what the hell _does_ a vegan eat anyway?: May 2009

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Sweet Potato Ravioli with Thai Basil, Jasmine Rice, Stir-Fried Brussel Sprouts with Star Anise

Dinner 5/26

Sweet Potato Ravioli with Thai Basil

Jasmine Rice

Stir-Fried Brussel Sprouts with Star Anise

A riff on Ming Tsai's version that uses mashed sweet potatoes seasoned with five-spice powder, agave, chives and thai basil between wonton wrappers as ravioli topped with a brown "butter," balsamic and black vinegar sauce.

A really interesting flavor combination that worked well...

Sunday, May 24, 2009

Gulai Pakis (Fiddlehead Ferns in Spicy Coconut Sauce)

Dinner

Gulai Pakis
(Fiddlehead Ferns in Spicy Coconut Sauce)

Put this dish in the "things-to-do-with-fiddlehead-ferns" list. ;)

Fiddlehead Ferns (local), braised in an aromatic coconut milk sauce (chiles, ginger, galangal, garlic, lemongrass, cumin, coriander, lime juice, salt, pepper and coconut milk), topped with sesame seeds. Simple and delicious!

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Chiles Rellenos Stuffed with Mushroom, Soyrizo, Plantains and Cheddar Teese, Plantain and Coconut Milk Sauce

Dinner 5/20

Chiles Rellenos Stuffed with Mushroom, Soyrizo, Plantains and Cheddar Teese

Plantain and Coconut Milk Sauce

The chiles rellenos is our standard version with the addition of some mushrooms and the Teese melted under the broiler to holding everything together.

The sauce was something I've wanted to try for a while, leading the dish more towards the Caribbean side of things. A very ripe plantain was blended with a can of coconut milk, 1 tsp. Mexican oregano, 1 tsp. smoked paprika, salt and pepper to taste. Then it was placed in a saute pan and reduced by 1/3rd.

It was extremely tasty and a nice compliment to the chiles rellenos. About the only thing I'd do differently next time would be to give it some color with annatto/achiote or turmeric.

Monday, May 18, 2009

Oak-Smoked Tofu Stuffed With Walnuts and Blue Sheese, Horseradish Cream Sauce, Braised Red Cabbage, Roasted Fingerling Potatoes

Dinner 5/18

Oak-Smoked Tofu Stuffed With Walnuts and Blue Sheese

Horseradish Cream Sauce

Braised Red Cabbage

Roasted Fingerling Potatoes

The tofu block was cut into six cutlets, with a slit cut in the middle. We then smoked it for 20 minutes with oak wood chips for a change of pace. The tofu was pan-fried on both sides, and splashed with tamari and the end. It was stuffed with a combination of toasted walnuts and Blue Sheese, then finished in a 350F oven for 15 minutes.

The horseradish sauce was a bechamel (1 tbs. flour, 1 tbs. earth balance, 1 cup of soy milk) with 2 tbs. of horseradish, zested on a microplane.

Friday, May 15, 2009

Miso & Cola BBQ Tofu, Olive Stuffed Flatbread

Dinner 5/15

Miso & Cola BBQ Tofu

Olive Stuffed Flatbread

We've been playing around with Jacques Pepin's "Tibetan Flatbread" recipe lately, this time stuffing it with minced olives, smoked paprika and Teese as sort of all-in-one tapas dish for an upcoming wine tasting dinner next month. This recipe is extremely easy...

Olive Stuffed Flatbread

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup water
1 tsp. baking powder
salt to taste

Mix everything together until it looks "gooey" ;)

Filling

1/2 cup olives, minced
1 tsp. smoked paprika
1/3 cup Cheddar Teese, shredded

Pre-heat a 10" cast-iron pan over medium heat. Add 1 tbs. of olive oil and pour in half of the batter, pushing it to the edges with an offset spatula. Scatter the filling, being careful to not get too close to the edges. Add the second half of the batter.

Add about 1 tbs. of water around the edges of dough (this helps the flatbread steam in the pan), slap a lid on the top and cook about 10 minutes on the first side. Flip it over and cook about 5 minutes on the second side.

The barbecue sauce was one of those last minute "what do we have in the fridge?" deals -- some (cane sugar) cola plus some red miso = OMGWTFBBQ!!11!one! ;)

This recipe has much potential for tweaking (different combination of miso/cola's)

Miso & Cola BBQ Sauce

1/2 cup cola
1/2 cup red miso
1 tbs. tamari
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 balsamic vinegar
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbs. smoked paprika
salt & pepper to taste

Blend all the ingredients together, check for seasoning.

