what the hell _does_ a vegan eat anyway?

Friday, February 17, 2006

Dinner 2/17

Mapo Doufu
(a.k.a. MaPo Tofu: tvp, tofu, red pepper flakes, rooster sauce, garlic, ginger, sesame oil, tamari)

Seared/Steamed Snow Peas

Jasmine Rice

Grilled Eggplants
(sesame oil, tamari, scallions, pepper)

Spicy Ramen Noodle Soup
(even .79 noodles can look good in a nice bowl)

Liz wanted spicy food, so we made the Szechuan classic Mapo Doufu (recipe from our favorite Szechuan cookbook author Mrs. Chiang). We subbed out TVP in place of the pork, but otherwise it's vegan...

The soup is one that our son picked out a while ago -- for a 12-year-old, he likes really spicy food, but even he finds this one too spicy -- but not for us ;)

Thursday, February 16, 2006

Dinner 2/16

Panade
(from Judy Rodgers "Zuni Cafe" cookbook)

Potato/Tomato Soup with Sage

Endive Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette

Braised Brussel Sprouts

Comfort Food -- take 27 ;)

Wednesday, February 15, 2006

Raw Food Wednesday: Beet Ravioli Stuffed with Pine Nut Parmesan, Cucumber Salad Rolls, Zucchini Noodles and Vegetables with Romesco Sauce

Raw Food Wednesday 2/15

Raw Beet Ravioli Stuffed with Pine Nut Parmesan
(thinly sliced beets marinated in olive oil, stuffed with dehydrated pine nut parmesan and basil)

Cucumber Salad Rolls
(cucumber marinated with olive oil, apple cider vinegar, braggs liquid aminos, pepper and fresh crushed fennel seeds. stuffed with shredded carrot, napa cabbage, red bell pepper, basil and dehydrated cherry tomato, decorated with pine nut parmesan flakes)

Zucchini Noodles and Vegetables topped with Romesco Sauce
(spiralized zucchini noodles, carrots, red bell pepper topped with a sauce of pureed soaked sun-dried tomato, soaked cashew, orange zest, orange juice, red miso, garlic, salt and pepper)

the cucumber rolls and beet ravioli are variations of recipes from Charlie/Roxanne's book, mixed with the pine nut parmesan from Sarma's book, the romesco sauce is also from Sarma's book...

Tuesday, February 14, 2006

Dinner 2/14

Seitan Bourguignon
(brasied: seitan, onion, garlic, carrot, herbes de provence, unfiltered/unfined red wine, veg stock, flour, salt and pepper)

Yukon and Red Potatoes
(boiled: salt, pepper, soy margarine)

Artichoke
(steamed: w/ lemon and soy margarine)

Bistro Salad
(romaine, shallot, apple cider vinegar, mustard, olive oil)

Dessert

Strawberries Dipped in Chocolate

Comfort food always plays well on Valentine's Day -- stew, potatoes and artichokes fit the bill. And yes, the strawberries do look like a Busby Berekely movie ;)

PS: kunsjoi, the artichoke shot is just for you...

Monday, February 13, 2006

Wine Tasting Dinner @ Riverside 2/13

Hazelnut Mini-Cupcakes

Pasta e Fagoli
(pasta, canellini beans, tomatoes, veg stock, salt, pepper, parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme)*

Red Potatoes Stuffed with Tofu Salad
(exactly like the ones found here)

Lemons stuffed with Orzo Salad
(orzo, green olives, parsley, red bell pepper, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper)

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

Tonight was a catering gig for our friends at Riverside Wine and Imports, this time for a series of Italian wines... unfortunately, before I could get good pictures of the food, the hungry masses descended upon the buffet line and I couldn't get a clear shot, except for the mini-cupcakes, so that'll have to do for now...

We like to think of these tastings as sort of our vegan outreach program ;)

* just seeing if you were paying attention ;)

Sunday, February 12, 2006

"Dinner" 2/12

Roasted Potatoes

Homemade Ciabatta

We spent the day working on food for a catering gig Monday night (there will be plenty of shots from that tomorrow). We just sort of nibbled on stuff as we worked, so no pix of the food tonight -- just a shot of the Black Squirrel who likes to sit outside the kitchen and eat the peanuts we put on the deck...

