Stir-Fry with Green Beans, Jasmine Rice, Tofu Triangles, Sweet and Sour Cucumbers

Dinner 6/30

Stir-Fry
(tofu, carrot, red bell pepper, shiitake mushrooms)

Green Beans

Jasmine Rice

Tofu Triangles with Sweet, Sour and Spicy Dipping Sauce

Sweet and Sour Cucumber

The tofu triangles were coated in a mix of tamari, gin, szechwan pepper and cornstarch and then deep-fried. The sauce is sugar, vinegar, water, tamari and sriracha. They kicked ass and took names.



The Sweet and Sour Cucumbers were sort of like "pickles in an hour" -- a combo of rice wine vinegar, water, salt and sugar boiled down, added to the salted cucumbers and chilled with red onion and jalapeno pepper.

Tags: cucumber, tofu, cornstarch, stir-fry, carrot, red bell pepper, jasmine rice, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Turkish Griddle Cakes, Roasted Broccoli, Morel Mushrooms

Dinner 6/29

Turkish Griddle Cakes with Garlic Yogurt Sauce
(scapes greens, onion, garlic, smoked paprika, salt, pepper)

Roasted Broccoli

Morel Mushrooms

The griddle cakes are adapted from Paula Wolfert's "Mediterranean Grains and Greens" and use scape greens. The "dough" is stale left-over bread, soaked in water with the addition of flour and salt.

Tags: scapes, broccoli, morel, mushroom, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Tofu and Couscous in Phyllo, Braised Cabbage, Braised Carrots, Chanterelle Mushrooms

Dinner 6/28

Tofu and Couscous in Phyllo

Braised Cabbage

Braised Carrots

Chanterelle Mushrooms

Sunflower Sprout Salad
(sunflower sprouts, radishes, grape tomatoes, garlic miso dressing)

We're _almost_ done with the phyllo, honest ;)


The tofu was pan-fried, splashed with tamari at the end. Then it was topped with the couscous mixture (couscous, dried apricots, cinnamon, cumin. coriander, parsley, pine nuts) and rolled, strudel style in the phyllo. Then it was baked at 425F for 12 minutes until the phyllo was golden.

The red cabbage was braised along with ground coriander, cumin, mustard seed, celery seed and fresh lemon juice, salt and pepper.

Tags: tofu, phyllo, cabbage, carrot, chanterelle, mushrooms, couscous, pine nuts, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Raw Food Wednesday: Spicy Basil UnStir-fry with Daikon Noodles, Buckwheat Pizza, Spinach Salad with Pumpkin Seeds and Avocado

Raw Food Wednesday 6/27

Spicy Basil UnStir-fry with Daikon Noodles
(beech mushrooms, snow peas, basil, serrano chiles, daikon)

Spinach Salad with Pumpkin Seeds and Avocado

Buckwheat Pizza
(dehydrated buckwheat shells, cashew cheese, portobello mushroom, shallot, walnut filling from RAWvolution)

The spicy basil stir-fry is based on a dish we used to eat years ago at Lemongrass in Cleveland Heights. Think of it as a quasi-brown sauce: olive oil, lime juice, nama shoyu, agave, shallot, garlic, ginger, lemongrass, basil and serrano chiles. The veggies get marinated in the sauce and then dehydrated for a couple of hours at 115F. The daikon noodles (marinated in lime juice, salt and olive oil) stand in for vermicelli or glass noodles. Spicy, salty, sweet and sour with the shoyu sneaking in some umami.

We made of a batch of buckwheat shells for the future, but the kids wanted to have some for dinner tonight. So, we dehydrated a batch with cashew cheese, the walnut filling from RAWvolution, and marinated (with olive oil, nama shoyu, pepper) portobello mushrooms, garlic and shallots.

Tags: raw food wednesday, raw food, raw, basil, serrano, avocado, daikon, pizza, buckwheat, RAWvolution, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Seitan and Lentil Stew, Fritto Misto Scapes, Radish and Grape Salad

Dinner 6/25

Seitan and Lentil Stew
(onion, garlic, seitan, carrots, lentil, veg stock, herbes de provence, salt, pepper)

Fritto Misto Scapes

Radish and Grape Salad
(with Creamy Garlic Dressing)

Either a sun or a spider, I'm not sure...

