Coconut-Hoisin Stir Fry

I was sitting at lab today, thinking of all the wonderful dinners I could make when I got home. I saw THIS POST on Vegan Dad after searching for a bok choy recipe. I had my heart set on tofu - and I didn't have any garbanzo beans, so I decided to meld these two recipes into an amalgamation of goodness. I threw in everything I could think of - and it was FANTASTIC.

Coconut-Hoisin Stir Fry
Tofu:
1 package extra-firm tofu
1 Tbsp soy sauce

Stir-Fry
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp sesame oil
1 clove elephant garlic (or two regular garlic cloves)
1 bunch asparagus, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 zucchini - sliced
3 bunches baby bok choy
1 package cremini mushrooms
1 bunch scallions, sliced on diagonal
1 can full fat coconut milk (with cream removed from top of can to make one of these smoothies)
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp soy sauce
1/3 cup hoisin sauce
Na++ and pepper
Sriracha if you are AWESOME like me

Tofu: cover a baking sheet with tin foil. Press tofu by wrapping in a clean cloth and squeezing it against a cutting board. Slice tofu into cute little squares and toss in soy sauce. Bake for about 20 minutes at 350.

Stir fry: Heat oils in wok, add ginger and garlic, and stir until they actually smell like ginger and garlic. Add the vegetables in descending order - asparagus, zucchini, bok choy... not the scallions yet- hold on! Give each a little time to soften before you add the next. Now add your coconut milk, curry, soy sauce, hoisin, and Na++ and pepper if you desire.

Add the tofu when it is nice and firm from the oven. Stir, plate.... now add the scallions! Heap on some sriracha if you dare.

BAKED leek, swiss chard and mushroom risotto

When I found out in Nava Atlas' The Vegetarian 5-Ingredient Gourmet cookbook that I could BAKE risotto rather than stirring it for 45 minutes straight I am almost cried out of joy. You just mix rice, broth, and garlic together and bake for an hour - stirring every 20 minutes. Holy crap. What a miracle.

For this recipe I used short grain brown rice (rather than traditional arborio) - and my Le Cruset 1/2 quart cast iron bakeware to first brown the veggies on the stovetop before popping into teh over with the rice. It was marvelous.

Baked leek, swiss chard and mushroom risotto:
1.5 cup short grain brown rice
2 miced garlic cloves
2 cups boiling water
1 cup plain old water
2 tsp "better than boullion" - vegetable obviously
2 leeks - white parts only, chopped
1/2 bunch swiss chard, chopped
1 package sliced mushrooms
Parmesan or soy parmesan

Brown veggies in some oil. Add rice and stir. Add better than boullion to water and add to pot. Add 1 cup water and get ready to bake at 375 for 60 minutes. Set timer every 15 so that you may stir 4 times over the course of baking. When the timer goes off, stir in some parmesan if you wish- and add some for topping. Great stuff I tell you. I had this with my favorite mixed greens/goat cheese/roasted beet/pecan salad.

Life is good.

Grilled Portobellos

Another Portobello recipe.

Yesterday was my first day home after a weekend jaunt to the Chautauqua Valley wine trail in NY. As a 60th birthday present we booked a limo to take some family members around to local wineries and stay over at a Bed and Breakfast. It was a great time, and I was really impressed at the wines- especially Johnson Estate. Their port was great! It was a great but tiring weekend.

So anyway, I returned home to an empty fridge and a house that stunk of urine thanks to the new puppy. She, like my other dog, is especially cute - and also has an affinity for peeing on rugs. So we remedied that latter problem by hoisting all of our throw rugs out of the house, as they were completely ruined. DON'T BUY RUGS THAT CAN'T BE MACHINE WASHED!!!!!!



The problem of the empty fridge was solved by a quick jaunt to Whole Foods - where my husband spied some portobellos stuffed with cheddar cheese, red bell pepper and jalapenos. They were $6.40 for 2! Well, of course I refused to let him buy the ready-made ones, so we bought the ingredients and assembled them at home - where he threw them on the grill. I served them alongside some BBQ Tofu and roasted asparagus.

