what the hell _does_ a vegan eat anyway?

Friday, November 16, 2007

Pizza (FYH vs. Sheese)

Dinner 11/16

Pizza
(two tone FYH Monterey Jack/Cheddar, tomato sauce, onion, garlic, mushroom)

Pizza
(using Sheese Mozzarella, tomato sauce, onion, garlic, mushroom, olives)

We finally got our hands on some Sheese* and did a test vs. Follow Your Heart. The general consensus was, in this application, the FYH melted better, but the flavor edge went to the Sheese. We would have done FYH cheddar vs. Sheese cheddar but we had already eaten all of it. ;)

So, if your scoring at home (and by the way, good for you), FYH wins in "melt-ability," Sheese wins in taste, and texture was a bit a of draw -- Sheese was a little waxier (which I didn't mind), where the FYH was a little rubbery...

* We also have the mild cheddar, smoked cheddar, feta, and gouda.

Thursday, November 15, 2007

Mushrooms en Papillote, Grilled Brussel Sprouts

Dinner 11/15

Mushrooms en Papillote
(shiitake, oyster and button mushrooms, shallots, garlic, soy margarine, salt, pepper)

Grilled Brussel Sprouts

Oh, if you could have only smelled the aroma when the mushrooms were opened...

We tried something a little different -- grilling the brussel sprouts -- seasoned with olive oil, salt and pepper and grilled for about 25 minutes, turning often. Totally yanked from Michael Chiarello...

Here's a group shot as the mushrooms have just come out of the oven (puffy!) with the brussel sprouts on the grill...

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Pizza and Caesar Salad Soup, Apple and Spinach Salad with Grapes, Pomegranate Tart

Raw Food Wednesday 11/14

Pizza and Caesar Salad Soup

Apple and Spinach Salad with Grapes
(apple, red bell pepper, grapes, spinach)

Dessert

Pomegranate Tart
(from RAWvolution)

So... about that soup... ;)

There's no recipe written down yet -- it's still in workshop mode, but it's close...

The Pizza side was tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, jalapeño, oregano, fennel, fennel seeds, olive oil, nama shoyu, a wee bit of apple cider vinegar and water all pureed together.

The Caesar Salad side was romaine lettuce, spinach, soaked almonds, lemon juice, sea salt, pepper, agave and water, all pureed together.

The trickiest part was getting them in the soup bowls at the same time, and at the right consistency, so they don't run together.

The "dots" are cashew cheese pieces cut with a small cookie cutter with a drop of the pizza and caesar salad soup and then floated on top.

As for the bigger question: Why? ;)

I was watching an episode of "Dinner: Impossible" the other night (the one with Neil Patrick Harris in it) and they made a version of this soup (albeit cooked). The little voice in my head said "hey, we can make this... only as a raw version!" This type of internal dialog happens often, but thankfully, I don't answer back out loud like Homer Simpson.

Homer: Awww, $20!? I wanted a peanut.
Brain: $20 can buy many peanuts.
Homer: Explain how!
Brain: Money can be exchanged for goods and services.
Homer: Woohoo!

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Jambalaya, Gumbo

Dinner 11/13

Jambalaya
(basmati rice, tofu, soyrizo, veg stock, parsley, tamari, cayenne, smoked paprika, pepper)

Gumbo
(onion, garlic, celery, carrot, flour, veg stock, kale, spinach, red kidney beans, red bell pepper, tamari, file powder)

Another dish pulled from the archives -- I need to sit down and work out a recipe, as I just do it in my head these days -- at the core, it's a pilaf -- one cup of rice and 1 1/2 cups of veg stock with the seasonings/tofu/soyrizo, brought to a boil and then down to low for 15 minutes.

The gumbo is a similar kind of thing, as long as you keep tasting as you go, you'll get a sense of what it needs -- this one is based on gumbo z'herbes (whatever dark leafy greens you have on hand) with the addition of kidney beans.

The only drawback to these dishes is that it usually depletes whatever veg stock we have on hand -- so we have to make another batch ASAP. We have some aseptic boxes of veg stock in case of emergency -- but surprisingly it's the kids who can always tell when it's been used... ;)

Monday, November 12, 2007

Tofu Marsala, Tomato Potato Soup

Dinner 11/12

Tofu Marsala

Tomato Potato Soup

The tofu marsala is a family favorite that we like to make 4 or 5 times a year (the recipe is here), served over a little fusilli pasta.

