these are a few of my favorite things!

I am such a bad blogger, bad face-booker and emailer too.... It seems I get so busy living life, that I forget to check in with my "virtual" life tools. As a result it has been a month since my last post!

The key lesson I seem to be working on right now is balance! Just like we should balance our diets, we have to balance our lives... and it's that balancing act that can often push people over the edge. So while I realize that my new year's resolution was to be a better blogger, I hope everyone will understand that that is a resolution in progress.

Moving on, here are a few of the things that I am most in love with right now (in no particular order).



Baltimore Vegan Drinks- I know I have mentioned this group/ activity before and there is another event coming up on March 5th! The guys at Dionysus have come up with a great vegan food AND drink menu, so if you are free check it out. Last time I totally fell in love with their organic tomato vodka cocktail. Yum!







Larabars- Recently I picked up one of these little bars, after reading about them on several blogs and even in an old copy of veg news. I honestly didn't believe that they would be so awesome but... they were! The ingredients are all real food, they are 100% vegan, 100% raw and tasty. Man are they tasty, as in ADDICTIVE!!! Plus the one I picked up was very helpful in one of those "emergency" situations we vegans sometimes find ourselves in. You know the one where the non-vegan carefully plans a vegan meal for you (as a guest). They kindly and carefully omit all animal ingredients, but you are left with about 75 calories worth of salad/ steamed veggies. They really meant well and most likely don't realize their gaff. Without some sort of snack I am left hungry AND exceedingly cranky in those situations... with it I am able to remember my social graces.




Chia Seeds- As an alternative to flax seed, these little crunch seeds provided much needed omega 3's and delightful in almost anything associated with breakfast, including smoothies, soy yogurts, and even oatmeal. I have even eaten some straight out of a teaspoon a few times!


and finally I am loathe to admit that I have begun drinking the most fluorescent concoction on earth, GATORADE on all of my runs that last more than 30 minutes. Although I don't exactly love the taste, eight ounces mixed 50/50 with water seems to help with both hydration and fatigue for the next day. And before you swear that its all in my head, you should know that I swore by watered down juice for years on hikes and during hot yoga. But there is something about the makeup of Gatorade that seems to work better when I am running. Better than the juice, better than the various homemade concoctions that are on the net, better than everything except well... Gatorade. Do I like it? NO Is it cheap? NO Is it natural/organic? CERTAINLY NOT.... SO if anyone has a tried and true organic alternative let me know but until then, I guess I am drinking the stuff.


Oh and then some good foods! First from Iowa Girl Eats, I veganized her recipe for Crockpot Baked Potato Soup by 1) replacing broth with "not chicken" and reducing to two cups 2) replacing the milk with 6 ounces of almond milk 3) omitting the bacon and butter (it was already rich enough) 4) substituting DAIYA cheese It was unbelievably tasty! And although not vegan, she has many great tips and recipes which can be modified. She is a great blogger AND much more consistent than me!

And then, I found a recipe for veggie lomein in an old newspaper clipping. It took some revisions to veganize and make it taste good, but here is what I ended up with. This makes two generous servings, quickly!

Vegan Veggie Lomein

Ingredients:

4	ounces dry somen noodles
Sauce:
1/4	cup vegetable broth (or use "not chicken" if you prefer)
2	tbs red wine or sherry
1	tbs oyster sauce ( I found a vegetarian one at a local asian mart)
1	tbs cornstarch
1/2	tsp cayenne
1/2	tsp 5 spice powder
3	tsp sesame oil (divided)
Veggies:
3/4	cup onion
1/2	cup carrot
1/2	cup celery
4	tbs garlic
1	tbs ginger
4	ounces pea pods
1/2	red bell pepper
1/2	cup frozen spinach
1	cup frozen chopped broccoli

Method:

1. Prepare all vegetables by chopping into equal sized pieces (mince garlic and ginger)
   
   
2. Put a pot of water onto boil.
   
   
3. While waiting on water combine sauce ingredients in a small container and stir or shake well.
   
4. Add noodles to boiling water, after 3 minutes turn off heat and drain.
   
   
5. Heat a large wok or non-stick skillet and add 2 TBS of the oil. Stir fry the veggies in this order: Onions, carrots & celery, frozen broccoli, pea pods & bell pepper, garlic and ginger and finally the frozen spinach.
   
