Rustic Spiced Cauliflower Soup

Soups can be made with care and finesse.   They can be passed through a chinois twice, velvety smooth, meticulously presented on an oversized white plate with dainty garnishes neatly placed on top.  It's a starter, a small portion, something to introduce you to the main meal.  It's clean, delicate, and pleasing to all senses.

Then you have the more rustic soups.  Soups made without a kitchen scale, chinois or even a whisk.  Lumpy dollops dropped into a bowl with a ladle and it's as simple as that.  In a big bowl that you can cradle and love and makes you warm and satisfied.  It's anything but delicate.  It's made with care but no finesse.  It's made with care and love and your own senses and it's beautiful.  

Summer Chili

Okay I don't know if this constitutes as a chili.  I was going to call it Summer Beans but it's not as exciting and it implies salad.  Didn't want to call it a stew because...it was so quick and..it's not saucy enough to be a stew.  I wanted to call it Bejeweled Beans but I think "bejeweled" entails nuts and dried fruits.  Look at the colors though, doesn't the word "bejeweled" spring to mind?  Look at the beautiful warm colors, all the different shades of red and orange, it's like happiness in a bowl.  Anyway, after much contemplation, I decided to name this Summer Chili.  It's got beans and peppers and chili-like spices.  And it's served with rice. 

I love rice and beans as it's so cheap and healthy -- this costs less than £2 per head! It's also filled with proteins and vegetables that will keep you full and energized and at the same time this should also be at least 3 of your 5-a-days, right, NHS?

Breakfast Lentil Porridge with Apples and Lime

So about every two months I go vegan for one to two weeks.  It's like my inner guilty Italian catholic forces regular lent upon me.  Some people think it's to lose weight, but really, I just sort of overload on carbs most of the time.  When we're at a pub and people order cheesy nachos and burgers, what can I eat?  Chips.  Crisps.  Maybe a burger bun.  It's not too healthy really.  It really is more of a discipline thing as usually I just devour anything in front of me, now I only devour it if it's vegan.  I've been eating a lot of plain bread and rice.

I like to eat eggs and porridge for breakfast, and as I cannot have the former, ran out of the latter and have a bag of red split lentils to use up before I leave Edinburgh next week -- lentils for breakfast seemed logical.

Cauliflower and Caraway Soup

Today I had a sandwich with rye and caraway seed bread and my god, unexpectedly, I rekindled my relationship with caraway seeds.

Surprisingly, caraway seeds were perfect with the egg salad filling.  Let's be honest, egg salad can be a bit boring without some herbs or spices. I had always just paired it with chopped chives, but caraway seeds are waay better than chives as a match for the humble and plain egg salad.

So I spent most of the day thinking about what I should make with caraway seeds.  And as I'm currently in Scotland, a place that never quite understands what "summer" entails, a warming soup was what I was craving for. 

Indian-Spiced Chicken, Butternut Squash Purée & Lentils

Ok, new resolution:  I'm going to have something uplifting in each of my blog posts.  This may be a joke, a happy fact or a cute image/video.  It will make Happy Belly "happier".  Especially since I feel like I'm just whining most of the time here.

So.  It's a rough time as I am approaching the end of my four-year degree.  After almost four years of studying something that I have absolutely no interest in, I have one more month left, this one last hurdle, one last push is all I need and I just don't give a sh*t anymore.  It's counter intuitive but the closer I am to finishing this degree the less I want to finish it. 

Steamed River Fish with Ginger (清蒸鲈鱼) & The Hutong Review

It's been a long while, I'm sorry.  It's been a mixture of laziness and stress and apathy, perhaps not the best way to start the year. 

So let's talk about January.  January was mostly spent in Beijing, where it was cold, sunny and "foggy".
 
I went to a cooking class over at The Hutong, which is a Chinese cultural center for foreigners.  I learned to cook Chinese New Year specialties, and this is one of the recipes that was taught: steamed river fish with ginger.  We like to eat whole fish. Fish is like the lucky mascot of Chinese culture.  It's often eaten on New Year's because the word "yu", fish in Chinese, sounds the same as the word for "surplus".  So we'd say may every year have surplus.

Grace's Granola of Nuts and Fruits

I love cereal, and I just love muesli and granola.  I like to make my own, I like to browse through my collection of nuts and seeds and dried fruits and make my perfect bowl of breakfast every morning. 

