Lemongrass Miso

We love lemongrass and we love miso soup so we had to try this recipe.

The results were fantastic. It's a refreshing take on a classic Asian recipe. We did spice our version up a bit with some chili paste though. If you like a little spiciness this makes a perfect addition.

January Vegetarian Times

We made a few things from the January Veggie Times this month


Broccoli With Peanut Sauce


Tofu Frittata with Zucchini and Onion


Vegetarian Pho (this was so good we made it twice!)


Southwestern Stew

Spicy Lemongrass Chicken and Broccoli

Adapted from "Simple, Tasty Vietnamese Cooking" in Food & Wine Magazine, Oct 2007

2 T soy sauce
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 T curry powder
2 1/2 T sugar
1 package soy chicken, diced (I used Morningstar Farms soy chicken strips)
3 T water
2 lemongrass stalks, minced
1 shallot, sliced
3 chilies, seeded and minced
2 cups broccoli florets, steamed to tender crisp texture
1 scallion, finely sliced
cooking spray



In a small bowl whisk together the soy sauce, garlic, curry and 1/2 Tbs sugar. Then add the soy chicken to the sauce and toss to coat.

In a small pan mix the rest of the sugar with 1 Tbs of water and cook over high heat until the sugar dissolves. Cook until a deep amber caramel forms. Rmove from heat and stir in the rest of the water. Set this mixture aside in a bowl.

Heat a wok over high heat and coat with cooking spray. Add the lemongrass, shallot, and chilies. Stirfry for about a minute. Add the chicken (with the marinade), broccoli and caramel mixture to the wok and cook until heated through.

Top the dish with the sliced scallions and serve over steamed basmati rice or rice noodles.

Who Needs Take Out?

You can throw the Chinese take out menus away if you've got this Kung Pao recipe in your repertoire. It beats any of the greasy slop you'll get at most take out joints in terms of deliciousness and making it yourself probably means its going to be better for you too. To make our version veg, we used soy chicken and soy sauce instead of chicken and oyster sauce. One word of caution: this recipe is HOT HOT HOT, much hotter than anything you'd get at a typical Chinese restaurant. If you do not have a high tolerance for spicy reduce the amount of peppercorns and peppers and recipe calls for.

Spicy Chicken Salad and Miso Eggplant

I loved this salad. We used Morningstar Farms soy Chicken and soy sauce instead of fish sauce. The salad had a really nice crunchy texture and the contrast of the sugar, chilies, vinegar, garlic and mint made for a really excellent flavor.

We served the salad with Jaden's miso eggplant which was also really good and even approved by the eggplant skeptic Matt.

Indonesian Style Mahogany Glazed Chicken

We enjoyed this meal because it was flavorful but light so we were satisfied without feeling all puffed up after dinner. We pretty much followed this recipe. We used Morningstar Farms soy Chicken strips and skipped the shrimp.

Curry and Cupcakes

I pretty much followed this recipe for dinner tonight, except that I was out of tofu so I used some Morning Star Farms vegetarian steak strips instead of tofu.



I also made the Dulce Sin Leche cupcakes from the Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World cookbook. They were sweet, moist and delicious -- a big hit with our friends.

Spicy Tofu and Zucchini with Lemongrass, Lime and Basil

This recipe (based largely on this recipe with a few changes) combines pretty much all of the most delicious of savory flavors and the lemongrass smells amazing while cooking up on your stove.

1 lb extra-firm tofu, cubed
1 medium zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch half-rounds
1 jalapneo chile, seeded and thinly sliced
1 4-inch piece lemongrass, minced
1 medium shallot, thinly sliced
1/2 cup vegetable broth
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tsp lime juice
1/4 cup basil leaves, julienned

Heat some cooking spray in a large wok over high heat and add the tofu. Cook the tofu until it starts to brown and then add in the zucchini. Cook the tofu until it is well browned on all sides,

Add the jalapeno, lemongrass, and shallot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the zucchini is soft, 1-2 more minutes.

Add the vegetable broth, soy sauce and lime juice and cook until the broth thickens, 1-2 more minutes. Stir in the basil. Serve over a bed of rice noodles or another grain of your choice.

Coconut Lime Tofu with Tomatoes and Spinach

You have a bit of a dilemma often with Asian cooking. Thai style dishes can be overly creamy and heavy while a lot of other Asian style cuisine can be too light to satisfy. I like this dish because it's the perfect compromise between light and satisfying.