   
6. Add the strained noodles and stir to combine.
   
   
7. Pour in the sauce and combine everything, stirring for 2-3 minutes.
   

Happy New Year vegan style!

Happy New Year! Our family tradition is to forgo a heavy dinner for a night of appetizers and cocktails with family and friends. So tonight I prepared and bought a bunch of tasty vegan appetizers, most of which are very simple. Family get togethers are an excellent opportunity to show others that vegans eat normal, tasty food.

Tonight's appetizer spread included store bought hummus, chips and salsa, homemade summer rolls with a spicy mango dipping sauce (recipe below), carrots with a silken tofu-veggie dip, waldorf salad in lettuce cups and cold spicy peanut noodles. My family liked everything and dug in with gusto.

As a vegan you should have already made friends with hummus. If you haven't allow me to introduce you: meet hummus, otherwise known as fancy mashed up chickpea dip! Here is why you should know all about hummus, it is full of protein and is delicious by itself. You can also get it seasoned with lots of great spices like roasted red pepper, garlic, chipotle peppers or sun dried tomatoes. If you are any kind of cook at all, you should eventually learn to make it from scratch because hummus is also incredibly cheap to make.

The summer rolls take a little more work but are also incredibly healthful, delicious and impressive. You can put any selection of crunchy vegetables in them. I like: lettuce, basil, thinly sliced carrots, cucumber, red bell peppers, scallions and bean sprouts with a dressing made of rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, minced garlic and ginger. The dipping sauce recipe is below.

Silken tofu is the most useful and versatile thing in a vegan's pantry and tonight I used it in place of sour cream with a vegetable dip spice packet (just check to be sure that its vegan!). To make a simple dip, all you have to do is combine the two in a blender and then whip it to a light and creamy consistency.

The waldorf salad was a choice designed to cool off everyone's tongues after all of the spicy food. Putting it in lettuce cups made it easier to eat.

The cold peanut noodles were the biggest hit of the night and the bowl was scraped clean. I have included the recipe below.

Here are a few recipes:

Spicy Mango Dipping Sauce

Besides summer rolls, this would also be good with store bought soy nuggets or thinned into a spicy salad dressing.

Place the following into a blender and blend until smooth:

• 1 ripe mango, cubed
• 1 small ripe orange or tangerine, peeled and seeded
  
• Sriracha hot sauce, to taste
• 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

Cold Spicy Peanut Noodles

Ingredients:

1/2 package thin Rice Noodles
4 TBS peanut butter
3-4 TBS Sriracha hot sauce
1 TBS sesame oil
Dry Roasted Peanuts, Crushed (for garnish)

Method:

1. Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil on the stove.
2. Once the water is boiling, throw in noodles and turn off the burner. Let sit until done (follow package directions)
3. Drain and cut into shorter lengths, if desired.
4. In the same pot, heat the sesame oil.
5. After 30 seconds add the peanut butter stirring constantly.
6. Once peanut butter is heated through and thins out, add hot sauce and stir to combine.
7. Toss noodles in sauce.
8. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes and serve topped with the peanuts.
   

Easy Weeknight dinners Presents: Quick asian stir fry!

Who doesn't like a quick stir fry? This was such a fast and easy dinner. The use of somen noodles sped up the process considerably, feel free to use rice if you prefer though.

Quick Asian Stir Fry
Number of tools: 8 (cutting board, knife, jar, measuring cup, garlic press, wok, sauce pot and spoons)
Time: Approximately 20 minutes

Step one: Make sauce.

In a jar combine these ingredients and set aside:

2 small hot peppers, minced
1 inch of garlic root, minced
3 cloves garlic, put through a press
1/8 cup minced scallions
pinch fresh cilantro (I love it, my husband hates it... use you best judgement)
1/2 cup sake or other dry white wine
juice of 1/2 lime

Step two: Prepare somen or rice noodles, according to package directions

Step three: Quickly stir-fry veggies in a hot frying pan or wok using the tiniest posible amount of sesame or peanut oil. Add the sauce combination at the end and cook until the liquid is slightly reduced.

This is a good combination: 1 carrot, 1 cup cabbage (from a bag of pre-shredded cole slaw mix), 1/2 red or orange bell pepper, 1 cup snow peas, 1 cup mushrooms, 1/2 cup edamame

Step four: Serve stir fry over noodles or rice. Dig out your best chop sticks and dig in!


