what the hell _does_ a vegan eat anyway?

Sunday, February 19, 2012

Cauliflower and Paprika Soup, Grilled Zucchini, Biscuits

Dinner 02/19

Cauliflower and Paprika Soup

Grilled Zucchini

Biscuits

We seem to be in a cauliflower phase lately -- but I'm not complaining. ;)

Here's a cauliflower and paprika soup we made last October, updated with a link to the recipe.

The cauliflower & paprika soup was our riff on Karfiolleves recipe minus the tiny dumplings (galuska) via Saveur.

While the soup was cooking, I grilled some zucchini slow and low (brushed with olive oil, salt, pepper) which took about 20 minutes. Served with a dipping sauce rescued from the Tempeh Agrodolce. Mmmmm.

Liz made her usual biscuits, with zested cheddar sheese incorporated to go along with the soup. Nom.

Saturday, February 18, 2012

Stir-Fry with Yuba Noodles

Dinner 02/18

Stir-Fry with Yuba Noodles

Two stir-fries in one week! Who knew? ;)

After the Firecracker Stir-Fry for Valentine's Day, we had a large batch of leftover yuba pieces that we didn't want to go to waste.

To start, we cut the yuba into 1" strips and tossed them them briefly in a mix of 2 tbs. of water and 2 tsp. of sesame oil to slightly rehydrate. Then while still wet, we put them in the smoker box with oolong tea and processed the strips for 15 minutes.

From there, the noodles were briefly stir-fried in canola oil so they started to get a little crispy, and then they were tossed with a sauce made up of 1 tbs. hoisin, 1 tsp. sesame oil, 1 tsp. black vinegar, 1 tbs. tamari, 1 tsp. sriracha, 1 tsp. agave and a splash of water whisked in to incorporate it all together.

The noodles were cooked until the sauce was reduced to a glaze, then added to the bowl. The rest of the stir-fry (snow peas, carrots, shiitake mushrooms, baby corn, tofu, garlic, ginger) was placed on top and served hot.

The result was exceptional -- the yuba was slightly chewy, full of flavor and a good foil for the rest of the stir-fry.

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Tempeh Agrodolce, Polenta

Dinner 02/16

Tempeh Agrodolce

Polenta

Tempeh paired with a sweet & sour tomato sauce on a bed of polenta. Awesomesauce!

Tempehenge!

This is a test recipe for Isa's upcoming book, so you know the drill -- we can't give out the recipe.

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Valentine's Day 2012: Firecracker Stir-Fry

Valentine's Day 02/14

Firecracker Stir-Fry

Long time readers will note that when we stopped posting stir-fries a few years ago I joked it was because we had run out of novel ideas on how to plate & photograph them. While this is technically a stir-fry, I did find a novel way of plating.

The origin for the "firecracker" was conceived ages ago, scribbled in my notebook, awaiting the right moment to spring on Liz -- and our 25th Valentine's Day together seemed like a good time to break it out.

The tofu was cut into hearts with a small cookie cutter much like last year -- along a trio of veggies: carrot, red bell pepper and daikon. The tofu was smoked with -- wait for it -- gunpowder tea.

The fresh Yuba sheets were filled with rice, snow peas, carrots, daikon, red bell pepper and tofu and rolled much like a spring roll. The yuba was then brushed with a mixture of hoisin, tamari, black vinegar, sesame oil, agave and sriracha. They were also sprinkled with black sesame seeds.

The firecrackers were put on a sheet pan (seam side down) and into a 350F oven for 10 minutes, then flipped and basted again for another 5 minutes or so.

At this point, keep a close eye on them as they'll start to darken, you want to see some reddish color, but because of the hoisin & agave they can get a little too ~~crispy~~, er, over-caramelized.

The firecrackers were plated with the additional tofu and veggies. with a tip of green onion acting as the wick.

The only problem with making these? Now I have to figure out some way of topping them next year. ;)

Saturday, February 11, 2012

Rich Chocolate Cake with Salty Dulce de Leche & Hazelnut Brittle

Dessert 02/11

Rich Chocolate Cake with Salty Dulce de Leche & Hazelnut Brittle

After all the small plates, comes this cake, which deserves it's own entry.

