spices.
Halve the avocado and cut into thin slices, seasoning with a little pepper.
Serve the avocado with the tofu scramble, potatoes, tomatoes, kale and beans.
If you want to follow up breakfast with something a bit healthier, try this for lunch!
Parsley and lemon are made to go together, and combined as a gremolata dressing for these lemon parsley beans they make a zingy combination. The sweetness of the tomato thyme cashew spread complements the lemon parsley perfectly to make a delicious and nutritious plant based lunch.
Juice of 2 large lemons
2 cloves garlic, peeled
Pinch salt
50g parsley
Tbsp olive oil
1 x 400g can of butterbeans
200g frozen peas
200g frozen green beans
Cucumber to garnish
Chopped red onion to garnish
Parsley to garnish
8 plum tomatoes
100g cashews
1/2 tsp salt
Tsp thyme
2 cloves garlic, minced
Sliced sourdough bread or crackers
Method
Make the cashew spread by soaking the cashews in water for a few hours/overnight – just enough to cover them. Then, without draining the cashews, combine the plum tomatoes, cashews, salt, garlic and thyme in a food processor until smooth and creamy.
Make the gremolata by combining the parsley, lemon juice, salt, olive oil and garlic in a food processor until blended.
Cook the peas and green beans. While they are cooking, drain and rinse the butter beans and warm them with a tbsp of the gremolata in a small pan over a medium heat, stirring regularly.
Add the peas and green beans and the rest of the gremolata to the butter beans and serve with toasted sourdough or crackers spread with the cashew cheese, and garnished with a little chopped cucumber, red onion and parsley.
With the horrendous price rises that hit us on April 1, the cost of living crisis has meant that, understandably, concern for the planet has to take more of a back seat when we’re all trying to figure out where to find the money to pay the bills. Often, it can seem that household and lifestyle sustainability solutions, though laudable, end up costing us more money as there’s a huge upfront cost (ie washable nappies) or an increase in monthly spend (loo roll in fancy packaging that costs twice what you’d normally spend on loo roll).
We’ve put together some planet-saving ways to save money so that you don’t have to make the choice between saving pennies and saving the planet.
Draught proof your house. This is such an old, and obvious, one but it really works. Our hall and bedroom were freezing and almost unbearable in the winter without a blast of heating, until we added draught excluders to our external doors. If you don’t have the money to buy a draught excluder then roll up an old blanket and wedge it against doors and windows that are draughty.
Cover up letterboxes and keyholes in doors as they can be serious offenders when it comes to letting draughts through – a small outlay on a keyhole cover, for example, can make a real difference to temperatures in halls for example, and save you having to put the heating on.
And even if it’s cold outside, open curtains during the day. Any small amount of sunlight will get in and help heat the room.
Use food waste apps. Olio and ToGoodToGo are two of our favourites. About a third of all of the food in the world is thought to go to waste, a major driver of climate change as the unused food often ends up in landfill where it rots and produces methane. ToGoodToGo advertises very low cost ‘magic bags’ of shopping, baking, sandwiches and fruit and veg based on what local partners have to offer. We got a huge bag of baking from Starbucks for £3.50 this week via ToGoodToGo with pastries and sandwiches, most of which we froze. Olio advertises free food either from people in the local community or local food shops such as Pret.
A pile of discarded courgettes (image: Olio)
Skip the weekly shop once a week. We do this on the last week of every month and instead make a point of eating everything in the freezer and cupboards we can, only buying things day to day that we absolutely need. This saves us money and cuts down on waste. You’ll be amazed at how much you have that can be used when you make the decision to shop only for what you need – we always spend far less on shopping in our week when we don’t do a big shop.
Lift share instead of driving. There are millions of cars doing the daily commute every day in the UK, and many of them only have one passenger – the driver. Check out Liftshare, where you can arrange to commute with another person, or share a long journey with someone else, either by giving them a lift in your car or vice versa. Always be mindful of safety and check out a user’s reviews before sharing a car with them, though. And if it’s possible, consider cycling instead of driving – often this can be quicker than driving as you nip through traffic, and it’s good for your health, too.
Have at least one meat-free day a week. Plant based eating is good for the planet and good for your purse. A healthy vegan meal such as our lentil dhal is easy to make and really inexpensive if you already have the store cupboard ingredients, or this plant based vegetable soup.
Freeze EVERYTHING you can. I look back at myself in years gone by and cannot believe how much food I used to throw away, leaving unfinished food out or in the fridge then tossing it when I could have frozen it. Our freezer is full of boxes of varying sizes of leftovers from shepherd’s pie to curry – though Colin isn’t the best of labelling things so sometimes what’s inside the Tupperware is a little surprise! Get it out of the freezer in the morning so it’s ready to put in the oven for your evening meal.
