Black Bean and Mesquite-Smoked Portobello Mushroom Sandwich

Dinner 6/03

Black Bean and Mesquite-Smoked Portobello Mushroom Sandwich

Keeping things simple this (hot & muggy) last week of school...

The portobello mushrooms were smoked with mesquite for 10 minutes, brushed with olive oil and tamari, grilled and sliced.

They were added on top of the black beans (onion, garlic, smoked paprika, garlic salt, black beans) which were pureed and placed in a hard roll with the inside bread scooped out.

On the right hand side is a mixture of pan-fried poblano chiles, onion, garlic, garlic salt, smoked paprika, pepper and Mexican oregano.

Not shown is the Daiya cheese that was sprinkled on top of the mushrooms and beans and put under the broiler for a minute to melt.

Tags: portobello, mushrooms, mesquite, smoker box, daiya, black beans, sandwich, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Empanadas with Pineapple Vinegar, Roasted Broccoli

Dinner 5/24

Empanadas with Pineapple Vinegar

Roasted Broccoli

This is the second time we've made these -- a recipe is close, but we're still tweaking the process. The dough uses boiled cassava, flour, salt and annato oil (for color) and were filled with corn, potato and mushroom...

Part of the process we learned this time around is that it's better to break down the cassava with a old-fashioned food-mill rather than the vita-mix -- it makes for a fluffier dough with great texture.

The pineapple vinegar recipe is from Daisy Martinez, and was used a dipping sauce for he empanadas.

The broccoli was tossed with olive oil, salt, pepper and Mexican oregano and roasted in the oven at 450F for 15 minutes.

Tags: broccoli, empanadas, corn, mushroom, potato, cassava, yuca, pineapple, vinegar, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Spinach Ravioli, White Bean, Zucchini and Chard

Dinner 5/20

Spinach Ravioli

White Bean, Zucchini and Chard

Taking a page from our tortelloni experiment last month, we used the wonton wrappers as the pasta again, this time filled with a tofu ricotta (tofu, nutritional yeast, salt, pepper, parsley) and wilted spinach. We used two pieces of the wonton with filling in between, sealed them with a cornstarch slurry (1:1 water:cornstarch) and used a ravioli cutter (a.k.a. fluted pastry wheel) to seal them. They were boiled roughly 2 minutes in boiling salted water and finished by tossing them in a warm pan of melted soy margarine.



When looking for side dishes for the ravioli, there weren't many choices. The chard needed to be used, ditto, with the zucchini -- so we added some cannellini beans, onion, garlic, olive oil, nooch and pepper.

This is probably why we won't ever write a cookbook -- we make too many "intuitive" decisions like this a la minute... ;)

Tags: ravioli, tofu, spinach, wonton, cannellini beans, chard, zucchini, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Roasted Corn Soup with Grilled Tofu and Okra

Dinner 5/16

Roasted Corn Soup with Grilled Tofu and Okra

Whenever we start to see corn trickling into the stores, we pick up a few -- knowing full well it's not the good (local, organic) stuff. If nothing else, it reminds us that the farmer's market is coming soon, and that will be a happy time... ;)

For the soup (which serves four people), we first soaked four ears of corn in cold water for 10 minutes, then grilled them in the husk. After the corn was done cooking (about 10-15 minutes or all of the husks are blackened) we removed the kernels with a knife and set those aside while you make the corn stock.

Take the four cobs, break them in smaller pieces. In a stock pot, add 1 tsp. of olive oil and the cobs and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add four cups of water, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and reduce down to two cups (about 40 minutes) then strain.

In a saute pan over medium heat, we added 1 tbs. of olive oil, a small shallot and 4 cloves of garlic (both minced), the grilled corn, salt and pepper and cooked it for 2-3 minutes to sweat the shallots. Next, add the two cups of corn stock, plus two cups of soy/rice/almond milk.

Carefully add the mixture to the vita-mix and puree. Strain the soup back into the pot and check for seasoning. Keep on low heat while you get the rest of the toppings together.

Pour the soup into a serving bowl and top with a couple of tablespoons of Daiya Mozzarella, grilled tofu & okra.

Tags: corn, okra, daiya, tofu, recipe, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Pea Risotto with Morel Mushrooms, Smoked Asparagus, Rhubarb and Strawberry Crumble with Vanilla Ice Cream

Dinner 5/13

Pea Risotto with Morel Mushrooms
(recipe below)

Smoked Asparagus

Dessert

Rhubarb & Strawberry Crumble with Vanilla Ice Cream

Tonight's meal was based on another orphan food score, this time three enormous containers of English Peas, that, much like the Fava Beans last time, didn't get sold over the weekend. To be honest, we didn't see anything wrong with them physically. As it turned out, there was one pod that was unusable in the entire bunch.

