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Saturday, January 31, 2009

Menu Five: Spinach Kofta, Tomato Basil Cream Pasta, TLT Sandwiches, Pan-Fried Tofu, Kale and Noodles


Photo credit: Lolo at VeganYumYum.com

This week’s menu is about the simplicity of ingredients.

While I am always excited to try new combinations of flavors, and to find those specific little ingredients that elevate a dish to something I might have never conjured up in my own culinary dabblings, it’s nice to bring a list to the grocery store knowing exactly what you’re looking for, and feeling assured that you will find all of it.

(Last week, I couldn’t find dried lemongrass, or canned straw mushrooms at the grocery store. And, I almost walked out without nutritional yeast, which was central to the macaroni and cheese recipe, until the guy at Whole Foods told me I could find some near the vitamins – I know it’s nutritional yeast, but should I really know to look there?)

Hence, the simplicity of ingredients. This week’s menu is also great because I’ll be using some of the things that are already in my pantry from previous menus, like the chickpea flour, yeast flakes, chili sauce, rice noodles, and soy sauce. Here are this week’s dishes:

Spinach Kofta with Cucumber Yogurt Sauce
Super Quick Tomato Basil Cream Pasta
TLT Sandwiches
Pan-Fried Tofu, Kale, and Noodles

This week’s menu:

Sunday
Dinner: Spinach Kofta with Cucumber Yogurt Sauce
Cook: Spinach Kofta, Cucumber Yogurt Sauce, Tomato Basil Cream Pasta

Monday
Lunch: Tomato Basil Cream Pasta
Dinner: Spinach Kofta with Cucumber Yogurt Sauce
Cook: Marinate tempeh for TLT sandwich

Tuesday
Lunch: Tomato Basil Cream Pasta
Dinner: TLT Sandwich
Cook: TLT Sandwich

Wednesday
Lunch: Spinach Kofta with Cucumber Yogurt Sauce
Dinner: TLT Sandwiches
Cook: TLT Sandwich

Thursday
Lunch: TLT Sandwich
Dinner: Pan-Fried Tofu, Kale and Noodles
Cook: Pan-Fried Tofu, Kale, and Noodles

Friday
Lunch: Pan-Fried Tofu, Kale, and Noodles

This week’s recipes:

Spinach Kofta with Cucumber Yogurt Sauce
This recipe comes from the Fat-Free Vegan blog – which is also the source of the sweet potato falafels that I made a couple of weeks ago. Those were delicious, so when I saw this recipe for kofta, I had a feeling it would be a good one. (We’ll find out if I’m right this week.) I’ll plan on eating this with naan, or rolled inside of lavash bread with the cucumber yogurt sauce.

Click here for the Spinach Kofta recipe.

Note: Tofu generally comes in a 14 oz. container, and you’ll only use 2 oz. for this recipe. Store the remaining tofu in Tupperware – fill the container with water so that half of tofu is under water. You’ll use the rest for the Pan-Fried Tofu, Kale and Noodles on Thursday.

Super Quick Tomato Basil Cream Pasta
I found this recipe on Vegan YumYum, and was excited that many of the recipes (including this one) are written for 1 – 2 servings – the perfect amount for people like me and, possibly, you! While it’s nice to have dishes that last for a long time, (read: less cooking), it’s also nice to have just the right amount for a couple of servings, so that you’re regularly eating fresh food.

I have a recipe on file that uses linguini, which I think I’m going to include next week. So, I’ll substitute linguini for the spaghetti in this recipe, and only buy the one box.

Also, if you don’t like eating lots of pasta because you find it heavy, buy a gluten-free version. I’m not gluten-free all the time, but I do buy gluten-free pasta often for this reason – gluten-free pasta does not weigh me down, and I find it’s better for digestion.

Click here for the Tomato Basil Cream Pasta recipe.

TLT Sandwich
So, I’m not a big fan of tempeh, which I discovered when I made the Tempeh Tikka Masala.

Then why are you including a tempeh sandwich in your menu, Julie?

Well, firstly, you might like tempeh.

And, secondly, this recipe looks great – a satisfying and complimentary combination of crispy lettuce, creamy avocado, and a spicy protein kick. Because I personally don’t love tempeh, though, I’m going to substitute with seitan. And, I’ll let you know how it turns out.

Click here for the TLT Sandwich recipe.

Note: In the interest of using freshly grilled tempeh/seitan in each sandwich, I’m going to keep the tempeh/seitan in its marinade in the refrigerator until I’m ready to assemble the next sandwich. I’ll roast the tomatoes all at once and store those in a separate container for each sandwich.

Pan-Fried Tofu, Kale and Noodles
According to Vegan YumYum, there are three things that create the perfectly pan-fried tofu: "a cast-iron pan, a decently long cooking period, and a rest period afterwards."

I don’t have a cast-iron pan currently, but I will follow the rest of the advice provided in this post closely to see if I can come close to achieving the right consistency without one.

I am also excited to cook with kale again, because it’s supposed to be so good for you – and in the right dish, it also tastes surprisingly good. (As confirmed by my roommate, who was hesitant to eat the Chickpea and Kale soup when she saw all the green, and then happily had seconds.)

Click here for the Pan-Fried Tofu, Kale, and Noodles recipe.

This week’s grocery list:
So, last week, I was pleased to rediscover Stiles, a year-round farmer’s market under a tent, near my apartment. I got all of the produce that I needed for the week, and some extras (strawberries, blueberries, a pineapple, and a couple avocados), for $17. Needless to say, this cut down on my grocery bill dramatically – all of their herbs are $1, (instead of $1.99 at Whole Foods); tomatoes are $1 a pound (compared with $1.99 or even $2.99 a pound for the vine-ripened ones); and you can get 8 limes for $1. I don’t know what I would do with 8 limes (except maybe have a Corona party?) – but, you see my point. If you can, definitely buy all of your produce at a well-priced farmer’s market.