The tofu was smoked with cherry wood for 20 minutes and then you can either grill, bake or pan-fry the tofu, basting with the BBQ sauce as you go.

We pan-fried this batch until golden brown, and splashed the tofu with a little tamari at the end. We reduced the heat and added BBQ sauce, turning the tofu as needed, until the sauce thickened and the tofu was completely coated.

Friday, May 08, 2009

Focaccia Pizza with Morel Mushrooms

Dinner 5/08

Focaccia Pizza with Morel Mushrooms

Local morels FTW!

thanks to Jeff at Kent Natural Foods for the epic score!

Wednesday, May 06, 2009

Raw Food Wednesday: Chimichangas, Corn Cakes, Strawberry Tart

Dinner 5/06

Chimichangas

Corn Cakes

Strawberry Tart

The tortilla is simply a larger version of the red bell pepper shells we've made earlier. Pour the batter out in a circle large enough to almost cover the entire dehydrator tray -- about 12".

Then it's as easy as stuffing it with your favorite filling (we had guacamole, our queso fundido cheese recipe, tomato, walnut taco filling, and shredded lettuce), rolling it up, tucking in the sides, and dehydrating for another 30 minutes or so.

Next time we'll make some sour cream to put on top, but tonight we had some red bell pepper and tomato salsa.

The corn cakes, as always, rock...

Other than popping them directly into your mouth by the handfuls, this is our favorite way of eating strawberries! ;)

Tuesday, May 05, 2009

Chiles Rellenos with Plantains, Soyrizo and Cheddar Teese, Grilled Corn, Wild Mushroom Quesadilla, Guacamole, Asparagus Rice Pilaf

Dinner 5/05

Chiles Rellenos with Plantains, Soyrizo and Cheddar Teese

Grilled Corn

Wild Mushroom Quesadilla

Guacamole

Asparagus Rice Pilaf

We're starting to see corn trickle into the stores here, and although it's not as good as the Ohio stuff that will come later in the summer, it's still nice to have some on the plate. The top and bottom are trimmed, the husks pulled off until there are only 2 or 3 layers remaining, then they are submerged in water for 15 minutes. To cook, they're put on the grill and rotated as needed, until the husks are blackened evenly. Finished with Earth Balance, nooch, smoked paprika, salt and pepper.

The rice pilaf had the addition of 1/2 cup of pureed asparagus stems (leftover from the risotto the other night), along with Mexican oregano, smoked paprika, onions, garlic, veg stock and basmati rice. It was a standard pilaf recipe -- sweat the onions, garlic & spices in olive oil, add the rice to coat for 1 minute, add in 1 1/2 cups of stock and pureed asparagus, bring to a boil, cover, reduce to low heat, cook for 15 minutes, turn off the heat, uncover, fluff the rice, let sit for five minutes, check seasoning, serve hot.

Monday, May 04, 2009

A Forest

Dinner 5/04

Stuffed Morel Mushrooms

Grilled Ramps

Grilled Asparagus

Toasted Walnuts

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

I hear her voice / And start to run / Into the trees / Into the trees

(cue Simon Gallup)

yes, obviously, I've lost my mind...

Putting it together, we used a sushi rice mold, and then layered the base with garlic mashed potatoes, and pressed in the grilled asparagus (minus the tips).

The next layer was toasted ground walnuts with tamari and pepper. We could have just eaten these all night...

For the top layer, the morels were washed, dried, tossed with olive oil and tamari, then roasted for 20 minutes at 375F. They were stuffed with a mix of cream cheese, chives and roasted garlic.

They were fantastic.

Finally, the grilled ramp leaf was added along with the "buried" asparagus tips.

Friday, May 01, 2009

Asparagus and Lemon Risotto, Grilled Ramps, Tiramisu

Dinner 5/01

Asparagus and Lemon Risotto

Grilled Ramps

Dessert

Tiramisu

The risotto was a riff on Andrew Carmellini's recipe with the addition of some grilled ramps. The technique with this risotto is to add half of the stock (poaching the asparagus stems in the stock as well, then removing), and utilizing pureed asparagus stems (saving the tips for garnish) at the beginning. Let it cook for 7-8 minutes, add the second half of the liquid and cook for another 7 minutes, and finish with nooch, lemon, salt and pepper. Really, really simple and the results were fantastic.

Have I mentioned lately that I'm a lucky, lucky man? Because I am.

The tiramisu cake was soaked with coffee, cut into squares, layered with whipped soy cream (soyatoo), with added powdered soy milk (as a stabilizer), vanilla extract and powdered sugar. Dusted with cocoa powder. Heaven.