what the hell _does_ a vegan eat anyway?

10th Blogiversary

2012-01-22T23:59:00.002-05:00

Ten years... Wow.

Thank you to the 1.5m people who have taken the time to visit with us -- you know who you are. ;)

...and now, ~~number 5, the larch~~ a look back at every dish from 2011.

for those of you scoring at home, the music track (991218) is a (modded) Roland CR-8000 clocking an EH Microsynth and Roland SYB-3 pedal through a Maestro Phaser played live to tape.

Sushi, Ramen with Braised Baby Bok Choy

2012-01-06T23:08:00.001-05:00

Dinner 01/06

Sushi

Ramen with Braised Baby Bok Choy

We haven't made sushi in quite a while, so it was a real treat tonight!

We made two types of rolls: carrot, scallion and avocado, as well as deep-fried tempeh and avocado.

The tempeh was cut into 4 long strips and placed in a saute pan filled with water and 1 tbs. of tamari until it reached halfway up the side of the tempeh. It was brought to a boil, reduced to a simmer and a lid placed loosely on top until the water evaporated.

Then the tempeh was removed (carefully) from the saute pan and deep-fried in canola oil -- 375°F for 2-3 minutes. From there it was added to the base of the roll with the avocado and other veggies.

The ramen used our shiitake mushroom stock, enhanced with kombu, yellow miso, garlic, ginger and black pepper. Rounding out the bowl was black tea smoked tofu, shiitake mushrooms, leeks, carrots and udon noodles, all topped with scallions and the braised baby bok choy.

The bok choy was cut in half, seared on both sides, then we added a splash of tamari and water, turned the heat to low and put a lid on to cover for 5-7 minutes. Finished with toasted sesame seeds.

Zucchini and Avocado Tartar, Spinach Salad

2012-01-05T14:09:00.001-05:00

Raw Food Wednesday 01/05

Zucchini and Avocado Tartar

Spinach Salad

The recipe is from Matthew Kenney's "Everyday Raw Express" -- diced zucchini, avocado, lemon juice, olive oil, basil, chives combined in a ring mold. Served with a spinach side salad (lemon juice/olive oil vinaigrette).

Chiles Rellenos stuffed with Black Beans and Potatoes, Red Quinoa, Avocado

2012-01-04T23:46:00.000-05:00

Dinner 01/04

Chiles Rellenos stuffed with Black Beans and Potatoes

Red Quinoa

Avocado

The poblano was placed right on the burner cranked up to medium-high and turned until well blackened. From there they were put in the microwave (instead of a paper bag) for 10 minutes and then peeled and de-seeded. They were stuffed with a mixture of black beans (onion, garlic, Mexican oregano, smoked paprika, salt, pepper, black beans) and potatoes (boiled, cut into cubes, pan fried in olive oil) with Daiya on top. The rellenos were finally place under the broiler for 2-3 minutes until the Daiya melted.

The red quinoa was soaked for 10 minutes, rinsed, then boiled for 12 minutes in salted water, drained and sauteed in a pan with olive oil along with half of an onion, garlic, Mexican oregano, salt, pepper and finished with cilantro.

Tomatillo Enchiladas filled with Hickory-Smoked Tofu, Mushroom Quesadillas, Fundido with Pepitas

2012-01-01T23:12:00.002-05:00

Dinner 01/01

Tomatillo Enchiladas filled with Hickory-Smoked Tofu

Mushroom Quesadillas

Fundido with Pepitas

A friend of ours was recently out in Sedona, AZ and brought us back a cookbook, and although it was decidedly not vegan, it did serve as a jumping off point for the fundido (diced tomatillos, tomatoes, chiles, onions and garlic, topped with Daiya Mozzarella and toasted pumpkin seeds).

You cook all the ingredients in the cast iron pan, top it with the cheese and put it under the broiler for 2-3 minutes to melt the Daiya and finish with the pepitas -- it's then served family style with chips.

The ~~dang~~ quesadillas featured sauteed mushrooms, onions, poblano rajas and Daiya Cheddar cooked on the griddle. Served with guacamole (not shown)

The main dish was one we've made many times before, Enchiladas. The corn tortillas are fried briefly in hot oil, the dipped in the roasted tomatillo sauce, filled with onion, smoked tofu and Daiya cheddar and rolled up, then baked with the rest of the sauce and Daiya on top.

Honestly, some nights, we don't eat any Daiya. This was not one of those nights. ;)

Best of 2011

2011-12-31T23:59:00.010-05:00

Best of 2011

One of the main things I try to keep in focus when writing here is that it's not always about the recipes or the pretty pictures. After 10 years and 3000 posts(!), it really has been about the journey, the friends we've made, your feedback, and the commitment to finding new ways to ~~cut tofu into funny shapes~~ express vegan food.

Here's some of the more interesting things we made this year -- a mix of favorites and new favorites -- and why they made the list (in no particular order). Click on the links for more pictures, recipes and descriptions without the consent of the Commissioner of Major League Baseball.

Hoisin Tofu Blocks stuffed with Radish & Beet Greens

A refinement of the Borg Cube from 2008, which also inspired Thanksgiving dinner (below) -- smoked, cored, deep-fried tofu blocks filled with braised greens. This was scary good.

Terrine, Spinach, Apple and Fennel Salad

We like to break out those old-school Time-Life books on Terrines and re-imagine what they could be like 40 years later. The result was elegant and tasty.

Chicago Style Deep-Dish Pizza

I joked over on Tumblr "The next time someone says that they could never be a vegan because they would miss pizza — show them this…" ;)

Seitan Osso Buco, Polenta

Just because comfort food never goes out of style doesn't mean it can't look good as it tastes.

Tomato and Basil Tart

Speaking of comfort food, this quick tart with phyllo dough hit all the right notes and looked great to boot.

Farro with Grilled Tofu

Continuing in the comfort food vein -- Farro is an underappreciated grain -- we like to pressure cook it and pair it with smoked, marinated and grilled tofu and nice glass of red wine. Perfect for when the leaves change color.

Seitan Bourguignon, Roasted Fingerling Potatoes, Brussels Sprouts, Braised Leeks

Finally, Bourguignon is my ultimate comfort food, any night of the week.

Raw Food Wednesday: Sushi

Another refugee from 2008 was a further refinement of a raw dish idea that involves frozen watermelon and a vacuum-sealer. This got some play on the internets.

Injera, Kabocha Stew with Okra and Collard Greens

Teff and Kabocha Squash: Two great ingredients that are even better together. Also, who knew a boy from the midwest could love okra so much?

Paella with Fennel and Seitan Sausages, Tofu and Mushrooms

If you buy a Paella pan, you might as well use it. ;)

Spinach Ravioli, Arugula Salad with Crutons and Tomatoes

While vegan wontons are not the easiest to find -- hint, Asian grocery stores -- that doesn't mean you need to always make Asian dishes with them.

Squash Blossom Fritto Misto

Moving on to the deep-fried portion of the list, squash blossoms from our garden are only available for use in a very short window of opportunity. This is our favorite way to use them.

Fiddlehead Fern Tempura

Ditto on the short window for the Fiddleheads -- they were blanched slightly to remove the bitterness and then coated and deep-fried.

Makin' Seitan

Our first video (still working on number two, honest) on making seitan.

Yes, that's my voice. No, I don't sound anything like you imagined. ;)

Seitan Roulade, Roasted Broccoli, Red Potatoes

Here's our favorite way to use that seitan from the video.

Mac 'n Cheese with BBQ Tofu and Roasted Broccoli

A mash-up of three great things that surprisingly work well together.

Ramp Pasta with Fava Beans

Speaking of pasta, we made quite a bit of our own this year, starting with Ramps.

Black Trumpet Mushroom Pasta with Fava Beans

Then we moved on to mushroom pasta, using Black Trumpets.

Cherry-Smoked Eggplant Po' Boy with Cole Slaw

Blasphemy? Perhaps. But tasty, tasty blasphemy.

Caviar

Blanched tapioca pearls marinated in seaweed and black tea. So Good.

Blini with Beet Caviar

Blanched tapioca pearls marinated in seaweed and beet juice. So, So, Good.

Hickory-Smoked Mushroom and Quinoa Burger

Yes, these were as delicious as they look.

Oaxacan Black Mole with Mesquite-Smoked Tofu and Polenta in Tortilla Cups with Plantain Chips

This dish was inspired by a set of limitations -- a small, one bite dish, Mexican ingredients, easy to prep ahead of time, easy to assemble on site. Basically a culinary thought problem that didn't involve trains living from Wichita at 3pm traveling east at 35mph. ;)

Oaxacan Black Mole with Polenta, Hickory-Smoked Grilled Tofu, Plantain Chips and Pumpkin Seeds in a Tortilla Cup

The second pass was a shot at refinement. This is something we should explore more of in 2012.

Seitan with Black Vinegar Sauce

One day we'd like to do a whole book on veganizing a Chinese Take-Out Menu. Here's the first entry.

Vegan Test Kitchen

Prepping for Vegan Iron Chef is always fun...

What The Hell Does A Vegan Eat For Thanksgiving Anyway? 2011 Edition

Holidays are always an important time for us as we try to strike a balance between the classics (braised carrots, Brussels Sprouts) and inspiration (hello tofu cube!).

Bastille Day 2011: Seitan Roulade, Petite Pomme de Terre, Ratatouille, Haricot Verts, Blini with Vegan Caviar, Tapenade, Mushroom & Walnut Pate

We always like to throw a few dinner parties, and this year we had excellent weather to celebrate Bastille Day.

Sliders, Potato Salad

The July 4th weekend is another time to fire up the grill and get our burger on...

Valentine's Day 2011

Yes, after 26 years, I love my wife more than ever.

Asian New Year: Shumai, Steamed BBQ Tofu Buns, Lotus Root Chips, Scallion Pancakes

Click through for the rest of the spread, but the shumai were quite a treat.

Akron Vegan Bake Sale For Japan

A great way to donate money to a great cause, and eat high quality desserts -- Bonus!

Black Tofu

Tofu Party Tonight! Tofu Party Tonight!

(Why yes, I do have too much free time)

So, there you go -- onward to 2012 and more pictures of tofu cut into funny shapes. ;)

Gyoza, Broccoli, Seitan Satay, Jasmine Rice

2011-12-28T23:17:00.002-05:00

Dinner 12/28

Gyoza

Broccoli

Seitan Satay

Jasmine Rice

Say Seitan Satay five times fast. ;)

The broccoli was seared in canola/sesame oil in a wok on med-high heat until lightly browned. Then we added tamari, turned the heat down to low, slapped a lid on it, and steamed it. The chunks are from the stem (my favorite part), peeled and cubed.

The gyoza were filled with wilted napa cabbage, carrot, ginger and garlic and seared and steamed like the broccoli above.

The satay used the some leftover seitan we had (recipe via Vegan Vittles) that I was able to thread onto a skewer and grill. The sauce was a quick mix of peanut butter, sesame oil, sriracha, tamari and agave. The seitan was briefly marinated, then grilled and basted with the leftover marinade. Yum!

Alder-Smoked Risotto with Peas, Grilled Tofu and Mushrooms

2011-12-27T23:15:00.001-05:00

Dinner 12/27

Alder-Smoked Risotto with Peas

Grilled Tofu

Mushrooms

Time to break out the stovetop smoker again, not only for the grilled tofu, but also the arborio rice.

We made a little foil pouch for the 1 cup of rice to sit in as it was smoked, along with the tofu, for 25 minutes. The tofu was then marinated: 2 tbs. olive oil, 2 tbs. tamari, 1 cloves of garlic smashed, 1 tsp. agave, 1 tsp. ketchup and freshly ground black pepper to taste. While the tofu was grilling, it was basted with the remaining marinade.

The risotto was made pretty much as before in the original recipe except using the smoked rice and having cremini mushroom to work with tonight.

All in all, a hearty risotto for a cold winters night...

Pierogi, Braised Carrots, Green Beans, Pear & Celery Soup, Cheddar Biscuits, Nog Cookies, Clothespin Pastries, World Peace Cookies

2011-12-24T23:58:00.006-05:00

Dinner 12/24

Pierogi (Potato & Smoked Maitake Mushroom)

Braised Carrot

Green Beans

Pear & Celery Soup with Fried Leeks

Cheddar Biscuits

Dessert

Nog Cookies

Clothespin Pastries

World Peace Cookies

This is why we made/froze so many Pierogi when we bought those huge maitake mushrooms over the summer -- we knew the holiday season would require these pierogies to be complete, and they did not disappoint. ;)

To start, Liz made a delightfully creamy soup of poached pears and braised celery topped with fried leeks that was paired with a cheddar biscuit (zested Sheese).

