10 minute meal – littlefruitbat.com

Summer Stirfry Recipes (Gluten-free and Vegan)

An absolute staple of my diet as a vegan, coeliac are tofu and noodles which I add to a number of stir fry dishes.

Tofu Steaks with Chinese style Vegetables

The meal above was a recipe from a friend whose family run Chinese restaurants as he thought I would love it. I do. The tofu steaks are coated in cornflour before frying in sesame oil. The veggies are stir fried in a sauce made from sesame oil, ginger, garlic, tamari, vegan honey (I used carob syrup), cornflour and water. I added toasted sesame seeds to serve.

A simple stir fry with smoked Tofoo tofu, beansprouts and mange tout. Served with smoke humous and tonnes of veggies.

Sweetheart cabbage is fantastic in a stir fry. Served with vermicelli noodles and toasted sesame seeds.

Pad Thai rice noodles served with Cashew nuts, courgette and mange tout.

Vegan noodles and beansprouts

I used to love Chow Mein noodles when I was child and pre coeliac diagnosis and vegan diet. I’d love to find somewhere I could eat them or takeaway knowing the allergens and diet were safe but for now I’ve taken some of the bits from an online recipe and attempted my own.

I’ve started with finely chopped strips of onion and added it to a wok with a tablespoon of sesame oil, chopped ginger and garlic. Stir fry until a little soft and at this point I’ve added finely chopped strips of courgette and yellow pepper (although these wouldn’t always feature in traditional chow mein – I like veggies though. Add beansprouts and continue to cook.

Cook noodles separately. I’m using vermicelli rice noodles (as hey are gluten free and lovely) so I just soak them in booked water to soften.

Add the noodles to the cooked vegetables and add soya sauce. I’m using Meridian gluten free soya sauce. Be really generous with the soya sauce as it’s the main flavour. Usually a chow mein would add oyster sauce but we will avoid the fish for obvious reasons. Continue to study fry until the beansprouts are fully soft and cooked and the noodles are a little crispy.

I’ve served these noodles with curry tofu (recipe in a previous blog post) and steamed sweetheart cabbage with soya sauce and toasted sesame seeds.

Hope you love this as much as I do!

Chickpea and Olive Ratatouille

I’ve soaked lots of chickpeas recently so it’s fair to anticipate chickpea recipes coming up. This dish is a super easy and tasty.

I’m using dried chickpeas so I’ve started by preparing them in advance. I’ve soaked them in water for 8 hours, drained the water off and rinsed and then boiled them in water for 10 minutes to soften fully.

Heat a little oil in a frying pan, add some chopped or minced garlic and then add the cooked chickpeas. Chop black olives, cherry tomatoes and spinach and add to the pan in that order, seasoning with a little salt and pepper. Continue to cook for about 10 minutes stirring frequently and ensuring the juice from the tomatoes speedy through.

This is a really simple and exciting meal and once you have the chickpeas ready it’s great to make as many meals as you can. This is a wonderful coeliac and vegan friendly recipe.

Coconut Curry Tofu with Sushi Rice and Salad

I love tofu. Cooking it with coconut oil and curry powder gives it a great flavour and makes it a centre point of this meal.

Make sure you use a firm tofu, I’m using Tofoo naked as it’s an extra firm and versatile tofu. Chop into small squares and add to a pan with coconut oil, a spoonful of curry powder and a pinch of salt. Fry for approximately 25 minutes turning and stirring regularly.

Whilst doing this prepare the other foods to go alongside. I’m using pre-cooked sushi rice (as it can take a little while to cook and I like it cold too) and sprinkling the rice with sesame oil and toasted sesame seeds.

I’m also using suitable salad vegetables and preparing chopped spinach, chopped lettuce, avocado, cucumber and cashew nuts.

I hope you enjoy the tofu and other vegetables as much as I have.