The soup is an easy one to make and stays warm for a good long time...

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...

Sunday, November 11, 2007

Tapas: Asparagus Strata, Sherry Glazed Seitan and Mushrooms, Patatas Bravas, Rosemary Crackers with Green and Kalamata Olives, Shish Kabob

Tapas 11/11

Asparagus Strata

Sherry Glazed Seitan and Mushrooms

Rosemary Crackers with Green and Kalamata Olives

Patatas Bravas
(smoked paprika, red pepper flakes, red bell pepper, red wine vinegar, cumin, red onion)

Shish Kabob
(mushroom, tofu, red bell pepper, red onion with a olive oil, tamari, pepper marinade)

It's tapas night, a veritable little plate parade. ;)

The strata is a bit like the Three Onion Strata from a few nights back. The seitan and mushrooms are simply pan-fried with a little olive oil and garlic and then glazed with a bit of sherry at the end.

The kids had fun cutting the rosemary crackers out from the dough with our pasta trimmer and putting together their shish kabobs -- and remember it's never too early to discuss the finer points of kitchen safety when dealing with sharp pointy sticks... just sayin' be careful. ;)

Saturday, November 10, 2007

Stir-Fry with Shiitake Mushrooms, Jasmine Rice (and Buddha's Scones)

Dinner 11/10

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

Jasmine Rice

Yeah, more stir-fry. I know. We'll try to do better.

To make up for the lack of foodgasm, here's a bonus picture of the killer scones made with Buddha's Hand (citron) that Liz made this morning (I don't have the recipe).

Friday, November 09, 2007

BBQ Tofu, Baked Potato with Chives, Seared/Steamed Brussel Sprouts

Dinner 11/09

BBQ Tofu

Baked Potato with Chives

Seared/Steamed Brussel Sprouts

BBQ Tofu*? Check.

Baked Potato? Check.

Brussel Sprouts? When it's the only green veg left in the fridge, I guess we gotta go with... Check.

* We haven't made that BBQ recipe since June? Damn.

Thursday, November 08, 2007

Carbonnades a la Flamande

Dinner 11/08

Carbonnades a la Flamande
(a.k.a. Seitan and Onions Braised in Beer over Fusilli Pasta)

It's that time of year when we break out the stews, and this adaptation of a Julia Child recipe* is always a favorite. The original calls for six cups of sliced onions, but we usually keep it around four cups along with two packages of seitan cut into cubes. After you cook the onions off with a little salt and olive oil in a dutch oven, remove and do the same to the seitan. Add the onions back in along with some herbes de provence and pepper to taste. Then it's two cups of your favorite Belgian-style vegan beer, and a cup of veg stock. Place in a 375 oven for an hour.

But the interesting thing about this preparation is the finishing touch. Strain out the seitan and onions, leaving just the braising liquid. Then thicken it using a slurry of 1 tbs. of wine vinegar and 2 tbs. cornstarch. It gives the dish a really nice, albeit unusual, finish.

* I can see it now: "Tofu and Julia" -- veganizing all of the recipes from "Mastering The Art of French Cooking Vol. 1." ;)

Maybe I can get Joaquin "Yay Veganism!" Phoenix to play me in the movie version (although I look nothing like him)...

Wednesday, November 07, 2007

Raw Food Wednesday: Pizza, Salade de pamplemousse et d’avocat

Raw Food Wednesday 11/07

Raw Pizza
(cashew cheese, spicy walnut topping, red onion, tomato)

Salade de pamplemousse et d’avocat
(grapefruit and avocado salad)

We made the pizza crusts on Tuesday, saving some time and effort for today -- having only to make the salad before dinner.

People ask us about the long prep times for raw food, and my answer is that the actual prep time isn't any different than cooked foods, it's just done in a different time frame -- 10 minutes the day before, 20 minutes in the morning, 10 minutes before serving...

Tuesday, November 06, 2007

Polenta with Balsamic Tofu and Roasted Broccoli, Chickpea Soup with Collard Greens

Dinner 11/06

Polenta with Balsamic Tofu and Roasted Broccoli

Chickpea Soup with Collard Greens
(recipe below)

The tofu was twice-fried along with some red onion. At the end just toss in the already roasted broccoli (olive oil, salt/pepper roasted at 450F for 15 minutes) and hit it all with a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar to glaze. It all matched very well with the creamy polenta.

