Spinach Wow Greens

Dinner 04/28

Spinach Wow Greens

"A Spin on Oshitashi" From "Vegan Eats World" by Terry Hope Romero -- go buy it!

Made with chard instead of the traditional spinach, but a yummy one bite snack no matter what you use.

Tofu Masala, Basmati Rice, Roasted Cauliflower, Naan

Dinner 04/25

Tofu Masala

Basmati Rice

Roasted Cauliflower

Naan

yep, this was pretty good... veganized the classic Julie Sahni Tikka Masala recipe with usual substitutes (smoked/grilled tofu, soy yogurt, Earth Balance, soy cream, etc).


...so was this.

Moo Shu Pancakes, Szechuan Eggplant with Sesame-Fried Rice

Dinner 04/24

Moo Shu Pancakes

Szechuan Eggplant

Sesame-Fried Rice

We love Moo Shu. but haven't made it for a while.

What's hiding on the inside of the pancake? Tea-smoked tofu, shiitake, carrot, snow peas and napa cabbage.

The ratio for the pancakes dough is roughly 2:1 flour to water, plus a pinch of salt, and 1 tsp sesame oil. The trick is rolling them out the right thickness -- not so thick that they're chewy -- and thin enough that they cook evenly and are flexible. These fit that bill perfectly.


We also had some leftover jasmine rice from a stir-fry earlier in the week, so we made sesame fried rice (sesame oil, tamari) as a base for the Szechuan Eggplant.

Szechuan Eggplant

1 eggplant cut into 3/4" cubes

1 tbs. vegetable oil (or canola/peanut)
1 tbs. garlic, crushed
1 tsp. ginger, minced
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes

for the sauce:

1/2 cup veg stock (or shiitake broth, or water)
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
1/4 cup sherry
1 tbs. tamari
2 tbs. sugar (or agave)

Cut eggplant into 3/4" cubes, add salt and let sit for 20 minutes. Rinse eggplant and pat dry.

Heat a wok to med-high, and add oil. When it just begins to smoke add the garlic, ginger and red pepper flake and stir-fry for 30-45 seconds. Add the eggplant and stir-fry for 3-4 minutes or until the eggplant starts to show some color.

Combine all of the sauce ingredients and pour over the eggplant.

Bring the sauce to a boil and then simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is reduced to about 1/4 cup and is glazing the eggplant.

Check for seasoning / heat level -- If it needs a little kick, we usually add a shot of sriracha -- and serve over the rice.

Ramen with Oyster Mushrooms

Dinner 04/21

Ramen with Oyster Mushrooms

We realize that Ramen has become the new "Ye Olde Stir-Fry" of the blog, but this was too pretty not to share. ;)

Tea-smoked tofu, carrot, red bell pepper, celery, topped with a icicle radish. Made with shiitake broth enhanced with kombu, yellow miso, garlic, ginger and black pepper.

Doubles, Artichoke Dip, Pumpkin and Red Bean Curry

Dinner 04/20

Doubles

Artichoke Dip

Pumpkin and Red Bean Curry

Tonight's meal comes via Trinidad & Tobago -- Doubles are an extremely tasty mixture of chickpea curry, chutney and hot sauce between two pieces of fry bread. We took the liberty of adding some wilted arugula to add to the pepper profile.


Our kids had some friends over, so we made a big batch of the fry bread...


...and added a batch of baked artichoke dip as well as a pumpkin and red bean curry for variety.

Carbonnades a la Flamande, Roasted Potatoes, Braised Carrots, Zucchini and Pepper Tart

Dinner 04/14

Carbonnades a la Flamande

Roasted Potatoes

Braised Carrots

Zucchini and Pepper Tart

Bringing one back from the old days -- our riff on Julia Child's recipe made with alder-smoked tofu this time around, served with roasted potatoes and braised carrots.


Along for the ride on the side was a zucchini and bell pepper tart. We added a bechamel sauce (2 tbs. Einkorn flour, 2 tbs. Earth Balance, make a roux, whisk in 2 cups rice milk until thickened, add a 1/4 cup of nooch and a pinch of salt and pepper, finally 1/2 cup of Daiya Mozzarella) and then popped in the oven.


... and here it is coming out.


Also, these multi-colored carrots were beautiful and tasty.

Portobello Burger with Spinach, Onions and Roasted Red Bell Pepper

Dinner 04/07

Portobello Burger with Spinach, Onions and Roasted Red Bell Pepper

Grilled portobello with wilted spinach, caramelized onions and roasted red bell pepper on a homemade bun with a little vegenaise and a tiny bit of hot sauce... perfection.

Deep-Fried Tempeh Sushi with Carrot and Avocado

Dinner 04/06

Deep-Fried Tempeh Sushi with Carrot and Avocado

There's a reason why we often make this sushi roll. ;)

The tempeh is cut into four long strips, braised in a pan that has enough water to come up halfway on the side of the tempeh with the addition of a splash of sake (feel free to use mirin) and splash of tamari. The pan is brought to a boil, reduced to a hard simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 20 minutes.

Then the tempeh is carefully removed from the pan and drained. The next step is to deep-fry the tempeh in peanut/canola oil at 375° for about 1 minute, turning often, until nice and golden brown on the outside. Remove (carefully, it's still fragile) and drain on a wire rack.


After the tempeh cools you can add it to your sushi roll -- we like to add carrot and avocado and cut on the bias for a nice presentation. Here's a similar shot when we made this back in January 2012.

A "New" Cast Iron Pan

Appetizer 04/05

Socca

We're making Socca again in a "new" cast-iron pan. Well, actually more of a skillet I suppose, and "new" to us -- it was probably made in the 1930s...

...but, hey the Socca turned out really well! ;)