Now that the Kent Farmers Market is in full swing, we’ve been getting some great produce from the vendors — in this case, the bok choy, which was steamed, seared in a wok and topped with sesame seeds.
We dug deep into the cookbook library for the mustard glaze (adapted from “Japanese Cuisine” John D. Keys / 1965)
Mustard Glazed Tofu with Daikon and Shiso
Mustard Sauce
3 tbs. sherry
2 tbs. tamari
1 tbs. agave
1 tbs. mustard*
Whisk together, reserve.
* We used mustard seeds, ground with a mortar and pestle. But if you want to use Dijon mustard out of a jar, we won’t tell anyone. 
Shredded Daikon
1 small daikon, shredded on a box grater (yields about 1/2 cup)
1 tsp. mirin
2 tbs. rice vinegar
1 1/2 tsp. tamari
2 tbs. water
Whisk together the mirin, rice vinegar, tamari and water. Add the daikon to a small bowl and pour the mixture over the shredded daikon. Stir to incorporate and let sit for 30 minutes. Reserve.
Tea-Smoked Tofu
16oz. of tofu cut into 8 squares
1 tbs. oolong tea
1 tbs. canola oil
1 tbs. tamari
Add the oolong tea to the bottom of the prepared smoker box. Alternately, use a foil lined wok with chopsticks inside, used as grates. Here’s an old shot before we had the smoker box to demonstrate.
Smoke the tofu squares with oolong tea for 25 minutes.
In a wok, add the canola oil on medium-high heat and fry the tofu until golden brown on both sides. Add the tamari and toss the tofu to coat evenly.
Pour the reserved mustard sauce over the tofu, and continue to cook and turn the tofu until the sauce reduces to a glaze.
Plate the tofu and garnish with grated daikon and shiso leaves.
Still working on the ramen — Liz scored some water chestnuts to add, and the broth inched closer to our son’s ideal version.
We’ve gotten beets several times from our CSA and thankfully the greens have always been included. You can use beet greens in any recipe that calls for greens. They’re a little more delicate than kale or collards, though they don’t cook quite as fast as spinach. We got shiitake mushrooms once too so I threw together this stir fry one night and we had it with pasta.
1 lb. pasta, cooked
2 Tbs. peanut oil
1 carrot, sliced diagonally
1 bunch beet greens, sliced
3 oz. shiitake mushrooms, sliced
1 spring onion, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp. minced ginger
cilantro for garnish
For the sauce, whisk all this together in a small bowl:
1 c. veg. broth
1 Tbs. rice vinegar
2 Tbs. soy sauce
2 tsp. maple syrup
1 Tbs. cornstarch
Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large wok or skillet. Add carrot and cook for 2-3 minutes stirring frequently. Add beet greens and mushrooms and cook several more minutes until all the veggies are starting to get tender. Add onion, garlic and ginger and cook for another minute. Stir in the sauce and cook just until it starts to thicken. Finally, add the pasta, mix well and turn off the heat. Serve garnished with chopped cilantro.
Here is the other dish I made with the clay pot tofu (a lot of tofu, I know). I rooted around online looking at some recipes, and they all were pretty much the same. I adapted the recipe here. The tofu is fried with a cornstarch coating, but you can opt out of this step and just coat the tofu in the sauce. I never use Ener-G egg replacer, but it caught my eye at the bulk food store the other day. I thought it made a nice light and crispy batter.
© 2009 Andrea’s easy vegan cooking
Several years ago I came across a recipe for vegan banana cream pie and I was so excited I couldn’t wait to try it. I didn’t make a single change to the recipe – just followed the directions exactly. That pie was gorgeous, and it was with great anticipation that we waited until dessert to try it. Let me tell you, you could have bounced a ball off that pie. Couldn’t crush it with a sledgehammer. Couldn’t dent it with a crowbar. Couldn’t eat it with a fork. That pie could have stopped a speeding bullet faster than Superman. And it didn’t taste good, either. We stared at the pie in horror and disappointment for a brief moment, then collapsed in hysterical laughter. We laughed about it for days, and even now someone might occasionally say, “remember the banana cream pie?” Have you cooked something that brings back memories like this?
© 2009 Andrea’s easy vegan cooking
So, it was with some trepidation that I decided to try again. The Nasoya company sent me coupons for free samples of three different varieties of Nasoya Silken Creations, a new dairy-free, lactose-free, low-fat, gluten-free pudding-like soy product that can be used as a base for creamy desserts. I meant to use the vanilla for a banana cream pie but Whole Foods was out of vanilla, so I made a chocolate banana cream pie instead. I couldn’t find a recipe for banana cream pie on the Nasoya Website, so I followed their directions for similar pies and hoped for the best. The filling right from the container has a taste and texture similar to very sweet chocolate pudding, and you could layer it as is with fruit and ice cream for an easy parfait dessert. It was a little too sweet for me, but I imagine a “normal” person would find it quite delicious. And it tastes like “real” chocolate pudding. I doubt that anyone would think it was vegan.
