For some reason, I've just recently begun eating tempeh with any sort of frequency. Actually, today marks the first time I used it in my own kitchen. Maybe the fact that it's made of fermented soybeans used to turn me off a little, but it's definitely growing on me.
So for anyone who likes tempeh or wants to try to start (this stuff has 20 grams of protein per serving holy shit!!!) here's a tasty sandwich idea inspired by a vegan version I had at a restaurant the other week:
Easy Tempeh Reuben
2 slices rye bread
2 slices Swiss cheese
Sauerkraut
A few strips of tempeh (basically as much as you want/will fit on the bread)
Russian or Thousand Island dressing
If you have a toaster oven, it will probably make this even easier, but I don't, so I used a regular oven.
Preheat your oven to 375. In a skillet, start frying the tempeh in a tiny bit of butter or oil - keep the heat fairly low because it seems to get smokey and burn easily. Put one slice of cheese on each slice of bread, and add sauerkraut on one or both slices. Throw them in the oven so the cheese melts while you fry the tempeh until just lightly browned. When the Swiss cheese is melted and the sauerkraut is warm, add as much dressing as you want and assemble the sandwich.
Side note: If you're really into this flavor combination, another great thing to "Reuben-ize" is a veggie dog.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Navratan Korma
Yesterday afternoon I spent over an hour making an awesome Navratan Korma. I didn't measure at all so I can't post an accurate recipe, but I can give you an idea of how to attempt this in your own kitchens, should you feel so inclined to eat a lot of home made Indian food and then take a nap (trust me you will want to).
I started with this recipe, but I made a few additions and substitutions. I also used more than 3 cups of vegetables...in fact I accidentally made enough Korma to feed a small army.
"Navratan" means "9 Gems," so the idea is to use a total of 9 vegetables, nuts, and fruits. I used cauliflower, sweet potato, white potato, green beans (frozen), broccoli (frozen), carrots, red pepper, golden raisins, cashews, and paneer (ok that's not a vegetable, nut, or fruit, but it's DELICIOUS). To be honest I don't think I've even seen an Indian restaurant use 9 different ingredients, so you can use as many as you want. The last Navratan Korma I had out was loaded with lima beans, of all things.
First off, before starting the sauce, I pre-cooked the non-frozen vegetables until almost done.
Oh and a quick side note - I'd never grated an onion before, but it sucks exactly as much as I'd expected. Prepare yourself for this. Maybe wear sunglasses while you do it.
Instead of tomato sauce I used half a can of tomato paste plus a few oz. of the tomato liquid from a can of whole, peeled, unseasoned tomatoes. The main reason for this being that tomato sauce from a jar is usually way too sweet and contains herbs like basil and oregano which have no place in this dish. I'm assuming that recipe implies the use of a simple, unsweetened, plain tomato sauce....more like tomato puree.
I also added an entire small can of lite coconut milk, since I needed more liquid and didn't want to keep adding milk or cream...this dish has enough fat in it already! Which reminds me, I used half and half instead of heavy cream just to make it the slightest bit healthier.
Since I had a huge amount of veggies and added a lot of extra liquid, I needed to adjust the spice proportions to compensate. My favorite method for this is just adding a little bit of each at a time, stirring, and tasting until it's the way I want it. I didn't have cayenne pepper so I used Sriracha chili sauce (this is so awesomely versatile) adding it 1/2 tsp. at a time. I also had some cardamom and ground clove in the pantry which I added sparingly.
Since the fresh vegetables were pre-cooked, I added them, along with the frozen ones, after the finished sauce had been simmering for a few minutes. Then I continued to cook it (covered) until everything was perfectly soft.
The fried paneer cubes went in last (try not to eat them all before they make it into the sauce - this may be difficult), then I covered the skillet and simmered a few minutes longer. As long as you keep it on very low heat and covered so the liquid doesn't evaporate, it's pretty hard to over-cook the veggies. Literally 1-3 minutes before you're about to serve the korma, add a small handful of roughly chopped fresh cilantro (did you know cilantro and coriander are the same thing??? I didn't until like 2 days ago!)
