Farro, Broccoli Medallions, Smoked Tofu Medallions, Smoked Eggplant Parmesan

Dinner 11/29

Farro

Broccoli Medallions

Smoked Tofu Medallions

Smoked Eggplant Parmesan

Playing with food, part 2,436 ;)

In the center of the plate is Farro, which was smoked (along with the tofu and eggplant), then cooked in 2 1/2 cups of veg stock for 20 minute. It was finished with nutritional yeast, breadcrumbs, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper and put in a ring mold in the center of plate.

The green disc is the Broccoli "Medallions" -- two heads of steamed broccoli, 1 tbs. nutritional yeast, 1/2 cup of soaked cashews, salt & pepper to taste. In a separate pan, 2 tsp. of powdered agar agar was whisked into 1 cup of boiling water then simmered for 7 minutes. This was added to the broccoli mixture and pureed together. This was poured into 2oz. ramekins, and allowed to set up in fridge for two hours. They were removed from the ramekins, and placed in a low oven for 10 minutes before service.

The broccoli had a very creamy mouthfeel -- almost like a pate. The idea was sort of a play on Broccoli and Cheese Sauce -- just combined ;)

The tofu was cut into rounds (with a cookie cutter), hickory smoked, then pan-fried (4-5 minutes per side in a wok) and splashed with tamari at the end of cooking.

The Eggplant Parmesan used Japanese eggplant (peeled, hickory smoked), which was rolled in seasoned flour (salt, pepper, smoked paprika) -> dipped in a cornstarch slurry (1:1 cornstarch:water) and rolled in seasoned bread crumbs (nutritional yeast, pepper) then deep-fried (375F 1-2 minutes per side).

The entire plated was drizzled with aged Balsamic Vinegar.

Tags: farro, broccoli, nutritional yeast, eggplant, balsamic vinegar, tofu, tamari, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Thanksgiving 2008, A Photo Essay

Thanksgiving 2008

There was a last minute decision to change the entire menu the night before. Unfortunately, this was decided while enjoying a few silk nog/bourbon beverages (a very good, but very sneaky drink). So, I was at a slight, er... "disadvantage" in the morning. I played through the pain... ;)



Here's the chronology:

Pumpkin pie crust.

Pumpkin pie going in the oven.



Blocks O' Tofu.



Tofu going in smoker box with hickory wood.



Brussel Sprouts, Carrots, Potatoes & Green Beans all prepped.



There were lots of carrot peels...


Pumpkin Pie coming out of the oven


Machine Bread


Smoked Tofu, pan-fried, later stuffed with mushrooms and roasted garlic


Potatoes to be mashed with Roasted Garlic


Fingerling Potatoes going in the oven


and now, a palate cleansing look at the table, the calm before the storm

From the left


From the right


Bakelite silverware and table


Wide shot


Braised Carrots and Brussel Sprouts out of the oven.


Cranberries (cranberries, brown sugar, orange juice, ginger, cinnamon, bourbon, salt and pepper).


Touch of Grace Biscuits.


Roasted Fingerling Potato and Green Bean Salad with Maple Syrup Vinaigrette.




Main plate: Hickory Smoked Tofu stuffed with Marsala Mushrooms and Smoked Garlic / Braised Carrots / Braised Brussel Sprouts / Mashed Potatoes and Gravy / Wild Rice Stuffing.


A different angle, you can see the Wild Rice Stuffing underneath the tofu a little better.

Tags: thanksgiving 2008, thanksgiving, tofu, brussel sprouts, carrots, mushrooms, salad, maple syrup, garlic, wild rice, gravy, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Alder-Smoked Peanut-Crusted Bourbon-Marinated Tofu, Roasted Acorn Squash with Maple Syrup and Balsamic Vinegar, Wild Rice

Dinner 11/26

Alder-Smoked Peanut-Crusted Bourbon-Marinated Tofu

Roasted Acorn Squash with Maple Syrup and Balsamic Vinegar

Wild Rice

Our pre-Thanksgiving dinner... and we've run out of hyphens ;)

Here's the Acorn Squash, Carrots & Parsnips with Maple Syrup and Balsamic Vinegar, going in the oven (425F for ~40 minutes, turning once).



The Acorn Squash coming out of the oven...



For assembly: the tofu is smoked in alder wood for 25 minutes, cooled, then vacuum-sealed with a reduced bourbon and smoked salt marinade (1/4 cup of bourbon reduced by half, with a pinch of smoked salt dissolved)...