I also recommend the Martin Lewis Money Saving Expert forums for some brilliant money saving ideas, many of which don’t put sustainability on the back burner.
Norway is a country that has been on our bucket list from before we can remember. So when the opportunity came up to visit family living in Stavanger for the weekend, we were incredibly excited to go and visit the land of fjords, mountains and trolls.
We only had two days there to pack in as much as we could, and we knew that we wanted to see as much as possible of the wonderful landscapes for which Norway is famous. Here’s what we got up to.
Downtown Stavanger
Preikestolen
Any weekend in Stavanger should have a hike up to Preikestolen, or Pulpit Rock, on the itinerary. The huge flat-topped 604m cliff, which juts out above the Lysefjord like a preacher’s pulpit, attracts more than 200,000 visitors each year. The walk is not for the faint-hearted, especially in the winter months, and can be challenging in places. The reward at the end is breathtaking though, with spectacular views over the fjords.
We drove from Stavanger to Preikestolenhytta, the basecamp where the Preikestolen Trail begins. It’s about an hour’s drive from Stavanger, through the largest subsea road tunnel in the world, the 14 km Ryfylke tunnel. If you don’t have a car, you can also travel by boat from Stavanger to Oanes, then take a bus to Preikestolenhytta. Here you’ll find toilets, a shop, cafe, and a centre with guides who keep a beady eye on the walkers as they pass, stopping people who don’t have the correct footwear.
The walk starts off steeply then flattens out, following this pattern until the end. Despite the cold and ice, it was fairly busy for March, though the weather was unseasonably warm and dry for the area on the day.
Snowball fights on the way up
From about halfway and upwards from there, there was a thick covering of snow. We had to tread extremely carefully – more than once, I put my foot down on some snow to find my boot disappearing up to my ankle! About halfway up there’s a lake with a boardwalk through it and frozen (though shallow) water on each side – I found this part a bit hard as I had to choose between walking in the snowy, icy middle of the walkway or the snow-free edges.
After a particularly tricky uphill section of the walk, some of which has metal railings for you to hang on to, we came to a part of the path where there was a steep sloping drop on one side. At this point my fear of heights became too much – I always know it’s time to stop when my legs feel a bit wobbly and my hands start to shake! I told Colin that I wouldn’t be able to go any further and waited for the others instead. I waited for about an hour in a flat area with large rocks to sit on while the others went on – it was no hardship as it was so still and beautiful.
Colin said later that I’d made the right decision as there were a couple more scary parts for those who aren’t great with heights, including a part where you have to hug the cliff to get round. However, there is also a hill path that you can take, which takes a little longer but avoids the cliff walk. So if you suffer from acrophobia, be aware of this before attempting Preikestolen and opt for the hill path.
My view while I waited for the others – not bad!
Everyone felt bad for me having to wait for them but I didn’t mind at all. Where I’d stopped was beautiful – the view was spectactular, the air still, and with my winter gear on I didn’t feel cold. It was heavenly just sitting looking out on the fjords with nothing else to do but watch and wait. It’s not often that you get the opportunity to just sit and be in nature, with no Wi-Fi or other distractions, and I relished every moment of it.
Colin writes:
I wasn’t happy about leaving Caroline, but I could see that she was safe, so we ventured on for that final kilometre to the famous jut of rock that is Preikestolen!
With the bulk of the steep bits out of the way, this last section was mostly on the flat, though it was these final sections that proved the most exciting … and dangerous. We encountered more of these easy-going paths meandering between frozen ponds and icy outcrops. But there were a couple of nerve-wracking sections of path where there was absolutely no room for error. At these short sections, as we inched along the narrow path it was all too evident that a slip here could have meant a fatal fall. Extreme care was required to make it to the majestic Preikestolen outcrop, where we rested and recovered for a few moments before stealing a series of selfies and stunning panoramic pics of the beautiful vista! It felt busy even then – a frozen but sunny Saturday in March – so in summer it must be mobbed. Time your visit well, and be just as careful on the descent. There were definitely a few bruised bums and egos on the way down!
The view from Preikestolen
Coming down was definitely more challenging than going up, but actually pretty good fun – in some parts we had to slide down, other parts weren’t possible without using your hands to hold on to trees, railings or the wall. There were plenty of friendly hikers who offered hands to travellers coming down which helped, but it wasn’t for the faint hearted or anyone unsteady on their feet. We stopped after the halfway point, once we could see the grass again, and had a picnic at a very pretty picnic spot with the forest to one side and the fjord in front of us.
