Mock Grilled Cheese

Did you know April 12 was National Grilled Cheese Day? There's a celebratory occasion for anything and everything these days, so it would seem. As I always tell you, I do not like fake vegan cheeses, probably because I never liked real cheese in my pre-vegan days. (I used to ask my mom to make me grilled cheese and quesadillas without any cheese... Weirdo.) My vegan "grilled cheese" consists of a bean-based filling, some seasonings and LOTS of nutritional yeast. And my secret to perfect, crispy bread is to spread a thin layer of vegan mayo on rather than margarine, which can tear the bread and has less flavor, in my opinion. So that's it. Happy National Grilled Cheese Day, everyone!

How do you like to make your vegan grilled cheese?

Mapo Tofu

Confession time:  I am a really picky eater.  I’m not as bad as I once was (I don’t know how my mother put up with me).  I will say that there was never a vegetable I wouldn’t eat, and most of my pickiness was directed at foods I no longer consume.  But there’s still a pretty good chance if you put a menu in front of me, even if I find something I like, I am going to diverge from the description provided therein.  I’m a regular Sally Albright.  Trying to eat vegan at most dining establishments usually only compounds the problem.  So I very rarely eat take-out or even eat out at restaurants because I am so (ahem) particular.  

Consequently, I am not a regular at the Chinese take-out joint that is literally at the end of our street.  And it makes W sad because he loves him some Chinese take-out.  I have a steady rotation of two things I can eat there: steamed vegetables with brown rice and General Tso’s tofu, it being the only tofu dish on the menu aside from one other: mapo tofu.  (I stopped ordering vegetable lo mein there because I found pork and/or chicken in it more than once.)  You can imagine my disappointment to be told that mapo tofu is made with ground pork.  Maybe it’s just me, but I’ve become so accustomed to omnivores’ distinct aversion to foods like tofu that I completely forgot any dish based around it might not be vegetarian by default.  Never one to back down from a challenge, I decided I would make my own mapo tofu.  So there.

Wikipedia gives the dish the following description:

Mápó dòufu, or mápó tòfu, is a popular Chinese dish from the Sichuan (Szechuan) province. It is a combination of tofu (bean curd) set in a spicy chili- and bean-based sauce, typically a thin, oily, and bright red suspension, and often cooked with fermented black beans and minced meat, usually pork or beef.

You can read more on Wikipedia about how its name translates roughly to “Old Pockmarked Lady’s Tofu.”

Aside from traditionally being not vegetarian, a lot of recipes I found called for ingredients that would require me going to my big H-Mart (asian hypermarket), which I only do every so often.  For example:

-  “Sichuan chili spicy bean paste.”  I used Sriracha, which is Thai and so ubiquitous in the U.S. now that Lay’s made it a potato chip flavor.  

-  Another key component is the fermented black bean paste, which I know is easy to get at specialty stores.  But I already had some black bean sauce (which contains sugar and other seasonings) in my refrigerator, so I used that.  My local grocery store is pretty small for a supermarket and, sadly, often not that well stocked.  So if I could find this at my Stop & Shop, I know it’s readily available.  

-  I also used regular firm tofu because my store was sold out of silken tofu when I went.  Consequently, I seared off my tofu cubes in a nonstick pan for a little bit because A) I didn’t have time to press my tofu for long and B) I knew it would make it more palatable for my better half. 

-    One of the ingredients considered essential to mapo tofu is ground pepper from Sichuan peppercorns.  However, these are pretty hard to track down, since they were were actually illegal in the USA until 2005 because they were believed to be the cause of a citrus blight.  The ban was strictly enforced, and the availability of the spice has been slow in returning.  I used regular black pepper instead.  So sue me! 

-  And finally, instead of ground meat, I used some leftover Boca crumble baglers (the bits at the bottom of a bag) that I had kicking around in the freezer, even though I drafted my recipe to use grated, steamed tempeh.  Next time!

