Homemade Age Dashi Tofu

One of my favorite cuisine is Japanese. Everything is so delicate, light, flavorful… I could go on forever. Anyway even Japanese fried food seems light! Age Dashi Tofu is a traditional dish where tofu is lightly coated in a starch mixture and then fried. But tofu does not absorb oil so its seems like its quite healthier than other fried foods. This is the first, and probably last, really fried food you will see in this blog [ though I did discover that our Greek donut holes are vegan and I am tempted to make them just to show it to you guys, but we will see about that]

Anyway, back to the dish. The fried tofu is then place in a delicate flavored broth and sprinkled with nori shreds. Its quite easy to make, though it seems complicated for some that are not familiar with Japanese cooking ingredients.

Here is what you need :

-1 package firm silken tofu

-1 package tempura batter mix or 1cup corn or potato starch, some garlic powder and salt mixed together

-Oil for frying [ I use pure sunflower oil]

Broth :

-1 kombu stick [dried seaweed for dashi]

-2 1/2cup water

-5tbsp mirin [sweet cooking sake]

-4tbsp Shoyu

-10 whole dried shitake mushrooms

-1/2 tsp grated ginger

First soak the kombu stick and mushrooms in the water for 30 minutes and set aside. Drain tofu from the package liquid and cut in cubes. Now dip each cube and toss lightly in the starch mixture. Once you toss all the cubes, take a small wok and pour oil [not too much, its should be around 3 fingers deep. Heat the oil on medium heat taking care not to burn it [if you see smoke, throw it away-for the people new to frying, burning your oil makes it really really bad for you] and start frying the cubes 3-4 at a time. Once they turn golden remove with a slotted spoon onto kitchen towels.

Heat in a sauce pan the water with the mushrooms and kombu [same water] and bring to boil. Once its boiling remove the kombu and mushrooms [you can use them in other recipes, so don't throw them away] Lower the heat and add in shoyu and mirin. Stir and set aside. Throw in the broth 1/2 tsp grated ginger.

Garlic Grape Soup

This is an adaptation of the traditional Spanish garlic soup. I found the recipe in the book ‘Super foods Super fast’ and surprisingly it was vegan. But still I made a few changes. This soup is garnished with grapes, but I added way more and it was delightful. You should give it a try because its so easy to make!

-100gr blanched almonds
-2 wholewheat toast bread slices
-1 tbsp olive oil
-4 garlic cloves
-200ml cold water
-1 lemon
-salt and pepper to taste
-some seedless fresh grapes

Soak the bread in water. Grind the almonds in a coffee grinder until they are powdered. Toss them in a blender, add garlic, and pulse. Add the bread [after you squeeze out the water] tearing small pieces[dont put the whole bread at once because it will not dissolve well] Pulse again. Add olive oil and cold water and lemon juice and blend until combined. Serve in cups and toss in some grapes.
Raw garlic is very spicy so if you cant handle the heat I advise you to crush the garlic and saute it with a splash of oil before you add it to the blender.
This makes either one big serving or two small ones for a starter soup. The soup is served at room temperature but you an totally heat it i you want!

Cookie Yogurt

When I used to eat dairy I had this obsession over a biscuit flavored yogurt. It was amazing. Later I found out it wasn’t even vegetarian because it had gelatin it it and I was very very angry. But determined to make my own. Its just perfect for breakfast and you can add anything you want in it. This is just a base. I used to add rolled oats to the store bought one, but this one is very filling as it is. You can also add fruit.
Make sure you use whole-wheat and sugar free cookies, grain sweetened. This is breakfast, not dessert people![but I am sure some choc chips-or carob you be perfect in this]The ones I use I found them at the health food store and they are sweetened with wheat syrup.

You need :
-400gr unsweetened plain soy yogurt
-10 digestive type whole wheat grain-sweetened cookies[make sure they are vegan, but usually they are]
-21/2 tbsp agave syrup
-1tsp vanilla extract
-1/2 tsp cinnamon
-1tsp rosewater

Place cookies in a blender and crush until they become powdered. Mix with cinnamon an vanilla. Add all ingredients and mix until well combined. Chilll for at least half an hour and enjoy. Makes 2-3 servings.
Note : my cookies were not sweet at all so adjust the agave depending on the sweetness of the cookie you are using.

Hemp Horta

Horta is a traditional side dish that you can find in almost every taverna [tavern/restaurant] is Greece. Horta is basically boiled or steamed leafy greens. There is one specific kind of weed that is used to make this dish called ‘vlita’ [vleetah]. Vlita is a weed that pops up everywhere in Greece, and can also be cultivated. It is delicious boiled, with the stems on with the addition of extra virgin olive oil and lemon.
If you say you are vegan around here old and uninformed people ask :’ So what DO you eat??Only horta??’ Which is misunderstood by the word ‘hortofagos’ [weed-eater]that means vegetarian in Greek. I just think that it is hilarious, so I am proud to say that YES, I DO EAT HORTA and I love it. [ but I also eat a million other things].
So I present you, Horta!! [I did make a small change, I added hemp oil instead of olive oil] I’m sure you can make this with spinach, kale and other greens mixed together, but obviously it wont taste the same.

-1kg vlita
-3 lemons
-3tbsp hemp oil

Wash your greens with water and either steam or boil them, WITH their stems [its the best part] for about 20 minutes, until tender become tender and wilted. Set aside to coll them off and juice the lemons. Mix with raw hemp oil and pour on the horta. Toss well and eat either at room temp or chilled.
Enjoy!!

Walnut-Cinnamon Stuffed Figs

Dried figs are a staple in Greece, and one thing you can do with them is stuff them with nuts&cinnamon. This is also a traditional sweet [I can't take credit for the idea], but you don’t really find them ready stuffed easily. Sometimes they sell them at tourist souvenir shops.
Anyway, I never like plain dried figs, but when I tried the stuffed ones…They were amazing! Cinnamon and walnuts are a perfect match with figs, so I decided to try my hand on this traditional sweet. I also added a bit of agave to the stuffing, for sweetness and moisture, because the traditional ones are usually drizzled with honey. So here is a recipe you can try at home. Stuffing dried figs is a bit challenging though!

-10 whole good quality dried figs
-3/4-1 cup walnut halves
-3 tbsp agave syrup, or to taste depending on the sweetness of figs and bitterness of walnuts.
-2tbsp cinnamon [again adjust to your taste, but it should be strong]

With a sharp knife make an X incision on the bottom of the figs, and with a small melon scooper try to remove as many seeds as you can taking care not to tear the skin of figs.
Grind walnuts on blender as much as you like them [chunkier, or more powder-y] and mix the walnuts with cinnamon and agave.
Start stuffing the figs with a spoon until they are plump! Now you are ready to eat them! Oh, and they are raw!
Place them in a pretty bowl in your kitchen and snack on them every time you feel the need!