Dinner 12/25

Stir-Fry
(tofu, red bell pepper, carrot, snow peas, ginger, garlic, tamari)

Jasmine Rice

Gyoza
(shiitake mushroom, napa cabbage, mushroom sauce)


the battery died just as I shot the gyoza, so no stir-fry shot -- but hey, it's not like there hasn't been 30 or so of those throughout the year, eh? ;)

Lunch 12/25

Tempeh Reuben
(toasted rye bread, soy cheese, vegenaise/ketchup/pickle dressing, fried tempeh with tamari, sauerkraut and caraway seeds)



I realize the only lunch pictures we show usually involve a reuben, but the sandwich looked so tasty -- so you get yet another picture!

In case you're wondering "what the hell does a vegan get for the holidays anyway?" -- what else but cookbooks! two giant boxes full of them from a local library sale. The older and weirder the better. ;)

Dinner 12/24

Seitan Bourguignon with Mushrooms

Mashed Potataoes with Garlic

Braised Carrots

Braised Brussel Sprouts with Chestnuts

Roasted Beet, Onion and Orange Salad
(recipe from Michael Chiarello)

Homemade Ciabatta




Dessert

Buche de Noel * (larger picture)


* Liz made the "Yule Log" -- dig the little squirrel ;)

and another holiday dinner is history -- a nice, simple and homey meal with the immediate family -- finished by 6:45pm including dessert...

Dinner 12/23

Panade
(bread, onion, beet greens, chard, veg stock, soy cheese, salt, pepper)

Bistro Salad
(romaine lettuce, shallots, vegenaise, mustard, soy parmesan, vinegar, salt, pepper)

Dinner 12/22

Kerala Style Tofu Curry
(corriander, turmeric, clove, onion, garlic, serrano chile, curry leaves, coconut milk)

Kerala Beets
(golden beet, coconut, garlic, turmeric, serrano chile)

Turmeric Potatoes with Chiles
(boiled petit yukon golds with soy margerine, garlic, jalapeno and turmeric)

Turmeric Rice with Currants and Pistachio
(basmati rice, currants, pistachio, turmeric)

Toor Dahl with Tomatoes
(toor dal, jalapeno, curry leaves, tomato)


tonight's secret password: turmeric ;)

it really didn't start out as a Kerala theme -- it was just a collection of Indian recipes from various books that we had picked out earlier in the day. The curry recipe was a variation on one from a book called "India With A Passion" by Manju Malhi.

Dinner 12/21

Tofu with Onions, Garlic and Parsnips wrapped in Phyllo with a Herb Infused Cream Sauce

Braised Leeks

French Bread

Petit Yukon Gold Potatoes

Green Beans

Dinner 12/20

Empanada
(onion, garlic, red bell pepper, seitan, soyrizo)

Roasted Garlic Soup
(garlic, bread, veg stock, salt, pepper)

Dinner 12/19

Moo Shu Pancakes
(stuffed with cabbage, onion, shiitake mushrooms, hoisin)

Braised Brussel Sprouts with Star Anise and Mushroom Broth

Jasmine Rice

Stir-Fried Tofu

Dinner 12/18

Tapenade with French Bread

Chilled Orzo Salad with Champagne Vinaigrette

White Bean Cassoulet

after the party, it's all about eating the leftovers -- there's not much left, but that's a good thing! ;)

Holiday Party v9.0

Phyllo Cups w/ Curried Tofu and Currants
Seitan Bourguignon
Roasted Fingerling Potatoes (w/ Roasted Garlic)
Stuffed Mushrooms
Lentil and Soyrizo Spoons
White Bean Cassoulet
Quinoa in Endive
Red Potatoes Stuffed with Tofu Salad
Tapenade (w/ French Bread)
Inside Out Avocado Sushi
Deep-Fried Tempeh Sushi
Black Bean Salsa
Xnipec Salsa / Chips
Cucumber Tea Sandwiches
Tofu Salad Sandwiches
Chilled Orzo Salad w/ Champagne Vinaigrette
Olives (garlic / pimento stuffed)
French Bread
Roasted Almonds (w/ Five Spice Powder)
Pepitas (Pumpkins seeds)
Popcorn w/ Truffle oil
Wasabi Peas
Grapes / Fresh Fruit

Desserts

Double Chocolate Stout Brownies
Aphrodite Cakes
Chocolate and Cherry Cookies
Thumbprint Jam Cookies
Nog Cookies

Dinner 12/16

Black Lentils with White Truffle Oil

Foccacia with Olive oil and Sea Salt

Baked Artichoke Hearts
(artichoke hearts, cubanelle pepper, vegenaise, red bell pepper, paprika, garlic, salt and pepper)



no pictures tonight, we're in food prep mode for the holiday party tomorrow...