Now, a word of warning: mapo tofu if meant to be spicy.  Like, indecently spicy.  If you at it at a restaurant, you might be caught off guard.  So another great perk to cooking your own Chinese take-out is that you get to control how mild or flesh-meltingly hot you want your food to be.  (We like something in between, bordering on flesh-melting, but your mileage may vary.) 

Of course I thought I was doing W a real solid making him so “take-out” at home.  But what did he eat for lunch?  Chinese food, of course.  He was dubious at first, but he ended up loving it.  Another point goes to eating in!

Mapo Tofu

(Spicy "Pockmarked Old Lady" Tofu)

½ c. soy beef-style crumbles (such as Boca brand)

     or grated, steamed tempeh

2 T. canola oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 T. grated fresh ginger

¼ tsp. red pepper flakes

1 T. Sriracha, or to taste,

     or other hot chili paste

1 T. black bean sauce  (recommended: KA-ME brand)

     or 1 tsp. fermented black bean paste

1 T. low sodium soy sauce

1 c. no-chicken bouillon,

     vegetable stock or water

1 (14 oz.) block medium firm tofu,

     drained and cut into ¾-inch cubes

1 tsp. cornstarch + 2 tsp. water, whisked into a slurry

4 scallions, thinly sliced

Szechuan pepper, if available

     or ground black pepper, to taste

Heat the oil in a wok or large, deep skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the soy crumbles/tempeh, and cook until lightly browned all over.  Add the garlic, ginger and red pepper flakes, and stir-fry for about 1 minute, or just until fragrant.  Stir in the Sriracha, black bean sauce/paste and soy sauce, and stir-fry for about 30 seconds.  Add the bouillon/stock/water, stir well, then add the tofu and simmer for about 2 minutes.  Gently mix in the cornstarch slurry, being careful not to break the tofu.  Simmer for about 1 minute, or just until the sauce thickens.  Remove to a serving bowl, and scatter the scallions over the top.  Sprinkle with the pepper, to taste.

Serves 2.

Served with steamed brown rice and sesame sugar snap peas.

Breakfast Sandwich Tofu Patties

As previously mentioned, I've been working Saturdays lately.  :( :( :( :(  Sad faces forever and ever.  Weekends are usually when I like to get a bit more "down home" with breakfast, as I usually don't have time during the week.  In all honesty, I'm pretty useless in the first 1-2 hours of being awake.  I knew I'd be hurting on Saturday morning without something warm and toasty, so I planned ahead on made myself up a little breakfast sandwich to bring along to the office.  The sausage patties are made from Lightlife's Gimme Lean ground sausage, which I usually jazz up with some additional red pepper flakes, ground sage, onion and garlic powder.  The "egg" patties are something I make quite often, but I usually only make one at a time, so I don't know if they save or freeze, to be honest.  Even so, they're a great protein punch in the morning!

Tofu Egg-less Patties

⅓ c. crumbled extra-firm tofu

2 tsp. canola oil or vegan mayo

1-2 tsp. nutritional yeast flakes

1 tsp. cornstarch

1 tsp. yellow mustard

½ tsp. agar-agar powder

½ tsp. onion powder

½ tsp. Eurasian black salt, or to taste

¼ tsp. white or black pepper

Combine all the ingredients in a tall, microwave-safe container, and use an immersion blender to blitz into a smooth paste.  Lightly oil a ramekin that is the width you'd like your patty to be; I like my 4-inch, 16-ounce Corningware ramekin.  Microwave the mixture on High for 1 minute, then beat vigorously with a whisk or fork.  Microwave on high again for 1 minute, then beat again and quickly transfer to the prepared ramekin.  Use a rubber spatula to smooth out the top, cover with plastic and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes, or until firm.  I like to sear these off in a nonstick skillet before adding them to a sandwich, but they can be eaten as they are.

Rite of Spring 2013

Okay, so it's been a week since Easter, and I'm only getting around to posting this now.  Sorry!  I've been so stressed and busy lately.  I'm quite disgruntled to have to go into the office on Saturdays now.  Blah.  Anyway, being a godless philosopher, I do not normally celebrate Easter, per se, but I can see the allure of celebrating the arrival of spring.  Whatever your creed (or lack thereof), I hope you took the time to celebrate some variation on the rite of spring with loved ones and that you had a grand ol' time doing it.
 