The broth for the risotto was made using our regular veg broth with the addition of the shucked pea pods and asparagus trimmings, cooked together for 20 minutes, then strained, to give the broth that springtime flavor boost!

Pea Risotto with Morel Mushrooms

6 cups veg stock

1 tbs. olive oil
2 tbs. minced shallots
1 cup of arborio rice
1/2 cup white wine
1/4 nutritional yeast
1 tbs. soy margarine
salt and pepper to taste

1 tsp. olive oil
1 tsp. soy margarine
1/4 pound fresh morel mushrooms, (soaked to clean), sliced into 1/4" rings
1 tsp. tamari

In a large saute pan, add the olive oil over medium heat and sweat the shallots for 2 minutes. Add the rice and stir to combine. When the rice begins to look "chalky" (2-3 minutes), add the white wine (off the heat) and cook until it's almost evaporated. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Add half of the stock (three cups), stir to combine and and let it cook for 7-8 minutes. Then add the second half of the stock (three cups) and cook for another 7-8 minutes.

Add the nutritional yeast, soy margarine, salt and pepper, stir to combine and check to see if the rice is al dente. If not, cook for an additional 1-2 minutes. Check for seasoning and serve, topped with the morel mushrooms.

In a saute pan over medium heat, add the olive oil and soy margarine. When the margarine has melted add the sliced morel mushrooms and cook for 5-6 minutes, turning occasionally. At the end of cooking, splash with the tamari. Add to the top of the risotto.



There are few foods we haven't yet smoked -- surprisingly, asparagus was still on that list. That has now been rectified. ;)

The asparagus were fairly thick, so we peeled them. Next they were smoked with oak chips for 15 minutes, marinated with olive oil and tamari for 10 minutes and finally grilled.

When our daughter not only eats three entire stalks of asparagus (she's more of a "tip only" person), and then asks for seconds, well... let's just say they were pretty good.



As for the dessert, the rhubarb and strawberry were both at peak flavor, so it's best to get out of the way and let them shine in a simple crumble.

Tags: asparagus, morel mushrooms, risotto, arborio, rice, smoker box, rhubarb, strawberry, ice cream, vanilla, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Asparagus and Morel Mushroom Frittata, Loubie

Dinner 5/06

Asparagus and Morel Mushroom Frittata

Loubie

We haven't made a frittata in a while, but the combination of some lovely thin asparagus and morel mushrooms (with crumbled tofu) in a cast-iron pan was too good of an idea to pass up.

The loubie used green beans this time around, slow-cooked in a tomato based sauce.



We scored the very nice sized morels (not too big or small) at the Miles Rd. Market and put them to use on top of the frittata -- they were soaked first (as "things" like to hide in the nooks and crannies), cut in half and pan-fried in olive oil with pepper and a splash of tamari at the end of cooking. Sadly, we're coming to the end of the morel/ramp/fiddlehead season...

Tags: asparagus, tofu, morel mushrooms, green beans, tomatoes, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Tofu and Kumquat Shish Kabobs, Pot-Roasted Eggplant with Tomatoes and Cumin, Potatoes with Mint and Cilantro Sauce, Apple Spice Layer Cake

Dinner 4/29

Tofu and Kumquat Shish Kabobs

Pot-Roasted Eggplant with Tomatoes and Cumin

Potatoes with Mint and Cilantro Dipping Sauce

Persian Cucumbers

Dessert

Apple-Spice Layer Cake

A meze kind of meal... the tofu for the shish kabobs was smoked with hickory, marinated with a splash of tamari and rubbed with a spice rub:

Spice Rub

1 tbs. smoked paprika
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. garlic salt
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. black cardamom, fresh ground

The tofu and kumquats were put on the skewer and grilled until cooked through, about 8-10 minutes, turning every couple of minutes. The kumquats (which were also smoked) were some of the nicest one we've ever had... Pro tip: don't bite into them right after removing from the grill, unless you like a hot & sour citrus blast in your mouth -- just sayin' ;)

One thing we have plenty of in the herb garden is mint. The dipping sauce was for the potatoes (and we tried on the shish kabobs as well). It's sort of like a mint chimichurri sauce.

Mint & Cilantro Dipping Sauce

1/4 cup mint, chopped
2 tbs. cilantro, chopped
1/8 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/2 lime, juiced
1 tsp. agave

1/4 cup olive oil

Put the first six ingredients into the blender and slowly add the olive oil until it emulsifies. Check for seasoning, and pour into a individual serving bowls for each person.