To round out the evening, a classic trio of cookies/pastries: the always elegant Clothespin Pastries (puff pastry filled with a buttercream frosting), World Peace Cookies (adapted from Dorie Greenspan) and the two part Nog Cookies (adapted from Tish Boyle).

Here's a close-up of the Clothespin Pastries.

Then we opened presents: I got a huge box of odd cookbooks from my sister-in-law. ;)

Also, here's the mushroom plates without the pierogies on them...

Pot Pie, Spinach Salad with Pears and Pecans, Palmier

2011-12-19T23:43:00.001-05:00

Dinner 12/19

Pot Pie

Spinach Salad with Pears and Pecans

Palmier (w/Tapanade)

Do you remember the 1970s? We sure do. We survived our share of TV Dinners and Pot Pies and decided to never speak of them again...

Until now. ;)

The stew used a tiny bit of leftover seitan bourguignon from the party with some added roasted cauliflower and peas which was topped with a sheet of puff pastry.

Here it is coming out of the oven, golden brown and delicious -- served with a small spinach, pear and pecan salad. We turned the leftover scraps of the puff pastry into an impromptu palmier with the addition of tapanade.

Holiday Party XV

2011-12-17T23:59:00.001-05:00

Holiday Party XV 12/17

Another Holiday Party is in the books, thanks to the 45 folks who braved the bad weather on the way down from Cleveland!

Let's start with the desserts this time...

Blondies, Chocolate Cupcakes, Thumbprint Jam Cookies

Close-up of the Chocolate Cupcakes

Thumbprint Jam Cookies, Snickerdoodles, Blondies

Close-up of the Thumbprint Jam Cookies

Moving on to the main event... The menu in full:

Tapanade
Green Olives (pimento stuffed)
Crudite with Onion Dip
Mushroom Pate
Baked Artichoke Dip
Hummus (as required by law)
Tofu Salad Sandwiches
Seitan Sausages in Phyllo
Mini Polenta Bundt Cakes
Phyllo Cups with Curried Tofu and Raisins
Chilled Orzo Salad with Champagne Vinaigrette
Quinoa and Black Bean Salad
Roasted Fingerling Potatoes (w/ Roasted Garlic)
Sliders / Mini-Burgers
Stuffed Mushrooms
BBQ Tofu Lollipops
White Bean Cassoulet
Seitan Bourguignon

Table Right

Table Center

Triple Tofu Sandwich Tower

Artichoke Dip / Quinoa & Black Bean Salad

Mini-Polenta Bundt Cakes

Sliders

and of course, the aftermath...

...and now, a nap.

Chickpea and Collard Greens Soup

2011-12-15T23:48:00.001-05:00

Dinner 12/15

Chickpea and Collard Greens Soup

Damn, it's cold... I don't know whether to eat it or stick my hands in it. ;)

As most of you know, we make our own veg stock (weekly) for nights just like this where you want something homemade but don't want to fuss -- mirepoix, chickpeas, sauteed collard greens, a bit of pepper, smoked paprika and miso and Bob's your uncle...

Chocolate Espresso Cheesecake

2011-12-10T23:21:00.000-05:00

Dessert 12/10

Chocolate Espresso Cheesecake

Happy Birthday son!

Double Fisted Cupcake Eatin'

2011-12-03T23:24:00.001-05:00

Dessert 12/03

Mini Nog Cupcakes

Pumpkin Cupcakes

There was a very long time after testing cupcakes recipes for "Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World" that we never wanted to bake or eat another cupcake. Ever.

Thankfully enough time has passed so that we may again enjoy baking and eating cupcakes.

The nog cupcake is a riff off of the vanilla recipe in VCTOTW, and the pumpkin one is straight out of the book. If you happened to be at the 40th anniversary of Kent Natural Foods on December 3, 2011 you could have tried the nog cupcakes, but not the pumpkin ones, because those mysteriously disappeared before we could get to the party.

Terrine, Spinach, Apple and Fennel Salad

2011-12-02T23:36:00.007-05:00

Dinner 12/02

Terrine

Spinach, Apple and Fennel Salad

Full credit goes to Liz on this one -- I simply took the pictures and cooked the seitan and mushrooms...

The terrine started with puff pastry, folded into a bread form lined with parchment paper (for easier removal later). On the bottom went a layer of Daiya Mozzarella.

The second layer consisted of sauteed Collard Greens along with mirepoix (onion, carrot, celery) and garlic.

The third layer was pan-fried seitan.

Batting clean-up was diced sweet potatoes that were roasted.

Fifth was a layer of roasted yellow beets mixed with red bell peppers.

Another layer of Daiya...

...Sauteed mushrooms

Finally, the terrine was topped with a puff pastry "lid" with vent holes, and cut-out stars.

After baking (400°F for 25-30 minutes), the terrine rested for 5 minutes, was removed from the form, and sliced.

The terrine was served on a base of mushroom gravy with a spinach, apple and fennel salad.

What The Hell Does A Vegan Eat For Thanksgiving Anyway? 2011 Edition

2011-11-24T23:16:00.008-05:00

What The Hell Does A Vegan Eat For Thanksgiving Anyway? 2011 Edition

Roasted Kabocha Squash

Wild Rice Stuffing

Apple Wood and Sage-Smoked Tofu Blocks stuffed with Sauteed Collard Greens

Oyster Mushrooms

Mushroom Gravy

Braised Carrots

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Roasted Potatoes

Knotted Dinner Rolls

Bourbon-Orange Cranberry Compote

Dessert

Pumpkin Mousse with Whipped Cream

Chocolate & Coconut Milk Ganache Tart with Sea Salt

Two days of cooking, 45 minutes of eating, two bottles of wine and 326 pictures later...

The main stack started with kabocha squash which was portioned into rectangles tossed with olive oil, salt and pepper and then roasted at 425°F for 20-25 minutes.

The wild rice stuffing took a different turn where the wild rice was deep-fried(!) for 20-30 seconds at 375° F. That caused it to act like popcorn and took on a delightfully nutty tasting, crunchy, but light texture that contrasted nicely between the squash and tofu. The wild rice was then added to sauteed onions, garlic, sage, tamari and pepper.

The tofu blocks were cored (like this) and smoked with apple wood and sage...

...tossed with tamari for 5 five minutes and then deep-fried for 5 minutes at 375°F.

As Liz likes to say "Why should the carnivores have all the fun & holiday danger?"

The sides consisted of braised carrots, roasted Brussels Sprouts (15 minutes at 450°F) and roasted Yukon Gold potatoes (450°F for 40 minutes, turning halfway through)

The cranberries (12 oz. of cranberries, juice of one orange, 1/4 cup of bourbon, 1 tbs. of maple syrup, pinch of salt & pepper) were cooked down until all of the cranberries popped and thickened, then the zest of the orange was added. It cooled and thickened up in the fridge while the rest of the meal was prepared.

Liz made the fancy-schmancy knotted dinner rolls (a recipe from Peter Reinhart).

They were as wonderful to eat as they were to look at.

For dessert Liz made a pumpkin mousse (thickened with agar agar), topped with (soyatoo) whipped cream.

She also brought back the Chocolate and Coconut Milk Ganache Tart with Sea Salt

As always, it's not a holiday without gratuitous pictures of the table. ;)

Table Right

Table Left

Centerpiece with Turkey

Centerpiece with Amaryllis

Carbonnades a la Flamande, Braised Leeks

2011-11-21T23:27:00.001-05:00

Dinner 11/21

Carbonnades a la Flamande

Braised Leeks

We haven't made this in ages, but tonight was a good chilly fall night to bring it back -- applewood-smoked seitan and onions stewed in Belgian beer.

Carbonnades a la Flamande
(serves 4)

2 tbs. olive oil
4 cups of sliced onions
16 oz. seitan, cut into 1/2" cubes (optionally smoked)
salt & pepper

1 tbs. herbes de provence
2 cups Belgian Style beer
1 cup veg stock
1 tbs. tamari

1 tbs. red wine vinegar
2 tbs. cornstarch

In a dutch oven over medium-low heat, add the olive oil and sweat the onions with a little salt and pepper until just starting to brown, about 6-7 minutes. Remove the onions and reserve.

Add more olive oil if needed and do the same to the seitan until it's browned on all sides.

Add the onions back to the dutch oven, along with the herbes de provence.

Next, add two cups of your favorite vegan Belgian-style beer, and one cup of veg stock plus the tamari. Bring to a boil and place in a 375F oven for one hour.

To finish, thicken the sauce by adding a slurry of 1 tbs. of wine vinegar and 2 tbs. cornstarch that have been mixed together and whisk to combine.

Served over potatoes or pasta.

Hoisin Tofu Blocks stuffed with Radish & Beet Greens topped with Beech Mushrooms on a bed of Chinese Long Beans

2011-11-19T23:46:00.001-05:00

Dinner 11/19

Hoisin Tofu Blocks

Radish & Beet Greens

Beech Mushrooms

Chinese Long Beans

This one has been simmering in the back of my mind for a while -- beginning with the infamous Borg Tofu Cube from 2008.

The twist came with the removal of the center of the cube by way of an apple corer, as seen here.

The large cubes were deep-fried for 5 minutes, then braised in a hoisin, tamari, mirin and agave sauce for 10 minutes. Served on top of Chinese Long Beans that were flash fried and braised in the same sauce. The centers were filled with a braised mix of radish and beet greens with the addition of garlic, ginger and tamari. The best way to fill the holes was (appropriately) with the back end of a chopstick. They were topped with stir-fried beech mushrooms.

The reason gleaming the cube will become clear after Thursday. ;)

Lasagna with Mustard Greens

2011-11-14T23:01:00.007-05:00

Dinner 11/14

Lasagna with Mustard Greens

The twist in tonight's lasagna was the addition of mustard greens (shredded, cooked down in olive oil with onions, garlic, salt and pepper) layered between the pasta sheets along with the usual suspects: tofu ricotta (firm tofu, nutritional yeast, parsley, nutmeg, salt, pepper), sauteed button mushrooms and zucchini, our tomato sauce and cheddar Daiya.

The greens added a nice change-up in flavor from kale or collard greens.

(now with recipe)

Lasagna

Mustard Greens

1 tbs. olive oil
12 oz. mustard greens, shredded
1 tbs. garlic, minced
1 small onion, minced
salt & pepper to taste

In a large pan or wok, heat the oil to medium and add the onion, and cook for 4-5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for one additional minute. Carefully add the mustard greens with tongs. Continually turn the greens until it begins to wilt. Add the salt and pepper and continue to cook until the greens have released most of their liquid. Set aside on a plate.

Mushrooms & Zucchini

1 tbs. olive oil
10 oz. button mushrooms, sliced thinly
1 medium zucchini, sliced 1/4", cut into quarters
1 tsp. tamari
pepper to taste

In the same pan, add the additional olive oil and saute the mushrooms for 6-8 minutes until they have given up most of their liquid. Set aside on a separate plate.

Add the zucchini and cook, turning frequently for 4-5 minutes until golden brown. Add the mushrooms back to the pan, add the tamari and pepper and toss to incorporate for 1 minute. Remove all to a plate and set aside.

Tomato Sauce

1 tbs. olive oil,
1 medium onion, sliced thinly
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tbs. smoked paprika,
1 tbs. nutritional yeast
1 tbs. parsley
1 tbs. oregano
salt and pepper, to taste
15oz. (fire-roasted) whole tomatoes

In the same pan as the mushrooms and mustard greens, add the additional olive oil and saute the onions. Season with salt, pepper, smoked paprika and herbs and cook until golden. Add the garlic and cook for an additional minute. Add the tomatoes, breaking them up as best as you can (a potato masher works wonders here). Bring the sauce to a boil and then simmer for 10-12 minutes, until thickened. Check for seasoning.

Tofu Ricotta

16 oz. firm tofu, crumbled
2 tbs. parsley, chopped
2 tbs. nutritional yeast,
1/2 cup soy sour creme,
1/2 tsp. nutmeg, zested
salt and pepper, to taste

While the tomato sauce is simmering, you can make the ricotta. In a large bowl, crumble the tofu with your fingers into small pieces. Add the parsley, nutritional yeast, soy sour cream, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Mix (with your hands) to incorporate -- you can bust out the immersion blender and/or just chuck the whole thing in the vita mix and puree. It should be fairly thick, but spreadable.

16 oz. Daiya Cheddar
12 lasagna noodles, cooked according to package instructions.