Stir fry's are really easy once you figure them out. Technique is everything. Here are a few hints:

1. The pan needs to be REALLY hot.
2. The order of the vegetables is crucial. The veggies that will take the longest to cook go in first and the fasted veggies go in last. That way everything will be cooked perfectly.
3. Cut everything as close in size as possible to ensure even cooking.
4. If you do not have time to make your own sauces, don't be discouraged. Buy those bottled ones, they taste fine. Just keep an eye on the sodium level and look out for fish sauce as an ingredient.

So now that you know what to do, have fun and go to town making the fastest dinner ever.... stir fry!

take me out to the ball game!

Last night my husband surprised me with baseball tickets. The Red Sox are in town and he is a HUGE fan. So we had great seats for a game that started at 7 PM. Here is a wierd thing about Baltimore Baseball: Normally you can wander down to the game and get in without any problem because people here do not support the Orioles.

When the Sox or those dreaded Yankees (sorry, I have to be loyal because my DH is loyal to the Red Sox) are in town, it can take forever to work through the stadium because their fans follow them here.

This meant we were supposed to have dinner at the game. This ought to be fun... a vegan eating ballpark food in Baltimore. I am a big believer in planning ahead and doing everything you can to take care of yourself, so I packed myself a quick baseball meal of Vegan Mabo Tofu, Brussels Sprouts, and Kabocha Squash. It was very quick and pretty tasty. The Mabo Tofu I made using this sauce mix which according to the packaging (and ingredient list) was totally vegan!



It couldn't have been any easier. Simply snip the sauce packet and put it in a pot with cubed pressed tofu. Simmer for a few minutes. I thought it was pretty good, but if I hadn't been in a bit of a hurry I would have tried to doctor the sauce a bit. It was pretty spicy but didn't have a depth of flavor that I usually like in Asian sauces. If I can find it again, I am definitely going to give it another try, this time with time to play with the seasonings.

The Brussels sprouts were great. I simply sauteed them with a little oil (very little) and lots of garlic and pepper. Then I finished them with a little low sodium soy sauce.

The Kabocha squash I quickly steamed in the microwave and ate with salt and pepper.

The game was great and I had plenty of good stuff to eat, since I brought it from home. At some point a drunk fan from behind shouted: Brussels Sprouts! At a ball game!! Really?!!

I only wish I had some left, so I could have offered him a few!

Curry in a hurry!

Tonight I got home from work to a fridge full of unrelated veggies and a growling stomach... what to do? Curry! Curries are fast and always seem to bring together the best dinners out of odds and ends of vegetation. I have a rice cooker, so usually I can have dinner done in the time it takes for the rice to cook!

Curry #1: Spicy Thai Panang Curry
(this one is great for when you have a stuffed nose)

Ingredients:
the tiniest amount of vegetable or peanut oil
1/2 onion, chopped
1 inch of ginger grated
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 cans of panang curry paste
1 cup fresh basil leaves, coarsely chopped
juice of one lime
2 cans coconut milk
small hot dried peppers, to taste (a normal palate will not need these as panang by itself is very hot)
assorted veggies (good choices: carrots, snow peas, broccoli, summer squash, zucchini, green beans, tofu, english peas)

Method

• In a saucepan fry onion, ginger and garlic in oil. (Use as little as possible)
• Stir in curry paste and stir constantly until paste is well mixed with aromatics and you can smell the spices, stir in basil leaves.
• Add lime juice and coconut milk.
• If using throw in dried peppers and bring to a boil.
• Add veggies and cook until they are done.

Curry # 2 Indian Style Aromatic Tomato Curry

Ingredients:
(please note: spice measurements are approximate, please adjust to your own tastes!)
1 tsp. Coriander
1 TBS Garam Masala
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp clove powder
1 tsp cardamom powder
pinch red pepper flakes
tiny amount of mild oil such as vegetable or peanut
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 inch ginger, grated
1 small onion, chopped
1 potato, peeled & cubed
1 carrot, chopped
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 cup chopped okra
1/2 cup frozen english peas
Method:

• In a very hot, dry pan toast spices.
• Add a small amount of oil and saute onion, garlic and ginger.
• Add potatoes and carrots and continue to saute, stirring constantly.
• When potatoes have browned slightly add canned tomatoes and bring to a boil.
• After boiling for 5 minutes, stir in remaining vegetables and cook until potatoes are done.
  
• Taste and add salt if necessary.