The hike took us four hours, but can be done in two hours in the summer when there’s no snow and ice.
Olberg Beach
On our second day we decided to swap snowy mountains for the beach and headed to Olberg. It’s a lovely little harbour about half an hour southwest of Stavanger, with a sandy beach and rock climbing, as well as an ice cream shop that’s renowned in the area for its amazing ice creams – the queue was very long though, so we didn’t try them on this occasion.
Olberg Beach
The rock climbing was the highlight for the kids – safe enough to be done relatively unsupervised, with secret tunnels leading into creepy rooms carved inside the rocks, and even an abandoned building, an old fortification from World War II, overlooking the harbour to peer inside.
Down by the shore, the beach is perfect for swimming, if you can stand the cold. The water will be very, very cold – minus 5 – until around May so be warned. Olberg beach has some of the softest, finest sand I’ve seen in years – we wished we’d brought a picnic.
There’s free parking at the beach, and also a popular campsite. And on the way back into Stavanger you can stop at the Sverd i fjell monument, three huge swords in the ground to commemorate an ancient Viking battle fought on this site.
Norway was everything we thought it would be – stunning scenery, friendly people, and views that go on for miles. Our weekend in Stavanger only scratched the surface of what this beautiful country has to offer. We haven’t crossed it off the bucket list yet – we are definitely not finished with you, Norway, and will be back !
We visited the amazing Unity Diner in London for dinner recently. It’s a not-for-profit vegan restaurant in east London that’s famous for its tofish amongst other things. We had the tofish bites as a side, and since then I’ve been dreaming about them! I had a go at recreating them this weekend, and was pleased with the results.
Like almost all of our tofu recipes, this recipe needs advance preparation. You’ll need to press the tofu for a couple of hours at least one day in advance, and preferably three, and then marinade it.
Ingredients
Juice of one lime
Teaspoon chilli flakes
150g frozen peas
10 new potatoes
2 tbsp vegan butter
1 clove garlic
75g plain or self raising flour
25g cornflour
125 cold beer or fizzy water
1 block tofu
4 tbsp seaweed flakes
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp liquid smoke
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt and pepper
Method
Press the tofu for 2 hours at least one day before making the tofish. Use a tofu press or wrap the tofu in a clean tea towel, place it in a sieve over a bowl, and place heavy books on top.
Make the marinade with the lemon juice, liquid smoke, seaweed flakes and soy sauce. Chop the tofu into cubes and place in the marinade in a bowl. Top it up with warm water so all the tofu is covered and put it in the fridge.
When you are ready to make the tofish, make the batter by combining the flour, cornflour, beer/water and salt.
Preheat the oven to 180degrees.
Parboil the potatoes for five minutes, then cool them in the fridge for twenty minutes.
Make the garlic butter by combining the vegan butter and the minced garlic clover.
Cut small slits in the cooled potatoes, and top with a small amount of garlic butter. Bake for 40 minutes.
Once the potatoes have been baking for 30 minutes, heat a wok with oil. Dip the tofu cubes in the batter and fry on each side until golden. This is easier if you have tongs to dip the cubes in the batter.
At the same time, boil the peas until cooked. Mash them up with the lime juice and chilli.
Take the potatoes out of the oven and serve with the tofish and lime peas.
The cover of The Wild Remedy by Emma Mitchell promises that this is a ‘beautiful, beautiful book’. And it is. I found this gem of a book in a charity shop. Reading it was a joy. A very personal nature diary, it chronicles the twelve months of the British year in nature, as experienced by Emma, an illustrator from Cambridgeshire.
It’s well evidenced that time in nature is good for your mental health. Whether that’s simply a walk in your local park, mindful forest bathing, or regular cold water swims, spending time outside is good for your soul. During the long monotonous days of lockdown, getting outside helped people to cope with the anxiety and stress brought on by the pandemic, with time spent in nature a real lifeline for many of us.
The book is written in diary form, and starts in October, when the leaves are beginning to fall and the migrant thrushes arrive. Emma’s wonderful observations of the minutiae of the nature that surrounds us – whether it’s a tiny goldcrest flitting in the woods, a nightingale singing overhead, or some snake’s head fritillaries blooming in spring – reminded me of how wonderful it is to be surrounded by nature and simply notice what’s around me. My knowledge of flora and fauna isn’t as extensive as Emma’s, but I’ve resolved to improve it after reading this book and observing her joy at simply spotting a particular species of bird or a flower in bloom. She describes a murmuration of starlings;
“Tens of thousands of birds are behaving like a living liquid. My mind reels at the complexity of the mathematics and silent communication required for this astonishing behaviour… Writhing limbs of birds, coordinated by their brains’ responses to one another’s flightpaths, protrude then recede from its edge as it seems to crawl like an aerial amoeba.”