Assembly

In a 9x9 oven-proof pan, spread 2 tbs. of tomato sauce on the bottom of pan. Lay four lasagna noodles side by side over the sauce. Add about half of the Daiya/mushrooms/greens/tofu ricotta/tomato sauce in whatever order you like. Add another four lasagna noodles perpendicular to the first layer and add the remaining of the Daiya/mushrooms/greens/tofu ricotta/tomato sauce. Add the final four lasagna noodles and top with a little bit of the tomato sauce and Daiya if you have any left.

Bake at 350F for 30-35 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for at least 10 minutes before trying to cut. With a serrated knife, cut the lasagna into nine 3"x3" squares.

Google Plus

2011-11-10T15:08:00.004-05:00

If you'd like to add us to your circles on G+, we're now over there as well.

I knew that picture of smoked tofu would come in handy one of these days! ;)

Mushroom Stuffed Collard Wraps, Roasted Kabocha Squash, Grilled Tofu

2011-11-07T23:31:00.003-05:00

Dinner 11/07

Mushroom Stuffed Collard Wraps

Roasted Kabocha Squash

Grilled Tofu

We picked up some lovely Collard Greens the other day, and didn't want to simply shred and slow cook them (although that's tasty too!). With the addition of the shiitake and shallots, they were the anchor of the dish which also included Roasted Kabocha Squash (recipe) and Grilled Tofu which was first hickory-smoked for 25 minutes, marinated with a combo of 1 tbs. olive oil and 1 tbs. of tamari and black pepper for 5 minutes, then grilled about 4 minutes per turn for nice crosshatch marks.

The collards had the center stem removed and were steamed for 5 minutes to soften, then stuffed with pan-fried shiitake mushroom, shallots, pepper, tamari and white wine and then wrapped like a spring roll. They were finished in the oven by adding the leftover pan sauce from the mushrooms, then covered with foil and baked for 15-20 minutes at 350° F.

Here's the pretty cutaway shot showing the mushroom mixture inside.

Farro, Grilled Tofu, Mushrooms, Roasted Broccoli

2011-11-05T23:55:00.004-04:00

Dinner 11/05

Farro

Grilled Tofu

Roasted Broccoli

This farro & tofu dish has become a staple of the dinner rotation, with good reason -- it's delicious! ;)

The farro (approximately 1 1/2 cups) was pressure cooked for about 24-25 minutes on the first ring (~7.5pps) with enough veg stock to cover by 1/2".

The base was sauteed in olive oil: diced onion, carrot, celery, garlic, collard greens, and mushrooms. When the farro was done cooking it was added to the base and cooked together for another 5-7 minutes.

Topping the veggies, the tofu was first hickory-smoked for 25 minutes, marinated with a combo of 1 tbs. olive oil and 1 tbs. of tamari and black pepper for 5 minutes, then grilled about 4 minutes per turn for nice crosshatch marks.

The roasted broccoli was tossed with salt & pepper and roasted for 15 minutes at 450F tossing once about halfway through.

Spinach Ravioli, Roasted Delicata Squash

2011-10-31T23:48:00.002-04:00

Dinner 10/31

Spinach Ravioli

Roasted Delicata Squash

The ravioli (using square wonton wrappers) were filled with a tofu ricotta (1 block of extra firm tofu crumbled, 1/4 cup of nutritional yeast, salt & pepper to taste, a pinch of nutmeg, 1/4 cup of parsley minced) and 3 cups of spinach cooked down in a pan with a little olive oil, salt and pepper until most of the liquid evaporates.

The ravioli were filled with mixture and folded over, making a triangle and then sealed with a cornstarch slurry (1:1 cornstarch & water). They were boiled for about 2 minutes in salted water until they floated to the surface. Finally, the ravioli were scooped out and finished by tossing them into a warm pan of melted Earth Balance.

Sharing the plate was the roasted Delicata Squash. The squash was peeled, cut in half lengthwise, the seeds scooped out and cut into 1/2" slices. The slices were pan-fried in olive oil until golden brown on each side (about 4-5 minutes), seasoned with salt, pepper and a pinch of nutmeg. In a separate pan, 2 cups of onions were pan-fried in olive oil until golden brown, about 7-8 minutes. The squash was then added to a roasting pan with the onions and 2 tbs. of white wine and tossed to combine. The pan was covered in aluminum foil and baked for 25 minutes at 350F.

Potato Soup with Fried Shallots and Fresh Horseradish

2011-10-30T23:03:00.002-04:00

Dinner 10/30

Potato Soup with Fried Shallots and Fresh Horseradish

A nice homey Fall soup with a spicy hit via the freshly grated horseradish and chives. Simple, hearty and filling. 'nuff said...

Barley & Potato Soup with Seitan Sausages, Red Cabbage and Onions, Biscuits

2011-10-24T23:56:00.001-04:00

Dinner 10/24

Barley & Potato Soup with Seitan Sausages

Red Cabbage and Onions

Biscuits

The soup is a riff on Graupensuppe, a German-style barley soup -- carrot, onion, celery root and leeks, topped with fried seitan sausage.

The red cabbage was pan-fried along with the onions, ground caraway seeds, salt & pepper -- the only thing I changed was an added shot of tomato paste and 1 tbs. of garlic -- and it was finished with a really cool German beer-vinegar (which I need to find again).

Also, the biscuits? Flaky good...

Chicago Style Deep-Dish Pizza

2011-10-22T23:59:00.000-04:00

Dinner 10/22

Chicago Style Deep-Dish Pizza

We watched an episode of America's Test Kitchen the other day and used this recipe as a starting point (subbing Earth Balance), making our own tomato sauce, and using Daiya cheddar in one and mozzarella in the other.

They turned out so well, I think we'll use these at Holiday Party XV (which is only 7 weeks away -- eeep!). They would be perfect to make earlier in the day and toss in the oven for the second wave of food...

Seitan Osso Buco, Polenta

2011-10-15T23:20:00.001-04:00

Dinner 10/15

Seitan Osso Buco

Polenta

Seitan Osso Buco

2 tbs. olive oil
16oz. of seitan, cubed (optionally hickory smoked for 25 minutes)

The seitan was pan-fried in a large dutch-oven until well browned. Remove the seitan and keep warm.

1 tbs. olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium carrot, diced
1 tsp. thyme, crumbled

In the dutch oven add 1 tbs. of olive oil over med-high heat and saute the onions and carrots for 5-7 minutes, then add the garlic and thyme and cook for one additional minute.

2 tbs. of flour

Add the pan-fried seitan back into the pot, add the flour and mix to combine. Cook for another 2-3 minutes.

1 cup of red wine
1 cup of whole tomatoes
1 cup of veg stock

Off heat add the wine, tomatoes and veg stock. Return the pot to med-high, crush the tomatoes (we like to use a potato masher) and bring to a boil. Cover with a lid, and reduce to a simmer on low heat for about an hour until it thickens up. Serve over the polenta.

Polenta

The polenta started with 1 cup of fine cornmeal whisked into 4 cups of boiling water seasoned with 1 tbs. of salt. From there we turned down the heat to low and made it like a risotto, adding an additional 2 cups of water, about 1/3 cup at a time here and there (don't sweat the timing, just don't let it scorch the bottom of the pan). Finally, we stirred in 1 tbs. of soy margarine, 1/4 cup of microplaned Smoked Cheddar Sheese, 2 tbs. of nutritional yeast, and 1 tsp. of black pepper. Cook for an additional 3-4 minutes, and check for seasoning.

Caramelized Onion Tart, Mini-Peppers with Daiya, Cauliflower and Paprika Soup

2011-10-14T23:17:00.003-04:00

Dinner 10/14

Caramelized Onion Tart

Mini-Peppers with Daiya

Cauliflower and Paprika Soup

After the success of the Tomato and Basil Tart (and with the other half of the puff pastry still available) we made this luscious caramelized onion tart. The base was a mix of vegan cream cheese with minced parsley, nutritional yeast, minced garlic, minced shallots, salt and pepper. The onions were slow cooked in olive oil until golden, about 10 minutes, and were seasoned with salt & pepper.

The puff pastry was rolled out slightly to fit the rectangular pan, then the layer of herbed cream cheese was added and was then topped with caramelized onions. It was baked at 400F for about 25 minutes (check after 20 minutes to be safe).

The pickled peppers came from the olive bar section of the supermarket, and were stuffed with a dollop of Daiya and baked at the same time as the tart -- a nice one bite app.

The cauliflower & paprika soup was our riff on Karfiolleves minus the tiny dumplings (galuska) via Saveur -- the recipe isn't online at the moment -- but it's simply one diced carrot & onion with 1 1/2 tbs. of smoked paprika, salt, pepper, six cups of veg stock and a small head cauliflower roasted, topped with chopped parsley.

Bindaetteok (Mung Bean Pancakes)

2011-10-11T23:11:00.003-04:00

Dinner 10/11

Bindaetteok
(Mung Bean Pancakes)

It's amazing how good 2 cups of soaked (for eight hours minimum) mung beans, 1/4 cup of soaked basmati rice, 1/2 cup of water, 2 tbs. of tamari, 1 tbs. of sesame oil, 1 cup of shredded, sauteed napa cabbage and carrots, a pinch of cayenne and smoked paprika (to mimic gochugaru) and 1/4 cup of scallions taste when made into Korean-style pancakes. ;)

We really need to make some kimchi to kick these into overdrive -- but they were still pretty awesome.

The dipping sauce was pretty traditional -- tamari, minced scallions, red chili pepper flakes and a little vinegar.

Tomato and Basil Tart

2011-10-09T23:30:00.001-04:00

Dinner 10/09

Tomato and Basil Tart

ah, a fond farewell wave to the last of the big tomatoes...

A simple tart -- a puff pastry sheet with a base of pureed tofu, vegan sour cream, salt, pepper, nutritional yeast, parsley & Daiya layered on top with the last of the tomatoes, salt & pepper.

After baking for about 20-25 minutes in a 425F oven, the tart was gently removed from the pan and the basil was spread on top.

Raw Food Thursday: Papaya Soup

2011-10-06T23:48:00.000-04:00

Raw Food Thursday 10/6

Papaya Soup

...a refreshing cup of soup at the end of a long day -- pureed papaya, water, lime juice, nama shoyu and a wee bit of garlic topped with cilantro.

Braised Collard Greens with Coconut Curry Sauce

2011-10-05T23:31:00.000-04:00

Dinner 10/05

Braised Collard Greens with Coconut Curry Sauce

We brought back our recipe for Braised Collard Greens with Coconut Curry Sauce with the addition of radishes and cilantro, topped off with the squee-inducing beech mushrooms.

Gyoza

2011-10-01T23:36:00.002-04:00

Dinner 10/01

Gyoza

The potstickers were made with shredded napa cabbage, carrots, shallots, garlic and ginger which were all stir-fried in a little sesame oil until wilted (5-7 minutes) and hit with 1 tbs. of tamari at the end of cooking.

Once the filling cooled, the dumpling wrappers were stuffed and pan-seared until golden brown. Finally a little water and tamari were added, a lid was put on top and the gyoza steamed for a few moments until the liquid evaporated.

Served with a pseudo-poznu dipping sauce made with lemon juice & tamari.

We often get asked about where to find wonton wrappers that don't have dairy (either milk or whey hiding in the ingredients). They're not always easy to find -- you may need to search around for a bit -- but we found these at our local Asian grocery store (Dumpling wrapper, Shanghai-style made by Twin Marquis). They're simply wheat flour, rice flour, water and salt.

Pierogies, Salad with Cherry Tomatoes

2011-09-30T23:45:00.002-04:00

Dinner 9/30

Pierogies
(maitake & mashed potato)

Salad with Cherry Tomatoes

Remember those Maitake mushrooms (a.k.a. Hen of the Woods)
we got a few weeks ago? Well, this time there were four of them -- which may have been even bigger -- and at $3.99/lb -- score!!!

Liz made her pierogi dough and we made a filling of alder-smoked maitake with mashed potato.

I'll let that sink in for a moment while you ponder the recipe...

Pierogi Dough
yields 24-30

2 1/2 cups of AP flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tbs. egg replacer mixed with & 2 tbs. of water
3/4 cup of vegan sour cream

Knead into a dough on a lightly floured surface for 5-7 minutes. Wrap in plastic and let rest for 30 minute to hydrate. Roll thinly -- you might have to let it rest for a bit if the dough is fighting you -- and cut out into rounds with a 3" cookie cutter.

Stuff with the filling (don't over-stuff) and seal with a little water. Boil in salted water until they float for and additional minute (if frozen 2-3 minutes)

We ate this batch, but rest assured there have been huge ~~tracts of land~~ batches frozen and vacuum-sealed for the coming winter. It almost makes me look forward to winter.

Almost.