As always, this list is for everything you would need to make all recipes in this week's menu. To avoid buying something unnecessarily, I suggest that you print out this list, cross off things that you already have in your pantry and refrigerator, and then head to the market and/or grocery store.

Produce
1 small head, romaine lettuce
1 head, kale
6 oz., fresh spinach
1 bunch, basil
1 bunch, mint
1 large tomato
1 pint, cherry tomatoes
1 small cucumber
1 bulb, garlic
1 small red onion
1 small yellow onion
1, 3 in. piece of ginger
2 medium red potatoes
1 lemon
1 lime

Oils, Spices, and Condiments
Olive Oil
Soy Sauce
Balsamic Vinegar
Rice Vinegar
Mustard
Chilli sauce
Cumin seeds
Ground cumin
Coriander
Garam masala
Brown Sugar
Salt
Black pepper

Canned and Bottled Goods
Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
1 small can, tomato paste
1, 12 oz. bottle, maple syrup

Dry Goods
1, 8 oz. package cashews
1 box, linguine
1, 10 oz. package, rice noodles
Nutritional yeast
Chickpea flour
1 package of naan or lavash bread

Refrigerator/Freezer
8 oz. tempeh or seitan
1, 14 oz. package of extra firm tofu
Soy yogurt

Sunday, January 25, 2009

Menu 4: Mac and "Cheese", Tortilla Soup, General Tso's Tofu, Thai Coconut Soup...

I miss cheese the most.

When I became vegan, it was the hardest thing to give up - really good substitutes are hard to come by. While there is nothing that can replace baked brie with walnuts and figs in my heart and tastebuds (sigh), I have been able to enjoy vegan versions of the ever-comforting Mac and Cheese, and grilled cheese sandwiches. Especially satisfying is that, with the vegan versions, you won’t feel overly stuffed or greasy afterwards.

So, this week, I’m making:
  • Tortilla Soup with Grilled Cheese sandwich
  • General Tso’s Tofu with Broccoli and Brown Rice
  • Macaroni and Cheeze
  • Thai Coconut Soup with Quick and Easy Noodles and Tofu

This week’s menu:
Here’s a quick view of what to eat and cook each night – it takes the stress out of figuring out what to do every night after work:

Sunday
Dinner: Tortilla Soup with Grilled Cheese sandwich
Cook: Tortilla Soup, Grilled Cheese

Monday
Lunch: Tortilla Soup
Dinner: General Tso’s Tofu with rice
Cook: General Tso’s Tofu with rice

Tuesday
Lunch: General Tsos Tofu with rice
Dinner: Mac and Cheeze
Cook: Mac and Cheeze

Wednesday
Lunch: Mac and Cheeze
Dinner: Tortilla Soup with Grilled Cheese sandwich
Cook: Grilled Cheese sandwich

Thursday
Lunch: Mac and Cheeze
Dinner: Thai Coconut Soup with Quick and Easy Noodles
Cook: Thai Coconut Soup, Quick and Easy Noodles

Friday
Lunch: Thai Coconut Soup with Quick and Easy Noodles

This week’s recipes:

Tortilla Soup with Grilled Cheese sandwiches:
One-pot dishes are great because you have almost no dishes to wash besides the cutting board, knives, and pot. This soup is also really quick, rich with Mexican flavors, and filling because of the tortilla strips and black beans. The recipe doesn’t call for it, but I like to bake the tortilla strips to make them crispy, and then put them into the soup. To keep them crispy, store them separately from the soup, and sprinkle them onto each serving of soup, as you eat throughout the week.

The soup can be eaten by itself. If you’d like to have something more filling, I’d add a simple grilled cheese sandwich on the side, because the soup has a lot of flavor on its own. As for vegan cheese substitutes, I really like almond-based “cheeses”. I find that they melt well, and have better flavor than any soy cheese that I’ve used to date. For this sandwich, I’ll buy a cheddar almond cheese, which will compliment the Mexican flavor of the soup.

Click here for the Tortilla Soup Recipe.

General Tso’s Tofu with Broccoli and Rice:
This recipe comes from my friend and college roommate, Lauren, who was visiting me with her husband this weekend. Before she shared this recipe with me, I struggled with getting tofu to that nice consistency where the crispy shell absorbs all of the sauce, and the inside is just the right shade of chewy. The key is freezing the tofu when you bring it home from the store, and then setting it out to thaw before you’re going to use it.

To make a complete dish, Lauren serves the tofu with broccoli and rice.

For the broccoli, I’ll cut up half a cup of florets and steam them in my microwave steamer. If you don’t have a steamer, you can put the broccoli into boiling water for 2-3 minutes. It will turn bright green, and retain some crunch while softening up a little bit on the inside. Add some salt to taste, and serve with the tofu and rice.

I prefer to use brown rice, which can take longer to cook. To speed along the process, I soak the rice in water overnight. When it’s in the rice cooker the next day, it’s pretty much guaranteed to cook all the way through, so you don’t get any of those grains that taste half uncooked.

I make the vegetable stock using water and bullion cubes. If you’re doing the same, before you begin any other steps, mix 1 cup of water and ½ of a buillion cube in a small pot, and bring it to a boil. You can then begin the rest of the steps, stirring the broth occasionally, stirring until the cube dissolves in the water, and reducing the heat to low once the broth has formed.

