Dinner 5/31

Cannellini Bean Phyllo Purses on a Bed of Polenta and Zinfandel Sauce *

Grilled Broccoli Rabe

Grilled Pear


* from the "Artful Vegan" cookbook. Time consuming yes, but a welcome result ;)

Dinner 5/30

Portobello Mushroom Sandwich
(ciabatta, portobello mushrooms, roasted red bell pepper, roasted onion, basil, soy cheese, olive oil, basalmic vinegar)

Green Beans

Dinner 5/29

Mashed Potatoes
(w/ parsley, onion and pine nuts

Turkish Soup
(veg stock, leek, potato, onion, garlic, celery, cinnamon, vinegar, chile powder)

Tagine
(seitan, onion, garlic, ginger, apricots, cinnamon, chickpeas, salt, pepper and water)

Dinner 5/28

Pasta Puttanesca

Braised Brussel Sprouts

Italian Bread

Dinner 5/27

Enoki Mushroom Soup
(fennel stock, enoki mushrooms, konnyaku noodles and tofu)

Grilled Ramps w/ Sesame Oil

Jasmine Rice

Green Beans w/ Black Sesame Seeds

Stir-Fried Tofu

Dinner 5/26

Tlalpeno Soup

Potato, Soyrizo and Poblano Burritos

Salsa and Chips
(tomato, onion, jalapeno, lime juice and cilantro)

Dinner 5/25

Capellini Pomodoro
(tomatoes, garlic, basil)

Italian Bread

Tony Coturri Tasting @ Riverside Wine and Imports 5/24

Tlalpeno Soup (Mexican Chipotle and Chickpea soup)
Tempeh Sushi
Avocado Sushi
Spicy Thai Salad Served in Boston Lettuce Wraps
Tomato, Garlic and Basil Bruschetta
Roasted Potatoes w/ Rosemary
Hoisin Green Beans
Chocolate Olive Oil Cake

Dinner 5/23

Focaccia "Pizza"
(morel mushrooms, onion, garlic, soy cheese)

Dinner 5/22

Braised Tempeh over Gemelli Pasta w/ Herb Aioli

Italian Bread

Dinner 5/21

Pizza
(tomato suace, soy cheese)

Sushi
(avocado, carrot, scallion)

Dinner 5/20

Asparagus and Rhubarb Cannelloni w/ Orange and Turmeric Sauce and Herb Aioli

via "Artful Vegan" -- instead of pasta sheets for the cannelloni, I used 4 overlapping lasanga noodles to roll up the asparagus and rhubarb.

Dinner 5/19

Spring Rolls w/ Mint Dipping Sauce
(shiitake mushrooms, leeks, garlic, ginger, hoisin sauce, cilantro, scallions)

Tomatillo and Tamarind Soup
(via Ming Tsai)

Glazed Carrots in Sake

Dinner 5/18

Caramelized Onion, Morel Mushroom and Mashed Potato Phyllo Roll *

Beet Salad w/ Horseradish Dressing


* from the "Artful Vegan" cookbook, which has a mention of Tony Coturri in it. BTW, Tony's coming to Kent on 5/24 if anybody wants to drink some biodynamic/organic wine and eat some vegan food...

Dinner 5/17

Fennel Soup w/ Gyoza Dumplings
(sauteed shiitake mushrooms, ramps, garlic and fennel)

Dinner 5/16

Sauteed Tofu w/ Garlic Eggplant

Basmati Rice

Dinner 5/15

Tofu Tetrazzini w/ Rapini over Rigatoni Pasta
(tofu, onions, red bell peppers, crimini mushrooms, Broccoli Raab/Rabe)

Fava Bean and Fennel Salad

Italian Bread

Dinner 5/14

Pizza
(tomato, red onion, black olives, tomato sauce, soy cheese)

Guacamole & Nachos
(avocado, lime juice, chili powder, onion, tomato)

Dinner 5/13

Achiote Rice with Tempeh "Carnitas" *
(achiote paste -- annato seeds, vinegar, garlic, salt -- mixed with poblano peppers and onion and basmati rice)

Sauteed Plantains and Soyrizo

* via Rick Bayless, a rice pilaf with tempeh "carnitas", braised in water and shoyu with a little achiote paste, then deep fried -- much the same as the filling we use for sushi.