Serve both curries with a high quality basmati rice.

A review of Paul Chen's in Baltimore

Anytime we want Chinese takeout here at home we order it from Paul Chen Hong Kong Restaurant. They have one of the most extensive vegetarian menu's for Chinese takeout that I have even seen. In fact... their menu is so extensive that it has ruined me for other restaurants.

When I am forced to eat at other Chinese restaurant's I am stunned that they do not offer as many choices! The have vegan springrolls and dumplings, four vegan soups and mock meats galore. If yu check out the online or in-house menu they have also labeled the vegetarian options throughout the regular menu (be sure to remember to get your fried rice without egg). They even offer brown sticky rice!!

Of the vegetarian delight entrees, the only thing I am pretty sure is not vegan is the pancakes in the Monk's Mu shu chicken. So I order the dish without pancakes. Nearly everything is perfect and low on the grease and delivery is almost always prompt. My husband and I love this place and I encourage you to give them a try. My personal favorites are: Monk's beef with Broccoli, Monk's Mu-shu chicken (no pancakes), Monk's Kung-Pao Chicken, broccoli in hot garlic sauce and the Sno Peas and Bok Choy with Mushroom. I also almost always get spring rolls.

Delicious!

phee phi pho phum....

a
So this whole saga started when I saw an innocent looking cube of "pho" bouillon at H-mart (my local asian grocery). I had no idea what pho was but my curiosity was peaked! It turns out that pho is basically the national dish of Vietnam and apparently totally tasty and totally not vegan....

Well I can't seem to walk away from a challenge to save my life so I decided to give it my best shot. I read all I could about Vietnamese Pho, including articles about how it should never be vegetarian and articles describing how it could be made vegetarian occasionally... I finally came up with this one.

At first I was afraid to even take a bite because the broth was a mysterious blackish color... but I was brave. Boy was I glad I was because it was was great. The flavors were rich and warming. Not only did I enjoy it but my husband (remember... the non-vegan) and my neighbor loved it too!!

I cannot attest to its authenticity, so if I made some critical misstep (besides the obvious ones... i.e. no fish sauce) feel free to let me know but please understand that this is pho-inspired more than actually pho. I have never had real pho and probably never will since it seems impossible to find a vegan version in a restaurant. Regardless I encourage you to be brave and wade into the murky blackness because the taste was exotic and delightful. It wasn't too difficult either!!

By the way if you want a lighter broth, strain it through cheesecloth or find whole components of all of the spices in the chinese 5 spice (ie whole cinnamon sticks, whole star aniseed etc..)

Vietnamese Pho, sort of

Ingredients:

Broth:
4 shallots
3 inches of ginger
25 basil leaves
12 cloves of garlic (DO NOT BE AFRAID... THEY WILL MELLOW OUT!!)
1 cup asian cooking wine
1/2 cup dried shitakes
2 heaping tsp chinese 5 spice blend
1 tsp dried cilantro
a lot of fresh ground black pepper (I used 30 cranks on my mill)
6 cups vegetable broth or water

1 block baked marinated tofu (I used a store bought "asian" flavor), cubed
1-2 cups napa cabbage chopped
2 green scallions chopped
1/2 cup basil leaves chopped

4 ounces rice pasta (the medium size that looks like linguine), soaked/cooked according to package directions

Optional garnishes:
chopped peanuts
hoisin sauce
Siracha sauce
Chopped fresh cilantro
lime wedges


Method:

• Place all ingredients for broth in a large pot and bring to a boil.
  
• Reduce heat to a simmer and let cook for an hour, stirring occasionally.
• Strain out solids, reserving liquid.
• Return the liquid to stove and add napa & tofu cooking 2-3 minutes.
• Stir in basil and rice pasta and heat through
• Toss in scallions and serve with various garnishes on side

Like I said... be brave and try it!! It wasn't even difficult!

A vegan goes on a road trip....

Earlier this week, I found out that I was going to have to make an unplanned trip to Virginia to visit my folks. While it is always a pleasure to travel, travelling as a vegan comes with its own set of obstacles. For example, I don't believe Amtrak has any vegan offereings in their cafe car and I now know that the coffee shop in the Baltimore station doesn't offer soy milk.... regardless of the pleas of this vegan prior to her 6:10 AM departure... (why won't Dunkin Donuts get with it???)

