One-bowl protein-packed Broccoli Bread

This quick and easy recipe helps you to put more veggies in your plate. Packed of protein and fiber, as well as savory flavors! Perfect for on-to-go breakfast or enjoy at tea time!

I found myself enjoy making savory recipes more often. I usually have sweet tooth for brekkie, and I do found something savory really satisfying. This recipe is very simple to make as long as you got the ready-made broccoli/cauliflower rice. I don't really like chunky broccoli but I found the riced one is very versatile. The green olives and the feta cheese in this recipe creates a nice salty and flavorful combination.

I added peanut flour in this bread which gave its nutty and rich taste. The egg white in this recipe makes the texture slightly fluffier and moister. I love eating it with more feta cheese but pairing with peanut butter and dried fruits is an excellent sweet+savory combo! You can swap the egg white to whole egg or plant-based milk to make it vegan-friendly. You can put more olives if you like your bread to be more salty. Alternatively, adding a tsp of chili flakes to give it some kicks!

Recipe: One-bowl protein-packed Broccoli Bread

• 300 g, Riced broccoli (You can find it at Aldi/Sainsbury)

• 70 g wholemeal flour/oat flour/rye flour

• 40 g, Peanut Flour (I used this one )

• 1 tbsp, Chia Seeds

• 30 g, Unsalted Butter

• 150 g, Liquid Egg White (I used this one)

• 5 g, Psyllium Husk Powder

• 60 g, Pitted Green Olives In Brine

• 30 g/1 small portion, crumbled feta cheese/shredded cheddar cheese

• 1 tsp, Baking Powder

Method:

1. Preheat the oven at 170°C/150°C fan

2. Melt the butter in microwave for 30 seconds/in a saucepan on a low heat

3. Soak the chia seeds with 2 tbsp of water to make "chia egg"

4. Mix the dry flour, psyllium husk powder and baking powder in a big bowl, and add the broccoli rice to mix with the flour well.

5. Chop the olives into small pieces and add the crumbled/shredded cheese into the dry mixture

6. Add the melted butter, chia egg and liquid egg white into the big bowl and use a spatula/spoon to combine the dry mixture together.

7. Put the mixture to a lined 1l loaf tin and bake for around 30 minutes until the surface is slightly golden brown.

Taste of Matcha in London (Part 1)

Read this if you want to try any foods featured in matcha in London. The green bitter powder has gained such a popularity in Western world due to its scientifically proven health benefits. And when it is incorporated into delicious foods, then what a win-win situation for both of body and soul! Remember, an important quality of premium matcha is the aftertaste, the subtle sweetness that comes from your throat, contrasting to the immediate bitterness.

Although being originated in China, the culture of Matcha is undoubtedly mastered by Japanese. From the arduous tea ceremony (茶道) to the variety of matcha flavored baked goods. It is no wonder that the most impressive matcha goodies are often offered by the Japanese patisseries and cafes in London. In part 1, let me take you go through some of my favorite places for matcha dessert ?!

1: Katsute 100 - Matcha Crêpe Cake

Matcha Crepe Cake from Katsute 100

Katsute 100 is a lovely Japanese cafe with friendly staff and cozy atmosphere, always making me feel very welcomed. The crepes of the cake are surprisingly thinner than other places I have tried. It is bigger in size, with very creamy and abundant matcha cream. It is on the sweeter side, so even if you don't like matcha very much, I bet you will fall in love with it!

(More on my IG post)

Matcha Float from Katsute 100

I was going to have their Ichigo Daifuku one day but it was sold out when I was there. So I decided to try their 'Matcha Float' instead which turned out to be an excellent choice. Semi-bitter and strong matcha perfectly balanced the creamy and sweet matcha soft serve on the top. What a treat for matchaholic! (Read More)

2: Kova Pattiserie - Matcha Mille Crêpes

Talking about Japanese patisserie in London, one cannot be mention enough within social media is the Kova Patisserie. With the success of opening their 3rd branch recently, it is undoubted that this patisserie has their secret recipe to mesmerize people's tastebuds. Their Mille Crêpes was actually the first cake I tried in London (Old Post). I remembered that I was eating the cake and walking on my way home as I just could not stop having another bite of it. It taste so much better than Lady M (Sorry, my sweet- tooth friends) as the sweetness is just at the sweet spot for me.

3: WA Cafe - Matcha Rolled Cake

Matcha Rolled Cake from WA

Nestling in the hustle and bustle of Covent Garden, WA cafe brings you perfect combination of westernized and traditional Japanese desserts. Their counter displays a variety of colorful treats and all of them are very tempting. I eventually gave their seemingly humble Matcha Rolled Cake a try. The sponge is very delicate and soft, just like marshmallows melting in your mouth. And the cream is rich in flavour green tea (not technically same as matcha but this is what their website says) with the perfectly balanced sweetness. The red bean paste in the middle is quite sweet, although red bean (小豆) and matcha is absolutely a traditional combo, I do feel like the sweetness of the paste can be more subtle and can even be substituted for simple cooked red beans (like this one). (Read More)

4: Lanka - Green Tea Roll Cake and Éclair

Green Tea Roll Cake from Lanka

Green Tea Éclair from Lanka

Lanka is a little gem, locating at a small street in a quiet neighborhood, while always populated by gourmets and foodies like me. It is created by a Japanese chef who is specialized in French cuisine. Their cakes feature the delicacy and decadence of French patisserie, as well as incorporating with the Japanese traditional flavors. This green tea roll is suitable for my sweet tooth friends who likes the creaminess and sweetness of cream and fruits(video on my IG). I love their Éclairs better which has stronger green tea flavor, with very light cream filling and soft buttery pastry.

