Archive for January, 2007
My friend Katie made risotto for me while I was in DC. It was so tasty I had to have it again, so I threw together some for dinner. “Threw together” isn’t exactly right; since it was risotto, “stirred for hours” seems more appropriate. Whatever. It was worth it.
On the side I served some cauliflower roasted with salt, pepper, olive oil, and a touch of nutmeg. The smooth risotto matched its crunchiness well, and though I don’t have it very often, cauliflower is one of my favorite veggies.
Sundried Tomato and Mushroom Risotto
Makes two to three main course servings
1 Cup Arborio Rice
1 Onion, minced
8 oz Mushrooms (white button is fine)
1/2 Cup Oil Packed Sundried Tomatoes, cut into strips
1/2 Cup (scant) Pine Nuts, toasted
4 Cups Veggie Broth, warmed (or 4 cups water and 1 veggie bullion cube)
1/4 Red Wine (warmed)
1/3 Cup Soymilk
1 Tbs Rosemary, finely chopped, plus more for garnish
1/4+ Cup Earth Balance or Olive Oil
Vegan Parmesan Cheese (Optional. Made from ground almonds, miso, and nutritional yeast)
In a small sauce pan, heat your veggie stock until simmering. Turn heat down as low as possible, cover. In a large, wide skillet, melt the earth balance. Add onion and saute over medium-low heat until beginning to caramelize, 7-8 minutes. Add rosemary and saute for another 2-3 minutes. Add rice, saute for another 3-4 minutes, constantly stirring.
Push rice to the edges of the pan, creating an empty space in the middle. Add the mushrooms to the center of the pan, drizzle with olive oil, and cook until they begin to soften. When they do, mix them in with the rice.
Add one ladle full of warmed stock, constantly stirring. When the rice has absorbed all the liquid, add the warmed wine, half of the pine nuts, and tomatoes.
Continue to add the stock one ladle at a time as the rice absorbs it. Be sure to stir the whole time, even though this process can take 40 minutes to an hour. When it looks like you have only one ladle left, add soymilk to the stock. When warm, add to risotto. As the rice cooks, it will start to turn translucent. When the opaque centers of the rice finally disappear, it should be cooked all the way through. If your rice is not fully cooked when you are out of stock, add water to your stock pan, heat, and add it ladle by ladle full to the risotto until the rice is tender. Serve, top with the rest of the pine nuts, vegan parmesan, and a sprig of rosemary.
Here’s a shot of the cauliflower:
January 23rd, 2007
While in D.C., I forced my lovely host to take me to Sticky Fingers Bakery, a completely vegan bakery that I have been dreaming about for the last three years. It’s such a weird feeling to walk into a bakery and realize that I can have anything I want. My friends and I ordered four different things so I could try as many things as possible without being totally ridiculous.
The dark chocolate square of loveliness you see up there is a Little Devil: chocolate cake bisected by a sweet vanilla frosting, and topped off with a thin layer of chocolate ganache. It was good, but the cake part was a little dry.
The scone in the foreground was simply labeled as “scones” in the case, but after tasting it we realized that it was very much a cranberry orange scone. The orange flavor was wonderful, but unfortunately the texture was not up to par. My friend Katie tried to break the scone in pieces for us all to try, but ended up with a large pile of scone sand in front of her when it completely disintegrated.
We also took a gamble and ordered their breakfast sandwich. It’s an english muffin, a thin layer or a mustard-y nutritional yeast sauce, a couple veggie sausage patties and some material that vaguely looked like egg. It would have been better warmed, but it wasn’t bad. I think I liked it more than my counterparts, but then again, I haven’t had an egg or cheese or three years, and I haven’t had sausage for fourteen years. I’m used to the impostors.
The best thing we ordered, however, was a cinnamon bun.
A fresh tray of these lovely things came out as we were deciding what to order. They were so light, so soft, so perfectly spiced. The only improvement I can think of would be a cream cheese frosting instead of a regular glaze, but that’s my own personal preference.
If you’re ever in Washington DC, stop by Sticky Fingers. It’s pretty tasty.