Anyway, I shouldn't whine too much. I had planned ahead and packed my own food and a small mug of coffee. Its just that at 6- anything in the morning a person needs more than one mug! Luckily I arrived safely and without injuring myself or anyone else despite my coffee shortage.

Now...imagine my pleasure when I learned that my parents had scoped out a nearby vegan friendly restaraunt from the awesome website HappyCow.net!! Score! Are my folks the best or what? Plus the restaurant was totally awesome.






The restaurant Nawab (pronounced Nah-Vahb), was a delightful Indian restaurant with a vegetarian menu with clearly marked vegan items. When I indicated I was a vegan, the hostess/ server quickly pointed out that they could also veganize most of the vegetarian options as well and told me not to hesitate to ask. When I ordered she even reccomended a vegan bread option (the roti). Everything about this restaurant was accomodating and perfect. My mother (who doesn't really eat "ethnic" food) asked a million questions and each one was patiently answered. My father and brother both seemed to love their meals as well. I had the Vegetable Jhalfrazie and plain roti. The dishwas good and had tons of flavor. I am a real fanatic about rice and was especially pleased to have some delicious aged basmati with my dish. This may seem silly to write about rice but still after a long train ride... it was great to have something comforting and familiar like this. The other vegan possibilities included Chana Masala, a vegetable curry and Eggplant Bartha.


The restaurant itself was clean and subdued with tables that were well spaced out and comfortable. My mother especially like the lighting on the walls and the tiles. All in all it was a great meal and I suspect that my parents will actually continue to eat here without me.

That was the high point in the day, foodwise. Dinner was at a place called Szechuan Inn. If you are a Vegan or Vegetarian..

DO NOT EAT HERE!!!!

The trouble started when we walked in the door:

Me: I am a vegan, do you have any vegetarian food on your buffet?

Hostess: No, but you can order from the menu. We have a vegetarian section.

Me: I am a very strict vegetarian. Are there any chicken stocks or fish stocks in the sauces?

Hostess: (with a slightly odd look) No, but if you tell your server she can make sure everything is all vegetables.

So the "Vegetarian Section" turns out to be an 8 item section marked simply "vegetable". It includes Ma Poo Tau Fu which is "cooked with a small amount of fresh pork". Hmm... this should have been a clue. But I see they offer Buddha's Delight which has always been 1) vegetarian 2) a combination of tofu and vegetables

You know what they say about assumptions.....

My parents order the buffet and I order steamed vegetable dumplings and Buddha's Delight. The waitress seems very perturbed that I am not eating from the buffet, so I explain that I am a vegan and what that entails. She nods, confirms my order and leaves the table. After about 3 minutes she returns to inform me that all sauces are made with chicken stock. So now my order is changed to the dumplings, rice , steamed veggies and (I assume) tofu. She still seems quite annoyed but I am still unsure why. In an attempt to make the best of this, I mentally tell myself how HEALTHY this low-sodium, low-fat meal is going to be.

Ten additional minutes later she returns to tell me that although the vegetable dumplings are on the menu, they do not actually serve them. Now I am having rice, steamed veggies and (hopefully) some tofu. The server still seems annoyed. Well, I didn't really need the dumplings anyway so thats fine by me...

The food finally arrives. I am served... white rice and steamed veggies... no tofu. Ever hopeful, I ask for some Sriracha hot sauce and I am informed that there isn't any. Instead I am told they have hot oil. The still annoyed server brings me some other (very hot) hot sauce. It turns out that this hot sauce was the highlight of my dinner.

Finally I dig in. The food is plentiful. Thanks to my lack of sauces it is healthy. Oddly it is tofu free.... Remember my thing about rice? Well I guess I am spoiled because in most Chinese restaurants I am served jasmine sticky rice, brown rice or some other high quality rice. This appeared to be Uncle Bens. Now if you are not a rice person, this wouldn't matter but.... for me it was just one more thing.

The final blow though was that as we were leaving I see a huge industrial size bottle of Sriracha hot sauce sitting on the bar!

The last supper

Tomorrow is my first day back to work after the summer break, so I chose one of the most comforting foods I could think of: miso soup. Now, this may seem like an odd choice but I love miso soup. I mean I REALLY LOVE miso soup. When I'm sick it is what I crave and when we are out eating in a Japanese restaurant, I always manage to eat my husband's as well as mine (luckily... he doesn't mind too much). This particular soup, I amped up with tons of vegetables and some rice noodles, which is sacrilege I am sure but delicious nonetheless.