Chickpea Soup with Collard Greens

1 tbs, olive oil
1 onion, minced
1 leek, sliced thinly
1 carrot, small dice
1 stalk of celery, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
salt/pepper to taste
1 tsp. herbes de provence

2 medium tomatoes, chopped

15oz. can of chickpeas, drained
4 cups of veg stock
1 tbs. of tamari

6 leaves of collard greens, ribs removed, cut into 1/4" strips.

In a soup pot over medium heat, sweat the onions, leeks, garlic, carrot, celery with salt and pepper for 5-7 minutes in the olive oil. Add the herbes de provence and cook for another minute.

Add the chopped tomatoes, and cook for another 4-5 minutes.

Add the drained chickpeas, veg stock, tamari and bring to a boil, then simmer for 45 minutes.

In a separate pan, wilt the collard greens with a little olive oil, salt and pepper to taste, then add to the soup during the last 15 minutes of cooking.

Check seasoning, serve hot... even better the next day.

Monday, November 05, 2007

Croutes Aux Champignons, Broccoli in Cheese Sauce

Dinner 11/05

Croutes Aux Champignons

Broccoli in Cheese Sauce
(recipe below)

We pulled one out from the archives tonight -- a Victorian-era recipe from 1845. The reason was that Liz made bread with the machine today, so we had two end pieces from the bread that work perfectly for this dish. They were hollowed out and fried on top and bottom in soy margarine.

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

Broccoli in Cheese Sauce
(makes 2)

It's basically the recipe from our son's Mac 'n Cheese minus the "mac" -- this is not a low-fat dish, nor is it something you'd want to eat everyday, plus there's way too much cheese sauce in this picture -- having said all that, mmmmmmmmm. ;)

1 tbs. soy margarine
1 tbs. flour
1/2 cup of rice milk
1 tbs. nutritional yeast
salt/ pepper (to taste)
1/2 cup of Follow Your Heart cheddar

1 small head of broccoli cut into florets
1 tsp. soy maragrine

Melt the soy maragrine and add the flour, whisking until it's one shade darker than it started (about 2-3 minutes). Whisk in the soy milk and cook until thickened.
Then add the nutritional yeast, salt and pepper and stir. Add the FYH and cook over low heat until soy cheese melts.

Blanch the broccoli for two minutes, shock with cold water, dry it off and place in a buttered au gratin dish. Pour the cheese sauce over the top and bake at 350F for 20 minutes.

Sunday, November 04, 2007

Green Curry Tofu with Deep-Fried Rice Balls and Shiitake Mushrooms, Grilled Eggplant, Braised Brussel Sprouts, Stir-Fried Carrots

Dinner 11/04

Green Curry Tofu with Deep-Fried Rice Balls and Shiitake Mushrooms

Grilled Eggplant

Braised Brussel Sprouts

Stir-Fried Carrots

Why yes, the mushrooms on the rice do look like little mustaches!

We broke out the smoker box again -- this time smoking the tofu with black oolong tea for 20 minutes. Then the tofu cut into squares and stir-fried in the wok with a little tamari at the end. We've found that the rice balls work better if they're made from fresh rice. Also, they really don't need more than about a minute in the hot oil to be crispy on the outside while remaining soft on the inside. The green curry sauce is simply coconut milk with enough green curry paste added to make your eyes water... ;)

The eggplant were split in half and grilled with a combo of sesame oil and szechuan pepper. The brussel sprouts and carrots were stir-fried in canola oil first and then braised in a combo of tamari/water/anise seed.

Saturday, November 03, 2007

Pumpkin Seed Tofu, Apricot and Pine Nut Mole, Hominy Soup

Dinner 11/03

Pumpkin Seed Tofu
(recipe below)

Apricot and Pine Nut Mole
(adapted from Rick Bayless)

Hominy Soup

Can you tell we've been DVR-ing Season Five of "Mexico: One Plate At A Time"? ;)

The mole was so good.

Thankfully we only made a half-batch, which normally would have made something like six cups of mole. Although I suppose we could have frozen the rest for later...

~~I couldn't find a copy of the recipe online~~ Jamie found it -- it's a smooth, balanced sauce of ancho chiles, tomatillo, apricot, pine nuts, garlic, bread, cinnamon, sesame seeds, mexican chocolate, veg stock -- sweet/heat/salt with a little umami thrown in.

