Life With MS

The Miso Aubergine with Tofu, Sesame and Chilli dressing is now a firm vegan favourite and has made it into my regular routine of recipes. I also add green beans to the tray as well as spring greens just to add an extra veggie boost. Plus, I like to sprinkle some peanuts over at the end to give it a bit of crunch.

Prep: 10 minutes

Cook: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

2 aubergines, halved lengthways

250g firm organic tofu, cut into 1.5cm slices

75g miso paste

2 tablespoons sesame oil

2.5cm ginger, grated

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

100g spring greens, thickly sliced

DRESSING

1 red chilli, finely chopped

2cm ginger, grated

2 cloves of garlic, grated

2 limes, zest of 1 and juice of both

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons sesame oil

3 spring onions, thinly sliced

TO SERVE

30g sesame seeds

Rice

1. Preheat the oven to 180℃ fan/ 200℃/ Gas 6. Cut deep cross-hatches into each aubergine half, then transfer to a roasting tin along with the tofu.
2. Mix the miso paste with the sesame oil, ginger and garlic, then rub this into everything in the roasting tin. Transfer to the oven and roast for 25 minutes. Then, rub the spring greens with 1 tablespoon of sesame oil, add them to the tin and cook for a further 20 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, mix the chilli, ginger, garlic, lime zest and juice, soy sauce, sesame oil and spring onions together. Tip this dressing over the aubergine and tofu as soon as it comes out of the oven, then scatter with the sesame seeds. Serve hot with rice alongside.

Let me know if you try the recipe and how you like it!

Find more vegan recipe inspiration in my Veganuary 2021 Roundup.

Ingredients:

4 red peppers

2 garlic cloves, finely sliced

4 medium tomatoes, finely chopped

2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and drained

30g pitted black olives, roughly chopped

2 tablespoons za’atar (or substitute 1 ½ tbsp dried oregano plus ½ tsp sumac)

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 200℃/ fan 180℃/ Gas 6
2. Cut the peppers in half, trim off any white pith and place them in a baking tray.
3. Mix the garlic, tomatoes, capers, olives, za’atar, vinegar and extra virgin olive oil together. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper.
4. Stuff each pepper with a few spoonfuls of the filling, then cover the tray with foil.
5. Bake for 20 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for another 20-30 minutes, until the peppers are completely soft and a little darkened around the edges.

Let me know if you try the recipe and how you like it!

Find more vegan recipe inspiration in my Veganuary 2021 Roundup.

I made Noor’s Black Lime Tofu a couple of times during my Veganuary experiment and it is my favourite recipe that I made during the whole of Veganuary! The simple pickled red onion is a flavour game changer and I’m now a little bit obsessed with pickling! I served the Black Lime Tofu with Thai sticky rice for an extra decadent twist and a sprinkling of peanuts to add a little bit more crunch.

Ingredients:

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

2 tsp caster sugar

1 small red onion, thinly sliced into rounds on a mandolin, if you have one, or by hand (60g)

600ml sunflower oil, for deep-frying

2 blocks extra-firm tofu (560g), patted dry and cut into 2cm cubes

2 tbsp cornflour

2 onions (300g), roughly chopped

6 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

60ml olive oil

2 tsp cumin seed, roughly crushed in a pestle and mortar

2-3 dried black limes, blitzed in a spice grinder to get 2 tbsp (10g- use a food processor if you don’t have a grinder, and pass through a sieve)(if you can’t get any black limes, subsitute with 1tbsp lime juice and 1 tbsp lime zest)

2 tbsp tomato paste

20g parsley, roughly chopped

250g baby spinach

Salt and black pepper

1. Put the vinegar, 1 teaspoon of sugar, the red onion and ¼ teaspoon of salt into a small bowl and mix well to combine. Set aside to pickle while you continue with the rest.
2. Heat the sunflower oil in a medium high-sided sauté pan on a medium-high heat. Toss the tofu in a bowl with the cornflour until well coated. Once hot, fry the tofu (in two batches) until crispy and lightly browned, about 6 minutes per batch, then transfer to a plate linef with kitchen paper and set aside.
3. While the tofu is frying, prepare the sauce. Put the onions and garlic into a food processor and pulse a few times until very finely minced but not pureéd. Put the olive oil into a large sauté pan on a medium-high heat. Add the onion mixture and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Add the cumin, black limes (or regular lime zest and juice) and tomato paste and cook for 1 minute more.  Add 400ml of water, the remaining 1 teaspoon of sugar, 1 ¼ teaspoon of salt and generous grind of black pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook for 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thick and rich. Add the crispy tofu, parsley, and another grind of black pepper and stir to coat. Add the spinach in increments, stirring until just wilted, about 3 minutes.
4. 4. To serve, transfer the mixture to a shallow serving platter and top with the pickled red ion (or serve straight from the pan).