We followed it with my first homemade sushi attempt (which totally felt like cheating because it was so easy), inari sushi. Everything (except the rice) that I needed for the sushi came in this little kit, which I bought at the Asian grocery store:

There were no English directions, so I used the pictures as a clue and in about the time it took to cook the sticky rice we had delicious little pockets of tofu stuffed with seasoned rice and a packet of garnishes cutely labeled "flake". I usually only get this in sushi restaurants but the home version was equally good. Here is the finished product:


After a final survey we concluded that I loved the inari and DH thought that they were "ok". He seemed to prefer eating a big bowl of the sticky rice with some cucumber. The next time I make sushi at home, my goal is to do it like these guys:



Now since the sushi was essentially rice and tofu, we ate tons of miso soup tonight. My husband even said that it was better than the stuff you get in restaurants!

Deluxe Miso Soup

Ingredients:

Water
a 2-inch piece of kombu, rinsed (a type of seaweed)
4 pieces of dried shitake mushroom
small bunch chives
splash rice wine
splash soy sauce

a handful of dried rice noodles
2 cups of mixed chopped vegetables of your choice and tofu
(* I used carrots, chives, napa, laver, red peppers, peas and tofu)
2 TBS miso (fermented soybean paste)

Method:

Begin by making your Dashi. Fill a two quart stock pot with water. Add the kombu, chives and dried mushrooms and bring to a boil. Boil for about 15 minutes, then add the wine and soy sauce. After 15 more minutes, strain out the solids, reserving the mushrooms. Taste the Dashi and add more soy if necessary.

Take a moment to chop the rehydrated shitakes.

Bring the broth back to a boil. Reduce heat and add the noodles. Once noodles are soft add the other vegetables, tofu and the shitakes. Heat through and then reduce heat to a simmer. Stir in the miso but do not allow the liquid to boil again. Serve immediately.



Miso is excellent for your health. It is high in many trace minerals, including zinc, manganese and copper. Some studies also suggest that it may help prevent breast cancer among women. Plus it is super tasty. I am no doctor though, so do not take my advice in place of a medical professional!! This information is not meant to diagnose, treat, prevent or cure anything... Got it? Be smart and do your own research!

All-U-Care-to-Eat $2.99 buffet!!!

Earlier today my husband and I were walking around Baltimore (lamenting the fact that we both go back to work soon....) and shopping a little. In one of my favorite local used bookstores, Read Street Books, I stumbled upon the strangest little cookbook entitled: Cuisines of the Axis of Evil and other irritating states: A Dinner Party Approach to public Relations


The book features recipes from Korea, Iran, Iraq, Israel, India, Pakistan, Cuba, Burma, China and the good ole US of A. Without beginning any political discussion (this isn't a political blog...I'm thinking about the recipes), I want to tell you that this book is great. It has many recipes that are vegan and then many more that can easily be veganized. Since I love Asiatic Cuisines, I obviously bought it. And then.... I spent the entire walk home planning dinner. We set everything up like our own little All-U-Care-to-eat Chinese buffet.

Here was the menu:

• Vietnamese Style Spring Rolls 越南春卷
• Sticky Rice 大米
• Stir-Fried lotus Root 炒莲藕
• General Tso's Tofu 左宗棠豆腐
• Tropical Fruit Smoothie 水果时髦饮

The Vietnamese Spring Rolls were filled with soaked rice noodles, cucumber, red pepper, carrot, parsley, lettuce, chives and a homemade orange-ginger vinaigrette.



The Stir-Fried Lotus Root was seasoned with garlic, ginger, soy sauce and a little sesame oil. Fresh lotus Root can be purchased at most Asian grocery stores. Before using, it needs to be peeled. To prevent browning it can be soaked briefly in water with a splash of vinegar.


The General Tso's Tofu was a veganization of a recipe from the new cookbook. The recipe is posted below.


And finally to cool down all of that heat, we drank delicious tropical fruit smoothies! They were made from a combo of frozen lychees, cherries, banana and pineapple combined with lime juice, coconut milk, agave nectar and fresh minced ginger.

It was all great. After dinner we relaxed with Polynesian cocktails and watched Planes, Trains and Automobiles. It was a great date night and we didn't even have to leave our house.

