Dinner 1/31

Seitan Stew
(lentils, veg stock, seitan, onion, garlic, tamari, pepper)

Yukon Gold Potatoes

Homemade Ciabatta


around here, this is comfort food... ;)

Tags: seitan, ciabatta, potatoes, food, dinner, vegan, tofu

Tempeh Strudel, Braised Endive, Steamed Broccoli, Spinach and Caramelized Asian Pear Salad

Dinner 1/30

Tempeh Strudel

Braised Endive

Steamed Broccoli

Spinach and Caramelized Asian Pear Salad
(spinach, Asian pear, dried cherries, fig vinaigrette)



The idea for this recipe came from a class I took back in 1999 with Michael Symon at WRSOC -- the grape leaves keep the tempeh from drying out, and add a nice visual element...


Tempeh Strudel

1 package of tempeh (8 oz)

Cut the tempeh into four strips lengthwise and then cut again in half giving eight pieces about four inches long.

Braising Liquid for Tempeh

1 tbs sake
1 tbs tamari or light soy sauce
water

In a small saute pan, place the tempeh in the mix of sake, tamari and add enough water so that the liquid comes up about halfway on the tempeh pieces. Bring to a boil, partially cover with a lid, and braise for about 10 minutes or until liquid cooks off.

Deep Frying The Tempeh

3 cups of Canola Oil

Drain the tempeh, and deep fried in 350 degree oil until golden (2-3 minutes). Drain on paper towels, let cool slightly.

Wrapping the Tempeh in Grape Leaves

8 packaged Grape Leaves, rinsed to remove brine

Take one piece of tempeh, and roll up in the grape leave like a cigar. Don't worry if it doesn't completely cover the tempeh. Repeat for the rest of the tempeh.

Wrapping Tempeh in Phyllo

8 Sheets of Phyllo Dough
1/4 olive oil
2 tsp. rosemary
2 tsp. herbes de provence
pinch of smoked salt

Mix together the oil, rosemary, herbes de provence and salt (you can adjust the balance of the mix depending on your affinity to rosemary)

Lay out one sheet of phyllo, brush the left side with the oil/rosemary/herbes de provence mixture, fold over and coat new exposed side.

Center the grape leaf wrapped tempeh about 2 inches from the bottom of phyllo, fold bottom flap up over the tempeh, brush exposed area. Fold the left and right sides of the phyllo inward and brush exposed areas. Roll the tempeh up, coating the exposed phyllo as you continue. Repeat for the other pieces of tempeh.

Here's a close-up of the final dish.



Here's a close-up of the Spinach and Caramelized Asian Pear Salad.

Tags: tempeh, michael symon, food, dinner, vegan, tofu

Dinner 1/29

Kabotcha and Acorn Squash Ravioli
(roasted squash, thyme, sage, paprika, soft tofu)

Wilted Collard Greens with Raisins

Homemade Ciabatta


it took us one round of fumbling around while rolling out the pasta to get back into the ravioli groove, but once there, it was magic ;)

the soft tofu subbed for the marscapone, and wasn't the usual aseptic boxed version, but a different version that comes in a 8" plastic tube

Tags: ravioli, food, dinner, vegan, tofu

Dinner 1/28

Orange Seitan

Jasmine Rice

Gyoza
(stuffed with shiitake mushroom and napa cabbage)

Garlic Soup With Tofu



A variation on the takeout classic "Orange Beef" for Chinese New Year 2006...

Orange Seitan

1 package (8oz) of Seitan, cut into thin slices

Marinade:

1 tsp. light soy or tamari
1 tsp. sesame oil
1 tbs. chinese cooking wine (or sherry or white wine) optional
1/2 tsp. sugar (florida crystals/rapadura)
salt and pepper to taste

Orange Peel:

1 orange -- cut a thin slice off the top and bottom, lay flat and cut peel off as you go around. Cut the peel into 1/4" slices. Save the orange segments for the sauce.

Orange Sauce:

2 tbs. Chinese cooking wine / sherry / white wine (optional)
1 tbs. hoisin sauce (make sure it's the vegan kind)
1 tbs. mushroom sauce
1 tbs. sesame oil
3 tbs. fresh squeezed orange juice
1 tsp. scallions
1/2 tsp. fresh ginger, microplaned
1/2 tsp. fresh garlic, minced
1 tbs. sugar

cornstarch
peanut oil


Assembly:

Mix the marinade ingredients together and add the seitan. Let sit for one hour.

