The other night, I ended up making the teriyaki quinoa recipe from ED&BV.  We had some leftover, so I decided to grill up some veggies and tofu to go with it.

Veggie Marinade

1 TB dijon mustard

1 TB toasted sesame oil

2 TB rice wine vinegar

1 TB grill seasoning

1/4 cup olive oil

3 cloves garlic, smashed

1 inch piece of ginger, cut into chunks

Combine all ingredients in a large baking dish and throw in your favorite veggies.  Marinate for as long as you can.  I was only able to marinate for about an hour, but they were still really good.  If using an indoor grill, be sure to remove the battery from your smoke detector before firing it up! 

Amy was so thoughtful to bring us a bunch of fruit from her travels and I decided to grill up the pineapple she brought us for a little sweetness.  I did not marinate the pineapple, nor did I marinate the tofu (didn’t want it to stick to the grill), but I did brush some of the marinate onto the tofu once it was done grilling.  We didn’t have a huge selection of vegetables in the fridge, so I ended up using some red and green bell peppers, a yellow onion, green onions, and a summer squash that Amy brought us.

This will definitely be added to our list of regulars.  I’ll have to remember next time to open up all the windows and turn on the fan before beginning to grill everything.  It gave the tofu a really yummy smoky taste and almost meaty texture that even non-tofu eaters may enjoy.  I was less excited about the quinoa.  It was just OK– nothing special.

I came across this awesome website a few days ago and have already pre-ordered my copy of the corresponding book. The recipe for tofu fish sticks sounded weird, but I thought I would try them out for lunch today. These were surprisingly really, really good. Emma had hers with some ketchup and tartar sauce for dipping, while I made mine into a sandwich. My sandwich sort of reminded my of the drive thru fishy sammies (filet o’ fish). Anyway, I can definitely say that this recipe as one that kids and adults will love.

For the tartar sauce, I put about 1/4 cup or mayo and 1/4 cup Tofutti BTSC into my food processor along with the juice of 1/2 a lemon and about 1/2 cup dill pickle chips. It wasn’t dill-y enough for me, so I added in about 2 T of chopped fresh dill. Pulse until the pickles are chopped (you still want a little chunk, though, so don’t go too long). This would make a tasty spread for falafel or veggie sandwiches too.

Matt’s cousin, Amy, came over for dinner last night. She had been dying to try the lentil tacos (and a recent convert to a vegan diet), so that’s what we had. I also made some tofu ranchero so that we could have lots of leftovers to have another night this week. I also made my own refried beans, which turned out a little on the dry side, but still really tasty.

For the beans, I used 1 medium onion and 1 large jalapeño satueed in about 2 TB of olive oil until they were super soft. I then added about 3 cups of cooked pinto beans and I smashed them up with a potato masher. A little S&P and I was done! I topped them with a bit of chopped cilantro just to give them an extra bit of flavor. As I said, they were slightly dry and I think next time I will add in a bit of veg stock to fix that. Other than that, they were incredibly yummy, and not spicy at all.

When Matt and I lived in San Francisco, there was a taqueria around the corner from our apartment that offered tofu rachero as a burrito or taco filler. I was scared to try it at first, but I’m glad I eventually came to my senses because it’s AWESOME! I did a search on the internet for a ranchero sauce recipe and came up with this one that has served me well for the last few years. Since I don’t follow it exactly, here is my version of it:

Tofu Rachero

1 T olive oil

1 jalapeno, diced

1 stalk celery, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

1/2 red bell pepper, chopped

1/2 green bell pepper, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 28-oz can diced tomatoes

1 15-oz can tomato sauce

2 cups vegetable stock

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp cumin

1 1/2 tsp oregano

1 T apple cider vinegar

1 package of extra firm tofu, chopped into cubes

S&P

Heat a medium sauce pan over medium heat and add olive oil, jalapeno, celery, onion, bell peppers and garlic. Saute about 5 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients, except salt and pepper. Simmer for about 20 minutes and puree using a blender or hand blender. Save half of the sauce for another time. Add tofu to the remaining half and continue to simmer for as long as possible. (One batch of sauce makes too much sauce for one package of tofu, so I usually make a full batch and freeze half for another time). The longer you can let the tofu simmer in the sauce, the better. I will sometimes make the sauce on the stove and then transfer everything to my slow cooker to let it simmer all day. So delicious!

For dessert, I pulled out some cupcakes that I had in my freezer that were leftover from Emma’s birthday. As I was flipped through Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, I came across the photo of the cookies ‘n cream cupcake. It’s just a plain vanilla frosting with some Newman O’s crunched in… mmmmmm!!!

I was in the mood for a big breakfast yesterday, so I decided to make some blueberry pancakes and tofu scramble.