As for me, my parents came to visit before going on vacation, so I thought I'd try to entertain with a spring-ish menu.  But therein lies a catch:  My dad has been trying to keep his diet gluten-free to help alleviate some joint inflammation he's been experiencing, and he's been told he is slightly allergic to soy (eep!), peanuts and eggs.  Both he and my mom avoid nightshade vegetables (tomatoes, eggplant, potatoes -- staples of my diet!) for similar reasons.  So, combining all these factors, along with the fact that I refuse to cook with non-vegan ingredients in my kitchen, even for those I love most, it was a bit more challenging than usual coming up with a meal plan.  I didn't get to take pictures of everything I made, but I know you all have perfectly capable imaginations.  For starters, I made a white bean, roasted garlic, spinach and roasted artichoke dip, which I served with raw vegetables and rice crackers.  It consisted of basically all the ingredients I just listed, lemon juice, and a heft bit of nutritional yeast.  Everyone seemed to like it a lot, and I personally like it waaay better than spinach artichoke dip made with vegan analog products.  (I never liked cream cheese or sour cream in my omni days, so ersatz versions gross me out.)

  

For the main course, I wanted to keep it fairly light and vernal, if you will, so I whipped up an easy asparagus and pea bisque with cashew cream.  My dad absolutely loved this soup, which pleased me because I'm always glad to impress non-vegans with vegan food.  It was about the easiest thing in the world to make:  I simmered a chopped onion in a little water until it softened, then added vegetable stock and simmered a pound of diced asparagus stalks until they were just tender.  Then, I added the asparagus tips and 10 oz. of frozen peas and cooked for a hot minute.  Then I just gave it a good seasoning with salt and pepper, and a few squirts of lemon juice, then whizzed it all up with an immersion blender, strained it, and stirred in about a cup of cashew cream.  If you don't know how to make cashew cream, you can find recipes for it in just about every corner of the Internet.  I made this the night before, reheated it and served it with a little swirl of cashew cream.  I also made (ahead of time), a quinoa salad with roasted vegetables (beets, red onions, carrots and fennel), loads of parsley and a pretty standard lemon-thyme vinaigrette.  

Then, for dessert, came these little babies.  I love carrot cake, but the time of my self-imposed oven-baking moratorium is fast approaching.  I don't bake a lot, but when I do, I must admit I'm not well-versed in gluten-free baking.  Nor do I really super wish to be... no offense to my GF peeps.  And, of course, every gluten-free carrot cake recipe I stumbled across was not vegan and relied heavily on eggs.  So my next logical step was to approach raw desserts, of which I am rapidly becoming a fan.  I've only dabbled in the world of raw sweets, but I think I will be playing around with them more with the warmer summer months drawing near (and the fact that I now have a bunch of dried dates waiting to be used).  I suggest making these the night before, as I did, to allow them to take and hold their shape.  I was particularly proud of the icing, which I improvised using what I had on hand.  Most of the raw carrot cake recipes I reviewed made use of soaked cashews, but I found the color a bit unappealing and the runny texture too dissimilar from the iconic cream cheese frosting one would expect.  Want to know what I used?  Read on!

  

Raw Mini Carrot Cakes

 

For the cakes:  

½ c. pitted dried dates 

½ c. walnuts  

⅓ c. oat flour*  

½ tsp. grated fresh ginger  

½ tsp. ground cinnamon  

¼ tsp. grated fresh nutmeg  

⅛ tsp. fine salt

1½ c. grated carrots  

1 T. coconut cream, if needed

For the icing:  

1 can coconut cream** (I used Trader Joe's brand)  

Raw cane sugar, to taste

First, add some raw sugar to the bowl of a food processor, and process until it makes a fine powder.  Remove to a bowl and set aside.  (I added a tiny bit of cornstarch, which is not technically raw, but it's standard in confectioner's sugar to help thicken frosting.)
 