Inspiration can come from many places -- for example, while wandering through the library the other day, Liz picked up an issue of Victoria magazine. Leafing through it, she came across the recipe for this cake. It comes from "One Girl Cookie" by Dawn Casale and David Crofton.

Now at this point, Liz can figure out in a few seconds whether or not she can veganize a recipe. This had all the usual substitution issues in play (using earth balance, flax eggs, soy yogurt), plus she had the rest of the ingredients on hand -- and of course the recent wildcard, Einkorn flour.*

The only thing not on hand was the Dulce de Leche -- thankfully, Terry Hope Romero's fantastic cookbook** "Viva Latina" has a veganized recipe.

The hazelnut brittle recipe was pretty easy (subbing Earth Balance). Liz made a little extra to snack on -- and with good reason, it's amazing any of it survived to be added to the cake.

It's hard to put into words the sound that one makes when first biting into the cake... my best approximation would be "mmmwwhhaaaO_oooh"

Moist, salty, sweet... decadent.

* funny how that seems to be the odd ingredient in all of the substitutions ;)

** seriously, you need this book.

Artichoke Dip, Pita Bread, Grilled Zucchini, Grilled Tofu, Stuffed Peppers, Balsamic Baked Onions and Potatoes, Shishito Peppers

Dinner 02/11

Artichoke Dip

Pita Bread

Grilled Zucchini

Grilled Tofu

Stuffed Peppers

Balsamic Baked Onions & Potatoes

Shishito Peppers

Another meal in a series of "small plates, loosely joined."

Today's Einkorn flour experiment was the pita bread (a.k.a. "Khubz") recipe adapted from Claudia Roden's "The New Book of Middle Eastern Food" -- another winner that was flavorful and held up well to the artichoke dip (artichokes, vegenaise, vegan cream cheese, salt, pepper, smoked paprika).

Next up was a riff on a Jamie Oliver making a half sized recipe -- boiled potatoes (8 minutes) that were paired with quartered red onions, garlic, rosemary, salt & pepper and tossed with 3/4 cup of balsamic vinegar and roasted until very dark (about 45 minutes at 400F).

The shishito peppers make a return appearance (pan-fried, drizzled with lemon juice and sea salt) as do the stuffed mini-peppers filled with Daiya, adding a little vegan cream cheese along for the ride. Those were then baked during the last 10 minutes in the same pan as the potatoes.

While the ovens and stove top were busy, that left the grill to work with. We smoked the tofu with apple wood for 25 minutes, then let the tofu sit in a quick marinade (1 tbs. olive oil, 1 tbs. ketchup, 1 tbs, tamari and black pepper) for 20 minutes, finally grilling it at the same time as the baby zucchini (brushed with olive oil, salt & pepper).

Wednesday, February 08, 2012

Tofu Cacciatore

Dinner 02/08

Tofu Cacciatore

Yes, the irony of making something that means "hunter style" is not lost upon me ;)

Tofu Cacciatore

Tofu

16oz tofu, sliced into 8 cutlets

1 tbs. olive oil
1 tbs. tamari
1 tbs. ketchup
1/2 tsp. black pepper

Whisk the marinade together, add the tofu, turn to coat, let sit for at least 20 minutes. On med-low heat, grill (or use a grill pan) the tofu, turning 45° after 4-5 minutes on the first side to get the nice crosshatch marks. Flip the tofu and turn after 3-4 minutes until finished. Remove from the grill and place in a warm oven until the stew is almost finished.

Stew

1 tbs. olive oil
2 seitan sausages, sliced

1 tbs. olive oil
1 medium onion, sliced
1 small fennel, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. oregano
salt & pepper

1/4 cup white wine

28oz fire roasted tomatoes
1 red pepper, roasted, peeled, seeded, diced
1/2 cup green olives, diced

Grilled Tofu (from above)

2 tbs. fresh parsley, chopped

In a large saute pan heat the olive oil to med-high and fry the sausages until browned. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Add the additional olive oil and cook the onions and fennel for 4-5 minutes, until lightly browned. Add the minced garlic, salt and pepper to taste and cook for an one additional minute.