Chocolate Pretzels

2011-09-30T23:05:00.000-04:00

Dessert 9/30

Chocolate Pretzels

Pretzels dipped in chocolate and then coated with pistachio, peanuts, raisins, cherries and coconut flakes.

Nom.

White Bean and Garlic Soup, Bruschetta

2011-09-29T23:56:00.002-04:00

Dinner 9/29

White Bean and Garlic Soup

Bruschetta

It's definitely soup weather -- brrr.

We had a little leftover fennel stock, so we decide to make this hearty fall soup loaded with cannellini beans, roasted garlic, arugula and mushrooms.

It started with a 1 tbs. of olive oil on med-high heat in a large soup pot. To that we added a base of onion, celery and carrots with salt, pepper and parsley which was slowly sauteed 5-7 minutes. To that, we added about 4-5 cloves of the roasted garlic (saving the rest for the bruschetta), 15 oz. of cannellini beans, 15 oz. of red kidney beans and a combo of fennel stock, veg stock and water, totaling about six cups. That was all brought to a boil and then simmered for 30 minutes.

In a separate pan we pan-fried the mushrooms with a shot of tamari at the end of cooking, and then gave the arugula quick toss in the same pan until it was wilted.

We added the mushrooms and arugula to the pot and let cook simmer another 10 minutes while we made the bruschetta.

The bread was brushed with olive oil and grilled until crispy, then the remainder of the roasted garlic was spread on each slice along with sauteed zucchini, shallots and cherry tomatoes (the last batch from our garden).

Raw Food Wednesday: Teriyaki

2011-09-28T23:15:00.001-04:00

Raw Food Wednesday 9/28

Teriyaki

This dish has been sitting in my notebook of ideas for quite a while now -- and it was well worth the wait!

The zucchini was cut using the thickest blade on the spiral cutter to mimic the noodles in the cooked version. These noodles would be ideal for Lunar New Year as they are really long. ;)

But the sauce is where the action is...

Teriyaki

sauce

1 orange, juiced
1 tbs. nama shoyu
1 tbs. cold-pressed olive oil
3 dates, pits removed
1/2 tsp. dried red pepper, ground
1/2 tsp. garlic, zested
1/2 tsp. ginger, zested

Add all of the ingredients to the vita-mix, and puree until smooth. Pour into a small glass bowl that will fit in your dehydrator. Taste and adjust seasoning -- it's going to get condensed in the dehydrator which will concentrate the salt/heat so resist the urge to kick it up at this point ;)

vegetables

2-3 bunches of broccoli

Trim the broccoli and save the heads for another dish. Peel the stems to remove the outer layer. Cut the stems into rough 1/2" cubes and drop into the sauce, submerging them completely.

Dehydrate for 3-4 hours at 105° F -- this thickens and concentrates the sauce and infuses the broccoli stems. Remove the cubes from the sauce and place on a teflex sheet and dehydrate for an additional 3-4 hours.

2 medium zucchini, cut on a spiral cutter on the thickest blade

Add the thick zucchini noodles to the glass bowl and toss with the remainder of the sauce, place on another teflex sheet and dehydrate 20-30 minutes.

1 medium carrot, julienned (w/kinpira peeler)
1 yellow bell pepper, julienned
3 napa cabbage leaves (stems and leaves separated and julienned)
1 scallion, sliced thinly

toss the veggies with a wee bit of olive oil and nama shoyu and place on a teflex sheet for 20-30 minutes along with the noodles.

assembly

In a bowl, add the noodles, then the veggies and top with the broccoli cubes and whatever sauce is left from the noodles on the teflex sheet.

We picked up the kinpira peeler a couple of years ago for sushi making -- it's sort of a cross between a regular hand-held peeler and a benriner or mandoline with a cutting blade attached -- it comes in handy when you just want to julienne a single carrot.

Farro with Grilled Tofu

2011-09-27T23:29:00.002-04:00

Dinner 9/27

Farro

Grilled Tofu

You can tell it's fall when farro makes an appearance on the menu. ;)

The farro (approximately 1 1/2 cups) was pressure cooked for about 24-25 minutes on the first ring (~7.5pps) with enough veg stock to cover by 1/2".

The base was sauteed in olive oil: diced onion, carrot, celery, garlic, parsley, radish greens, collard greens, and mushrooms. When the farro was done cooking it was added to the base and cooked together for another 5-7 minutes.

Topping the veggies, the tofu was first hickory-smoked for 25 minutes, marinated with a combo of 1 tbs. olive oil and 1 tbs. of tamari and black pepper for 5 minutes, then grilled about 4 minutes per turn for nice crosshatch marks.

Let me tell you about my Homestuck Cake Pops...

2011-09-27T14:07:00.002-04:00

Dessert

Cake Pops

For our daughter's birthday last week, Liz made these Homestuck cake pops for the party. Here's Sollux Captor...

... and here's Tavros Nitram -- it was difficult to get the candy to come out of the side of his head, so that's why it's a little closer to the top.

The pops were made of a white cake base, and a coating of frosting + coloring for the heads (grey), hair (black), glasses (red + blue). The horns were candy trimmed (meticulously) with scissors.

When revealed at the party, there were sounds of squee-ing, followed by the sounds of appreciative scarfing. ;)

Black Forest Cake

2011-09-24T23:10:00.001-04:00

Dessert 9/24

Black Forest Cake

Part two of our daughter's birthday party (for the family) included this beauty of a cake. A chocolate cake (made with kirschwasser), vanilla frosting in-between layers, cherries and whipped cream with chocolate shavings on top.

Seitan Bourguignon, Roasted Fingerling Potatoes, Brussels Sprouts, Braised Leeks

2011-09-18T23:19:00.002-04:00

Dinner 9/18

Seitan Bourguignon

Roasted Fingerling Potatoes

Brussels Sprouts

Braised Leeks

Bourguignon is my ultimate comfort food, any night of the week.

Seitan Bourguignon

16oz. seitan, cubed
olive oil

2 medium carrots, sliced
1 large onion, sliced
salt and pepper to taste

3 cloves of garlic. minced
1 tbs. tomato paste

1 tbs. herbes de provence

2 tbs. of flour

2 cups red wine
2 cups veg stock
1 tbs. tamari

In a dutch oven over med-high heat, add 1 tbs, of olive oil and pan-fry the seitan until it is well-browned and has a nice crust. Remove from the pot. Add 1 tbs. of olive oil and add the carrots, onions salt and pepper. Cook until softened. Add the minced garlic and tomato paste, stir to combine and cook for two additional minutes.

Add the herbes de provence, stir to combine and cook for one additional minute.

Add the seitan back to the dutch oven, sprinkle in the flour, stir to combine and put in a 450F oven and roast for 4 minutes. Remove from the oven, mix again and return to the oven for another 4 minutes.

Remove and turn the oven down to 375F.

Off heat, add the wine, stock and tamari, scraping down the edges and the bottom of the pan to loosen the fond.

On the stove, turn the heat back on to med-high and bring the stew to a boil. Add the lid and place back into the oven to braise for 1 hour.

At the end of cooking, remove from the oven and check to see how much liquid is left. If it seems like too much, place back on the stove on med-high heat, remove the lid and cook for another 5-10 minutes until reduced. Alternately, strain the sauce from the solids and reduce in a pan, returning the sauce at the end to combine.

Check for seasoning and serve as is, or over pasta.

In tonight's version we added pan-fried button mushroom and blanched/pan-fried pearl onions near the end of cooking for another layer of flavor.

The fingerling potatoes were split in half tossed with olive oil, salt and pepper and roasted in the oven at 450F for 45 minutes turning halfway through. The Brussels sprouts were also split in half and added to the potatoes with 25 minutes left, which timed out perfectly.

Braised Leeks
serves 4

4 leeks
water
1 tbs. soy margarine
salt and pepper

First, trim the tops and bottom of the leeks, using as much of the white/light green parts as you like (the leftover bits are fantastic in making stock). Clean them by soaking in water and make sure you get the hidden dirt that likes to hide near the tops. You may need to lose a layer or two on the outside of the leeks to accomplish that. Cut the leek into roughly 3-inch sections.

Place the leeks in a small saute pan and add the water until it reaches halfway up the side of the leeks. Add the 1 tbs. of soy margarine, and bring to a boil. Cover loosely with the lid and continue to cook over medium heat until the water has just about evaporated.

Turn off heat, remove the leeks and place in an oven-proof gratin dish. Pour the remaining liquid out of the saute pan into the oven-proof dish. Season with salt and pepper and place into a 350F oven for 15-20 minutes until the leeks begin to caramelize. Serve hot.

Extremaduran Cold Tomato Bread Salad, Roasted Cauliflower, King Trumpet Mushrooms with Sherry, Green Olives

2011-09-15T23:04:00.001-04:00

Dinner 9/15

Extremaduran Cold Tomato Bread Salad

Roasted Cauliflower

King Trumpet Mushrooms in Sherry

Green Olives

We watched José Andrés' show "Made in Spain" while eating lunch today -- he made this tomato salad (we found the recipe on a search of Google Books) which resembles a panzanella salad. As we still have some tomatoes hanging in there, it was a easy decision to make it for dinner.

Joining the little plate party were King Trumpet mushrooms that were pan-fried and deglazed with sherry, roasted cauliflower (olive oil, salt, pepper, 450F, 15 minutes) with a quick dipping sauce of tahini and "just like honey" and green olives.

Teriyaki with Grilled Maitake Mushrooms

2011-09-14T23:13:00.001-04:00

Dinner 9/14

Teriyaki

Grilled Maitake Mushrooms

The teriyaki ingredients were stir-fried tofu, carrot, yellow bell pepper, green beans, carrots, ginger & garlic along with the thick noodles. The sauce is a mix of hoisin, tamari, ginger, garlic, dried chili pepper, lime juice and a cornstarch slurry to thicken it -- experiment with the amounts to suit your sense of balance. Let's just say that the dried chili pepper, despite it's small stature, tipped the balance in its favor. ;)

On top of the bowl was this beautiful (local) Maitake mushroom (a.k.a. Hen of the Woods) which was literally bigger than my head. We broke it down into sections, cleaned it very well and dunked it in a marinade of 1 tbs. of olive oil, 1 tbs. of tamari and pepper. Then we slapped it on the grill, turning frequently to ensure even coverage. The end result was a wonderful layer of smoky, tender and juicy mushrooms.

Gumbo with Hickory-Smoked Tofu and Breadsticks

2011-09-10T23:59:00.000-04:00

Dinner 9/10

Gumbo with Hickory-Smoked Tofu

Breadsticks

The gumbo started with a base of diced onions, orange peppers and celery with a couple of cloves of minced garlic thrown in for a minute. The veggies were seasoned with salt, pepper and smoked paprika and then removed from the pot and set aside.

In the same pan with 1 tbs. of olive oil, the okra was thinly sliced and pan-fried until it lost most of its stickiness. Next, a can of fire-roasted tomatoes were added and crushed as well as 2 cups of veg stock. The onion and pepper were added back in at this point.

Bring to a boil and then let the gumbo simmer for a while until it cooks down and thickens.

At the very end of cooking, we added about 1 tbs. of file powder and served the gumbo on a bed of rice, topped with hickory-smoked tofu which was pan-fried and sliced.

$240 Worth Of Pudding

2011-09-09T23:43:00.000-04:00

Dessert 9/09

Chocolate Pudding

We had the $240, We had to have the pudding...

First you cook it, and then you chill... aw yeah!

We went up to Vegan Sweet Tooth again (under direct orders from our daughter) and came back with these goodies (Cake Pop, Apple Spice Mini-Cupcake and 'Smore mini-cupcake). Delicious, as always!

Raw Food Wednesday: Sushi

2011-09-07T23:01:00.001-04:00

Raw Food Wednesday 9/07

Sushi

Tonight's RFW takes a trip in the wayback machine to that distant year of 2008 when raw nigiri-zushi ruled the land...

The Oracle thus spake:

The watermelon was vacuum-sealed and then frozen. After 24 hours in the freezer, it's defrosted in the fridge. This compacts the fruit, extracts almost all of the liquid and gives it a completely different texture, taste and appearance.

The watermelon was dipped briefly in a nama shoyu & lemon juice mix. The apple base was rubbed with a cut lemon. Then the watermelon was placed on top of the cut apple and was quickly wrapped with a strip of untoasted nori, and topped with a mix of horseradish and apple cider vinegar with a pinch of sea salt.

and then... it was gone, never to be heard from again.

Brown Rice Veggie Burgers with Onion Rings

2011-09-05T23:16:00.004-04:00

Dinner 9/05

Brown Rice Veggie Burgers with Onion Rings

Labor Day usually means cooking outside, but someone flipped a switch to "Fall" this weekend -- so we decided to make our kids (new) favorite burgers and topped them onion rings... because apparently, that's a thing* these days.

