Rich, sweet and creamy, this date shake is not only the perfect way to break fast, but also a delicious energy booster for any time of the day. Delicious!
Dates, which are the fruit of the date palm tree, have a rich, caramel-like flavour and are naturally sweet. Medjool dates are the most flavourful and soft so they also make a natural sweetener in smoothies. Date shakes are often consumed to break a fast, particularly during Ramadan, as the sun sets.
It’s no wonder this delicious and creamy drink is the perfect way to break fast or even start your day – dates provide a quick source of natural sugars to replenish energy levels after a day of fasting.
While the traditional recipe is simpler, this version is packed with a little extra yummy ingredients like bananas, oats, flax meal and peanut butter so it’s the perfect smoothie you can drink before or after a workout!
What Do I Need?
frozen bananas – these are key for the perfect texture.
medjool dates – these are the softest and most flavourful. You can try tunisian dates which are slightly less sweet but you can add more of them.
oats – you can use rolled or steel cut oats (steel cut oats will take longer to blend)
flax meal – you can substitute this with chia seeds or feel free to leave it out too if you don’t have them
cinnamon – to add some flavour
unsweetened peanut butter – bananas and dates already make this drink very sweet so a smooth unsweetened version would work best
unsweetened plant milk – I love oat or almond as they add a light refreshing touch
This recipe will be gluten free if you use gluten free oats and oat milk. You could also leave out the oats and substitute with almond or soy milk. If you’d like it to be served more cold, toss in 2-3 ice cubes in there before blending!
Rich, sweet and creamy, this date shake is not only the perfect way to break fast, but also a delicious energy booster for any time of the day. Delicious!
Cook Time5 minutesmins
Total Time5 minutesmins
Course: Breakfast, Dessert, Drinks
Cuisine: Middle East
Keyword: smoothie, smoothie recipes
Servings: 1or 2
Ingredients
2frozen bananas
3medjool dates(1-2 if you want it less sweet)
2tbspoats
1tbspflax meal
1/2tspcinnamon
1tbspunsweetened peanut butter
2cupsunsweetened oat or almond milk
Instructions
Mix all of the ingredients in a high speed blender and blend for 2 minutes until smooth. Enjoy immediately!
This high protein breakfast bagel stuffed with spicy tofu scramble, avocado and 5-spicy hash browns is everything you need for a hearty & fulfilling meal to start your day with a BANG!
This savoury breakfast idea is the perfect way to keep full for a longer time and also enjoy the goodness or natural and whole food ingredients. it’s so yummy you may want to make this for the entire week!
Packed with five-spice homemade hashbrowns, asian-style spicy tofu scramble, avocado mash and sambal mayo, this is the most satisfying & delicious breakfast bagel you’ll ever have. It also has a whooping 34 grams of protein per bagel!
potatoes – you can use frozen hash browns but making homemade hash browns is simpler than you think (just needs a little extra time on your hands).
spices – onion powder, garlic powder, five spice, salt, black pepper
extra firm tofu – to make an asian-style tofu scramble, you would just need a few killer ingredients like sambal, smoked paprika, nion powder, garlic powder, five-spice, turmeric and oat milk.
herbs – chinese chives are the star herb of this bagel
avocado mash – salt, lime juice, chives: that’s all you need!
seeded bagels – you can use regular bagels too but with these you have added nutrition and protein
Gluten free substitutions: Switch up your bagels for gluten free ones or you can use gluten free bread too.
Allium free substitutions: Substitute chives with cilantro and onion / garlic powder with a pinch of hing (asoefitida)
This high protein breakfast bagel stuffed with spicy tofu scramble, avocado and 5-spicy hash browns is everything you need for a hearty & fulfilling meal to start your day with a BANG!
Prep Time30 minutesmins
Cook Time30 minutesmins
Total Time1 hourhr
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American, Asian, Fusion
Keyword: bagels, sandwich
Servings: 2bagels
Ingredients
Five-spice Hashbrowns
4mediumpotatoes
2tspcorn starch
2tsp garlic powder
2tsp onion powder
1.5tspsalt
1/2tspblack pepper
1tsp5-spice powder
olive oilfor frying
Spicy Tofu Scramble
200gextra firm tofu
1/2tspsmoked paprika
1/2tspgarlic powder
1.2tsponion powder
1/2tspsalt
1/2tsp 5-spice powder
1tspsambal paste
1/2tspturmeric
1/4cup oat milk
2tbspchopped chives
Avo Mash
2mediumavocado
1tspsalt
3calamansi limes1 green lime
2tbspchopped chives
Sambal Mayo
2tspsambal paste
4tbspvegan mayo
Bagels
2seeded bagels
Instructions
Peel and shred potatoes with a grater. Wait for 5 minutes, drain the excess water, and pat dry.