Surprisingly nothing with phyllo tonight -- it was way too hot to even think about turning on the oven. In it's place we recycle the hollowed out bread concept from earlier this month. The lentils were pressure cooked for 15 minutes in veg stock, the onion, garlic, carrots and seitan stir-fried, then added to the lentils.

...and Fritto Misto is Italian for tempura... * ducks * ;)

Tags: scapes, seitan, lentils, radish, grapes, salad, fritto misto, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Mushroom Phyllo Purses, Ratatouille, Tarragon and Dijon Mustard Glazed Tofu

Dinner 6/25

Mushroom Phyllo Purses
(recipe below)

Ratatouille
(eggplant, zucchini, red bell pepper, shallot, olive oil, sherry vinegar, salt, pepper, herbes de provence roasted at 475F for 40 minutes)

Tarragon and Dijon Mustard Glazed Tofu

So... yeah. This may have been the best Monday night meal we've ever made.

Mushroom Phyllo Purses

1 lb. of button mushrooms were pan-fried in olive oil until they gave up their juices (about 4-5 minutes) and then were braised in 1/2 cup veg stock and 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar until the sauce reduced by half. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Remove the mushrooms with a slotted spoon, and save the liquid.

Brush a single phyllo sheet with olive oil and fold in half. fold the top and bottom by about an inch or so until you have a square shape. Place the mushrooms in the middle of phyllo and pull up the sides to form into a purse. Twist the top to seal, place the purse on a oiled sheet pan in a 450F oven for 8 minutes, or until the phyllo turns golden.

Bring the mushroom braising liquid back to a simmer and add 1 tbs. of soy margarine and whisk until melted. Check the seasoning and spoon the sauce over the phyllo and/or the tofu.

Once the phyllo has been opened (for last night's wrapped asparagus), it's always a race against time to use it before it starts to dry out. So you might see more phyllo popping up this week ;)

The glaze for the tofu is simply a 1:1 ratio of chopped tarragon to dijon mustard. Coat the top of the lightly pan-fried tofu with the mixture and roast it at 400F for 15 minutes.

As for the ratatouille, either the eggplant needed to be used or Pixar's advertising has finally sunk in...

Tags: eggplant, tofu, phyllo, filo, tarragon, mustard, recipe, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Grilled Tofu with Cherry-Rhubarb Sauce, Roasted Asparagus in Herbed Phyllo, Braised Carrots, Orzo Salad with Mint and English Peas

Dinner 6/24

Grilled Tofu with Cherry-Rhubarb Sauce

Roasted Asparagus in Herbed Phyllo

Braised Carrots

Orzo Salad with Mint and English Peas
(orzo, roasted red pepper, mint, english peas, champagne vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper, nutritional yeast)

The rhubarb we picked up at the Kent Farmer's Market on Saturday found it's way into the sauce:

Start with 1 cup of diced onion, cook in 1 tbs. of oil until softened, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Add 1 cup of fresh cherries pitted and chopped, 2 cups of the rhubarb chopped, 3 tbs. of sugar, 1 tbs. of balsamic vinegar and 1/2 cup of water. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 5 to 8 minutes. Stir in a pinch of nutmeg and season with salt and pepper (puree it and it's a barbecue sauce).

We also picked up the English Peas at the market and they went into the Orzo Salad along with the mint from the backyard -- the peas were so fresh you could eat them raw.

The herbed phyllo was thyme, parsley and oregano from the backyard as well, sprinkled on the phyllo strips as it was rolled around the asparagus, and then roasted at 400F for 18 minutes.

Tags: tofu, cherry, rhubarb, asparagus, phyllo, filo, carrots, orzo, mint, english peas, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Jambalaya, Okra and Tomato, Gumbo Z'Herbes

Dinner 6/23

Jambalaya
(rice, tofu, soyrizo, onion, garlic, smoked paprika, cayenne, clove, veg stock, tamari, pepper, parsley)

Okra and Tomato
(onion, okra, tomato, olive oil, salt, pepper)

Gumbo Z'Herbes
(kale, indian mustard greens, parsley, red pepper flakes, onion, garlic, garlic salt, veg stock, tamari, pepper, file)

The jambalaya has become easier to make over the years -- the first time we tried combining three or four recipes with different techniques until it finally dawned on us that it was really just a rice pilaf with different spices and we really shouldn't over-think it too much. ;)

The okra and onion are slow-cooked in olive oil for 20 minutes or so, then add some tomatoes and a 1/2 cup of water and let it simmer gently for 45 minutes or so, until extremely thick.