I have yet to find a brand that sells my perfect type of muesli.  I've tried them all, but they usually have too many dried fruits or not enough or not enough nuts or too little seeds --  and they're usually insanely expensive for something so easy and cheap to make at home.  This is granola made purely with nuts and dried fruits, so it's very luxurious and delicious.  I followed a recipe that basically had the following proportions:

1 cup nuts
1/2 cup dried fruits
1 tbsp nut butter
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp oil

Simple Chocolate Coconut Macaroons

Guys, download the Martha Stewart Cookies App.  It's so pretty.  I really appreciate good-looking applications, especially on my iPad.  Nothing like cooking to a beautifully designed recipe page on a  9.7 inch 2048x1536 resolution at 264 ppi screen.

 These simple coconut macaroons is just a matter of mixing in the ingredients, putting them in greased muffin cups and baking them. 

These aren't very sweet.  I served them with my zabaione at a dinner party, but you can dust them icing sugar and they become perfect with coffee and tea.  The original recipe also included flaked almonds.  On a side note, I managed to throw a dinner party for 8 people for £8.   Homemade pizzas, flatbreads, spreads and sauces along with a lentil salad.  Mmm.  I don't know what I'm doing with my life, I keep cooking and hosting these dinner parties (I know I usually do, but for the past week, despite the lack of blog posts, I've been cooking loads and not studying much...)

Vegetarian Haggis Filo Loaf

I'm not discriminate towards different cuisines.  I don't believe there's a bad cuisine.  Yes, there are some I prefer more than others, but it's unfair and just rude to disrespect a particular cuisine.  Including the Scottish one.

Now, Scottish cuisine has a horrible reputation.  Yes, it is not the best, and at first I was hesitant.  The thing is, unlike Italian cuisine for example, you can't find good stuff everywhere.  In Italy, I find that unless you go to the tourist traps, food ranges from good to you've-just-changed-my-world.

Now, Scottish cuisine, from personal experience, ranges from from one extreme to the other, with the mode towards the left side of the scale.

Haggis is uh.  Well, you know what it is right?  If you don't, let me enlighten you - sheep organs cooked in sheep stomach.   Appetizing, eh? 

It's not that bad.  With a little bit of whisky over it, it's decent.  I don't go crazy for it, but it's not as awful as it sounds.  But then I was introduced to vegetarian haggis. It's essentially oats and beans and veggies with the same spices as a normal haggis.  It's fantastic.  This along with beautifully smoked fish and rich puddings, Scottish cuisine proved its place in my heart.  You can argue that it's not proper Scottish cuisine, but goodness, I'll consider variations and improvements to still be Scottish cuisine.  I gotta give them a chance. 

I've looked at a range of recipes, got some ideas, and wrap the vegetarian haggis up with filo.  Try it out, adjust the seasoning and spices if you want, and tell me what you think :)

Serves 4
Ingredients
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 medium carrot, shredded
1 cup button mushrooms, finely chopped 
1 cup red kidney beans, cooked
1 cup green lentils, cooked
1 cup pinhead oatmeal, soaked for an hour
Soy sauce (to taste)
Freshly ground pepper (to taste)
Filo pastry 
Olive oil

Method
Preheat the oven to 200C.

Sautee the garlic, onions, and all the spices in a pan with some oil until soft, don't let the onions color.
Add the mushrooms and carrots and cook until softened.  Add all the other ingredients (for the oatmeal you can add some of the soaking liquid as well), and check seasoning.  Cook for a couple of more minutes, adding water if dry.

Keep your filo pastry under a damp cloth as you work.  Take one sheet, brush with some olive oil, then lay another one on top. Brush with more olive oil and finally lay the last sheet on top.

Put the filling in the middle and wrap the filling up so it's all closed and you form a loaf.  Brush with some more olive oil on top, and if you wish, an egg wash (1 egg beaten with some water). 

Put on greased and lined baking tray and bake for about 30 minutes or until golden on top. 

Almond, Chestnut & Fig Jam Thumbprint Cookies

I have a friend that's allergic to wheat, rice, prawns, corn, dairy - and I think some other stuff.  So... I took up the challenge to make her some cookies. 

These are pretty much allergy-free.  Well, I'm sorry if you're allergic to nuts. 

I shared these cookies with quite a few of my friends, and one of them, Anushi, loved them.  It's people like her that make me feel better.  There are days when I feel like a failure, but then I share my food and some people really enjoy them, and then it's all better.  At least I can make some people happy through food.  She really liked them. 

Vegan Spicy Spring Pea Pancakes and Vegan Challenge 2.1

And it's Spring!

Well. It's April, it's past Easter, so technically it is Spring, but Scotland seems to disagree.  Scotland doesn't like to work its way around the norms of nature.  It has a different concept of seasons. It's getting there though - it's wonderfully sunny with sunsets at 7pm, it's just a bit chilly.  And by a bit I mean I'm still wearing my down jacket.

It's time to be vegan again.