The yummy eggplant and tomato dish was from the May 2010 F&W from Paula Wolfert.

The (tiny) Persian cucumbers were simply sliced and sprinkled with sea salt.



The Apple-Spice Layer Cake is from Martha Stewart's "Baking Handbook" (pg. 161) -- subbing soy sour cream, agave, soy milk, flax seed, soy margarine for the usual suspects... on top are caramelized "Lady Apples."

Tags: apple, persian cucumbers, mint, cilantro, potatoes, eggplant, tomatoes, tofu, kumquats, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Fava Beans and Ramps with Fettuccine, Zucchini Fritters with Tomato Sauce

Dinner 4/26

Fava Beans and Ramps with Fettuccine

Zucchini Fritters with Tomato Sauce

The organic fava beans were rescued from the grocery store as the produce guy was bagging them up to toss out -- apparently we were the first people to ask about them since they've been in the store. The outside of the fava beans were a little wrinkled to be sure, but the insides were pristine, as you can tell from the picture. As a bonus, he sold two giant bags to us for a substantial discount. So, produce score, yay! ;)

We also bought most of the local ramps they had and used a portion in the mix along with nutritional yeast, white wine, salt, pepper and the fava beans. Rounding out the plate was our daughter's favorite side dish: zucchini fritters with tomato sauce.

Tags: fava beans, zucchini, ramps, fettuccine, tomato sauce, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Roasted Garlic Custard, Pom Pom Mushrooms, Green Beans

Dinner 4/25

Roasted Garlic Custard

Pom Pom Mushrooms

Green Beans

We went into dinner with a vague idea, but no real firm recipe, for making the custard (or flan, if you like). As far as experiments go, I'm making a note here: HUGE SUCCESS.

The Pom Pom's were sliced and pan-fried with a spash of tamari and pepper at the end of cooking. The green beans were seared in a hot saute pan until starting to show some color. Add 1/4 cup of mushroom stock, 1 tbs. tamari and pepper to taste, turn the heat down to low and put the lid on, until they are finished cooking, about 5 -7 minutes.

Roasted Garlic Custard
makes four 4oz. servings

Roasted Garlic

1 head of garlic
olive oil
salt & pepper

Cut the tips off the garlic head, drizzle a wee bit of olive oil over top and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook in a garlic roasted or aluminum foil pouch at 350F for roughly 1 hour.

Reserve four whole pieces of the roasted garlic.

Ramekins

4 4oz. ramekins
1 tsp. soy margarine
2 tbs. seasoned breadcrumbs (breadcrumbs, salt, pepper to taste)

Coat the ramekins with the soy margarine, then add the seasoned breadcrumbs and roll around to coat the bottom and sides. We usually pour the breadcrumbs into the next ramekin as we go, so as not to waste any.

Custard

12 oz. box of soft tofu
1/3 cup of Mozzarella Teese, shredded
1 tbs. cornstarch
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 head of roasted garlic (see note)
salt and pepper to taste

Keep the oven at 350F.

In a blender, mix the soft tofu, Teese, cornstarch, baking powder, nutritional yeast, salt & pepper to taste and the rest of the roasted garlic. Process until smooth.

Feel free to add more or less of the roasted garlic, depending on how big the head was to start with, and how much you like roasted garlic. ;)

Pour the mixture into the ramekins until they are roughly 3/4 full. Tap the ramekins down on a cutting board to get rid of any air bubbles.

Add one of the reserved garlic cloves in the center of each ramekin and push under the surface.

Place the ramekins in a roasting pan, and place in the oven. Add hot water (a tea kettle with a spout works wonders here) about halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Close the oven door, and cook in the bain-marie for 30 minutes.



Carefully remove the ramekins from the oven and let cool for 4-5 minutes on a rack. Run a knife along the edge to help release the custard.

To serve, invert on the plate.

Tags: garlic, green beans, pom pom mushrooms, bain-marie, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Tofu Scaloppine, Braised Baby Artichokes

Dinner 4/21

Tofu Scaloppine

Braised Baby Artichokes

The tofu cutlets were smoked for 25 minutes with alder wood and marinated with 1 tbs. of tamari for 10 minutes. The tofu was then coated using our standard three pan method. The first pan held 1/2 cup of all-purposed flour mixed with garlic salt and pepper to taste. The second pan was 1 tbs. of cornstarch whisked together with 1 tbs. water to make a slurry. The final pan was 1/2 cup bread crumbs, 1/4 cup nutritional yeast, 1/4 ground pine nuts and the zest of one Meyer lemon.