Lauren’s recipe for General Tso’s Tofu:

Ingredients:
1 package of extra firm tofu, frozen and thawed
¾ cup and 1 tbsp. cornstarch, divided
¼ cup, olive oil
1/3 cup scallions, chopped
1 teaspoon, crushed red pepper, (or more to taste)
1 tbs. vinegar
1 tbs. ginger, minced
1 tbs. garlic, minced
2/3 cup vegetable stock
2 tbsp. soy sauce
4 tbsp. sugar

Cooked brown rice
Steamed broccoli (optional)

Steps:
1. Cut the tofu into 1 inch cubes.
2. Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large saucepan. Put the ¾ cup of cornstarch into a plate or shallow bowl. Roll/dip the tofu to coat each piece in cornstarch. Pan-fry the tofu until browned.
3. Add the scallions, ginger and garlic. Stir and cook for 2 minutes.
4. In a bowl, mix the vegetable stock, soy sauce, crushed red pepper, sugar, vinegar, and tablespoon of corn starch. Whisk until mixed well.
5. Pour the sauce onto the tofu mixture, stir gently to coat the tofu in the sauce. Turn the heat to medium low, cover, and let cook 2 – 4 minutes, until the sauce thickens.
6. Serve hot over brown rice, with steamed broccoli on the side (optional).

Macaroni and Cheeze
I like to have a vegetable side with my macaroni and cheese – just for variety. So, this week, I’ll sauté some asaparagus in olive oil, salt and pepper for 2-3 minutes, and have it as a side with my mac and cheeze. You could also do this with broccoli, or have the mac and cheese with a spinach salad. Or, if you’re not like me, and don’t need greens on the side, just enjoy as it is!

Click here for the Macaroni and Cheeze recipe.

Thai Coconut Soup
Here’s another soup for the week, because with the cold biting at me, I need something that will warm my whole self. Thai flavors are perfect for that.

Click here for the Thai Coconut Soup recipe.

Quick and Easy Noodles with Tofu
And, in case the soup isn’t enough by itself, here’s a really quick noodle dish to have on the side.

Click here for the Noodles with Tofu recipe.

This week’s grocery list:
This list includes every ingredient needed to make all of the dishes on this week’s menu. Just print it out, cross off what you already have in the pantry or fridge, and go shopping.

Produce
1 bunch, cilantro
1 bunch, scallions
4 medium-size tomatoes
1 medium-size zucchini
1 medium red bell pepper
1 head, broccoli
½ pound, asparagus
1 small jalapeno pepper
2 limes
1 lemon
1 onion
1 bulb, garlic
1, 3-inch piece of ginger

Oils, Spices, Condiments
Olive oil spray
Olive oil
Vinegar
Cumin
Chilli powder
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Dry Mustard
Smoked paprika
Turmeric
Cayenne pepper
Dried lemongrass
Black pepper
Salt
Brown sugar
Nutritional yeast
Vegetable bullion cubes (for broth)
Teriyaki sauce
Chilli garlic sauce
Thai red curry paste
Tahini
Soy sauce

Canned and Bottled Goods
1 can, tomato paste
1, 15 oz. can, black beans
1, 15 oz. can, coconut milk
1, 15 oz. can, straw mushrooms

Dry Goods
1 pkg. rice noodles
Cornstarch
1 pkg. brown rice
1 pkg. whole wheat bread

Refrigerator/Freezer

1 pkg. of 6 -8 corn tortillas
3 pkg. extra-firm tofu
1 quart, soymilk
1 pkg. almond-based cheddar “cheese “

Saturday, January 17, 2009

Menu 3: Mashed "Potatoes", Babaganoush, Chickpea and Kale soup, Tempeh Tikka Masala, Sweet Potato Falafel...




Over the holidays, my cousin Rupal was crowned my mother’s new favorite nephew.

Why, you ask? (Especially if you are one of my mother’s many other nephews, angling to be in her good graces.)

His recipe for babaganoush earned him the honor – which I’m not so sure he’s happy about, since once he made the dish, he was “promoted” to her official sous chef, squeezing fresh orange juice for fifteen people, making chocolate chip pancakes with just the right thickness, and adjusting her recipe for hummus. At the end of Rupal’s trip, my mom expressed that our Florida home is open to him anytime he needs a vacation (from Austin), and insisted that he visit often.

The best part of all of this is that I’ve included Rupal’s babaganoush in this week’s menu. Speaking of which, here’s what I’m eating this week:

Chickpea and Kale Soup
Cauliflower Mashed “Potatoes”
Tempeh Tikka Masala
Babaganoush wraps
Sweet Potato Falafel

The menu:
The weekly menu is a plan for cooking and eating – so that you use things while they are fresh, have variety in your daily set of meals, and know exactly what to cook or prepare each night. It also takes away the stress of thinking about what to do after work each night.

Sunday
Dinner: Chickpea and Kale Soup with Cauliflower mashed “potatoes”
Cook: Soup, Cauliflower mashed “potatoes”, Marinate tempeh

Monday
Lunch: Chickpea and Kale soup, Cauliflower mashed “potatoes”
Dinner: Tempeh tikka masala with naan
Cook: Tempeh tikka masala with naan, Babaganoush

Tuesday
Lunch: Babaganoush wrap
Dinner: Tempeh tikka masala with naan
Cook: --

Wednesday
Lunch: Tempeh tikka masala
Dinner: Chickpea and Kale Soup, Babaganoush wrap
Cook: Sweet Potato Falafel

Thursday
Lunch: Sweet Potato Falafel
Dinner: Babaganoush wrap, Cauliflower mashed “potatoes”
Cook: --

Friday
Lunch: Sweet Potato Falafel

The recipes:

Chickpea and Kale Soup
In my browsing of vegan food blogs, I came upon Fat Free Vegan – which for some of you translates into “no taste, are you kidding me?” – but really, Susan Voisin, who writes the blog, combines great flavors and high-nutrient foods to make her healthy dishes. She also writes that her blog is called “Fat Free Vegan” because she avoids cooking with fats like oil, margarine, or shortening. She does, however, cook with avocados, nuts, seeds, and the occasional bit of sesame or olive oil for flavor. (“Oil Free Vegan” just didn’t have the right ring to it.) She has generously agreed to allow me to link to her recipes, and so here’s the first Menu Drawer feature from her blog.

Click here for the Chickpea and Kale soup recipe and to view photos of the dish.