The tofu was briefly tossed with a 1 tbs. of tamari, then stuffed with a mix of pan-fried dinosaur kale and mushrooms.

Then we used the three pan method for the tofu: roll the tofu in flour (seasoned with salt, pepper and smoked paprika) -> dipped in cornstarch slurry (1:1 ratio of cornstarch/water) -> rolled/pressed in the peanuts (about 1 cup processed in a spice grinder or vita-mix dry container until reduced to small pebbles).

This is what it looked like after the pan-frying (olive oil, about 3-4 minutes per side), but before roasting in the oven to finish cooking (15min @ 350F).



The wild rice was cooked in the pressure cooker -- 1 cup of wild rice, 2.5 cups of water, 1 tbs. tamari, 23 minutes at 7psi (1st ring on the Kuhn-Rikon). To this we pan-fried in 1 tbs., of olive oil a mixture of 1 onion, diced, 1 celery stalk, diced, 1 clove of garlic, minced, salt & pepper to taste.

Tags: tofu, vacuum-sealed, bourbon, acorn squash, balsamic vinegar, parsnips, carrots, wild rice, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Raw Food Wednesday: Cauliflower Tagine, Mango Soup Shooters, Grated Beet and Carrot Salad

Raw Food Wednesday 11/19

Cauliflower Tagine

Mango Soup Shooters

Grated Beet and Carrot Salad

The cauliflower tagine recipe is from last year, and still as rocking as before. I could eat this for days...





The mango soup is simply a puree of one mango, 1/8 tsp. of both fresh ground fenugreek seed and cumin seed and a wee pinch of fresh turmeric & ginger root, salt and red pepper flakes. If you want to thin it out add a little young coconut water. Good stuff...



The grated beet and carrot salad also uses some of the green tomatoes from last week that have changed (red and yellow). It was a huge grocery bag of tomatoes that will still be good through the end of December ;)

Tags: raw food wednesday, raw food, raw, mango, cauliflower, beets, carrots, salad, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Chiles Rellenos with Teese, Seitan Fajitas

Dinner 11/18

Chiles Rellenos with Teese

Seitan Fajitas

The poblanos were placed over the gas burners until well blackened. Normally at this point, you throw them in a paper bag and let them steam to make it easier to remove the blackened bits. We've found tossing them in the microwave works equally as well without wasting a paper bag.

The rellenos were stuffed with a combination of fried soyrizo, plantain, onion, Mexican oregano, and Teese (mozzarella). Have I mentioned that we love Teese? Yes? Good. ;)

They were put on a rack under the broiler for 2-3 minutes until the Teese melted -- keep a close eye on them so they don't ooze out!

Tags: poblano, teese, seitan, fajita, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Roasted Tofu with Jerusalem Artichokes, Salad with Smoked Tomato Dressing

Dinner 11/17

Roasted Tofu with Jerusalem Artichokes

Salad with Smoked Tomato Dressing

We've made this dish a couple of times -- it's a pretty straight-ahead one pan meal adapted from Martha Stewart. You basically sear the (alder-smoked) tofu and then roast at 450F with the jerusalem artichokes, garlic, lemon zest, thyme, wine, olives and shallots. takes about 40 minutes.



The salad dressing came from a few of the green tomatoes that ripened to red -- they were smoked at the same time as the tofu, then pureed with olive oil, sherry vinegar salt and pepper. Good change of pace dressing...

Tags: salad, tomato, jerusalem artichokes, martha stewart, tofu, shallots, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Phyllo with French Lentils, Seitan and Oyster Mushrooms and Gravy topped with Green Beans

Dinner 11/16

Phyllo with Lentils, Seitan and Oyster Mushrooms and Gravy

Green Beans



The seitan was first marinated with a mixture of reduced scotch, tamari and pepper, then vacuum-sealed for six hours

The oyster mushrooms, ready to be sliced



The seitan was pan-fried with olive oil



Now on to the phyllo portion...

Phyllo 01: fold one piece in half (like a book), brush with olive oil, then cut down the center -- surprisingly, a pizza cutter works wonders here.




Phyllo 02: lay one half of the phyllo across the oiled mini-loaf pan.



Phyllo 03: add the second piece, pushing into the corners.



Phyllo 04: add the first layer of French lentils (pressure cooked with a half an onion, studded with cloves, 16 minutes).



Phyllo 05: add the cooked seitan.



Phyllo 06: add the pan-fried oyster mushrooms (olive oil, pepper, tamari).