Prep the Orange slices.

Prepare Orange Sauce: in a bowl, combine ingredients and make sure the sugar is dissolved, set aside.

Drain seitan pieces from marinade and dust with cornstarch. Stir-fry quickly in peanut oil in small batches. Drain on paper towels. Discard oil.

Add 1 tbs of oil to wok and heat until sizzling hot, Stir-fry strips of orange peel until crispy. Pour sauce ingredients into wok, stir until bubbly and thickened. Add seitan, stir-fry for one minute. Serve immediately over rice.

Tags: chinese new year 2006, year of the dog, food, dinner, vegan, tofu

Dinner 1/27

Pierogis
(stuffed with cabbage and onion)

Fava Beans

Mache Salad
(with Cucumbers and Creamy Dill Dressing)



from deep in the freezer came these beauties -- a simple meal after a long day slaving over the cupcakes ;)

Chai Latte Cupcakes 1/27


Testing out some cupcakes this week...

the close-up



the group shot:



the cutaway:



and of course, the totally gratuitious shot ;)



it would have been cool to put one cupcake in each of (I think it's) Devi's Kali's hands, but there wasn't enough room...

(thanks Ashley!)

Dinner 1/26

Fusilli w/ Tomato Sauce and Basil

Garlic Bread

Fava Beans


We made a big batch of tomato sauce from another "orphan food" score -- two flats of organic tomatoes (about 40 total) for $3.50... and as always, you can't have fava beans without mentioning a nice chianti ;)

Raw Food Wednesday: Chiles Rellenos, Taco Three One Ways

Raw Food Wednesday 1/25

Chiles Rellenos
(red bell pepper stuffed with pumpkin seed pate, garlic, onion, carrot, succhini, bragg's liquid amino, cayenne, jalapeno, lemon juice, dehydrated for 8 hours @ 105 degrees)

Taco Three One Ways
(from Charlie Trotter /Roxanne Klein's "Raw" book: flax seed shells, stuffed with shredded lettuce, tomato, onion, avocado, dehydrated oyster mushrooms and topped with cashew "sour cream")



The tacos can be made with three different fillings -- we decide to go with one ;)

We've been wanting to make these since we picked up the Charlie Trotter / Roxanne Klein book a while back.

They're really not very hard to make if you're comfortable making the flax seed crackers. Biting into them you're expecting the shells to shatter like regular tacos, but they just break apart gracefully.

Of course, because it uses a ring mold to cut the taco shells into rounds, it automatically appeals to me ;)

Dinner 1/24

Panade
(from "Zuni Cafe" by Judy Rodgers -- onions, garlic, bread, kale, soy cheese, veg stock, salt and pepper)

Parsnip and Turnip Gratin w/ Prunes
(from "Sunday Suppers at Lucques" by Suzanne Goins)




If it's January, it must be Panade -- slow cooking goodness... The parsnip and turnip gratin was interesting with the addition of the prunes, two flavors/tastes that I wouldn't have thought to put together -- but they really help each other in this dish...

Dinner 1/23

Falafel

Tabbouleh on Romaine Lettuce

BBQ Pomegranate Tofu
(grilled tofu, pepper, tamari, pomegranate syrup)

Lentil and Greens Soup
(french lentils, onion, garlic, carrot, radish greens, kale, veg stock, salt, pepper)


sadly the battery died before I could get a picture of the soup, but it looked a lot like this version from July 2005



also, it's our 4th blogiversary today. w00t! ;)

Dinner 1/22

Chiles Rellenos
(roasted poblano stuffed with a sauteed mixture of 1 cup white bean, 1 cup of soyrizo, 1 cup oyster mushrooms, tamari, pepper, olive oil on a bed of red bell pepper puree)*

Tostadas
(onion, garlic, refried black beans, roasted bell red pepper, tomato, avocado, jalapeno, soy cheese, watercress)


* the red bell pepper puree was made by our son this afternoon -- he described what he wanted to do, and we helped him put it together -- roasted red bell pepper, sauteed onion, garlic, salt, pepper and olive oil all pureed together. The sauce worked really well at lunch just slathered on tofu cutlets -- and worked equally as well as a base for the rellenos and tostadas...

