Tofu, Basmati Rice and Veggies

Quick shout out to my sister and mom for finding me some fabulous new kitchen items for you to look at. I think both items pictured are from Anthropologie. That store always has fun stuff. I particularly love my new grey and yellow bowl and blue dish cloth. I love the bowl so much that I decided to fill it with more good stuff: tofu, basmati rice, caramelized onion, carrots and corn.

Ingredients:

• 1 white onion, sliced into thin rings
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp Earth Balance or other butter substitute
• 1 garlic clove
• 1/2 cup uncooked basmati rice
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 block of tofu (roughly 12 ounces), drained and cut into 1″ x 1″ cubes
• 1/8 cup of whole wheat flour or whole wheat bread crumbs
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 10 baby carrots, rinsed and chopped
• 1/2 cup of corn kernels

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place onion ring slices on a roasting pan and drizzle with olive oil. Place in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes stirring frequently until slightly burnt and caramelized.

2. Melt Earth Balance or butter substitute in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic clove and saute for 1 minute. Add rice, water, and salt. Bring all ingredients to a boil. Reduce heat and cover. Allow rice to simmer for roughly 20 minutes until tender and all liquid is absorbed.

3. Drain tofu on paper towels to remove most of the excess water. Cut the tofu into 1″ x1″ cubes.

4. Mix the flour or bread crumbs together with the black pepper in a small bowl. Dip each tofu cube into the flour or bread crumb mixture to form a lightly breaded crust around each piece.

5. Using a large skillet sprayed with a coat of non-stick cooking spray, cook the breaded tofu pieces until they are golden brown on each side. Add the carrots and corn to the skillet toward the end and cook for 5 minutes until heated through. Add the basmati rice and caramelized onion to the skillet and serve warm.

Yields 3-4 servings

Adapted from: www.myrecipes.com

Virtual Vegan Potluck: Hummus Pizza

Sidenote: I was supposed to fly out to New York City today to visit a couple of my friends. Unfortunately, I had to reschedule my trip due to unforeseen weather complications. Perhaps you’ve seen the weather reports. Honestly, how should I have known that a hurricane would strike Manhattan shortly before my November trip? I decided to make this pizza long before the hurricane appeared on weather radars but I like to think that a pizza dish is very fitting for New York. Of course, the weather affected many locations and I hope everyone reading today is safe and unharmed. Now, on to the main course…

It’s every vegan’s fear. You are hanging out with your non-vegan friends and someone suggests you all order pizza. Doesn’t everyone know that there is no mainstream pizza that vegans can eat? Your friends try to order cheese pizza for you and you politely pick off the cheese and lick the tomato sauce off the crust. Mmm… dinner of champions.

I’ve found hummus to be the “cheese” of my vegan life. It’s my replacement for cheese on sandwiches, chips, and, yes, now pizza. The concept of vegan pizza seemed like a loss to me until I discovered a delicious hummus pizza dish from a local restaurant named Thr3e Wise Men (ask for it without the feta!). The concept of using hummus on pizza is brilliant. Too often, veganized dishes overuse fake vegan products as substitutes. The dishes end up tasting… fake. I love using something completely different instead of trying to replace cheese. Allow me to profess my love for hummus in the form of one fabulous pizza.

Ingredients:

• 1 package (roughly 14 ounces) of store-bought vegan pizza crust or your own favorite homemade pizza dough
• 1 cup roasted red pepper hummus (homemade or store-bought)
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 large red onion, chopped
• 1 portobello mushroom cap, stem and gills removed
• 1/2 large zucchini
• 1/2 red pepper
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 5 roma tomatoes, sliced thin
• 4-5 large basil leaves, chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees and spray a 14-inch round pizza pan with cooking spray.

2. Roll out pizza dough on your pizza pan. When oven has heated up, bake the pizza dough for 8-10 minutes.

3. Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in a skillet and add minced garlic and red onion. Cook until onion is translucent and fragrant.

4. Cut up mushroom, zucchini and red pepper into thin slices and place into a collander. Toss with salt, pepper and 1/2 Tbsp olive oil.

