Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Spaghetti and Chik'n with Mushroom Marsala

Marsala is one of my favorite sauces of all time, and while it's traditionally served with chicken (or even worse, veal), I think it's perfectly delicious over a Quorn or Gardein cutlet and some pasta. The following recipe is for approximately one serving, so you can double or triple it accordingly. The measurements are not 100% exact, as this is really about taste and not precision. If you like more wine or less salt or whatever, feel free to experiment.

About 2 tbs. butter (plus 1-2 more to make a beurre manie if you need it)
About 2 tbs. flour (plus 1-2 more, see above)
3-4 tbs. olive oil, divided (1 for the mushrooms and 2-3 for the cutlet)
1/4 cup Marsala wine (substitute Port if you need to, it'll turn out ok)
1/2 cup vegetable broth or Imagine brand "No-Chicken" broth
Salt and pepper to taste
1-2 handfuls sliced baby portabello or white mushrooms
1 shallot or 1/2 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Quorn "Naked" or Gardein cutlet, defrosted
1 egg, beaten
1 plate piled with flour (for coating the cutlet)
1 serving of cooked spaghetti or linguine

In a skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat and saute the onion/shallot, mushrooms, and garlic until just softened. While that cooks, I like to begin the sauce.

In a saucepan, start making a roux by whisking the butter and flour together over medium-low heat. When it begins to brown, whisk in the broth and the wine...don't let the roux get too dark or burnt, but let it turn a nice golden color before adding the liquid. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Let the sauce simmer on low heat for a minute or two so the alcohol cooks off, then add more wine if you want a stronger Marsala flavor, or more broth if you think it's too overpowering already. Add the softened mushrooms and onions. If the sauce needs thickening, make a beurre manie by smashing together equal parts softened butter and flour (in this case start with 1 tbs. of each) and stirring it in. Let it simmer on low for a few minutes and it should thicken up nicely.

Using the same pan you used for the mushrooms in, heat 2-3 tbs. olive oil. Dip the defrosted cutlet in beaten egg, then roll it in flour. I like to repeat this step for an extra crispy crust but it's up to you. Fry the battered cutlet on both sides until evenly browned.

Serve sauce and cutlet over pasta. Add a side of asparagus or some other vegetable to complete the meal. Voila!

Sorry I didn't take this photo until I'd eaten half of the Quorn!

Monday, June 14, 2010

Trying out Tempeh - Tempeh and Vegetable Stir Fry with Mango

I almost always use tofu when I make a stirfry, but for lunch today I decided to switch it up and try tempeh. Well, honestly, we didn't have any tofu but we did have three packages of tempeh sitting in the fridge waiting to be eaten, and I've been meaning to figure out what to do with it since I'm still very much a tempeh newbie. I was pleased with the results, as tempeh acquires a nice smokey flavor when you saute it, which adds an interesting dimension to this sweet and sour dish that tofu wouldn't have.

Mango Tempeh Stir Fry with Vegetables

1 8oz package tempeh, cut into cubes
1 small onion, sliced
2 carrots, peeled and chopped into diagonal rounds
1 small mango, peeled and chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 red or orange pepper, sliced
Pinch of salt
1-2 tbs. olive oil for sauteing

Sauce:

About 6 tbs. soy sauce
2 tsp. ketchup
2 tbs. + 1 tsp. maple syrup or brown sugar
2-3 tsp. Sriracha chili sauce (depending how much spice you like)
1 tbs. Mirin (Japanese rice wine)
3  cloves garlic, finely minced
1-2 tsp. ginger, finely minced
2 tbs. olive oil or canola oil
About 10 tbs. water
1 -2 tbs. Blue Dragon chili mango dipping sauce (optional, but ads a great  flavor to compliment the fruit in the stir-fry. If you don't have any, adding a few tbs. of mango juice or any sort of sweet chili sauce would work)
1 heaping tsp. cornstarch dissolved into about 3 tbs. water
 
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, mango chili sauce, 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. Once the flavor is to your liking, add in the cornstarch-water mixture and stir well. Turn up the heat a bit to aid thickening, then reduce the heat to a very low simmer to keep it warm.