Dinner 1/21


Quinoa Loaf topped with Mushrooms in Gravy

Roasted Potatoes

Haricot Verts

Spinach Salad with Creamy Dill Dressing


Blow-by-blow pictures and instructions on how to make the quinoa loaf can be found in six parts -- starting here 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |

UPDATE: as requested, here's the recipe

Quinoa Loaf:

3/4 cup of quinoa
1 1/2 cups of water
1/4 tsp. salt

Cook until all the water has evaporated, about 15 minutes, remove from the pan and set aside.

2 tbs olive oil
1 cup diced celery
1/4 diced fennel
1/2 cup minced onion
2 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 cup minced red bell pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. marjoram
1/4 tsp. cardamom

Saute for five minutes.

3/4 cup of pinto beans
2 tbs. tahini
2 tbs. sesame seeds
2 tbs. of stone ground wheat flour
2 tbs. gluten flour

Add these ingredients and cook for a few minutes to combine.

Add the quinoa to the bean mixture, mix well and press firmly into a well-oiled mini loaf pan.

Bake for 45 minutes at 400 degrees

Dinner 1/20

Tofu for Almodovar

Braised Carrots

Deep-Fried Baby Artichokes

Celeriac Salad
(from Jamie Oliver -- celeriac, capers, cornichon pickles, veganaise, vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper)

yes, a it's an adaptation of a Rachael Ray dish -- sub out for the tofu, soy margarine, and veg stock one-to-one, otherwise it's the same -- and yes, we make fun of her just like everyone else (i.e. evoo, the giggle), but this is a good quick dish. Usually we break this one out when there's a new Almodovar DVD out, but there's been nothing new since "Bad Education"...

The deep-fried baby artichokes were a bit of a revelation -- we weren't expecting much, but they really were crunchy, crispy and tasty... sort of like potato skins.

Dinner 1/19

Porcini and Seitan Stew
(onion, garlic, carrot, porcini mushroom, seitan, rosemary, sage, unfiltered/unfined red wine, porcini mushroom stock, veg stock, salt, pepper)

Basil and Onion Mashed Potatoes
(from "The Splendid Table" -- onion, garlic, parsley, basil, potatoes, olive oil, soy margarine, soy milk, salt, pepper)

Braised Fennel

Pasta e Fagoli
(onion, garlic, carrot, rosemary, sage, cannellini beans, stellette pasta, veg stock, salt, pepper)

Ciabatta


The stew is something we're working on for an upcoming catering gig. The mashed potatoes were nice change of pace and soaked up the extra gravy from the stew...

Raw Food Wednesday: Greek Salad, Cauliflower Soup with Balsamic Red Onions and Wilted Lettuce, Fennel Seed Crackers

Raw Food Wednesday 1/18

Greek Salad
(from Charlie Trotter/Roxanne Klein: haricot verts, romaine lettuce, bibb lettuce, kalamata olives, cherry tomatoes, english cucumber, shallot, cinnamon, clove, feta "cheese", lemon juice vinaigrette)

Cauliflower Soup with Balsamic Red Onions and Wilted Lettuce

Fennel Seed Crackers


With some haricot verts in hand, we decided to make the raw Greek Salad from Charlie/Roxanne's "Raw" book. The Feta Cheese is an interesting bit of work -- you take soaked almonds, add some rejuvilac, nutritional yeast, onion, lemon juice, and salt -- spread it out on the teflex sheet, dehydrate for six hours, flip it and go for another two, then cut it into cubes, and finish for another four hours. It comes out just right -- a subtly sour bite, with enough texture to hold up to the vinaigrette without disintegrating...

We also decided to go with the Cauliflower Soup from the same book... Now, usually raw cauliflower soups don't do much for me but this one was pretty good -- very creamy from putting the puree of cauliflower, olive oil, red wine vinegar and water through a medium mesh strainer and the dehydrated balsamic onions and wilted greens that go a long way in boosting the flavor.