For the pancakes, I followed the recipe from The Joy of Vegan Baking. The recipe gives you the option of using all all-purpose flour or by using half whole wheat and half all-purpose. I opted for the latter and used half all-purpose and half white whole wheat flour. While the cakes were cooking up on the griddle, I sprinkled in a few frozen blueberries into the uncooked side (I used vegan chocolate chips for Emma’s, though, just for a special treat). These are the absolute best pancakes I have ever had! I can’t wait to make them again.

Here’s how I make my tofu scrambles:

Tofu Scramble

1 package extra firm tofu

1 1/2 to 2 cups soy sausage

1/2 tsp. chili flakes

1 medium onion, diced

3/4 cup roasted red peppers, diced

pinch of turmeric

S&P

Start by sauteeing the onion in a little bit of olive oil until the onion begins to get tender. Add the roasted red peppers and red chili flakes and cook a few more minutes. Add in the sausage and fry it up a bit until it is crispy (if it is in patty form, you will need to chop it up. I used soy-rizo, which comes in a long tube, so there was no need for me to chop). Scoot the veggies and sausage over to the side of your skillet and add in the tofu (chopped into small squares). Fry the tofu a bit to give it a firmer texture, then combine it with the sausage and veggies. Sprinkle some turmeric over the top and stir it in. Add S&P.

Other fun add-ins: fresh or frozen spinach, mushrooms… just about anything that would taste good in an omelet. A note about the tofu- typically, I would mash it up so that it resembles scrambled eggs when the dish is all cooked. Since the sausage I used was kind of a mushy mess, I opted to chop the tofu instead.

Last night’s dinner was not what I had originally planned to make. The plan was for pizza, but I’ve been pretty busy lately getting the food ready for Emma’s birthday party that I just didn’t feel like rolling out the dough. I have what I think is a good pizza idea, though, so stay tuned for that next week.

A quick survey of the fridge and pantry revealed an unopened package of basmati and wild rice blend, a block of tofu and some rainbow chard that I needed to use up. I thought it sounded pretty tasty and got to work on the rice. No secrets there… just followed the directions on the package.

The rainbow chard was equally as simple. I cut off the tough stems, and then chopped up all the large leaves. In a large skillet, I started by sauteeing some onion and garlic. When that was tender, I added in the chard and sauteed for another 5 minutes. When the leaves were wilted, I added in some S&P and a splash of red wine vinegar. It was pretty tasty! I sprinkled some toasted pine nuts over the rice and chard to serve.

I wanted to try something a little different with the tofu, so I started by cutting the block into small squares. I cooked them the same way that I make the triangles- in a nonstick skillet with a dab of canola oil. When they were browned up on both sides, I put a little bit of BBQ sauce on each side and flipped it over so that it could get seared into the tofu. Emma had her usual triangles without the BBQ sauce. For a simple meal, it came together pretty quickly and tasted pretty good.

On the side, we had a little bit of fruit salad, since I had a half eaten banana to use up before it became inedible.

These vegan sausages are all over the veg blogs. They looked so good that I just had to try them, but I first have to admit that I have tried many recipes that call for vital wheat gluten and I haven’t liked any of them. I am not a fan of seitan or tempeh- it’s the texture, I just can’t deal with it. But, at least I’m still willing to try out new recipes that call for certain things that I haven’t necessarily been fond of in the past.

Needless to say, I was both excited and scared to try out this sausage recipe. I was excited because (a) everyone seems to love them and (b) the combination of spices sounded like it would make a really tasty sausage. I followed the recipe exactly and, after they were done steaming, I put them in the fridge until dinner. When it was time to eat, I fried them up in a little bit of olive oil, just to give it a little extra crispiness on the outside. Since I was incredibly afraid that the texture was going to be super funky, I made some oven roasted potatoes to go with them and some steamed carrots. Carrots were about the only other veggie we had in the house, so that’s what I had to go with. I also decided that I needed to make a tasty, filling, and nutritious dessert just in case.

I make oven roasted potatoes all the time because they are so yummy. I’ve always made them the same way: scrub up your potatoes and cut them into bite sized pieces. Put them on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle on some salt, pepper, garlic powder and Mrs. Dash table seasoning blend. Bake in a 425 degree oven for about 20-30 minutes, flipping them a few times to brown evenly.

Isn’t this the worst photo you’ve ever seen of a plate of food? I think so. OK, so now for my review of the sausages… they weren’t bad. The flavor was great and I love the spiciness of them. The texture is still something that I need to get used to, but it wasn’t so bad dipped in a little ketchup. I served the sausages with some caramelized onions on top, for a little sweetness to balance the spiciness. To my complete shock and amazement, Emma even ate a few bites. She seemed to really like them, but got a bite with too many peppers and that was it for her.

