Lemongrass Coconut Panna Cotta (Vegan)

19-09-2017 Local Black Bookcoconut, lemongrass, panna cotta, recipe, vegan, Very LazyLeave a comment

Gloomy days, heavy rain, freezing-despite-the-big-sweaters-and-socks weather… All the ingredients for a strong SAD scenario are in the air at the moment.

Woo-freaking-hoo.

And as much as I wish I could escape to a sunny tropical island, that’s not going to happen for another month and a half (!!), so I have to make do with the content of my kitchen cupboard to create my own susnshine in the meantime.

Luckily, I have the perfect recipe for this exact situation – Lemongrass coconut panna cotta, topped with chilli roasted pineapple.

Light and creamy coconut set cream, topped with fragrant pineapple with a touch of heat from the chilli and a little zing from the lime… This panna cotta is just what the doctor ordered!

So, what are you waiting for?

Tropic like it’s hot!

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More sunshine-filled recipes

Satay chicken salad (GF)

Thai coconut chicken salad (GF)

Best ever guacamole (VG)

Pineapple Fizz Mocktail (VG)

Tomato-Coconut Pasta (Vegan)

03-03-2017 Local Black Bookcoconut, easy, pasta, recipe, sauce, tomato, vegan, vegetarian1 Comment

Pasta is my happy food.

I make it when I’ve had a terrible day, when the weather lets me down, when there’s nothing left in the fridge, when I’m simply too tired to think about what to eat, for dinners with friends, romantic nights in and just for me.

Left to my own devices, I’d probably make it for breakfast (yes, breakfast pasta is a thing!), lunch and dinner.

And two times out of three, it’d probably be tomato coconut pasta.

This recipe is simply the best. It’s a larder-basics sort of affair, so I always have the ingredients at hand. It takes no more than 10 minutes to put together.

And most importantly, despite it being ridiculously simple both in terms of technique and ingredients, it tastes so much better than the sum of its parts.

The fat in the coconut cream, combined with the acidity of the tomato and the fresh peppery-ness of the basil makes for the most velvelty tomato sauce.

It’s one of those dishes that’s relatively healthy and super comforting at the same time. All in all a very saucy little number!

[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:3]

Looking for more pasta recipes?

Rabbit ragu pappardelle

Sautéed chard pasta with cobnut pesto

Easy Thai Coconut Chicken Noodle Soup

31-01-2017 Local Black Bookchicken, coconut, curry, recipe, red curry, soup, ThaiLeave a comment

About two offices ago (what do you mean that’s not an accurate way to measure time?), I got introduced to Itsu and its dangerously addictive coconut chicken noodle soup.

Needless to say, it became my lunch of choice for those days when I was too lazy/late/disorganised to pack lunch (or I just really, really wanted something warm, spicy, comforting and full of rice noodles for lunch).

Time passed, offices moved and suddently, there was no Itsu nearby for me to get my coconut chicken noodle soup fix.

Luckily, it turns out it’s really easy and quick to make, taking only about 15 minutes from start to finish.

It’s barely any work at all, and yet it delivers a punch of warming, complex flavours. Rich, spicy, tangy, funky all at once. Plus it’s a one pot sort of dish. Less washing up = always a winner in my book.

Easy Thai coconut chicken noodle soup | Cake + Whisky

I know it sounds too good to be true, but you definitely want to give it a try, because it’s all pho real!

Thai Coconut Chicken Noodle Soup (serves 1)

Ingredients:

100g chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 spring onions, white cut into bite-sized pieces and green thinly sliced
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp red curry paste
small garlic clove, finely chopped or grated
tiny piece of ginger, finely chopped or grated
1 tsp yellow curry powder
3 tbsp canned chopped tomato
125ml coconut milk
200ml chicken broth or water
fish sauce to taste
50g rice noodles, prepared according to packaging instructions
lime wedge to serve
salt, pepper

Method:

1. In a saucepan or wok, heat up the sesame oil until it just starts smoking. Add in the red curry paste, grated garlic and ginger and curry powder and cook on a high heat for a couple of minutes.

2. Add in the chicken and spring onion white pieces and cook for a few minutes.

3. Pour in the coconut milk, chopped tomato and chicken broth, reduce the heat and cook for 5 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning with fish sauce, salt and/or pepper accordingly.

4. Place the prepared rice noodles in a bowl. Top with the coconut chicken broth. Garnish with spring onion greens and a lime wedge and serve immediately.

Coconut Curry Roasted Cashews

22-11-2016 Local Black Bookcashew, cashews, coconut, curry, dairy-free, edible gift, healthy, healthy eating, healthy living, nuts, recipe, roasted nuts, snack, vegan, vegetarian1 Comment

‘Tis -almost- the season.

Sorry for all the Scrooge out there, but it’s true!

And though tradition plays an important role in end-of-the-year celebrations, this year, I’ve decided to go slightly off track, break with convention and try something new.

Not too new though. As I recently explained, the whole idea is to take traditional ingredients and combine them in a creative way to achieve a fresh take on the traditional holiday dinner.

A sort of Thanksgiving/Christmas Dinner 2.0 if you will.

One of my favourite things to make this time of the year are roasted nut.