Fill the raw crust with sliced bananas
© 2009 Andrea’s easy vegan cooking
I made the pie with a pressed pastry crust, substituting agave syrup for the Sucanot and whole wheat pastry flour for the white whole wheat, but you could use a prepared crust or whatever crust you like to make. Oddly enough, once the pie was baked, it no longer tasted too sweet – it was really creamy and good. And it was unbelievably easy to prepare. The pie tasted richly of fresh banana with the chocolate taking a complimentary role. I definitely want to try this again with vanilla so I can compare the two. (fyi: I served it as a “birthday pie” for my husband’s birthday and that’s why it has a candle!)
Just out of the oven – still molten and bubbly
© 2009 Andrea’s easy vegan cooking
All right then. I present you with a chocolate banana cream pie. But first I have to insert a little disclaimer.
The June 22 edition of our local morning paper had a front page headline blaring, “Blogger’ Freebies are Under Scrutiny.” Subhead: “The Federal Trade Commission is expected to issue guidelines for online consumer reviews, which can be tainted by perks.” Gasp. The article goes on to describe how bloggers accept “free laptops, trips to Europe, $500 gift cards or even thousands of dollars for a 200-word post.” Then it describes how a blogger from New Hartford, N.Y. who earns up to $800 per month as well as assorted gifts from her five blogs, now worries that even an innocent review of a product she purchased herself could bring an inquiry if the FTC gets involved in bloggers’ lives. Does this free product thing sound familiar? I have to admit I didn’t realize some bloggers were cashing in to this extent.
Anyway, in anticipation of the proposed FTC scrutiny for every little review we bloggers do, I just want to come clean and say that although Nasoya gave me thousands of dollars, a free laptop, a free trip to Hawaii, a Vitamix and a new car, in addition to three coupons for their product, my review is totally honest and above board. I’m stating only what I truly believe to be truly true. And that’s the truth.
© 2009 Andrea’s easy vegan cooking
Chocolate banana cream pie
Silken Creations Dark Chocolate ingredients: soymilk, dried cane juice, cocoa, rice starch, natural flavors, salt.
1/2 cup has 120 calories, 1.5g fat, 18g sugar, 1g fiber, 3g protein, 45mg salt.
The package contains approximately 5 servings. I used one container plus five bananas in the pie filling. The pie contains 6 to 8 servings, depending on the size of a serving.
© 2009 Andrea’s easy vegan cooking
Have you made an extra huge batch of my super scrumptious Chicken Fried Seitan and now you have a plate of leftovers?
Well, if you want sticky, spicy, hot wings follow this simple recipe and you will be drooling over a plate of lip smacking goodness in no time!
Ingredients
1/3 cup molasses (or maple syrup)
1/3 cup vegan butter
TONS of hot sauce, as much as you can handle!
pinch of salt and pepper
pinch of garlic salt and cumin
- Melt all the ingredients in a pan together
- Take the leftover chicken fried seitan out of the fridge and toss it in the liquid mixture (if you have made seitan patties, you might want to chop them up into chunks)
- Bake the liquid coated seitan in the oven on 300 degrees for 10 minutes (this step not only reheats the cold seitan but also lets the yummy hot sauce mixture soak in!)
- Remove the seitan from the oven and dip it one more time in the liquid mixture and then serve and enjoy!
I serve mine with a side of vegan ranch dressing…or vegan blue cheese dressing…I can’t decide which it tastes more like. (Did you know how versatile and super healthy cashews are? I’ve made so many wonderful things with them over the past week and I am quite impressed.)
Ingredients
1 cup raw cashews
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup lemon juice
3 cloves garlic
several teaspoons of dried dill, to taste
pinch of salt and pepper
- Blend all the ingredients together in a food processor and dip and dunk to your heart’s content!
Tofu alla Grappa, Fennel Risotto
We decided to break out the vacuum-sealer again, after finding a bottle of grappa hiding in the back of the cabinet.
It’s the same technique as the Tofu L’Orange, with the same excellent results.
Tofu alla Grappa
16oz extra-firm tofu
The block of extra-firm tofu was cut into six cutlets and smoked with apple wood for 25 minutes.
marinade
1/4 cup grappa
pinch of salt and pepper
In a small pan, reduce the grappa by half to 2 tbs. and remove from heat.
Place the smoked tofu in a single layer in a vacuum-sealer bag, add the marinade and process. Refrigerate for 2-4 hours.
