what the hell _does_ a vegan eat anyway?: February 2007

Wednesday, February 28, 2007

Raw Food Wednesday: Portobello Mushroom Bundle with Red Bell Pepper and Carrot, Meatloaf, Celeriac and Green Apple Soup, Arugula Salad

Raw Food Wednesday 2/28

Portobello Mushroom Bundle with Red Bell Pepper and Carrot
(see below)

Raw Meatloaf

Celeriac and Green Apple Soup with Avocado

Arugula Salad with Cashew Cheese Crutons
(arugula, cashew cheese crutons, avocado, carrots and red bell pepper)

We tweaked the Juliano meatloaf recipe -- grinding the nuts up first without soaking, which makes for a looser loaf and longer dehydration time (about 8 hours @ 115F) . Extremely tasty, however ;)

The ingredients were portobello mushrooms, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, almonds, brazil nuts, cashews, red bell pepper, celery, shallots, garlic, ginger, parsley, herbes de provence, nama shoyu.

Topped with a tomato, sun-dried tomato, date and jalapeño bbq sauce

Also, we were playing around with some raw appetizer-sized food tonight and came up with these little bundles -- almost sushi like with the portobello strips filling in for the nori.

After marinating the thinly cut portobello slices for two hours in a mixture of lemon juice, olive oil, nama shoyu and pepper, they were rolled up with red bell pepper and carrots that had been marinated for 20 minutes in a olive oil, lemon, sea salt and pepper.

Then the bundles were dehydrated at 115F for 1 hour, which had the effect of tightening the mushrooms around the bundles very tightly...

Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Seitan Stew in Crepes, Green Beans

Dinner 2/27

Seitan Stew
(seitan, onion, garlic, garbanzo beans, smoked paprika, veg stock, sherry, tamari, pepper)

Crepes
(from VwaV)

Green Beans

everything is more elegant served in a crepe, especially a seitan stew ;)

seriously, if you haven't bought "Vegan with a Vengeance" yet, the crepe and the french toast recipes are worth the cost alone...

Monday, February 26, 2007

Szechuan Eggplant, Jasmine Rice, Stir-Fry

Dinner 2/26

Szechuan Eggplant
(garlic, ginger, sesame oil, red pepper flakes, veg stock, hoisin)

Jasmine Rice topped with Eggplant "Hay"*

Stir-Fry
(tofu, carrot, red bell pepper, tamari, pepper)

At least this time when I molded the rice, I used a smaller bowl ;)

* a little "Made to Order" reference -- not a very vegan-friendly show, yet oddly fascinating...

Sunday, February 25, 2007

Smoked Tofu and Tempeh Meatloaf with Button Mushrooms and Mushroom Gravy, Braised Radishes, Twice Baked Potato

Dinner 2/25

Smoked Tofu and Tempeh Meatloaf with Button Mushrooms and Mushroom Gravy

Braised Radishes

Twice Baked Potato

The vegan version of the type of meal my Grandmother would make when we visited...

The radishes were braised just like carrots (a small sauce pan filled with water halfway up the sides of the radishes, 1 tbs. of soy margarine, then reduce until all the liquid is gone and sprinkle, season with a little salt and a pinch of sugar and roll around for a couple of seconds until the radishes begin to caramelize.

The loaf uses smoked tofu and tempeh which was then sauteed with onions, garlic, celery, carrots mixed with a little tamari, herbes de provence, smoked paprika, parsley, salt and pepper -- finally baked for 40 minutes at 350F.

Saturday, February 24, 2007

Pasta with Wilted Arugula

Dinner 2/24

Pasta with Wilted Arugula
(pasta, arugula, garlic, onion, tomato, pine nuts)

The peppery arugula really cuts through this dish and makes it "pop" on your palate...

Friday, February 23, 2007

Tandoori Tofu, Pistachio and Currant Pulao, Toor Dal, Puri

Dinner 2/23

Tandoori Tofu

Pistachio and Currant Pulao

Toor Dal

Puri

The tandoori paste was free of the usual neon coloring agents -- hence the darker color -- but the flavor was spot on...