Let me know if you try the recipe and how you like it!

Find more vegan recipe inspiration in my Veganuary 2021 Roundup.

Firstly, I have become more mindful of my carbon footprint and the impact that it has on the planet. I wanted to do Veganuary so that I would be motivated to search for and try out delicious vegan recipes that I can incorporate into my normal cooking routine. Just by not consuming meat and eating plant-based products instead can have a hugely positive impact on the environment as well as our health. 

Secondly, I was intrigued to see whether following a vegan diet would have an impact on my MS symptoms. I have previously tried the Overcoming MS diet which is basically veganism but with seafood and replaces all oils with linseed oil. For me, it was too restrictive and made me miserable, so after 6 weeks of following it I stopped. However, according to medical research, vegans weigh less than omnivores and suffer less chronic diseases, so I thought it was worth giving it a try to gradually move towards a more plant-based diet. 

For about the first 10 days, I ate whatever I wanted and got really excited when I found out that lots of foods were vegan (ginger nut biscuits, certain flavours of crisps, Green and Blacks dark chocolate with ginger...the list goes on!). At first, I ate whatever I wanted and didn’t think about the calories, but about half way through January I decided to try to lose weight as well as following a vegan diet.

This meant that not only did I start exercising, but I also began to watch what I was eating and so stopped snacking on all the ginger nut biscuits just because I could!

I mainly used 3 cookbooks:

Middle Eastern cuisine is great for vegans as traditionally it doesn’t include much dairy and her recipe for hummus is the best that I’ve ever made (I add a teaspoon of Ras El Hanout into mine to spice it up!). I also enjoyed her Burnt Aubergine with Tahini recipe. Both dips served with pitta and veggies made a delicious vegan lunch!

One night for dinner though I cooked her Roasted Red Peppers With Olive and Capers and served it with couscous and it was so tasty!

During Veganuary I made The Ultimate Traybake Ragu which was so rich, it was incredible that it didn’t include any cheese or meat, as well as the warming Portobello Steaks and Butter Bean Mash.

During Veganuary I cooked many different recipes from this book...Rukmini Iyer is my new food hero! From the Quick Thai Okra with Oyster Mushrooms and Coconut Milk to the Simple All-In-One Daal with Roasted Shallots, Coriander, Pomegranate and Cashews and Oven Baked Ratatouille, I now have a list of new firm favourites that have been repeated since finishing Veganuary.

However, I did find some pre-packaged vegan products that I really liked and that I could turn into a really quick and healthy meal on the days when I wasn’t feeling so creative in the kitchen.

Vivera Southern Fried Plant Nuggets

These are tasty vegan nuggets essentially, but they are relatively low in calories and are super tasty. Served with a salad, some sweet potato wedges and homemade low-fat tzatziki, I would now choose eating these over meat equivalents any day.

Naked Glory BBQ Tenderstrips

The same goes for the Naked Glory BBQ Tenderstrips. They come frozen which is really convenient and means no waste. They cook from frozen in a frying pan in 10 minutes and can be added to a salad, a sandwich or used in fajita-esque meals. Again, I really like them and they have become my healthy kebab replacement when I get that dirty craving on a Friday night!

Sainsbury's Love Your Veg! Red Pepper & Chipotle Falafels

These falafels are really tasty and not dry at all. I used them as a meatball replacement and rustled up a 10 minute-take on a tagine using chopped apricots, sultanas, red onion, harissa and a can of chopped tomatoes with a teaspoon of sugar. Cooked down for 10 minutes or until sticky, served with couscous, this was a super quick and healthy evening meal. 

1.I feel really proud of myself for committing to something and seeing it through.

2. I now have an amazing list of new vegan recipes that I have continued to incorporate into my normal cooking routine.

3. My breakfasts and lunches are all vegetarian or vegan and at least 2 of my evening meals each week are vegan.

4. I lost half a stone by the end of Veganuary. However, I would like to caveat this by saying that I started to exercise and do HIIT sessions half way through January that had a big impact on my weight loss. I also really started to watch what I was eating half way through the month. So, I wouldn’t attribute the weight loss just to following a vegan diet, I would attribute it to being more mindful of what I was eating and how I was moving as a whole.