Add the walnuts to the food processor, and process until they form fine crumbs.  Do not over-process, or you'll get something like walnut butter.  Add the remaining ingredients, and process until the mixture make a thick paste.  If it seems too dry, add a little coconut cream.  Line a standard muffin pan with paper liners (don't use foil liners), and spoon the batter into them.  Refrigerate overnight (at least 8 hours).  Beat together the coconut cream and pulverized sugar (I added a splash of vanilla and lemon juice), and refrigerate.

The next day, remove and discard the paper cake liners; they should have absorbed any excess moisture.  The cakes should now be firm and easily hold their shape, and the icing should be thick and spreadable and no longer runny.  Spread the icing onto the cakes and top each cake with a walnut half.  Keep these cakes refrigerated until you are ready to serve.
 

* You can make your own oat flour by simply processing old-fashioned oats into a fine flour.  I keep it on hand for cooking and for making a great facial cleansing mask.

** Do not confuse coconut cream with highly-sweetened cream of coconut, which is often used in cocktails.  Pure coconut cream is like coconut milk but with a lower water content and, therefore, a thicker consistency.

  

Saint Paddy's Day 2013

I've tried my hand at making veganized corned beef since my very first meat-free Saint Patrick's Day.  I've had varying degrees of success with making corned beef-style seitan from scratch, but not only is is time consuming, most of them turned out to be disappointing.  I've pretty much reached the conclusion that I despise seitan (sacrilege, I know).  I've tried it every way you can think of: simmered, baked, steamed, seared.  Nope. Do not want.  So this year, my quandary was this:  I'm not making seitan, but what should I do about the corned beef?  It was an annual tradition in my family for as long as I can remember.  My mom would whip out the vintage, original model Crock Pot (which I have since inheritied) and cook us up our usual Saint Paddy's Day meal.

Now, I know what you're thinking.  Couldn't I just make, like, a beef-less stew or something?  No.  You are wrong.  I make stew all winter.  Boring.  And cabbage rolls?  Not Irish, friend (unless you stuff them with corned beef, which brings us full circle).  Not that corned beef is even necessarily Irish.  No one eats it very often on the Emerald Isle, and certainly not on Saint Patrick's Day.  When I visited Ireland years ago, my home-stay family all had a good laugh when I asked them about it.  Traditional fare would be cál ceannann (colcannon), maybe, or some gammon (ham) with whiskey sauce.  No, it is a distinctly Irish-American tradition to eat corned beef (mairteoil shaillte) on Saint Patrick's Day.  Well, I am an Irish-American girl and proud of it.  America has come a long way from cursing its Irish immigrants with foul names like "white n*ggers."  And, much like Mexico's Cinco de Mayo, Americans from all backgrounds and walks of life have embraced the Irish holiday as their own... because it is another excuse to drink in excess.

But back to the beef.  I considered corning some tofu, as it seems others in the blogosphere have done, but it just didn't seem right to me.  Then I stumbled upon this recipe at I'm Not Vegan But They Are, where the blogger used pre-made Tofurky deli slices marinated in beet juice to mimic corned beef/pastrami.  She notes that she did not marinate the slices in any of the usual pickling ingredients, but that's just the direction where my mind was headed.  Genius!  No, it's not going to yield a nice, solid block of protein to bring to the table, as a loaf of seitan might.  And I know processed convenience foods – even meat-less ones – are not ideal, but this stuff tasted more like corned beef than anything I've eaten since eating actual corned beef.  The leftovers made an awesome sandwich (see below) and and even more awesome hash for breakfast with some fried onion and leftover boiled potatoes (photo below).  I think it even tops my previous version, which caused The Great Vegan Corned Beef Hash Debacle of 2012.  It's that good.