Add the white wine and cook for one additional minute.

Add the tomatoes, we like to crush the tomatoes using a potato masher. Then add the roasted peppers, green olives and cooked seitan sausages.

Stir everything to combine, bring to a simmer and cook for 20-25 minutes until thickened. In the last five minutes or so, add the grilled tofu to coat well.

To plate, add the stew to the bowl, place the grilled tofu on top and add the parsley.

Accompanying the stew was another Einkorn flour experiment, this time, bread. Liz wanted to make sandwiches for the kids school lunch, so we broke out the bread machine. The loaf worked out very well, with excellent structure, which allowed for even slicing -- not in a dense, leaden way -- but a nice even structure. Part of the reason we don't use the machine that much was the regular flour made things difficult to cut with any sort of consistency, we usually had to cut 3/4" - 1" slices which were way too big for sandwiches. This works extremely well.

Radishes and Raw Almond Cheese

Lunch 02/08

Radishes and Raw Almond Cheese

A quick salad today, with some julienned radishes as accompaniment.

One cup of almonds were soaked about 3-4 hours. Protip: this allows the skins to be removed much, much easier, just give them a quick squeeze and they pop right off.

The almonds were added to the Vita-Mix along with 1 tbs. olive oil, 1/4 cup of water*, 1 tbs. nama shoyu, 1 tbs. lemon juice, minced garlic and 1 tbs. white miso. Puree it all together and check for seasoning.

The dressing was a red wine vinaigrette (1 part vinegar, 3 parts olive oil, pinch of salt).

* if the Vita-Mix is struggling add more water in 1 tbs, increments.

Sunday, February 05, 2012

Super Bowl XLVI: Buffalo Tofu, Pommes Frites, Crudite Platter

Dinner 02/05

Buffalo Tofu

Pommes Frites

Crudite Platter with Carrots, Celery, Radishes

Roasted Garlic & Blue Sheese Dip

...or as I like to say to the rest of the family after loading up the tray: "I don't know what you guys are eating, but..."

I might as well reprint 2010's Super Bowl entry as it was much the same, with the exception of adding radishes to the crudite platter. Sherman, set the wayback machine to 2010...

Was there a Super Bowl game on? I don't know, we were watching the Puppy Bowl again...

The tofu was cut into strips, hickory-smoked for 25 minutes, then deep-fried at 375F until golden brown (about 4-5 minutes per batch).

The tofu was then tossed in a wok with 2 tbs. of tamari for 2 minutes, and then the sauce is dumped on top and tossed to coat.

The buffalo tofu sauce is made with our BBQ sauce mixed with as much hot sauce or Sriracha as you like and 2 tbs. of melted soy margarine.

We fry the pommes frites in our wok, with a heavy duty candy thermometer for accurate temperature readings.

The pommes frites were done the standard way: the potatoes were blanched in peanut oil at 280F for 6-8 minutes, then removed from the oil and allowed to "rest" for 15 minutes. To finish, they're deep-fried at 375F for 2-3 minutes to brown/crisp up.

The celery & carrot sticks [and radishes were] served with a dipping sauce of half vegenaise, half soy sour cream, roasted garlic topped with a small mountain of microplaned Blue Sheese.

Friday, February 03, 2012

Artichoke Hearts Stuffed with Mushrooms in a Cognac Cream Sauce, Roasted Fingerling Potatoes, Roasted Broccoli, Roasted Cauliflower

Dinner 02/03

Artichoke Hearts Stuffed with Mushrooms in a Cognac Cream Sauce

Roasted Fingerling Potatoes

Roasted Broccoli

Roasted Cauliflower

While watching TV after lunch recently we caught an episode of "Essential Pepin" (the artichoke segment starts at 11:11) on PBS* -- Liz immediately called the local grocery store to insure they had copious amounts of artichokes. I can only imagine the bemusement of the produce manager upon receiving the call ;)

The artichoke dish is a riff on a this recipe, subbing the usual vegan ingredients (skipping the whipped cream at the end -- it didn't need it).