Remove from the bag and cut a slit in the side of each tofu cutlet, being careful not to poke through the edges.
Pan-fry the tofu in olive oil over medium-high heat until golden brown (about 4-5 minutes per side). Add a splash of tamari to evenly coat and cook the tofu for an additional minute. Remove and keep warm.
filling/sauce
olive oil
1 shallot, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper
1 tbs. tarragon, minced
1 tbs. parsley, minced
1 1/2 cups of grapes, cut in half
In the same pan, add a little more oil and sweat the shallots and garlic. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add the tarragon and parsley, stir to combine (If you want to throw and additional shot of grappa in the sauce at this point we won’t tell). Add the grapes and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
Remove half of the mixture and gently place inside the slit in the tofu. Puree the other half in a blender or use a immersion blender for a more “rustic” look, check for seasoning, reserve and keep warm.
Place the stuffed tofu on a sheet pan and bake at 350F for 15-20 minutes.
Serve hot topped with the sauce over the fennel risotto.
This year, my vegetable garden includes several arugula plants. I’m really excited about this since I love arugula and can’t buy it locally – and even if I could, it would be very expensive. As I’m observing how the plants spike upward it’s easy to guess why arugula is also called “rocket” lettuce.
A few years ago, while visiting Umbria, I enjoyed a fantastic pasta dish topped with arugula, fava beans, and tomatoes. I haven’t been able to find fava beans in my area, so I was nearly ecstatic when I discovered packages of steamed favas in the produce section of Trader Joe’s on my way home from D.C. recently.
With favas and arugula in hand, I was able to recreate the dish I had so much enjoyed in Italy. Although Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains have replaced the Italian Apennines for ambience, this rich and flavorful meal was still delicious. Here’s the recipe:
Pasta with Arugula and Fava Beans
For this recipe, I used fusilli because I had it on hand, but any bite-size pasta shape would be good with this sauce. Instead of using the steamed fava beans from Trader Joe’s, you can prepare your own fava beans or substitute cooked chickpeas or cannellini beans for a tasty alternative. Another variation would be to use spinach, chard, or other dark green in place of the arugula.
8 ounces fusilli or other small pasta shape
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 to 4 garlic cloves, minced
6 cups coarsely chopped arugula, well washed
1 (14.5-ounce) can petite diced tomatoes, drained
1 (12-ounce) package steamed fava beans (from Trader Joes)
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water.
While the pasta water is coming to a boil. heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the arugula and cook, stirring, until wilted. Add the tomatoes, fava beans, red pepper flakes, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer to blend the flavors and heat through, 5 to 7 minutes. Reduce heat to low and keep warm.
When the pasta is cooked, drain it well. To serve, divide the pasta among shallow bowls and top each with the sauce, or transfer the pasta to a large serving bowl, add the sauce, and toss gently to combine before serving.
When I started planning this dish I had been pleased that it was heading to become so wholesome, and that I will be utilizing up elements we currently had in our kitchen, but I in no way imagined I will be blown away by it is absolute delicious taste. I mean, I knew it will be hearty and wholesome (it’s filled with super foods quinoa, nutritional yeast, and spinach) and be fresh and nutritious, but I did not anticipate to become shocked by its sheer cheezy yumminess! Actually, I had been heading to bake it in the oven, I had been envisioning a casserole, but as I had been ladling it into the casserole dish I tasted a little of it and was so pleased I did not wish to danger altering a point. So, it’s an un-casserole!
Ingredients
2 and 1/2 cups of quinoa, rinsed and cooked according to directions on package
1 yellow onion, chopped small
3 bell peppers, chopped small
3 cloves garlic, diced
2 cups chopped fresh baby spinach leaves
salt and pepper
pinch of cumpin, paprika, red pepper flake
1 can corn, drained
1 can pinto beans
-Saute in olive oil the onion, bell peppers, and garlic
-After 10 minutes or so add the spices and continue cooking for another 10 minutes until everything is tender
-Turn off the heat and wilt in the spinach
-Combine with the cooked quinoa and corn and beans
Cheeze Sauce
Ingredients
4 cloves garlic, diced
2 Tbsp vegan butter
3 Tbsp all purpose flour
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp mustard sauce
1 Tbsp soy sauce
3 cups water
pinch salt and pepper, cumin and turmeric
1 cup nutritional yeast
2 Tbsp pickled jalapenos chopped
2 Tbsp sun dried tomatoes chopped
3 Tbsp cilantro
-In a frying pan saute 4 cloves of garlic in a drizzle of olive oil until crispy
-On very low heat add 2 Tbsp vegan butter, stir slowly until completely melted
-Slowly add in the 3 Tbsp flour, stirring constantly until completely combined into a roux
-VERY SLOWLY drizzle in the 3 cups of water, stirring constantly until the mixture is completely combined and there are no clumps of flour (Seriously, go slow and never stop stirring. Your patience is the key to your cheeze sauce having a nice smooth texture, you don’t want any clumps do you?)