1/3 cup light coconut milk
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced
1 tsp fresh ginger, peeled and minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp soy sauce
1/4 cup lime juice
1 Tbs brown sugar
1/2 cup tomato, seeded and diced
1 package baby spinach
1 lb tofu, cut into 1/2" thick 1"x2" rectangles

Cook the tofu in a large skillet or wok over medium high heat with some cooking spray until it turns golden brown on all sides.

In a large bowl, combine coconut milk, chiles, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, lime juice and brown sugar. Add the cooked tofu and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for about an hour, tossing every 15 minutes.

Drain the marinade from the tofu and set it aside.

In a large skillet or wok, heat some cooking spray and add the tofu. Cook the tofu until it is heated through and then add the tomato and spinach, cooking until the spinach begins to wilt.

Stir in the marinade and simmer until thickened and then serve immediately.



Also, I am sharing this tip because I know a lot of you who read this blog are critter lovers and have companion animals. We recently discovered that our cats also have very strong feelings about their food and we figured out that they both really love it when we serve their canned food lukewarm. Dogs may also appreciate that but I have no dog to try this out with. Any way, I just thought I'd share this discovery since I'd never heard of this from any one else with companion animals.

Vegan Gourmet

I have a bit of an inferiority complex about my limitations as a cook. I know most cooks look down on vegan cooking and imagine it is boring and un-fancy. Although I know this is untrue, I love to read fancy gourmet cooking magazines and turn their recipes vegan just to show it can be done and that it can turn out well.

Since I adore Thai food, this Hollywood Thai Beef Salad recipe seemed an ideal candidate for veganization. I skipped the fish sauce and used Morningstar Farms steak strips instead of steak. I also added in some diced celery.

The recipe made for a light tasting but filling meal. The refreshing combination of citrus, mint and cilantro made this a perfect summertime dinner.

Sandwiches, Stir Frys, Etc.

The new gadgets from our recent Bed Bath and Beyond shopping spree having been getting lots of use. I made another batch of Eggplant "pasta" using our new Y-peeler with micro-teeth and look how noodle-like my eggplant turned out.



That is all eggplant and homemade sauce. Not a carb in sight, in case you are trying to cut back on that kind of thing.

We've been a little off schedule with cooking since we had visiting relatives and a ton of leftovers from a catered party so we only made a few other things during the past week.

Club sandwiches with toasted whole wheat, baby spinach, tomato and celery slices, vegan mayo, veggie bacon and veggie turkey slices.




Ginger Mango Tofu with steamed asparagus from the Vegan with a Vengeance cookbook.



I actually thought this recipe could have been better. The original recipe calls for pressing, marinating and baking the tofu but this only got us soggy soft tofu and unless you like fairly raw tofu -- this is not the best thing. I ended up sticking the tofu in a pan to fry after the fact to improve its texture but if I were going to do this recipe again I would recommend that after you press the tofu, you slice the tofu and fry it in a pan with a bit of oil until golden brown and then go ahead with the marination and baking. The marinade the recipe involves is very good but rather time consuming to make.

Lastly, I adapted one of my favorite Thai style Veg Times recipes. The original recipe is nearly all eggplant, which is not Matt's favorite thing and calls for a lot of oil, which is not my favorite thing. We also had veggies in the refrigerator to use up so they got incorporated. Here's my version of the recipe:

2 tsp. crushed red pepper
2 baby eggplants, cubed into bite-sized chunks
1 medium-sized onion, diced
1 medium-sized red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 bunch asparagus
1 package flavored tofu*
8 cloves garlic, finely chopped
4 Tbs. white vinegar
6 Tbs. dark soy sauce, such as tamari
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
20 leaves fresh basil, shredded or torn

Add cooking spray to a wok or deep pan and heat the pan over high heat. Add the crushed red pepper and let it sizzle for about 10 seconds. Add the eggplant and cook it for a minute or two. Then add the onions, bell pepper, asparagus, tofu and garlic. Cook until all the vegetables are soft and then add the vinegar and soy sauce. Sprinkle with sugar and toss for a few minutes longer. Remove from heat and stir in the basil to wilt it. You can serve over rice noodles or rice if you like although it is perfectly good without that.

*The Asian market near our house sells "flavored tofu" in plastic pouches in a refrigerated case. It is kind of similar to vegetarian chicken. You can use any product that is similar -- seitan would also work.

Fancy Tofu

Our friends came over for dinner tonight and we prepared one of our favorite tofu dishes. We like this recipe because it is delicious and beautiful...