Add all seasonings and corn starch and give it a good mix.
Heat up a pan with olive oil and shape the potatoes into hashbrowns. Pan fry on both sides for 4-5 minutes until they are brown and crispy.
Crumble some extra firm tofu into a bowl. In a separate bowl, combine all spices, sambal paste and oat milk. Mix well.
To a pan, add extra firm tofu and saute. Add in this mixture and saute for a few minutes. Add more water if necessary. Finish with chives.
Mash the avocado and add salt & limes. Lastly, add chives and mix well.
Combine sambal and vegan mayo to make an easy sambal mayo.
Layer the bagel with avocado first, followed by tofu scramble, hashbrowns, sambal mayo and more avocado. Slice into half and serve!
These bursting pockets of flavour, also known as Xiao Long Bao are a delightful treat and are a superior way of eating dumplings.
Soup dumplings, also known as Xiao Long Bao, originate from Shanghai, China. They are said to be invented in Nanxiang, a suburb of Shanghai. The dumplings were created ‘accidentally’ by adding gelatinous meat stock to the filling which turned into soup when steamed. The best foods are always accidents, aren’t they?
The dumplings are traditionally filled with a savoury, umami broth and pork mince. The broth is initially solid when cold but turns into a delicious soup when steamed, which is attributed to the gelatin. In this vegan version, we will use agar agar instead.
I’ve formulated this recipe with Anh to make the perfect vegan soup dumplings so you don’t have the miss out on the good stuff!
These take some time to prepare but you can freeze them and have them whenever you’d like! I like to pair them with a dipping sauce made with black vinegar, soy sauce and chili oil. Another way I love to enjoy them is over a bed of spicy peanut sauce. It’s so delicious and I can easily eat 10 of them in one sitting!
Ingredients You Need
dumpling wrappers – use circular wrappers to wrap dumplings
solid broth – a bunch of spices and seasonings with the main ingredient: agar agar to thicken the mixture like jelly!
filling – vegan pork mince or tofu for a wholefood option, spring onions, ginger, sesame oil, seasonings
These bursting pockets of flavour, also known as Xiao Long Bao are a delightful treat and are a superior way of eating dumplings.
Prep Time30 minutesmins
Cook Time1 hourhr
Total Time1 hourhr30 minutesmins
Servings: 20
Equipment
Steamer
Ingredients
Soup Jelly
1tspagar agar
1cubevegetable stock
1tbsp light soy sauce
2tbspshao xing wine
1tsp mushroom seasoning
1tspagave syrup
white pepper
salt
1cup water
Dumpling Filling
25round wrappers
250gvegan pork mince or tofu
2stalksspring onions or chives
1tspgrated ginger
1/4tspwhite pepper
1tspred chili flakes
1tbsp sesame oil
Dipping Sauce
2tbsplight soy sauce
1tbspblack vinegar
1tspchili oil
Instructions
To a pot, add water and ingredients required for soup jelly.
Bring to a boil and transfer to a container. Let it cool and refrigerate overnight.
In a mixing bowl, combine all the filling ingredients: ground vegan pork, sesame oil, white pepper, chili flakes, grated ginger, and chopped green onions.
Chop the solid soup jelly into small cubes and add them to the filling. Mix until well combined.
Place a spoonful of filling in the center of each dough circle. Carefully pleat and seal the edges of the dough to form a dumpling, ensuring there are no gaps.
Line a steamer basket with parchment paper or cabbage leaves to prevent sticking.
Place the assembled dumplings in the steamer basket, leaving space between each dumpling to prevent them from sticking together.
Steam the dumplings over boiling water for about 8 minutes – do not over steam if not the soup will come out of the dumplings.
Carefully transfer the steamed soup dumplings to a serving plate using a spatula or chopsticks.
Serve hot with dipping sauce, immediately.
Pierce the dumplings with a chopstick or a soup spoon to release the flavorful broth inside before taking a bite.
The ultimate guide to making Chinese-style Hot Pot at home with fresh spices and ingredients for a meal to enjoy with your friends and family.
