Cruel summer.

Creamy 8-minute-pasta.

- 200g pasta 

- 1 big onion

- 200ml coconut milk 

- salt, pepper, veggie broth powder

- fresh herbs e.g. mint, sage, basil

- oil

I came home from a meeting quite late and was totaly hungry but the fridge was quite empty today and I wasnt' really in the mood for cooking. I found the canned coconut milk and thought of a simple pasta dish - in the end it turned out way better than I expected. It's a very good idea to have fresh herbs on your windowsill. Almost everything is 100% better with it.

Heat a pot with enough water for the pasta. Cut the onion finely into small cubes and fry them in a teaspoon oil until they're translucent. Add coconut milk and spices, let simmer on medium heat. 

When the water is boiling, add the pasta and a big dash of salt, let them cook for 8 minutes (or whatever your pasta instructions tell you), stirring from time to time. 

Also stir the sauce from time to time, right before the pasta is done you can turn off the heat. 

Drain your pasta and add to the sauce. Cut your herbs into fine stripes and mix everything very well.

The sauce is not that coconut-ish as it might sound. It's more a very creamy, white sauce with the aroma of the herbs you use and the hearty taste of the veggie broth. Only a slight hint of coconut, but this may depend on your coconut milk brand. Of course you could use soy cream as well, the sauce will be ready in the same time.

Orange-Sage Scrambled Tofu.

- 200g tofu

- piece of ginger

- some fresh leaves of sage

- 1 orange

- salt, pepper

- dash of smoked paprika (optional, use regular paprika otherwise)

- 1 tblsp oil

Heat the oil and fry crumbled tofu on medium heat. Grate a big piece of ginger and add together with salt, pepper and (if you have some) smoked paprika to tofu. Stir well.

Peel the orange and cut out the filets. This is way easier as it sounds, but you need a very sharp, big knife otherwise you'll just have a mushy lump of orange in your hand.

Then cut the sage into thin stripes and add together with orange filets to tofu, the tofu should already have some golden brown spots. Stir carefully and fry for another 5 minutes on medium to low heat.

Even if you don't have smoked paprika this dish has a warm hearty flavour by the sage, while orange and ginger give a fresh and fruity (but not very sweet) note.

I love scrambled tofu and always try new variations. Most of the time I don't have an idea beforehands, I just have the idea that I want scrambled tofu.

Of course I have a basic recipe, but sometimes I want a new flavor - then I'll throw in whatever I have in the kitchen and might be suitable. 

This was one of the best scrambled tofu variations I've ever had and I'll defintively keep that in mind. Yum!

Iced coffee.