5. Add mushroom, zucchini and red pepper to the skillet and cook for 5-7 minutes.

6. Remove the pizza from the oven and brush crust with 1/2 Tbsp olive oil. Spread onto the pizza crust an even, thin layer of hummus. Add the toppings: garlic, red onion, mushroom, zucchini, red pepper, tomatoes, and basil.

7. Bake pizza for 10-12 minutes until crust is golden brown.

8. Slice and enjoy!

This meal is part of the fabulous Virtual Vegan Potluck created by Annie and hosted at Vegan Bloggers Unite. Continue your journey or go back to the previous post using the links below. Bon Appétit!

Vegan Potluck: Bruschetta

I attended a vegan potluck last week for the movie Peaceable Kingdom. Going to a potluck where I know I can eat everything served is always amazing so I try not to pass these events up. However, trying to figure out what to bring is always another matter. Normally when I cook vegan food for other people, those “other people” are omnivores. So, I know that if I forget to drain the tofu before cooking it, no one will even notice. But when you’re cooking tofu for other vegans, it’s like, “dammit, now I have to rinse it, drain it, marinate it, bread it, season it, braise it, and poach it.” And somehow make it taste delicious.

So I made bruschetta instead of tofu. Attendees are encouraged to bring a list of ingredients because vegans love reading ingredient lists even if it’s just a bottle of water. You never know when Aquafina might add chicken stock to their purified drinking water. I normally don’t even read the ingredient lists that others include with their dishes. As long as it’s vegan, who cares what’s in it? Gluten-free people care. But I’m not quite one of them.

P.S. The movie Peaceable Kingdom was good. On a scale of graphic imagery from zero graphic images to Earthlings, it was right in the middle. A few bits were difficult to watch but overall I enjoyed the stories from the movie. We had a great discussion after the movie that lasted almost an hour. There were 15-20 vegetarians who stayed till 10:30 on a Friday night talking as a group about everything from abused elephants in the circus to Whole Foods’ meat section. Nerdy, yes, but this is what life after college is like, I guess.

Ingredients:

• 1 loaf vegan French bread
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp garlic seasoning
• 15 grape tomatoes
• 1/2 Tbsp balsamic
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1/4 tsp salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Slice French bread 1/ 2 inch thick and brush with olive oil. Sprinkle on garlic seasoning.

3. Toast bread in oven 5-10 minutes at 350 degrees.

4. Combine remaining ingredients in a bowl.

5. Remove toasted bread from oven and spoon tomato mixture on to each slice.

Zucchini Boats

I love using food to display food. Therefore, I love zucchini boats. No need to get dishes out. Once these cool off, you can shovel them right in. Exactly my kind of food. You could really fill these “boats” with anything but I used a tomato and couscous mixture. The addition of a grain in the filling helps add nutritional variety so that I’m not simply scarfing down vegetables. Yes, it’s possible to scarf down vegetables. If you spend enough time around vegans and vegetarians you will witness the ability to devour broccoli like it’s a chocolate raspberry cupcake covered with brownie bits and drizzled with caramel. Yes, broccoli. It’s what’s for dinner and dessert.

Ingredients:

• 2 medium-sized zucchini
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup diced red onion
• 1/4 cup finely chopped tomatoes
• 1/4 cup finely chopped carrots
• 1/3 cup whole wheat couscous (prepared according to package)
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

2. Cut each zucchini in half lengthwise and trim off the stem.

3. Scrape out the insides of the zucchini using a melon baller or a teaspoon. Set the insides aside. On the opposite side of the zucchini half, slice a little skin off lengthwise so that your boat is less likely to tip over. We don’t want any passengers couscous to end up in the Atlantic pan filled with water.