Here's what the finished product looked like:
Right before the Korma finished, I decided to throw together some Raita to eat with naan bread as a side dish. Again, I didn't measure (I hardly ever do but I'm trying to start so I can post recipes here that actually make sense), but here's an outline:
Non-fat greek yogurt + a little bit of plain, unsweetened Kefir (this isn't necessary but I was running low on yogurt, plus this helped acheive the thinner consistency I was looking for)
Juice of one lemon
One large cucumber, grated
Small pinch of salt
A few shakes of paprika to taste
A few shakes of cumin to taste
7-10 fresh mint leaves, finely chopped (more or less depending what you like)
Mix everything together and let it sit in the fridge so the flavors really develop. This stuff is delicious.
I served the Korma over Jasmine rice and the Raita with Trader Joe's garlic naan.
I started with this recipe, but I made a few additions and substitutions. I also used more than 3 cups of vegetables...in fact I accidentally made enough Korma to feed a small army.
"Navratan" means "9 Gems," so the idea is to use a total of 9 vegetables, nuts, and fruits. I used cauliflower, sweet potato, white potato, green beans (frozen), broccoli (frozen), carrots, red pepper, golden raisins, cashews, and paneer (ok that's not a vegetable, nut, or fruit, but it's DELICIOUS). To be honest I don't think I've even seen an Indian restaurant use 9 different ingredients, so you can use as many as you want. The last Navratan Korma I had out was loaded with lima beans, of all things.
First off, before starting the sauce, I pre-cooked the non-frozen vegetables until almost done.
Oh and a quick side note - I'd never grated an onion before, but it sucks exactly as much as I'd expected. Prepare yourself for this. Maybe wear sunglasses while you do it.
Instead of tomato sauce I used half a can of tomato paste plus a few oz. of the tomato liquid from a can of whole, peeled, unseasoned tomatoes. The main reason for this being that tomato sauce from a jar is usually way too sweet and contains herbs like basil and oregano which have no place in this dish. I'm assuming that recipe implies the use of a simple, unsweetened, plain tomato sauce....more like tomato puree.
I also added an entire small can of lite coconut milk, since I needed more liquid and didn't want to keep adding milk or cream...this dish has enough fat in it already! Which reminds me, I used half and half instead of heavy cream just to make it the slightest bit healthier.
Since I had a huge amount of veggies and added a lot of extra liquid, I needed to adjust the spice proportions to compensate. My favorite method for this is just adding a little bit of each at a time, stirring, and tasting until it's the way I want it. I didn't have cayenne pepper so I used Sriracha chili sauce (this is so awesomely versatile) adding it 1/2 tsp. at a time. I also had some cardamom and ground clove in the pantry which I added sparingly.
Since the fresh vegetables were pre-cooked, I added them, along with the frozen ones, after the finished sauce had been simmering for a few minutes. Then I continued to cook it (covered) until everything was perfectly soft.
The fried paneer cubes went in last (try not to eat them all before they make it into the sauce - this may be difficult), then I covered the skillet and simmered a few minutes longer. As long as you keep it on very low heat and covered so the liquid doesn't evaporate, it's pretty hard to over-cook the veggies. Literally 1-3 minutes before you're about to serve the korma, add a small handful of roughly chopped fresh cilantro (did you know cilantro and coriander are the same thing??? I didn't until like 2 days ago!)
Here's what the finished product looked like:
Right before the Korma finished, I decided to throw together some Raita to eat with naan bread as a side dish. Again, I didn't measure (I hardly ever do but I'm trying to start so I can post recipes here that actually make sense), but here's an outline:
Non-fat greek yogurt + a little bit of plain, unsweetened Kefir (this isn't necessary but I was running low on yogurt, plus this helped acheive the thinner consistency I was looking for)
Juice of one lemon
One large cucumber, grated
Small pinch of salt
A few shakes of paprika to taste
A few shakes of cumin to taste
7-10 fresh mint leaves, finely chopped (more or less depending what you like)
Mix everything together and let it sit in the fridge so the flavors really develop. This stuff is delicious.
I served the Korma over Jasmine rice and the Raita with Trader Joe's garlic naan.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Sweet and Sour Tofu and Veggies
Here's a recipe I came up with after being disappointed by most of the others I found online. Cross-posted to my mom's blog.
It requires some multi-tasking, but I promise it's worth it.