Here's the recipe for the onion rings...

Onion Rings

2/3 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup rice flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 tbs. cornstarch

1 cup of water (plus additional water to adjust batter)

1 tsp. smoked paprika
2 tsp. salt

Canola oil for frying

Sift the flour, baking powder and cornstarch into a medium bowl. Stir in 1 cup of water and add the salt and smoked paprika. Allow to rest for a few minutes. Additional water will probably be needed to adjust thickness -- you're looking for a pancake batter consistency.

In a wok or large pot, heat the oil to 375F, dredge the onions in the batter and carefully drop in the oil.

Cook until until golden brown (about 3-5 minutes).

* if people living in the middle of Ohio are doing something like this, it's way past the sell-by date.

Pistachio Pesto Pizza with Arugula and Seitan Sausage

2011-09-04T23:20:00.001-04:00

Dinner 9/04

Pistachio Pesto Pizza with Arugula and Seitan Sausage

Pizza, yada, yada, yada... with pistachio pesto? Oooooooh!

We were watching "Pizza Outside the Box" on the Cooking Channel about different varieties of pizza, and the pistachio pesto pizza made by EVO in Charleston, SC jumped out at us as something we could actually adapt pretty easily. So we did ;)

The pesto part was fairly straightforward -- toasted pistachio nuts ground in the vitamix with olive oil and a pinch of salt.

We added fresh arugula, and a couple of fried seitan sausages...

...and topped it all of with Daiya mozzarella and then baked it (on our pizza stone) at 500F for 8 minutes, rotated and cooked for another 2-3 minutes.

Raw Food Wednesday: Calabacines Rellenos con Queso, Grape and Tarragon Salad

2011-08-31T23:45:00.002-04:00

Raw Food Wednesday 8/31

Calabacines Rellenos con Queso

Grape and Tarragon Salad

Something new for RFW, a riff on last week's cooked version of Calabacines Rellenos -- stuffed zucchini topped with cheese. In this version we used the squee inducing baby zucchini and stuffed them with a cumin and walnut filling.

Starting with the baby zucchini, we first cut them in half and then dipped them in a olive oil & nama shoyu marinade for five minutes. From there they went into the dehydrator for 1 hour.

The next step was to remove the center seed section, so I pulled out my trusty #20 Parisian scoop (a.k.a. tiny melon baller) and got to work.

The filling was roughly 1/4 cup of raw walnuts which were tossed into the same bowl as the leftover zucchini marinade with the addition of some cumin seeds that were freshly ground along with a pinch of Mexican oregano. Normally at this point, I'd get out the Vitamix and pulse down the walnuts, but because it was such a small amount, I crushed them with the mortar and pestle.

After adding the stuffing to the zucchini, they were put into the dehydrator for six hours at 105F.

The finishing touch was a squirt of cashew cheese piped on top of each piece. Yes, I need to work on my piping. ;)

Eggplant Parmesan, Roasted Broccoli, Peach and Blueberry Cobbler

2011-08-30T23:18:00.001-04:00

Dinner 8/30

Eggplant Parmesan

Roasted Broccoli

Dessert

Peach and Blueberry Cobbler

It's the first full week back at high school for the kids, so we're revisiting an old favorite of our daughter's -- Eggplant Parmesan (recipe). Rounding out the plate was broccoli -- tossed with olive oil, salt & pepper and roasted at 450F for 15 minutes.

We're knee deep in local peaches (that did not come from a can, nor were they were put there by a man, in a factory downtown*) so we made a quick crumble with the addition of some lovely blueberries -- mixed with a pinch of cardamon and a squeeze of lemon juice. The topping was a 2:1 mix of all-purpose flour and whole wheat pastry flour, along with oatmeal, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt and Earth Balance rounding it out.

* I apologize in advance for the earworm.

Raw Food Wednesday: Mini-Peppers stuffed with Cashew Cheese, Salad with Carrot Croutons

2011-08-24T23:59:00.001-04:00

Raw Food Wednesday 8/24

Mini-Peppers stuffed with Cashew Cheese

Salad with Carrot Croutons

Another in the greatest hits package -- mini-peppers stuffed with a cashew cheese and a salad with carrot croutons.

The cashew cheese (soaked cashews, rejuvelac from quinoa, salt) were added to the peppers and dehydrated for 8 hours at 105F, which made the peppers incredibly sweet (almost cherry tomato-like, as our daughter pointed out).

The salad incorporated a riff from the Trotter/Klein "Raw" book -- take a carrot, peel it into strips, dehydrate for a couple of hours and turn it into a powder, which is then used to coat the cashew cheese, and is then further dehydrated. It adds a gentle sweetness and crunch, much like a crouton.

Calabacines Rellenos, Hominy & Red Potato Soup

2011-08-20T23:46:00.001-04:00

Dinner 8/20

Calabacines Rellenos

Hominy & Red Potato Soup

We had a couple of zucchini leftover from last weeks farmers market, so we tried something new -- making rellenos with them. We also made a smoked corn stock as the base for the hominy and potato soup.

The rellenos started with the zucchini cut in half and smoked for 20 minutes. The filling consisted of soy chorizo, smoked walnuts, cannellini beans, onion, garlic, Mexican oregano, salt & pepper. The zucchini were roasted at 425F for 20 minutes, removed from the oven with the seeds removed using a melon baller. The filling was added, along with a covering of Daiya, then put back into the oven for an additional 15 minutes.

The rellenos came out great -- the roasted zucchini was creamy inside and paired really well with the spicy filling and Daiya.

The soup started with smoked corn stock -- we saved the corn cobs from the corn cakes on Wednesday and smoked them with hickory wood for 25 minutes. It seemed like a natural to pair it with hominy and those red potatoes from the last week.

Next, we seared the cobs in the pressure cooker (with 1 tsp. of canola oil) until the got a little color.

Finally we added 10 cups of water and pressure cooked the cobs for 40 minutes.

The result was liquid gold -- and when used in the soup, it yielded a fantastically deep flavor with a nicely balanced sense of hickory and corn.

The soup turned out so well that both kids asked for seconds. ;)

Smoker Box teaser video

2011-08-19T13:03:00.000-04:00

Here's a little teaser video of the intro for a smoker box tutorial we're working on...

Fruit Salad

2011-08-19T12:12:00.001-04:00

Lunch 8/19

Fruit Salad

Sometimes, all you need for lunch is blueberries, cherries, melon, grapes and raspberries...

Raw Food Wednesday: Zucchini Pasta with Pesto and Wild Asparagus, Corn Cakes with Tomato, Fennel Salad

2011-08-17T23:17:00.001-04:00

Raw Food Wednesday 8/17

Zucchini Pasta with Pesto and Wild Asparagus

Corn Cakes with Tomato

Fennel Salad

A "greatest hits of summer" meal tonight -- we're overloaded with basil, zucchini & tomatoes, plus additions from the farmers market (corn, wild asparagus).

The pesto, as always, rocks -- olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, pine nuts and salt all blended in the vita-mix, served over spiral cut zucchini noodles. Tonight we served it along with the wild asparagus. The tips were trimmed off and the body sliced very thinly on the bias, tossed with olive oil and nama shoyu and dehydrated for 1 hr at 105F.

The corn cakes are a perennial favorite (recipe), with the right balance of heat and sweetness, paired with a very ripe heirloom tomato.

We started off with a fennel salad, a riff from Juliano's "Raw" cookbook.

Hickory-Smoked Tofu with Chanterelle Mushrooms in a Cognac Cream Sauce, Corn Cakes, Roasted Red Potatoes

2011-08-14T23:03:00.002-04:00

Dinner 8/14

Hickory-Smoked Tofu

Chanterelle Mushrooms

Cognac Cream Sauce

Corn Cakes

Roasted Red Potatoes

Corn! Potatoes! Chanterelle Mushrooms! A veritable cornucopia, barely contained by the plate.

(or we should have used bigger plates, I don't know)

The tofu was portioned into eight cutlets, smoked with hickory chips for 20-25 minutes, pan-fried in 1 tbs. of olive oil until golden brown (about 5-7 minute per-side) and splashed with 1 tbs. of tamari at the end of cooking.

As I mentioned the other day, the chanterelles are foraged locally, so we take the extra time to thoroughly clean the mushrooms, making sure nobody is hiding in there. We started with about 2 cups of 1/4" thick sliced mushrooms and pan-fried them with 1 tbs. olive oil on med-high heat until all the water was released, about 8-10 minutes. Near the end of cooking they were splashed with 2 tsp. of tamari and cooked for 1 additional minute. Next, we removed the pan from the heat, added 1 tbs. of cognac, returned the pan to the stove, turned the heat down to low, stirred to coat the mushrooms and cooked for 1 more additional minute. Finally, we added 1 cup of smoked cashew cream sauce (recipe, skipping the horseradish) and heated through.

The sauce was plated on top of the hickory-smoked tofu, along with the corn cakes and roasted red potatoes.

The corn cakes (recipe) started with great organic corn, in this case from the Haymaker Farmers' Market in Kent, OH via Heron Hill Farm in Brimfield, OH. It's the first place I stop every Saturday morning at 8:55am.

The second place I stop is the Birdsong Farm stand (from Hiram, OH), this week we picked up these outstanding red potatoes (and they really were red on the inside as you can tell in the first picture). They were split in half and tossed with olive oil, salt and pepper and roasted at 425F for 40-45 minutes.

Pizza Three Ways

2011-08-10T23:56:00.000-04:00

Dinner 8/10

Pizza

We made three smaller pizzas tonight, all with different sauces -- at the top of the picture is Tomato & Daiya, to the right of that is Chanterelle Mushroom & Arugula with a Smoked Cashew Cream Sauce (recipe, minus the horseradish) and the final one is BBQ Tofu (recipe) for our daughter.

Injera, Kabocha Stew with Okra and Collard Greens

2011-08-08T20:08:00.001-04:00

Dinner 8/08

Injera

Kabocha Stew with Okra and Collard Greens

Liz fermented a batch of injera over the weekend -- the short version: mix 2 cups water with 2 cups teff flour, 2 tsp. yeast, a pinch of cumin and fenugreek and 1 tbs. agave and let sit in a warm place for 12-24 hrs., then add 1 tsp. salt.
We cooked the injera in our big carbon steel wok (which is naturally non-stick) using the flat part in the center like we do for crepes.

The stew was a hodgepodge (as opposed to a zackaroni) -- Liz started with 1 tbs. of olive oil over med-high heat and 1 medium red onion, diced. After the onions got a little color, she added 3 cloves of minced garlic, 2 tsp. of berbere, 1 tsp. of smoked paprika, 1 tsp. of sea salt, 1/2 tsp. fresh cracked black pepper and cooked it for one additional minute.

While she was doing that, I had three other pans going, starting with 2 cups of diced kabocha squash -- pan-fried in olive oil for 5-7 minutes which was stirred constantly so the squash won't scorch. In the second pan was 2 cups of thinly sliced okra, and in the third pan was 2 cups of thinly sliced collard greens.

Once all of those had cooked down (about 10-15 minutes total), I added them to the onion mixture along with a 28oz. can of fire-roasted tomatoes (we like to crush them with a potato masher) and brought to a good simmer. Finally we stirred in 2 tbs. of peanut butter. The whole thing cooked for at least 15-20 minutes until the stew thickened.

We served it hot with the injera, tearing pieces off and using it to scoop up the stew.

Fettuccine with Chanterelles and Grilled Wild Asparagus

2011-08-06T23:53:00.001-04:00

Dinner 8/06

Fettuccine with Chanterelles and Grilled Wild Asparagus

Apparently, there's a guy who forages these beautiful chanterelles locally and then sells them to the co-op. I want to become his best friend. ;)

The wild asparagus also came locally -- this was marinated the usual way -- olive oil, pepper, tamari -- and then grilled.

Put them all together with some fettuccine, and a white wine, nooch & EB sauce and you've got tonight's staycation dinner...

Lentil and Seitan Stew in Crepes, Chanterelle Mushrooms, Gravy, Sauteed Zucchini

2011-08-03T23:59:00.000-04:00

Dinner 8/03

Lentil and Seitan Stew in Crepes

Chanterelle Mushrooms

Gravy

Sauteed Zucchini

The crepes, as always, are from VwaV. The filling is pressure cooked lentils in veg stock (15-20 minutes) combined with pan-fried seitan, carrot, onion and garlic (15 minutes). The crepes were topped with chanterelle mushrooms and a quick gravy (roux + veg stock + tamari).