4. Heat the oil over medium high heat and add the garlic and onion. Saute for 5 minutes.

5. Add the chopped tomatoes, carrots and zucchini insides and cook another 5 minutes.

6. Add the prepared couscous to the sauteed mixture and season with salt and pepper.

7. Allow the mixture to cool for 5-10 minutes.

8. Fill each hollowed out zucchini half with 1/4 of the sauteed mixture.

9. Place the zucchini halves in a shallow pan filled with 1/4 inch water.

10. Bake in the oven for 40 minutes.

Yields 4 servings

Adapted from: Annies-Eats

Seitan and Sun Dried Tomato Couscous

I tried couscous for the first time when I was in the fifth grade. I didn’t eat it again until tonight. Obviously I was scarred for life (or, like, 15 years) after trying it originally. I can’t remember how it was prepared or seasoned but it tasted exactly like airplane food. I finally decided to give it another try and I’m so glad I did. This dish tasted nothing like airplane food. Even better, it is absolutely packed with protein and so quick to make.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup couscous, dry
• 1/2 cup Italian seasoned seitan (I used Upton’s Naturals Italian Seitan)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/8 cup pine nuts
• 1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes (in oil)
• 1 roma tomato, diced
• 1/4 of a lemon, juiced
• Dash of salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Prepare the couscous and the seitan according to the respective packages.

2. Heat the garlic and oil in a medium saucepan until fragrant. Add the pine nuts, sun dried tomatoes, and a little of the flavorful oil from the jar (roughly 1 Tbsp or to taste). Cook on low heat until the sun dried tomatoes are cooked through and the pine nuts are lightly toasted.

3. Mix the couscous and seitan in with the garlic and sun dried tomatoes. Top with fresh roma tomato, lemon, salt and pepper. Remove from heat and serve. May also be served chilled.

Yields: two servings

Falafel with Tahini Sauce

It’s official. I’m never eating falafel from a box or a restaurant ever again. This recipe yields the freshest and tastiest falafel I’ve had. And I’ve had a lot of falafels in my day. I like to think of a falafel ball as a more flavorful chicken nugget. Of course, it doesn’t have the fleshy interior of chicken (yay) but the seasoned and fried deliciousness reminds me of a nugget. A much, much better nugget.

Ingredients:

• Vegetable oil for frying
• 1 can chickpeas, drained
• 1/2 onion
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp coriander
• 1/2 tsp salt
• dash pepper
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour

Directions:

1. Pour the vegetable oil into a small saucepan until it is about 1 inch deep. Heat the oil over medium heat.

2. Rinse the chickpeas in a strainer and place in a food processor with chopped onion, parsley, garlic and olive oil. Process until smooth.

3. Add the mixture to a bowl and mix in the cumin, coriander, salt, pepper, lemon juice, baking powder and flour. Combine ingredients thoroughly in the bowl. Form the mixture into small round balls about 1 inch wide.

4. Drop a small amount of the falafel batter into the oil. If it quickly starts to bubble and sizzle then the oil is hot enough for frying. Slowly add the falafel balls to the oil and fry a couple at a time until they are tan in color. Set the fried falafel balls on a paper towel to dry.

5. Add the falafel to pita bread and top with tahini sauce (mix together 1 Tbsp tahini, 1 Tbsp water, 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice, dash of salt and pepper).

Yields 12 falafel balls

Adapted from: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/seans-falafel-and-cucumber-sauce/

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Red Pepper Hummus

Tofu Steaks with Lemon Zucchini Curry

Apparently I’m going through a curry phase. Half of a zucchini has been sitting in my fridge the past few days and I finally figured out a way to use it up. I always have carrots, onion, tofu, garlic and lemon on hand so the rest was easy. I have been wanting to make tofu steaks for quite some time but I’m never patient enough to let them marinate. So this time I made them without marinating at all and they turned out delicious. I simply added some of the cooking juices from the curry to the skillet containing the tofu. I’ll certainly be making more curry again soon!

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 1/2 onion diced
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1/2 Tbsp coriander
• 1/2 Tbsp cumin
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp curry powder
• 1/2 block extra firm tofu
• 1/2 zucchini, chopped
• 1 cup carrots, chopped
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 lemon, juiced

Directions:

1. Heat oil over medium heat in a skillet. Add onion and saute for 5 minutes.

2. Add garlic, coriander, cumin, cinnamon, turmeric, paprika and curry powder. Cook an additional 5 minutes.

3. Add zucchini, carrots and water to the pan. Simmer 10 minutes.

4. Cut the tofu into two thin steaks. Drain and press the water out of the tofu. Lightly spray a large skillet with cooking oil. Cook and flip the tofu like pancakes until lightly browned. Use a spatula covered in the cooking juices from the zucchini mixture to infuse the flavoring.