This style of gumbo doesn't use okra as a thickener. So, the trick is to puree about half of it in the pot with an immersion blender -- which certainly did the trick.

Tags: jambalaya, okra, tomato, gumbo, file, greens, mustard greens, kale, tofu, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Balsamic Tofu, Basil and Onion Mashed Potatoes, Bruschetta

Dinner 6/22

Balsamic Tofu
(stuffed with garlic, rosemary and thyme)

Basil and Onion Mashed Potatoes

Bruschetta

...the Eye of Horus is upon you.


Both recipes were adapted from "The Splendid Table" by Lynne Rossetto Kasper.

The tofu was quickly seared in oil, and hit with as splash of tamari at the end. It was removed from the pan and a slot was cut in the side of the tofu which was stuffed with a garlic, rosemary, thyme and salt mixture. From there, it was roasted for 10 minutes at 400F. Remove the tofu from the oven and pop it back in the pan and splash with 1 tbs. of balsamic vinegar until lightly glazed (about 45 seconds).

The mashed potato, basil and onion combo also had some nutritional yeast added before baking, as well as sprinkled on top.

Tags: tofu, balsamic vinegar, potatoes, basil, onion, garlic, rosemary, thyme, bruschetta, tomato, zucchini, horus, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Shredded Seitan and Green Beans, Braised Brussel Sprouts, Rice Noodles

Dinner 6/21

Shredded Seitan and Green Beans

Braised Brussel Sprouts

Rice Noodles

Another recipe from "Mrs. Chiang's Szechwan Cookbook" -- seitan mixed with cornstarch, sesame oil, tamari and agave then stir-fried. The green beans were shredded and stir-fried with a little garlic salt, then combined with the seitan.

The brussel sprouts were seared with canola oil with a little red pepper flake. Then braised in with a mixture of water, tamari and star anise for about 15 minutes until finished.

Tags: brussel sprouts, seitan, noodles, szechuan, szechwan, agave, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Raw Food Wednesday: Young Coconut Pad Thai with Almond Chile Sauce

Dinner 6/20

Young Coconut Pad Thai with Almond Chile Sauce

busy day -- an easy (for the Trotter/Klein book) meal...

adapted from "Raw" by Charlie Trotter and Roxanne Klein. Serves 4

2 Tbs. tamarind juice (see Note)
1 1/2 Tbs. raw agave
2 3/4 Tbs. nama shoyu
1 1/2 tsp. minced garlic
1 1/4 tsp. minced serrano chile
1 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp. sea salt

1 1/2 cups julienned zucchini
1 cup thinly shredded red cabbage
1 1/2 cups julienned carrots
1/2 cup julienned red onion
1 cup julienned Granny Smith apple, unpeeled
1/2 cup julienned red bell pepper
3 cups julienned young coconut meat
1 serrano chile, thinly sliced
2 Tbs. whole fresh coriander leaves
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1/4 cup raw cashews, coarsely chopped
3 tsp. white sesame oil


Almond Chile Sauce (Yield: 1 1/4 cups)

1/2 cup raw almond butter
1 Tbs. minced fresh ginger
2 Tbs. freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 Tbs. raw agave
2 cloves garlic
1 Tbs. organic soy sauce
1 Thai finger chile
1/4 cup water, to thin

1. Purée tamarind, raw agave, 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce, garlic, minced chile, olive oil and salt until smooth. Place zucchini, cabbage, carrots, red onion, apple, red bell pepper, coconut meat, sliced serrano chile and fresh coriander leaves in a mixing bowl. Add tamarind purée, and toss together until evenly distributed. Season the pad Thai to taste with salt and pepper.

2. Toss cashews together in a small mixing bowl with 1 teaspoon of white sesame oil, and season to taste with salt and pepper.