Sweet & Sour Tofu and Vegetable Stir Fry
1 container of extra firm tofu
A large bowl full of cornstarch
2 red, orange, or yellow peppers
1 medium onion
2 carrots, sliced diagonally into bite-sized pieces
1/2 - 1 cup pineapple chunks (canned or fresh)
About 7-8 tbs. vegetable oil
Onions and peppers are great stirfry staples, but feel free to add chopped celery, broccoli florets, edamame, water chestnuts, snap peas, or bamboo. The above recipe only covers what we had in the fridge last night.
Sauce:
About 6 tbs. soy sauce
2 tsp. ketchup
2 tbs. + 1 tsp. maple syrup
2-3 tsp. Sriracha chili sauce (depending how much spice you like)
1 tbs. Mirin (Japanese rice wine)
3-4 cloves garlic, finely minced
1-2 tsp. ginger, finely minced
2 tbs. olive oil or canola oil
About 10 tbs. water
1 tsp. sesame oil
1 heaping tsp. cornstarch dissolved into about 4 tbs. water
It is important to remove most of the liquid from the tofu by pressing it before frying. To do this, drain the tofu and sandwich the entire block between 2 clean tea towels or a bunch of folded up paper towels. Put it on a cutting board with a few heavy books on top - dictionaries usually do the trick. Make sure the weight is evenly distributed and that the books are stable. Wait 15-30 minutes for most of the moisture to be pressed out.
Once pressed, cut the tofu block into small cubes. Toss the cubes in the bowl full of cornstarch - even after pressing, they will be damp enough to coat easily. I like to coat the cubes in small batches, then place them on an empty plate to avoid a big powdery mess. Set this aside while you start preparing the sauce.
In a saucepan, heat the oil and add the minced garlic and ginger. Keep the heat very low to start. Add the soy sauce, water, syrup, ketchup, mirin, sesame oil, and Sriracha. Stir well with the heat on medium-low. Taste the sauce and make adjustments if you'd like, adding more syrup, soy sauce, or water if necessary. If you have any juice left over from the pineapple chunks, this can be a great sweetener. Once the flavor is to your liking, add in the cornstarch-water mixture and stir well. This will thicken the sauce so it sticks to the tofu/veggies. Turn up the heat a bit to aid thickening, then reduce the heat to a very low simmer to keep it warm.
In a medium skillet, heat 2-3 tbs. of oil and add the vegetables in order of hardness, or how long they will take to cook. In this case, the carrots should go in first. After 1-2 minutes, when they have just begun to soften, add the peppers. After 1-2 minutes, add the onions. Add the pineapple last. Remember to stir often.
While the veggies cook, heat the remaining 5-6 tbs. oil in a larger skillet over medium heat. The oil should coat the entire bottom of the pan, so add more if you need it. Add the cornstarch-coated tofu cubes - careful not to splash the hot oil onto yourself. Make sure the cubes don't stick together. Don't forget to keep an eye on the vegetables to make sure they don't get too soft.
When the veggies are cooked through, add a few spoonfuls of the sweet and sour sauce and toss to coat. Turn the heat way down so the veggies stay warm but don't get mushy.
Let the bottoms of the cubes brown ever so slightly, then flip each of them over using kitchen tongs. You may want to turn them a few times to make sure they get crispy on all sides. Shake the skillet to make sure they are not sticking to the bottom or to each other. When the tofu cubes are lightly browned, transfer them from the oil onto a plate lined with paper towels. Let some of the oil drain, then add the tofu to the skillet with the vegetables. Pour the rest of the sauce on top and toss to coat using kitchen tongs.
