This is a special video because we're celebrating Pickup Limes' seventh birthday.
So today we're making some meals that come together with just seven ingredients and to celebrate our seventh year anniversary, we've got some gifts for you.
So, to anyone first who hasn't tried out our Pickup Limes app, we are extending our free trial period.
So now we're offering it for 7 whole weeks, but be sure to grab it as soon as you can, because it's only going to be available for the next seven days from when this video airs.
So just scan this QR code right here or check out the link in the description box below.
Then if you want even more delicious seven ingredient recipes, we're launching a brand new collection with brand new seven ingredient recipes.
You'll find it on the homepage of the app.
But for now, roll up your sleeves.
Let's get into it.
For the first recipe, we're making a saucy, fiery gochujang tomato tofu.
The seven ingredients you'll need to make this are rice, cherry tomatoes tofu garlic, soy sauce, gochujang and brown sugar.
The only prep that we need to do before we start cooking is to cut some pressed tofu into small little cubes.
We'll mince a lovely little pile of garlic cloves, and then we can cut a bunch of cherry tomatoes in half.
All right, now let's get cooking.
We're gonna start first with cooking up some rice, and while that's cooking away, we're gonna fry up the tofu.
Just a heads up.
I'm gonna assume you've already got oil, salt and pepper in your kitchen arsenal already, so I'm not counting these towards the seven ingredients in today's recipes.
So let's just add a touch of oil to a pan and then we'll add in the tofu, cooking it until it's golden on all sides.
While that's cooking away, let's make our sauce.
For this, we're gonna need a fermented chili paste, Korean chili paste that's called gochujang.
It has a very sweet, savory, spicy flavor profile.
You can find this at most Asian supermarkets.
We'll add this gochujang to a jar along with the minced garlic and some soy sauce and brown sugar.
Then whisk it up and set it aside.
When the tofu is golden, we'll transfer it to a plate, and then we can add the cherry tomatoes to the now empty pan.
Cook this up for just a few minutes before drenching everything in that sauce, and then let it simmer away for another couple of minutes.
Oh, it smells so good.
Then we can reintroduce the tofu, adding it back into the pan, giving it all a stir, scoop some of the warm rice into a bowl and then, alongside it can go your gochujang masterpiece.
And if you're feeling fancy, garnish it with some toasted sesame seeds and green onions.
But these are optional.
And just like that, you've turned seven humble ingredients into a flavor pack.
It was a flavor bomb.
Wow.
Next, let's dive into making borek, which is a savory pastry that has roots dating all the way back to the Ottoman Empire.
And it's currently enjoyed throughout the Balkans, the Middle East, even Central Asia.
And there's so many different flavor variations too.
If you have a similar dish in whichever country you're from, share about it in the comments below.
I'd be curious to learn more.
But for now, let's take a look at our lineup of ingredients.
We've got phyllo pastry sheets, frozen spinach tofu, a Greek seasoning mix, vegan feta, vegan butter and chickpea flour.
First step we're gonna add a splash of oil into a pan and then we're gonna crumble in a block of tofu.
Sprinkle over a generous amount of the Greek seasoning and add a pinch of salt, and then stir until this is lightly golden.
This Greek seasoning is your fast track to flavor town, because it's loaded with different herbs and spices.
If you can't snag it, though, at your local grocery store, no worries.
We have a homemade version that you can whip up.
I'm gonna link that for you below.
All right.
Next we're gonna add a mountain of frozen spinach to the pan, cooking it down until it's lost most of its moisture.
This is gonna take a little while, so meanwhile, in a separate bowl, we can mix a bit of chickpea flour and water together to make a slurry.
This mixture is gonna help our filling bind together.
We can pour and fold this into the spinach and tofu mixture, cook it for another minute or so and then take it off the heat.
All right, now comes the fun part.
Grab one phyllo sheet at a time, keeping the rest covered under a damp cloth so that they don't dry out.
We're gonna very lightly brush some melted vegan butter onto the phyllo sheet.