-Add the balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, mustard, lemon juice, and dried spices
- Add in the nutritional yeast and turn off heat, stir completely
- Add the jalapenos, sun dried tomatoes, and cilantro
Pour the cheeze mixture over the quinoa and veggies, stir it up completely, and enjoy!
Finally, a reason to wake up in the afternoon.
After much loved Vegan with a Vengeance and two delightful cookbook collaborations with Terry Hope Romero, Isa Chandra Moskowitz has done it again: amused, enlightened, and fed us with the sassy and scrumptious recipes in her second solo cookbook, Vegan Brunch: Homestyle Recipes Worth Waking Up For—from Asparagus Omelets to Pumpkin Pancakes. Actually, this time she amazed and even frightened us with this book’s comprehensiveness. What other cookbook, vegan or otherwise, includes recipes for from-scratch sausage, bagels, tofu and tempeh scramble, waffles and pancakes (even some gluten-free), breads, muffins, and essential brunch drinks, like mimosas and bloody marys?
To get intimate with our newest best friend, we tested a bunch of Vegan Brunch‘s recipes last weekend potluck-style. Laura packed Potato Spinach Squares, the Shiitake Dill Fritatta, and the fixings for Pumpkin French Toast; Cat cooked two recipes of Basic Tofu Scramble; Summer baked Cinnamon Rolls; Jason toted Bloody Moskowitz materials and Tomato Rosemary Scones on his bike; and Matt and I made Diner Home Fries, a Classic Broccoli Quiche, and Old-Fashioned Chelsea Waffles.
Let’s swiftly move on to the food.
Tomato Rosemary Scones
The savory flavors of tomato and rosemary were delicious on their own and complemented the other dishes nicely (thanks for the tip, Deb!). Our two regrets: 1. we didn’t make mushroom gravy for these, and 2. it seems like we over-mixed them; they were less scone-like and more biscuity. My first batch of Banana-Date Scones from Veganomicon turned out the same way. Lesson learned: Mixing scones to perfection is an art that we haven’t mastered. Isa, we’d appreciate it if you could spell it out for us: when do we stop mixing?
Diner Home Fries
Some of us thought these were outstanding, and others were nonplussed. (What? You want my personal opinion? Why, yes, sure. I’d make them with every brunch.)
Shiitake Dill Frittata
Yowza, that’s a lot of dill! Which we loved. We also enjoyed the frittata’s omelette-like consistency, one that was new for us in vegan recipes. We’ll definitely make this again.
Bloody Moskowitz
For a few of us this was our first bloody mary. While we were all generally pleased with the mingling of tomato, horseradish, pickle juice (yeah, really), and hot sauce, each of us had a different idea of how it could be improved to satisfy our disparate tastes. Matt put his down halfway through because it was “too much like shrimp cocktail.” Mmmmm.
Potato Spinach Squares
Is it just me, or are these the most delicious portable food I’ve ever met? Well, if you ask a few other SuperVegans, it’s just me. Mixed reactions to this recipe included “fine, but I’m not sure what niche they fill,” “surprising flavors,” and “I could eat these every day.”
Classic Broccoli Quiche
Maybe our tastebuds became lazy after effortlessly sensing the half-cup of fresh dill in the frittata and the zesty lemon in the potato squares, but we thought the quiche was blandly seasoned and we could barely taste the broccoli, onions, and garlic. Damn if the texture wasn’t perfect, though—soft, a little creamy, and it still had a satisfying bite.
In fact, the texture was so good that I made this quiche again the following day, just to see if a heavier dose of herbs and mustard would satisfy my insensitive tastebuds. And it did! Hurrah! I doubled up on mustard and added another 50 percent of the herbs, then topped the quiche with about twice as many grape tomatoes as are pictured here, on the first go-around. The mustard brought out the taste of the onions, but alas, I still couldn’t taste the broccoli.
If you use a prepared crust, which we did, this recipe is super quick and simple and allows more time for reading Bust while waiting for the quiche to bake than it requires for preparation. Once it’s cooked, it tastes splendid at any temperature, though I think it’s best enjoyed a little warm.
The Chelsea Waffles, Cinnamon Buns, Pumpkin French Toast, and Basic Scrambled Tofu garnered the same comments: perfectly solid vegan brunch staples, though perhaps not as impressive as some of the less common recipes Isa offers. Wish we’d made some bagels or sausages or a Tofu Benny, but we’ll save those for our next vegan brunch.
Vege Island