This stirfry is best served over brown rice, or even rice noodles. I use frozen bags of brown rice from Trader Joe's - they cook in about 3 minutes.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
"Eggy Sandwich"
Recently my friend was telling me about the "Eggy Sandwich" she used to make every morning in college - because apparently her dining hall actually let students use something other than those 2-minute waffle irons. It seemed like an extended version of "Egg in a Frame," which I'd been making ever since I saw the recipe in a cookbook I had as a kid (it was illustrated by Richard Scary, of all people.) And it seemed delicious, save for the use of actual bacon. I haven't had eggs in a while, but my mom had some in the fridge, so here's a veggie version of the "Eggy Sandwich" that I assembled this morning:
3 pieces of whatever kind of bread you want, I used potato because it was laying around
1 egg
1 slice cheese (I used cheddar)
A few strips fake bacon, today I used Smart brand. Each strip only has 20 calories so use as many as you want, I used 4
Butter or Earth Balance to coat pan
Pinch of salt
Ketchup if you like it
Using a knife, carefully cut the center out of one of the bread slices, making sure you leave enough of a border to keep it from tearing. Put the two other bread slices in a toaster (don't turn it on yet). Heat the butter in a pan and add the bread "frame." Crack the egg into the empty middle, making sure you keep it contained. Sprinkle a little salt on the egg for flavor.
In a different pan, start preparing the bacon strips according to box directions. Also turn on the toaster at this point - set it for medium. If you time it right, everything will be done when the egg is.
When the bottom of the framed egg is cooked through (and before the bread is burnt) flip it over. Put the cheese slice on the upright side. If you want the egg cooked through completely, wait about 15 seconds before putting on the cheese, otherwise just lay it on right away. Cover the pan with a lid so the cheese will melt. Keep checking it, as this will happen quickly (probably less than 70 seconds).
Once again, a bad cell phone picture (it's the only camera I had today) but you get the idea!
Friday, April 23, 2010
Sprig & Vine Restaurant Review
My mom took me to lunch here today. There's a review on her blog, but I wrote it, so I'm cross-posting it here. Check it out.
Not bad at all, they just need to work on their use of bay leaves and oregano. And, of course, it's no match for Blue Sage.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Chickpea Salad (because tuna really sucks)
Chickpeas are one of the most awesome foods, and way more versatile than they seem. Here's a recipe for chickpea salad based on one I randomly found on the internet about 7 years ago and have been making ever since. This is a great sandwich option for people who don't eat or just don't like tuna salad. (Tuna contains mercury, smells disgusting, and catching it really disturbs the ocean's ecosystem. Therefore it sucks). For lunch today, I made it into a chickpea-salad melt with cheddar, but it's great served cold as well. Also, although I didn't use any in this recipe, some fresh dill or parsley would be a nice addition.
Stupidly Easy Chickpea Salad
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 heaping tbs. lite mayonnaise or vegannaise
1/2 medium onion or 1/4 large onion finely diced
1-2 carrots, chopped (cut them into rounds, then roughly chop the rounds even smaller)
1-2 stalks celery, chopped
About 6-7 chives, sliced into thin little rings
Onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and ground pepper to taste
Instead of chopping up those veggies, you can use some Mirepoix (pre-diced onions, carrots, and celery) from Trader Joe's. That stuff is awesome. Unfortunately I didn't have any today.
Empty the rinsed chickpeas into a medium sized bowl and smash them with a potato masher. If you don't have one, you can use a fork but it might take forever. When most of the chickpeas are smooshed, add a big pinch of salt and some ground pepper. Add the mayo and mix everything really well with a fork - you can ditch the potato masher now. Add the onion and garlic powder - starting with a few shakes and tasting to see if you want more. Mix it up and then add the veggies and chives and you're done!
This is best served on toast with melted real or soy cheese and some mustard and relish.
Please enjoy this crappy cell phone picture
Stupidly Easy Chickpea Salad
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 heaping tbs. lite mayonnaise or vegannaise
1/2 medium onion or 1/4 large onion finely diced
1-2 carrots, chopped (cut them into rounds, then roughly chop the rounds even smaller)
1-2 stalks celery, chopped
About 6-7 chives, sliced into thin little rings
Onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and ground pepper to taste
Instead of chopping up those veggies, you can use some Mirepoix (pre-diced onions, carrots, and celery) from Trader Joe's. That stuff is awesome. Unfortunately I didn't have any today.
Empty the rinsed chickpeas into a medium sized bowl and smash them with a potato masher. If you don't have one, you can use a fork but it might take forever. When most of the chickpeas are smooshed, add a big pinch of salt and some ground pepper. Add the mayo and mix everything really well with a fork - you can ditch the potato masher now. Add the onion and garlic powder - starting with a few shakes and tasting to see if you want more. Mix it up and then add the veggies and chives and you're done!