I may come from an Indian household, but making hotpot every year has pretty much become our religion growing up in Singapore. The cosmopolitan and diverse nature of the cuisines here means we have access to and can try literally almost any cuisine we want. Thai? Plenty of thai restaurants. Vietnamese? I know that good banh mi spot downtown. Indian? I can literally walk to the hawker centre downstairs to get a roti prata. We, Singaporeans are pretty spoilt in that sense.
Given the multicultural stance, I also got exposed to many different types of festivals and celebrations since young. One of that is Lunar New Year, which is basically the beginning of a new year based on lunar calendars (if you’re an astrology girlie, you might find this similar to many other astrological calendars). This is also when families and friends come together to have a shared meal, like a steamboat or customisable hotpot.
My family and I love the flavours of hot and spicy soup so one of our soups bases always include a flavoured one. To balance out the spices, we always like to create a mushroom flavoured broth with a milder and herbal taste. Another alternative is a tangy and flavourful tomato broth!
How to Make Hot Pot
Prep your vegetables, shrooms and protein
Pick and choose any 2-3 ingredients from each section to build your own hotpot.
Protein: silken tofu, frozen extra firm tofu, tempeh, plant-based protein
Other ingredients: frozen dumplings, vegan plant-based meats
Choose your broth
Mala spicy hotpot: use fresh spices like cinnamon, star anise, cloves, sichuan peppercorns
Herbal mushroom broth: dried shitake mushrooms, dried chinese herbs like ginseng, chinese yam, angelica, wolfberries, goji berries. You can get these in packs at asian stores.
Make a dipping sauce
You can make an easy Hai Di Lao-style sesame dipping sauce with sesame paste or tahini, chili oil, soy sauce, spring onions and toasted sesame seeds. You can find the full recipe here.
Since steamboats are all about customising, you can opt out alliums if you don’t consume onion & garlic. For gluten free substitutions (mala base), substitute soy sauce with tamari, and hot bean paste with sambal paste or red chili paste.
So, gather your ingredients, fire up the stove, and get ready to experience the joy of this shared hotpot in the comfort of your own home!
The ultimate guide to making Chinese-style Hot Pot at home with fresh spices and ingredients for a meal to enjoy with your friends and family.
Prep Time30 minutesmins
Cook Time30 minutesmins
Total Time1 hourhr
Course: Main Course, Soup
Cuisine: Chinese, Fusion
Keyword: hotpot, soup
Servings: 6
Equipment
Hotpot with a divider section for two broths
Ingredients
Hot Pot Ingredients
1smallnapa cabbage
1pack spinach 120-150g
1packkailan or bok choy250g
1/2pack enoki mushrooms 150g
1box shimeji mushrooms 150g
3king oyster mushrooms
1lotus root400g
300silken tofu
12frozen dumplings
1can vegan spam or any other plant-based meat
4packsdried ramen
1 boxfried beancurd skin or ring rolls
Spicy Mala Base
6cupswater
10-12dried red chillies
1.5tbspsichuan peppercorns
2star anise
1cinnamon stick
6clovesgarlic
2tspminced ginger8 slices
1vegetable stock cube
4tbsphot bean paste
1/4cup light soy sauce
3-4tbspshaoxing wine
salt if needed
Herbal Mushroom Base (Gluten Free)
6dried shitake mushrooms
1packdried chinese herbs
2tbspmushroom seasoning
1vegetable stock cubegluten free
1/4cup light soy sauce
salt if needed
Instructions
Wash vegetables and chop them into sizeable pieces.
Add water to both sections of the pot. Add dry ingredients for the mala broth, followed by the condiments. Mix well.
Repeat the process for herbal mushroom broth.
Arrange the raw ingredients on plates or platters around the table, making it easy for everyone to access.
Place the hot pot on the stove and bring it to a simmer.
Prepare sesame dipping sauce with ingredients listed above.
Guests can also have the option of customising dipping sauce – in this case, set out small dishes or sauce bowls with a variety of dipping sauce ingredients for guests to mix according to their preferences.
Place additional condiments and garnishes like chili oil, soy sauce, and chopped herbs on the table for guests to enhance their hot pot experience.
Once the broth is simmering, add ingredients that take longer to cook, such as root vegetables and protein.
Cook ingredients in small batches to avoid overcrowding the pot, ensuring even cooking and maintaining the broth's temperature.
These viral cookie croissants are stuffed with a vegan and gluten free chocolate chip cookie dough and are an easy pastry you can make at home!
This Tiktok Viral Cookie Croissant comes from Maison Louvard boulangerie, a bakery from Paris – but you don’t have to go all the way there. It’s a quick and easy recipe that can be prepared in less than 30 minutes. The only catch? Find a plain vegan croissant to cut some corners!