Then you can scoop up about a third of a cup of the tofu spinach mixture.
I like to then place it down in a little strip close to the bottom of the phyllo sheet before crumbling on some vegan feta.
Then roll it all up.
Just a little hack.
It is super handy to have a little bowl of warm water next to your working station, just so you can clean your fingers between steps.
As soon as it's rolled, place it right away onto a lined baking tray and start to form it into a snug little spiral.
Philo can be a bit tricky to work with sometimes.
If your pastry cracks, don't worry about it.
It'll all be fine.
Just keep rolling with it.
Is it unintentional?
It was an intentional pun.
Thank you for noticing.
Yeah.
Then we're just gonna continue with the remaining phyllo sheets and spinach mixture until everything is used up.
With each new roll that you've created, continue to grow your spiral.
And again, don't worry if it's imperfect.
If anything, the cracks, any irregularity, it's all gonna add to the charm of the final pastry.
Once your spiral is complete, we're gonna brush the top with any remaining melted butter, and then we're gonna send this to get golden and crispy in an oven that's been preheated to 390 Fahrenheit or 200 Celsius.
Fresh out of the oven, this borak is ready to steal the show.
It's beautifully crispy on the outside, soft and buttery on the inside.
Whenever you're ready to enjoy it, just slice up a piece and enjoy it on its own or with a simple side salad.
And now, speaking of salads, for the final recipe, we're making a light and refreshing caramelized grape and chickpea salad.
For the ingredient roll call, we've got red grapes, lamb's lettuce chickpeas lemons, extra virgin olive oil, maple syrup and croutons.
First, let's crank a pan to sizzling.
We're gonna grab some lemons, cut them in half and add the lemons to the pan.
Cut side down until they're deeply caramelized and brown.
Charring the lemons like this adds a bit more depth in flavor than you get from using just raw lemons.
Now we're gonna set the lemons aside and then we're gonna add a splash of oil into the pan, tossing in some chickpeas and some grapes.
We're gonna season with a little bit of salt and then we're gonna cook this all until the chickpeas are lightly golden and the grapes have charred and caramelized a little bit.
While that's cooking away, we're gonna juice and strain the lemon into a jar, and then we can add in our extra virgin olive oil a touch of maple syrup just to cut through the acidity, and we can season with salt and pepper.
Now close the lid and shake the jar vigorously so that the dressing can emulsify.
Now, this dressing is a bit tart, which I love, but if that's too much for you, you can always add a bit more syrup to help balance it out a little bit.
If you're using store-bought croutons, like we are.
If you'd like, you can also toast them in a pan with a touch of oil, just to make them even crunchier and more flavorful.
To put this all together, we're gonna add a whole bunch of lamb's lettuce to a large bowl, and then we can add in the grapes and chickpeas.
I'd recommend waiting to drizzle the dressing on until you're ready to serve it, just to keep the lettuce crisp and fresh, and then you can toss everything together.
At the very end, scatter on the croutons for a crunchy finish, and then you can dish it out and voila a truly delightful salad that's as tasty as it is wholesome, and you can enjoy this warm or cold.
The full breakdown to all of these recipes.
As always, you can find them in the links that are in the description box below.
While you're there, if you haven't tried out our app yet, be sure to sign up for it because again, we're offering a seven-whole-week free trial of the app.
But this is only for a limited time.
Share it with your friends, share it with your family, anyone who you think could benefit from some plant-based deliciousness.
And thank you for seven incredible years together.
Forever grateful for you.
Thanks for hanging with me today as well.
Pickup Limes signing off.
I'll see you in the next video.
Plant-based deliciousness.
Plant-based... Pickup Limes signing off.
We'll see you in the next video.
That was a struggle.
Cheryl... We're celebrating Pickup Limes' seventh birthday.
Disgusting.
Celebrating Pickup Limes' seventh birthday.
This is a special video because we're celebrating Pickup Lime's seventh birthday.