The cutlets were then fried in a saute pan over med-high heat with 1 tbs. of olive oil until golden brown on both sides (about 4-5 minutes per side). They were removed from the pan and put on a rack over a sheet pan and baked for 10-15 minutes at 350F to finish cooking.

While the cutlets were in the oven, we made a quick sauce which involved the leftover oil from frying the cutlets, plus 1 tbs. of leftover seasoned flour from dredging to make a roux. Added to that was 1/2 cup of white wine, 2 tbs. of Meyer Lemon juice and 1 cup of veg stock, plus 1 tbs. of tamari and pepper. The sauce was poured over the cutlets.

The baby artichokes were trimmed, cut in half and braised with a mix of lemon juice, white wine, veg stock, and seasoned with parsley, salt, pepper and nutritional yeast.

Tags: tofu, smoker box, baby artichokes, veg stock, breadcrumbs, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Seitan and Three Lentil Stew, Pom Pom Mushrooms, Braised Leeks

Dinner 4/20

Seitan and Three Lentil Stew

Pom Pom Mushrooms

Braised Leeks

A slight twist to our usual recipe -- we were running low on French lentils, so we added an equal amount of green and brown lentils to the mix.

Start with 1 tsp. of olive oil in the pressure cooker, add half of an onion (studded with three cloves) and cook the onion until it starts to show some color. Add the lentils, stir to combine and scrape down the sides. Add enough veg stock to cover by about 1" or so -- any extra stock left over after cooking will only help the stew. Pressure cook for 16 minutes at about 7.5 psi (first ring on some pressure cooker models).

While the lentils are cooking, cube 8oz. of seitan and pan-fry along with the other half of the onion, two carrot (sliced on the bias), 3-4 cloves of garlic (minced) and 2 tsp. herbes de provence, salt and pepper.

Add the lentils into the stew, and adjust the seasoning as needed.



Tonight the stew was topped with Pom Pom (a.k.a. Lion's Mane) Mushrooms sliced thickly and pan fried in olive oil with salt and pepper.

Rounding out the plate was braised leeks...

Braised Leeks
serves 4

4 leeks
water
1 tbs. soy margarine
salt and pepper

First, trim the tops and bottom of the leeks, using as much of the white/light green parts as you like (the leftover bits are fantastic in making stock). Clean them by soaking in water and make sure you get the hidden dirt that likes to hide near the tops. You may need to lose a layer or two on the outside of the leeks to accomplish that. Cut the leek into roughly 3-inch sections.

Place the leeks in a small saute pan and add the water until it reaches halfway up the side of the leeks. Add the 1 tbs. of soy margarine, and bring to a boil. Cover loosely with the lid and continue to cook over medium heat until the water has just about evaporated.

Turn off heat, remove the leeks and place in an oven-proof gratin dish. Pour the remaining liquid out of the saute pan into the oven-proof dish. Season with salt and pepper and place into a 350F oven for 15-20 minutes until the leeks begin to caramelize. Serve hot.

Tags: lentils, pom pom mushrooms, leeks, pressure cooker, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Vegan Iron Chef 2

Vegan Iron Chef 2*

Yesterday was the second Vegan Iron Chef competition at Kent State. The secret ingredients were quinoa, local kale, ramps and Gardein (one of the sponsors). This year, VegiTerranean chef Scot Jones stopped by with Chrissie Hynde while we were cooking to say hello and asked if we could make an extra plate for Chrissie. We were so glad we made a little extra of everything. ;)

This is the version of what we sent over to her, as well as the "reserve" table -- people who donated money for the opportunity to eat all eight courses. The judges plates were slightly different, but I didn't get a shot of those before they had to go out to their table.

Here's the original test plate idea from last night. I realized about 2am that it was going to be too big of a portion for the judges who were probably going to be very full by the time they got to our plate. So, we streamlined as above.



There was a huge crowd this year (easily 200+ people) -- and a special thanks to Niki, as well as Laura and John, for driving down and hanging out while we were cooking.

The most often asked question -- "what are those?" while pointing to the yellow beets.

Second most asked question -- "is that your car in the parking lot with the TOFU license plate?"

The final result was "deja vu all over again," with the team from VegiTerranean winning, Molly Aubuchon second, and us in third (out of eight teams), exactly how it was last year.

* must. resist. urge. to. say. electric. boogaloo.

