Coriander and lime spinach salad

I say "salad", in reality this is a quick stir fry (I'm new to having a gas hob all of my own to play with) served over baby leaf spinach. The quick stir frying of the vegetables leaves them quite juicy and crisp though, and the fragrant sweet and sour marinade makes it all quite lively. I used turkey and tofu in this as it happened to be what I had to hand, but chicken etc. would all work very well too.

2 heaped tbsp firm tofu cubes

1 heaped tbsp turkey thigh cubes

1/6th lime, juiced

1 tsp agave syrup (or 2 tsp light brown sugar)

2 tsp fish sauce

Grapeseed oil

1" piece ginger, finely julienned

1 spring onion, sliced thin on the diagonal

3 chestnut mushrooms, quartered

1/3 yellow pepper, cubed

Few sprigs fresh coriander, chopped

2 handfuls spinach leaves, well drained and roughly torn

Handful or two of beansprouts [optional]

Mix the lime juice, agave syrup and fish sauce in a small bowl. Add the tofu and turkey, mix gently, and leave to marinate. Prepare the remaining vegetables.

Heat up some oil in a small pan, and add the drained tofu and turkey. (Reserve marinade.) Cook to a slight sizzle until the turkey is done and the tofu has taken on some colour to slight crispiness. Leave to one side off the heat.

Meanwhile in a wok, heat up a little oil to medium-high. Add the ginger, and cook until turning slightly translucent, after 30 seconds or so.

Add yellow pepper, and stir fry for 30 - 45 seconds before adding the mushrooms. Cook for another minute or so until just tender.

Stir in the spring onion, mix through, then tip in the tofu and turkey. Pour in any remaining marinade, and mix it all together for 30 seconds. Taste, and add more fish sauce if required.

Take off the heat, stir in the coriander leaf and serve over the torn spinach (and beansprouts, if you have them.) Enjoy!

Lemon and garlic tofu stirfry with cabbage "noodles"

Sometimes you get the seasonings just right, and the combined dish is far more flavoursome than it should logically merit. This is one such dish! Mere odds and ends at the end of the week, but filled with crisp juicy vegetables and a mingling of ginger, garlic and lemon. In an attempt for a lighter sort of meal, there are spring cabbage "noodles" instead of rice or the more conventional noodles.

1 piece tofu, diced small

1/8th lemon, juiced

1/4 clove garlic, minced

Herbamare (herb infused salt) or sea salt

Black pepper

1 tsp tamari or soy sauce

Grapeseed oil

1" piece ginger, cut to thin matchsticks

3/4 clove garlic, sliced to thin slithers

2 spring onions, sliced thin on the diagonal

3 dried shiitake mushrooms, rehydrated and thinly sliced

3" long round of spring cabbage, thinly sliced (makes about half cup in quantity)

4 leaves napa cabbage, thickly sliced (also known as "Chinese Leaf")

1 - 2 tsp fish sauce

2 - 3 tsp oyster sauce

Mix the lemon juice, 1/4 clove minced garlic, tamari, salt and pepper in a bowl, and add the diced tofu. Mix gently and leave to marinate.

Prepare the remaining vegetables, and then heat up some oil to cover the bottom of a wok. When it's quite hot, add the tofu and stir fry 'til a little crispened. Remove to a bowl, clean wok, and return it to the heat.

With a little more oil, stir fry the ginger for 30 seconds or so, then add the shiitake mushrooms. Cook for a minute, keeping everything moving on a high heat.

Add the spring cabbage, mix in well, then pour in a few tablespoons of water to get steam going. Cook cabbage for a minute or two, until just tender but not too soft.

Stir in the garlic, and fry for 30 seconds or so, before adding the white stalk parts of the napa cabbage. Sprinkle in the fish sauce, and stir fry all this for approximately 1 minute. Keep an eye on the napa cabbage to make sure it's not overcooking.

When everything looks nearly done and to your liking, add the spring onion and remaining leafy, non-stalk napa cabbage. Add the oyster sauce, and mix everything through on a low heat. Adjust seasoning to taste, and you're ready to serve.

Dish up the stir fry into a bowl, and scatter with the lemon and garlic tofu. Sprinkle with a little shichimi togarashi for a bit of spice, and dinner is served.