To accompany the main dish, we roasted some fingerling potatoes (split in half, olive oil, salt, pepper, herbes de provence, roasted at 450F for 40 minutes), and a batch of cauliflower and broccoli (olive oil, salt, pepper, 450F, 15 minutes).

* yes, PBS is good for something other than Downton Abbey** -- who knew? ;)

** don't get me started about how Dr. Clarkson is the possibly the worst Doctor of all time.

Thursday, February 02, 2012

Split-Pea Soup

Dinner 02/02

Split Pea Soup

Sometimes we like to reinvent the wheel, or in this case a classic soup that really doesn't need reinventing. But we did it anyway...

Starting with the main ingredient, we tried to figure out a way to add flavor to the peas. So, in addition to smoking them with hickory chips, we also added some ground cloves to the mix (the darker specks). We then made a foil packet and spread about 2 cups of the rinsed peas out in a single layer as much as possible.

After smoking for 25 minutes we then pressure cooked the peas in veg stock (covering the peas by 1") for 20 minutes.

In a large soup pot over med-high heat, add 1 tbs. of olive oil and add one medium onion, diced, two medium carrots, sliced along with salt and pepper to taste. Cook for 7-8 minutes, turning often. Add 1 garlic clove, minced and cook for an additional one minute.

Add the pressure cooked split peas, 5 cups of veg stock and 1 tbs. of tamari to the soup pot. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 15-20 minutes or so to marry the flavors. Remove the soup and puree (in batches if needed). Return the soup to the pot. If it seems too thick, add veg stock in 1/2 cup increments and stir to incorporate. If it seems too thin, cook for an additional five minutes. Check for seasoning.

For the next step we looked at the other ingredients and decided to roast the celeriac and sweet potatoes (peeled, 1/2" cubes, olive oil, salt, pepper, 425F, 20 minutes) to bring out their sweetness. For the tofu, we cubed it and hickory smoked it for 25 minutes, then wok-fried in canola oil as we normally would for a stir-fry.

We added the veggies to the tofu, then to gild the lily, we made a quick sauce of 1 tbs. of "just like honey," 1 tbs. of apricot jam and 1 tsp. of mustard mixed together and tossed then all together in the wok to glaze.

For the plating, we put the glazed tofu and veggies in the center of the bowl and ladled the soup around it.

The smoky flavor and creamy texture, along with the sweet and tangy tofu and veggies made for an intense bowl of soup.

Worth every minute of prep. ;)

Monday, January 30, 2012

French Lentil Soup with Roasted Cauliflower

Dinner 01/30

French Lentil Soup

Roasted Cauliflower

I'd love to tell you this was a well-thought out dinner, mapped out in the tiniest detail, but the reality is that it came down to an oft-used phrase around our house...

"What needs to be used up in the fridge?"

We had half of a head of cauliflower (olive oil, salt, pepper, roasted at 450F for 15 minutes), three carrots left in the produce drawer (sliced on the bias, olive oil, salt, pepper, herbes de provence), the last of the French lentils (1 1/2 cups with enough water to cover by 1", pressure cooked 20 minutes at 7.5pps) and four cups left of the vegetable stock. Start with a base of onions and garlic, add in the carrots, deglaze with a 1/4 cup of white wine, drop in the cooked lentils, veg stock and a shot of tamari and bring to a simmer for 10 minutes to marry the flavors.

Rounding out the bowl was the roasted cauliflower and pan-fried tofu (cut in squares, pan-fried in olive oil about 5 minutes per side, finished with a shot of tamari).

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Hoisin Tofu Bao, Gobi Manchurian

Dinner 01/29

Hoisin Tofu Bao

Gobi Manchurian

This was a triumph.

Tonight was Einkorn flour experiment number three, involving bao, or steamed buns. They were filled with oolong-smoked tofu cooked with a homemade hoisin sauce (tamari, agave, sriracha, black vinegar, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, thickened with a water/cornstarch slurry), shredded carrot, napa cabbage, bell pepper and pickled cucumber.

I'm making a note here: HUGE SUCCESS.

Light, fluffy and full of flavor, this yeasted dough exceeded our previous bao experiments by a large measure.

It's hard to overstate my satisfaction.