Phyllo 07: add the second layer of lentils.



Phyllo 08: fold the second layer of phyllo over the lentils...



Phyllo 09: brushing any exposed area of phyllo with olive oil.




Phyllo 10: do the same with the first layer.




Phyllo 11: fold over the last piece.




Phyllo 12: place the mini-loaf pans on a cookie sheet and bake at 425F for 8 minutes. Remove from the oven, invert the loaf pans, place phyllo back in the oven for 4-5 more minutes until golden brown.




Here's a close-up cutaway shot, showing the layers.





Finished: plated with gravy (shallot, garlic, roux, veg stock, tamari, pepper), topped with green beans.

Tags: phyllo, seitan, scotch, oyster mushrooms, lentils, pressure cooker, vacuum sealer, green beans, gravy, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Raw Food Wednesday: Green Tomatoes

Raw Food Wednesday 11/12

Green Tomato Enchiladas
(recipe below)

"Fried" Green Tomatoes
(recipe below)

Green Tomato Gazpacho

Much like the previous two weeks, we're taking one ingredient -- Green Tomatoes salvaged by our next door neighbor before the hard frost -- and making three dishes.

The green tomato enchiladas were surprisingly easy and fast to make, only taking about 1 1/2 hours in the dehydrator.



Green Tomato Enchiladas
(makes 12 enchiladas)

1/2 cup flax seeds
1/2 cup water

1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 tsp. cumin seeds
1 tsp. Mexican oregano
1 tsp. green peppercorns

1 jalapeno
1/4 cup cilantro
1 1/2 cups green tomatoes (about 4 medium)
2 tbs. olive oil
1 tsp. salt

Soak the flax in the water for 15 minutes. Grind the spices. Add the flax, spices and remaining ingredients to the vita-mix and blend until well pureed.

Pour the mixture into roughly four 7" circles about 1/4" thick on each teflex sheet and dehydrate at 105F for 1 hour.

Remove from the dehydrator and gently flip over onto another tray. The best way to do this is to place another tray upside down on top of the first one and flip them both over. then peel back the teflex slooooowly -- you might need an offset spatula to get under the edge and start the separation. Put the enchilada shells back in the dehydrator for another 30-45 minutes. Keep an eye on them, as you don't want to over dehydrate and make them too rigid. At this point they're ready to use. If you're making them ahead of time, you can place them between sheets of parchment paper in the fridge.

Inside, the enchiladas were stuffed with walnut filling (from RAWvolution), fennel cheese, diced red tomato, minced jalapeno, diced red onion and chopped cilantro)



The enchiladas were topped with red onion rings that were marinated in a sort of escabeche fashion, with key lime juice, olive oil salt & pepper for 6 hours. They also were topped with Liz's secret sofrito (anaheim peppers & cilantro).

Because the enchiladas didn't take that long in the dehydrator, we decided to make "fried" green tomatoes...



"Fried" Green Tomatoes
(makes 8 pieces)

2 medium green tomatoes, cut into 1/4" slices

1 tbs. olive oil
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
1 tsp. nama shoyu

2 tbs. flax seeds
2 tbs. pumpkin seeds
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. mustard seeds
1 tsp. mexican oregano

Depending on how ripe the tomatoes are (and these weren't) you might want to take a vegetable peeler, or sharp paring knife, and remove the tough outer skin of each slice. It's a bit of a pain to do it, but it'll make for a better texture in you mouth later.

Combine the olive oil, vinegar and nama shoyu in a small bowl. Grind all of the spices together, and place in a small bowl.

Dip both sides of the green tomato in the olive oil mixture, shake off the excess liquid and then dredge in the flax seed mixture, coating completely, shaking off any excess coating.

Put the tomatoes in the dehydrator at 105F and process for 2-3 hours, depending on how juicy they are to start.

Next time we'll make some kind of creamy dipping sauce for the tomatoes, but they work just fine as is.



The green tomato gazpacho is pretty straight forward -- it was a puree of about 6 green tomatoes, 2-3 key limes, juiced, 1 clove of garlic, and then olive oil is drizzled in until it starts to thicken. Add sea salt and pepper to taste.

The rest of it is whatever you like for the chunky bits -- in this case it was diced cucumber, diced red onion, diced red tomato, sliced jalapeno.