For longer this time because it makes me feel better.  It makes me feel energetic.  I've been so lethargic lately and I've been yawning in all of my lectures.  I feel rude and unproductive.  So goodbye, meat, fish, dairy, eggs, and honey.

Tupiniquim (Edinburgh)

Happy Belly Review

Location: Edinburgh
Overall: 5/5

Fernando serves Brazilian crepes out of a green police box right by Quartermile in Edinburgh. 

He has sweet and savory gluten-free crepes, and on Saturdays he has feijoada.  In addition to all this, He also serves good coffee.

The portions are big with generous fillings, and the filling choices are fantastic.  I got a vegan one with butternut squash, walnuts, sauteed greens, jalapenos, chili sauce and sun-dried tomatoes.  You can also add goat cheese or cheddar at no extra cost!

Vegan Carrot Pancakes

Sometimes, life is like flipping a pancake.

I make pancakes for breakfast on a regular basis. Not rich fluffy American pancakes, those wouldn't be good to have every morning... hah try to make healthy pancakes. 

Rarely do I follow a recipe, I just mix the dry ingredients along with wet ingredients until it looks to be the right consistency and I start them off in the pan.

And every morning, as I flip my pancakes, I think of this analogy.

Carrot Courgette Tofu Quiche

I had been dying to make a vegan quiche.



I like normal quiches.  Not my favorite thing in the world, but I enjoy the occasional slice of dairy and egg pie.  However, through my dietary experiments, I've realized, I don't do well with dairy.  Not that I'm lactose intolerant, I've been eating cheese and gelato since I was able to eat solids.  And I love my cheese and gelato.  However, I realized, when I went vegan for two weeks, I was incredibly energetic, and as my last challenge (paleo) screwed me over. I feel the need for that cleanse again.

So it was time to make a vegan quiche.

My problem with these things is.. I never like making things that serve more than 1.  I'm always cooking for myself, and yes, ideally, I could make a 4 portioned meal and then just save the leftovers and eat it over 4 meals.  But but but..If it's there I'll eat it.  I ate this in 2 meals.  I think it could normally serve 4-6.......

So let's talk about these vegan quiches.

Vegan quiches usually entail tofu.  Flavoring agents usually comprise of a mixture or a selection of miso paste, soya sauce, tahini, nutritional yeast, and liquid aminos. 

It's really versatile - essentially you just blend up tofu and mix with some flavoring agents, perhaps add more spices if you wish, and then add some vegetables, and there's your filling. 

Crust:  I had no butter and was low on any form of oil so I found this recipe with a millet crust..and in all honesty, that didn't work too well..it didn't quite stick together.  But the filling was good, and it was for myself, so I didn't care that my quiche crust didn't hold together.

Recipe adapted from Diet, Dessert, and Dogs
Ingredients
Pie Crust
1/2 cup (115 g) dry millet
1-1/4 cups (300 ml) vegetable broth or stock
pinch of fine sea salt

Filling
1 onion, diced
1 courgette, grated
2 medium carrots, grated
1 tsp paprika 
250g firm or extra firm silken tofu, or soft tofu
1 Tbsp (15 ml) white miso paste
2 Tbsp (30 ml) tahini (sesame paste)
1 Tbsp (15 ml) soy sauce

Method
Preheat oven to 350F (180C). Lightly grease a pie plate, or line with parchment paper.

The Crust
Pour millet into a small pot and add the broth.  Bring to boil over high heat, then lower heat to simmer, cover, and let simmer for 25 minutes, or until almost all the liquid is absorbed and the millet is soft and beginning to fall apart (if necessary, add extra stock until the millet reaches this consistency).

Stir well, then immediately pour the millet into the pie pan and, using the back of a spoon or wet hands (and being careful not to burn yourself!), press the millet into the pie plate to create a “crust.” (Dipping the spoon or your hands in water helps).

Bake in preheated oven 10 minutes until slightly dry.


The Filling
Heat oil in a large fry pan and sauté onions for about 5 minutes, until the onion is translucent and soft.

Add the carrot and courgettes, and sauté for another 5 minutes, until the spinach is wilted and other ingredients begin to soften.  Cover and turn off heat.

In a food processor or blender, mix the tofu, miso, tahini, soy sauce, and paprika, until very smooth.
Pour the mixture over the vegetables in the pan and stir to combine well. Turn into the crust in the pie pan, and smooth the top. 

Bake in preheated oven for about 30 minutes, until the top is light golden brown.

Remove from oven and let sit for about 10 minutes to set before serving.  May be eaten hot, at room temperature, or cold. Makes 8 servings. May be frozen.

Chana Masala Sweet Potato Jackets

Vegan, gluten-free, very healthy in many ways, but not Paleo friendly. 