Served on the side was a quick saute of zucchini (olive oil, salt, pepper, parsley).

Paella

2011-08-02T23:42:00.003-04:00

Dinner 8/02

Paella

Paella (recipe) is one of my favorite meals, and one of the joys of making it is that it's different everytime. The base of olive oil, shallot, garlic, smoked paprika, saffron, salt and pepper stayed the same, but tonight's spin on the classic included button mushrooms cooked with garlic and deglazed with sherry, smoked tofu cut into strips, sauteed collard greens (garlic, tamari) and orange bell pepper.

My other favorite part of making it is getting to use my paella pan, because much like an appletini it makes me feel fancy. ;)

Elvis Fried Tofu, Mushroom Gravy, Grilled Okra, Grilled Corn

2011-07-28T23:20:00.000-04:00

Dinner 7/28

Elvis Fried Tofu

Mushroom Gravy

Grilled Okra

Grilled Corn

Grilled Corn! Who would have guessed? ;)

Tonight the corn shared grill space with local okra (from the farmers market). The okra was marinated in a 2:1 mixture of melted soy margarine & tamari, then basted occasionally on the grill with the leftover marinade. You want to make sure the okra is blackened in spots and is cooked through completely.

The Elvis Fried Tofu and Gravy (recipes) is a favorite combo of ours -- smoked tofu, coated with seasoned flour and fried in a cast-iron skillet. The gravy is made in the same pan and uses some of the leftover flour from the tofu as a thickener.

Eggplant Fries, Brown Rice Veggie Burgers, Grilled Corn

2011-07-27T23:34:00.002-04:00

Dinner 7/27

Eggplant Fries

Brown Rice Veggie Burgers

Grilled Corn

We made the brown rice veggie burgers and grilled corn again -- but tonight's star was the eggplant fries (recipe).

Served with a soy yogurt dipping sauce (soy yogurt, minced pickles, lemon zest, oregano, salt & pepper) it was a perfect match for the incredibly creamy fries.

The trick with these fries is to submerge the eggplant strips in ice water for at least two hours, then drain. They were then coated with seasoned rice flour (za'atar, garlic powder, lemon zest, salt and pepper) and deep fried at 325F about 3-4 minutes per batch.

Grilled Corn, Mushroom Quesadillas, Guacamole

2011-07-21T23:49:00.000-04:00

Dinner 7/21

Grilled Corn

Mushroom Quesadillas

Guacamole

The deeper into summer we go, the simpler the food gets. ;)

More importantly -- our first local organic sweet corn of the year... so worth the wait!

Ceci Soup, Grilled Yellow Baby Squash, Pasta Puttanesca

2011-07-20T23:23:00.001-04:00

Dinner 7/20

Ceci Soup

Grilled Yellow Baby Squash

Pasta Puttanesca

A trio of simple summer dishes, highlighted by the appearance of baby squash from Farmer Jones.

The soup was thrown together at the last minute -- so don't worry about amounts, go with whatever looks right to you. It started with a base of onion, celery, carrots, salt and pepper, which were sweated for 5 minutes, then we added the ceci (chickpeas), tomatoes, veg broth, parsley and a shot of tamari for umami. ;)

The squash (yellow and green) were split in half and given a quick dunk in a marinade of olive oil, pepper and tamari and grilled face down, rotated for the nice hatch marks, and flipped to finish -- about 15-17 minutes in all -- you want to make sure they're cooked all the way through. They were "melt in your mouth" delicious!

Our son made his specialty, pasta puttanesca with kalamata olives, button mushrooms & seitan sausages in a spicy tomato sauce (onion, garlic, celery, San Marzano tomatoes, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, pinch of sugar and capers) over fusilli.

Small Plates, Loosely Joined

2011-07-18T23:08:00.002-04:00

Dinner 7/18

Cucumber in Vinegar Sauce

Grilled Figs stuffed with Blue Sheese

Steamed Artichoke

Shishito Peppers with Lemon Juice and Sea Salt

Tapenade

Blini with Vegan Caviar

Or as we like to call it -- Monday night. A collection of small plates, loosely joined (apologies to David Weinberger).

Steamed Artichoke with a dipping sauce of melted Earth Balance, lemon juice and a wee pinch of sea salt.

Cucumber in Vinegar Sauce -- roughly a 2:1 ratio of apple cider vinegar to agave, with a pinch of salt & pepper.

Around the outside ('round the outside), Grilled Figs, stuffed with Blue Sheese, drizzled with "Just Like Honey."

Shishito Peppers (nice combo of flavor and heat) -- stir-fried and finished with a squirt of lemon juice & pinch of sea salt. Served on the French bread

Leftover from the Bastille party, vegan caviar on blini (and tapenade shown above).

Bastille Day 2011: Seitan Roulade, Petite Pomme de Terre, Ratatouille, Haricot Verts, Blini with Vegan Caviar, Tapenade, Mushroom & Walnut Pate

2011-07-16T23:35:00.002-04:00

Bastille Day 2011 7/16

Seitan Roulade

Petite Pomme de Terre

Ratatouille

Haricot Verts

Blini with Vegan Caviar

Tapenade

Mushroom & Walnut Pate

Dessert

Chocolate and Coconut Milk Ganache Tart with Sea Salt

We had our annual Bastille Day party, sharing many of our favorite dishes with our friends Anna & Phil and Laura & John.

The Seitan Roulade was the focal point of the main plate. Shown here after the seitan was seared with the addition of the collard greens and mushrooms. It was finished by rolling and trussing the seitan with twine and then baked for 15 minutes at 350F. Surprisingly, after watching the seitan video so many times while editing it, I still had to go back and look at the broth amounts. ;)

(Also, 1100+ views on the video so far? Wow!)

Rounding out the plate were Petite Pomme de Terre, Haricot Verts and Ratatouille -- which we smoked the eggplant and zucchini for 15 minute in cherry wood. Here's the rest of the recipe.

Ratatouille

2 tbs. olive oil
1 medium onion, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp. herbes de provence
1 medium eggplant, diced
2 medium zucchini, diced
2 tbs. nutritional yeast
3-4 medium tomatoes, roughly diced
2 tbs. parsley, chopped

In a large saute pan, heat the 1 tbs. olive oil and lightly brown the sliced onions. Add the garlic for the last two minutes, along with the salt, pepper and herbes de provence.

While that's cooking, in a separate large saute pan (or wok), add the additional 1 tbs. of olive oil and the diced eggplant, diced zucchini, and cook until lightly browned.

Combine the eggplant and zucchini with the onions and garlic back into the pan and sprinkle the nutritional yeast over all of the ingredients, stir to incorporate, and cook for a couple of minutes.

Turn the heat down to low, add the diced tomatoes, stir to incorporate. Cook until thickened -- about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. The final result should look fairly stew-like. Add the chopped parsley, check for seasoning.

At this point it's ready to eat -- or you can put the ratatouille in an au gratin dish, sprinkle a little extra nutritional yeast on top and bake it at 350F for 15 minutes to firm it all up.

We started with apps: Tapenade, Blini with Vegan Caviar (recipe) and Mushroom and Walnut Pate.

Mushroom and Walnut Pate

1 tbs. olive oil
1 small onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbs. fresh thyme
salt & pepper

1 tbs. olive oil
1 tbs. Earth Balance
2 cups of mushrooms, sliced
salt & pepper

2 tbs. sherry
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted
1/2 tsp. lemon juice

In a large saute pan over medium-low heat add the olive oil and onion and slowly cook until it's deeply caramelized (but not burnt) about 15 to 20 minutes. Just before it's finished add the garlic and cook for one additional minute. Remove from the pan and set aside.

While the onion and garlic is cooking, add the olive oil and Earth Balance to a wok (or large saute pan) over med-high heat. Add the mushrooms along with a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook until the mushrooms release all of their liquid, about 10 minutes. Add the sherry, stir to combine and cook for one additional minute. Remove from the wok and add to the onions. Let cool 10 minutes.

In a vita-mix or high speed blender, add the mushrooms, onions and garlic, (toasted) walnuts, lemon juice, 1/2 tsp of salt and pepper and puree until smooth -- you might need to do it in batches depending on how big your container is. Check for seasoning.

For dessert, Liz made the Chocolate and Coconut Milk Ganache Tart with Sea Salt -- I didn't get a picture because there wasn't anything left to shoot seconds after serving it, so here's what it looked like when we made it last time. ;)

Brown Rice Veggie Burgers, Sweet Potato Fries

2011-07-14T23:23:00.002-04:00

Dinner 7/14

Brown Rice Burgers

Sweet Potato Fries

Liz tweaked this veggie burger recipe from Food & Wine -- subbing Daiya Pepperjack and pressure cooking the brown rice (22 minutes, @7.5 psi / first ring) which sped up the process considerably. The pumpkin seeds are a nice addition, and the burgers held together very well from the starch in the brown rice.

The sweet potato fries were tossed with olive oil, salt & pepper and roasted on a sheet pan in a single layer in a 425F oven for 20 minutes, then flipped and roasted for another 10 minutes or so. Sweet Potatoes can be tricky -- they can go from barely caramelized to black in 3 minutes, so keep an eye on them once you flip them.

Cappellini, Cherry Tomatoes and Zucchini

2011-07-13T23:50:00.002-04:00

Dinner 7/13

Cappellini, Cherry Tomatoes and Zucchini

Pasta and salad that's not a pasta salad ;)

A light summer meal of fresh seasonal veggies with a quick sauce, tossed with cappellini on a bed of Romaine lettuce topped with some basil -- a big bowlful of win!

The sauce started with shallots & garlic sauteed in olive oil with some salt, pepper, fresh thyme & parsley. then the tomatoes and zucchini were added in and cooked for a few minutes. Next, a 1/2 cup of white wine was added and reduced down by half. Finally, 1 tbs. of earth balance was added and melted along with 2-3 tbs. of nutritional yeast. Stir to combine, check for seasoning and add in the cooked cappellini, toss to coat and place on a bed of chopped romaine lettuce and top with some chopped basil. Serve hot.

Spinach Ravioli, Arugula Salad with Crutons and Tomatoes

2011-07-10T23:00:00.001-04:00

Dinner 7/10

Spinach Ravioli

Arugula Salad with Crutons

Once we opened the wonton/dumpling wrappers for the gyoza the other night, we needed to find a way to use the rest of the package -- and ravioli fit the bill.

The ravioli were filled with a tofu ricotta (extra firm tofu, crumbled, nutritional yeast, salt, pepper, nutmeg, parsley) and wilted spinach. Once folded over, they were sealed with a cornstarch slurry (1:1 cornstarch & water). Then they were boiled roughly 2 minutes in salted water until they floated to the surface. Finally, they were finished by tossing the ravioli in a warm pan of melted Earth Balance.

Accompanying the ravioli was a simple arugula salad with toasted crutons (garlic olive oil, salt, pepper, parsley, thyme, nooch) and tomatoes.

Gyoza, Scallion Pancakes, Stir Fry with Yuba

2011-07-06T23:37:00.000-04:00

Dinner 7/06

Gyoza

Scallion Pancakes

Stir Fry with Yuba

The always fantastic scallion pancakes (recipe) were paired with the equally tasty gyoza (or potstickers) -- filled with a mix of napa cabbage, shallots, ginger and garlic, which were seared, then steamed with a little tamari to finish in the wok.

We found some yuba sheets the other day and decided to marinate (with a mix of tamari, hoisin, rice vinegar and pinch of sriracha), and then pan fry and shred them as accompaniment to the stir-fry. We've got a couple of other ideas to try out on the yuba, but it made for a nice change of pace in the stir-fry.

Chili Cheese Dogs, Oven Fries

2011-07-04T23:45:00.000-04:00

Dinner 7/04

Chili Cheese Dogs

Oven Fries

(checks calendar)

yep, still summer...

Sliders, Potato Salad

2011-07-03T23:28:00.000-04:00

Dinner 7/03

Sliders

Potato Salad

Yep, it's summer...

The potato salad is from James Peterson's "Vegetables" (1998) -- red & yukon potatoes, sherry vinegar, vegenaise, pickles, celery, parsley, etc. -- always a solid recipe.

The ~~mini-burgers~~ sliders were made up of hickory-smoked mashed tofu, caramelized red onions, salt, pepper, garlic, parsley, nutritional yeast and just enough vital wheat gluten to hold them together -- and were then cooked in the cast-iron skillet.

Linguine with Wild Asparagus, Morel Mushrooms and Stuffed Peppers

2011-06-29T23:03:00.001-04:00

Dinner 6/29

Linguine

Wild Asparagus

Morel Mushrooms

Stuffed Peppers

A simple meal tonight -- linguine topped with (the always good) morel mushrooms which were cut in rings and pan-fried in olive oil -- as well as grilled wild asparagus.