3. To prepare the Almond Chile Sauce: Blend all ingredients together until smooth. Add water to thin if necessary.

4. To serve, arrange some of the pad Thai mixture in center of each plate. Spoon some Almond Chile Sauce and remaining soy sauce and white sesame oil around pad Thai. Sprinkle with chopped cashews.

Note: To make tamarind juice, soak pulp, including seeds, in warm water in the ratio of 1 part pulp to 3 1/2 parts water — or 1 tablespoon pulp to 3 1/2 tablespoons warm water. After 15 minutes, squeeze tamarind pulp to extract liquid. Discard pulp and seeds, and use juice as needed.

you can easily cut the recipe in half or make the full recipe and use the sauce for something else -- it's quite tasty.

Tags: raw food wednesday, raw food, raw, young coconut, pad thai, almond, chile, charlie trotter, roxanne klein, recipe, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Seitan and Potato with Chimichurri Sauce, Saffron Quinoa

Dinner 6/19

Seitan and Potato with Chimichurri Sauce

Saffron Quinoa



Chimichurri is the new pesto ;)

We gave the Argentinian sauce of parsley, garlic, oil, pepper and vinegar a spin tonight, courtesy of "The South American Table" by Maria Baez Kijac. I can see chimichurri becoming highly addictive, to the point that I was wondering what it tastes like on vanilla ice cream... ;)

The quinoa was perked up by the saffron and paired beautifully with the seitan and potatoes.

Tags: chimichurri, parsley, garlic, olive oil, quinoa, saffron, seitan, potatoes, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Kung Pao Tofu with Steamed Broccoli, Jasmine Rice

Dinner 6/18

Kung Pao Tofu with Steamed Broccoli
(adapted from Susanna Foo)

Jasmine Rice

"I saw a werewolf with a Chinese menu in his hand..."

For the Kung Pao sauce: In 1 tbs. of olive oil, saute 1/2 onion chopped, 2 garlic cloves chopped, 1 tsp. ginger, 1/4 tsp. toasted szechuan peppercorn and 1 star anise until the onion is soft.

Add one soaked, seeded and chopped ancho chile, and 1/2 tsp. of red pepper flake and cook for 1-2 minutes.

Add 1/4 cup of sherry, 1 tbs. tamari and 1/2 tsp. of sugar. When it starts to boil add 2 cups of veg stock, 1 tbs. cornstarch. When it returns to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

Finally, strain the sauce and check for seasoning.

The tofu was marinated in gin(!) and tamari then coated in cornstarch, stuck in the fridge for 30 minutes then deep-fried.

If you have raw peanuts, deep-dry them for 7 minutes. Set aside.

Garlic, ginger, scallions were stir-fried. Then add shiitake mushrooms, red bell pepper and the peanuts.

Add all the ingredients together with the sauce, let cook together for 5 minutes.

Serve over jasmine rice

Tags: kung pao, tofu, jasmine, rice, broccoli, warren zevon, recipe, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

BBQ Seitan Sandwich, Grilled Corn

Dinner 6/17

BBQ Seitan Sandwich

Grilled Corn


Father's Day out on the deck -- BBQ Seitan and the first grilled corn of the year -- not sure where it was from, but damn! -- it was fresh...

We made the same bbq sauce as last time, with the same excellent results...

Tags: seitan, bbq, barbecue, corn, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Pumpkin Seed Encrusted Tofu and Chanterelle Mushrooms with Red Wine Reduction Sauce, Asparagus Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette

Dinner 6/16

Pumpkin Seed Encrusted Tofu and Chanterelle Mushrooms with Red Wine Reduction Sauce

Asparagus Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette

Trying some different things out tonight, just playing around with taste combinations. For example, the raspberry vinaigrette goes surprisingly well the with cold asparagus in the salad. And the red wine reduction goes well with the pumpkin seed tofu and chanterelle mushrooms...

The red wine reduction sauce is

1/2 small onion, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon of olive oil
2 small tomatoes, chopped
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 cups of red wine

Sweat the onions, celery, garlic, in olive oil over low heat until softened.

Add the tomatoes, balsamic vinegar and cook until the tomatoes have thickened

Add the wine and reduce by half.

If you're feeling fussy, put the sauce through a strainer or cheesecloth and then reduce the sauce to about 1/2 cup. If you're feeling blasphemous, puree the whole thing in a blender and return it to the sauce pan and reduce until thick. I won't tell.