Cauliflower Mashed “Potatoes”

I’ve heard that this is a delicious (and much healthier) substitute for mashed potatoes. Much like the tofu/pine nut “ricotta” from last week, most tasters can’t even tell the difference.

In this recipe, substitute 1 ¾ cups of vegetable broth for the broth listed.

Click here for the Cauliflower Mashed “Potatoes” recipe.

Tempeh Tikka Masala
When I became vegan, one of the things that I missed most was paneer tikka – especially the way my cousin Amit makes it on the grill. So, I was excited when I saw this recipe.

For the three cups of cauliflower florets required, I use frozen florets – just to eliminate the need to chop up another head of cauliflower. In addition – this recipe is not vegan because it calls for buttermilk. So, I substitute the buttermilk with Silk brand soy creamer. I also don’t plan to make the raita this week, and just eat the tempeh with naan or brown rice. I’ll do steps 1 and 2 of this on Sunday, so I just have to bake it come Monday night.

Click here for the Tempeh Tikka Masala recipe and to view photos of the dish.

Note: After making dish, I wasn't a big fan. I didn't really enjoy the tempeh, and found that my idea for a buttermilk subsitute wasn't the greatest - the sauce was too watery and didn't thicken the way I imagine it would with buttermilk. So, I suggest trying it with tofu or seitan, instead of tempeh. And, secondly, I don't recommend this dish for vegans - if you're vegetarian, it might work well if you stick to the buttermilk.

Babaganoush Wraps
The key to this is baking the eggplant with the garlic cloves inside of it.

Also, in terms of logistics, I’ll be doing this on Monday night while I’m also baking the Tempeh Tikka Masala. If you want to play it safe, make the tempeh, then increase the temperature to 425 and roast the eggplant. If you’re willing to take some risks in the interest of saving time, do both at 400 degrees. (The tempeh is supposed to bake at 375, and the eggplant is supposed to bake at 425). You may have to bake the tempeh for less time because of the increased temperature, and the eggplant for a bit more time (45 – 50 minutes). Just keep an eye on both, adjust the time as you see fit, and you should be fine.

You may want to add more or less of the lemon, salt, cumin, etc. depending on your taste. Start with what’s listed, and add more if you need to.

Finally, per my cousin’s advice, babaganoush will not taste just right until it’s been refrigerated for at least 4-5 hours (I refrigerate it overnight) and all of the flavors sink in. So, this will taste best when you take it out the next morning to put it into your wrap for lunch.

My cousin Rupal’s recipe for Babaganoush:

Ingredients for babaganoush:



1 eggplant
6 cloves garlic
2 teaspoons salt
1/3 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons tahini
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon olive oil

Ingredients for wrap:

Lavash bread
½ cup of mesclun greens
1 small tomato, chopped
½ small red onion, chopped
1/3 cup cucumber, peeled and chopped
Handful of sprouts (optional)
Kalamata olives (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 425 F.
2. Cut six clove-shaped holes into the eggplant (two rows of three, going around the eggplant). Stick a clove of garlic into each of the holes. Place the eggplant on a baking dish or sheet.
3. Bake for 45 minutes, until the eggplant looks destroyed, and is entirely sunken in.
4. Remove from the heat and let the eggplant cool for about five minutes.
5. Cut the eggplant in half, and using a fork or a spoon, scrape all of the insides (make sure to get all of the garlic cloves!) into the food processor.
6. Chop up about 1 tablespoon of the roasted eggplant peel, and add that to the food processor.
7. Add in the salt, garlic, lemon juice, cumin, and tahini, and pulse until the babaganoush is smooth.
8. Transfer to storage container. Drizzle with olive oil. Refrigerate overnight.
9. Serve with pita triangles, vegetables, or inside of lavash bread with your choice of following ingredients:
Mesclun greens
Red onion, chopped
Tomato, chopped
Cucumber, peeled and chopped
Sprouts
Olives

Sweet Potato Falafel with Yogurt Tahini sauce
This recipe makes enough for about 20 falafel balls, which I think might be too much for me. So, I’m going to halve all of the ingredients as I am cooking, to make only ten. I still may have leftovers, in which case, this week’s menu is also giving me lunch for Saturday.




Click here for the Sweet Potato Falafel recipe and photos.

This week’s grocery list:
This list includes everything you would need to make all of the recipes this week. Check your pantry and refrigerator before you go shopping and cross off things that you already have. If you’ve been making some of the previous menus, you should already have some of these items (i.e. tahini and most spices) and not need to buy them.

Produce
2 large lemons
1 lime
2 bulbs, garlic
1, 2-inch piece fresh ginger
1 medium sweet potato
1 bunch, parsley
1 bunch, green onions (chives)
1 large bunch, kale
1 head, cauliflower
2 carrots
1 medium cucumber
1 large eggplant, but long and lean – not the ones with the fat round base
3 small tomatoes
2 small red onions
2 medium yellow onions
1 large yellow onion
2 cups mesclun greens
1, 4 oz package sprouts (optional)
¼ cup Kalamata olives (optional)

Oils, Spices, Condiments
1 bottle of tahini (smallest available)
Salt
Cayenne Pepper
Ketchup
Ground cumin
Ground coriander
Paprika
Allspice
Ground ginger
Saffron
Bay leaves
Cinnamon
Tandoori spice blend
Vegetable bullion cubes
Olive oil
Honey

Canned and Bottled Goods
1, 15.5 oz. can of tomato puree
3, 15.5 oz. cans of chickpeas

Dry Goods
1, 4 oz. container of flax seeds
Chickpea flour
Baking powder
Sesame seeds (optional)
1 package of lavash bread
1 package of 4 naans

Refrigerator/Freezer
1 small container, soy yogurt
1 pint of Silk soy creamer
1, 8 oz. package of tempeh
24 oz. frozen cauliflower florets

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Changes to Menu 2

*All changes made here will be made in the original menu. So, if you're cooking Menu 2, all of the changes are incorporated into one post - you don't need to go back and forth between posts.*

Faced with a very large pile of mushrooms on a cutting board I was nervous.

