Ocean banana blossom – vegan fish substitute

ocean banana blossom

This is my own recipe for Ocean Banana Blossom AKA vegan fish! I experimented with different flours and flavours to create the perfect batter coating. Have you ever wondered what to cook a vegan instead of fish? Look no further! This is wonderful with french fries, mayonaise and fresh lemon. Keep a can of banana blossom in the cupboard for a quick and easy, tasty alternative to fish.

ocean banana blossom

Ocean Banana Blossom

A good vegan substitute for fried fish
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Course Main Course
Servings 4

Equipment

  • mixing bowl
  • Frying pan
  • whisk

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup cornflour
  • 1 cup gram (chickpea) flour
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 1 pinch pepper
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 2 sheets Nori paper
  • 1 tsp black sesame seeds
  • 1 can banana blossom (usually containes four sections)

Instructions
 

  • Shred or chop the nori paper into small pieces
  • Mix all ingredients in a bowl EXCEPT the banana blossom
  • Add water slowly until you have a pourable batter
  • Carefully drain the delicate banana blossom and place on kitchen paper
  • Gently place the blossom in the batter and spoon over mixture until covered.
  • Heat cooking oil ready for deep frying
  • Gently place the blossom pieces one by one into the hot oil.
  • Fry until golden.
  • Drain on kitchen paper, and sprinkle with a little salt.
  • Enjoy!
Keyword banana blossom, vegan
 

I created all these recipes to feed a non vegan in my household. I only cook food I know everyone will enjoy. My son pestered me to write down my recipes, so here I am sharing them on YouTube, TikTok and Instagram. Ocean Banana Blossom can be eaten in a sandwich, dipped in soy sauce and eaten with rice or on top of some delicious fresh herb mash, as in the video above.

Check back soon for more videos or subscribe to my YouTube channel to be notified when I post.

There are so many amazing alternatives to meat, fish, dairy and eggs. A plant based diet is good for you, your heart and our beautiful planet.

Now…cook off!

Gail x

 

Spicy Chutney made with fresh local mangoes

spicy chutney

Homemade Spicy Mango Chutney

Homemde spicy chutney made with fresh and ripe mangoes from Olhão market. This is very a simple recipe but with quite a few ingredients. You can leave out the chillies if you don’t like anything hot hot HOT and instead replace the heat with with a couple of cloves for extra flavour. I love tangy, hot, spicy relish and chutney with steamed rice, crispy tofu (for recipe click here) and some stir fried veggies, or just smothered on my pappadoms…. ahhhh….delish!

Homemde spicy chutney made with fresh and ripe mangoes from Olhão market. This is very a simple recipe but with quite a few ingredients. You can leave out the chillies if you don’t like anything hot hot HOT and instead replace the heat with with a couple of cloves for extra flavour. I love tangy, hot, spicy relish and chutney with steamed rice, crispy tofu (for recipe click here) and some stir fried veggies, or just smothered on my pappadoms…. ahhhh….delish!

spicy chutney

Spicy chutney

Indian spiced ripe mango chutney. Great with pappadoms or homemade flatbread.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Course Side Dish
Cuisine Indian
Servings 10

Equipment

  • grater, sharp knife, pan, spatula

Ingredients
  

  • 1 whole ripe mango - peeled and cubed
  • 3 cloves crushed garlic - or more! Go crazy!
  • 1 chunk of grated ginger - as much as you like!
  • 1 red onion finely sliced or chopped
  • 1 tbsp chopped dried chillies - or as little as you want.
  • 1 tbsp mustard oil - or peanut/veg/corn/sunflower oil
  • 3 crushed cardamom pods
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp nigella seeds
  • 1 tsp black mustard seeds
  • 3 tbsp brown sugar
  • 3 tbsp vinegar - (I used pomegranate vinegar)
  • half stick of cinnamon (or 1 tsp of powder instead)
  • 2 bayleaves

Instructions
 

  • Heat mustard oil to the pan then add onions and cooked until soft and brown.
  • Add chopped garlic and ginger, soften for a couple of minutes
  • add a splash of water to slow down the cooking and soften the onions
  • add the cumin, nigella and black mustard seeds
  • Give it a stir!
  • Add mango, chillies, sugar, vinegar, cinnamon, bay leaves - the lot!
  • simmer for 15 minutes and add salt to taste. Start with just a pinch.
  • Allow to cool and enjoy with flatbread, naan bread, raw veggies or pappadoms.
  • Enjoy!
Keyword chutney, indian, mango, relish, spicy

I love autumn/fall! The trees are bursting with fruit, and there’s a huge range on offer at the market, especially good are the mangoes which come in lots of different varieties. The days are now getting shorter here, but the sun is still shining and the birds are all gathering to make their way across the Atlantic ocean to Africa. Longer nights ahead, which means more time to cook and edit videos. Check back soon for more scrumptious food.

Now….cook off!

Gail xxx

Fruity pancakes – vegan and gluten free

pancake

My recipe for fruity pancakes – which are comepletely vegan and gluten free! I make them with banana flour but you can use normal self raising flour if you wish for a more fluffy pancake. The banana flour makes them a little heavier, but its good to experiment with different four. Don’t use coconut flour – I’ve never had success using this!