Tags: tofu, pumpkin seed, tomato, balsamic vinegar, raspberry, asparagus, recipe, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Green Curry Tofu with Fried Rice, Scape and Mushroom Tempura

Dinner 6/15

Green Curry Tofu with Fried Rice

Scape and Mushroom Tempura




After our trip down to Columbus, we had to make this again -- it's a slightly different plating, and we tried a green curry this time around, but it's still a great dish...

Surprisingly the rice balls work best with just cooked (warm) rice -- just mold it up, give it a squeeze and drop it in 375F oil for a few minutes. You can do it with cold rice, but then you need to add a binder, like rice flour and it gets messy quickly.

The sauce is 1/2 can coconut milk, 1 tsp. green curry paste, 1 tbs. lime juice, 1 tbs. tamari, 1 tsp palm sugar mixed together and cooked in a sauce pan until slightly thickened.

You can add more of the curry paste if you like it hotter than hell ;)

Then for plating it's the sauce as a base, the tofu squares (grilled or fried) topped with the rice balls.

We picked up another bag of scapes from our co-op, and used just the tips for the tempura, along with some baby portobello mushrooms.

Tags: scape, mushroom, tempura, rice, curry, tofu, recipe, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Fettuccine with Basil, Garlic and Porcini Mushrooms, Grilled Asparagus

Dinner 6/14

Fettuccine with Basil, Tomato and Porcini Mushrooms

Grilled Asparagus



With produce (basil, asparagus, porcini) as nice as this, it's best to just keep it simple and get the hell out of the way...

Tags: basil, asparagus, porcini, mushrooms, pasta, garlic, tomato, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Raw Food Wednesday: Morel Mushroom Stacks, Zucchini Pasta with Pesto, Grape and Tarragon Salad Cashew Cheese Wheels, Cherry Sabayon

Raw Food Wednesday 6/13

Morel Mushroom Stacks
(with fennel puree and a mustard & chile vinaigrette)

Zucchini Pasta with Pesto

Grape, Tarragon and Mizuna Salad

Cashew Cheese Wheels with Peppercorns and Flax Seed Crackers

Dessert

Cherry Sabayon


An explosion of food tonight, and for the most part done on the fly -- with the exception of the cashew cheese (made yesterday) and flax seed crackers (which were made two weeks ago).

The mushrooms were from our trip to Columbus, and the morel/fennel pairing (adapted from Trotter/Klein) is always a winner -- we played around with the mushrooms tonight, quickly dipping them in a nama shoyu/olive oil mix and dehydrating them for 30 minutes. The sauce surrounding the stacks is a mustard/chile vinaigrette with some basil thrown in. The only complaint was we should have made more of these ;)



Our weekly zucchini pasta sauce search continues this week with pesto -- and the way the basil has been growing out on the deck, it was imperative that we do so, and quickly. The sauce is simply basil, pine nuts, garlic, sea salt and pepper thrown in the Vita-Mix and drizzled with olive oil. Again, it helps to make the zucchini noodles a little ahead of time (maybe even putting them on a paper towel to absorb some of the liquid) and then, just before service, tossing with the pesto.

The grape and tarragon salad makes a return appearance for two reasons -- we love it, and the local mini-grocery store down the street keeps blowing out the organic tarragon extremely cheaply. The mizuna from the garden was also starting to get overgrown, so we added that to mix.

The cherry sabayon is also from Trotter/Klein and is simply soaked cashews, orange juice and a little vanilla bean action pureed and poured over the local cherries...

Tags: raw food wednesday, raw food, raw, morel, mushrooms, zucchini, pesto, grape, tarragon, mizuna, salad, cashew cheese, flax seed, cherry, sabayon, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Stir-Fry, Jasmine Rice

Dinner 6/12

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

Jasmine Rice



The mini-vacation is over, back to work, and back to the reality that is the humble stir-fry ;)

Tags: stir-fry, tofu, sriracha, jasmine, rice, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Turkish Griddle Cakes (stuffed with Scapes), Red Pepper Couscous, Pomegranate Seitan with Button Mushrooms, Cucumber and Dill Salad