The sauce for the pasta was 1 tbs. of olive oil, 1 shallot, minced, 2 cloves of garlic, minced, cooked for a few minutes, then add 1/4 cup of white wine (reduce by half) and finish with 1 tbs. of Earth Balance & 2 tbs. of nutritional yeast.

The beautiful and tender wild asparagus comes locally from a vendor at the Hudson Farmers Market -- they don't require blanching beforehand as they're so thin and tender, just a quick dip in a marinade of olive oil, tamari and pepper and then straight on the grill for 7-8 minutes, turning often.

The mini-peppers were stuffed with a mixture of shallot, vegan cream cheese, nutritional yeast, Daiya mozzarella, sea salt and black pepper, then dipped in a little of the leftover marinade from the asparagus and straight onto the grill. As you can see, the lids like to come off and things got a little gooey (a technical term), but the end result was so good that our son asked for an entire plate of peppers for himself. I can't say I blame him -- they were that good. ;)

Squash Blossom Fritto Misto, Mixed Peppers with Lemon Juice & Sea Salt on Baguette

2011-06-25T23:38:00.001-04:00

Dinner 6/25

Squash Blossom Fritto Misto

Mixed Peppers with Lemon Juice & Sea Salt on Baguette

A "Small plates, loosely joined" meal...

It was yet another milepost in the summer season as Liz picked up some squash blossoms at the Farmers Market (in Hudson this week). She needed a way to keep them fresh until dinner -- the cat vase filled with water did the trick.

The squash blossoms were stuffed with a mixture of vegan cream cheese, shallots, nooch, salt & smoked paprika, dipped in the usual batter (using plain water instead of the soda water) and deep-fried.

The peppers (anaheim, cubanelle, sweet red) were pan-fried in 1 tbs. olive oil, then splashed with a juice from half of a lemon and tossed with 1 tsp. of sea salt, then served on a sliced and toasted baguette.

We also had a little leftover soup from last night -- all of it was served with Spanish Cava -- ah, summer!

Garbanzo Bean, Lentil and Cabbage Soup, Garlic Bread

2011-06-24T23:40:00.001-04:00

Dinner 6/24

Garbanzo Bean, Lentil and Cabbage Soup

Garlic Bread

I think originally we were going for a Tuscan White Bean soup, but once the can of garbanzos was opened accidentally, things... changed. ;)

The ingredients included a base of carrot, onion, celery, with cabbage, parsley, rosemary, roasted garlic, fire roasted tomatoes, garbanzo beans, salt, pepper and homemade veg stock.

The garlic bread included a mix of Earth Balance, garlic and parsley added to the bread which was wrapped in foil and baked at 350F for 20 minutes.

Homemade Pasta with Morel Mushrooms, Roasted Cauliflower & Broccoli

2011-06-23T23:52:00.003-04:00

Dinner 6/23

Homemade Pasta with Morel Mushrooms, Cauliflower & Broccoli

The pasta recipe is the plain version, augmented by the addition of Morel Mushrooms (soaked, cut in rings, pan-fried in olive oil, pepper, splash of tamari), Roasted Broccoli & Cauliflower (olive oil, salt, pepper 450F, 15 minutes).

Liz went to the Geauga County Antique Fair in Burton a couple of weeks ago and came back with this beautiful pasta cutter, so we cleaned it up and gave it a spin -- as you can see the noodles are roughly fettuccine-sized which worked well with the sauce -- a sort of creamy alfredo.

Greens with Coconut Curry Sauce, Tea-Smoked Tofu, Pad Thai Noodles, Satay

2011-06-22T23:51:00.001-04:00

Dinner 6/22

Greens with Coconut Curry Sauce

Tea-Smoked Tofu

Pad Thai Noodles

Satay

We brought back our recipe for the coconut curry with greens (kale & bok choy this time) topped with tea-smoked tofu (along with carrots, red & orange bell peppers). We used pad thai noodles as the base this time with excellent results.

When we went up to WF (the same day as our trip to Vegan Sweet Tooth), the kids wanted to try their sweet and sour faux-chicken, so we made a satay, grilling it along with mushrooms and a peanut dipping sauce (not shown).

Vegan Sweet Tooth, a photo essay

2011-06-17T19:33:00.001-04:00

Vegan Sweet Tooth 6/17

It was an epic morning/afternoon of shopping that started off on the right foot at Vegan Sweet Tooth, a brand new vegan bakery located in Eton Square Shopping Center, a short 30 minute drive from Kent.

Or, as it's better known, our daughter's new favorite place in the universe, ever.

The interwebs are abuzz, with praise -- so let us add to the chorus of kudos and show you the selection of goodies that we purchased.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

Cake Pops

Vanilla Mixed Berry Cupcakes

Chocolate Cake

Chocolate Cupcakes

Chocolate Cheesecake with Raspberry

Carrot Cake Cupcake

Box o' Cupcakes (Oreo, Chocolate Kahlua, Chocolate Peanut Butter)

Brownies

Pesto, Fritto Misto, Tomato Potato Soup

2011-06-14T23:33:00.003-04:00

Dinner 6/12

Pesto

Fritto Misto
(Scapes, Onion)

Tomato Potato Soup

You can chart the course of summer by what is in season -- in this case: scapes. We decided to use our first batch of the year by making a platter of fritto misto along with an onion -- there is no truth that fritto misto is just a fancy word for Onion Rings. ;)

After Liz's second "pine mouth" incident earlier in the year, we've been reluctant to use pine nuts of unknown origin. The pesto uses Marcona almonds in place of pine nuts -- give it a try sometime, it's really, really good -- a giant hat tip to Scot Jones from Vegiterranean for the idea.

The soup was a request from our daughter, and although it's best later in the season when the fresh tomatoes are plentiful, I can't say no to my little girl.

Tomato Potato Soup

4 cups of water
3-4 medium sized Yukon Gold potatoes, roughly chopped
1 roughly chopped onion
10 cloves of garlic, left whole
1 tbs. salt
1/2 tbs. of herbes de provence

1 tbs. olive oil
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
salt/pepper to taste

Add the potato, onion, garlic, salt and herbes de provence to the water and bring to a boil and cook until the potatoes are cooked through (about 10-15 minutes).

Meanwhile, in a small saute pan, add the olive oil over medium heat and add the tomatoes and a pinch of salt/pepper -- cook the tomatoes down until they're released their water and have started to thicken -- about 4-5 minutes.

In a blender combine the potato mixture with the tomato mixture and puree (you may need to do this in two batches) -- check for salt and serve hot...

Makin' Seitan

2011-06-13T11:00:00.009-04:00

Here's the (long rumored) seitan video that we discussed a while back. In the video we show how we adapted Ron Pickarski's seitan recipe (from "Friendly Foods") using a pressure cooker. We also show how to grill the seitan & make a seitan roulade filled with mushrooms & greens.

Yes, that's Liz making the seitan, and I'm doing the narration (and music). ;)

Next up, a video on the smoker box...

Also new, you can Like us on Facebook.

Fiddlehead Fern Tempura, Braised Collard Greens with Coconut Milk, Deep-Fried Rice Ball, Tea-Smoked Tofu and Green Curry

2011-06-08T23:42:00.002-04:00

Dinner 6/08

Fiddlehead Fern Tempura

Braised Collard Greens with Coconut Milk

Deep-Fried Rice Ball

Tea-Smoked Tofu

Green Curry

Tonight we brought back the fiddlehead ferns combined with our Tea-Smoked Tofu Curry (recipe) and Braised Collard Greens with Coconut Curry (recipe).

Stack them together carefully -- a skewer would help -- and pour the green curry sauce on the bottom of the plate.

There are no repeating subliminal numbers in the fiddlehead ferns. ;)

Seitan and Mushroom Fajitas

2011-06-06T23:59:00.001-04:00

Dinner 6/06

Seitan and Mushroom Fajitas

Pan-fried seitan strips, mushrooms and rajas (strips of peppers and onions) with melty Daiya to hold it all together. I'll have two! ;)

Seitan Fajitas
Makes 4

Seitan

1 tbs. olive oil
8oz of seitan, sliced into strips

1 tbs. tamari
1 tsp. fresh squeezed lime juice
1 tbs. tequila (optional)

Heat the oil in a saute pan or wok and pan-fry until golden brown, 5-6 minutes. Finish with a splash of tamari, lime juice and (optional) tequila. Cook for an additional minute or so to allow the alcohol to burn off. Set aside.

Mushrooms

1 tbs. olive oil

8 oz. button mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 tbs tamari
black pepper to taste

In the same pan, add additional olive oil (if needed) and pan-fry the mushrooms until they have released their liquid (7-8 minutes) and finish with the tamari at the end. Set aside.

Rajas

1 tbs. olive oil

1 medium red onion, cut into thin strips
1 anaheim chile, cut into thin strips
1 cubanelle chile, cut into thin strips
2 cloves of garlic, minced

salt & pepper to taste
1 tsp. Mexican oregano
1 tsp. smoked paprika

1 tsp. fresh squeezed lime juice

In the same pan on medium heat, add additional oil if needed, and add the peppers, onion and a pinch of salt, and cook 6-7 minutes, turning often until beginning to brown. Add the minced garlic and cook one additional minute. Add the black pepper, oregano and paprika and cook one additional minute. Set aside.

Assembly

4 corn or flour tortillas
8oz of Daiya Cheddar
Seitan
Mushrooms
Rajas

Pre-heat the griddle or cast-iron pan to med-high and add 1 tsp. of canola oil to barely coat the surface.

Spread a thin 2oz. layer of Daiya on the whole tortilla, leaving a little space on the edges. Then on half of the tortilla, add the mushrooms, seitan and top with the rajas. Fold gently in half. Place on the griddle or cast-iron pan and allow the Daiya to melt -- about 3-4 minutes (which holds the rest of the ingredients together). Flip over and cook another 3-4 minutes until the tortilla gets crispy.

Serve with avocado, vegan sour cream & lime wedge.

Mac 'n Cheese with BBQ Tofu and Roasted Broccoli

2011-06-02T23:42:00.000-04:00

Dinner 6/02

Mac 'n Cheese

BBQ Tofu

Roasted Broccoli

Around 5pm, with no ideas for dinner forthcoming, I went back and looked at the entries for June 2010 for inspiration. So, Mac 'n Cheese (base recipe here) it was...

We also had some leftover BBQ sauce which our daughter would have with every meal if she could. We also had a little broccoli left, so that was roasted in the oven (olive oil, salt, pepper, 450F, 15 minutes).

To keep down the number of dishes that need to be cleaned, everything was combined in one giant pile. A tasty, tasty pile. ;)

Chocolate-Dipped Powdered Cream Cookies, Cava with Raspberries

2011-06-01T11:01:00.000-04:00

6/01

Chocolate-Dipped Powdered Cream Cookies

Cava with Raspberries

O Hai Interwebs!

The decadent cookies are from The Vegan Cookie Connoisseur by Kelly Peloza (you should go buy it)...

...and the vegan cava & raspberries are always a good idea.

We had a wee bit of vacation over the Memorial Day weekend which was much needed and a good time was had by all. While we were away, the switch was set to "summer" and our Farmers Market opened -- both good things.

Back to making the doughnuts!

Massaman Curry, Jasmine Rice, Grilled Tofu & Mushrooms

2011-05-18T23:24:00.005-04:00

Dinner 5/18

Massaman Curry

Jasmine Rice

Grilled Tofu & Mushrooms

Apparently, it's been a few years since we last made massaman curry. It's sometimes fun to go back and read the first two or three years of the blog before there were pictures. ;)

The sauce evolved over the course of making it -- next time we make it (which will hopefully be sooner than seven years) we'll have a solid recipe.

It started with the making of the curry paste. Using a mortar & pestle, grind together shallot, (black) cardamom, star anise, cumin seed, lemongrass, cloves, salt and black peppercorns.

The paste was fried for a few minutes and then a can of coconut milk was added to paste and allowed to cook for another 2-3 minutes. Then, tamarind paste, agave and tamari were added and stirred to combine.

The veggie side of things included kabocha squash, red potatoes (boiled until cooked 3/4 of the way through -- about 10 minutes), pineapple, carrots and red bell pepper. The sauce was brought to a simmer and veggies were added and cooked together about 15-20 minutes to meld all the flavors together.

For plating, the bowl was lined with three red lettuce leaves. Then the steamed jasmine rice was added to the the bottom of the bowl. Finally, the veggies & sauce were poured over top and garnished with a few peanuts.