Was this wild mushroom pasta really going to taste good?

Good news is - I followed the recipe exactly, having never made it before, and was very pleasantly surprised with just how delicious it was. The whisking was key to making the sauce thicken up at the end. I also let it cook for a few extra minutes on medium heat. Also, a hint - I thought I had flour, and didn't, so I cheated, and used three tablespoons of buckwheat pancake mix. It worked - and my pasta thankfully didn't taste like pancakes.

For the arugula salad, I made the dressing once, and stored the rest for other servings. The herbed tahini dressing will thicken when you refrigerate it. So, when it's time to use it again, just add a teaspoon of water (a bit more if you see fit), and stir. The dressing will return back to the right consistency for your salad.

I had extra sprouts, which I had bought for the salad, so I added them to the hummus wraps.

Finally, the dish that lasted almost all week - the lasagna.

So, the recipes I use from Vegetarian Times always need more flavor. So, instead of the amounts in the recipe for the lasagna, I recommend using:
1 cup of basil,
1/2 cup of parsley
1/2 cup of pine nuts
3-4 cloves of garlic
2 teaspoons of salt
1 teaspoon of pepper
Juice from one lemon

Also, I find that three zucchini, not four, is enough.

Cooking with tofu can be a challenge - in this recipe, it's important to try and get as much of the water out of the tofu as possible; it makes the "ricotta" more cheese-like.

So, while I'm still looking for the best way to cook with tofu in general, here's what I did for the lasagna:

I cut each tofu block in half lengthwise, and microwaved the halves for four minutes. This removed some water. Then, I put the tofu on a cookie sheet, covered it with a cutting board, and placed a heavy pot on top of the cutting board. I pressed down a few times to squeeze water out, and then left the pot on top of the cutting board for about ten minutes. This got a fair amount of water out, and from there, I put the tofu in the food processor and took it from there with the seasonings.

If you have tips for cooking with tofu, please leave a comment or email me at themenudrawer@gmail.com!

Sunday, January 11, 2009

Menu 2: Herbed Lasagna, Hummus Wraps, Arugula Salad, Wild Mushroom Pasta...


What’s new:

Last week’s menu
(Menu 1) is now edited to include all of the changes that I made as I was cooking. So, if you’re following the blog a week behind, that menu is all set with tips and suggestions.

This week, I’m making herbed lasagna, hummus wraps (with homemade hummus!), an arugula-based salad with apples and marinated tofu, and wild mushroom pasta. The menu, recipes, and grocery list are all available below. I will edit this with my “lessons learned” on Thursday evening.

This week’s menu:
Remember how, in elementary school, you would get that calendar every month telling you what would be served for lunch each day? Well, here’s my version for this week, telling me what I need to cook and eat each day, (except the food is a lot better…and vegan/vegetarian).

Sunday:
Dinner: Lasagna
Cook: Lasagna

Monday:
Lunch: Lasagna
Dinner: Mushroom pasta and Salad
Cook: Mushroom pasta and Salad

Tuesday:
Lunch: Lasagna
Dinner: Hummus wrap
Cook: Hummus, assemble wraps

Wednesday:
Lunch: Lasagna
Dinner: Mushroom pasta and Salad
Cook: Assemble hummus wrap

Thursday:
Lunch: Hummus wrap
Dinner: Mushroom pasta and Salad
Cook: Salad, Assemble wrap for Friday’s lunch

Friday:
Lunch: Hummus Wrap

This week’s recipes:

Herbed Lasagna with Zucchini:
This lasagna recipe uses tofu and pine nuts to create a ricotta-like “cheese” which is delicious – as confirmed by my non-vegan family and roommate. (I didn’t tell my brother that it wasn’t ricotta, and he didn’t know the difference!) The use of tofu also makes the dish much healthier than traditional lasagna. And, as a large tray of food, it lasts for days.
Click here for Lasagna recipe
Note:
So, the recipes I use from Vegetarian Times always need more flavor. So, instead of the amounts in the recipe for the lasagna, I recommend using:
1 cup of basil,
1/2 cup of parsley,
1/2 cup of pine nuts,
3-4 cloves of garlic,
2 teaspoons of salt,
1 teaspoon of pepper,
Juice from one lemon.
Also, I find that three zucchini, not four, is enough.
Cooking with tofu can be a challenge - in this recipe, it's important to try and get as much of the water out of the tofu as possible; it makes the "ricotta" more cheese-like. So, while I'm still looking for the best way to cook with tofu in general, here's what I did for the lasagna:
I cut each tofu block in half lengthwise, and microwaved the halves for four minutes. This removed some water. Then, I put the tofu on a cookie sheet, covered it with a cutting board, and placed a heavy pot on top of the cutting board. I pressed down a few times to squeeze water out, and then left the pot on top of the cutting board for about ten minutes. This got a fair amount of water out, and from there, I put the tofu in the food processor and took it from there with the seasonings.

Hummus wraps
If you have a food processor, hummus is super easy to make, because you just have to throw everything in and pulse it until it’s all blended. If you don’t have a food processor, you can make hummus in a blender, but you should add the chickpeas in ½ can increments to make sure they get completely blended with the oil before adding more. Through this process, with either the food processor or the blender, take breaks from pulsing to stir the mixture with a rubber spatula. Also, be sure to taste the hummus before you take it out of the food processor or blender, and add more seasonings or lemon juice, as desired.

You can make the hummus wrap sandwiches in whatever kind of bread suits you best – pita pockets, flatbreads, tortilla-style wraps, or whole-wheat naan. I like to use naan because of the thickness of the bread.