Dinner 12/15

Roasted Tofu with Jerusalem Artichokes
(tofu pan seared with tamari, then roasted with olive oil, lemon peel, lemon juice, green olives, garlic, shallot)

Roasted Broccoli

French Bread

Braised Leeks

Dinner 12/14

Tofu with Spiced Yogurt *
(vegan yogurt, cardamom, ginger, salt, pepper, olive oil, onion, tofu, almonds)

Roz bel Zafaran
Spiced Saffron Rice *
(cinnamon stick, cardamom, clove, saffron, veg stock, salt, pepper, basmati rice)

Chickpea and Kale Soup
(onion, garlic, carrot, chickpea, wilted kale, veg stock, tamari, pepper)

Steamed Artichokes


* both recipes from "The New Book Of Middle Eastern Food" by Claudia Roden.

Dinner 12/13

Fiore Pasta with Tomato and Basil Sauce

Garlic Bread

Mixed Green Salad
(w/fig vinaigrette)



Rule #17 for food photos: "Funny shaped pasta = good" ;)

Dinner 12/12

Stir-Fry
(tofu, carrot, onion, ginger, garlic, tamari, scallion)

Garlic Soup w/ Tofu
(garlic, ginger, veg broth, tofu, rooster sauce, scallions)

Birthday Cake

Chocolate Espresso Bean Cheesecake (yet another picture)




I'll say this much -- my son certainly knows what he likes when it comes to birthday cakes... ;)

And if we told you the recipe, then we'd have nothing left for our cookbook. ;)

Dinner 12/11

Chilaquiles de Jocoqui
(tortilla casserole with tomato, onion, jalapeno, soy cheese and soy sour cream


file this one under, "when life gives you tortillas that are getting stale, make this"... sort of a Mexican Tortilla Lasagna. Peeking back at the archives shows that we haven't made this since the second month of the blog -- February 2002.

Dinner 12/10

Pierogi
(cabbage, onion and dill)

Mixed Greens Salad
(w/ fig vinaigrette)



a nice easy to make meal tonight after the tasting @ Riverside -- boil some water, add the vacuum sealed pierogi and eat... Because this is our busy time of the year, we've been making an effort to go through the freezer and actually eat all those things we made earlier in the year. We're getting there -- I can see some space in the freezer for the first time in a long while ;)

Riverside Wine and Imports 2nd Annual Holiday Tasting

Red Potatoes Stuffed with Tofu Salad
Quinoa on Curly Endive
Chilled Orzo salad w/ Champagne Vinaigrette
Black Bean Salsa w/ Chips
Tapenade
Almonds w/ Five Spice Powder
Popcorn w/ Black Truffle Oil
Pepitas (Spicy Pumpkin Seeds)
Chocolate Double Stout Brownies


yep, the potatoes are back -- they're the smaller #1 petit-sized red potatoes stuffed this time with our go-to version of tofu salad -- we made 90 pieces, we should have have doubled it. The quinoa went over equally as well, two full trays vanished...

Dinner 12/09

Tofu Piccata
(from the Candle Cafe cookbook -- tofu cutlets dredged in seasoned flour, then pan-fried w/ lemon caper sauce)

Boiled Yukon Gold Potatoes

Roasted Broccoli

Dinner 12/08

Arroz Verde
(basmati rice, onion, garlic, poblano, cilantro, mexican oregano, salt, pepper)

Chile Relleno
(poblano stuffed with plantain, soyrizo and potato)

Dinner 12/07

Seitan and Cannellini Bean Stew
(onion, garlic, herbes de provence, seitan, cannellini beans, veg stock, tamari, pepper, parsley)

French Bread

Braised Brussel Sprouts *

Bistro Salad

Baked Potato




* the brussel sprouts were for George ;)

Raw Food Wednesday is going to take the rest of the year off. One of the reasons we started doing RFW was to try some new recipes, foods and techniques -- and to that end we've succeeded. We've learned much in the process -- about planning, preparing and respect for the food and the people who make this their way of life...