It'll take a good 1 1/2 hours from mise en place to completion, but if you've got the time and the ingredients, it's worth your time and effort

Pumpkin Seed Tofu
(makes 8 pieces)

1 block of extra-firm tofu, cut into 8 rectangular cutlets
1 tbs. tamari
black pepper

1/2 cup flour
1 tbs. ancho chile powder
1 tsp. salt

1 tbs. cornstarch
1/4 cup water

1 cup pumpkin seeds
1 tbs. cumin seeds

1 tbs. canola oil

The pumpkin-seed tofu uses your standard three station method -- tamari/pepper marinated tofu cutlets rolled in ancho chile seasoned flour, dipped in a cornstarch slurry and finally pressed firmly into the crushed pumpkin and cumin seeds -- use a mortar and pestle to control the size better.

The cutlets were pan-fried over medium heat in canola oil in a cast-iron skillet until golden brown and then placed on a sheet pan and put into a 350F oven for 20 minutes. Remove from pan and allow to rest for 5 minutes before cutting into long triangles.

update: Brian asks, "Can you clarify why you bake the tofu after it is fried?"

The tofu isn't finished cooking internally just by pan-frying -- when the outside is golden brown and perfectly cooked, the inside is not yet finished -- if you cooked the tofu to the point where the inside was perfect, the crust would be black ;)

The baking takes care of the inside, as well as firming up the overall crust, without hurting it...

Friday, November 02, 2007

Three Onion Strata, Steamed Artichoke, Tomato Potato Soup

Dinner 11/02

Three Onion Strata

Steamed Artichoke

Tomato Potato Soup

We tried out something a little different -- and it's a bit of a work in progress but, here's a preliminary recipe...

Three Onion Strata

1 tbs. olive oil
1 cup cippolini onions, sliced thinly
1 cup yellow onion, sliced thinly
1/2 cup shallots, sliced thinly
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes

5 oz. arugula (or spinach)

2 cups cooked fusilli pasta
2 oz. soft tofu (about 1/2 block), pureed
1/4 cup pine nuts

1 tbs. soy margarine
1 tbs. flour
3/4 cup soy/rice milk

2 tbs. nutritional yeast
salt/pepper to taste
parsley for garnish

In cast-iron pan on medium-low heat saute the onions until lightly browned 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic, cook for one minute. Add the sun-dried tomato, salt/pepper to taste, and cook for one more minute. Remove onion mixture to a large mixing bowl.

Add the arugula to the cast-iron pan, add salt/pepper to taste and cook until wilted, 2-3 minutes. Add to the onion mixture.

Add the soy margarine and flour together and whisk to make a roux, cook for 1-2 minutes until the roux darkens one shade. Add the soy milk and 1 tbs. nutritional yeast and whisk until thickened. Add to the onion mixture along with the pureed tofu, cooked pasta and pine nuts. Stir to combine. Check the seasoning and adjust if needed.

Turn off the heat and wipe the cast-iron pan out with a paper towel. Add the bread crumbs to the bottom of the pan.

Add the onion mixture to the cast-iron pan, and press firmly. Sprinkle 1 tbs. of the remaining nutritional yeast on top. Place the cast-iron pan in a 350F oven for 50-60 minutes, until the top is crusty and golden brown.

Remove from the oven and let sit for 10 minutes. Invert the pan onto a cutting board and cut into wedges. Garnish with the minced parsley.

Thursday, November 01, 2007

Pretzel Tofu with Mustard Sauce, "Drunken" Cabbage, Pierogi

Dinner 11/01

Pretzel Tofu

Mustard Sauce
(from Veganomicon)

"Drunken" Cabbage

Pierogi

We bought a package of pretzels (in little bags) for Halloween -- surprisingly we didn't get teepee'd because of this -- but there were a few leftover bags. So, pretzel coated tofu it was... and what matches well with pretzels? Mustard. So, it was an excellent opportunity to try the mustard sauce from Veganomicon* (Hi Isa -- we received the book!).

We did a three station method -- tamari-marinated tofu cutlets were rolled in seasoned flour, then dipped in a cornstarch slurry, finally coated with crushed pretzels and caraway seeds. The tofu cutlets were then fried in the big cast-iron pan until golden brown on both sides. The tofu was then put on a sheet pan and baked for 20 minutes at 350F. After they came out of the oven, they need to rest for 5 minutes or so before you try to cut them into long triangles -- they tend to tear.

They were placed on a bed of "drunken" cabbage (cabbage braised in beer with mustard and caraway) done in a ring mold.