Let me say I have two specific fetishes with food -- pretty food and miniature food, hence my interest in cupcakes. The only exception to this rule is soup. I love soup but it's not really soup season so you won't hear much about that for a few months unless I make a gazpacho which is unlikely since Matt considers gazpacho a watered down version of salsa and "who would want that?!" he says. Food that is both miniature and pretty is especially awesome. I'll blog about mini-foods in the near future, other than miniature cakes, but for now, the tofu...

This recipe was published in an issue of Veg Times but their directions were totally horrible so I am posting with my own instructions -- this serves two so double if you're entertaining guests.

You need:
1 Tbs. soy sauce
1 Tbs. rice vinegar
1 Tbs. mirin
1 1/2 tsp. minced scallions (white part only)
1 tsp. dark sesame oil
3 tsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. minced fresh ginger
6 scallions (white and light green parts), thinly sliced
1/2 small red bell pepper, finely chopped
1/2 small green bell pepper, finely chopped
1 tsp. tamari
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus extra for garish.
1 1/2 tsp. curry powder
10 oz. baked marinated tofu, cut lengthwise into 4 equal pieces

Directions:
Prepare the sauce by combining the soy sauce, rice vinegar, mirin, minced scallions and sesame oil in a bowl. Stir the sauce and set aside.

In small pan or skillet, heat 1 teaspoon oil over medium heat. Add garlic and ginger cook, stirring, 30 seconds. Add scallions, bell peppers and tamari and cook until the vegetables are softened. Combine the cooked veggies with the cilantro in a bowl, mix with a large spoon and set aside (covered to keep warm).

In large pan or skillet, heat the rest of the oil over medium heat. Add curry powder and stir well. Add tofu slices in single layer and cook until golden on both sides. Remove from the pan and set on a tea towel or paper towel to drain.

To serve:
Holding knife parallel to work surface, slice each piece of tofu horizontally about 3/4 of the way through. Place the tofu on plates. Gently lift top of 1 piece of tofu and spoon some vegetable mixture over bottom portion. Replace top of tofu and spoon some of the sauce over the top of the tofu. Garnish with cilantro and serve. Goes well with miso soup.

What I've Been Eating

I have not been creative. I've been following recipes to a T but I took pictures any way because everyone loves food porn...

On Wednesday we made Tofu with Peanut Ginger Sauce.

Surprisingly Matt gave this recipe higher marks than I did. It wasn't bad but I think the spectacular curry from earlier this week kind of ruined other recipes for me since it was so very good. It was hard for the peanut tofu to compete. It's also possible that I set myself up for disappointment because I have such a great affection for peanut butter that I expect all things that involve it to be amazing. I did find that a considerable amount of cayenne was necessary to make this dish enjoyable.

On Thursday I tried Fat-Free Vegan's Eggplant Pancakes Florentine.

I liked this recipe very much, it had loads of garlic which I adore and I was able to use fresh herbs from our container garden which I am always happy to do. I got to use our oregano for the first time this season, which has been growing like a champ. For this recipe I found adding more flour than recipe called for and some cornstarch to the eggplant batter was necessary to get my pancakes to hold together. If you try this recipe and have trouble that's what I suggest adding.

Curry in a Hurry

Got a hankering for a restaurant quality curry in the middle of the week? You don't need take out menus, Thai culinary school or even hours and hours of simmering for this deliciously flavorful spicy dish you can whip up in no time. (This is based on an Eating Well Magazine recipe that was not vegan, you can make a non-vegan version with chicken if you like.)

You Need:
2 teaspoons canola oil
1 medium red bell pepper, cut into 1- to 2-inch-long julienne strips
1 medium onion, halved and sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1-1/2 teaspoons red curry paste
1 8 oz package of Seitan, cut into small bite sized pieces
1 cup vegetable stock
1 cup "lite" coconut milk
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 1/2 cups cauliflower florets
2 cups baby spinach
2 tablespoons basil, chopped
1 tablespoon lime juice

Heat oil in a large work or nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add bell pepper and onion; cook, stirring often, until slightly softened, about 4 minutes. Stir in garlic, ginger and curry paste. Add seitan and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir in broth, coconut milk, soy sauce and brown sugar and bring to a simmer. Add cauliflower, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the cauliflower is tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in spinach, basil and lime juice; cook just until spinach and basil has wilted. Serve immediately over rice.

Summer Rolls

This was a recipe in Veggie Times last summer. I've made a few minor changes.