And you really can't go wrong with the puri -- lovely deep-fried puffy balls of dough, perfect for dipping in the toor dal.

Thursday, February 22, 2007

Chiles Rellenos Stuffed with Cassoulet and Smoked Tofu on Rice Cakes, Steamed Artichoke

Dinner 2/22

Chiles Rellenos Stuffed with Cassoulet and Smoked Tofu on Rice Cakes
(filling is soyrizo, onion, garlic, cannelinni beans, tomato, tamari, pepper, smoked paprika and applewood smoked tofu)

Steamed Artichoke

We tried a different method for getting the skin off a pepper by deep-frying it first, and then peeling it. The cubanelle pepper was also a different choice than the usual poblano, but worked out just fine. The white bean cassoulet with the applewood smoked tofu added a nice combination of flavors and layers to the chile filling.

We weren't sure whether to eat the mutant artichoke or go bowling with it -- it had to steam a good long time, yet the final product was very tasty and not woody at all.

Wednesday, February 21, 2007

Raw Food Wednesday: Yellow Beet Terrine, Celeriac and Green Apple Soup, Radish Crudite, Guacamole Salad

Raw Food Wednesday 2/21

Yellow Beet Terrine
(see below)

Radish Crudite Plate
("breakfast," "icicle" and "easter egg" radishes, olive oil and sea salt)

Guacamole Salad
(avocado, corn, tomato, jalapeño, onion, salt, pepper)

Celeriac and Green Apple Soup
(from "Raw Food Real World")

We had some serious fun making the terrine in the afternoon, mixing and matching with some ingredients, including some raw corn that we froze in August -- we could have snacked on that all afternoon, it was still that sweet. We ended up using it in the salad as well...

Here's the blow-by-blow descriptions and pix of the terrine. Click on the pictures for bigger versions)

step 1: cover the mold with plastic wrap with a couple of inches overhanging.

step 2: cover the mold with the marinated yellow beets, trying to come up over the top as much as possible.

step 3: cover the bottom of the terrine with a double layer of dehydrated and marinated mushrooms.

step 4: next, a thin layer of cashew cheese that covers the mushrooms completely.

step 5: put down a layer of spinach (or this case mache) over the cashew cheese layer.

step 6: add the dehydrated corn and onion mixture on top of the mache layer.

step 7: layer with the marinated yellow beets to seal the bottom layers. Repeat steps 3-7 until you fill the entire terrine.

step 8: tightly and completely wrap in plastic wrap.

step 9: after being refrigerated for three hours, unmold and it's ready for the electric knife...

step 10: leave the plastic on when cutting it -- it helps hold it together, but remember to remove it before gently plating the terrine ;)

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

Happy Mardi Gras!

Mardi Gras 2/20

Hickory Smoked Seitan and Tofu Jambalaya
(seitan, tofu, basmati rice, onion, garlic, clove, cayenne, herbes de provence, smoked paprika, veg stock, tamari, pepper)

Cajun Green Beans
(seared green beans with tamari, smoked paprika, cayenne, tamari and pepper)

simple, yet satisfying -- the smoker box has been getting a workout these days, but it really does bring something to the layers of flavor that we're trying to build up in each dish.

Monday, February 19, 2007

Tofu Marsala, Roasted Broccoli

Dinner 2/19

Tofu Marsala
(over rigatoni pasta)

Roasted Broccoli

the mushrooms are cooked down (6-8 minutes) then 1 tbs. of tomato paste and 1 tbs. of garlic are added and cooked for one minute. Off heat add 1 1/2 cups of marsala and reduce down to 1 cup. Off heat, add 1/2 of a lemon and 2 tbs. of soy margarine (a.k.a "monte au burre"). Pour over the tofu cutlets and pasta.

Sunday, February 18, 2007

Happy Chinese New Year!