The fennel seed crackers were our variation on the flax seed crackers, with the addition of kalamata olives and fennel seed (natch) -- to "Greek" it up a little ;)

Tags: raw food wednesday, raw food, raw, cauliflower, fennel seed, salad, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Dinner 1/17


Balsamic Glazed Tofu on a bed of Wilted Chard and Polenta

Braised Carrots

Roasted Broccoli

Garlic Bread


The Balsamic Tofu was adapted from a traditional roasted chicken recipe found in "The Splendid Table" -- one block of tofu cut into in eight cutlets, add salt/pepper, pan fried until golden, splashed with 1 tbs of tamari, and fried for another minute or so. The glaze was 2 tbs of balsamic vinegar mixed with 1 tsp of brown sugar (rapadura) and poured over the top of the tofu until reduced. Then the tofu was sliced and put over the polenta/wilted chard combo.

Polenta is an acquired skill -- we've had our share of lumpy, grainy, under/overcooked disasters -- however, this was not one of them ;)

It's a bit like making risotto -- patience, the right amount of polenta (1 cup) to the right amount of water (3 cups to start, 3 more cups over the course of cooking) at the right time, and lots and lots and lots and lots of stirring.

Did I mention the stirring? ;)

It was seasoned with soy parmesan, pepper and soy margarine at the end of cooking. It was purposely kept a little plain so it wouldn't overwhelm the garlic/onion combo in the chard and the balsamic tofu...

Dinner 1/16

Garlic Eggplant
(garlic, ginger, eggplant, chile sauce, hoisin, tamari, sesame oil, toasted sesame seeds)

Stir-Fry
(tofu, carrot, baby corn, garlic, ginger, tamari)

Fried Rice
(jasmine rice, tamari, scallions)

Gyoza
(stuffed with napa cabbage, shiitake mushroom, carrot and scallions, seared/steamed)

The BoB's

The voting has opened for the "Best of Blog Awards" -- we were nominated for "Best Cooking/Recipe Blog" -- scroll down about 10 items for the food voting and check out all the other worthy food blogs...

UPDATE: thanks to everybody who has voted so far -- it's pretty close!

UPDATE 2: Voting is open until January 30th. Supposedly you can vote once a day, but it looks like there's an issue with the cookies and static IP address.

UPDATE 3: Voting will now close on 4pm January 19th. oh well...

Dinner 1/15

a.k.a. Tapas 2: Electric Boogaloo

Soyrizo in Puff Pastries
(olive oil, onion, garlic, soyrizo, smoked paprika, soy cheese, homemade puff pastry)

Grilled White Asparagus
(white asparagus, blanched and then marinated with olive oil, salt, pepper, smoked paprika, then grilled)

White Bean and Mushroom Stew
(olive oil, garlic, onion, cannellini beans, oyster mushrooms, salt, pepper... and smoked paprika)

Steamed Artichokes w/ Saffron Aioli
(garlic, olive oil, saffron, vegenaise)



Dessert

Vanilla Cake with Pink Frosting

The cake was adapted from the "More From Magnolia" cupcake book -- flax seed (eggs), soy margarine (butter), soy milk (milk) pretty much in a one-for-one substitution. The coloring comes from a beet extract and is vegan...



We had picked out a bunch of recipes to try with our tapas dinner yesterday, but we couldn't get to all of them -- hence tonight's repeat theme -- Tapas 2: Electric Boogaloo... it's -- ah, just google it already ;)

Liz made the puff pastry in the morning and the layers came out very delicate and flaky -- they sort of reminded me of spanish gyoza's...

As for the cake, well, the cake came about because our kids are in their obsessing-about-cake phase and we're indulgent parents ;)

Dinner 1/14

Red Bell Pepper Tart

Potatoes Rioja Style
(from "Tapas, A Taste of Spain In America" by Jose Andres pg. 52: olive oil, garlic, onion, potatoes, smoked paprika, salt)

Wilted Chard and Beet Greens with Smoked Paprika
(chard, beet greens, olive oil, shallots, smoked paprika, salt)

Spanish Brussel Sprouts
(from "Vegan Family Cookbook" pg. 83: olive oil, onion, garlic, brussel sprouts, red bell pepper, smoked paprika, tomatoes, oregano, salt)


a very nice change of pace Tapas meal, with the kids helping (and nibbling on the potatoes) in the kitchen during the cooking of the Spanish Brussel Sprouts.