Emma’s honesty about her mental health, which suffers greatly during the winter months, means that The Wild Remedy is raw in places and difficult to read. Her mood plummets as the nights grow longer and the temperature falls, reaching its lowest point in March, often a point in the year when it can feel like the darkness and cold have gone on forever and will never end. It’s taking simple pleasure in nature that help to lift her mood, from a bird feeder that brings blue tits and sparrows to her garden and the sight of young meadowsweet leaves in the woods.
Emma’s descriptions of the wildlife she sees around her are brought to life by her drawings that appear throughout the book; pencil sketches and watercolours that reproduce in careful detail the nature that she encounters on her walks.
You can buy The Wild Remedy here, new or second hand.
This February half term, we headed north to stay with family in Doune. Doune is a beautiful village in Perthshire, about an hour north of Edinburgh and Glasgow. It’s also where Colin grew up, and where we were married, as well as the place where Colin’s parents still live, so holds a very special place in our hearts. Its location in Perthshire means that it’s also perfectly positioned to explore the wilds of Scotland from, and although exploring Scotland in February isn’t necessarily the warmest time to do it. we decided that we’d take the time to go and see some parts of Scotland we’ve always wanted to know better.
View across Loch Awe from St Conan’s Kirk
On the driest day of our holiday, we headed north to Loch Awe. Loch Awe is the third largest freshwater loch in Scotland, as well as being the longest Scottish loch. We’ve driven up its eastern edge more times than I can count on our way to Oban, but never stopped to explore. This time, we decided to stop in Loch Awe village to explore St Conan’s Kirk and its beautiful views across the Loch.
St Conan’s was originally built as a chapel of ease by the Campbell family for those who could not easily reach the parish church. Amongst other things it houses a fragment of bone from Robert the Bruce, and a beautiful stained glass window from South Leith Church. There was a touching tribute to a member of the Campbell family who’d fallen in the Crimea after stopping to give water to a wounded enemy, and the wooden beams in the cloisers are thought to have come from two Royal Navy battleships. Our favourite part was the grounds though, with carefully tended gardens and incredible views across the water. If you’re headed up to the Highlands any time soon, do take time to stop and look around this beautiful building.
Our original plan was to go for a swim in Loch Awe, but the one spot we saw on the south edge of the loch was occupied by fishermen so we decided to leave swimming for another day. The best place to swim in Loch Awe is on its east side, at Dalavich, which is on our list for next time.
After Loch Awe we headed south down the A819 to the shores of Loch Fyne and Inveraray. There’s plenty to do here, including visiting the Inveraray Jail and the castle when it’s open, as well as visiting the shops, cafes and restaurants (though sadly the chip shop was not vegan friendly as the chips were fried in beef dripping :()
We headed past the castle – seat of Clan Campbell and the Duke of Argyll – to make our way up the hill to the Dun na Cuaiche Watchtower, passing over an ornate bridge (we played Pooh Sticks on it on the way back!) and trees that were planted by Queen Victoria. It’s not a big hill at 248m, and not too steep. The hike takes you through beautiful woodland, and you don’t have to walk far before glimpsing stunning views across the Argyll hills. Regular arrow signs tell you that you’re on the right path as you wind round the hill to the top to take in the watchtower. As we came out of the woods and drizzle, we were greeted by the sight of a perfect rainbow.
The tower was built as a folly in 1756 rather than an actual watchtower, and has stood the test of time for almost three hundred years, despite having been struck by lightning several times. We stopped to rest inside the tower and take in the breath-taking panorama across Loch Fyne and Inveraray, with the castle in the foreground. This is an easy, scenic walk, and you can reward yourself with a hot meal down at the bottom in the George Hotel with its roaring fires and vegan friendly menu.
The next day, despite the snow and rain and slightly achy legs from the previous day’s walk, we decided to go up Ben A’an. Ben A’an is like a miniature mountain – at 1512 feet it’s only roughly half the size of the smallest munro – but it’s steep at the beginning and end, with a fairly flat part in the middle. We’d climbed it for the first time back in 2020, just before lockdown, so I was excited by the opportunity to do it again.
The climb up Ben A’an starts at the car park across the road, and I won’t lie….it starts off hard! Climbing up some steep steps and past a sheer drop to the river on your right, it’s wise to take your time and pace yourself if you don’t want to tire yourself out. The middle of the climb offers some respite, and you can see the peak of the mountain ahead of you as you cross little streams and enjoy some of Scotland’s most beautiful scenery with the Trossachs in front of you. You’ll need your energy for the last third of the walk, which is steep and feels a bit relentless, but absolutely worth it as you swing left for the final steps to the peak and the vista of Loch Katrine.