Here is a picture of the Tofurky slices marinating.  The cabbage, potatoes and carrots are in that Crock Pot over yonder cooking way with some pickling spices.  I brined these babies for 3 days, and they got better and better with every nibble I stole in secret.  Note the vibrant pink color from the beet juice.  (The pinkness in real corned beef is caused when saltpeter [sodium nitrite] reacts with proteins in the cow blood.)  Later on, I decided to stick them in the oven, hoping to make the texture a bit firmer and less flabby.  The texture did improve, but cooking them diminished a good bit of the marinade's flavor and muted the pink color as well.

I was really worried what W might make of the weird pink slices I presented to him.  But, to my surprise, he actually really liked it!  He even asked for seconds of everything.  Below is the spread we enjoyed.  The pink-ish/purple-ish blob at the top of the plate was a relish I made to use up the beets I'd bought for their juice: I just grated them and tossed them with some oil, vinegar, salt and pepper.  Sobhlasta! (Delicious!)  And, of course, we could not forget the sóid arán (soda bread).

Valentine's Day, 2013 Edition

I kind of hate Valentine's Day because it's so pointless.  I fully expect W to be super nice to me all year, not just on one random holiday designated for romance.  And yet, I find myself getting into it every year.  Here are pictures of this year's V-Day dinner.  Sorry it's so late... but it's not like anyone really cares!

Notice the iPad in the background, pumping out the awesome

tunes I selected for my V-Day playlist.

W's gift. It was whiskey.

Now for the grub.  I went for a classic steakhouse-style theme.  It got harder and harder to take pictures by candlelight as the night wore on...

Hearts For My Sweetheart

Artichoke hearts roasted until crisp on the outside 
and silky soft within.  Served with a creamy roasted garlic
 and lemon aïoli dipping sauce.

My Heart “Beets” For You Bisque

Lemon and balsamic-glazed beets and sweet red onions roasted 

to perfection, then puréed with almond milk until velvety smooth.

Classic Caesar Salad

(For the Conqueror of My Heart)

Crisp Romaine lettuce tossed in a creamy, piquant dressing. 

Topped with crusty garlic croutons and cracked black pepper.

I’ve Got A Crush on You Punch romaine

A palate-cleansing refreshment of sweetened, citrus-infused
sparkling white wine mixed with crushed ice. 

Gardein “Steak” Diane

(No Virgin Goddesses Here)

Tender filets seasoned with garlic and pepper, and pan-seared to 
perfection in vegan butter.  Served with a decadent pan sauce 
enriched with shallots, cognac and Dijon mustard, 
then finished with snipped fresh chives.

Perfect Pairings

Steamed Asparagus with Lemon

Cheezy Twice-Baked Potatoes

Happy Endings

Heart-Shaped Strawberry Shortcakes

Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries

Espresso

Pennsylvania Dutch Chik'n and Waffles

If you're anything like me, the term "chicken and waffles" calls to mind a classic of the soul food tradition: crispy, fried bone-in chicken atop a tender-on-the-inside, crisp-on-the-outside waffle, all doused in sickly sweet maple syrup.  To be frank, I never understood the concoction.  I've eaten it in my pre-veg*n life.  In fact, I ate it at Sylvia's in Harlem, home to some of the most famously delicious soul food in the country.  And it just didn't do it for me.

Now, my mom sometimes made "breakfast for dinner" for my sister and me when we were little, particularly when my dad was away on business trips.  (He hated "brinner."  It was okay; more for us.)  It was a rare treat, and it the young Gothic Homemaker palpitate with great joy.  And, if I'm being truthful, the sight of a preheating waffle iron still incites in me lovely pangs of nostalgic bliss.  But the random mash-up of chicken (savory dinner fare) and waffles (sweet breakfast fare) never quite gelled for my palate, personally.