Since I was so unsure of how my sausage would turn out, I wanted to make a hearty dessert just in case our main course consisted solely of potatoes and carrots. I thought immediately to make some sort of sweetened quinoa topped with apples and came up with this recipe:

Quinoa “Cake” with Spicy Apples

1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained

2 cups unsweetened vanilla soy milk

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/3 cup raisins

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup maple syrup

pinch of salt

Bring the soy milk to a bubble and add all of the ingredients. You will have to whisk the cinnamon in to avoid clumping. Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook for about 15 minutes or until the quinoa has absorbed the liquid. Spoon about 1/2 cup the cooked quinoa into lightly greased ramekins and chill in the fridge. When cool, slide a knife around the edge to loosen and invert the “cake” onto a plate.

For the apples, which I make all the time as toppings for oatmeal, pancakes, etc., peel and core 2 to 3 apples. I used golden delicious for this recipe, but you could use any kind that you have on hand. Slice them and put into a dry non-stick skillet over medium heat. Cook the apples for about 5 minutes, allowing them to brown a little on both sides. When the apples are getting tender, add about 1/2 tsp of cinnamon, 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg, a pinch of ground cloves and a pinch of allspice. Pour in about 1/2 cup of juice and let the apples simmer until the juice has reduced to a syrup. Top the quinoa cakes with the apples and top with a few walnuts. I also made a caramel drizzling sauce to pour over the apples, for a little bit of added sweetness.

The dessert turned out pretty good. The quinoa cakes were a little on the bland side, which was my intention since the apples have a lot goin’ on. I ate the leftover quinoa the next morning mixed with some oatmeal and it was pretty tasty!

I have to admit that I have been in a cooking rut and, consequently, a blogging rut lately. I just can’t come up with many creative meals lately. We were in pretty bad shape grocery-wise, so I turned to New Vegetarian Cooking for inspiration. I came across a recipe that I’ve made before, Soba with Green Soybeans. I didn’t have any soba noodles on hand, so I substituted udon and it came out pretty good. The recipe is basically the noodles, mixed with lots of green onions, edamame and a dressing made from soy sauce, sesame seeds, toasted sesame oil, rice wine vinegar and a sweetener (I used agave nectar). It turned out pretty good, but I every time I’ve made this, I realize afterwards that the recipe calls for way too many green onions. I will make a note to cut back on those next time. Just for some extra zing, I thew in a small handful of chopped cilantro.

To go with my noodle dish, I went with Carrie’s brilliant idea for faux “egg” rolls. I pretty much followed her method for making them, except I used my own concoction to make the tofu marinade and dipping sauce:

Dipping Sauce

Equal parts fresh lime juice and soy sauce (or to taste)

splash of rice wine vinegar

splash of water

a small handful of each – chopped fresh cilantro, mint and green onions

a pinch of red pepper flakes

about a 1 inch piece of ginger, minced or grated

2-3 cloves of garlic, minced or grated

I made two separate batches of this- one went into a small baking dish to marinate the tofu and one went into a small bowl for dipping. To the tofu marinade, I also added about a teaspoon of red curry paste. I used half of a block of tofu, reserving the other half to make my pan-fried tofu triangles. I cut up the egg roll tofu into small strips and dunked them in the marinade for about 2 hours. Meanwhile, I got my veggies ready, which didn’t take too long considering we only had green cabbage and carrots as suitable egg roll stuffers.

To assemble the egg rolls, I took 1 sheet of phyllo, brushed it ever so lightly with olive oil and topped it with another sheet of phyllo. I did this until I had 3 sheets of phyllo in a nice stack. I cut it in half lengthwise and the two halves each made one egg roll. Nothing scientific about it- throw in some carrots, cabbage, and tofu and roll it up! I used a little bit more olive oil to seal the edge and then I brushed the entire roll with the oil. I baked them on a baking sheet line with parchment paper in a 350 degree oven until they were golden brown (about 10 minutes). These were yummy! I love that you can still get the crispiness of a traditional egg roll without the deep frying and extra calories (and without the egg). I will definitely be making these again- actually, I have them planned for later this week.

The pan-fried tofu triangles are just as easy to prepare. I took the rest of my tofu, cut it into triangles (for Emma- I don’t know why that shape for food appeals to her) and patted them dry. Heat a very large, non-stick skillet to medium-high heat and put in a tiny drop of canola oil (like probably 1/8 to 1/4 of a tsp is all you need). The trick is to use a non-stick skillet for this or you will end up with a big mess. Swirl the oil around the pan and add in the tofu. Cook the tofu on both sides until it is golden brown. Serve with the same dipping sauce as the egg rolls. I make this all the time, especially if I’m not sure whether or not Emma will eat what I’ve already prepared for dinner. She loves them! She wasn’t as fond of the egg rolls or the noodles, but did manage to eat a few bites of noodles after picking off the onions and cilantro. She said they were “dirty.”