Don't worry, it's day three and I have not yet broken my Paleo Challenge.  I've been tweeting what I've been eating, but it's just been my breakfasts, actually.  Lunches and dinners I eat some stir fried vegetables and meat.  I was going to go all out and buy the Paleo friendly pantry necessities -- but they're not very student-budget-friendly.  So no coconut oil or coconut flour or too many nuts for desserts.  Though I could make this Healthy Chocolate Avocado Mousse again, just with honey instead of sugar. 

Anyway, I had made this last week.  Very yummy. I miss chickpeas.

Millet, Kale, and Veggie Sausage Salad

Have you ever had Quorn products?  Urgh.  The tofu's alright, but everything else, your mock meats, please.  Westerners do not know how to make mock meats.  Chinese Buddhists have got the mock meats covered.  So many things actually taste like meat.  I don't know how they do it.  I've had mock fish that honestly tasted of the sea, and mock pork that would make the Jews and Muslims cringe.  Blows my mind. 

The Quorn products on the other hand are beyond disappointing.  They're just... tasteless. Flavorless. Bland. Blah.

So I was at a supermarket and it was 3 for £5 -- of course, I should've known, that was a clear sign that they're not selling because they're bad.  Anyway, I bought "steak", "chicken pieces", and "sausages".  The steak was not good.  The chicken pieces were abysmal.  But thankfully, maybe because I tried them last, the sausages weren't too bad.  Still not good enough on their own though -- I had to put them in a stew or in a salad like this one.

You are encouraged to replace the sausages with smoked tofu or real meat or something.

Raw Peanut Butter & Chocolate Bites

Another old recipe.  And by old I mean I made it like a couple of months ago.  Thank goodness I have these as reserves.  I haven't been making anything interesting lately.  I'm currently trying to cook on a budget -- only £30 this week.  It's surprisingly difficult..... I know lots of people that do it for even less, but if you're cooking for ONE it's hard.  And I like to try different things so I can update Happy Belly with interesting things.. I can't just buy a whole lot of meat and use it for the week... I can't just buy a whole chicken and....or can I...?  Actually. I might.  Maybe next week, but that's a great idea.  That's an excellent idea. I'm going to get a chicken, cut it up and use it up in a week.  My Chicken Challenge.  Watch out, guys. 

Like I said, I'm currently on my £30-week challenge.  I started it yesterday and by today I've spent £9 but that includes onions and eggs and milk that will last me for the whole week.  Hopefully. 

I'm a student -- I can do this, I should do this, I will do this. 

So about this recipe, actually.  Remember my other raw recipes like my brownies and my carrot bites?  This is very similar, you just put everything in a food processor.  Though my favorite I think are still my carrot bites.  Mmmmm. 

Recipe adapted from Chocolate Covered Katie
Ingredients
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup mixed dried fruit
salt to taste
3 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp cinnamon (or more to taste)

Method
Put everything in a food processor and blend until smooth.  Roll into balls, flatten, press with fork, and refrigerate for at least an hour. 

Black Rice Flour Porridge

I realize how similar this is to my black rice porridge post. Bear with me.

I was  in a supermarket in China and saw a huge range of whole grain flours.  I was so excited and bought a bag of black rice flour.  I wanted to eat it for breakfast but I didn't want to bake, so I started looking for flour porridge recipes.  You can replace black rice flour with any other flour.  You can also make this less viscous. 

Also, on a side note --- "Pollution in China's capital Beijing has reached levels well beyond those considered hazardous to human health."  I'm going to die of lung cancer by the time I'm 35. 

Black Rice Breakfast Porridge

Happy New Year!

Everyone undoubtedly has many new year resolutions revolving around gym sessions and healthier diets.  May they last.  In any case, this is something to help kick start your new lifestyle and assist you in achieving your ambitious goals -- black rice simmered in water with cashews and dates, and then put into a blender.

 I actually learned this from my flatmate Leah.  She has the most unusual kitchen experiments from scrambled pancakes to jumbo stir-fries.  One thing I witnessed her make a black rice porridge which was blended in a food processor.  The problem is that if you merely cook black rice in water it would still have a bite to it, or perhaps you would need to cook it for a long time.  So if you're in the mood of a comforting thick soup-like porridge, then put it in a blender.  I’ve taken it a bit further by simmering black rice with chopped up dates and cashews in water.  Thanks, Leah.

Orange Almond Cake

Ok I took this out of the oven too soon so the center was a bit on the raw side... If it was cooked all the way through though, just as the edges were, it would've been a spectacular cake.  Just don't make the same mistake I made.

This is really similar to my Torta Caprese.  Both are almond cakes, one with chocolate, and the other with oranges.  This really caught my attention because it uses whole oranges -- peel, pit, seeds -- everything!  No waste.