General Tso's Tofu

Ingredients:

1 block extra firm tofu, pressed and cut into small chunks
1 cup broccoli florets
1 cup cornstarch
1 cup peanut oil + 2 TBS additional oil
4-8 small dried hot chilli peppers (I used 4 and it was wimpy... my DH had to add extra hot pepper)
1 packet liquid vegetable broth concentrate
white pepper

for sauce:
1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
3 TBS hoisin sauce
3 tsp agave nectar
2 TBS rice vinegar
1 TBS sake or mirin
2 cloves minced garlic
2 TBS minced ginger

optional garnishes: minced scallions, sesame seeds or parsley

Method:

1. Marinate tofu in the vegetable broth concentrate and pepper (do not add water!) stir to coat all pieces. Let sit for approximately 30 minutes to one hour. Use this time to combine all the sauce ingredients in a small bowl.

2. Right before cooking, set oven to low heat and line an oven safe pan with a few paper towels.

3. Heat the cup of oil in a wok or frying pan with steep sides. Working in small batches, lightly coat tofu in the cornstarch and fry until crispy. Place cooked tofu in prepared pan and keep warm in the oven. (Note: If you just dump the tofu into the cornstarch it will become a gluey mess... I found putting the cornstarch on a plate and turning the indivual tofu chunks with tongs to be the best method.)

4. When all of the tofu is done, pour off the oil into a jar to cool and wipe out the pan. Return to the stove and add the two tablespoons of additional oil to the pan.

5. Carefully cook your peppers (Watch out for your eyes and nose!) until the oil is slightly colored and the peppers are soft. Add your broccoli and sautee briefly.

6. Return the tofu to the pan.

7. Pour the bowl of sauce ingredients over the tofu and stir continually until sauce becomes slightly thick.

Garnish, if desired and serve over rice.

Sunday Dinner

Most of the time Sunday dinners are big at our house. Since we have been traveling, we have been eating alot of takeout, fast food and other less than tasty stuff, so I wanted to be sure that we had a good dinner today.

Today's menu was: Veganomicon's Chick Pea Cutlets (for me... DH had a different protein), mashed turnips bought fresh from the farmer's market, Asian style greens (seasoned with mirin, crushed pepper flakes, garlic, ginger, kecap manis and sesame oil) and a carrot puree.

The picture didn't come out too well but everything tasted great. I always love the chick pea cutlets because they are chewy and have a great crust to to them. The other veggies were all well seasoned and tasty as well. Although turnips seem like a fall or winter vegetable, the ones that I get at the farmer's market this time of year always seem to taste sweeter and have an excellent texture. Also since they are my husband's favorite vegetable, any time I can get them we eat them.

I always love my greens sauteed and seasoned with soy, ginger, garlic, pepper and sesame. This time the greens in question were labeled "Chinese Brocoli" and were a lovely green with tiny yellow flowers. The carrots were a new attempt for me, which I adapted from a soup recipe. They were delicious, both sweet, spicy and rich without being heavy or fatty. The basic recipe is at the bottom of the page.





For dessert we had Blackstrap ginger bread with lemon sauce from Vegan Lunch box. It wasn't very sweet, but with the lemon sauce it hit the spot.


The carrot puree was an adaptation of a soup recipe from the cookbook A Vegetarian's Ecstasy.

Indonesian Carrot Puree (LOW FAT)
(adapted from A vegetarian's Ecstasy)

Ingredients:

8-10 Carrots, peeled and chopped
1/2 of a medium banana, sliced
1 clove garlic
1 spoonful minced ginger
1 TBS soy sauce
pinch each of : crushed fennel seed, crushed red pepper, clove powder, wasabi powder, curry powder and turmeric

sweet white wine and soy milk (I used vanilla)

Method:

Put carrots, banana, garlic, ginger soy sauce andspices in a two quart sauce pot. Pour in enough wine to cover the carrots and boil until carrots are soft enough to mash and the wine reduces. Remove from heat and puree using immersion blender or food processor. When carrots are fully pureed, stir in 1/2- 1 cup of soy milk. Season with additional salt and pepper if necessary.

Vegan camping here we come....

In preparation for our upcoming camping trip, I spent the day preparing two good outdoor foods: Cole slaw and potato salad. Both of these are recipes that I tend to pull out when I have a lot of skeptical non-vegans to feed. They hardly even know these are vegan until they see me eating them. The potato salad, is somewhat traditional while the slaw is Asian inspired.