Miso Dip
2 Tbs white miso paste
1 green onion, chipped
1/2 Tbs. lime juice
1 Tbs. lemon juice
1/2 Tbs. rice wine vinegar
1/2 Tbs. dark sesame oil
1/2 Tbs. light brown sugar
1/2 tsp. chili powder
2 Tbs olive oil

Summer Rolls
2 carrots, peeled and julienned
1/2 cucumber, peeled, seeded and julienned
1/4 c cilantro leaves
1/4 c fresh mint leaves
1 green onion, chopped
1/2 lb spicy tofu, cut into thin slices*
12 rice paper wrappers

*You may be able to find prepared spicy tofu at an Asian market, that is where I got mine. If you cannot, get some extra firm tofu and cut it into 1/4" cubes and fry it in some wok oil, brown sugar and chili paste until golden brown.

Directions:

1. Prepare the miso dip by combining all of the ingredients in a food processor and blending until smooth.

2. To make Summer Rolls: heat some water until warm in a saute pan on the oven. Keep the water warm and soak 1 wrapper in the water until soft. Place on a towel and blog excess water with paper towels.

3. Place some of the carrots, cucumber, cilantro, mint, green onion and tofu inside the wrapper. Roll like a burrito and fold down the top and bottom of the wrap. Repeat this with the rest of the filling and wrappers and serve the finished rolls with the miso dip.

Spinach Shitake Miso & Ginger Garlic Slaw

Tonight for dinner: Asian Style Coleslaw and classic Miso soup with a twist.

Miso Soup
4 cups vegetable broth
1 cup Spinach, shredded
1/2 cup dried shitake mushrooms, soaked in hot water to reconstitute
1 cup tofu, cut into very small cubes
1/2 cup green onions, chopped
2 1/2 Tbs white miso paste

In a large pot, bring the vegetable broth to a simmer. Add tofu, green onions, mushrooms and spinach and cook just until the greens wilt. Stir in the miso until it is dissolved. Remove from heat and serve. Serves about 6.

Asian Coleslaw
(This is from a recipe on allrecipes.com by Bobbi Ritcheske)

Dressing
3 Tbs rice vinegar
3 Tbs canola oil
2-1/2 Tbs peanut butter
1-1/2 Tbs soy sauce
1-1/2 T brown sugar
1 Tbs ginger root, minced
2 Tbs garlic, minced

Slaw
2 cups green cabbage, sliced thin
2 cups red cabbage, sliced thin
1 red bell pepper, sliced thin
1 carrot,julienned
3 scallions, chopped
1/4 c fresh cilantro, chopped

To make the dressing, combine all the ingredients in a food processor or blender and blend for a few seconds.

In a large bowl combine the slaw ingredients and toss with the dressing right before you serve. Serves about 6.

Fast Food Nation and Orange Scented Veggie Beef

Tonight for dinner Matt and I had Orange Veggie Beef. Here's the recipe:

1/2 cup vegetable broth
1 tablespoon cornstarch
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons orange marmalade
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
2 teaspoons chile-garlic paste (or 1 if you're sensitive to hot stuff)
2 teaspoons canola oil
1 pkg vegetarian beef (we get our's from our local Asian market, if you do not have one near you seitan will do nicely)
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
1 large onion, chopped
1 large red bell pepper, diced
1 lb broccoli florets

1. Combine 1/4 cup broth, cornstarch, soy sauce, marmalade, vinegar and chile-garlic sauce in a small bowl; mix well.
2. Add 2 teaspoons oil to the wok. Add ginger and stir-fry for about 30 seconds. Add onion; stir-fry for another 30 seconds. Add bell pepper and broccoli and veggie beef. Pour in the remaining 1/4 cup broth, cover and cook until the vegetables are crisp-tender, 2 to 4 minutes. Stir the sauce mixture and add it to the wok. Cook, stirring, until the sauce becomes thick and translucent. Serve with rice -- jasmine is nice but brown rice is good if you're trying to be super healthy.

After dinner we watched Fast Food Nation which was a really distressing movie that made us happy to be veggie. I have read the book, which is also horrifying but good, and have to say I have heard of more people going veg after reading it than any other catalyst. I wish it was required reading in for every high schooler.

I find it really hard to understand how people who are aware of the kind of terrible environmental and human rights (let alone animal cruelty) practices they're participating in by consuming these products can continue to do it. I am not normally too preachy about being veg (mainly because I find it pointless to bother) but I'm guessing if you're interested in this blog you're probably veggie too or at the very least you're reading a veggie blog so you are sort of asking for the occasional rant about vegetarianism. I guess most of the time I don't think of my own reasons for being veg as particularly altruistic and hippy'ish but watching a film like this makes me feel relieved that my consumer dollars don't support that industry and it makes me wish I did even more for humans and the planet than I already try to make a point of.