I spent a little time today looking back at the year in raw, and was reminded again of all the interesting food and tastes. Even the mistakes were enlightening ;)

We've barely scratched the surface with regard to raw food, and we'll continue to explore in 2006...

Dinner 12/06

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

Jasmine Rice

Enoki and Shiitake Mushroom Soup
(enoki, shiitake, broccoli, garlic, ginger, veg stock, mushroom stock, scallions)

Steamed Broccoli

Gyoza
(shiitake mushroom, napa cabbage, mushroom sauce)


btw -- The "Call for nominations: Best Food Blog - Photography" are now open over at the Accidental Hedonist. Thanks to Justin for a nomination... stop by and nominate your favorite food blogs in a variety of categories.

Dinner 12/05

Tofu Salmorejo
(tofu: dredged in seasoned flour and pan-fried; sauce: pearl onion, garlic, thyme, chile pepper, paprika, sherry vinegar, red wine, veg stock)

Artichoke Rice Cake

White Asparagus Wrapped in Roasted Red Pepper

Onion and Saffron Soup
(yellow onion, garlic, ground toasted almonds, sherry, saffron, veg stock, parsley, slivered almonds)

Dinner 12/04

Spring Rolls *
(leeks, shiitake mushroom, bean thread)

Scallion Pancakes

Stir-fried Tofu

Jasmine Rice

Gyoza
(shiitake mushroom, napa cabbage, garlic, ginger, mushroom sauce)


* yet another testimonial on the joys of vacuum sealing ;) The spring rolls were from January 5, 2005 -- almost a year old, and they tasted like they were made today. The scallion pancakes were (only) from the end of October 2005, but were equally fabulous. The gyoza, tofu and rice were made fresh...

Bob's Birthday Party 12/03

Sushi
(Deep-Fried Tempeh Roll / Inside Out Avocado Roll)

Red Potato Stuffed with Soy Cream Cheese, Parsley and Smoked Paprika

Tofu Salad Sandwiches


We were invited to our friend Bob's birthday party and brought along these goodies for all to try. The potato dish is a new one we're working on for a tasting next week, and seemed to go over well -- it's tricky to find the right consistancy for the potatoes, neither over or under-cooking them.

Bonus Picture: The Squirrel Goes Moo

Buddha's Hand

We found one of these aromatic citrus fruits unexpectedly in a local grocery store yesterday. Not our usual one, but one nearby that we occasionally go to when we're in the area. They had three, but this was the nicest looking one...

Last year we special ordered a case of them (here's the picture from last year), and we ended up vacuum sealing two out of the batch -- and they still look good.

There's no "juice" in the fruit, but you can use the zest (we make scones and cakes) or you can candy the peel -- or stick one the "fingertips" on the rim of a nice martini for a unique garnish ;)

The aroma however, is the main attraction -- put it in the middle of the room and soon you're awash in a heavenly lemon / persimmon / blooming flower paradise.

The only drawback? They're not cheap -- the one pictured was $6.99. But, as I said, they do vacuum seal and freeze well.

also known as Hand of Buddha or Fingered Citron

Dinner 12/02

Baked Rigatoni
(rigatoni, wilted dinosaur kale, sun-dried tomatoes, red bell pepper, onion, fennel seed, and sauce: roux, veg stock, balsamic vinager, salt, pepper)

Steamed Artichokes

Ciabatta

Dinner 12/01

Blanco y Negro Bean Burgers with Avocado and Tomatillo Salsa on Romaine
(sprouted black beans, garlic, red onion, cilantro, lime juice, fresh ground cumin seeds, mexican oregano, salt, pepper)

Yellow Tomato Gazpacho
(yellow tomato, yellow bell pepper, cucumber, salt, pepper, cumin, mexican orgegano, apple cider vinegar, olive oil, cilantro)

Flax Seed Crackers w/ Cashew Cheese


The sprouted black beans worked well in these raw burgers -- the trick is to rinse them after the first dry spin through the vita-mix -- this takes care of most of the nasty oligosaccharides that cause intestinal gas.

The dish name comes from the fact that black beans aren't really black inside -- they're white -- and the fact that blanco y negro was a cool record label back in the day (Jesus and Mary Chain, Everything But The Girl, etc) ;)

from the VeganBoston links section:

Someone, who quite possibly has too much time on their hands, started this fantastic blog that quite literally answers the question “What the hell does a vegan eat, anyway?”. Daily entries describe the author’s dinner menu, with pictures.

They have no idea. ;)



also, the comment section is working again -- my fault entirely...