(In looking over my last few posts, I seem to be eating an abundance of siracha, curries, peanuts, sesame and ginger!!! I will endeavor to post a wider variety of recipes when I get back.)

Savory Vegan potato salad
(This is inspired by potato salad made by Mr. Williams, a co-worker of mine. I could never hope to recreate his version which is so good that in his words "it will make you slap someone")

Ingredients

5 lbs Russet potatoes (red potatoes work as well)
1/3 block tofu
2 stalks celery
1 small Vidalia onion
3 scallions, greens only
1 sweet red bell pepper
3/4 cup frozen petite peas, defrosted on counter
1 large carrot
1/4 cup parsley
1/2-1 jalapeno pepper (optional-to taste)

the following to taste:

whole grain mustard
vegan mayonnaise
sweet relish
rice wine vinegar
salt and pepper



Method

- Wash potatoes and boil with their skin on until tender then remove from hot water.

- While potatoes are boiling: wash and chop celery, onion, scallions, red pepper, carrot, parsley and jalapeno (if using). Place in a large bowl.

-Prepare tofu by pressing the water out and cutting into 1/8 inch cubes. Set aside.

-When potatoes are done,rinse with cold water. Peel and chop them before adding to the other vegetables.

-Using your taste buds as a guide mix vegetables with mustard, mayonnaise, relish and vinegar. Everyone is different but we prefer a ratio of 2:1 for the mustard to mayo, about 4 tablespoons of relish and around 1/4 cup of vinegar. When it is the way you like it, gently stir in the tofu and peas.

-Chill for at least 1 hour before serving.

Asian Style Spicy Slaw

Ingredients

Salad ingredients:
4 1/2 cups shredded green cabbage
3 scallions
2 medium carrots, shredded
1 sweet red bell pepper, minced
1/8 cup sesame seeds (optional)

For the dressing:
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup Lo-Sodium Soy sauce
2 TBS dark sesame oil
1/2 Siracha hot sauce (more if you like...)
2-3 TBS natural peanut butter

Method:

-Mix the vegetables and sesame seeds in a large bowl.
-Place all dressing ingredients in a jar with a tight fitting lid. Shake or stir until well mixed.
-Pour dressing over salad and stir to combine.
-Refrigerate for at least one hour prior to serving.



Hopefully everything will go smoothly on this camping trip... my husband is not a camper and my parents tell me it has been raining for days. At least I am bringing good food!

Weddings.... and a thai-inspired noodle dish

My husband and I went to a wedding today. The wedding was beautiful: the bride wore white,the groom wore a tux and converse, the bride cried, the groom cried, the bride's mother cried, the bride's father cried, I cried and the non-vegan reception lasted hours. Like I said it was a lovely wedding and when it ended I was starving!

Enter my newest, quick creation: Thai-Inspired Quick Noodles. I realize nearly every vegan has some sort of peanut noodle thing that they eat, so I thought I'd add mine to the fray. Here is what I came up with:

Thai-Inspired Quick Noodles

(Makes two side servings or one main dish serving.)

Ingredients:

I threw these together on the fly, so my measurements are approximations.

1/8 lb whole wheat noodles

3 scallions, chopped

1/2 red bell pepper, jullienned

1 clove garlic minced

1/2 cup snow peas, chopped

3-4 tablespoons peanut butter

juice of one lime

1/4 cup rice vinegar

soy sauce, to taste

siracha hot sauce, to taste

1 tablespoons sesame oil (I prefer the dark oil)

Crushed peanuts to garnish

Method:

Cook pasta according to package directions. While pasta is cooking, combine peanut butter, rice vinegar, soy sauce, lime juice and siracha sauce. Mix to a smooth, thin, paste. Once pasta is nearly finished add snow peas to pot, allow to blanch and then drain the combined pasta and snow peas. Set aside.

In the same pot heat the sesame oil and saute the remaining vegetables (including the garlic). Turn the heat to low and add the peanut paste. Stir constantly until heated through. Toss the noodles into the peanut mixture (depending on the consistency of your peanut butter, you may need to add additional rice vinegar to thin the sauce). Top with crushed peanuts and serve.

This winds up our week with our inlaws. Tomorrow we will be returning home and then we leave to go CAMPING with my folks. Hmm... vegan camp food.. I won't be able to write about it until I return but right now I am envisioning asian cole slaw, vegan potato salad, veggie burgers and lots of grilled vegetables.