5: Sakurado Cafe - Matcha Mille Crêpes

Matcha Mille Crêpes from Sakurado

You may not be familiar with this picture based on my IG since I have not posted yet. Nevertheless, they acclaim to be the best Matcha Mille Crepes in London which seems to be an exaggerated statement to me. I was having high expectation towards the taste but it did bring me a small disappointment (but I blamed myself from expecting too much). The cake seems to be not freshly made as the crêpes are hard and thick, and the cream is just not smooth enough. The overall matcha flavour is at the strong side but not very delicate and have no aftertaste. They have branches in Kensington and China Town, and I highly advise you to visit the former as their China Town branch is located in a separate bakery house.

6: Rubys of London -Matcha Baked Doughnut

Matcha Baked Doughnut from Rubys

Where are my vegan foodies? Without any animal based ingredients, the vegan treats from Rubys are definitely blows your mind. The doughnut has soft cake texture, frosted with matcha and white chocolate ganache and sprinkled with pistachios. It is not too sweet, not heavy at all, and I can indeed taste the mild aroma of matcha from it. Their cakes are on the sweet side but I would definitely have this doughnut next time. Worth travelling an entire London for it.

7: Tombo - Vegan Matcha Cheesecake

Another treat for my vegan fellows, especially for the ones who like something light and healthy. Tombo is a Japanese cafe, featuring delicious Japanese cuisine as well as their well know desserts. This cheesecake is made of tofu and coconut cream which is a blessing for me because I am slightly allergic to cashew (I am fine when eating a small handful of cashew nuts but feeling nauseous when having cashew-based cheese or excessive cashew milk). The taste is quiet....bland? as you cannot really taste neither the matcha nor the sweetness. But I heard my friend saying that their other cakes are delicious. Well, I think I may need take a matcha lover buddy next time.

Silken Tofu Smoothie Bowl ( 4 ways, vegan friendly)

Tofu is an excellent source of plant-based protein with the most desirable amino acid profile, and it is the secret ingredient for creating the ultimate creamy and filling smoothie bowl.

Silken Tofu & Rhubarb

I almost grew up on tofu (not entirely as I have eaten lots of eggs as well). My mom used to buy freshly milled soya milk (not freshly squeezed from teats) everyday in the farmers' market when I was in Kindergarten. Scrambled Tofu and Egg was my favorite dish and I could manage to eat a whole dish by myself until my mom knocked out my chopsticks. Soya products are highly featured in Chinese cuisine and family cooking, so you will be absolutely impressed to see the vast variety of soya derivatives, ranging from sweet to savory options.

Silken Tofu & Cacao

When you buy tofu, especially in Chinese supermarket, you will always find different textures and types of tofu available. Super firm, medium firm, firm, and silken. This is usually the consequence of different water content in the tofu in which silken tofu has the highest water content among all variety. This characteristic makes silken tofu quite extraordinary and versatile in many dishes. It is perfect for making desserts, miso soup, sauces, dips, and it has been used as an ideal egg substitute because of the custardy consistence.

Silken Tofu & Matcha

If you are familiar with my Instagram posts, you will probably notice that I love making smoothie bowl (and I love my cakes as well). A common misassumption about smoothie is that it is not filling and will leave you hungry within half an hour. It is partly true when you add a whole bunch of frozen bananas and other fruits without any extra proteins in it. Therefore, the key to increase the satiety of smoothie is to bulk up the protein content.

Silken Tofu & Acai

With the rise of plant-based eating and vegan diets, many people are now more aware of the variety of plant-based protein supplements offered in the market. Among these, soya protein absolutely stands out as it is the only plant protein that has the complete amino acid profile (increase absorption and utilization), which makes it comparable to animal proteins, such as whey and casein. The delicious and easy way to get your soya protein is eating tofu and adding it to your smoothie (instead of tasteless protein powder). Tofu, particularly silken tofu, gives your smoothie very thick and creamy texture, while making your full for longer and nourishing you with protein, calcium, and phytonutrients (i.e. isoflavones and saponins).

I have given you 4 delightful ways to make tofu-based smoothie. Do not pucker, try to experiment with some ingredients, and I am sure you will enjoy it! Simply put all the ingredients into your blender, add some water/milk if necessary, and try to be creative on your toppings too. Let's have fun in the kitchen!

Recipe: Matcha Silken Tofu Smoothie:

Ingredients:

• 300g of silken tofu (I used the one from Clearspring)

• 150g of frozen green grapes

• 2 small apples or 1 big apple (sweet ones, not bramley)

• 100g of frozen berries

• 1g of matcha powder

• 1 tbsp of seeds (I used milled flaxseed)

• 1 tbsp of peanut butter

Recipe: Cacao & Orange Tofu Smoothie:

Ingredients:

• 300g of silken tofu

• 2 tsp of Cacao Powder ( I used the one from Pukka)

• 1 large sweet oranges

• A handful of frozen grapes

• 85g of frozen banana

• 2 tsp of seeds (I used the Omega Seed Mix )

• Half of an avocado

Recipe: Pink Lady Tofu Smoothie

Ingredients:

• 200g of silken tofu

• 150g of frozen peach

• 1 small rhubarb stalk (80g)

• Half of an avocado

• A handful of pomegranate

• 1 scoop of collagen powder (optional)

Recipe: Nourishing Acai Smoothie Bowl

Ingredients:

• 300g of Silken Tofu

• 10g of Black Sesame Seeds (Adds more richness and nourishment)

• 1 pack of unsweetened acai puree (I used this one because it is the only brand I found in the UK stores)

• Half of an avocado

• 2 big handfuls of frozen grapes (100g)

• 1 scoop of collagen powder (optional)

I enjoy playing with uncommon ingredients with my smoothie. Have you checked out my Instagram post in which I was using snow fungus? Please do message me if you find any interesting food 😊