So, imagine this Jersey girl's surprise to find that there is ANOTHER KIND OF CHICKEN AND WAFFLES. As I am wont to do, I was futzing around on the Interwebs one evening – and on this particular evening, the cupboard was pretty bare – when I hit upon this Wikipedia article on chicken and waffles.  (Don't ask how.  My cyber wanderings are vast and mysterious.)  Pennsylvania Dutch chicken and waffles?  I think you'd have to be from Pennsylvania Dutch country to have ever heard of such a thing, but please tell me if I'm wrong.  I'd never heard of such a thing.  Even Wikipedia deemed it worthy of only a one-sentence mention.  This kind of thing is so up my alley.  I have a fascination with learning about (and veganizing) dishing from all around the globe.  You can imagine how I get when I learn that there are regional foods from my own native country which are foreign to me.  I love it!  It's like pondering the far reaches of deep space, then realizing there is a wealth of uncharted territory in the depths of the ocean on your own little planet.  So, long story short, I decided I was going to go make vegan Pennsylvania Dutch chicken and waffles.

Most recipes I Googled (and my "most" I mean the two I found) were pretty straight forward: stew a chicken, make a roux, then use the stock to make gravy and serve over a waffle.  I obviously bypassed the issue of making a stock from scratch, so it all came together in 20 minutes (not including the six millennia it takes for my waffle iron to preheat, or the time it takes to present it with pagan offerings to urge the "ready" light to come back on between waffles).  It was pretty scrummy.  Even W, who was more than dubious at first, thought it was pretty awesome.  The best thing to which I could potentially compare it might be chicken pot pie, only much less fussy to make.  And so, dear reader, I have learned that breakfast and dinner foods can coexist peacefully, and it was a valuable lesson to be had.

Pennsylvania Dutch Style "Chicken" and Waffles

For the “chicken”:

2 vegan chicken-style cutlets (I used Gardein)

2 T. vegan margarine

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

1 dried bay leaf

2 T. unbleached all-purpose flour

1½ c. no-chicken bouillon (I used 1 Edward & Sons cube)

¼ c. plain, unsweetened almond milk

½ c. baby carrots, sliced (not traditional, but I like carrots)

1 tsp. low-sodium soy sauce (optional)

2 tsp. nutritional yeast flakes

¼ tsp. poultry seasoning

¼ tsp. white pepper, or to taste (black pepper is okay, too)

2 tsp. dried parsley flakes

Salt, to taste

For the waffles:

1 c. unbleached all-purpose flour

1½ T. sugar

1½ tsp. baking powder

¾ tsp. Ener-G powder

¼ tsp. salt

¾ c. soymilk

2 T. canola oil

1 T. water

¼ tsp. vanilla extract (optional)

Whisk together the dry ingredients for the waffles in a small bowl (flour through salt) and the wet ingredients (soymilk through vanilla) in a large bowl.  Add the dry ingredients to the wet, and whisk to combine.  Set aside to allow the batter to rest while you prepare the sauce.  If your waffle iron is like mine and take a century-and-a-half to heat up to readiness, go ahead and get that sucker going.

Spray a non-stick skillet with oil/cooking spray to coat, then heat over medium-high.  Season the “chicken” cutlets all over with salt and pepper, then on both sides until lightly browned; remove to a plate to cool.  Add the margarine to the skillet and heat until melted and starting to sizzle.  Add the onion and bay leaf, and sauté until the onion softens.  Stir in the flour, and cook for 1-2 minutes.  Whisk in the bouillon and almond milk.  Add the carrots, soy sauce, nutritional yeast, poultry seasoning and pepper.  Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes, or until the sauce is thick and the carrots are tender.  Meanwhile, shred the cooled “chicken” into long strips, then stir them into the thickened sauce.

Re-stir the rested waffle batter briefly and use it to make two waffles.  (If your batter has gotten too thick, add a splash of very hot tap water.)  Spoon the “chicken” and sauce over the waffles and serve immediately to avoid your waffles getting all gross and soggy.

Serves 2.

She ain't much to look at, but dang she was delicious.

Grits and Grillades with Maque Choux

Happy Mardi Gras! No Fat Tuesday feast would be complete without a hurricane cocktail...or two.