January 22nd, 2007
I’ve been reading good things about the General Tao’s Tofu found on VegWeb, so I decided to give it a go. I’ve copied and pasted the recipe below and edited it to show you my changes in the ingredients section.
If you’ve never heard of General Tso’s tofu (or chicken), perhaps you’ve heard of General Tao’s? Or General Gau’s? Or General Chou’s, General Tzo’s, General To’s, General So’s, General Joe’s, and General Toso’s, General Chow’s, or simply General Chicken.
It’s ridiculous. This is one game of telephone that has gone horribly, horribly wrong.
I found the recipe to be pretty solid. If I make it again, I think I will add more cornstarch to the sauce to thicken it even more. It seemed thick in the pan, but turned to soup when I plated. Perhaps the bok choy gave off excess water when it cooked? I also completely forgot to dredge the tofu in cornstarch after the egg replacer, but it still turned out just fine. I wonder if it would have stayed crispy in the sauce if I had remembered.
Recipe after the jump.
General Tso’s Tofu
Serves four
1 box of firm tofu
egg substitute for 1 egg
3/4 cup cornstarch
vegetable oil for frying
3 chopped green onions
1 Tbs tsp minced powdered ginger
1 Tbs minced garlic
2/3 cup vegetable stock 1/2 veg bullion cube
2 3 Tbs soy sauce
4 3 Tbs sugar
red pepper to taste
1 Tablespoon sherry (optional)
1 Tablespoon white seasoned rice vinegar
steamed broccoli
My Additions:
3 Bunches Baby Bok Choy
1 Cup sliced Shitake Mushrooms
Directions:
Drain, dry and cut tofu into 1 inch chunks. You can freeze tofu the night before to get a more chicken-like consistency, but it isn’t necessary. Mix the egg replacer as specified on the box and add an additional 3 tablespoons water. Dip tofu in egg replacer/water mixture and coat completely. Sprinkle 3/4 cup cornstarch over tofu and coat completely. Watch out that the cornstarch doesn’t clump up at the bottom of the bowl.
Heat oil in pan and fry tofu pieces until golden. Drain oil.
Heat 3 Tablespoons vegetable oil in pan on medium heat. Add green onions, ginger and garlic, cook for about 2 minutes. Be careful not to burn garlic. Add vegetable stock, soy sauce, sugar, red pepper and vinegar. Mix 2 Tablespoons water with 1 Tablespoon cornstarch and pour into mixture stirring well. Add fried tofu and coat evenly.
Serve immediately with steamed broccoli over your choice of rice.
January 21st, 2007
Besides being very tasty and satisfying, this soup is wonderful for the sheer lack of effort required to make it. Relying on canned and frozen goods instead of fresh (gasp!), it’s the perfect “I don’t feel like cooking” or “I don’t want to have to run to the store to make dinner” soup. But don’t be fooled! I enjoy this soup so much, I often make it even when I have a refrigerator full of fresh ingredients to work with. But maybe that’s just because I’m silly.
Coconut, Corn, and Black Bean Soup
Makes 4 lunch sized portions
2 Cans Black Beans
1 Cup Pureed Stewed Tomatoes (canned)
1/2 Cup Coconut Milk
1 Vegetable Bullion Cube
1 Cup Frozen Corn
1 tsp Smoked Paprika (please actually use the smoked kind!)
1/4 tsp Kosher Salt
1 tsp of your favorite herb(s) (pictured with fresh thyme)
Add both cans of beans with their liquid to a heavy soup pot. Add the tomatoes, coconut milk, bullion cube, paprika, corn and herbs. Simmer for at least 20 minutes, but it can cook on low, covered, for much longer if needed. A few minutes before serving, add the corn. Garnish with some fresh herbs, if available, and/or a splash of coconut milk.
You may consider adding shredded carrot, fresh baby spinach, pasta, rice, lentils, or even a diced potato if you feel like jazzing it up a bit. It’s a very versatile soup, and I find it refreshing change from the vegetable broth and tomato based soups I usually make.
January 20th, 2007
Airplane Sugar Cookie
I made you a little airplane sugar cookie to say goodbye, though!
January 19th, 2007
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