The pierogi (cabbage filling) were from the batch we made late last year and vacuum sealed. I've said it before, but it bears repeating -- it's worth the cost of an extra freezer if you get a vacuum-sealer. When the opportunity presents itself -- in this case it was a giant cabbage for $1 -- you can bank these beauties for nights when you don't feel like cooking, or for an impromptu party.

* Two words: Buy it!

Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Raw Food Wednesday: Beet Ravioli, Zucchini Pasta with Moroccan Sauce, Cheese and Crackers

Raw Food Wednesday 10/31

Beet Ravioli
(stuffed with cashew cheese)

Zucchini Pasta with Moroccan Sauce

Cheese and Crackers
(cashew cheese with peppercorns and flax seed crackers)

I wanted to do something for Halloween, so the spiral-cut zucchini noodles were tossed with a Moroccan sauce from Gabriel Cousens book (carrot, orange, cumin, allspice, pepper, olive oil, salt) that was delicious in addition to being vibrantly orange!

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Mapo Tofu, Jasmine Rice

Dinner 10/30

Mapo Tofu

Jasmine Rice

It's a long recipe, but it's really not that hard to make...

Mapo Tofu

16 oz. extra-firm tofu cut into 32 triangles
1 tbs. canola oil
2 tsp. tamari*

In a large carbon-steel wok, stir-fry the tofu in canola oil over med-high heat, until golden brown. Turn the heat down to low and add the tamari, turning often to coat, for 1 minute. Remove the tofu from wok and set aside on a plate.

1 carrot, sliced thinly on the bias
1 red bell pepper sliced thinly
1/2 cup shiitake mushrooms, sliced
1 tsp. tamari
canola oil

Turn the heat back up to med-high. Add additional canola oil to the wok if needed. Stir-fry the carrot and red bell pepper for 2-3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and stir-fry for an additional 2-3 minutes. Turn the heat down to low, add the tamari and cook for 1 minute. Remove the vegetables from wok and set aside on a separate plate.

4 oz. soyrizo (or tvp, soaked and drained)
1 tbs. canola oil

2 tbs. garlic, minced
1 tbs. ginger, zested
2 scallions chopped (separate the green and white sections for different use)
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. Szechuan peppercorns, crushed

1 tsp. sriracha
2 tbs. tamari
1 tsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. agave
1 tbs. sherry

Turn the wok back to med-high, add canola oil and stir-fry the soyrizo (or drained tvp) until lightly browned, 3-5 minutes.

Add the garlic, ginger, just the green part of the scallions, red pepper flakes and szechuan peppercorns. Stir-fry for 1 minute.

Add the reserved vegetables and mushrooms.

Add the tamari, sesame oil, agave, sriracha and sherry and stir to combine.

1 tbs. cornstarch
1/4 cup of water

Whisk the cornstarch and water in a small bowl, add about half of the mixture to the wok and stir until it comes to a boil and thickens up. If it still looks too liquid-y, add additional cornstarch.

1 tsp. sesame oil
reserved scallions

Add the sesame oil and stir to combine. Check for seasoning, add additional tamari if it needs salt.

Serve with the tofu triangles over jasmine rice, garnish with the reserved scallions.

* we use San-J organic tamari (the wheat-free, reduced sodium version)

Monday, October 29, 2007

Chicago Diner Burgers, French Fries

Dinner 10/29

Chicago Diner Burgers

French Fries

The recipe for the burgers is here (via VegTimes, er... "Greens"?)

French Fries

Peel and cut four russet potatoes into 1/2" thick fries, drop them in ice water for 30 minutes. Drain and rinse the potatoes.

In small batches, blanch in 275F peanut oil for 6-7 minutes (they'll get opaque, don't let them brown). Remove and let rest for at least 15 minutes.

Place the potatoes back into the oil in small batches, deep-fried at 375F for 2-3 minutes.

Drain on paper towels and add salt (or smoked paprika) immediately. Serve hot.

Sunday, October 28, 2007

Grilled Pizza (yet again)

Dinner 10/28

Grilled Pizza
(mushroom, red onion, smoked tofu, kalamata olives, FYH Monterey Jack)

Weekend? Check.

