Hello my beauties! How are you? Another week has gone by and to be honest, apart from work I haven’t been able to do much. Yesterday I had my Taek Won Do grading – it was a fairly big one as I went for the blue belt so it’s a bit of an achievement. But I wasn’t feeling it, I wasn’t feeling the same as I used to when I was doing Kung Fu and I’ve been feeling this for a while. But it’s the only martial art available in the rural area where I live, that could be sustainable and I am able to do it in winter too – so I do it. But yesterday I wasn’t feeling it. Oh well, it is what it is, right? I’m not saying anything against TWD, every martial art is different – yes, there are similarities among most of them, but they have different applications and especially different theories, so sometimes it might be more difficult to get into that TWD mindset after 7 years of Kung Fu. So, not complaining, just some reflexions. Anyway, the main thing here today is food! Lovely, delicious, easy-to-make food that satisfies your senses! And I’m presenting you the easiest yet most delicious broccoli soup – this is my go-to soup (almost at the same level as the Potato and Leek one!) and I’ve learned how to make it by PlantBasedFolk. Without further ado, the Easy Vegan Broccoli Soup by PlantBasedFolk.
Hiya my cats! And Happy Sunday! Last week was mental and I had an extremely busy weekend doing some more cleaning and tidying up, meaning that I wasn’t really able to sit down at my laptop for long. And while I had this week off, it was my birthday and my parents came to visit so I have been focused on spending time with them. Because between me being vegan and my mom being allergic to many various ingredients, I decided that I would make the birthday cake, or to be fair, cakes: I made a variation of the Pear Galette with Rooibos Glaze and also a Victoria Sponge by LazyCatKitchen. They both were a success with my parents! To make it more special, I used a homemade strawberry jam that a colleague made for my partner and me – delicious! So here is the recipe for this cake.
150 g / ¾ cup softened coconut oil or vegan butter block
300 g / 1½ cups sugar (coconut sugar for GF version)
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp lemon extract (optional)
430 g / 3½ cups AP flour or GF flour mix
30 g / ¼ cup cornstarch/cornflour
½ tsp xanthan gum (only if using GF flour)
2½ tsp baking powder
¾ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
FILLING / TOPPING
250 ml / 1 cup vegan whipped cream (like Oatly)
2 tsp vanilla extract or paste
2 tbsp icing sugar, to taste
160 g / ½ cup quality strawberry jam
500 g / 1 lb fresh strawberries
METHOD
Heat up the oven to 180° C / 355° F (without the fan function) and grease and line two 20 cm / 8″ round cake tins.
Combine soy milk and lemon juice in a small pot and warm up until just barely lukewarm. It will curdle – that’s what it is meant to do.
Beat softened coconut oil (or vegan butter) and sugar with an electric mixer until nice and fluffy.
Once whipped, fold in about a third of the lemon soy milk mixture and both extracts.
Place a sieve over the bowl and sift in approximately a third of flour and all of the cornflour. Gently fold dry ingredients into the wet ingredients by making small circles in the middle of the bowl with your spoon to minimise lumps. It will take a while to incorporate well, don’t rush this step. Alternating dry and wet ingredients like this prevents the batter from being too runny to begin with and therefore lumps from forming.
Next, fold in another third of soy milk, followed by another portion of sifted flour.
Finally, add the last of the soy milk followed by both raising agents, salt and xanthan gum (for GF version) with your third batch of flour. Fold really gently so that you don’t knock too much air out of the batter.
Divide the mixture between two tins and bake until a toothpick comes out clean of cake crumbs, about 30-32 minutes.
Allow the cakes to cool down completely before removing from the tins and icing.
FILLING / TOPPING
Whip chilled vegan whipping cream in a clean bowl according to the instructions on the packet. Add vanilla and a bit of sugar to taste.
ASSEMBLY
Spread jam and cream on top of the first sponge cake, decorate with a few fresh strawberry halves.
Top with the second sponge cake, decorate the top with more cream and strawberries or if you are after a more traditional look, simply sprinkle the top with some icing sugar.
I hope you’ll enjoy this cake, whether for your birthday or for another Sunday 🙂
Happy Sunday, beauties! The past week has been so busy, managed to see a dear friend and the weather was so lovely we went for a walk and then for a delicious lunch at the local vegan cafe. But I’ve also felt overwhelmed at work as I had 2 meetings and a training day where I had to deliver a short presentation: at the time I felt like I maybe put too much stuff on my plate, but then I look at my colleague, she’s always meeting existing or potential partners, always organising events, delivering talks etc. and she seems so serene and calm. And I thought that I should try to be more relaxed with my work-life: I do my job and at the latest meeting with my manager he clearly said that I do even more than what my work entails. So, why am I taking things so personally? Like, I am way too involved with my work stuff. Yesterday was my Saturday on, and I wasn’t feeling well, almost the beginning of a cold – then all these thoughts came into my mind and I stopped, paused while I was creating the graphics for an event, and I started breathing in and out, mindfully. I spent 5 minutes, just trying to clear my head. Then I came back home for lunch and since it was sunny, I spent the break in the garden, doing nothing, just enjoying that time. Before going back to work, I made myself a lemon and ginger tea with a splash of apple cider vinegar to sip while I was finishing work. After work, I had a quick 20 minutes nap and decided to not do anything but rest. Made a quick dinner and had some green tea, then went to sleep. I kid you not, this morning I woke up quite rested but mostly no signs of a cold! I know, I probably am not telling you anything new, but maybe you forgot to “take it easy” and be more compassionate to yourself so this is just a reminder – you are doing great, you are doing your best, and even if your best is just getting out of bed, this is enough! You don’t have to prove anything to anyone.
That’s way too much chit-chat! So I leave you with a simple but nutritious recipe for those days where you can’t be bothered to cook but still want something tasty: Sheet Pan Tofu with Spring Vegetables by FromMyBowl.
Ingredients
For the Lemon Garlic Tofu:
14-16 ounces extra firm tofu pressed
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
For the Vegetables:
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Black pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 bunch asparagus ends trimmed and cut into 2” pieces
8.5 ounces canned artichoke hearts drained, rinsed, and cut in half
4 ounces radishes ends trimmed and cut in half
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
Lemon Pepper Orzo or cooked rice for serving (optional)
Method
Preheat the oven to 415F. Set a large baking sheet aside and line with a silicone baking mat if it is not nonstick.
Cut the tofu into small triangles and place in the bottom of a small container. Add the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic powder, black pepper, and salt to a small jar and shake until emulsified. Pour the marinade over the tofu and gently toss the container until the tofu is coated. Let marinate for 15 minutes, or overnight in the refrigerator for a stronger flavor.
Transfer the tofu to a large baking sheet, leaving about 2” between each piece. (Note: discard the extra marinade behind or save it for drizzling on the tofu just before serving, if desired). Bake in the top rack of the oven for 20 minutes.
In a medium bowl whisk the oil, mustard, garlic powder, pepper, and salt together. Add the asparagus, artichoke hearts, and radishes and mix well. Set aside.
Take the tofu out of the oven, flip it, and scoot it all over to one third of the baking sheet. Transfer the vegetables to the baking sheet and spread them across the remaining two thirds. Return to the top rack of the oven and bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes.
The Vegan Cat Librarian 