Dinner 6/11

Turkish Griddle Cakes (stuffed with Scapes)
(adapted from Paula Wolfert's "Mediterranean Grains and Greens")

Red Pepper Couscous
(couscous, cinnamon stick, cumin, coriander, smoked paprika, tomato paste, roasted and pureed red bell pepper, water, salt and pepper)

Pomegranate Seitan with Button Mushrooms

Cucumber and Dill Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette

Yay! Scapes are in season again, and that means we get to bring back this dish, adapted from Paula Wolfert's excellent cookbook. We use the green base section of the scape with this dish, frying, then turning it into a paste which gets stuffed into the shell -- which is made of soaked, day-old bread turned into a dough and fried on the griddle. Dipped in a little soy yogurt sauce, it's a little slice of nirvana...

Tags: scapes, couscous, cucumber, dill, salad, mushrooms, seitan, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Devil's Tower Mashed Potatoes with Morel, Porcini and Chanterelle Mushrooms and Gravy, Romaine and Grape Tomato Salad with Fig Vinaigrette

Dinner 6/10

Devil's Tower Mashed Potatoes with Morel, Porcini and Chanterelle Mushrooms and Gravy

Romaine and Grape Tomato Salad with Fig Vinaigrette

A little "Close Encounter" of the mushroom kind -- we picked up these three beauties at the North Market in Columbus on Saturday afternoon, after brunch at Dragonfly...

Tags: porcini, chanterelle, morel, mushroom, mushrooms, fig, salad, tomatoes, columbus, ohio, north market, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Dragonfly in Columbus, OH

Brunch 6/09

If this is Saturday, it means this must be Dragonfly Neo-V in Columbus, OH. Making a return trip (unlike last September, this time with the camera in tow).

We went for the Saturday brunch... it's two parts -- the first is a buffet of eight or nine dishes lined up on the bar, then you get one large item off of the brunch menu (about eight choices).

We'll start with the buffet...



Rhubarb Scones -- light, fluffy, rhubarb-y.


White Bean Salad -- might have been navy or great northern.


Orzo Salad / Sesame Asparagus -- separate items, they just ended up on the tiny plate together.


Potato Salad with Kale and Wasabi -- we think there was also some edamame in there.


Not shown: lettuce/dressing, bread, avocado spread, and some kind of cold soup that had a curiously strong veg stock flavor, not bad, just... odd.

On to the main courses:

The kids both wanted the Strawberry Pancakes and were promptly overwhelmed by not only the size, but also the fantastic flavor.


Liz ordered the Grilled Mushrooms with Mashed Potatoes and Gravy.


I picked the Red Curry Tofu with Fried Rice (which we had the last time).


The brunch was $18 per person, plus drinks (2 fresh OJ's, black tea, coffee), so for the four of us it came to $81, and with the tip, pushed it to an even $100. Expensive? Sure. But, for us, so worth it.



A wonderful, relaxing time with great food and great service -- Highly Recommended.

Tags: dragonfly, columbus, ohio, restaurant, brunch, tofu, curry, mushrooms, gravy, mashed potatoes, orzo, asparagus, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Picnic! At The Park...

Dinner 6/08

Chipotle Soy Hot Dogs

Potato Salad


We're visiting Columbus this weekend for two graduations, and tonight was the party/cookout held at an area park shelter -- which as vegans know, can be fraught with disaster ;)

We mitigated that by bringing our own stash of food, but still needed to resort to some Alton Brown-like contraption building to get the chipotle dogs cooked. The rest of the party food was pre-cooked, and reheated using sterno as the heating source with aluminum steam trays to keep it hot.

Luckily, there were extra aluminum trays and sterno, but no additional racks to hold the trays. So we made our own modified steam tray by using the unused shelter grills as a base. We started by flipping one of the trays over, and placing the sterno on top of that and slid that just underneath the grill. Next, on top of the grill, we placed one tray filled with the ice cubes from our cooler (to keep the sterno from burning through), set a second tray inside of that with additional ice cubes and after both melted down, poached the chipotle dogs (which turned out great).

The potato salad recipe is from James Peterson's "Vegetables" book -- it's simply cooked and peeled potatoes mixed with sherry vinegar, salt and pepper, then celery, parsley, dill, basil, tarragon and vegenaise. It kept in the little cooler just fine on the two-hour trip...

