what the hell _does_ a vegan eat anyway?: July 2012

Friday, July 27, 2012

Chanterelle and Maitake Mushrooms with Hickory-Smoked Grilled Tofu over Fusilli

Dinner 07/27

Chanterelle and Maitake Mushrooms

Hickory-Smoked Grilled Tofu

Fusilli

Liz scored some chanterelle & maitake mushrooms at the grocery store, so we pan-fried those beauties up in some olive oil with a little pepper & tamari to finish.

We smoked the tofu for 25 minutes with hickory wood chips and then marinated it for 20 minutes with equal parts of olive oil, tamari, ketchup with the addition of black pepper and smoked paprika. We grilled the tofu for 4-5 minutes per turn for nice grill marks, then flipped and repeated. To plate, they were cut into long triangles.

The (brown rice) pasta was cooked and coated with Earth Balance, nooch and pepper and served along with a salad.

Brown Rice Burgers, Gazpacho

Lunch 07/27

Brown Rice Burgers

Gazpacho

A quick lunch, breaking out the cast-iron pan for our favorite "new" burgers (recipe)... this year ;)

And with the garden giving its lovely summer bounty, Liz made gazpacho (tomatoes, cucumber, garlic, olive oil, sherry vinegar, salt & pepper) topped with pesto (basil, garlic, Marcona almonds, olive oil, salt & pepper) and diced kalamata olives.

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Hominy Soup with Hickory-Smoked Tofu

Dinner 07/24

Hominy Soup with Hickory-Smoked Tofu

The soup started with the broth -- in this case a corn stock that I made earlier in the day in the pressure cooker (much like this version).

We started with a soup pot over med-high heat and added 1 tbs. of olive oil and 1 medium onion diced, 2 medium carrots diced and cooked for 3-4 minutes. Then we added two cloves of garlic, minced and cooked it all for one additional minute.

Next, we added 1 tsp. cumin, 1 tsp. Mexican oregano, 2 tsp. smoked paprika, 2 tsp. smoked salt, 1 tsp. black pepper and cooked it for one additional minute.

It turned out that we had two types of hominy (white and golden) so we stirred in both 15oz cans (drained and rinsed) to the pot. At this point we added six cups of the corn stock, 1 tbs. of tamari, and brought the soup a boil, then reduced it to a simmer and cooked it for 30-40 minutes.

While that was cooking, we made the smoked tofu by dividing it into eight cutlets and smoking them in hickory chips for 25 minutes.

Next, in a wok on med-high heat, we cooked the tofu in 1 tbs. of olive oil until golden brown (about 4=5 minutes per-side). Add a splash of tamari at the end of cooking and cook for 1 additional minute.

We removed the tofu from the wok, let cool for a few minutes, then shredded it into strips.

When the soup was about finished, we checked it for seasoning -- if it still needs a little help, mix 2 tsp. of a dark miso with a little of the broth, and whisk it into the soup -- it adds a nice depth.

Add the soup to a warm bowl and top with the smoked tofu slices and a splash of lime. Serve with hot sauce on the side.

Friday, July 20, 2012

Old Bay Tofu Cakes with Pan-Roasted Summer Vegetables, Horseradish Cream, Apples and Beets

Dinner 07/20

Old Bay Tofu Cakes with Pan-Roasted Summer Vegetables, Horseradish Cream, Apples and Beets

This (tasty, tasty) recipe is from "The Conscious Cook" by Tal Ronnen p. 138. -- lots of moving parts, but worth the effort.

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Fritto Misto: Squash Blossoms and Onions

Appetizer 07/19

A dish like Fritto Misto comes down to execution -- the need to work quickly and to eat it while the batter is still crispy and the filling gooey (a technical term).

Also, there's the always understood pressure to "hurry up with the pictures so we can eat!" ;)

Start by having a heavy wok or large pot filled about 1/2 way up the side with canola or peanut oil, heated and ready to go at 375F°.

While the oil is coming up to temp, make the filling for the squash blossoms -- ours changes from time to time, but usually involves some combination of minced shallots, a tiny bit of garlic, vegan cream cheese, whatever vegan cheese you like (this used Daiya Jack), nooch, salt & pepper -- all mashed together.