Lunch

Grilled Portobello Sandwich


Today's lunch outing with the Vegan Family Cookbook (pg. 141) was picked by our daughter but made by our son -- a straigtforward recipe of grilled portobello mushrooms on a crusty sourdough bread. On a very cold and very windy day, it really hit the spot.

He made the oil/garlic/thyme/basil/salt mix and brushed it on the mushrooms and then put them on the grill (getting used to the spring loaded tongs may take a bit of practice) for five minutes. We upgraded the sandwich with the addition of some roasted red pepper and wilted arugula along with the soy cheese on the sourdough bread.

Dinner 1/13

Bulgogi
Korean-Style Barbecue Seitan Wrap *
(seitan cut into strips, marinated with tamari, garlic, ginger, brown sugar, sesame oil, scallions, sesame seeds and then grilled. topped with asian pear, kimchee, scallion, sesame seeds and enoki mushrooms. served in a Bibb lettuce leaf)

Buttnernut Squash Soup with Coconut Milk
(butternut squash, dried red chile, ginger, lemongrass, garlic, salt, pepper)



* We went through the stacks of cookbooks yesterday, looking for something different last night, and came across this recipe in a book on "street food." The asian pear and kimchee really add the right amount of crunch and heat to balance the salt and sweet of the marinade.

as for the soup -- no, I don't think there's any more butternut squash left in the house ;)

Tofu Wrapped in Butternut Squash Thread, Braised Chard, Caramelized Red Onions, Romaine Salad with Tomatoes

Dinner 1/12

Tofu Wrapped in Butternut Squash Thread

Braised Chard
(chard, garlic, salt, smoked paprika)

Caramelized Red Onions

Romaine Salad with Tomatoes



No, you're not seeing double ;) There was some unused Butternut Squash from last night, so we turned them into threads and wrapped them around the fried tofu much like the potato threads from the other evening.



Spiral cutter gadget thingy = good ;)

The chard was wonderful with the addition of the smoked paprika and the caramelized red onions rounded out the dish nicely...

Tags: tofu, butternut squash, chard, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Raw Food Wednesday: Walnut, Onion and Portobello 'balls, Arugula Pesto, Butternut Squash Pasta

Dinner 1/11

Walnut, Onion and Portobello 'balls
(pureed soaked walnuts, red onion, red bell pepper, portobello mushrooms, sun-dried tomato, parsley, bragg's liquid amino, fresh ground fennel seed, oregano. dehydrated for eight hours @ 108 degrees)

Arugula Pesto
(pureed arugula, cashew nut cheese, brewers yeast, garlic, pine nuts, olive oil, salt, pepper)

Butternut Squash Pasta
(spiral cut butternut squash, olive oil, sea salt, pepper, fresh ground fennel seed. dehydrated for one hour @ 108 degrees. topped with red bell pepper and parsley)

Butternut Squash Soup
(pureed butternut squash, cashew nut cheese, basil, bragg's liquid amino, pepper, water)


Raw Food Wednesday kicks it freestyle this week, trying out some new ideas like the arugula pesto and walnut/onion/portobello 'balls -- or as Liz likes to call them -- "tofu's salty balls" ;)

Dinner 1/10

Porcini Encrusted Tofu
(tofu, pepper, dried porcini mushroom, tamari)

Parmesan Rice Cakes
(soy parmesan, parsley, salt, pepper, oregano, cooked rice)

Braised Fennel

Pasta e Fagoli
(a.k.a. "When the stars make you drool just like a pasta fazool That's amore...": carrot, onion, garlic, tomato, oregano, salt, pepper, cannellini beans, veg stock, farfaline pasta)



The tofu had a very high level of umami going on between the mushrooms and tamari.

I just like saying "umami" ;)

Oh, and the amaryllis is finally blooming...

Dinner 1/09

Fusilli with Tomato Sauce *

Cauliflower Simmered in Red Wine

Garlic Bread

Bistro Salad


* The tomato sauce was from that batch we opened the other day from our 2004 canning sessions. These tomatoes are a bit like wine in regard to the concept of terroir. These tomatoes have a definite "place" about them -- they could only have come from our garden...