Grilled Pizza? Check.

recipe for the dough here

Saturday, October 27, 2007

Apple Cider and Maple Syrup Glazed Tofu Lollipops, Root Vegetable Terrine, Olive Oil and Sauternes Cake with Roasted Pears

Dinner 10/27

Apple Cider and Maple Syrup Glazed Tofu Lollipops

Root Vegetable Terrine

Dessert

Olive Oil and Sauternes Cake with Roasted Pears

While updating the "recipe" label* (over there on the upper left of the page), I came across an entry from two years ago for this dish -- so we re-framed it slightly, doing the glazed tofu lollipop thing, and turning the root veggies into a terrine.

For the lollipops: the tofu was first cut into rounds with a cookie cutter, and smoked with hickory wood -- a great match with the apple cider/maple syrup. Then it was fried in canola oil until lightly golden brown. Turn the heat down to low, add a splash of tamari, and cook for one more minute.

At this point you can finish it two ways

One: just pour the apple cider/maple syrup glaze over the tofu and continue to cook until the sauce glazes.

Two: brush the tofu circles with the sauce, place on a rack under a broiler, for about 1 minute per side.

Remove from the heat and insert the hors d'oeuvre forks (carefully, the tofu will be hot!) and serve.

The terrine was roasted sweet potato, yukon gold potato, carrot, parsnips, red onion, butternut squash layered with wilted kale and button mushrooms. The veggies were cut into 1/2" dice and roasted for 40 minutes at 425F, then lightly mashed. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper and layer the vegetables into the terrine with a little of the orange/maple syrup/rosemary sauce (2 oranges juiced, 1 tbs. maple syrup, 1 sprig of rosemary, lightly bruised -- boiled together and reduced by half). The terrine was baked for an additional 30 minutes at 350F, inverted and cut with out ancient (circa 1965) electric knife. If you want the terrine to really compress, making it easier to hold together when cutting -- take a brick and cover it with a couple of layers of aluminum foil -- and lay on top of the terrine while it bakes.

The cake/pear combo was adapted from Food and Wine -- just sub out soy milk and soft tofu for the eggs...

* we're up over 100 recipes, which surprised me ;)

Friday, October 26, 2007

Tostadas

Dinner 10/26

Tostadas

We were making room for all of the ravioli and came across the corn tortilla shells hiding in the back of the freezer, so we decided to make a quick meal with black beans, fried tofu and potatoes, and tomate frito (with some of the gorgeous habanero peppers Liz picked up at the co-op yesterday).

Thursday, October 25, 2007

Sweet and Sour Tofu, Jasmine Rice, Szechuan Eggplant and Green Beans

Dinner 10/25

Sweet and Sour Tofu

Jasmine Rice

Szechuan Eggplant and Green Beans

The seitan order didn't come in at the co-op, so we subbed tofu. The recipe for the sauce remained the same -- tamari, agave, rice wine vinegar and ketchup thickened with 1/2 cup of water and 1 tbs. of cornstarch.

The szechuan eggplant and green bean dish is a variation on the one we usually make with a extra shot of sriracha sauce...

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Raw Food Wednesday: Autumn Roll, Celeriac and Green Apple Soup

Raw Food Wednesday 10/24

Autumn Roll

Celeriac and Green Apple Soup
(adapted from "Raw Food Real World")

Oh, how we struggled with a name for this... ;)

Rawsage? Faux Sausage? (fauxsage?!), or the other option was: "Collard Greens Stuffed with Dehydrated Walnut, Sun-dried Tomato, Sage, Fennel Seed and Dill Seed" -- but that seemed long-winded ;)

In the end, as the leaves have almost peaked here in Ohio, we went with "Autumn Roll"

We made the stuffing and filling in the morning, and assembled the roll with the squash threads about an hour before dinner.

Perhaps for Thanksgiving we'll make these again with a cranberry dipping sauce -- which would be an awesome way to serve them.

Autumn Roll
(makes 6)

6 Collard Green leaves

Stuffing

1/4 cup celery
1/4 cup parsnip
1/4 cup carrot
1/4 cup red bell pepper
1/2 cup cremini mushrooms
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbs. olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Cut them all into a small dice, combine and dehydrate at 105F for 30 minutes.

Walnut/Sun-Dried Tomato Filling:

1 cup walnuts
1/2 cup soaked sun-dried tomatoes
1 tbs. nama shoyu
1 tbs. dried sage
1 tbs. fennel seed
1 tbs. dill seed
black pepper (to taste)

Crush the spices with mortar and pestle. Add half of the spices (reserve the rest) to a high-speed blender along with the walnuts, sun-dried tomatoes and nama shoyu. Pulse until it begins to break down and gets sticky. Divide the filling into six pieces, and roll into tube shapes about 1/2" thick and 3-4 inches long. Place in the dehydrator at 105F for 2 hours.