Saturday, February 11, 2006

Dinner 2/11

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

Loubeh
(slow cooked green beans, tomato and garlic)

Pita Bread

Bistro Salad

can't get enough of the roasted garlic...

Friday, February 10, 2006

Dinner 2/10

Tofu Piccata
(variation on the recipe from the Candle Cafe cookbook)

Grilled Asparagus
(marinated with tamari, olive oil, pepper, then grilled)

Potato and Tomato Soup with Sage
(potato, onion, garlic, sage, salt, pepper, olive oil, tomato, water)

Homemade Ciabatta

a lot of "uh huh, oh yeah"...

Thursday, February 09, 2006

Dinner 2/9

Eggplant Parmesan over Capellini Pasta

Steamed Broccoli

Spinach Salad
(dried cherries, cherry tomato, fig vinaigrette)

Simple and tasty...

Wednesday, February 08, 2006

Raw Food Wednesday: Sun Burgers, Greek Salad, Mango Blueberry Tart

Raw Food Wednesday 2/8

Sun Burgers
(from Renee Underkoffler's "Living Cuisine" -- good use for leftover carrot pulp)

Greek Salad
(from Charlie/Roxanne -- green beans, kalamata olives, romaine lettuce, apple cider viniagrette, tomato, "feta" cheese)

Dessert

Mango Blueberry Tart
(from Candle Cafe cookbook, by the way of Renee Underkoffler)

Liz had the day off so she made the burgers and the feta this morning -- man, that "feta" in the Greek Salad is addictive... She also knocked out the fabulous mango blueberry tart at lunch. To be honest, other than shaping the burgers for the dehydrator (ring mold alert), I didn't have much to do... and sometimes that's a good thing ;)

Banana Split Cupcakes

cupcake number four in the books...

going in...

..coming out

close-up

two shot

big group

the blue monkey says "eieieieieieieieiei!"

Tuesday, February 07, 2006

Dinner 2/7

Tofu In Garlic Sauce *

White Bean Stew
(onion, garlic, soyrizo, cannellini beans, smoked paprika, salt, pepper)

Roasted Garlic w/ Ciabatta

Tofu In Garlic Sauce

1 block extra firm tofu (cut into 8 cutlets)
2-3 Tbs tamari / light soy sauce
flour (for dredging)
2 Tbs smoked paprika
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup olive oil

red pepper flakes to taste
1 bay leaf
lemon, cut in half
1 head roasted garlic *
2 Tbs. chopped oregano
2 Tbs. sherry (optional)
1 cup veg broth

Cut the tofu into 8 cutlet sized pieces, dry with a paper towel. Then place them on a plate and pour the tamari over the cutlets and season with pepper. Let marinate for 5 minutes.

Place flour in a shallow dish, season with salt, pepper and smoked paprika. Dredge the tofu pieces, shaking off the excess.

Heat oil in a skillet and brown the tofu on both sides. Remove and set aside. Add the red pepper flake, bay leaf, lemons, roasted garlic, oregano, sherry (if using) and veg broth to the pan. Reduce for 2-3 minutes over med-high heat.

Method One: put the tofu back in the pan, cover and simmer for 15 minutes or braise in a 375F over for 20 minutes. This method coats the tofu completely with the sauce, but make the tofu softer.

Method Two: leave the tofu out, and simmer the sauce further for 15 minutes and pour over tofu when plating. This leaves the tofu firmer, but the sauce is less thick and doesn't infuse the tofu with as much flavor.

* cut the tip (not the root end) off the garlic bulb, sprinkle with salt, pepper and olive oil, wrap loosely in foil and bake at 350F for 35-40 minutes...

Monday, February 06, 2006

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 ;)

Sunday, February 05, 2006

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" ;)

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)

Saturday, February 04, 2006

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 ;)

Friday, February 03, 2006

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...

Thursday, February 02, 2006

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

Wednesday, February 01, 2006

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 ;)

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

Tuesday, January 31, 2006

Dinner 1/31

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

Yukon Gold Potatoes

Homemade Ciabatta

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

Monday, January 30, 2006

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.

Sunday, January 29, 2006

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

Saturday, January 28, 2006

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.

Friday, January 27, 2006

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!)