Cheatin' Marinated Tofu over Jasmine Rice

Here is a simple and tasty marinade for tofu that is very flavorful.  I call it "cheatin'" because I added to the marinade a ready-made bottle of soy ginger sauce.  I don't think there's anything wrong with a home cook using a shortcut to speed up a meal or to create a flavor that they haven't yet figured out how to do from scratch.  I added several ingredients to it, so the bottle ended up being just one more ingredient.  Anyhow, hope you like it, too. By the way, you'll see that there is quite a bit of tofu in the recipe.  When I make a tofu dish for my family where tofu is the star, instead of part of an ensemble, I add one more package.  Two packs just doesn't seem to quite stretch far enough for five hungry vegans.  Adjust as necessary for your needs.

Cheatin' Marinated Tofu over Jasmine Rice

 Tofu in the marinade

Cheatin' Marinated Tofu over Jasmine Rice

Ingredients:

3 pkgs. extra-firm tofu, drained of water - see how to prepare in directions
1 cup water
1/4 soy sauce
1 - 10oz. bottle Full Circle Organic Soy Ginger Sauce - or something similar
2 green onions, sliced thinly
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbs. of freshly chopped ginger
1 tsp. Chinese Five Spice
1 Tbs. Olive oil
1 tsp. Sesame Oil/Soy Oil Blend
2 Tbs. cornstarch
2 cups of jasmine rice, uncooked

Directions:

Lay each block of tofu on its narrow side and slice down the middle, creating two equal rectangles.  Slice widthwise into strips.  Put tofu in large bowl that has a tight fitting lid.  In a large bowl, whisk together the ingredients from the water through the Chinese five spice.  Pour over tofu strips.  Refrigerate three to four hours, flipping once half-way.  If your bowl leaks, gently stir half way.  After marinating, drain as much of the marinade as possible into another bowl.  I do this by holding the lid over the bowl and letting the marinade slip out through a crack I've created with the lid.  It's okay if some of the liquid doesn't drain out, but try and get most of it to.  Heat the oils in a large skillet over medium high heat.  When hot, add the tofu strips.  Cook for about twenty minutes, until nice and browned. This may take longer than you think if there was liquid still in the tofu.  If the tofu is browning too quickly, turn the heat down to medium.  Stir occasionally.  In the meantime, cook the rice according to package directions.  When the tofu is just about done, and most of the liquid is cooked away, add the cornstarch to the marinade and whisk well.  Pour marinade over the tofu.  Cook over medium heat until it bubbles, and let it bubble for one minute.  Turn down to medium low until completely cooked.  Serve over rice.  It's okay if some of the strips break; it will taste just as good.  Feeds five hungry vegans.

Fiesta Lentil - Pea Soup

I made a soup the other night that used up some food in the pantry, cupboard and freezer, that might not otherwise ever had the chance to meet, were it not for: What's-Mother-Going-To-Make-For-Dinner-Tonight?  Low on practically anything fresh, I began scouring haphazard flavors, thinking, "Could this go together? Sure!  How about this?  Why not!"  I had thawed out two packages of Yves Meatless Ground Turkey that I got from a discount store, so I have no idea if they are available anywhere else.  SR was shocked when I pulled out an ancient can of enchilada sauce from the pantry, and so she had to tell it good-bye and how much she'll miss seeing it in there...before it faced the cruel blade of the can opener.  And, before you could say, "Anything goooooeeees," I had a bubbling pot of crazy deliciousness percolating in a pot.  How did this go over with the fam?  Well, I didn't have high hopes, for even when I put in an all-out effort into a dish, I can get very lukewarm responses.  But, wouldn't you know it? - They all loved it!  Even five-year-old JK gave Mommy ten points for a good dinner (upgraded from an initial one point).  Did you hear that?  Ten points!  Hah!  So, you can see in the picture below, that I went a little crazy with the garnish.  I hope you can still see some of the actual soup in there.  But, it's all good; trust me - and G, and SR, and GR, and JK.  (Ten points!)  Oh, also SR wants credit for helping me come up with the term "Fiesta."
 

Fiesta Lentil - Pea Soup

Ingredients:

1 cup dried split green peas, sorted for grit
1 cup dried lentils, sorted for grit
Water to cover
2 cups of vegetable broth
2 pkgs. Yves meatless Ground Turkey
1 - 28oz. can enchilada sauce
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. onion powder
16 corn tortillas, halved and cut into strips
Non-stick spray

Directions:

Put the legumes in a large pot with water about two inches over them.  Cook on medium heat for 40 minutes, adding water as necessary to stay at least one inch over the top of the legumes.  Add the remaining ingredients, except for the tortillas and the non-stick spray, and cook for twenty minutes over medium low heat.  You can add additional broth or water at this point, if you want. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Spray a cookie sheet with the non-stick spray and spread the tortilla strips on it.  Bake for ten minutes.  Spoon soup into bowls and garnish with the tortilla strips.  So good, every one in your family will praise you all night long, and you need that, don't you?  Feeds five hungry vegans.