I rarely bake but this pastry has been all over my feed! And I absolutely needed to try it. This Cookie Croissant is basically a simple croissant stuffed with chocolate cookie dough – vegan chocolate chip cookie dough is pretty difficult to find so I decided to make my own easy vegan with just a few healthy plant based ingredients!
These croissant cookies are so very rich and indulgent but it’s totally worth a try! Especially if you love croissants and cookies – somehow, this combination works well! The best part? The cookie dough is gluten free so this entire pastry can be made vegan and gluten free if you’re able to find a vegan and gluten free croissant!
What Do I Need?
croissants – you’ll only need 3 vegan croissants, I got them from a local restaurant with bakes. These would taste better than packaged croissants but at the end of the day, you can use anything you can get your hands on.
cookie dough base – we’re making a gluten free cookie dough with oat and almond flour.
baking essentials – vegan butter, brown or white sugar, coconut sugar, baking powder, vanilla extract and a pinch of salt!
vegan chocolate chips – measure these with your heart
These viral cookie croissants are stuffed with a vegan and gluten free chocolate chip cookie dough and are an easy pastry you can make at home!
Prep Time30 minutesmins
Cook Time30 minutesmins
Total Time1 hourhr
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Fusion, Parisian
Keyword: crossiants, desserts, pastry
Servings: 3
Ingredients
3bigvegan croissantsor 6 small vegan croissants
1/2cupoat flour
1/2cup almond flour
1/2tspbaking powder
1/4tspsea salt
1/4cup coconut sugar
1/3cup brown or white sugar
1tspvanilla extract
1/2cupvegan butter
1/2cup vegan chocolate chips
1tbspmaple syrup
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 180°C and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Combine vegan butter with brown sugar and coconut sugar. Whisk until smooth.
Add vanilla extract and whisk until combined.
To another bowl, add oat flour, almond flour, baking powder, salt and mix together.
Add the whipped butter to the dry mixture and fold in until fully combined.
Add chocolate chips and fold into the mixture.
Slice the croissants with a bread knife horizontally with a knife. Add 2 small scoops of cookie dough in between and layer more on top of the croissant.
Brush the crossiant with a little maple syrup for extra sweetness and golden crunch.
Repeat for the rest of the croissants. Bake in the preheated oven for about 20-25 minutes until cookie on top is cooked and golden brown.
Allow the Crookies to cool slightly on the baking sheet before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
These tofu bites fried to perfection and tossed in a asian-style spicy sichuan seasoning is the perfect go-to snack for any day.
Prepare your taste buds for an explosion of heat and flavor with this Spicy Popcorn Tofu. This bite-sized delight packs a punch with its crispy exterior and a bold combination of asian-style spices that will leave you craving for more. It’s simple and cleared out in just a few minutes by my family because it made such an addictive snack!
Whether you’re hosting a party or looking for a bold snack to elevate your movie night, this crispy and spicy tofu snack has to be on the menu. You can also easily use these in wraps, salads as well as a meat substitute in dishes.
Enjoy the perfect balance of crunch and spice in every bite by deep frying the tofu to perfection and tossing them in spices in just under 30 minutes.
What Do I Need?
extra firm tofu – freeze the tofu and thaw it the microwave for 2 minutes. Squeeze out excess water and you have the perfect texture to make popcorn tofu!
all-purpose flour – you can substitute this with gluten free flour.
corn starch – to make the tofu crispy!
spices – five spice powder, garlic powder, onion powder, gochugaru (or red chili flakes)
neutral oil for frying
seasoning – dried red chillies, sichuan pepper, deep fried curry leaves and roasted peanuts
For gluten free substitutions, swap plain flour for gluten free flour.
For alliums free substitutions, swap out onion & garlic powders for hing.
These spicy, juicy Korean Fried ‘Chicken’ is made with lion’s mane mushrooms and a sweet & savoury korean inspired sauce.
I first had Korean Fried Chicken at a korean restaurant close to where we used to go to college – their Budae Jjigae (Army Stew) and soy korean chicken was one of our must-order dishes. Since I like spicier flavours, I’ve been trying to recreate a vegan version made with mushrooms.
The texture of lion’s mane mushrooms does an impressive job in replicating the texture of chicken, with the fattiness and tearable layers of the fungi. This delightful twist on the classic Korean Fried Chicken takes these umami-rich mushrooms to new heights, delivering a crunchy exterior with a burst of Korean-inspired gochujang sauce.
