Dinner 2/6

Roasted Kabocha Squash Glazed with Maple Syrup
(roasted with canola oil, salt and pepper at 450F for about 12 minutes a side, brushed with maple syrup for another 3 minutes)

Wilted Kale with Onions and Garlic

Pan-Fried Tofu with Portobello Mushrooms over Mashed Potatoes
(tofu and mushrooms pan-fried, splashed with tamari at the end. The pan then deglazed with veg stock, reduced almost they way down, then "monter au beurre" -- w /soy margerine -- to finish the sauce.)


This was one of those "plays well with others" kind of meal, all the food in harmony on the plate ;)

Tags: mushrooms, kabocha, kale, vegan, food, dinner, tofu

Super Bowl Dinner 2/5

French Fries
(fresh cut potatoes, blanched in oil for 6-8 minutes at 280F, drained on paper towels. Let them rest for 15 minutes, put them back into 375F oil for 3 minutes until golden, drain, salt, inhale)

"Buffalo" Tofu
(extra firm tofu marinated with tamari and pepper, deep fried at 375F for 4-5 minutes, drained, put into a wok with one chopped chipotle, one chopped onion, four cloves of chopped garlic, two diced tomatoes, pepper, 1 tbs. tamari and 1/2 cup of BBQ sauce, served with celery and a vegenaise/garlic dipping sauce)



While we watched the game (*yawn*), we kept switching over to watch the end of "Napoleon Dynamite" ;)

Tags: super bowl, celery, french fries, vegan, food, dinner, tofu

Peanut Butter Cupcakes

the batter...




...going in


and coming out


cut-away (w/frosting)



the "too much time on my hands" group shot


close-up


then later, much much later, in the name of testing the cupcakes with all types of beverages to find what works best...


...led to the soft focus "Bob Guccione" shot ;)



(again, sorry we can't give the recipe out... we're testing recipes for an upcoming cookbook)

Tags: cupcake, cupcakes, chocolate, ganache, vegan, food, dinner, tofu

Dinner 2/4

Refried Rice w/ Scallions
(jasmine rice, tamari, toasted seame oil, scallions)

Snow Peas w/ Oyster Mushrooms

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

Steamed/Seared Bok Choy


After last night's brown food plate, we decided to go with more colorful selections tonight ;)

Tags: chinese food, stir-fry, rice, mushrooms, vegan, food, dinner, tofu

Dinner 2/3

Ravioli
(stuffed with turban squash, sage, soft tofu, nutmeg, paprika, salt, pepper)

Aglio e Olio
(fresh made pasta with garlic, olive oil and pine nuts)

Saffron Cauliflower
(onion, garlic, cauliflower, saffron, salt, pepper)

Spinach Salad
(w/ pecans, dried cherries and fig vinaigrette)


It's quite a plate full of "beige" food, eh? ;)

We had some leftover dough from the ravioli (we made about five dozen to replace the ones we ate last week), and there was no point in wasting it, so we just cut it into fettucine and did a simple garlic and olive oil sauce -- so good...

Tags: ravioli, pasta, saffron, cauliflower, spinach, vegan, food, dinner, tofu

Dinner 2/2

Campanelle Pasta with Tomato Cream Sauce
(campanelle pasta, homemade tomato sauce, soy sour cream, red pepper flakes, parsley)

Ceci and Porcini Soup
(chickpea, carrot, onion, garlic, porcini dust, fennel stock, tamari, pepper, parsley)

Bistro Salad
(romaine lettuce, shallot, soy parmesan, vegenaise, pepper)

Homemade Ciabatta

Tags: soup, vegan, food, dinner, tofu

Raw Food Wednesday: Sprouted Quinoa Salad, Gazpacho, Tostada

Raw Food Wednesday 2/1

Sprouted Quinoa Salad
(sprouted quinoa, romaine lettuce, lime juice, olive oil, sea salt, cilantro, cumin seed, jalapeno)

Gazpacho
(tomato, salt, pepper, olive oil, lime juice, cilantro, scallion, garlic, baby cucumber, cumin seed, jalapeno)

Tostada
(split taco shells, cashew cheese, cilantro, avocado, romaine lettuce, scallions, jalapeno)



What to do with the leftover taco shells from last week? Spilt them in half and make mini-tostadas out of them! ;)

The quinoa salad is basically the same as raw tabouli/tabouleh, but with a few modifications -- quinoa instead of bulgar, cilantro instead of parsley, lime instead of lemon, and the addition of crushed cumin seeds and jalapeno. It fit right in with the other parts of the meal...

It was nice to have a raw meal that didn't involve running the dehydrator for 12 hours ;)

Tags: raw food wednesday, raw food, raw, quinoa, gazpacho, tostada, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Crimson Velveteen Cupcakes

number two in a continuing series...

going in...




coming out


the icing


the cut-away


the group shot


the close-up


the gratuitous shot

Tags: cupcakes, cupcake, art deco, velveteen, vegan, tofu

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 ;)