You can leave out the fruit and just make a standard vanilla pancake, which my husband prefers to be honest. But I like to add as many different fruit and veggies as I can to my diet each day.

pancake

Vegan pancakes

Vegan, gluten free fruity pancakes.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes

Course Breakfast

Equipment

  • mixing bowl
  • whisk
  • Frying pan

Ingredients

  

  • 1 cup banana flour (or spelt flour) or wheat flour if you can tolerate gluten.
  • 1 cup plant milk
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 0.5 cup blueberries
  • 0.5 small banana
  • 1 tsp vanilla essence

Instructions

 

  • mix flour, salt, baking powder, milk and vanilla essence in a bowl
  • squish half of the blueberries and the banana
  • mix everything together
  • heat the frying pan
  • Drop half a cup of the mix into the frying pan, then dry fry or use a small amount of vegan butter or coconut or peanut oil to prevent sticking
  • Drop blueberries onto the wet pancake
  • flip pancake when bottom is browned.
  • Remove from pan when cooked both sides
  • Drizzle with passionfruit or date syrup.
  • Enjoy!

Keyword banana, blueberry, gluten free, pancake, vegan

I really enjoy making videos and sharing my recipes. There will be more, so check back soon.

Now….cook off!

Gail xxx



Vegan fruity curry

fruity curry
Intermittent fasting and Keto with vegan diet

My own recipe vegan fruity curry

This vegan fruity curry is one of my favourites! I know this list of ingredients looks never ending, but I keep all of these things in my store cupboard. I use them often so its worth keeping all these treasures in your pantry. You can substitute the mangoes for peaches and the almonds for cashews etc. This is the way I like my fruity curry but customise it as you wish.

fruity curry

Fruity chickpea curry

Delicious indian inspired chick pea curry with tropical fruit, fresh herbs and toasted nuts.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Indian

Equipment

  • Pan

Ingredients
  

Fruity curry

  • 2 tbsp mustard oil
  • 1 sliced red onion
  • 2 whole dried or fresh chillies
  • 1-2 cups water
  • 3 whole crushed cardamom pods
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp nigella seeds
  • 1 tsp black mustard seeds
  • 4 cloves crushed garlic
  • 1 thumb grated ginger (or one tablespoon)
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1 tsp Garam Masala
  • 1 tsp curry powder
  • 2 cups cooked chickpeas (or 1 can)
  • 1 veggie stock cube
  • 2 cups coconut milk
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • half cup chunky peanut butter

to decorate and present

  • 1 cup fresh sliced mango
  • half cup toasted flaked almonds
  • half cup coriander (cilantro) leaves
  • 1 tbsp fried onions
  • 1 whole sliced banana
  • 1 pinch salt - optional (taste and adjust before decorating)
  • 1 lime

Instructions
 

  • Heat pan and add mustard oil to fry onions and brown dried chillies
  • remove chillies from pan and keep one tablespoon of fried onions back to decorate at the end
  • When onions are browed, add 1 cup of water to soften, stir and simmer for a couple of minutes
  • Add crushed cardamom pods, cumin/nigella/black mustard seeds
  • Add ginger, garlic, bay leaves, cinnamon stick, garam masala, curry powder, chickpeas, mix and simmer for 5 minutes (may need some water, add a little).
  • Add coconut milk, smoked paprika, peanut butter, mix and simmer for 20 minutes
  • Time to dress it up with; mango, corainder, toasted flaked almonds, the cooked chillies, fried onions, sliced banana and anything else you fancy!
  • Enjoy with basmati rice!
Keyword chickpea, curry, spicy, vegan
I buy fresh chillies from Olhão market and dry them to make my own chilli & curry powder.

Make this fruit curry as hot as you like. I buy fresh chillies and dry them in a dehydrator. In this recipe, I’ve used two dried chillies which I fried with the onions and then removed, until you see them again the end when I use them to decorate the dish. The reason for doing this is that my husband doesn’t like hot curry, but I do. So I chop the chillies up and sprinkle on top of the curry on my plate only. It means everyone can enjoy the same dish, which is tasty and fragrant without being spicy, until you add the chopped chillies.

It’s worth the effort and will impress everyone when they see it and taste it. Check back often for more recipes!

Now…cook off!

Gail x

Vegan Frittata

Vegan frittata - a great substitute for omelette.

I make this vegan fritatta for breakfast, or cut into slices when cold, to take on picnics and hiking adventures. It’s very simple and high in protein from the chick pea flour. I use Kala namak (you will see me grind it in the pestle and mortar in the video) which is a kiln-fired rock salt used in South Asia with a sulphurous, pungent smell. It is also known as “Himalayan black salt“. It gives the fritatta an eggy taste, but use sparingly as its very eggy indeed!

Vegan frittata

A quick and easy breakfast omlette alternative. Great for picnics too!
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Course Breakfast
Servings 4

Equipment

  • Frying pan
  • whisk

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup chick pea flour (gram flour)
  • 1 tbsp coconut oil (or peanut oil)
  • 1 whole small red pepper - chopped
  • 1 whole leek - finely sliced
  • 1 tsp dried or fresh herbs
  • 1 pinch (small ground nugget of) Kala Namak - black salt
  • 1 pinch black pepper
  • water

Instructions
 

  • Whisk chick pea flour with Kala Namak, pepper & water until batter consistency
  • add oil to pan and fry veggies until soft
  • sprinkle herbs over cooked veggies
  • pour batter mix over veggies and cook until mix is firm and set
  • flip over to cook other side (smaller ones are easier to flip)
  • Ready to serve! -

Notes

Make smaller fritattas to flip easier.
Use ordinary salt if you don't want or need an eggy flavour.
Keyword frittata, vegan

I’m asked daily how to go vegan overnight, it takes time and some planning. You will need a good supply of herbs and spices to jazz up your veggies. More recipes coming soon. This one is simple and one of my faves for breakfast, instead of an omlette.

Now….cook off!

Gail x