Chinese New Year 2/18

Hoisin Tofu

Stir-fried Jasmine Rice

Dim Sum Buns
(stuffed with tvp, onion, garlic, tamari, sesame oil and napa cabbage)

I sense a "dome" theme for tonight's meal ;)

have a great "year of the golden pig"!

Saturday, February 17, 2007

Empanadas, Tostadas and Churros, Oh My!

Dinner 2/17

Empanadas
(stuffed with ground seitan, onion, garlic, salt and pepper topped with chipotle sauce: chipotle en adobo with vegenaise)

Tostadas
(Home-made tostadas topped with seitan, mushrooms, poblano rajas, onion and FYH Monterey Jack)

Dessert

Churros
(see above)

It was good to get the tortilla press out again and crank out the shells. It was like riding a bike after the second tortilla -- the amount of pressure, the texture of the masa harina dough, frying them on the griddle, etc

...and for dessert, Nessie the Churro ;)

It was the first time we made churros, and we need to fiddle with the dough a bit to make it firmer, so you can see the star pastry tip designs on the finished product. Tasty though...

Friday, February 16, 2007

Tacos, Arroz con Gandules, Hominy Soup, Molten Mocha Cake

Dinner 2/16

Tacos
(shells, shredded romaine lettuce, FYH Monterey Jack, radishes, FYH Nacho Cheese, limes, cherry tomato, black beans and soyrizo)

arroz con gandules
(Pigeon-Pea Rice, recipe adapted from Tyler Florence)

Hominy Soup with Radish

Dessert

Molten Mocha Cake

The Molten Mocha Cake was tweaked slightly by adding some cinnamon -- the full recipe was adapted from Martha Stewart's "Everyday Food" -- just sub soy margarine and soft tofu... mmm... goooooey. ;)

Also, I finally got use my taco shell maker I picked up last summer -- woo hoo!

Thursday, February 15, 2007

Taro and Chestnut Mash, Green Beans with Black Bean and Garlic Sauce, Grilled Tofu and Cherry Tomatoes in Banana Leaf, Lemongrass and Chile Potatoes

Dinner 2/15

Taro and Chestnut Mash, Green Beans with Black Bean and Garlic Sauce, Grilled Tofu and Cherry Tomatoes in Banana Leaf
(say that five times fast!)

Roasted Lemongrass and Chile Potatoes

Playing around again with the banana leaves, again with a sort of an "en papillote" approach, roasting the whole package, infusing everything with the wonderful and subtle tea-like aroma

Step 1: Mash the taro (1/2 cup) and chestnut (1/4 cup) with enough soy margarine and soy milk to bring it together -- plus salt and pepper to taste. Lay the mash on a toasted banana leaf.

Step 2: Blanch the green beans, then quickly stir-fry with canola oil and 1tbs. of black bean and garlic paste add on top of the taro and chestnut mash.

Step 3: Grill the marinated (in tamari) tofu squares. Place on top of the green beans.

Step 4: Toss the cherry tomatoes in olive oil, salt and pepper, and place on top of the tofu. Wrap the package up, bake at 350F for 15-20 minutes...

Step 5: Open at the table: here's the finished dish -- a double-sized version.

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

Hoisin Tofu Stir-Fry, Jasmine Rice, Mange-Tout, Napa Cabbage and Carrots

Dinner 2/14

Hoisin Tofu Stir-Fry
(red bell pepper, carrots)

Jasmine Rice

Mange-Tout (snow peas), Napa Cabbage and Carrots

It's a snow day here, so stir-fry it will be on VD -- this weekend will better, but oh, if I had only shaped the rice into a heart...

P.S.: I like typing Mange-Tout ;)

Still here...

My apologies for lack of blogging -- everything is cool here, just some computer related issues -- but there's a two-week backlog that will trickle down the interweb tubes very soon now.

The "upgrade" that Blogger rolled out a while back has borked the archives for the moment. And to get the new nifty archive widget, we'd have to change our blog template to make the CSS and HTML to play nice together. This would also require a major overhaul of the side links, extra flickr pix down the side, etc. So, if the blog starts looking screwy, comments go missing, pictures not displaying -- that'll be my fault (RSS and LJ folks shouldn't notice anything... hopefully).