Directions:
Take stem off of mushroom
Fill with cheese (I used Daiya)
Top with some chopped red pepper
Add jalapeno or cerrano pepper
Garnish with cilantro and avocado

Grill.



I need to improve my pictures- they always look like crap!

Seitan Stroganoff

I was craving this tonight - I made it vegan but it can easily be made dairy. The recipe (from mom way back when) Only with vegan ingredients subbed in:

1 tsp smart balance
1 package seitan
1 white onion
1/2 package sliced white mushrooms
1 Tbsp vegan worchestershire
1 cup veggie broth
2 Tbsp flour
1/2 tsp mustard
1/3 cup red wine
1/3 cup sour cream (I used the better than sour cream stuff- I like it)
Na++ and pepper
Noodles

Saute seitan in smart balance. Add onions and mushrooms and saute until soft. Add worchestershire and saute until all brown. Add flour to broth, then pour into side of pan and stir until thickened. Incorporate into the rest of pan. Add mustard (take it easy, it can overpower) and wine. Let reduce just a bit. Add sour cream, salt and pepper and that's it. Serve over noodles. Yum.

Portobello stacks with Chevre and Tomato

My Aunt has a handy rule for cooking and entertaining. She suggests learning to make 5 menus really, really well. That way - you know if you need to quickly impress someone you know the end product will turn out great. And, if you constantly entertain the same people, you can rotate to the next menu and it seems like you are just full of recipes that turn out perfectly each time.

Her go-to Vegetarian entertaining menu consists of these stacks... portobello mushrooms marinated overnight in teriyaki marinade (I used Carribean Jerk tonight and it was amazing), covered in thick slices of chevre cheese and tomato.

General directions:
Marinate mushrooms overnight
Place on tin foil and cover with remaining marinade
Grill in tin foil about 20 minutes
Add slice of cheese and top with tomato (and breadcrumbs if you have them)
Close grill lid and let cheese melt
Assemble on plates filled with 1/2 arugala and 1/2 couscous



Drizzle home-made balsamic over arugala and top with mushroom stack


Drizzle more balsamic on the plate - top with roasted asparagus (tossed with EVOO and balsamic, roasted at 400 until you can smell the balsamic)




Balsamic (I didn't measure):
2 pressed garlic cloves, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, mustard, seasoned salt, basil leaves, squirt agave. This was probably the best dressing I've made so far.



And there you are... a great looking plate for the neighbors or whoever - in no time at all.



The wine tonight - Antanjo Rioja Tempranillo. The nose? Definitely some dark cherry and even black licorice. The mouth feel is considerably smooth and very mouthwatering. There is a hint of spice and almost chocolate amongst the berry flavor. It was only $7.99 at World Market- and well worth it. Absolutely delicious.

Tempeh and Temperature intolerance

It is HOT outside. Seriously. The heat index today was 100. Growing up in WNY - summers didn't get so warm. I remember lifeguarding in August wearing jogging pants and a hoodie. Well, those days do not exist here until December. Once it hits over 90 degrees- I whine. I know I do, and I feel bad that people have to listen to me, BUT DAMN IT IT'S HOT.

Anyway - I got home at a reasonable time today to do some "work" (read: writing. Blah). I made some for real rabbit food today - mashed cauliflower and kale with garlic chips. I threw some tempeh in after I sauteed the kale in sesame oil - even though I said I would have no more soy today. I couldn't help it, it sounded good. I made some shiitake miso gravy and smothered that all over the tempeh and cauliflower. Seriously - if you haven't made it - you have to try it. Just steam a head for 15 minutes, then chuck it in your food processor with some earth balance/silk creamer/salt and pepper or whatever you so choose as an embellishment. It was AWESOME. I also ate a lot of Kale. Go veggies. BUT I am still sweaty and gross and don't think I have any trash tv to watch tonight.

Am I half way done with my wine you may ask? No, that's actually a correct serving. Each bottle should yield 6 glasses. Try answering some questions on your current drinking now - alcoholic.

The wine is a Shelton riesling. I like it because it's more flavorful than a typical riesling, and much heavier on the tongue/palette, and almost tastes effervescent. Pretty good for a monster winery.