Just Sublime

RECIPES AND IMAGES AMBER BREMNER

My current home came with well-established citrus trees that gift us more than we can handle, every year. Limes are the most well used—so versatile in both sweet and savoury dishes, and even just a cheeky squeeze can give a lift where it’s needed most. Try freezing excess limes, prechopped, to add to next summer’s drinks.

Amber Bremner Quite Good Food www.quitegoodfood.co.nz

Amber Bremner is the author of popular plant based food blog Quite Good Food. A champion for cooking and eating food that makes you feel good, she believes small changes in the way we approach food have the power to make a difference.

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Lime, Cashew & Coriander Rice

Think of this pilaf style rice dish as an upgrade on regular rice. It’s fragrant with the mellow flavour of cooked lime, and the fresh sharpness of lime zest and juice added just before serving. Try it as a side with curry, stir fried vegetables or marinated tofu, or just add a few greens and call it a simple meal.

1 tbsp oil 1 onion, finely chopped 1½ cups basmati rice 2 cups vegetable stock 1 cup water 1 lime, washed and quartered 2 cloves garlic, crushed or finely grated 5mm slice of fresh ginger ¼ tsp salt

TO SERVE

½ cup roasted cashews ½ cup finely chopped coriander zest and juice of a lime more lime for squeezing

In a saucepan that has a lid, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, until tender but not browned. Wash rice by rinsing well in a sieve, then add to the saucepan. Cook for 1–2 minutes, stirring to coat the grains of rice with oil and to prevent sticking. Add the stock, water, quartered lime, garlic, ginger and salt. Turn heat up and bring to a simmer, then cover and turn the heat down to low. Cook for 15 minutes undisturbed, then turn the heat off and leave to sit for 10 minutes.

To serve, remove and discard the lime segments and slice of ginger. Gently fluff the rice and stir through the cashews, coriander and zest and juice of a lime. Serve with extra lime segments for squeezing, if you like.

Lime & Vanilla Vegan Cheesecake

This easy no-bake vegan cheesecake uses tofu as a main ingredient, creating a lighter result than typical nut-based vegan cheesecakes. It’s creamy and subtly sweet with a perfectly silky texture and has been one of the most popular recipes on my website for years. Freeze leftovers in single serve portions, and thaw for 1–2 hours at room temperature before serving.

CRUST

1 cup dates 1/3 cup sunflower seeds 1/3 cup pumpkin seeds 1/3 cup almonds 2 tbsp coconut oil (melted if solid)

FILLING

500g soft tofu, drained ½ cup raw cashews, soaked (see note) 1/3 cup fresh squeezed lime juice ½ cup coconut oil (melted if solid) ¼ cup maple syrup 2 tsp vanilla paste or natural vanilla extract zest of one lime Put all crust ingredients into a food processor and blitz until you have a small crumb. Use your hands and the back of a spoon to press the crust mixture evenly into a 20cm tart tin (preferably with a removable base). Refrigerate or freeze to firm up while preparing the filling. For the filling, put everything except the coconut oil into a blender. Blend until smooth, then pour in the coconut oil while the blender is running. Pour the filling into the chilled crust and use a spatula to smooth the surface. Pop the cheesecake in the fridge overnight to set. Serve straight from (or recently from) the fridge. Both the crust and filling will soften at room temperature. Note: Raw cashews should be soaked in cold water for at least four hours (or overnight) to enable them to blend to a perfectly smooth consistency. If you don’t have time, soak them in very hot water for half an hour, then rinse under cold water before continuing with the recipe.