Even on a cold day in February, the mountain was busy, so be aware that it gets even busier in summer – worth bearing in mind as there are parts of the ascent that only admit one person at a time. Though it’s always good to have an excuse to have a little rest while you’re waiting for someone to pass!
You can read more of our Scottish adventures here.
2022 is a year that I’ve planned to use looking after myself a bit better – both my body, and my mind. I’ve vowed to stop seeing carving time out for yoga or a mindfulness session as self-indulgent, or a luxury, and telling myself I should be spending that time cleaning, working, or playing with the kids. But these things are part of a self-care regime that makes me feel healthy and happy, which reflects on everyone else in our home, too.
My first stop when deciding to commit myself to something is to read a little more about it, and there are so many different aspects to self-care that a general guide seemed like a good idea. Which is where Anna Borges’ book, The More or Less Definitive Guide to Self-Care, came in.
The author, Anna Borges, is an editor, podcast host, and mental health champion, and I loved her warm, non-judgemental tone throughout the book. The book itself is divided into bite-sized sections of up to a page on a wide range of self-care topics, from yoga to medication and friendship bracelets to fidget toys.
I liked the honesty of the ‘Their Care’ sections where contributors talk openly about their struggles and what works for them, whether it’s dealing with post partum depression or an eating disorder.
The book itself is beautiful to read, with illustrations by Bob Scott in soft greens, pinks and blues. There are motivational quotes every few pages – “Say it more. Say it without apologising. No!” was one of my favourites, as this is definitely something I need to work on.
Bob Scott illustration
This is a brilliant book to read straight through from cover to cover, or to pick up when you’re having a low moment. Every page is full of pearls of wisdom in Borges’ tones. She understands how you’re feeling, and she’s not judging. There are some obvious tips – forgiving yourself for your mistakes, and thinking about your work-life balance – and some that you might not have thought of, but once they’re pointed out, seem like a no-brainer, such as establishing boundaries around the news (you don’t need to know everything that’s going on in the world) and stargazing. I can testify that a little stargazing session is most definitely a boon for the soul, especially if you can spot some actual planets!
There’s an easy to follow flow-chart at the back with suggestions on what kind of self-care you need depending on how you’re feeling, ranging from the gentle ‘lounging in something comfy’ and ‘reach out to someone you love’ when you’re really feeling unable to do much but sit on the sofa, to more energetic and effortful if you’re feeling ok, such as gardening and cooking.
Usually, when I finish a book, it either goes to the charity shop if I don’t think I’ll pick it up again, or on our bookshelves if I want to hang on to it. This book is staying out. Opening it is the equivalent of a warm, comforting hug, whether you just need a quick pick me up or a life preserver. Buy it new or second hand, or borrow it, but try to add it to your collection if you can. It’ll do you good, I promise!
If, like us, you get a weekly Oddbox veg delivery and recently received a kohl rabi in it, you might, like us, have wondered what to do with it. Should you find yourself taking ownership of some kohl rabi in the near future, we’ve got you covered with this easy and delicious plant based roasted kohl rabi with mustard tofu recipe!
As always with tofu, you’ll need to press and marinade it at least a day and preferably up to three days before eating. You can press it using a tofu press, or by wrapping it in a tea towel, placing it in a sieve over a large bowl, and putting some heavy books on top of it.
Ingredients
1 whole kohl rabi
1 block tofu
100g green beans, topped and tailed
2 tbsp mustard
2 tbsp soy sauce or tamari
3 tbsp sesame oil
1 lemon
1 clove garlic
Handful of rocket and black sesame seeds to garnish
Method
At least 1 day in advance, and preferably up to 3, press the tofu.
Prepare the tofu marinade with 2 tbsp sesame oil, 2 tbsp mustard, 2 tbsp soy sauce and a pinch of salt.
Chop the tofu into 1cm cubes, toss in the marinade, and refrigerate. Cover the container with the marinade and tofu in it.
Preheat the oven to 180C.
Peel the kohl rabi, topping and tailing it and peeling off the outer skin then chopping into 1cm cubes.
Drizzle with 1 tbsp sesame oil, and a pinch of salt, and bake for 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes, add the tofu, making sure the kohl rabi is covered by the marinade too.
Bake for a further 30 minutes.
Five minutes before taking out of the oven, steam the green beans and toss them in 2tbsp soy sauce, the juice of the lemon, and the chopped garlic clove.
Serve the tofu and kohl rabi on the bed of green beans, and garnished with rocket and sesame seeds.