Also along for the ride was Gobi Manchurian (recipe), a deep-fried cauliflower tempura with a spicy onion, tomato and chile sauce. This also used the Einkorn flour, again to great effect. I think it's safe to say we're going to be using this from now on...

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Polenta with Grilled Tofu, Caramelized Onions, Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Roasted Pears

Dinner 01/26

Polenta

Hickory-Smoked Grilled Tofu

Caramelized Onions

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Roasted Pears

The old saying "the sum is greater than the parts" applies to this comforting bowl of food.

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.

Hickory-Smoked Grilled Tofu

The tofu was smoked in our stovetop unit with hickory chips for 25 minutes, then marinated: 2 tbs. olive oil, 2 tbs. tamari, 1 clove of garlic smashed, 1 tsp. agave, 1 tsp. ketchup and freshly ground black pepper to taste. While the tofu was grilling (about 4-5 minutes per turn on the first side, 3-4 minutes per turn after the flip), it was basted with the remaining marinade.

Caramelized Onions

One large onion, cut in thick slices, slowly cooked on low heat in 1 tbs. of olive oil for 10-12 minutes. Seasoned with salt and pepper. Optionally, you can add a pinch of sugar if you want a little more color, but these didn't need it.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Pears

The Brussels Sprouts were trimmed and cut in half. The pears were cut in half, the seeds taken out with a melon baller, then cut in 1/4" slices. They were both added to the roasting pan, tossed with olive oil, salt and pepper and roasted for 15 minutes at 450°F.

Sunday, January 22, 2012

10th Blogiversary

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.

Friday, January 20, 2012

Brown Rice Burgers

Dinner 01/20

Brown Rice Burgers

We experimented again with the Einkorn flour, this time making the burger buns (a yeasted dough) -- and, as you can see, they turned out really well, with a slight yellow-ish coloring and a fantastic flavor. They had an ever-so-slight crust on top and were well-structured through-out and held up to multiple condiments, lettuce and pickles.

Here's the recipe for the burgers. You can also make these as sliders and they will hold in a low oven if needed.

Brown Rice Burgers

1 cup brown (basmati or jasmine) rice, pressure cooked (yields about 4 cups)

1 large onion, sliced
salt

1 garlic clove, minced
1 jalapeno chile, seeded, minced (optional)

1 chipotle in adobo
1/2 tsp. black pepper
2 tsp. smoked paprika

1/2 cup Cheddar Daiya
1/2 cup peas
1/4 cup toasted pumpkin or sunflower seeds

Pressure cook the brown rice (22 minutes, first ring) while prepping the rest of the ingredients. The brown basmati or jasmine are essential because of their "stickiness" which binds the burgers together.

In a large saute pan over med-low heat, add 1 tbs. olive oil and cook the sliced onions slowly with a pinch of salt until well cooked and golden brown, about 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and optional jalapeno and cook 1 additional minute. Add the black pepper, smoked paprika, chipotle and cook 1 additional minute.

Add the cooked rice, Daiya, peas & pumpkin (or sunflower) seeds and mix to combine. Don't be gentle, mash the hell out of it if you like. ;) -- or put half of it in a food processor.

Check for salt. Remove from heat and place in a large bowl and let cool slightly.

Form the burgers into patties and cook in a cast iron pan (regular or grill pan) with a little olive oil until golden brown on both sides.

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Aloo Gobi, Basmati Rice, Grilled Okra, Toor Dal, Puri

Dinner 01/19

Aloo Gobi

Basmati Rice

Grilled Okra

Toor Dal

Puri

We picked up some cauliflower this week, and decided to make Indian tonight. We decided to do a slight riff on Aloo Gobi -- cauliflower, potato, peas & carrots in a scrumptious ginger, garlic and garam marsala scented coconut milk broth, served over basmati rice.

Sharing the plate was grilled okra -- trimmed and marinated with olive oil, tamari & pepper, then grilled.

Staring us off was a hearty bowl of toor dal -- yellow split peas -- pressure cooked with ginger, garlic, turmeric, salt & pepper and topped with fried curry leaves and black mustard seeds.