Tomorrow... Dragonfly.

Tags: potato salad, james peterson, alton brown, columbus ohio, picnic, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Tofu Marsala, Conchiglie Pasta

Dinner 6/07

Tofu Marsala
(recipe below)

Conchiglie Pasta



A simple and savory vegan take on the Italian classic with a Asian twist (i.e. the shiitake mushrooms).

Quickly marinate the tofu with a little tamari and pepper, then coat with all-purpose flour and pan-fry in olive oil. After they're done frying until golden brown, place in a 350F oven.

Using the same pan, saute 2 cups of sliced mushrooms until they've released all their liquid. Add the 1 tbs. of garlic and 1 tbs. tomato paste and saute for another minute. Finally, add 1 1/2 cups of marsala and reduce by half down to about 3/4 cup.

Finish with 1 tbs. of lemon juice and 2 tbs. of soy margarine to give it a "shine."

Check for seasoning and serve over the tofu and pasta.

Tags: tofu, pasta, shiitake, recipe, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Raw Food Wednesday: Mushroom and Zucchini with Mole Sauce, Grape Tarragon Mizuna and Mache Salad, Persimmon Pie with Strawberries

Raw Food Wednesday

Mushroom and Zucchini with Mole Sauce
(recipe below)

Grape Tarragon Mizuna and Mache Salad
(lemon juice and olive oil vinaigrette)


Dessert

Persimmon Pie with Strawberries
(adapted from RAWvolution)


We've been trying to come up with ways to use the raw cacao nibs we bought a while back, and this turned out to be a good tasting experiment. The sauce had a depth (cumin/cacao/red bell pepper) and consistency (flax/pumpkin seeds) and stuck to the zucchini noodles quite well.

The mushrooms were tossed with olive oil, nama shoyu, cumin seed, coriander, mexican oregano, garlic and a touch of jalapeno and dehydrated for a hour or so at 115F.

Raw Mole Sauce

1 tbs. raw cacao nibs
1 tbs. pumpkin seeds
1 tbs. flax seeds
1 tsp. Mexican oregano
1 tsp. cumin seeds
1 tsp. coriander

1 red bell pepper
1 tsp. jalapeno (or more if you like the heat)
1 tbs. agave
1 tbs. nama shoyu

Grind the dry ingredients, juice the wet ingredients and combine. Check for seasoning. Serve with zucchini noodles and mushrooms.

Tags: mushrooms, zucchini, red bell pepper, cacao, nibs, chocolate, persimmon, RAWvolution, raw food wednesday, raw food, raw, recipe, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Orange Seitan, Jasmine Rice

Dinner 6/5

Orange Seitan
(recipe below)

Jasmine Rice

Orange Seitan

The seitan and stir-fried orange peel has one of our favorite sauces:

one orange, juiced (clean out the pulp afterwards and save the peel for the stir-fry, below)
1 tbs. sesame oil
1 tbs. tamari
1 tbs. agave
2 tbs. hoisin
2 tbs. sherry
1 tsp. ginger, grated
1 tsp. garlic, minced
1 tsp. cornstarch
about 1/2 cup of water (depending on how juicy the orange was)

8oz. of seitan sliced thinly into strips
cornstarch
canola oil

orange peel (from above) cut into 1/4" strips
canola oil


Coat the seitan strips with enough cornstarch and stir-fry in a wok with canola oil until crisp. Remove and set aside.

Add a little more oil to the wok and stir-fry the orange peel, turning rapidly to avoid burning the peels, about 1 minute. Add the seitan back to the wok.

Mix together all the ingredients and pour over the seitan and orange peel until the sauce thickens. Check for seasoning and serve hot over jasmine rice.

Tags: seitan, orange, cornstarch, rice, recipe, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Tofu Piccata over Gobetti Pasta, Haricort Verts

Dinner 6/4

Tofu Piccata over Gobetti Pasta
(adapted from the Candle Cafe cookbook)

Haricot Verts

Another stand-by: tofu with capers, lemon juice, veg stock and chopped parsley in a roux-thickened sauce. The haricot verts were blanched and then lightly sauteed with soy marg, salt and pepper.