In a skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add the carrots and peppers first, letting them cook for at least half a minute before adding the onions. When the onions begin to soften, add the tempeh cubes. Cook until tempeh begins to brown, then add the mango. Saute for 1-2 more minutes, then turn off the heat and the sauce into the skillet. Toss to coat, then serve mixture over warm brown rice. 


Here's a lame cell phone picture I took right before devouring this!


Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Best Sandwich Ever

Though I can't take credit for the idea, this is totally the most delicious vegetarian sandwich combination you'll ever have. I used to get it at a sandwich shop called Darwin's in Cambridge, Mass, but when I got sick of paying $8 for one portion, I decided to buy all the ingredients so I could re-create it at home. The only difference is the original sandwich incorporates huge, thin slices of carrot. If you can find a giant carrot somewhere and slice or peel it diagonally, definitely do it. I just leave it out because there's a lot going on here already.

The At-Home "Hubbard Park"

Sliced crusty bread (ciabatta, sourdough, French, or pretty much anything other than traditional sliced sandwich bread will do)
Honey Dijon mustard, preferably a little spicy*
Thinly sliced tomato
Thinly sliced green apple
Sprouts of your choice (alfalfa, clover, or pretty much any kind will do. I actually used pea shoots tonight because it's all I had on hand)
Plain hummus**
Thinly sliced cheddar cheese (optional, if you want a vegan version)
Sliced avocado (make sure it's ripe or it's just going to suck!)

* I didn't have an adequately flavored mustard in the fridge, so I mixed Dijon mustard, honey mustard, and a little horseradish mustard to acheive the right sweet and spicy ratio.
** I made my own hummus by blending a can of chickpeas, the juice of one lemon, 3 cloves of garlic, a liberal drizzle of olive oil, salt, and pepper in a food processor until smooth.
















Spread hummus on one slice of bread and honey mustard on the other. Layer all the other ingredients in between in whatever way you want, but it helps to smash the avocado into the bread a little bit first so the rest of the veggies/fruit will stick to it.


















This can be kind of hard to eat with all the ingredients trying to slip out as you bite into it, but believe me you'll want to get this sandwich into your face at any cost!

Less Meat = Stronger Bones, For Your Health!

Sorry this entry doesn't contain any recipes, but I wanted to share some information I learned, just in the interest of encouraging people to eat more vegetarian and vegan meals.

Bones are made from the stuff that your muscles don't like - the junk that your muscles throw out!

Here's an interesting article about diet and bone health. In case you don't want to read it (I don't blame you, it's pretty long) it basically says that calcium isn't as big of a deal as the meat and dairy industries want you to think it is. Not that it isn't helpful, but fruits and vegetables are much more beneficial when it comes to maintaining bone density. In fact, countries where people eat less meat/dairy and do not take calcium supplements have much lower rates of bone fracture than we do in the US.

While animal protein and dairy contain calcium, these foods also make your blood more acidic. In an attempt to balance your blood's PH level, your body leeches the alkaline it needs (in the form of calcium) from your bones to neutralize the acid. So, basically, "it's like taking one step forward and two steps back." Eating fruits and vegetables is an effective way to balance your blood's PH level, but if you eat animal protein, you need around five servings per day to maintain ideal blood alkalinity. If you take most or all of the meat/dairy out of the equation, every serving of fruit or veggies you eat goes towards enhancing your bone density (and your overall health), instead of first counter-acting the negative effects of meat.

Unfortunately, grains also lower your blood's PH - but at least it's to a lesser extent. Two servings of fruit/veggies can neutralize one serving of grains, whereas it takes three to neutralize one serving of animal protein.

The moral of the story is, our bodies will probably fall apart no matter what, but by cutting back on meat, fish, and dairy (or cutting it out completely), you might be less likely to need a titanium hip some day...or one of these.