Friday 25 November 2016

Vegan Recipe: Cheezy Eggless Quiche using Mori-nu Silken Tofu



There's a reason you don't see many (or any) recipe posts flying around on this blog. It's because I'm not a very precise cook. Don't get me wrong, I can hold my own better than most in the kitchen but cooking, to me, has always just been an "okay, let's see what I can make with this then" sort of affair, and throwing in a bit of this and a bit of that to see how it turns out really doesn't translate well into a blog post. 


Recently, I was sent over some silken tofu to play with by the lovely folks over at Mori-nu UK. One of my go to uses for silken tofu has always been as a filling for quiche. I've made many many tofu quiches over the last 3 years and none of them have come out quite like the last. I do tend to use the same method each time, just with a slightly different brand or equipment. This is my attempt to share my method with you. This quiche can be made with any veggies or toppings you like. I tend to just use whatever I have in the fridge on any given day. 



I wouldn't say that I'm a lazy cook, but my favourite recipes are the ones where you can do a big part of the work quickly and simply. This recipe hinges on the humble blender. The quiche mixture itself is just a case of throwing ingredients into a blender and whizzing it up to the desired texture - which is considerably thicker than a regular egg quiche mixture. I tend to eyeball this, but I will attempt to quantify things in the recipe below. 

NOTE: I used a very shallow flan tin on this occasion, but the batter recipe below would easily fill a deeper tin (with adjusted cooking time), or even make 2 quiches! I had leftovers.

Ingredients

Quiche batter

1 pack - Mori-nu firm silken tofu
Heaped teaspoon - dijon mustard
A handful of your favourite shredded vegan cheese - with extra for topping
(I used Follow Your Heart Cheddar Shreds)
A pinch of sea salt
2 tbsp ground arrowroot (for setting - you could also use cornflour or chickpea flour, this was just what I had on hand)
1/2 tsp turmeric
Approx half cup of unsweetened non-dairy milk - or enough to get a thick batter-like consistency without blowing up your blender

(I would also add in 2 tbsp of nutritional yeast, but I was all out on this occasion)

Everything else...

Jus-rol shortcrust pastry sheet 
Medium onion - diced
Sliced tomatoes and mushrooms
Generous handful of spinach



Method

Place shortcrust pastry into your chosen dish/tin and part bake, as per pack instructions, for about 5mins - remove from oven and set aside.
Place all batter ingredients into a blender and blend to a thick, smooth consistency - add more seasonings to your own taste if desired.
Saute the onion and spinach until onion is translucent and spinach is wilted.
Place onion/spinach into pastry base and spread out.
Pour batter mixture over onion/spinach and mix well (a better way to do this would be to mix together in a bowl first and then pour into base, but I didn't have a bowl)
Top with sliced tomato and mushroom and sprinkle with more shredded cheese.
Bake in the oven at around 175 celsius, for 30mins - or until quiche is set
Trim crust (just for the sake of neatness, although I never bother doing this to be honest)
Allow to chill and set further before serving.



I am aware that this is at risk of sounding like the vaguest internet recipe in history, but I've always trusted my eyes when it comes to cooking, and I don't think this recipe needs to be over-complicated - because it just isn't! My tofu quiche has been lapped up in the past at family parties without me even getting the chance to mention that it is vegan. 

Silken tofu is a really great ingredient for egg replacement and handy to keep as a store-cupboard staple. You can also use it to add protein to smoothies or to create a thick, luxurious chocolate pudding. 

Not sure if this blog will be turning into a recipe blog any time soon, but I've got a few recipes that I'm working on with my new Instant Pot that I feel like I want to share very soon. 

What is your favourite way to use silken tofu? What would you have made with it?


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Wednesday 2 November 2016

Autumn/Winter 2016 Nail Favourites


Feels like a million and one years since I did a nail polish post - or a beauty-specific post in general, for that matter. Truth is, I haven't been wearing much makeup (I work from home), my skin is riddled with eczema so I've had to stick to the same couple of skincare products for ages, and my nails have been... awkward. BUT, here I am, and I wanted to share the nail colours and nail care products that are reeeeeally floating my boat this winter...


As someone who is very vocal in her adoration for the Autumn and Winter months - a major factor in which is my love of autumnal shades - I had quite a task picking my favourites for this time of year. This selection is made up of best-loved brands, old favourites and a couple of newcomers. I've divided the shades into warm and cool

 Cool Tones

                                    1) Soigne Botanique - Bleuet

There are a few blue nail polishes that I couldn't live without, but my favourite Winter blue is definitely this one by Soigne Botanique. It's a gorgeous, deep petrol blue and a little bit different from any other blue I've found. Soigne are a firm favourite brand also, and all of their products are 100% cruelty-free and use some really innovative, eco-friendly, plant-based ingredients. 

2) Nails Inc London - Gloucester Crescent*

When I first saw this shade I thought it looked almost identical to my beloved Sheraton Street but, upon comparing them, I decided I might even like it better. It's slightly more grey-toned and wintry which I love. This shade also comes with the added Superfood Boost of Almond Oil and Matcha for nail wellness and is a wonderfully rich and glossy formula. 

3) Ciate London - Tweed & Tails**

I got this polish from one of Ciate's Mini Mani Month advent calendars a couple of years back and it was definitely my favourite out of all the polishes. Can't believe I still have some left! It's still good though and I've worn it a couple of times recently. It remind me of that wonderful time when the countryside is just starting to change colour. 


 Warm Tones

4) Nails Inc London - Kensington High Street*

To be honest, I actually always preferred St. Martin's Lane as my 'purple berry shade' of choice, but I received Kensington High Street recently and I've been really loving it. I've barely reached for the former since. I also really love Nails Inc's gel formula and the newer packaging is so gorgeous. 

5) Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine - Paprika

When Barry M first released their Autumn Gelly shades a couple of years back I rushed out so fast to grab them and they've been a firm favourite ever since (the next shade in this list is also from that release). I've never had so many compliments and people asking what polish I'm wearing than when I've been wearing this polish. 

6) Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine - Mustard

See above... Over the last 12 months I've discovered something about myself - I reeeeally love mustard yellow, particularly in Winter. This Barry M shade is sadly a little trickier to apply than others in that range, which baffles me a little bit, but it's so worth the effort. 


 Nail Care

Nails Inc Superfood Repair Oil*

I go through phases with cuticle oil. I go from swearing by it to not bothering with it at all. At the moment I'm using this new one, as my cuticles seem to get much drier during the colder months, and it's doing a fab job. The dropper application takes a little getting used to compared to my previous Nails Inc brush-on oil, but my cuticles always feel lovely and soft when I've used this. With almond, rosehip and argan oils.

Nails Inc 'Nail Pure' Base Coat*

Not going to say too much about this one because I'm planning a post on the full range, but I have to tell you all how excited I am about the Nail Pure range of products. These products, much like Soigne Botanique, feature a wonderful 'free-from' formula with no chemical nasties and no animal derivatives. I've also been playing with a couple of the colour polishes from the range, so will report back very soon on how this formula compares to the other Nails Inc formulas. 


It's been lovely pampering my nails again recently, following a difficult phase. They seemed to just decide one day that they didn't want to grow and wanted to split at any given opportunity, so I'd just left them to it for a time. I'm definitely making up for lost time at the moment though! 

I hope you enjoyed looking through these shade selections - tell me your ultimate Autumn/Winter nail products in the comments. I'd love to hear your recommendations!


*Products gifted to me for consideration
**Affiliate link (but be assured that I bought this product and bloody love it - if I didn't I wouldn't be recommending it)
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