Sukiyaki (Japanese Hot Pot)

Ah, the ubiquitous hot pot, perfect on the cool winter’s night (with a cup of warm sake, of course).  However, there are some very traditional ingredients in this Japanese dish that can be hard to come by in the States:

My local grocery store actually carries shirataki noodles (presumably because they are marketed as “zero carb!” pasta), but if you can’t find any, I think regular cellophane noodles or even angel hair pasta would be okay.  Another note about the shirataki noodles:  DO NOT try to use these without giving them a good wash.  They are fun-ky.  I put them in a colander in the sink and just let very hot tap water run over them for a few minutes until the stink dissipates.  But once you get rid of the smell, they’re not bad.  

Mature green onions called negi (or “Welsh onions”) are also traditional but hard to find here, so I used a leek because I figured it was similar enough, though I’d imagine it’s a bit milder than the real thing.  I used spinach as my greens of choice, but chrysanthemum greens called shungiku are usually used.  

Finally, the variety of tofu generally called for in sukiyaki is yaki-tofu, which is pre-seared tofu.  I know my local Asian mart carries it, but I didn’t have any on hand, so I simply browned off some tofu in my nonstick skillet.  No big whoop.

The various tidbits that go into a sukiyaki are commonly served with beaten raw egg for dipping.  I substituted some almond milk that I thickened with a little oat flour, colored with some carrot juice and seasoned with nutritional yeast and black salt.  This accompaniment is entirely optional.

Everything else is pretty accessible.  Also, if you don’t like/don’t have Soy Curls, some chopped seitan would do just fine, I’m sure.  Unless you’re like me, and you’re a vegan who despises the stuff, in which case I guess I'd suggest some tempeh.

Vegan Sukiyaki

(Japanese Hot Pot)

For the sauce:

½ c. sake

¼ c. mirin

¼ c. soy sauce

¼ c. water

2 T. brown sugar

For the rest:

2 tsp. canola oil

1 recipe beef-style Soy Curls® (recipe follows)

1 (8 oz.) bag shirataki noodles, well rinsed

1 (14 oz.) package extra-firm tofu, drained

1 leek, well-washed and sliced into 1-inch pieces

1 small head Napa cabbage, cut into 1-inch shreds

1 small bunch leafy greens, chopped (I used spinach)

4 shitake mushrooms, stems removed

Marinate the Soy Curls as directed and set aside.  If using shirataki noodles, be sure to rinse them well under hot water for about 5 minutes to remove the fishy smell of the packing liquid.  Drain thoroughly while you prepare the rest of the dish. 

Spray a non-stick skillet with a coating of non-stick cooking spray.  Cut the tofu block in half lengthwise, then slice into ½-inch thick pieces.  Pat each piece dry thoroughly with paper towels and season with salt and pepper on both sides.  Heat the skillet over medium-high heat, then add the seasoned tofu and cook until it is firm and seared on both sides.  Remove to a plate and set aside.  While the tofu browns, you can use the time to cut your vegetables. (If you can find yaki-tofu, pre-grilled tofu, in an Asian grocery store, you can skip this step.)

Combine all the ingredients for the sauce in a small saucepan.  Wring out the Soy Curls of any excess marinade over the sauce.  Bring to a boil, stirring often, and boil for 1 minute.  Remove the pot from the heat.

Heat the oil in a large non-stick skillet (preferably the same one used for the tofu, if it’s deep enough) over medium-high heat.  Add the drained Soy Curls and cook until lightly browned.  Move the curls to one side of the pan, and add the tofu, onion/leek, cabbage, greens, mushrooms, and noodles, keeping them separate.  Pour the sauce mixture evenly over the top, cover and simmer for 5 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.  Meanwhile, prepare the egg “yolks” to serve alongside for dipping.

Note:  This dish is traditionally prepared at the table, family-style.  If you have an electric skillet, plug it in at your kitchen table so everyone can watch the cooking process unfold.