Tags: raw, raw food, raw food wednesday, green tomatoes, enchiladas, gazpacho, soup, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Tofu Piccata, Gobetti Pasta, Wilted Chard with Mushrooms

Dinner 11/11

Tofu Piccata

Gobetti Pasta

Wilted Chard with Mushrooms

The piccata, as always, is adapted from the Seitan Piccata in the Candle Cafe cookbook -- except we just coat the tofu with flour, pan-fry it and finsih in the 350F oven for 10 minutes while we make the sauce.



The chard was chopped up into 1" pieces and cooked in the wok with a little olive oil and pepper and a splash of tamari at the end of cooking. The mushrooms were done the same way and combined with the chard and a handful of pine nuts.

Tags: tofu, chard, pasta, chard, mushrooms, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Stuffed Portobello, Haricot Verts, Grilled Romaine Salad with Grapes and Tarragon, Chocolate Fondue

Dinner 11/08

Stuffed Portobello

Haricot Verts

Grilled Romaine Salad with Grapes and Tarragon

Dessert

Chocolate Fondue

One of the four exhaust fans on our stove hood has been acting up, which can make grilling indoors a bit of a challenge -- nothing kills the buzz faster than having the smoke alarm go off followed by the alarm company calling to make sure we haven't burned down the joint... ;)

So tonight's dinner was a delicate dance of first grilling the peeled & marinated (with olive oil, tamari, pepper) mushrooms, then stuffing them (sauteed mushroom stems, thyme, teese, breadcrumbs, nutritional yeast) and popping them in the broiler while quickly grilling the salad (watch the flare-ups!)

The haricot verts were blanched in the heavily salted water for 3 minutes, rinsed in cold water to preserve the color, then rolled around in a little melted soy margarine, salt and pepper.



For dessert we broke out the fondue pot again, this time using strawberries, bananas and grapes -- which are very tricky to keep from falling off the skewers, as we learned the hard way. ;)




Mmmm... bubbling chocolaty goodness!

Tags: portobello, mushroom, haricot verts, romaine, salad, grapes, tarragon, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Raw Food Wednesday: Apples

Raw Food Wednesday: 11/05

Compressed Apple with Parsnip Balls and Coconut Curry Sauce
(recipe below)

Apple and Greens Salad with Plum Vinaigrette Dressing
(recipe below)

Green Apple and Celery Root Soup
(adapted from "Raw Food, Real World")

Answering the question, "What if there was a Raw Iron Chef competition using apples?" *

We decided to use the last of our big and juicy Melrose apples -- from Beckwith Orchards (about 3 miles from our house) -- in all the dishes tonight.



First up was a raw version of Tofu Curry with Rice Balls.

Compressed Apple with Parsnip Balls and Coconut Curry Sauce
(serves 2)

Compressed Apples
(make a day in advance)

1 Melrose Apple, peeled, trimmed and cored.
4 key limes, juiced (about 1 1/2 tbs.)
1/8 tsp. ginger, microplane
1 tsp. raw agave
pinch of salt
1/8 tsp. lemongrass

(We had a huge bunch of lemongrass earlier this year, so we chopped some of it up and dehydrated overnight. Then we put the lemongrass in a spice grinder and stored for nights like tonight when we don't have fresh on hand. If you have fresh, just mince it as finely as possible.)

Mix together the key limes, ginger, agave, salt and lemongrass.

Cut around the core of the apple, into four large squares slabs -- then cut those horizontally so you get eight squares total. Place in the vacuum bag along with the key lime mixture. Seal the bag and place in the freezer overnight. The next day, put the apples in the refrigerator to defrost. Take out of the fridge about two hours before service.

If you plate three apples squares on each plate, you'll have two pieces leftover, enjoy as a snack. ;)

Parsnip Balls

2 parsnips, peeled
1 tbs. jalapeno, minced
1 tbs. shallots, minced
1 tsp. garlic
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper

2 tbs. of fennel cheese
2 tbs. white sesame seeds

Pulse the parsnips in a vita-mix to break it into rice-sized pieces, place in a large bowl with the jalapenos and season with salt and pepper. Add 2 tbs. of the fennel cheese and mix together until it is incorporated thoroughly. If the mixture isn't holding together, you may need to add an additional 1 tbs. of the fennel cheese.

Form the parsnip mixture into the size of golf balls, and roll in the sesame seeds, shaking off any excess. Place into a 105F dehydrator for 3-4 hours until firm.