Julie’s recipe for hummus:
2, 15 oz. cans of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/3 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon of olive oil (yes, a separate one)
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
3 tbsp of tahini
4 cloves of garlic
1 teaspoon of cumin powder
1 tbsp of chopped parsley
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Put ½ of the chickpeas and ½ of the oil in the food processor and blend until creamy. (You may need to add a few tablespoons of water to get it to smooth out.) Add the rest of the chickpeas and oil and pulse until creamy, (again, adding a little bit of water, if necessary).
2. Add the lemon juice, tahini, garlic, cumin, and parsley, and pulse until all ingredients are evenly mixed in the creamy hummus.
3. Add the salt and pepper to taste. Blend. Drizzle with the additional tablespoon of olive oil before serving or storing.

Julie’s recipe for hummus wraps:
1 naan (or pita bread, flatbread, etc.)
Hummus (from recipe above)
½ cup of green leaf lettuce, chopped
¼ cup of sprouts
¼ cup of tomato, diced
¼ cup of cucumber, peeled and diced
¼ cup of red onion, diced
4- 5 Kalamata olives, sliced

1. Spray pan with cooking oil spray, and heat naan on medium heat for 2 minutes.
2. Spread hummus on heated bread.
3. Layer lettuce, tomato, cucumber, onion and olives on bread, or inside pita pocket
4. Roll up (if using naan or flatbread), and serve.

Arugula Salad
At lunch last weekend at Blossom Café, I saw this salad on the menu, and decided to try making it this week. When I saw that it was dressed with an “herbed tahini dressing”, I used Google to figure out what ingredients might go into it. At Whole Foods, I found a WestSoy brand baked marinated tofu (Garlic and Herb flavor) that worked well in this salad.

Here’s my version of Blossom Café’s salad:
2 cups of arugula
1 green apple, diced
½ pint of cherry tomatoes
1 handful of clover sprouts
½ package of baked marinated tofu, diced

I used this recipe for the herbed tahini dressing, minus the umeboshi vinegar.

1. Combine all salad ingredients in a bowl.
2. Drizzle salad with 2 tbsp. of tahini dressing. Toss.
3. Serve.

Note: This recipe will make 2 servings of the salad, (or 1 serving if you like big salads). If you have extra salad, refrigerate the salad for the next serving separately from the dressing to keep the ingredients crisp and non-soggy. Also, the herbed tahini dressing will thicken when you refrigerate it. So, when it's time to use it again, just add a teaspoon of water (a bit more if you see fit), and stir. The dressing will return back to the right consistency for your salad.

Wild Mushroom Pasta
My friend Allison shared Apartment Therapy’s The Kitchn site with me, which has a section of vegetarian and vegan friendly recipes. I found this recipe there, and while some of the ingredients seem more expensive than I would normally like, the dish looks too good to not try (at least once). The recipe calls for a cup of white wine – you can use wine that you might happen to have at home, or buy an inexpensive bottle of cooking wine at the grocery store. Also, for vegans, substitute the butter with an oil-based “buttery spread” like this one.

Click here for the Wild Mushroom Pasta recipe.
Note: The whisking was key to making the mushroom pasta sauce thicken up at the end. I also let it cook for a few extra minutes on medium heat. Also, a hint - I thought I had flour, and didn't, so I cheated - I used three tablespoons of buckwheat pancake mix. It worked. And, my pasta (thankfully) didn't taste like pancakes.

This week’s grocery list:

If you cook regularly, you shouldn’t have to buy all of these things – for example, this week, I don’t need to buy any of the ingredients in the “Oils, Spices, and Condiments” category. In “Bottled and Canned Goods”, I only need one can of chickpeas and the marinara sauce. And, I don’t need to buy flour or butter. Just things to consider when you’re thinking about the overall cost of a week’s worth of cooking – if you’re in the habit, you shouldn’t have to buy every ingredient listed.

Produce:
1 bunch fresh basil
1 bunch fresh parsley
1 bunch scallions
1, 4 oz. pkg. pine nuts
2 bulbs of garlic (1 if you have at least 3 cloves leftover from last week)
2 lemons
4 medium size zucchini
4 cups of arugula (bagged or loose)
2 green apples
1 pint of cherry tomatoes
1, 4 oz. package of clover sprouts
1 bunch of green leaf lettuce
2 tomatoes
2 small cucumbers
2 small red onions
¾ cup of Kalamata olives (from the olive bar)
1, ½ oz. package wild mushrooms
3, 8 oz. packages of white button or portobello mushrooms, washed and chopped
4 large shallots, minced
1 pkg. sage

Oils, Spices, Condiments:
Salt
Black pepper
Sugar
Red pepper flakes
Cumin powder
Vegetable bullion cubes
Olive oil

Canned and Bottled Goods:
2 bottles of marinara sauce
1 bottle of sesame tahini (smallest bottle available)
2, 15 oz. cans of chickpeas
1 bottle white wine, or cooking white wine

Dry Goods:
1, 9 oz. package of no-cook lasagna noodles
1 pkg. of 4-6 pita breads or naans.
1, 12 – 16 oz. package of whole wheat rotini pasta
Flour

Refrigerator/Freezer:
2, 14 oz. packages of firm tofu
1 package of baked marinated tofu (WestSoy brand, Garlic and Herb flavor, or something similar)
Butter

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Changes to Menu 1

(All of these suggestions have been incorporated into the original post for Menu 1.)
As I'm watching last night's episode of Top Chef this Thursday evening, I'm reflecting on a very pleasant week of food. If you tried the Thai Chick'n Pizza, I hope you liked it, because I found it to be delicious. The one thing I would have changed would be to use red curry paste or a chilli paste instead of the green curry paste in the sauce - it would have given it just a hint of more kick.

Here are the other changes I would make:

The Tomato Soup:

I really like basil.

So, when I made the tomato soup, I was feeling like 1 tbsp. of chopped basil really wasn't enough. I chopped a handful and added it to the soup, and when it was done, it seemed like the perfect amount. I was really glad I hadn't only put 1 tbsp. in.

This applied to all the seasonings in the soup, so for the tomato soup, I recommend that you use:

3 cloves of garlic,
4 tbsp of chopped fresh basil, and
1 teaspoon of dried thyme.