This is best served on toast with melted real or soy cheese and some mustard and relish.
Please enjoy this crappy cell phone picture
Screw McDonald's - The CFC Sandwich
Not all vegetarians do it for health reasons, and though I try to eat well most of the time (and I promise most of the recipes I post will be pretty good for you), I love making veggie versions of the junk and comfort food generally reserved for carnivores. Recipes like this may not be the healthiest vegetarian options, but imagine how many calories you save by using fake bacon over the real thing.
Here's something I made for dinner that I've decided to call a CFC Sandwich - that stands for Chik'n, Fake-Bacon, and Cheese. I know it needs a better name. Pretty self-explanatory, but maybe some of you haven't thought to put these particular ingredients together on a bun before - I only did for the first time today. The best part is the "special sauce" I basically pulled out of my ass. I thought it was decent, but my mom acted like it was the greatest condiment she'd ever tasted! I guess you can be the judge.
CFC Sandwich with Apparently Awesome Sauce
1 hamburger bun (I used a potato bun because I'm from Pennsylvania and we tend love them over here)
1 Quorn breaded "chicken" patty OR a vegan alternative since Quorn contains egg white
1 slice Cheddar, American, or Swiss cheese (soy cheese is fine of course)
2 strips fake bacon - Smart Food is the most delicious but I only had Morning Star in the freezer today
For the sauce, I didn't measure the ingredients, but I'll try to give an idea of how much of each to use. It's really a matter of taste, so as long as you mix these things together in some ratio it should taste good.
2-3 spoonfuls lite mayonnaise or vegannaise
2 squirts ketchup
2-3 squirts mustard
1 spoonful sweet relish
1/4 spoonful of Sriracha chili sauce (if you want some spice)
A few shakes paprika
A few shakes turmeric
Ground pepper
Yeah I really just mixed ketchup, mustard, relish, and mayo with some spices. If you don't like one of those condiments you could probably omit it and the sauce would still be fine.
Toss the patty into a 425 degree oven and set a timer for 18 minutes. When there are around 7 minutes remaining, put the fake-bacon strips in a pan and prepare according to box directions, but don't let them get TOO crispy. When there are about 3 minutes remaining on the patty, put the cheese slice on top of it so it can melt. You can also put the bun in the oven (ha ha) to get it toasted. When it's done, assemble the sandwich and devour!
Here's something I made for dinner that I've decided to call a CFC Sandwich - that stands for Chik'n, Fake-Bacon, and Cheese. I know it needs a better name. Pretty self-explanatory, but maybe some of you haven't thought to put these particular ingredients together on a bun before - I only did for the first time today. The best part is the "special sauce" I basically pulled out of my ass. I thought it was decent, but my mom acted like it was the greatest condiment she'd ever tasted! I guess you can be the judge.
CFC Sandwich with Apparently Awesome Sauce
1 hamburger bun (I used a potato bun because I'm from Pennsylvania and we tend love them over here)
1 Quorn breaded "chicken" patty OR a vegan alternative since Quorn contains egg white
1 slice Cheddar, American, or Swiss cheese (soy cheese is fine of course)
2 strips fake bacon - Smart Food is the most delicious but I only had Morning Star in the freezer today
For the sauce, I didn't measure the ingredients, but I'll try to give an idea of how much of each to use. It's really a matter of taste, so as long as you mix these things together in some ratio it should taste good.
2-3 spoonfuls lite mayonnaise or vegannaise
2 squirts ketchup
2-3 squirts mustard
1 spoonful sweet relish
1/4 spoonful of Sriracha chili sauce (if you want some spice)
A few shakes paprika
A few shakes turmeric
Ground pepper
Yeah I really just mixed ketchup, mustard, relish, and mayo with some spices. If you don't like one of those condiments you could probably omit it and the sauce would still be fine.
Toss the patty into a 425 degree oven and set a timer for 18 minutes. When there are around 7 minutes remaining, put the fake-bacon strips in a pan and prepare according to box directions, but don't let them get TOO crispy. When there are about 3 minutes remaining on the patty, put the cheese slice on top of it so it can melt. You can also put the bun in the oven (ha ha) to get it toasted. When it's done, assemble the sandwich and devour!
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