Beef-Style Soy Curls

1 c. dried Soy Curls® (about ½ a bag)

¾ c. no-beef bouillon or water

2 T. soy sauce

2 tsp. tomato paste

1 tsp. gravy browning sauce

1½ tsp. nutritional yeast flakes

½ tsp. onion powder

½ tsp. paprika

¼ tsp. garlic powder

¼ tsp. black pepper

¼ tsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

¼ tsp. instant coffee powder

Kosher salt, to taste

Add the Soy Curls to a heat-safe vessel and add very hot water to cover.  Allow to sit for 5-10 minutes, or until the curls are re-hydrated.  Drain off the water and squeeze out at much excess liquid as possible.  Mix together the remaining ingredients in a bowl, add the plumped up Soy Curls and stir to combine.  Allow to marinate for at least 15 minutes or up to overnight.  Wring dry once more before cooking, reserving the marinade if desired.  (They are always best when seared/fried in a little oil.)

Sweet and Sour Cauliflower

I’m sure most of you have seen this recipe, which has been making the rounds on the Internet and Pinterest for months now.  I’ve yet to try it for its intended use (as a buffalo wing substitute), since I already have a mock buffalo wing recipe that I adore.  However, it did call to my mind the crispy, puffy coating I used to love on sweet and sour chicken/pork that I used to order in my omni days many moons ago.  Of course, those tasty morsels were usually deep fried, practically to death.  This baked version is a lot lighter on calories and did just the trick to satisfy my craving!  I do order Chinese take-out on occasion (much less than W would like, since he could probably order it in every night of the week).  But I’m always leery of the fact that most Chinese restaurants do not pay much heed to the fact that people who don’t eat meat don’t really want their “bean curd” cooked up in the same wok on the coattails of someone who just ordered pork fried rice.  To boot, I find that not all sauces are 100% vegetarian/vegan, even if they’re served over tofu.  Consequently, I much prefer to whip up my own stand-ins for old take-out favorites.  This was definitely a do-over… The sauce tastes just like what I remember eating from take-out.  W gobbled it up!

Sweet and Sour Cauliflower

For the cauliflower:

1 large head cauliflower

1 c. unbleached all-purpose flour

2 T. cornstarch

½ tsp. kosher salt

½ tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. garlic powder

1 c. water, or as needed

1 tsp. soy sauce

For the sauce:

½ c. 100% pineapple juice (reserved from canned pineapple)

¼ c. distilled white vinegar

¼ c. organic cane sugar

2 T. soy sauce

2 T. ketchup

1½ T. cornstarch + 2 T. water, whisked into a slurry

A few dashes of hot sauce (optional)

For the stir-fry:

1 small green bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces

1 small red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces

½ c. canned pineapple cubes

Preheat the oven to 450°F.  Mix together the dry ingredients for the cauliflower (flour through garlic powder) in a large mixing bowl.  Add enough water to make a thick batter, along with the soy sauce.  Allow the batter to rest while you cut the cauliflower into bite-sized florets.  Spray a large baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray (I used my pizza pan).  Dip the cauliflower florets in the batter to coat thoroughly and allow the excess to drip off.  (I placed them on a large platter before transferring them to the pizza pan to allow the extra batter to pool on the bottom.  If you have too much batter on the cauliflower, it will pool up on your baking sheet and create flat bottoms, which is fine, but not the look we’re going for.)  Transfer the coated cauliflower to the baking sheet (or pizza pan, in my case) and bake for 15 minutes, or until the coating is slightly puffed and golden.  Flip the cauliflower and bake for about 5 minutes more.

While the cauliflower bakes, combine all the ingredients for the sauce in a small saucepan, whisk well to combine, and bring to a gentle boil over medium heat.  Simmer the sauce until it is thick and syrupy.

Spray a large, non-stick skillet with nonstick cooking spray to coat the bottom.  Heat the pan over medium-high, then add the peppers.  Stir-fry the peppers until lightly seared and crisp-tender.  Remove from the heat and stir in the pineapple.

When the cauliflower is finished in the oven, add it to the pan with the peppers and pineapple.  Pour the sauce over the top and simmer over medium heat for 1-2 minutes, or until the sauce coats everything evenly.  Serve over brown rice, if desired.