Tags: vegan iron chef, quinoa, kale, gardein, ramps, golden beets, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Tortelloni, Cremini Mushrooms, Roasted Broccoli and Cauliflower

Dinner 4/13

Tortelloni

Cremini Mushrooms

Roasted Broccoli and Cauliflower

Tortelloni are like tortellini, only bigger and stuffed with ricotta (a crumbled block of extra-firm tofu mixed with salt, pepper, nutritional yeast to taste) and cooked baby spinach (with shallots and garlic). The twist was that we used round wonton wrappers as the dough -- it worked like a charm! They were dropped in boiling, salted water and finished by rolling around in a pan of soy margarine and parsley. This may be our new favorite pasta dish... ;)



The tortelloni were served on a bed of sliced cremini mushrooms (pan-fried 7-8 minutes with olive oil, pepper, and a splash of tamari at the end of cooking) along side Roasted Broccoli and Cauliflower (tossed with olive oil, salt, pepper, roasted at 450F for 15 minutes).

Tags: tortelloni, wonton, tofu, spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Shiitake, Chanterelle and Hedgehog Mushrooms en Papillote, Grilled Asparagus

Dinner 4/05

Shiitake, Chanterelle and Hedgehog Mushrooms en Papillote

Grilled Asparagus

As if getting chanterelles wasn't special enough, we also scored some hedgehog mushrooms!

To celebrate, we made this recipe again adding fettuccine as a base, a splash of white wine and subbing soy margarine. The best part, as always, is cutting into the package and releasing the aroma.

The mushrooms were paired with another spring staple -- grilled asparagus. They were blanched for 2-3 minutes in salted water, then dropped in a quick marinade of olive oil, tamari and pepper, then grilled until slightly blackened.



We've never had hedgehog mushrooms before (the hedgehogs are the ones on the right hand side) -- they kind of look & taste like chanterelles and worked really well with the shiitake and chanterelle in the package.

Tags: shiitake, chanterelle, hedgehog mushrooms, en pappilote, asparagus, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Mushroom Risotto, Orange-Glazed Hickory-Smoked Grilled Tofu, Grilled Maitake Mushrooms, Braised Carrots, Grilled Asparagus, Peach Pie

Easter Dinner 4/04

Mushroom Risotto

Orange-Glazed Hickory-Smoked Grilled Tofu

Grilled Maitake Mushrooms

Braised Carrots

Grilled Asparagus

Yukon Gold Potato and Green Bean Salad with a Maple Syrup Vinaigrette over Mixed Greens

Dessert

Peach Pie

As it is with most dinners, the final plating gets decided about 10 seconds before we actually start laying the food down -- we don't want the food to get cold while hungry people are waiting around -- so the camera is ready to go and less than 3 minutes later, we're eating... As a photographer, this really focuses your mind. ;)

Seeing the ring mold in the drawer earlier started the idea of a stack of the risotto and then it only made sense to add the grilled/glazed tofu and maitake mushrooms on top. Rounding out the plate were the braised carrots and marinated/grilled asparagus



The stack started with a base of risotto that was cooked with mushroom broth -- in this case shiitake mushrooms stems that we've been saving for the last month. They were pressure cooked for 40 minutes in 8 cups of water which yielded a surprisingly rich and fragrant broth. The risotto technique comes from Andrew Carmellini -- add half of the mushroom stock and let it cook for 7-8 minutes, add the second half of the liquid and cook for another 7 minutes, and finish with nutritional yeast, soy margarine, salt and pepper.

Next, the tofu was hickory-smoked for 25 minutes, then marinated (1/4 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup tamari, 2 cloves of garlic smashed, 1 tbs. agave, 1 tbs. ketchup and pepper to taste), then grilled, about 5-6 minutes per side, turning once for nice grill marks. The tofu was brushed with a glaze (1/2 cup of orange juice, 1 tbs. brown sugar and 1/4 tsp of ground clove, whisked together over medium heat until the sugar dissolves and the sauce thickens) and put on a rack on a sheet pan and put in the oven for 10 minutes at 350F, flipping once and basting again half way through.

The last part of the stack was the maitake mushrooms, using the same marinade as the tofu, and then grilled along with the asparagus.



The salad was a Roasted Yukon Gold Potato and Green Bean Salad with a Maple Syrup Vinaigrette over Mixed Greens -- which is rapidly becoming the de facto holiday salad ;)



We had a lovely peach pie for lunch at the Vegeterranean last week and Liz decided to make the switch from our ubiquitous carrot cake -- a great choice (and pie).

It wouldn't be an Easter dinner without a few gratuitous shots of the table decorations...