The Broccoli and Cheese Quesadillas:

The broccoli was a little too raw and crunchy in the quesadilla.

Instead of putting the chopped broccoli directly in the tortilla with the cheese, I recommend that you do the following, before putting the broccoli into the quesadilla:

Heat one teaspoon of olive in a pan on medium-low heat. Add the broccoli, sprinkle it with a bit of salt and pepper, and stir. Cover it and let it cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring once a minute. The broccoli will become a slightly brighter green, and will be cooked, while retaining a slight crunch.

The Thai Potato Curry

This needed more seasoning, too. I bought the "Thai Kitchen"brand of coconut milk and green curry paste for this dish. The green curry paste is not nearly as spicy as the red curry paste, so I added more than the amount recommended in the recipe. I like my dishes to be flavorful, without being too spicy (I have a pretty low threshold for spiciness.) If you're similar, then I recommend changing the ingredients in the recipe to the following dosage in this dish:

3-4 tbsp. of basil,
(Thai basil if you can find it - I usually find it at farmer's markets, not at the grocery store)
4 teaspoons of green curry paste
1/2 cup of coconut milk

On a side note...

I'm looking to make this blog more user-friendly, so if you have ideas or suggestions for how to do this, and what you'd like to see, please leave a comment, or e-mail me at themenudrawer@gmail.com.

New menu coming Saturday!

Saturday, January 3, 2009

Menu 1: Thai Pizza, Chickpea Tacos, Tomato Soup...

This week’s recipes:
I’m vegan, so I draw mostly from vegetarian recipes. The recipes can easily be adjusted – make a vegetarian dish vegan by substituting soy cheese, for example. Or, make a vegetarian dish non-veg by using chicken, instead of chick’n strips.

Some of my recipes are my own. Others come from websites and cookbooks. Here are this week’s recipes:

Thai Chick’n Pizza
This recipe is my own:

Ingredients:
¼ cup natural salt-free peanut butter
½ can coconut milk
1 Tbs. Soy Sauce
1 Tbs. red curry paste
1 Tbs. sugar
2 ¼ tsp. tamarind concentrate
1 clove garlic, minced
½ tsp. curry powder
¼ tsp. toasted sesame oil
¼ tsp. grated fresh ginger
1 whole wheat pizza crust
4 cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 pkg. diced LightLife SmartStrips, Chik’n Strips
½ cup diced red bell pepper
1 small shallot, quartered and thinly sliced
1/3 cup chopped cilantro leaves

Steps:
  1. Preheat oven to 375˚F. Coat baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.
  2. Whisk together peanut butter, coconut milk, soy sauce, red curry paste, sugar, tamarind concentrate, garlic, curry powder, oil, and ginger in small bowl.
  3. Mix the Chick’n Strips into the sauce, marinating them. Once they are all coated in the sauce, use a fork to take them out and put them into a bowl.
  4. Spread the remaining peanut butter mixture over pizza crust. (You may have more sauce than you need, so spread just enough to form a thin layer on the crust. If you add too much, the pizza will become soggy.) Sprinkle evenly with mushrooms, marinated Chik’n Strips, bell pepper, and shallot.
  5. Bake 25 minutes, or until crust is golden brown. Cool 5 minutes, then sprinkle with cilantro leaves.

Note: Refrigerate the remaining coconut milk in a container – you will use the rest of it for the Thai Potato Curry.

Tomato Soup with Broccoli and Cheese Quesadillas

Recipe for Tomato Soup
I really like basil. So, when I made the tomato soup, I was feeling like 1 tbsp. of chopped basil really wasn't enough. I chopped a handful and added it to the soup, and when it was done, it seemed like the perfect amount. I was really glad I hadn't only put 1 tbsp. in. This applied to all the seasonings in the soup, so for the tomato soup, I recommend that you use:

3 cloves of garlic, 4 tbsp of chopped fresh basil, and 1 teaspoon of dried thyme.

Note: For vegetable broth, I use vegetable bullion cubes. When you start cooking the soup, bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a pot, and add one cube. By the time you need the 1 ½ cups of broth, the cube should be dissolved and broth ready to go. Also, refrigerate the remaining tomato paste – you’ll use it to make the pizza sauce for the Mushroom and Olive Pizza.

Broccoli and Cheese Quesadillas:

Ingredients:
Cooking oil spray
¼ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Whole wheat tortilla
1 small head of broccoli, chopped

Steps:

  1. Spray pan with cooking spray, place on stove, set burner to medium-low heat, and place tortilla in pan. Sprinkle cheese on half of tortilla.
  2. Heat one teaspoon of olive in a another small pan on medium-low heat. Add the broccoli, sprinkle it with a bit of salt and pepper, and stir. Cover it and let it cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring once a minute. The broccoli will become a slightly brighter green, and will be cooked, while retaining a slight crunch.
  3. Spread cooked broccoli on top of cheese, (which should be melting).
  4. When tortilla is slightly browned and crispy, fold it over. Serve warm with soup.

Note: Refrigerate the remaining tortillas – you will use them for the chickpea tacos. Also refrigerate the remaining mozzarella cheese – you will use it for the Mushroom and Olive Pizza.


Mushroom and Olive Pizza
This recipe is my own:

Ingredients:
For sauce:
2 tsp. olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. black pepper
8 – 10 fresh basil leaves
1 22-ounce can of whole tomatoes
2 tablespoons tomato paste

For pizza:
Cooking oil spray
1 whole wheat pizza crust
Pizza sauce (from above)
4 cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
16 Kalamata olives, sliced
½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Steps:
Pizza sauce:
  1. In a sauce pan over medium heat, sauté the garlic in the olive oil for about 2 minutes.
  2. Add the oregano, thyme, salt, and pepper.
  3. Stir in the canned tomatoes, crushing them in your hands as you add them. Add half of the juice from the tomatoes and the tomato paste.
  4. Stir in the basil leaves.
  5. Increase the heat to medium-high and cook for about ten minutes. Stir and crush the tomatoes every couple of minutes.