It's amazing how the the sense of smell acts a trigger -- it puts you back to the moment you picked the tomatoes, with the sun upon your back, and the aroma that filled the kitchen during the rest of the day...

ah, yes -- it must be January ;)

Lunch 1/09

Hot and Sour Soup *
(yellow miso, dried red chile peppers, galangal, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaf, shallot, cilantro, lime juice, salt, enoki mushroom, tofu)

Stir-fry
(tofu, shiitake mushrooms, tamari, sesame oil, jasmine rice)


we were going to make this soup last night with the coconut tofu, but ran out of time -- so I made it for lunch today. It was very hot (dried chiles can pack a punch) and sour (kaffir lime leaf, lemongrass, lime juice) but very fresh tasting, and the enoki mushrooms acted like noodles...

Dinner 1/08

Coconut Tofu
(tofu, beer batter, coconut flake) w/ Red Curry and Coconut Milk Dipping Sauce

Broccoli, Baby Corn and Cashew Stir-fry

Stir-Fried Jasmine Rice w/ Thai Basil




um, it appears that we've been nominated for a "best of the blogs award". Rock On.

Lunch 1/08

Grilled "Cheese" Sandwich

Chips and Salsa

Our daughter who is eight, didn't want to get left out of the blogging about the Vegan Family Cookbook, so she had her turn in the kitchen with today's lunch. The "cheese" (pg. 139) is soy milk, uncooked oatmeal, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, salt, paprika, almond butter (or peanut butter) and cornstarch.

We made small batch to start... the cornstarch did it's job and it really did end up having that melted "gooey" texture. It needed a bit more "character" so for the second batch we upped the nutritional yeast and added smoked paprika. The adults loved it, the kids... well, we'll work on it some more... ;)

Dinner 1/07

Quesadilla
(onion, garlic, red bell pepper, jalapeno, soy monterey jack cheese, salt, pepper)

Pozole
(mexican style hominy soup with hominy, onion, garlic, chile de arbol, ancho chiles, grilled zucchini, veg stock and fried tofu)

Stuffed Mushrooms
(portobello mushrooms stuffed with roasted poblano, rice, cilantro, soy monterey jack)


The quesadilla's came from the Vegan Family Cookbook, which I recently received for review from the nice folks at Lantern Books -- a very cluetrain* move on their part ;)

The book is clearly geared towards new vegans, their families or people who would like to cook for vegans, but don't always know what to make.

Our son, who is 12, has shown an increasing desire to help in the kitchen, and this book is an ideal intro to basic vegan cooking. The book offers short, concise recipes that rely on items you would find in a well stocked vegan pantry.

So, with that in mind, we gave him the book and asked him what he would want to make. It didn't take long -- right there on page 6 was the recipe for quesadillas -- and he just wanted some dang quesadillas -- Gosh! -- and yes, he loves "Napoleon Dynamite" ;)

He read the recipe to me while I cut the peppers and onions, got the saute pan out and turned on the griddle. After that, it was all up to him on how it went. He read and followed the instructions, shredded the soy cheese, folded the tortillas -- and in the end made some really good quesadillas...

I wish this book had been available when I was 12. ;)

One minor quibble would be the lack of pictures, and use of canned food where fresh might be better (canned green chiles?), but this is family food, not a Thomas Keller coffee table book ;)

now, let's get author and Chef Brian McCarthy blogging!

* I suppose this really a bit of the long tail (you can't really get too more "niche" than vegan food blogs) + hughtrain ("Blogs are a great way to make things happen indirectly") you're seeing here... oh sorry, we've wandered away from this blog, haven't we? ;)

Dinner 1/06

Loubeh
(slow braised green beans in a onion, garlic and tomato sauce)

Muhammara
(Saveur #85 p. 22 -- roasted red pepper, toasted walnut and pomegranate dip)

Grill Bread
(Gourmet December 2005 pg. 130)

Black Lentil and Cauliflower Soup with Mustard Greens
(black lentils, onion, garlic, smoked paprika, cauliflower, mustard greens, salt and pepper)

Steamed Artichokes


Liz wanted to try and recreate one of our favorite recipes for green beans, using the slow cooker we purchased recently (for catering gigs). The tomato sauce was one of our last batches of canned tomatoes we made from our garden in September 2004 -- still had amazing flavor...

The "not quite pita" Grill Bread (made in the cast-iron skillet) was a good compliment to the whole meal with the Muhammara, Loubeh and lentil soup.