Tags: easter 2010, tofu, maitake, mushrooms, arborio rice, risotto, carrots, asparagus, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Quinoa and Mushroom Burgers, Yukon Gold and Sweet Potato Oven Fries

Dinner 4/01

Quinoa and Mushroom Burgers

Oven Fries

It's spring break, the weather is unusually summer-like and we have a little extra time to try out some new dishes this week, so this seemed like the right day and time to riff on a Martha Stewart veggie burger recipe. We subbed 1 tbs. of ground flax seeds in place of the eggs and nutritional yeast in place of the parmesan.

The burgers were accompanied by Yukon Gold and Sweet Potato oven fries (tossed with olive oil, salt and pepper, 450F for 40 minutes, flipped after 20 minutes).

Tags: martha stewart, mushrooms, quinoa, yukon gold, sweet potatoes, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Seitan Stroganoff, Fingerling Potatoes, Pressure Cooked Beets

Dinner 3/29

Seitan Stroganoff

Fingerling Potatoes

Pressure Cooked Beets

It's PotatoHenge™ redux -- This time with seitan stroganoff (recipe) and fingerling potatoes surrounded by a moat of pressure-cooked beets.

To make your own PotatoHenge™: boil the potatoes for 15 minutes, drain and cut off the bottoms and then slice them in half, the long way. Roll them around in some soy margarine, and season with salt and pepper. Using a large ring mold, place the cut side touching the mold until you've gone all the way around without any gaps. Then add the stroganoff in the center and let stand for a couple of seconds. Remove the ring mold and your PotatoHenge™ is complete!

We wanted to try pressure cooking the beets and it worked beautifully -- four slightly-larger-than-a-golf-ball sized unpeeled beets in 1 1/2 cups of water for 15 minutes at 15psi. Immediately release the pressure and drop in an ice bath and the peels come off easily. They were perfectly cooked all the way through...

Tags: seitan, potatoes, beets. potatohenge, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Spaghetti with Basil Marinara Sauce, White Bean and Kale Soup, Salad with Crispy Shallots

Dinner 3/27

Spaghetti with Basil Marinara Sauce

White Bean and Kale Soup

Salad with Crispy Shallots

Tonight's meal courtesy of a guest chef -- our son.

Every Christmas, my sister-in-law gives me a huge box of cookbooks from various regional library sales. Some are duplicates, some are dated ("Robin Leach's Healthy Lifestyles Cookbook: Menus and Recipes from the Rich, Famous, and Fascinating" anyone?) and some are cookbooks that we would never have picked up on our own -- these are often the most interesting. Case in point: "Rao's Cookbook" from 1998. Our son caught a bit on cable about the famous old-school Italian restaurant and realized we had the cookbook in the library. It was a good primer on that most basic of red sauce: marinara with basil. So, we picked up some San Marzano tomatoes and let him pick the rest of menu -- and as you can see, he did a great job!

Tags: san marzano, tomatoes, spaghetti, cannellini beans, kale, salad, shallots, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Polenta, Morel Mushrooms, Fava Beans and Leeks

Dinner 3/21

Polenta, Morel Mushrooms, Fava Beans and Leeks

Tonight's dinner is a transition meal -- the morels and favas bring the promise of Spring, while the polenta (recipe) and leeks remind us that although the calendar says it's Spring, that's in name only for a little while longer...

(for the Northeast Ohio folks, the morels came from Miles Road Market)

Tags: morel, mushrooms, fava beans, leeks, polenta, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Raw Food Thursday: Meatloaf with Prune Ketchup, Mashed Cauliflower with Miso Gravy

Raw Food Thursday 3/18

Meatloaf with Prune Ketchup

Mashed Cauliflower with Miso Gravy
(from Juliano's "Raw")

We brought back one of our favorite raw meals -- the meatloaf (mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, nuts) topped with prune ketchup. The recipe for both are here.

The other half of the plate was Juliano's creamy mashed cauliflower topped with a miso gravy that should be its own food group. ;)

Tags: raw food wednesday, raw food, raw, mushrooms, cashews, walnuts, macadamia, prunes, sun-dried tomatoes, cauliflower, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

St. Patrick's Day: Cock Of The North, Colcannon, Beer Gravy, Soda Bread

Dinner 3/17

Cock Of The North

Colcannon

Beer Gravy

Soda Bread

As we have done since 2002, if it's St. Patrick's Day, it must be "Cock of the North". Served, as always, with colcannon (mashed potatoes with kale), beer gravy (using Samuel Smith Nut Brown) and Soda Bread...