Coconut Curry Sauce

1 tsp. lemongrass
1 tsp. cumin seed, freshly ground
1/2 tsp. coriander seed, freshly ground
1 tsp. key lime juice
1 tsp. shallots
1 tsp. jalapeno, minced
1 tsp. agave
1 clove of garlic
1 young coconut
1/2 cup young coconut water
3 thai basil leaves
salt & pepper

6 thai basil leaves, for garnish

Cut the young coconut open, drain/strain the water and reserve. Scrape out all of the young coconut "meat" and place in the vita-mix. Add all of the remaining ingredients and puree, until the sauce reaches the right consistency. You may need to add more liquid if it seems too thick -- you want the sauce to lightly coat the back of a spoon.

Assembly

Place the apple squares on a rectangular plate, pour the sauce around the squares and top the apple with the parsnip balls. Garnish with thai basil leaves.




The salad was mixed greens with sliced apple, carrot, zucchini, red bell pepper and leeks, topped with a plum vinaigrette.

Plum Vinaigrette

6 plums, seeded
1 tbs. apple cider vinegar
1 garlic clove
1 tsp. ginger
1 tbs. jalapeno, minced
salt and pepper, to taste

3 tbs. sesame oil, cold-pressed

Add all of the ingredients to the vita-mix, except the sesame oil and puree. Slowly drizzle in the sesame oil until the vinaigrette thickens.


* well, we'd be disqualified for only making three dishes and one of the theme ingredients was used in a salad. ;)

Tags: raw, raw food, raw food wednesday, apples, melrose apples, plums, parsnips, young coconut, vacuum sealer, soup, celery root, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

OMGWTFBBQ!!! Tofu and Roasted Potatoes

Dinner 11/04

OMGWTFBBQ!!! Tofu

Roasted Potatoes

That was my reaction tonight when Ohio turned Blue. ;)

(the recipe for the bbq sauce is here)

Tags: tofu, bbq, potatoes, election, ohio, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Carbonnades a la Flamande, Fusilli, Roasted Broccoli

Dinner 11/03

Carbonnades a la Flamande

Fusilli

Roasted Broccoli

We haven't made this one since February, but we had a large bag of onions, and this recipe always seems like a good way to use them... ;)

The broccoli is tossed with olive oil, salt and pepper and is roasted in a 450F oven for 15 minutes, shaking the pan about halfway through that time.

Tags: julia child, onions, beer, broccoli, pasta, fusilli, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

VegBloggy redux...

VegNews recently revamped their entire website and updated the blurb from the VegBloggy awards for WTHDAVEA...

Read this blog if: You want your socks knocked off. This blog has more haute cuisine than all of France, and serves up weekly posts dedicated to high-end raw food meals. You want raw meatloaf? You got it. You want Tea Smoked Tofu Curry? Yep, it's right there for your reading pleasure.

Thanks again!

(picture: Tea Smoked Curry with Rice Balls and Brussel Sprouts)

Tags: vegnews, tofu, raw food wednesday, meatloaf, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Tostadas with Smoked Tofu

Dinner 11/02

Tostadas with Smoked Tofu

These were exactly what we wanted for dinner, we just didn't know it until 6:30pm

Originally we were going to make enchiladas (like these), with some leftover tofu from breakfast. But, some nights when the clock is ticking later and later, you start re-thinking the original idea and start with "what if we deep-fried something?"

You would be shocked how often this actually happens... ;)

The corn shells were shallow fried in oil and topped with soyrizo, Teese, red bell pepper, cremini mushrooms, Mexican oregano and onions.

Tags: soyrizo, teese, red bell pepper, cremini mushrooms, mexican oregano, onions, tostada, soy cheese, tofu, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Stir-fry with Garlic & Thai Basil, Tofu Triangles with Plum Sauce, Lotus Root Chips

Dinner 11/01

Stir-fry with Garlic & Thai Basil

Tofu Triangles with Plum Sauce

Lotus Root Chips

I decided to take pictures of the stir-fry tonight with the new camera to see if it would inspire a new way of plating...

Nope, still haven't figured out anything new to do with the rice. ;)

We made a different dipping sauce for the tofu triangles, (almost) using the last of that case of plums from last month (they're turning to prunes on their own). I didn't write a recipe down as it was kind of done on the fly, but it's plums, shallot, brown sugar, jalapeno, tamari, lemon juice, red pepper flakes, black pepper, garlic, ginger, sesame oil cooked on low for 30 minutes or so, then pureed and reduced for another 10 minutes.



And of course, if we're already deep-frying the tofu, we might as well make some lotus root chips and make our daughter happy!



We now return to our stir-fry picture blackout for the rest of the year...

Tags: tofu, rice, thai basil, lotus root, garlic, plums, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666