The tofu, mushrooms and tomato were quickly marinated with tamari & olive oil and grilled while the veggies were cooking in the sauce.

White Bean Burger with Rosemary

2011-05-18T23:00:00.000-04:00

Lunch 5/18

White Bean Burger with Rosemary

We haven't made these bad boys in a while -- here's the White Bean Burger recipe. Nom!

Ramen with Cabbage Gyoza

2011-05-16T23:39:00.000-04:00

Dinner 5/16

Ramen

Cabbage Gyoza

As usual we made a batch of shiitake mushroom stock (with kombu and miso added to finish) as the base for the ramen. Rounding out the bowl was tea-smoked tofu, carrots, red bell pepper, baby corn, leeks, shiitake mushrooms and noodles.

Topping off the ramen was a quick dumpling filled with sauteed cabbage and shallots, seared in a wok, then steamed with a little tamari.

Fritto Misto, Ravioli with Asparagus and Morel Mushrooms, Strawberry Crumble

2011-05-15T23:54:00.002-04:00

Dinner 5/15

Fritto Misto

Ravioli with Asparagus and Morel Mushrooms

Dessert

Strawberry Crumble

For an antipasto, Liz made fritto misto using fiddlehead ferns and stuffed green olives. We blanched the trimmed fiddleheads for a couple of minutes, drained them and patted them dry before adding them to the batter. The stuffed olives had a nice salty crunch -- a nice change of pace.

Here's a shot of the fiddleheads beforehand -- with such a short season (and shelf life) we didn't hesitate using these the day after getting them at Kent Natural Foods.

For dinner we utilized our ravioli in wanton wrappers, filled with a tofu ricotta (crumbled tofu, nutritional yeast, parsley, spinach, salt, black pepper).

The asparagus were cooked for six minutes and tossed with Earth Balance, salt & pepper.

The morel mushrooms were cut into rings, soaked and pan-fried in olive oil and seasoned with a splash of tamari and black pepper.

For dessert Liz made a quick strawberry crumble with oatmeal...

Strawberries & sugar

Adding the oatmeal topping...

..and just out of the oven, and later, topped with vanilla ice cream.

Black Trumpet Mushroom Pasta with Fava Beans

2011-05-12T23:05:00.000-04:00

Dinner 5/12

Black Trumpet Mushroom Pasta

Fava Beans

Following in the footsteps of earlier experiments with red bell pepper and ramp pasta, tonight's Vegan Test Kitchen offers up Black Trumpet Mushroom Pasta.

The recipe followed the same basic ratio, utilizing about 1/3 cup of the cooked & chopped mushrooms, pureed together with about 1/2 cup of vegan sour cream and 2 tbs. of water. That gives the vita-mix enough volume to process the food.

The wet ingredients were mixed into the dry ingredients -- 1 1/4 cup of flour, 1 tsp. of salt and 1 tbs. of egg replacer. Add a little extra flour to your work surface and knead the dough for 5-7 minutes until smooth -- wrap the dough in plastic and let rest for 20 minutes.

Roll the dough out to about 1/8" and cut to your desired shape -- we went with a fettuccine sized noodle.

In a sauce pan over medium heat, add 1 tbs. of olive oil and 1 small shallot, minced, 2 garlic cloves, minced with salt & pepper to taste. Cook for 3-4 minutes, then off heat, add 1/2 cup white wine and reduce by half. Add 2 tbs. of nutritional yeast and stir to combine. Add 1 tbs. Earth Balance and melt. Add 1/4 cup of chopped parsley. Check for seasoning.

Cook the pasta in salted boiling water until it begins to float to the surface -- about 2-3 minutes. Immediately put the pasta in the sauce and stir to coat thouroughly. Serve hot.

Springtime Risotto

2011-05-11T23:51:00.001-04:00

Dinner 5/11

Springtime Risotto

The creamy risotto contained ramps (pan-fried), asparagus (blanched) & morel mushrooms (pan-fried) -- along with 1 small shallot, minced, 3 cloves of garlic, minced, salt & pepper, 1 cup of arborio rice, 1/2 cup of white wine and about 4 1/2 cups of veg stock. It was finished with 1 small lemon, zested, 1 tbs. Earth Balance and 1/4 cup of nutritional yeast.

Mushrooms, Flowers or Gears? ;)

Tempeh Reuben

2011-05-11T15:00:00.000-04:00

Lunch 5/11

Tempeh Reuben

A classic sandwich in three easy parts...

Part 1: Pan fry one block of tempeh (cut into four pieces) in olive oil. At the end of cooking splash with 1 tbs. tamari.

Part 2: Thinly slice 1/4 of a head of a small green (or red) cabbage & 1 small onion. 1 tsp. caraway seeds cooked in 1 tbs. olive oil until tender. Add a pinch of salt & pepper and 1 tsp. apple cider vinegar.

Part 3: Whisk together sauce: two parts vegenaise, one part ketchup and a couple of diced pickles.

Assemble on two pieces of dark bread of your choice -- a layer of sauce, one piece of tempeh, a layer of the cabbage mixture, another piece of tempeh, final layer of sauce.

Fin.

Blueberry Pancakes

2011-05-07T11:46:00.003-04:00

Breakfast 5/07

Blueberry Pancakes

So i herd u liek ~~mudkipz~~ blueberry pancakes...

English Pea Soup with Braised Leeks and Morel Mushrooms

2011-05-06T23:01:00.001-04:00

Dinner 5/06

English Pea Soup with Braised Leeks and Morel Mushrooms

...floating on a homemade ciabatta crouton island ;)

The English Pea Soup is a favorite -- the recipe comes from Jean-Georges Vongerichten from his book "Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef" -- the soup base is made from our veg stock combined with the shucked pea pods as an additional flavor enhancer which does a great job of infusing the soup with that essence of springtime.

In a large saucepan on medium heat, add 2 tbs. of Earth Balance along with 1 chopped onion, 1 chopped leek, 3 chopped garlic cloves, a pinch of thyme, salt and pepper and cook together for 2-3 minutes. Add the pea pods, then add 4 cups of stock, bring to a boil, then simmer for 20 minutes. Strain the broth and return to the saucepan.

The 3 cups of peas were blanched in salted water 4-5 minutes and drained -- save about 1/2 cup of peas for the garnish and run them under cold water for a minute. Put the rest of the peas in the vita-mix with 2 tbs. of Earth Balance, a pinch of salt and 2-3 tbs. of cooking liquid and puree.

Whisk the pea puree is back into the broth, bring to a simmer and cook for a few minutes to combine. Check for seasoning, and serve.

Accompanying the soup were (local) morel mushrooms, cut into rings and pan-fried with some olive oil, salt & pepper.

Also on the island were another favorite, braised leeks.

Braised Leeks
serves 4

4 leeks
water
1 tbs. soy margarine
salt and pepper

First, trim the tops and bottom of the leeks, using as much of the white/light green parts as you like (the leftover bits are fantastic in making stock). Clean them by soaking in water and make sure you get the hidden dirt that likes to hide near the tops. You may need to lose a layer or two on the outside of the leeks to accomplish that. Cut the leek into roughly 3-inch sections.

Place the leeks in a small saute pan and add the water until it reaches halfway up the side of the leeks. Add the 1 tbs. of soy margarine, and bring to a boil. Cover loosely with the lid and continue to cook over medium heat until the water has just about evaporated.

Turn off heat, remove the leeks and place in an oven-proof gratin dish. Pour the remaining liquid out of the saute pan into the oven-proof dish. Season with salt and pepper and place into a 350F oven for 15-20 minutes until the leeks begin to caramelize. Serve hot.

Oatmeal Cream Pies

2011-05-04T23:59:00.001-04:00

Dessert 5/04

Oatmeal Cream Pies

I wanted these cookies to have their own entry -- The recipe is from The Vegan Cookie Connoisseur by Kelly Peloza. The filling? Vegan marshmallow creme.

We've made many items from this delightful book -- we love it!

Ramp Pasta with Mushrooms

2011-05-04T23:48:00.001-04:00

Dinner 5/04

Ramp Pasta with Mushrooms

We made the ramp pasta again, because that's all I've been thinking about since Saturday night. It's been haunting me. ;)

We didn't change the recipe at all, but this time we sauteed some cremini mushrooms as an accompaniment.

When ramp season ends, I will be very sad.

Tacos

2011-05-03T23:49:00.000-04:00

Dinner 5/03

Tacos

I can't remember the last time we had tacos -- but I know it's been too long.

The tacos were stuffed with hickory-smoked tofu (in the background holding up the shell, later shredded), refried (black & pinto) beans, cheddar Daiya, avocado, salsa, shredded Romaine lettuce, vegan sour cream.

Spaghetti and Vegan Meatballs with Tomato Sauce

2011-05-02T23:30:00.002-04:00

Dinner 5/02

Spaghetti and Vegan Meatballs with Tomato Sauce

We took another run at the meatball recipe, hickory-smoking the tofu adding 1 tbs. tamari, 1 tsp. smoked paprika, 1/2 tsp. onion powder, 1 tbs. nutritional yeast and 1 small red onion, minced (in place of the shallots) -- and deep-fried them instead of cooking them in the cast-iron pan.

The thing we've learned is to add just enough vital wheat gluten to hold it together and not to over develop the gluten while kneading the ingredients together -- that will make for a tougher finished product. As long as it holds together pretty well, they'll be fine. Also, making them smaller than golf ball sized is better.

By deep-frying at 375F, they kept their shape much better and cooked more evenly -- but you have make sure you cook them about 4 minutes which might seem too long, but ensures that the center is also cooked -- the first one we pulled out to test were raw inside.

At the end of cooking, drop them in the tomato sauce to coat and re-heat.

Ramp Pasta with Fava Beans

2011-04-30T23:59:00.003-04:00

Dinner 4/30

Ramp Pasta with Fava Beans

Back to the test kitchen for another flavored pasta, this time with our favorite springtime vegetable, ramps!

We started off by grilling the stems and leaves brushed with a mix of olive oil and tamari...

The ramps were chopped up (about a 1/3 cup) and then pureed in the vita-mix along with 2 tbs. of water and 1/4 cup of soy sour cream -- this was to give the vita-mix enough volume to break the ramps down. The wet ingredients were added to 1 1/4 cups of flour, 1 tsp. salt, 1 tbs. egg replacer and kneaded into a dough on a lightly floured surface for 5-7 minutes until the dough became smooth. We wrapped the dough in plastic and put it in the fridge until dinner time.

Liz rolled the dough out and let it rest for a few minutes, then finished rolling it out to about 1/8" thick. Then, using a pizza wheel, the dough was cut into fettuccine-size noodles.

The noodles were dropped in a pot of boiling, salted water until they floated to the top, about 2 minutes. They were drained and immediately dropped into the saute pan.

Normally, the sauce would start with shallots and garlic, but we really wanted the ramp flavor to be the focal point, so we kept the sauce simple -- 1/4 cup white wine, reduced by half, then add 2 tbs. Earth Balance, 1 tbs. nutritional yeast and salt & pepper to taste. The sauce was heated through long enough that the nutritional yeast got a little browned, which added a nice toasted note.

The dish was topped by another springtime favorite, Fava Beans.

The end result was fantastic -- the ramps were the star of the dish, and really shone through. The fava beans added a nice textural & flavor compliment.

Cherry-Smoked Eggplant Po' Boy with Cole Slaw

2011-04-27T23:59:00.003-04:00

Dinner 4/27

Cherry-Smoked Eggplant Po' Boy with Cole Slaw

Grilled Okra

A slight riff on our recipe, smoking the eggplant with cherry wood and adding the spices to the flour, instead of the breadcrumbs.

Eggplant Po' Boys

Start by peeling, cubing (about 1/2") and cherry-smoking the eggplant for 20 minutes. Then coat the eggplant in batches using the three-pan method.

Pan 1: 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour seasoned with 2 tsp. of smoked paprika, 1 tsp. cumin, 1 tsp. garlic salt and pepper to taste.

Pan 2: A cornstarch slurry (1 tbs. cornstarch and 2 tbs. of cold water).

Pan 3: A mix of 1/3 cup of cornmeal and 2/3 of a cup of breadcrumbs, 2 tbs. of nutritional yeast, stirred to combine.

Then, deep-fry the eggplant, working in batches, in 385F peanut oil for 2-3 minutes until golden brown, remove and drain on a wire rack or paper towels.

They were served on a hollowed out bun along with hot sauce (optional) & cole slaw and grilled okra (not shown).

The okra was marinated in a 2:1 mixture of melted soy margarine & tamari, then basted occasionally on the grill with the leftover marinade. You want to make sure the okra is blackened in spots and is cooked through completely.