Tags: tofu, gobetti, pasta, capers, lemon juice, candle cafe, haricort verts, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Caramelized Eggplant and Tofu, Sweet Potato and Coconut Milk Soup, Edamame, "Watermelon" Limes

Dinner 6/3

Caramelized Eggplant and Tofu
(recipe below)

Sweet Potato and Coconut Milk Soup

Edamame

Dessert

"Watermelon" Limes


The dessert was made by our daughter -- from the American Girl "Tiny Treats" cookbook. Actually, they're pretty clever -- agar thickened vegan jello mixed with chocolate chip "seeds"


here's the Eggplant and Tofu recipe. Adapted from the "Little Saigon" Cookbook


1. Wash, pat dry and peel the 2 large Asian eggplants (or two smaller globe eggplants). Cut them into 1 1/2" cubes. Place the cubes in a colander and sprinkle with 3 tbs. of salt. Let stand for 20-30 minutes.

2. Rinse the salt off the eggplant cubes and pat dry. Place the cubes in a medium bowl and sprinkle with 1 tbs. of sugar.

3. Cut the package of firm tofu into large cubes. Stir-fry the tofu in a wok until golden and set aside. If you put the tofu in uncooked, it'll fall apart easier, but it'll probably work either way.

4. In a saucepan, heat 3 tbs. of olive oil over medium heat. When hot, add the sugared eggplant and stir occasionally as the sugar cooks and begins to brown. Add one large sliced onion, four cloves of minced garlic, two anise seed pods and a pinch of salt to the eggplant. Saute for another five minutes or until browned.

5. Add the fried tofu, 1/4 cup of light soy or tamari (in place of the fish sauce), 1/2 (or more) of a finely diced thai bird chile (if you like the heat), 3/4 cup of young coconut water (leftover from Raw Food Wednesday) and 1 tsp. of black pepper. Blend all together and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and cover the wok, and let cook for one hour, or until the liquid has reduced to a thick sauce.

6. Garnish with Thai basil and serve with steamed rice.

Tags: watermelon, lime, coconut milk, sweet potato, eggplant, tofu, jasmine rice, recipe, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Croutes Aux Champignons, Cauliflower with Herb Sauce, Fava Bean, English Pea, Mint, and Mizuna Salad

Dinner 6/2

Croutes Aux Champignons
(see below)

Fava Bean, English Pea, Mint, and Mizuna Salad
(adapted from Jamie Oliver)

Cauliflower with Herb Sauce
(blanched, then baked cauliflower with pureed tarragon, basil, parsley, nutritional yeast, pepper and olive oil)




A 162-year-old Victorian-era recipe just blew my mind...

The "mushroom-toast" (a.k.a. Croutes Aux Champignons) comes from Eliza Acton's 1845 "Modern Cookery for Private Families" (anyone with a non-facsimile copy they want to sell?).

We had a leftover 1" thick crust of bread, which was hollowed out and fried on top and bottom in soy margarine.

The mushrooms are cooked for 10-15 minutes in 2 tbs. of soy margarine along with a 1/4 tsp. of ground mace and a pinch of cayenne. Add a "dessert spoon" full of flour (about 1/2 tbs.) until lightly browned. Then, add 1 cup of veg broth. Scrape the pan, getting as much of the fond off the bottom of the pan as possible. Cook for a few minutes until the sauce thickens. Add salt and lemon juice to taste. Spoon the mushrooms over the toast and serve.

Tags: eliza acton, victorian, mushrooms, cauliflower, basil, tarragon, mizuna, salad, bread, recipe, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Bruschetta, Grilled Asparagus, BBQ Tofu Lollipops, Celeriac Ribbon Salad

Dinner 6/1

Bruschetta
(tomato, garlic, olive oil)

Grilled Asparagus
(olive oil, tamari, pepper)

BBQ Tofu Lollipops

Celeriac Ribbon Salad
(adapted from Jamie Oliver: celeriac, capers, parsley, vegenaise, mustard, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper)




mmmm... grilled tofu on a stick... ;)

a little bit of this (leftover bourbon bbq sauce, bread), a little bit of that (asparagus, celery root, tomatoes) and you've got a nice little meal that comes together quickly.

Tags: tofu, bbq, barbecue, celeriac, celery root, asparagus, jamie oliver, bruschetta, bread, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666