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Southwestern Pasta

southwest pasta

I made this up today and it came out pretty well.

I started with some olive oil in a pan, and heated some spices in it: smoked paprika, chili powder, and cumin, all in generous amounts. When they became bubbly and fragrant, I added 1 can of mostly drained black beans, a heaping teaspoon of tomato paste, a splash of soy sauce, some frozen corn, and some mushroom stock powder.

All the while I was cooking pasta, and when it was done, I mixed it all together, and served it with some steamed totsoi and fresh shredded carrot. It was tasty enough that I think I’d make it again.

Add comment December 2nd, 2006

Whirling Dirvish

whirling dirvish

Stewart didn’t really like salads. I decided that was because a lot of salads are boring. Who likes boring? I decided I’d make a salad no Stewart could resist. The Whirling Dervish was born one afternoon while I was watching a documentary on PBS. (It was about Whirling Dervishes. Could you guess?)

Romain Lettuce
Cucumbers
Carrots
Toasted Almonds
Baked Tofu
Creamy Maple Sesame Dressing

Here’s my salad dressing recipe, good for any salad, be they dervishes or not:

In a small bowl, whisk:

1 1/2 Tbs Nayonaise
1 3/4 tsp Balsamic Vinegar
2 tsp Toasted Sesame Oil
1 1/5 tsp Dijon Mustard
1 1/2 Tbs Maple Syrup
1/4 tsp Salt
Fresh Pepper

Taste and adjust if needed. Slowly drizzle 1/4 (or so) of canola or other mild oil into the bowl while whisking vigorously to emulsify. Oil should blend completely into the dressing and it should thicken.

That’s it!

Add comment December 2nd, 2006

Vegan Brunch, Chez Moi

Brunch Spread

Last weekend we invited a few friends over and had a delicious vegan brunch. I planned ahead for the first time in my life, and oh man did it pay off big time.

The night before, I made all the waffles and refrigerated them, following a tip in Vegan with a Vengeance. The following morning, all I had to do was set up a waffle station:

That’s Raisin-Oat-Banana in front and Lemon-Corn in the back. They were both good, but the Lemon-Corn was the clear favorite.

I had a little bit of everything:

Clockwise from the top: Tofu scramble with pinto beans, corn, and spinach, topped with vegan sour cream and avocado, lemon corn waffles, Tempeh Sausage Crumbles from VwaV, and potatoes made by my dear friend Sandy.

Oh, and did I mention mimosas? Mimosas.

Add comment December 2nd, 2006

Thanksgiving

Pumpkin Bundt Cake (Sinfully Vegan)

Unfortunately I didn’t get any desirable pictures of the whole spread, but here are some of the components of the thanksgiving meal we had this year.

I made the Pumpkin Bundt Cake from Sinfully Vegan, topped with a vanilla glaze, powdered sugar, cinnamon, and studded with whole cloves. It came out alright but was a bit too pumpkiny for me. Stewart seemed to enjoy it.

I made my most favoritest brussels sprouts recipe:

I take a whole mess of sprouts, trim and clean them, then halve or quarter them depending on size. Into a HOT HOT HOT pan with a bit of veg oil until they sear on their cut sides.

Pour in apple juice or cider until halfway covered, add a dash salt and a glob of vegan butter, and cover to steam/braise until just knife tender.

Remove from pan with a slotted spoon, saving the juices in the bottom of the pan. Add a squirt of good quality dijon mustard to the pan and wisk with a sprinkle or two of flour until thickened to a gravy-like consistency. Adjust to taste but adding salt, butter, mustard, or even nutritional yeast, then pour over the sprouts and add a generous amount of fresh-cracked black pepper on top.

These are so good. Oh man.

I wanted to take a picture of the Tofurkey we had (I know, I know. Shut up, it’s tasty) but it’s SO DAMN UGLY I couldn’t bring myself to do it. Instead, here’s a shot of a leftover tofurkey sandwich I made the next day, complete with home made cranberry sauce:

Yum!

Add comment December 2nd, 2006

Cardomom Baked Tofu with Coconut Rice

Cardomom Baked Tofu with Coconut Rice

It was good to be home from California, able to make our own meals again.

I used the coconut rice recipe from VwaV, minus the toasted coconut and the lime zest, since I never seem to have those things on hand. I made my usual baked tofu (soy sauce, maple syrup, balsamic vinegar) and added a sprinkle of cardamom for kicks.

The kale I put through the shredder disc of my food processor, then quickly stir-fried it with a tiny drizzle of maple syrup to balance the saltiness of the tofu. Finally, I sauteed some mushrooms with peas and slivered almonds, sprinkled with soy sauce and a drizzle of balsamic to match the rest of the dish. It turned out to be pretty tasty!

Add comment December 2nd, 2006