Dinner 5/12

Spicy Chickpeas w/ Red Bell Pepper and Shredded Tofu
(onion, garlic, ginger, chickpeas, red bell pepper, cumin, corriander, turmeric, garam masala, lemon juice and cilantro)

Indian Style Gazpacho w/ Papadams*

Roasted Corn


* yes, a bastardized version of gazpacho using pureed tomato, red bell pepper, red onion, cumin, corriander, tumeric, red pepper, garam marsala, lime juice and olive oil along with diced cucumber, celery and basil. surprisingly good.

Dinner 5/11

Sauteed Baby Artichokes w/ Shredded Tofu over Rigatoni
(baby artichokes, red onion, garlic, red bell pepper, veg stock, tofu)

Italian Bread

Mixed Green Salad w/ Basalmic Onions
(w/ basalmic vinaigrette)

Dinner 5/10

Mongolian Barbecued Tofu*

Seared/Steamed Hoisin Green Beans

Roasted Potatoes

* hoisin/vinegar based sauce, brushed on as the tofu was grilled

Dinner 5/9

Hoisin Seitan

Braised Leeks

Multi-Grain Bread

Dinner 5/8

Rosemary and Sea Salt Focaccia
(topped w/ onion and sun-dried tomatoes)

Steamed/Sauteed Fiddlehead Ferns w/ Sauteed Baby Morel Mushrooms*

Grilled Corn**

Seared/Steamed Hoisin Green Beans

* the third time we've had these and I think we finally have a handle on how to prepare them -- steaming them makes them tender without overcooking them, and frying them adds the flavor that they desperately need ;)

** first batch of the year, yay!

Dinner 5/7

White Bean Cassoulet

Steamed Broccoli

Dinner 5/6

Panini Sandwich (pt.2)*
(tofu, onions, garlic and soy cheese w/ rustic french bread)

Guacamole and Chips

* We got the panini maker last week and have been using it mostly for breakfast and lunch (hmmm... peanut butter and jelly panini). But we decided to make dinner with it this week and see what works and possibly try to use it for a future tasting...

Dinner 5/5

Panini Sandwich
(onion, portobello mushroom, soy cheese)

Dill Pickles

Dinner 5/4

Orange [Beef] Seitan

Jasmine Rice

Seared/Steamed Snow Peas w/ Orange Sauce


* yeah, I know Chinese on Cinco de Mayo ;)

Dinner 5/3

Tostadas
(black bean, soy cheese and guacamole)

Grilled Asparagus with Chipotle Lime Sauce

Tex-Mex Zucchini and Potatoes
(from the current Fine Cooking)

Mixed Green Salad and Icicle Radishes
(w/ tequila vinaigrette)

Dinner 5/2

Eggplant Marsala *

Rigatoni Pasta


* OK, I don't think this one shows up in traditional Italian cookbooks ;)

I made this on the spur of the moment using the last of the eggplant (and there was much rejoicing -- yay!) 1 1/2" thick rounds, scored lightly on top and bottom and pan-seared, then baked for 20 minutes, finally utilizing a japanese technique of making a miso-based glaze, but using marsala, sherry and white miso in place of sake, mirin and brown/red miso -- brushing it on top and bottom and then finishing them under a broiler for two minutes per side. As a base, I sauteed white mushrooms until almost dry, added garlic and tomato paste, then sauteed for another minute, then added a cup of marsala and reduced it down to almost a syrup -- a splash of lemon juice, a little Monter au Beurre action and some parsley and you've got a nice mushroom and sauce base.

The dish turned out very nicely, and was pretty easy to prep on the fly, so you'll probably see this turn up at a future Italian wine tasting...

Dinner 5/1

Spicy Yellow Curry w/ Eggplant, Chinese Long Beans and Tofu

Pad Thai Noodles