Next we made the batter, which we've simplified:

1 cup Einkorn (or all-purpose) flour
1/2 cup rice flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup water (plus extra for adjusting)

Whisk the water into the dry ingredients -- you want the result to be a little thicker than pancake batter, so you may need to add a little extra water -- especially in regard to the squash blossoms to make sure they're sealed up tight.*

The squash blossoms (from our garden, bonus!) were carefully rinsed inside and out, the stamen pinched and removed, patted dry and the filling added. They were dredged (and completely coated) in the batter and carefully placed in the oil. We were able to put about 4 in per batch. You don't want to overcrowd and drop the oil temp too much.

The onion was simply cut into rings, dropped in the batter and then in the oil.

The dipping sauce was simply 1/4 cup of vegenaise mixed with about 1 tsp. of smoked paprika.

*There's nothing sadder than watching a blossom open up in the oil.

Monday, July 16, 2012

Flatbread Pizza Video

Video 07/16

We promised you a video about flatbread pizza, and by gosh, here it is... we leave pizza toppings up to you. ;)

The main music is a track called "090109" which sounds like an outtake from "Disintegration"

Saturday, July 14, 2012

Hot Italian Banana Peppers Stuffed with Fresh Herb Risotto and Daiya Mozzarella, with Fresh Basil Lime Sauce

Dinner 07/14

Hot Italian Banana Peppers Stuffed with Fresh Herb Risotto and Daiya Mozzarella, with Fresh Basil Lime Sauce

One of our favorite things to order at (the late, lamented) Vegiterranean restaurant, was this appetizer from Chef Scot Jones which was (thankfully) included in "The Conscious Cook" by Tal Ronen (pg. 80) -- also found here.

Sunday, July 08, 2012

Cherry Ice Cream with Pistachio

Dessert 07/08

Cherry Ice Cream with Pistachio

Cherry Ice Cream smiles / I suppose it's very nice...

(also: melted chocolate + coconut oil = "magic shell")

Saturday, July 07, 2012

Triple Mushroom Quinoa Burger and Sweet Corn

Dinner 07/07

Triple Mushroom Quinoa Burger

Sweet Corn

An extreme umami moment! ;)

The original recipe with smoked portobello mushrooms was tweaked slightly by cooking the quinoa in shiitake mushroom stock and topping the finished burger with morel mushrooms.

As a change of pace, instead of grilling the sweet corn as we normally would, we decided to boil it for 7 minutes with excellent results.

Thursday, July 05, 2012

Coconut Curry Soup with Tea-Smoked Tofu and Rice Noodles

Lunch 07/05

Coconut Curry Soup with Tea-Smoked Tofu and Rice Noodles

A quick summer lunch that also emptied out the pantry a little. ;)

The soup base started with one shallot and three cloves of garlic, minced, with a pinch of salt and pepper. Then we added 2 tbs. of green curry paste. Next, 1/2 can of leftover coconut milk was whisked in, as well as 2 cups of shiitake mushroom stock. It was brought to a simmer and cooked while the rest of the ingredients came together.

The tea-smoked tofu was pan-fried in a wok, splashed with tamari at the end of cooking.

In a separate pan, thinly sliced collard greens were cooked down with a splash of tamari at the end of cooking (about 10 minute), then added to the soup.

The rice noodles were cooked according to the package (4 minutes), then placed in the bottom of the soup bowl, followed by the greens, soup, and the tofu which was sliced on the bias and added on top.

Wednesday, July 04, 2012

BBQ Tofu, Grilled Corn, Macaroni Salad

Dinner 07/04

BBQ Tofu

Grilled Corn

Macaroni Salad

There's something about local (organic) corn that's difficult to describe without having to refer to the French term terroir -- I know everyone says the same thing, but it just tastes better knowing that the corn came out of the field less than six miles from your house. ;)

We trim the top and bottom of the corn and then strip it down to the last couple of layers of husk, soak them for 15 minutes and then grill, turning every five minutes or so until completely blackened on the outside, about 20 minutes total. On our indoor grill, we've taken to covering the grill with a wok lid to simulate an outdoor grill.

The BBQ sauce, is, as always, this recipe over hickory smoked tofu.

Monday, July 02, 2012

Black Raspberry Ice Cream

Dessert 07/02

Black Raspberry Ice Cream

Looks like a hot one today -- here, have some black raspberry ice cream...

(recipe adapted from Vegan Scoop)

Sunday, July 01, 2012

Crudite Platter

Appetizer 07/01

Crudite Platter

Remember that Farmers Market pic from a few days ago? This is what happened to some of it -- raw carrots, peppers, cauliflower and radishes -- along with a caramelized onion dip.