I personally like to eat this as it is because it’s so spicy and flavourful on its own. Another idea would be to slice them and add them as fillings to sandwiches and wraps for a delicious and healthy plant-based meal.
A key ingredient to making the sauce is gochujang: Gochujang is a Korean fermented red chilli paste with a spicy and sweet flavour. I use a vegan version in all of my korean-inspired recipes – Vegan Tofu & Mushroom Bulgogi, Army Stew, Sundubu Jjigae, & this Creamy Gochujang Rose Pasta.
What Do I Need?
lion’s mane mushrooms – you can also replicate this recipe with oyster mushrooms.
all-purpose flour – substitute with gluten free if required
This easy flavourful sambal stir fry can be prepared in under 30 minutes and is perfect for quick weeknight dinners.
Sambal is a very popular flavour in Asian cuisines – specifically Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore. I’ve been having many variations of sambal in Singapore where I grew up. I do have to warn you that it can be super spicy but it’s also very delicious alongside rice. It’s traditionally made aromatics and dried shrimp paste but we’ll be making a simple vegan version today without compromising on flavour!
This spicy sambal vegetable stirfry is made with an easy homemade sambal paste will leave you feeling hot but satisfied. The perfect side or sharing dish with rice or if you want to fuse or jazz things up, you can also add them to wraps, sandwiches or serve them over noodles. Another creative idea is to use the sambal paste and seasoning to make sambal fried rice instead!
What You Need for This Recipe
extra firm tofu – I use fresh tofu from my market and it’s not the most firm but this recipe is not substituting tofu for ‘chicken’ so we’re good!
vegetables – I love using mushrooms and broccoli together as they are a nice combo to cook with for varying texture, crunch and taste
onions and garlic – for my alliums free peeps, sorry – this recipe has to have onions and garlic but I’m working on an alliums-free version as we speak
chillies – the type of chillies you use is very important – the recommended ones are dried red chillies (bedigai chillies) for best colour and flavour. I also added chopped red chili in here for added heat and colour
lemongrass – to add aroma and make the paste more fragrant
This vegan, gluten free and refined sugar free vegan nutella is delicious, creamy and can be made at home in under 30 minutes.
Love nutella but hate the ingredients? This vegan nutella can be easily made at home and is much much healthier than the store bought version. This spread is completely dairy free, soy free and gluten free without sacrificing the taste.
Making your own hazelnut-based nutella spread at home saves you a lot and you get to control what goes into the spread – I used refined sugar free chocolate and dates to sweeten my nutella without any actual sugar. It’s a little more thick and nutty in texture and flavour but melts beautifully when spread on a warm slice of toasted bread.
Ingredients You Need
raw hazelnuts – I used a bag of organic, raw hazelnuts. Buying in bigger quantities gives more value for money
sweetener – I used medjool dates, with the seeds removed. You can also use maple syrup in place of this
chocolate – I used melted refined sugar-free chocolate with clean ingredients
This tofu recipe is easy, versatile and infused with flavours from lemongrass, crushed peanuts and chillies, made in just 20 minutes!
This Vietnamese-inspired lemongrass peanut tofu recipe is one of my go-to when I’m craving a protein-packed side dish with rice for a easy and quick meal under just 30 minutes. It’s packed with flavour with just a few ingredients and is very versatile to be paired with almost anything!
The first time I tried this dish was a vegan Vietnamese restaurant I stumbled upon in San Francisco but it was made with deep fried soft tofu (crispy on the outside and soft on the inside). The flavours were truly amazing.
Ingredients You Need
extra firm tofu – this is the easiest tofu to work with as it doesn’t break apart easily. Be sure to drain excess water and pan fry them in a good amount of olive oil to make it crispy (yes you can get it crispy without using corn starch if you fry them long enough!)
lemongrass – finely chop up the lemongrass stalks (visible purple inner layers). You can use the rest of the lemongrass to make tea or add them in broths!
red chili – I like to use big red chili peppers so the heat is not insane but it still gives a beautiful colour for the peanut-ty sauce slash topping
peanuts – you can chop them finely but to save time I just pulsed them a few times in the blender until the texture became coarse
seasoning – soy sauces, rice wine vinegar, vegan fish sauce (optional – substitute with more light soy sauce)
Gluten free substitutions: Omit dark soy sauce. Substitute light soy sauce with gluten free version, coconut aminos or tamari. Ensure vegan fish sauce is gluten free too.
Allium free substitutions: Forego scallions, otherwise this recipe is 100% allium free!