Broccoli Greens Simmered in Broth

When I was a child, I was the only one in my family who ate the few sparse greens off the thick broccoli stalks.  Even today I love them.  Who knew that they could actually grow to be a gigantic size?  I bought two bunches of them at the farmer's market recently, and one bag could only hold one bunch each.  The farmer said they do not cook down as much as other greens, and they hold their shape well in soup.  Well, I tested both of those theories, and I have to say, she is...right!  I first simmered them in a broth, hoping to avoid some oil.  I made some slow-cooked red beans and home-baked fries to go with them.  With the copious leftover greens and beans, I made a thick, nourishing soup in which I added red potatoes, broccoli and asparagus.  Even picky JK had three bowls of soup today for lunch.  The greens have a similar taste to chard, which I also like.  Maybe your area has these amazing broccoli greens, too.

Plated Broccoli Greens Simmered in Broth with slow-cooked red beans and home-baked fries.

Two bunches of broccoli greens

Simmering in a covered pan

Broccoli Greens Simmered in Broth

Ingredients:

2 bunches of broccoli greens, stripped from their stems and coarsely chopped (yields about 12 cups, raw)
3/4 cup vegetable broth
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Heat the broth over medium heat in a large pan that has a tight-fitting lid.  Put in the chopped greens and toss some to coat the greens with the broth.  You can either season at this point, or wait until greens are cooked.  Place lid on pan and simmer for ten minutes, stirring occasionally.  Served with slow cooked beans and baked fries makes for a complete, satisfying meal.  Feeds five hungry vegans.

Classic Pickle and Cheese Sandwich

Here is a sandwich that we like to have when we have all the ingredients handy.  Even though there are only a few ingredients, sometimes I just don't have pickles and cheese at the same time.  I grew up eating this and love its simplicity.  GR and JK are learning to appreciate it, too.

Classic Pickle and Cheese Sandwich

Ingredients:

Several slices of your favorite bread: we used sourdough
Vegenaise or Nayonnaise
Sliced dill pickles or bread and butter style pickles: we used Bubbies bread and butter chips this time around
Follow Your Heart Vegan Gourmet cheese, cheddar style, sliced into strips

Directions:

Spread a layer of vegenaise or nayonnaise on your bread, a little thicker than usual.  Cover with pickle and cheese slices.  Top with the other slathered bread, and bite.  Mm-mmm.  Serve with chips or homemade fries for a real take-you-back-to-childhood lunch or dinner.  Feeds five hungry vegans.

Roasted Baby Artichokes

We picked up some beautiful baby artichokes at the farmer's market recently.  Before, I've put them in risottos, but I wanted to try and see how they tasted roasted...and, they were delicious!  Just follow the easy directions below to enjoy this feast for yourselves.  You can even eat them cold the next day, like I did, and like I do with the big fellas, too.

Close-up of roasted baby artichokes

Untrimmed fresh baby artichoke

Trimmed and peeled fresh baby artichoke

Roasted baby artichokes

Roasted baby artichokes with purple kale, Basic White Bread, and spicy lentils

Roasted Baby Artichokes

Ingredients:

1 Tbs. lemon juice
3 cups of water
10 - 12 baby artichokes
Non-stick spray
2 or 3 tsp. of olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Mix together the lemon juice and water in a medium bowl and set aside.  Wash your artichokes.  With a large knife, trim both ends of the artichoke.  You want any poky tops to be gone, and you want virtually all the stem to be gone.  Pull of the outermost leaves, leaving the tender ones underneath.   Cut each artichoke in half lengthwise and place in the lemon water to prevent early browning.  Once all have been cut, spray a baking sheet with the non-stick spray.  Lay the artichokes on the sheet, cut side up.  Drizzle olive oil on them.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Bake for 15 minutes.  So tender and full of flavor!  The whole thing is edible, so enjoy.  You can just bite into them or have fun eating them leaf by leaf.  I treat them as a finger food.  Feeds five hungry vegans.

