Happy New Year from the team at Citron! We wanted to kickstart the year with a bang by sharing 4 of our delicious and healthy recipes that are also vegan, in case you’re taking part in Veganuary this year! From creamy Cajun pasta to fresh vegetable spring rolls, all the recipes are designed to help add some variety to your work lunches or for your little ones to enjoy at school.
1. Creamy Cajun Tofu Pasta Recipe
Have you ever tried a creamy Cajun pasta dish before? If you haven’t, you're seriously missing out which is why we have added it to our favourite vegan recipes for you to try out. The dish will take you less than 30 minutes to make, and any leftovers can be stored in our 400ml food jars ready for you to eat the next day hot or cold.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 blocks of extra-firm smoked tofu (cubed)
- 1 ½ teaspoons Cajun spice seasoning (may wish to reduce spice quantity for children)
- 1 white onion (finely diced)
- 1 red pepper (thinly sliced)
- 3 garlic cloves (crushed)
- 60g sundried tomatoes (chopped)
- ¾ can chopped tomatoes
- 100ml dairy free cream
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 350g dried rigatoni pasta
- 80ml water from cooked pasta pot
- Juice from ½ lemon
- Chopped fresh parsley to garnish
- Chilli flakes to garnish (optional)
Method
- Begin by heating a large pan on a medium heat and adding 1 tablespoon of oil, the cubed tofu and 1 teaspoon of Cajun seasoning.
- Combine and cook the tofu for approx. 6 minutes stirring every 2.
- Place the cooked tofu onto a plate and leave to one side.
- Add the remaining ½ tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and sauté the onion for 5 minutes until it’s started to soften. Add the sliced pepper, crushed garlic, chopped sundried tomatoes and remaining ½ teaspoon of Cajun seasoning.
- Combine well and cook for a few minutes before adding the chopped tomatoes, cream and salt.
- Leave to simmer on a low heat while you cook the pasta as per instructions.
- Once the pasta is cooked transfer 80ml of the pasta water to the sauce, then drain the pasta and add it to the pan also.
- Combine, and then stir the cooked tofu through with the lemon juice.
- Cook for a few more minutes to ensure everything is warm, then serve with some chopped fresh parsley and chill flakes on your bio-based Citron plates.
- Store any leftovers in your Citron food jar, or if you’re not eating the pasta immediately it’ll stay warm in the jar for 6 hours. So, it’s perfect for making for lunch.
2. Sweet & Sour Crispy Tofu Recipe
This Sweet & Sour Tofu recipe is one of our favourite comfort foods! The tofu is crisp with a perfect texture and the sweet and sour sauce is unbelievably delicious! It comes together quickly and tastes amazing as meal prep too!
Ingredients
CRISPY TOFU
- 1 block of extra-firm tofu (cubed)
- 1 tablespoon smoked sweet paprika
- 1 ½ tablespoons cornflour
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- ½ tablespoon sesame seeds (for garnish)
SWEET & SOUR SAUCE
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce (gluten free if needed)
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 ½ tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 ½ tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon ketchup
Method
CRISPY TOFU
- Place the tofu pieces in a lined oven tray. Add in the smoked sweet paprika, cornflour, vegetable oil and toss to combine, ensuring all the tofu pieces are covered with the seasonings.
- Bake in the pre-heated oven at 220˚C (430˚F) until the tofu is cooked and crisped on all sides, about 20 to 25 minutes. Remove tofu pieces and set aside.
SWEET & SOUR SAUCE
- Heat a pan over medium-high heat and add the soy sauce, vinegar, oil, ketchup, and honey and stir together until fully combined.
- Bring to boil then reduce to a simmer for about 5 minutes until the sauce has thickened up.
- Add in the baked tofu and stir to combine. Taste and add more soy sauce if you desire.
- Remove from heat and top with sesame seeds. Serve with steamed rice and broccoli. Enjoy!
3. Carrot Pasta Recipe
We’ve been loving this vegan Carrot Pasta, and we think you might too. It is so simple to make, very quick and efficient. Serve your ready pasta in our 400ml food jar to keep it warm for up to 6 hours.
Ingredients
- 2 large carrots (roughly chopped)
- 120g flour
- 60g grated vegan cheese
- 20g vegan butter (we used almond butter)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Fresh parsley
- ½ cucumber (to serve with)
Method
- Fill a small saucepan with water and bring to boil over high heat. Add in the roughly chopped carrots and lower heat to low. Simmer gently until carrots are fork-tender, about 10 to 15 minutes.
- Remove the carrots once tender and mash them with a fork. Add in the flour, cheese, salt, and pepper and mix together. Use your hands to continue working the dough to bring it together into a ball.
- Roll the dough into a long shape and cut into small bite sized pieces.
- Boil the pasta in a small saucepan for about 5 minutes.
- Heat vegan butter in a medium pan, over medium heat and add in the carrot pasta. Fry the pasta for about 5 minutes.
- Garnish with fresh parsley and serve with fresh sliced cucumbers.
4. Fresh Vegetable Spring Rolls Recipe
These spring rolls are refreshing, healthy, colourful, fun to make and involve zero frying! You can wrap any vegetables and make the spring rolls as big or small as you like – they are great as an appetiser or a light meal.
Ingredients
- 50g vermicelli rice noodles
- 2 bell peppers: 1 red and 1 yellow (thinly sliced)
- 1 small cucumber (thinly sliced)
- 1 carrot (julienned)
- 2 radishes (finely sliced)
- 20g lambs lettuce (or any other lettuce)
- Rice paper spring roll wrappers
- Roasted black sesame seeds (optional)
Method
- Cook the vermicelli rice noodles according to package instructions.
- Soak a rice paper wrapper into a bowl of cold water for a few seconds. Transfer the rice paper onto a wet board and get creative with your filling. Lay the vegetables about 2 to 3 cm away from the bottom of the wrapper.
- Starting from the bottom of the wrapper, start rolling everything towards the middle. Fold the left and right sides of the wrapper towards the centre, and finish rolling up the spring roll. Repeat for the remaining spring rolls.
Enjoy!