In other news, this is the 2007th post on the blog -- and we missed the blog's 5th anniversary last month (January 22nd, 2002). My that's a lot of vegan food!

Also, There's 18 inches of snow on the ground here, it's very cold and windy and I can't get out of my driveway...

Anyway, things should start getting back in the swing soon...

oh, and Happy Valentine's Day, have a cupcake...

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

Polenta with Button Mushrooms and Fried Leeks, Braised Red Cabbage and Red Bell Pepper, Ciabatta Bread, Mixed Greens Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette

Dinner 2/13

Polenta with Button Mushrooms and Fried Leeks

Braised Red Cabbage and Red Bell Pepper with Toasted Pine Nuts

Mixed Green Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette and Toasted Pine Nuts

Ciabatta Bread

We haven't made polenta in a while -- very creamy tonight and a good match with the mushrooms and leeks. The braised red cabbage and red bell pepper added the right amount of counterpoint to the polenta...

Monday, February 12, 2007

Tofu Piccata, Roasted Broccoli, Split-Pea Soup with Roasted Garlic Ciabatta

Dinner 2/12

Tofu Piccata
(adapted from Candle Cafe cookbook)

Roasted Broccoli

Split-Pea Soup with Roasted Garlic Ciabatta

Given the (wholly unwarranted) slagging this book takes on Amazon sometimes, I felt compelled to make this dish... a roux of flour, soy margarine, with capers, lemon juice, white wine, salt and pepper... classic.

The Split Pea Soup hit the spot as well with all the snow building up outside.

Sunday, February 11, 2007

Grilled Tofu with Braised Baby Bok Choy, Jasmine Rice, Carrot, Red Bell Pepper and Enoki Mushroom Stir-Fry

Dinner 2/11

Grilled Tofu with Braised Baby Bok Choy

Jasmine Rice

Carrot, Red Bell Pepper and Enoki Mushroom Stir-Fry

Just trying use up the last of the baby bok choy from last week as well as the fragile enoki mushrooms, and playing with the shape of the tofu, as well as plating ideas...

Saturday, February 10, 2007

Deep Dish Pizza (version 6.0)

Dinner 2/10

Deep Dish Pizza
(version 6.0: onion, garlic, olives, FYH Cheddar, FYH Monterey Jack)

We added FYH Monterey Jack soy cheese to the crust -- and the sections where it didn't crack taking it out of the pan, were excellent -- where the crust did crack, it leaked out into the pizza. Not really a bad thing, just not what we had planned ;)

Friday, February 09, 2007

Seitan Korma, Currant and Pistachio Pulao, Green Bean and Eggplant Curry, Toor Dal with Tomatoes, Puri

Dinner 2/09

Seitan Korma

Currant and Pistachio Pulao

Toor Dal with Tomatoes

Green Bean and Eggplant Curry
(recipe from March 2007 Bon Appetit)

Puri

All that really needs to be said here, is that no one walked away from the table hungry on this particular night ;)

Thursday, February 08, 2007

Seitan "Osso Bucco", Braised Fennel, Bistro Salad

Dinner 2/08

Seitan "Osso Bucco"
(seitan, onion, garlic, carrot, celery, tomato, flour, veg stock, marsala, olive oil, tamari, black pepper)

Braised Fennel

Bistro Salad

A straight-ahead interpretation of osso bucco using seitan -- and while the weather is teh suck right now, a stew is always welcome at the table...