Ethiopian-Inspired Lentils

G was in the military for seven years, and part of that time he spent in Eritrea and fell in love with the cuisine.  When I was pregnant with SR, he first introduced me to it at a downtown restaurant in our area.  That's when I also learned the proper way to Ethiopian food was by having it served on injera bread and using more injera as the utensil, scooping up the food by hand and putting it in your mouth.  How fun!  I love learning new cultures and experimenting with all kinds of new and interesting things.  We went to that restaurant at least monthly, and by the time SR was born, she already had a high tolerance for spice!  As a toddler she was chowing down on salsa and other spicy things.  Anyhow, that restaurant closed, but two more opened up.  At one of those, berbere, a strong Ethiopian spice was sold by the bag.  I bought a bag, froze it, and have been making lentils at home with it ever since.  That restaurant has since closed, but we still have Queen Sheba, which always seems to show up in G's or my birthday pics.  I'm almost out of my berbere now, so I'm hoping to find another local source.  You can make yours from scratch: it has over a dozen spices in it, and I've seen recipes for it online, and I may do that, or a version of a few recipes, if I can't find a restaurant that will just sell it to me.  :-)  We eat this dish about once a month, but I still haven't made injera, tsk tsk.  I usually make a simple lentil dish for the Blessings when I make this one, but now the girls are starting to try it.  So, soon I may have a couple more berbere eaters on my hands.  I use quite a bit of berbere, so if you are sensitive to heat, you might halve it at first.  By the way, this does take a bit of oil, but the end result does not taste oily at all.

Ethiopian-Inspired Lentils

Ethiopian-Inspired Lentils with roasted cauliflower, baby bok choy and mushrooms (the color is somewhere in between the top and bottom pictures.)

Ethiopian-Inspired Lentils

Ingredients:

1 lb. lentils
1 32oz. box of vegetable broth
Water to cover by a couple of inches
1/4 cup olive oil
1 red onion, halved and sliced thinly
1 head garlic, sliced
4 Tbs. berbere
1 tsp. salt

Directions:

Put lentils in a large pot with the broth and water.  Cook over medium heat 45 minutes, or until tender.  You can let the water cook down to where the lentils are loose but not soupy.  Meanwhile, prepare the onions and garlic.  Heat the oil in a medium pan over medium heat.  Add the onion and garlic and cook for fifteen minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add the seasonings, stir well, and cook for two or three more minutes.  The spices will soak up practically all the moisture in the pan.  Stir frequently.  When the lentils are done, add the spice and onion mix to them.  Turn the heat down to medium low, and cook for at least ten more minutes, letting the flavors blend well.  Served with roasted veggies, this makes a complete meal.  So good.  Feeds five hungry vegans (soon).

Glorious Green Salad

I like to have a lot of fun with salads for my clan.  Sometimes, we'll have big salads on individual plates, and I'll holler from the kitchen, "Who wants carrots?  Who wants garbanzos?," and so on.  I pretty much know by now who likes what and not, but sometimes my  Blessings have changing tastes, so it's good to be reminded.  Sometimes, I'll make one huge salad that's the meal itself, with maybe crackers or something to go with it.  That's when I really load up the toppings to make the salad as varied and crunchy as possible with a symphony of flavors to tease and please younger palates.  The one I made on this night was served alongside of homemade bread sticks and dipping sauces, and everyone was well pleased and full. Below, I've listed the toppings I heaped on, just to give you a new idea or two.  Having fun with your salads is the takeaway moral of the story.

Glorious Green Salad

Ingredients:

Romaine, chopped
Canned quartered artichoke hearts in water, drained
Red onion, slice thin
Canned garbanzos, drained
Tomatoes, cut in small wedges
Fresh spinach leaves, torn if large
Jarred julienned pickled beets
Carrots, shredded
Celery, chopped
Fresh parsley, chopped
Purple cabbage, chopped small
Raw sunflower seeds
Favorite dressings and oils and vinegars on the side

Directions:

In a big bowl, layer the ingredients, except for the dressings.  I do not like to toss my salads before serving because all the goodies get hidden under the lettuce.  Instead we scoop straight down in order to get equal amounts of everything.  Drizzle your favorite dressing on top - sometimes we sprinkle a little salt and pepper on top of that - and dig in.  Served with bread sticks or crackers or toast makes for a filling meal.  Feeds five hungry vegans.

Sugary Lemon Loaf

This is one of our favorite sweet breads that we indulge in a few times a year.  I veganized it from an old Mennonite baking book of mine that I bought many years ago, changing the name to effectively represent the bread, and adjusting the ingredients and directions.  It's fun to make and even more fun to eat!

Sugary Lemon Loaf

Slice of that beautiful bread

Sugary Lemon Loaf

Ingredients:

Non-stick spray

Bread:
1 and 1/2 Tbs. EnergG Egg Replacer
6 Tbs. water
1/4 cup vegan margarine, room temperature
1 and 1/4 cups vegan or raw sugar
1 and 3/4 cups self-rising flour - please note the type of flour here!
1/2 cup rice milk
3 fresh lemons, rinds grated (I use a regular carrot grater for this.)