5. Sprinkle salt and lemon over both the tofu steaks and the curry.

6. Set the tofu on a small dish and cover with the zucchini curry.

Leftovers for tomorrow!

Tofu Chana Masala

Cooking any curry dish always makes a little nervous. It’s the smell. The food always smells delicious but the next morning when your kitchen still smells like dinner… that’s what unsettles me. To battle any unwanted smells, I always make curry on a day when I can have the windows open. Today is a great day for that. It’s also particularly windy today so I’ve set up a few candles in front of the breeze. I put away leftovers and dishes and wiped everything down right after finishing cooking and eating. I just cooked this delicious curry dish for dinner and now my entire apartment smells like vanilla candles and fresh air. Mission accomplished.

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 onion minced
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 1 tsp ginger
• 1/2 Tbsp coriander
• 1/2 Tbsp cumin
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 block extra firm tofu
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 can chickpeas
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 lemon juiced

Directions:

1. Heat oil over medium heat in a skillet. Add onion and saute for 5 minutes.

2. Add garlic, ginger, coriander, cumin, cinnamon, turmeric, and cayenne pepper. Cook an additional 5 minutes.

3. Drain and press the water out of the tofu. Slice it into small cubes. Stir fry the tofu in a separate skillet until lightly browned.

4. Add cooked tofu, tomatoes, chickpeas and water to the pan. Simmer 10 minutes.

5. Stir in salt and lemon. Remove from heat and let sit for 10 minutes before devouring.

Creamy Red Pepper Hummus

When my friend Lauren and I lived together last year, we dedicated our lives to perfecting hummus. And to work, and friends, and stuff, but mainly hummus. We ate it often and eventually decided to start making it at home. It was a fabulous idea. We could make it taste better at a cheaper cost and without wasteful packaging. Win. Win. Win. With just a food processor and ingredients that we typically had on hand anyway (had to purchase the tahini!), we were able to make hummus whenever we ran out. And we ran out often. After each delicious batch we licked our fingers clean. Meanwhile our other roommates (the two who never helped with rent) licked each others’ ears. To each their own.

Ingredients:

• 1 can chickpeas
• 1/3 c tahini
• 1/4 c lemon juice
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 red pepper
• 1 tsp parsley
• paprika for garnish

Directions:

1. Drain and rinse the chickpeas.

2. Add the chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, salt, garlic, oil, and pepper to a food processor. Process until smooth.

3. Garnish with chopped parsley and a sprinkle of paprika.

Tofu Lettuce Wraps

I went to Bloomington last weekend for Easter and made lettuce wraps with my mom.  Eating Chinese food and celebrating Easter just seems to go hand in hand for most people, right? They tasted delicious and turned out very close to PF Chang’s lettuce wraps. I have since found a couple other recipes for the wraps that are supposedly exactly like the real thing. However, this is super easy to make and it fixes the cravings.

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp oil
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1/2 Tbsp ginger
• 1/2 block of tofu, cut into small cubes
• 2 cups mirepoix-style veggie mix (diced carrots, white onion, celery)
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions
• 1 cup chopped water chestnuts
• 3 Tbsp teriyaki sauce (Trader Joe’s Island Soyaki sauce is highly recommended)
• 1 tsp veggie bouillon
• 3 heads Boston lettuce
• 1 lime for garnish

Directions:

1. Heat oil in pan over high heat.

2. Combine garlic, tofu, mirepoix mix, green onions, garlic, and water chestnuts in the pan. Cook about 5-7 minutes.

3. Add the teriyaki sauce and veggie bouillon.

4. Separate the leaves of the Boston lettuce.

5. Fill each leaf with the mixture.

Serves 3