Cock Of The North

olive oil
1 onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, cut on the bias
1 lb. mushrooms, sliced
1 tbs. tamari
16 oz. seitan, cut into 1/2" cubes
1 tbs. all-purpose flour
salt, pepper and thyme
1/4 cup of Irish whiskey (or cognac)
1 1/2 cups (unfilted/unfined) red wine
1 1/2 cups veg stock

In a large dutch oven, on medium-high heat add 1 tbs. olive oil and saute the seitan cubes until browned on all sides. You will probably need to do this in batches. Remove to a plate and keep warm.

Add an additional 1 tbs. of olive oil and saute the onion and carrots with a pinch of salt about 4-5 minutes until softened, then add the garlic and cook for one additional minute. Remove to a plate and keep warm.

Add an additional 1 tbs. olive oil and saute the mushrooms with a pinch of salt until they've lost their water and browned, about 7-8 minutes. Keep stirring so they don't stick to the bottom of the pan. Add 1 tbs. tamari and cook for an one more minute.

(You can multitask here and saute the seitan in the wok while you're cooking the onions/carrots/mushrooms in the dutch oven. But if you want to cut down on the extra pans to clean later, you can cook everything in the dutch oven.)

Add the seitan, carrots, onions and garlic back to the dutch oven. Add pepper to taste, a pinch of thyme. Add the flour, stir to combine and cook for 2-3 minutes.

Turn of the heat off and slowly add the whiskey. Turn the heat back on and CAREFULLY ignite the whiskey. Some folks like to tip the edge of the pot towards the open flame -- for the less adventurous (including us), we stand (way) back and use a hand-held igniter. Let it flame for a good 30 seconds then place the lid on top to extinguish.

Add the wine (we used a 2005 Cotturi Estate Zinfandel) and water, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, put the lid on and cook for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Check to see how thick it is -- if it still seems too liquid-y, leave the lid off and cook for an additional 5-10 minutes.

Check for seasoning and serve hot.

Tags: seitan, beer, bread, potatoes, gravy, st. patrick's day, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Mushroom and Lentil Ragu, Roasted Broccoli

Dinner 3/16

Mushroom and Lentil Ragu

Roasted Broccoli

It was one of those Tuesday "clean out the refrigerator" nights, finding things lurking in the crisper or on the back of the fourth shelf. It's almost a bit of an Iron Chef or "Chopped" kind of game -- find a way to use seemingly disparate foods in a cohesive manner. So, in tonight's mystery basket: cremini mushrooms, carrots, onion, celery, brown lentils, tomato sauce, chiocciole pasta, and two heads of broccoli.

We pressure cooked the lentils (16 minutes, first ring), roasted the broccoli (olive oil, salt & pepper, 450F, 15 minutes), made a quick tomato sauce (onion, celery, carrot, garlic, smoked paprika, tomatoes), sauteed the sliced mushrooms (splashed with tamari at the end of cooking) and cooked the pasta. To finish we combined the sauce, the lentils and the mushrooms and let cook together for a few minutes and served it over the pasta, topped with the roasted broccoli.

While it might not when any style points on Iron Chef or Chopped -- it sure was tasty ;)

Tags: mushroom, lentils, tomato, pasta, broccoli, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Tandoori Tofu, Cumin Potatoes, Curried Chickpeas & Greens

Dinner 3/15

Tandoori Tofu

Cumin Potatoes

Curried Chickpeas & Greens

We made the tandoori tofu again -- working on another, uh... "thing" -- as well as roasted fingerling potatoes (tossed with olive oil, cumin, salt and pepper roasted at 450F for 40 minutes).



The center of the plate was a test recipe for Isa -- curried chickpeas and kale -- which brought a good deal of complexity through the spices to elevate the entire dish.

This is a test recipe for Isa Chandra Moskowitz's next cookbook. As part of the testing agreement, we can't give out the recipe.

Tags: chickpeas, kale, potatoes, tofu, cumin, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Stir-Fry with Orange Scented Broccoli, Jasmine Rice

Dinner 3/13

Stir-Fry with Orange Scented Broccoli

Jasmine Rice

Sometimes, it's a long slow braise that brings out all the flavor.

Sometimes, it's something as simple as adding a little orange zest/juice to make the broccoli "pop" in your mouth.

This was one of those times.

This is a test recipe for Isa Chandra Moskowitz's next cookbook. As part of the testing agreement, we can't give out the recipe.