Sugar topping:
2 lemons from above, juiced
1 fresh lemon, rind grated
3/4 cup vegan or raw sugar

Directions:
For the bread:  Spray a loaf pan with non-stick spray and set aside.  Heat oven to 350 degrees.  In a small bowl, whisk together the Egg Replacer and the water.  Pour that mixture along with all the other bread ingredients into a large mixing bowl.  Beat with an electric mixer until well blended.  Pour mixture into the loaf pan.  Bake for 55 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  When bread is almost done baking, make the sugar topping.

For the sugar topping:  Mix the ingredients for the sugar topping together in a small bowl. (You can freshen your garbage disposal by dropping the used lemons in it one at a time.) As soon as the bread is ready, poke it all over the top with a wooden skewer stick, several times.  Spoon the topping over the surface of the bread.  It will look really soupy, but don't worry, the bread will soak it up.  Keep bread in loaf pan and place on cooling rack to completely cool.  When finished cooling, you can remove from loaf pan.  Delicious!  Feeds five hungry vegans.

Homemade Fries (deep-fried version), and a badge removal

Every once in a while I pull out our deep fryer to make indulgent homemade fries.  Because my fryer is on the smaller side, I have to make our fries in three batches, which ends up taking about 45 minutes.  So, I'll plan on making the other dishes for dinner to time with the fries.  Sometimes, though, we just like the fries as a treat after a hard school day.  You can see in the picture that my fries are crinkle cut.  I've got a tool just for that purpose, so it makes it a little more fun for the Blessings, as well.

On a side note, I've removed my badge for the Circle of Moms contest.  I'll still be on the site, but I won't do any more self-promotion here.  I've heard from several people (including my own sweet mom) who are not getting a hovering hand cursor over the orange thumbs up to vote, so they can't vote.  Also, it looks like I'm pretty much out of the running to be an Internet sensation when you look at my competition.  :-)  But, no worries, every day I get to look at a certain three precious faces and know that I'm their top veggie mom, and that's good enough for me.   Thanks to those who voted or at least attempted to vote.

Homemade Fries (deep-fried version)

Ingredients:

Enough oil to reach fill line in the deep fryer (maybe two cups?)
9 russet potatoes, scrubbed and sliced in fry-type strips
Salt to taste
Ketchup
Rooster sauce

Directions:

Heat oven to 250 degrees. Plug in your deep fryer.  Pour oil to fill line.  While oil is heating, you can prepare your potatoes.  Put in three of the cut potatoes in the deep fryer.  Fry for thirteen to fifteen minutes, until they get a golden brown, turning occasionally. (If you've cut your potatoes particularly thin, they will cook faster.) Line a serving dish with paper towels, and drain the fries there.  Sprinkle with salt.  Repeat with the last two sets of three potatoes.  Keep fries warm in oven while waiting for next batch(es).  Note: please do not place your lid on the fryer while it's plugged in and cooking food; my friend started a kitchen fire in her home by doing that.  Serve with ketchup and/or rooster sauce.  Feeds five hungry vegans -barely!

Zesty Black Beans with Cooling Tomato and Avocado - and a contest reminder

This is a great dish to warm you up on a cold day.  The farmer's market already has the first avocados in, and I was lucky to find a good tomato in the store.  The spice in the beans is tempered by and paired perfectly with the tomato and avocado.  Served with roasted potatoes, it makes for a tasty, complete meal.

Zesty Black Beans with Cooling Tomato and Avocado

Dinner is served!

Just to remind you that you can still vote in the Circle of Moms contest for the top 25 veggie moms.  I was fortunate enough to be nominated, and I have several bloggie friends in the competition with me.  The nice thing is there's plenty of room for a bunch of us.  So, if you would like to vote (for me?), you can just click on the pink badge in my top left corner, and it will take you to the site.  Just scroll down to find me; I appreciate your vote!  You can vote once every 24 hours.

Zesty  Black Beans with Cooling Tomato and Avocado

Ingredients:

1 lb. dried black beans, sorted for grit
Water to cover
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 Tbs. ground cumin
1 tsp. cayenne
4 Serrano peppers, seeded and chopped (wash your hands after handling)
6 - 8 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
1 tomato, cut in quarters and sliced thin
1 avocado, chopped small

Directions:

Place beans in a large pot and cover with enough water so that water level is about two inches above beans.  Cook on medium heat for two hours.  (If you want to soak the beans overnight to remove potential gas "issues" from them, you can do that as well.)  Keep water level about one inch above beans during cooking process.  Once they've cooked for two hours, add the salt through the garlic.  Cook another 45 minutes on medium heat. Turn heat to low until beans are completely tender.  At this point, you don't want as much water, just enough to keep them moving around but not soupy, but you don't want them super thick either.  Once beans are completely cooked, turn the heat off and add the tomato and avocado.  Serve with roasted potatoes for a complete meal.  Feeds five hungry vegans.