Butternut Squash (just the top part)
1 tsp. olive oil
salt and pepper (to taste)

Peel the squash and spiral cut into medium-sized strings. Toss with olive oil, the rest of the reserved spices, salt and pepper.

Here's the step-by-step with pretty pictures...

Step 1: Cut out the center rib of collard greens, about 3/4ths of the way up the leaf. Brush with olive oil. Place in a 105F dehydrator for 20 minutes to soften it up.

Step 2: Place about two tablespoons of the stuffing about 1" from the bottom of the leaf.

Step 3: Place the walnut/sun-dried tomato filling on top of the stuffing.

Step 4: Add the optional cashew cheese. We had some leftover, so we used it. This already has plenty of nuts, so feel free to omit this step.

Step 5: Roll up from the bottom, then fold in the sides...

Step 6: ...and roll all the way to the top. Press gently, with the seam-side down.

Step 7: Lay the butternut squash threads on the cutting board, north to south. Place the roll at the bottom, fold over the threads, and roll tightly to the top of the board.

Step 8: Here's a close-up of the roll. Put the rolls back in the dehydrator for 1 hour at 105F. This tightens the butternut squash threads, sealing the roll.

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Leek and Potato Soup in a Bread Bowl, Roasted Turnips Stuffed with Seitan, Mushrooms and Leeks

Dinner 10/23

Leek and Potato Soup in a Bread Bowl

Roasted Turnips stuffed with Seitan, Mushrooms and Leeks

Edible bread bowls (or boule) are always fun -- and the potato and leek soup is a great combo. It's hearty enough to be a meal unto itself, but we had two leftover turnips that I hollowed out with a melon baller, roasted for 20 minutes at 425F and then stuffed with the fried seitan, button mushrooms, leeks, garlic, herbes de provence, salt and pepper.

There appears to be some sort of epic battle going on between the winged creatures... ;)

Monday, October 22, 2007

Stir-Fry-A-Go-Go

Dinner 10/22

Stir-Fry-a-go-go
(tofu, carrot, red bell pepper, snow peas, shiitake mushrooms, garlic, ginger, tamari, sriracha sauce)

The "a-go-go" part come from the addition of the Sriracha (a.k.a. Rooster Sauce) -- especially when you open a brand new bottle -- hoo-boy! ;)

Sunday, October 21, 2007

Ravioli, Roasted Broccoli

Dinner 10/21

Ravioli

Roasted Broccoli

deja vu, all over again -- there was a ton of filling left from the other night so we made another big batch and froze half. I played around with the dough tonight, making the round versions in the shot above. I didn't embarrass myself in handling the dough, so there may be hope yet ;)

Saturday, October 20, 2007

Paella, Shish Kabob

Dinner 10/20

Paella

Shish Kabob

We bought a paella pan yesterday, so we had to try it out -- after seasoning it first. It looks a bit like a shallow wok -- which is usually what we use to make paella.

I need to work up the recipe for this, but it's basically, onion, garlic, green bean, smoked tofu, soyrizo, smoked paprika, veg stock, tamari, pepper, saffron and rice -- done pilaf style.

The shish kabobs were more for the kids, but we saved a couple for our plates as well ;)

Friday, October 19, 2007

White Bean Cassoulet, Bistro Salad

Dinner 10/19

White Bean Cassoulet

Bistro Salad

A simple Friday night meal... We added a little of the lacinato/dinosaur kale to the cassoulet (onion, garlic, soyrizo, cannellini beans, tomato, tamari, pepper) because as we say around the house -- "it's not getting any fresher" ;)

Thursday, October 18, 2007

Seitan Bourguignon, Green Beans

Dinner 10/18

Seitan Bourguignon

Green Beans

Stew weather has returned -- here's the quicky version of the recipe -- In a dutch oven, fry 16oz. seitan, 1 sliced carrot, 1 sliced onion, 3 cloves of garlic. Cook until softened. Add 1 tbs. herbes de provence, salt and pepper to taste, and a 2 tbs. of flour. Put it in a 450F oven and roast for 4 minutes. Remove from the oven and add 3 cups of red wine and 2 cups of veg stock. Stir to scrape all the fond off the bottom of the pan. Return to a 375F oven and braise for an hour. Serve over pasta. Magic!