Pizza:

  1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
  2. Spray pizza pan with cooking spray and lay the pizza crust on top.
  3. Use the back of a large spoon to even spread a thin layer of pizza sauce across the crust.
  4. Scatter the mushrooms and olives on top of the pizza. Evenly sprinkle the cheese on the pizza.
  5. Bake for 10 minutes – check the crust and the cheese. Once the cheese is melted, the mushrooms are cooked and the crust is slightly crispy, the pizza is done. You could bake the pizza for up to 15 minutes. Allow to cool for 3 – 5 minutes before slicing.

Chickpea Tacos
Recipe for Chickpea Tacos

Note: Instead of using bottled salsa, I prefer to make fresh pico de gallo. To do this, you simply need to chop one tomato and one red onion and mix it in a bowl with 1 tbsp. of chopped cilantro, and a teaspoon of salt. Squeeze half a lime into the mixture (or more to taste, if you want). If you want to make it spicy, add some chili powder or jalapeno.

Thai Potato Curry
Recipe for Thai Potato Curry
This needed more seasoning, too. I bought the "Thai Kitchen"brand of coconut milk and green curry paste for this dish. The green curry paste is not nearly as spicy as the red curry paste, so I added more than the amount recommended in the recipe. I like my dishes to be flavorful, without being too spicy (I have a pretty low threshold for spiciness.) If you're similar, then I recommend changing the ingredients in the recipe to the following dosage in this dish:

3-4 tbsp. of basil, (Thai basil if you can find it - I usually find it at farmer's markets, not at the grocery store), 4 teaspoons of green curry paste, and 1/2 cup of coconut milk.

Note: For vegetable broth, I use vegetable bullion cubes. When you start cooking, bring 1 cup of water to a boil in a pot, and add ½ of a cube. By the time you need the ½ cup of broth, the cube should be dissolved and broth ready to go.

The Menu:
So that I know what to cook each night, I have prepared the menu below. Some things are made in advance – I’m cooking the tomato soup on Sunday, so that it’s ready on Monday night when I get home, and all I have to make are the quesadillas. I’m making the mushroom pizza on Monday night, so that it’s ready for lunch on Tuesday, etc.

Some weekend meals are missing because that is when I tend to be more social, and go out to eat with friends. This is not to say that I don’t cook on weekends - it just varies so much that I don’t really include that in my menu.

The menu is flexible, and I definitely make adjustments through the week as needed – maybe my tomato soup provided more servings than I thought, so I push something back, or maybe I decided to meet a friend for dinner on Wednesday, so I pushed the chickpea tacos back. Feel free to adjust however you see fit. It’s just nice to have a plan.


Sunday
Dinner: Thai Chick’n Pizza
Cook: Thai Pizza, Tomato Soup

Monday:
Lunch: Thai Pizza
Dinner: Tomato Soup and Quesadillas
Cook: Quesadillas, Mushroom Pizza

Tuesday:
Lunch: Mushroom Pizza
Dinner: Tomato Soup and Quesadillas
Cook: Quesadillas

Wednesday:
Lunch: Mushroom Pizza
Dinner: Chickpea tacos
Cook: Chickpea tacos

Thursday:
Lunch: Chickpea tacos
Dinner: Thai Potato Curry
Cook: Thai Potato Curry

Friday:
Lunch: Thai Potato Curry

Some notes about grocery shopping:
This is a comprehensive list of all ingredients required to make all of the dishes in this week’s menu. So, if there’s something that you don’t want to make, just take those ingredients out.

I do most of my shopping at Whole Foods, because it’s the most convenient place – I have one near my apartment, and one near my office. Wherever possible, I buy their generic (365) brand of canned and dry goods. I also try to get all of my produce at farmer’s markets – if you live in NYC, you can find one that is convenient for you here. Local Harvest is another good site to find farmer’s markets anywhere in the country.

Also, if you cook regularly, you should have all or most of the things in the “Oils, Spices, Condiments” category. For example, the only thing that I need to buy from that category this week is the green curry paste. If you have a well stocked pantry, the cost of grocery shopping is pretty low. When I started cooking, I had to buy a lot of this stuff as I tried new dishes, and it seemed expensive. But, now that I have everything, I just have to pull it out of the pantry. You can find lots of information on how to stock your pantry by Googling it, or inside of a good cookbook, but here is one set of suggestions for starters: How to stock your vegetarian pantry

Here is this week's list:

Produce:

1 bulb of garlic
1 small piece of ginger (enough for 1 tablespoon of minced ginger)
Cilantro
1 shallot
8 cremini mushrooms
1 small red bell pepper
1 avocado
2 limes
2 cups of fresh greens
2 vine ripened tomatoes
2 pounds of roma or plum tomatoes
1 small red onion
2 yellow onions
Basil
1 small head of broccoli
1 lb. of red potatoes
16 Kalamata olives from the Olive Bar

Oils, Spices, Condiments:

Curry powder
Sesame oil
Soy sauce
Olive oil
Oregano
Thyme
Salt
Black pepper
Sugar
Vegetable bullion cubes (to make vegetable broth)
Peanut Butter
Tamarind Paste
Thai Green Curry paste
Thai Red Curry paste

Canned Goods:

1 can of coconut milk
1 can of chickpeas
1 can of tomato paste
2 cans of whole tomatoes (plum, if possible)

Dry Goods:

Rice
1 pk. pizza crusts (2 crusts inside)

Refrigerator/Freezer:

1 box of LightLife SmartStrips, Chik’n Strips
1 pk. Tortillas (10)
Sour cream
Mozzarella cheese

I think we’re set for the week – if you have questions, comments, concerns, please e-mail me at themenudrawer@gmail.com. Happy cooking!