Antipasti salad

Simple food is often the most enjoyable. As the evenings are getting lighter I’m having more salads. The lighter evenings and lighter meals are helping me to keep my mood bright during this tough time of lockdown.

This salad is delicious as well as simple. Featuring sliced and boiled salad potatoes, chopped spinach, chopped lettuce, sun-dried tomatoes, olives and artichoke antipasti.

I’ve topped it off with a lemon dressing which is super with these salad veggies.

Vegan Sesame Noodles

Rice noodles are a fantastic way to enjoy noodles as a coeliac.

My favourite rice noodles are the ribbon rice noodles so perfect for pad Thai dishes and stir frys. Rice noodles are easy to cook. For the dish I started by soaking dried noodles in boiling water.

Whilst the noodles soak I warm sesame oil in a large pan and add chopped tofu and vegetables and stir fry for 10 minutes although you can continue to cook until the vegetables reach the point you enjoy them at. I like quite crunchy al dente vegetables.

Once the stir fry has cooked drain the ribbon noodles to ensure they are light and flexible and fully cooked. Then add sesame oil to the noodles and stir through.

Serve the tofu, vegetables and noodles and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds. This easy to make meal is perfect for vegan and coeliac diets and you can pick the vegetables you prefer most to include.

Scrambled Tofu and Rosmarinknäcke

Scrambled Tofu is a protein rich, healthy alternative to eggs for vegans and vegetarians.

Start by warming some olive oil in a large pan whilst breaking down the tofu into small pieces.

Add it to the pan and cook for 10 minutes stirring throughout to ensure an even cook. Season with salt and pepper and some rosemary.

As a coeliac I love the Semper gluten-free flatbreads. The RosmarinKnäcke rosemary flatbreads go fantastically with scrambled tofu and I’ve also served with free-from red tomato pesto.

Veggie Balls

I really like the IKEA veggie balls, it’s great to be able to eat someone cheap and cheerful even though I’m a vegan and a coeliac.

In addition to eating in the restaurant they also have frozen veggie balls available to buy in the shop. They are easy to cook from frozen and pair up well with lots of other vegetables.

I’ve teamed them with fried courgette and greens for a tasty, gluten free vegan one pot.

Sesame Noodle, Tofu and Fresh Vegetable Bowl – Vegan, Gluten Free

Rice and rice noodles are a firm staple in a coeliac, vegan diet as versatility is key to keeping meal ideas fresh.

Thinking of fresh, this noodle dish uses fresh fruit and veggies, delicate tofu and sesame for a filling and flavourful meal.

Start by warming sesame oil in a wok and adding strips of tofu. I’ve used the Tofoo brand original for this recipe as it has a firm texture which works well.

Soak rice noodles in boiling water and when the tofu is starting to sear and the rice noodles are soft combine in the wok or pan and continue to cook stirring occasionally.

Whilst this cooks chop the other vegetables. I’m using mango, avocado and sweetheart cabbage. Add the cabbage to the wok a couple of minutes before you finish cooking and stir through a little gluten free tamari to taste. Serve with the avocado and mang on the side and sprinkle with a few toasted sesame seeds for extra crunch. Another delicious and easy dinner.

Tofu, cashew and sweetheart cabbage stir fry

Tofu, the key ingredient to so many vegan diets, is much loved for its versatility as well as it’s nutritional value.

In this stir fry I combine tofu with cashew nuts, sweetheart cabbage and sesame for a nutty and rich flavour.

Start to prepare by cutting the tofu into blocks and the cabbage into shreds whilst sesame oil warms in a large wok. Add the tofu and stir frequently to prevent burning. High in protein tofu is a healthy and environmental alternative to meat which has been used for centuries.

As the tofu starts to brown add the cashew nuts and the cabbage to the stir fry and continue to cook for a further five minutes. The addition of cashew nuts increases the protein content.

When cooked add toasted sesame seeds and serve warm. Perfect for coeliacs and vegans this is a tasty and healthy stir fry which is super easy to cook.