Pairing with the dal was something different -- we've been trying out a new type of flour this week -- Einkorn -- and tonight we used it to make the puri. As you can see, they looked the same, acted the same, and I can't quite put my finger on why yet, but it tasted... better. The einkorn gave the puri a slightly crisper edge, but with a softer mouth feel when chewing. We all liked it very much and found it extremely interesting... clearly more investigation is required.

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Parsnip Noodles with Cilantro Walnut Pesto

Lunch 01/18

Parsnip Noodles with Cilantro Walnut Pesto

A second luncheon helping of the wonderful parsnip noodles from Matthew Kenney's "Everyday Raw Express."

We used our "spiral cutter gadget thingy" (a.k.a. "Cook Help") for turning the parsnips into noodles, here it is from 2006 when we were turning potatoes to be wrapped around tofu.

It's not an easy task given that parsnips can be a little fibrous, but with a little extra elbow grease they turned out nice and long...

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Gluten-Free Chocolate and Orange Cake

Dessert 01/11

Gluten-Free Chocolate and Orange Cake

I almost forgot to upload this beauty -- a gluten-free cake resplendent with chocolate and orange flavors.

Liz adapted the cake based on the gluten-free basic chocolate cake, with the addition of orange zest, juice and extract, from Kris Holechek's "Have Your Cake And Vegan Too."

My favorite part of this picture however is the chocolate curls and orange zest on top. ;)

Paella with Fennel

Dinner 01/11

Paella with Fennel

We made Paella (recipe) with fennel again -- using smoked tofu, green beans and mushrooms to round out the pan.

We served it family style -- or as I like to call it, every man, woman and child for themselves. ;)

King Trumpet Mushroom "Scallops" with Barbecue Miso Glaze, Parsnip Noodles with Cilantro Walnut Pesto

Lunch 01/11

King Trumpet Mushroom "Scallops" with Barbecue Miso Glaze

Parsnip Noodles with Cilantro Walnut Pesto

Both recipes came from Matthew Kenney's "Everyday Raw Express"

We love king trumpet mushrooms -- and this recipe uses the mushroom stalks marinated for 30 minutes in a BBQ sauce of miso, nama shoyu, agave, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice and sesame seed oil.

As an experiment, we took a few extra mushrooms and dehydrated them for an hour at 105°F -- which turned out exceptionally well!

Pairing up with the BBQ, we peeled and spirialized a parsnip into noodles and combined them with a pesto of walnuts, cilantro, lemon juice, salt, jalapeno and olive oil.

Monday, January 09, 2012

Stir-Fry with Beech Mushrooms

Dinner 01/09

Stir-Fry with Beech Mushrooms

As always, we're skipping the pictures of the stir-fry, but as I couldn't pass up this shot of the beech mushrooms as I was doing prep for dinner...

Sunday, January 08, 2012

Pumpkin Seed Crusted Tofu

Dinner 01/08

Pumpkin Seed Crusted Tofu

The tofu (16oz. / extra firm) was smoked (mesquite wood chips, 30 minutes), then marinated for 30 minutes: 1/4 cup beer, 2 tbs. vegan sour cream, 1 tbs. tamari, 1 tsp. minced garlic, a shot of your favorite hot sauce and a pinch each of cumin, sugar & pepper.

From there it was dredged in a mix of 1/4 cup of ground pumpkin seeds, 2 tbs. of cornstarch and 1/4 cup of instant masa (we used Maseca).

It was deep-fried in a wok with canola oil (375°F) for 2-3 minutes per side until golden brown. The tofu was removed from oil and drained, put on a sheet pan with a rack and baked for 10-15 minutes at 350°F -- this finished cooking the inside of the tofu.

While the tofu was baking we made the sauce: 1/2 cup of vegan sour cream, 1 tsp. lime juice, salt & pepper to taste, and 1 tbs. of olive oil blended together in the vita-mix.

The crusted tofu was served hot on a bed of shredded lettuce with avocado & topped with the sauce.

Friday, January 06, 2012

Sushi, Ramen with Braised Baby Bok Choy

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.

Thursday, January 05, 2012

Zucchini and Avocado Tartar, Spinach Salad

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).

Wednesday, January 04, 2012

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

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.

Sunday, January 01, 2012

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

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. ;)