With salt & rosemary, with soy sauce or with cinnamon, roasted nuts never fail me, and these Coconut Curry Roasted Cashews are no exception.

Vegan, dairy free AND not boring, sweet, salty, spicy and incredibly more-ish, they are both satisfying and healthy, hence make for an excellent snack and an even better edible gift.

They’re so easy & quick to put together and keep really well, so you can make a big batch & hand out small bags of them to neighbours and visitors…

Or make a big jar for yourself to snack on while writing Christmas cards/wrapping all the presents/convincing your introvert side that it’s excited for all the socializing to come…

I won’t tell if you don’t!

Coconut Curry Roasted Cashews (makes one 400ml jar)

Ingredients:

130g raw cashew nuts
1 tbsp coconut oil, melted
2 tbsp coconut sugar
2 tbsp yellow curry powder
a good pinch of sea salt
zest from 1/2 lime, finely grated

1. Pre-heat your oven to 200°C.

2. In a bowl, mix together the cashews and coconut oil until they’re all well coated. Add in the rest of the ingredients and mix until well the nuts are well coated.

3. Spread the nuts onto a baking sheet & sprinkle with a bit more salt.

4. Bake for 15 min or until golden. Leave to cool completely before transfering to an airtight container.

Eastern Mess

16-06-2016 Local Black Bookcardamom, coconut, dessert, Eton Mess, pudding, recipe, rosé, strawberry, sweet, vegan, vegetarianLeave a comment

Eton Mess might not be the prettiest of puddings (the clue is in the name) but it’s the ultimate Summer pud’.

Fresh, sweet, zingy, creamy… when done right, it’s pudding perfection.

The following recipe is a bit of an Eastern twist on the classic Eton Mess.

Boasting coconut, cardamom and rose syrup, it’s vibrant, refreshing and very deserving of its ‘Eastern Mess’ name!

Eastern Mess (serves 2)

Ingredients: 250g strawberries, 1 big meringue, 1 can coconut cream, seed of 1 green cardamom pod (crushed), rose syrup, a few sprigs of fresh mint

1. Scoop the ‘solid’ part of the coconut cream can into a big bowl, then whisk until it forms soft peaks, then whisk in the crushed cardamom seeds.

2. Wash, dry and chop the strawberries.

3. Crush the meringue into bite-sized bits.

(steps 1, 2 and 3 can be made in advance, just keep everything in the fridge until you’re ready to serve!)

4. Pile up the different ingredients into a glass cup, finishing up with a drizzle of rose syrup and a fresh mint sprig on top and serve immediately.

Coconut Panna Cotta (Vegan)

27-04-2016 Local Black Bookcoconut, coconut milk, dessert, mango, panna cotta, recipe, tropical, vegan, vegetarianLeave a comment

With the weather in London flip flopping (think one day June and the next November…), I’ve been juggling with all sorts of recipes to have the sun come and stay!

One of the tricks up my sleeves to get that tropical island holiday vibes no matter what the weather throws your way are those super easy vegan coconut panna cotta.

Topped with mango puree, a sprinkle of dried mango powder and a few coconut curls for the ultimate tropical beach vibes.

Basically sunshine in a bowl.

Vegan Coconut Panna Cotta with Mango Puree (serves 4)

Ingredients: 200ml coconut milk, 200ml coconut cream, 3 tsp maple syrup, agar (see packaging for quantities), 1 ripe mango, coconut flakes & dried mango powder (Amchoor) to serve

1. Pour the coconut milk, cocnut cream, maple syrup and agar into a big saucepan and mix until well combined. Bringing to a boil over medium heat and simmer until thickened, approximately five minutes.

2. Pour the mix into 4 small glass or ceramic pots. Let it cool down a bit before popping them in the fridge for at least 3 hours before serving.

3. Peel, chop and blend the mango (add a bit of maple syrup if needed). Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

4. When you’re ready to serve, take the coconut panna cottas out of the fridge, pour a couple of tablespoons of mango puree on top, then sprinkle with some dried mango powder and coconut flakes and serve immediately.

George’s Day Dessert – Strawberries & (Coconut) Cream

23-04-201523-04-2015 Local Black BookBodum, coconut, cooking, dairy-free, dessert, easy, fruit, george day, healthy, healthy living, strawberry and cream, vegan10 Comments

If dragon slaying is not on your agenda for today (who even has time for that nowadays?), it doesn’t mean you can celebrate St George’s Day! I was short on time, so I decided to go with a really easy re-interpretation of the great British Strawberry & Cream classic, but with a bit of an exotic twist…
You wouldn’t suspect it, but that’s actually a dairy-free, totally vegan-friendly (and fairly healthy) take on the traditional recipe thanks to the use of coconut cream. And it’s the easiest of things to make! All you have to do is whip your coconut cream until soft peaks form (pretty much like you would with regular cream), slice up your strawberries and layer it all up in pretty glasses (mine are Bodum), and tadaaah! 🍓I would highly recommend you listen to your heart when it comes to adding extra toppings; I went for fresh passionfruit and my boyfriend with maple syrup and both versions were delicious! And I’m pretty sure chocolate chips or salted caramel sauce would work wonders too!🍓 How are you celebrating the most British day of the year? Should I stick to my Pimm’s in the Garden plan or do you have any recipe I should check out? 🍓

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