Tofu Marsala with Potato Threads, Braised Leeks and Mixed Greens Salad

Dinner 1/05

Tofu Marsala
(pan-fried tofu wrapped in yukon gold potato threads, topped with garlic, tomato paste, lemon juice and sauteed mushroom, over farfalline pasta)

Braised Leeks

Mixed Greens Salad
(with dried tart cherries and fig vinaigrette)



After all the fun playing with the spiral cutter yesterday, we decided to try out an idea we've had for a while -- tofu wrapped in potato threads.



For the first attempt, we par-boiled the potatoes for 1 minute just to soften them up -- and the long threads promptly broke apart. Plan "b" was to just peel the potatoes and wrap them raw around the cooked tofu, and then saute them together in the wok until the potatoes were golden, and then finish the whole dish off in the oven for 10 minutes at 350F. Turned out to be a much better plan ;) -- the potatoes were a good compliment to the mushrooms and the sauce...


PS: Euan, thanks for the link ;)

Tags: tofu, potatoes, salad, cherries, leeks, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Raw Food Wednesday: Kofta with a Tomato Curry Sauce over Zucchini Noodles, Butternut Squash and Tomato Dahl, Red Cabbage, Carrot and Raisin Salad

Dinner 1/04

Kofta with a Tomato Curry Sauce over Zucchini Noodles
(Kofta: sprouted sunflower seeds, soaked raw almonds, cilantro, zucchini, parsley, cilantro, salt, cayenne, cumin, turmeric root, ginger root, agave and garlic pureed together in the Vita-Mix, formed into medium sized balls and dehydrated for six hours at 108 degrees; Tomato Curry Sauce: pureed sun-dried tomatoes, tomatoes, raw cashews, cilantro, agave, curry powder; Zucchini Noodles: spiral cut, tossed with olive oil, salt, pepper, turmeric, dehydrated for an hour at 108 degrees.)


Butternut Squash and Tomato Dahl
(butternut squash, tomato, mustard greens, garlic, ginger, salt, pepper pureed and garnished with additional tomato)

Red Cabbage, Carrot and Raisin Salad with Lemon Juice Vinagrette



Raw Food Wednesday returns for 2006... Keyword: Pureed ;)

The kofta turned out really well on the dehydrator -- they kept their shape and had a great texture, not too crumbly, not too chewy and a good match with the curry sauce.

The way the spiral cutter made the zucchini noodles was just ideal for this dish -- almost the same thickness and consistency as traditional cooked spaghetti. If I didn't know better I wouldn't have been able to tell the difference.

Finally, a word about mustard greens -- wow, those things are spicy! As soon as you slice one up you can smell the aroma -- no mistaking what kind of green your eating ;)

Tags: raw food wednesday, raw food, raw, tomato, zucchini, butternut squash, mustard greens, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Dinner 1/03

Tomatillo Braised Seitan with Mustard Greens
(heavily adapted from Rick Bayless: tomatillo, onion, garlic, cilantro, salt, pepper, mustard greens)

Smoked Paprika Sweet Potato Fries

Refried Jasmine Rice w/ Mexican Oregano and Cubanelle Raja

Oyster Mushroom Salad
(with avocado dressing)



We still had some tomatillo's that were hanging in there after the holiday season -- so into the broiler they went for five minutes until softened. The tomatillos were pureed in the Vita-Mix with a 1/2 cup of cilantro, salt and 1/2 cup of veg stock. Meanwhile, we sauteed two packages of diced seitan, two sliced onions and four chopped garlic cloves, the added the pureed tomatillo mixture and put into a 350 degree oven to braise for 30 minutes. In the last 10 minutes we added the chopped mustard greens.

Dinner 1/02

Stir Fry
(tofu, carrot, garlic, ginger, scallions, tamari)

Seared/Steamed Brussel Sprouts

Refried Jasmine Rice


I know you don't come for moview reviews, but... ;)

with the day off, we saw King Kong today -- a bit long (can't wait to see how long -- or how many discs -- the director's cut will be), but a well done movie with the special FX. Plus it's always fun playing the "spot the original film scene homage."

Dinner 1/01

Seitan Stew
(seitan, onion, garlic, carrots, herbes de provence, fennel stock, salt, pepper)

Black Lentils with Truffle Oil

Yukon Gold Potatoes

Haricot Verts

Artichoke Hearts Au Gratin