Wednesday, February 07, 2007

Raw Food Wednesday: Cheeseburger on Onion Bread, Raw Borscht, Spinach Salad with Tomatoes and Cashew Cheese

Raw Food Wednesday 2/07

"Cheeseburger" on Onion Bread
(ground marinated shiitake, walnuts, almonds and pine nuts, carrots, garlic, nama shoyu, celery -- dehydrated for 12+ hours, topped with cashew cheese, tomato and red onion on onion bread from "RAWvolution")

Raw Borscht
(beet juice, carrot juice, orange juice with dill, shredded red cabbage, apple, avocado, salt and pepper)

Spinach Salad with Tomatoes and Cashew Cheese
(dressing of soaked pine nuts, soaked macadamia nuts, parsley, garlic, water, salt, pepper, olive oil, lemon juice)

Mmmm.... burgers. ;)

We adapted the whole 'burger thing by first dry-grinding the nuts (not soaking them), then adding the shredded veggies and finally dehydrating. It takes less time to dehydrate that way (12 vs. 24 hours), with no noticable issues...

Tuesday, February 06, 2007

Pibil, Hominy Soup

Dinner 2/06

Pibil
(Seitan with Spicy Orange Sauce and Basmati Rice wrapped in Banana Leaf)

Hominy Soup

We're playing around with the banana leaves again, this time with a citrus based sauce (reminiscent of a mojo sauce) with fried seitan over basmati rice. Kind of like a "Cochinita" Pibil... Sadly, there's no "opening" shot, but trust me it looked (and tasted) great ;)

Monday, February 05, 2007

Red Rice, White Beans, Blackened Tofu, Okra and Tomato Stew, Hoecakes

Dinner 2/05

Red Rice, White Beans, Blackened Tofu

Okra and Tomato Stew

Hoecakes
(cornmeal + water + salt = hoecakes)

A twist on the conventional white rice and red beans, the red rice had a little cranberry and pecan action going on, with the cannellini beans.

The blackened tofu is dredged in seasoned flour (salt, pepper, smoked paprika) and seared in a cast-iron skillet.

The hoecakes were used for dipping/scooping the tomato and okra stew.

Sunday, February 04, 2007

Super Bowl: Buffalo Tofu, Frites, Doughnuts

Super Bowl Dinner 2/04

"Buffalo" Tofu
(deep-fried tofu with a sauce of chipotle, agave, rice wine vinegar, tamari, sesame seeds)

Frites
(vegenaise and smoked paprika dipping sauce)

Dessert

Doughnuts
(with powdered sugar and cinnamon)

Honestly, it's not like we deep-fry everything for dinner, just once in a great while ;)

The "buffalo" tofu (Buffalo by the way of Mexico and Asia), was smoky, hot and incredibly addictive -- the deep-frying made the marinated tofu really puff up.

The doughnuts were also amazing -- I ate 5 of them by the third quarter... no recipe yet, we'll have to make them again...

Saturday, February 03, 2007

Grilled Tempeh with Peanut Sauce, Salad

Dinner 2/03

Grilled Tempeh with Peanut Sauce

Salad
(w/ balsamic vinaigrette)

I know you'll be shocked, but we actually went out for dinner with our friends Craig & Ellen, along with old pal Chris up from North Carolina for the weekend. We ended up going to the Mustard Seed (a grocery store / restaurant) where you can get a vegan meal or two without begging ;)

Sadly, there's no picture of the food, but the tempeh was grilled and covered with a thai-styled peanut-sauce that was a good solid complement.

In lieu of pictures of food, here's a video from YouTube that Craig and Chris are responsible for...

Friday, February 02, 2007

White Bean Cassoulet, Arugula Bistro Salad with Cherry Tomatoes, Ciabatta Bread

Dinner 2/02

White Bean Cassoulet
(onion, garlic, cannellini beans, soyrizo, tomato, smoked paprika, tamari, pepper)

Arugula Bistro Salad with Cherry Tomatoes

Ciabatta Bread

this is possibly our son's favorite meal -- that and a piece of bread and he's a happy guy... ;)

Thursday, February 01, 2007

Banana Leaf Stuffed with Bamboo Rice and BBQ Seitan, Hoisin Long Beans, Mushroom Buns

Dinner 2/01

Banana Leaf Stuffed with Bamboo Rice and BBQ Seitan

Hoisin Long Beans

Mushroom Buns
(diced king oyster, more BBQ seitan)

There's a very long "photo essay" over on the PPK about the construction of the banana leaf dish, so you can just read it over there ;)