Tags: orange, broccoli, rice, tofu, stir-fry, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Raw Food Wednesday: Papaya, Fennel and Spinach Salad

Raw Food Wednesday 3/10

Papaya, Fennel and Spinach Salad

We had a big-ass papaya (that's a technical term), so we decided to treat it like we did when we made the raw sushi a couple of years ago... It totally changes the texture of the papaya, making it tender, chewy and full of awesomeness. ;)

The base was spinach and fennel (sliced thinly on the mandoline), both tossed with an orange vinaigrette, with the addition of lemon slices (to rub on top of the papaya) and minced dill.



We started by slicing the papaya on a mandoline about 3/8" thick, and then scored it with a knife in a crosshatch pattern to allow for better marinade penetration.

Kinda looks like big orange clown shoes, doesn't it?



The papaya slices were brushed with a marinade consisting of 1 tbs. each of olive oil, nama shoyu, and an unfiltered/unfined red wine (Coturri Zinfandel), with 1 tsp. of minced shallot, 1/2 tsp. of minced garlic, 1 tsp. of minced thyme and then seasoned with a pinch of herbes de provence and pepper.

Kinda looks like a pair of wacky orange ties, doesn't it?



The papaya slices were then vacuum-sealed and put in the freezer for 24 hours. The next day, they were taken out and defrosted in the refrigerator for a couple of hours, then removed from the bag and put in the dehydrator for 2 hours at 105F. Flip them about halfway through, and keep an eye on them so the edges don't start to curl up.

Kind of looks like big orange snowshoes, doesn't it?

Tags: raw food wednesday, raw food, raw, papaya, fennel, spinach, dill, orange, tomatoes, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Veggie Pot Pie Stew, Sweet Potato Drop Biscuits

Dinner 3/09

Veggie Pot Pie Stew

Sweet Potato Drop Biscuits

The drop biscuits combine the sweetness and color from the potatoes with a quick and simple recipe that results in a vibrant and tasty accompaniment to the hearty (and filling) Veggie Pot Pie Stew.


This is a test recipe for Isa Chandra Moskowitz's next cookbook. As part of the testing agreement, we can't give out the recipe.

Tags: potato, carrots, sweet potatoes, biscuits, stew, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Tofu con Higos, Achiote Rice, Roasted Cauliflower

Dinner 3/06

Tofu con Higos
(tofu braised with figs)

Achiote Rice

Roasted Cauliflower

More TV cooking tonight, this time a veganized Daisy Martinez set of recipes. The braised fig recipe starts off very French with the brown sauce recipe (subbing homemade hickory-smoked tempeh bacon and veg stock) and a shot of cognac to deglaze the pan. The tofu was also hickory-smoked, pan-fried and thrown into the sauce at the last minute rather than spending an hour in the liquid. That's because the tofu gets very soggy from braising which doesn't really work as a texture for cutlets. Surprisingly, the smoked tempeh cubes hold together in the sauce pretty well.

The tofu and fig sauce were served over rice, colored with achiote oil and flavored with sofrito, olives and veg stock.



The real reason for including this overhead shot is to show off my belated Christmas present from my sister-in-law -- a lovely green Bakelite silverware set with an orange chevron motif.

Tags: tempeh, tofu, figs, rice, achiote, cauliflower, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Spice Cabinet

Answering the question "Who needs six different types of salt? That's right, we do." ;)

Once every 15 years the spice cabinet get a re-do -- if that's not big enough, here's the original version...

Tags: spice cabinet, vegan, food, spices, tofu666

Tandoori Tofu, Pistachio and Pea Pulao, Channa Masala, Aloo Gobi, Pani Puri

Dinner 3/04

Tandoori Tofu

Pistachio & Pea Pulao

Channa Masala

Aloo Gobi

Pani Puri

A mix of our favorite northern dishes -- the tandoori tofu was alder-smoked, lightly pan-fried and splashed with tamari at the end. The tofu was then dropped in a bowl and coated with a mixture of 1/2 cup of soy yogurt, 1 tbs. of tandoori paste and a pinch of salt. Finally the tofu was baked on a rack in a 475F oven, until the tops began to blacken slightly, about 4-5 minutes per side. The result was very flavorful and juicy...



We made Pani Puri (a.k.a. panipuri or golgappa) for a change -- a smaller sized puri that used 3/4 cup of semolina flour + 1/4 cup of AP flour with a pinch of salt and oil. They puffed up nicely in the hot oil into small globes that were crisp enough so that you could poke a hole in the top with your finger and fill them with either the channa masala or aloo gobi and dunk them into a spicy tamarind "water" and pop them whole into your mouth where they explode with flavor. Really fun and tasty.

Tags: tandoor, tofu, pea, pistachio, rice, chickpeas, potatoes, cauliflower, puri, tamarind, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666