A friend of mine posted a license plate today as her facebook image: GRTFL-1.
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Grtfl-1
A friend of mine posted a license plate today as her facebook image: GRTFL-1.
Monday, November 14, 2011
WWFD: basic-idea bibimbap
I was hungry.
I was cold.
When I have that grey-day feeling, I really crave a dish that I get a local sushi hotspot, Ok-dol Bibimbap. It is white rice served in a super-hot stone pot, topped with an array of warm seasoned vegetables, as well as fresh cool veggies and pickles, served alongside a warming rich sesame-and-chili red sauce. Oftentimes, fish or meat and an egg are in the mix - I want that savory warmingness, minus the life-depleting animal proteins. So, what’s a lazy, hungry, plant-based-diet-eating gal to do? I was exhausted, so Bibimbap got the nearly-instant vegan kitchen treatment, and I just kind of made it from stuff in the pantry and fridge.
Necessity is the mother of invention.
The shocker?
It was wicked delicious!
I’m writing this down before I forget how I did it. If you improve on this, definitely let me know! All of this is approximate, probably wrong, and might not work for you.
With caveats aside, here're the deets:
The plan:
make the rice.
While it is cooking, make the veggies.
Make them one-at-a-time in the same skillet to minimize dishes.
Meanwhile, invent the sauce.
Heat and glaze tofu.
Then layer into a serving bowl with the rice on the bottom, and neat little piles of each component on top, sauce on the side.
RICE:
The best method to cooking plain rice, I swear, is the traditional Japanese method. I learned this from the book Kansha by Elizabeth Andoh. Measure out a cup of white rice, and put it in a medium-sized bowl. completely cover with water, and swoosh it around, rubbing it in small handfuls in your palm. strain off the now-starchy water, and repeat a few times until it is mostly clear. I know that most Japanese-style American rice says it is pre-washed, but do not believe this. Drain, and put the rice into a pot or saucepan with a tight-fitting lid. Add 1.25 cups of fresh water, cover, and bring to a boil over high heat. Try not to peek - just listen. Then lower the heat and simmer-cook for another 5-7 minutes until nearly all of the water is absorbed - the sound will change. If you must, open at this point, increase the heat to high, and rapidly give a few tosses to remove any excess water - this should take no more than thirty seconds. Alternatively, just increase the heat to high, wiggle the pot a bit for 30 seconds (like Jiffy-pop), then turn the heat off. Set the pot aside, still tightly covered, for ten minutes. Your rice will be perfect. When ready to serve, use a flat spatula or paddle-like device to cut into the mass without squashing the grains and fluff it a few times. for this dish, I folded in some sesame seeds, too.
VEGGIES:
I made carrots, spinach, and mushrooms since that is what I had.
CHOP STUFF UP: I also prepped (into a tiny mince) some scallion and about 5 cloves of garlic.
The mushrooms were very thinly sliced, I sliced the carrots lengthwise into long thin strips.
the spinach was pre-washed baby spinach and I did nothing whatsoever to it.
I made the mushrooms first, figuring the leftover liquids in the pan would lend an earthy savoriness to the next batch-o-veg.
BASICS: into a nonstick skillet, I dropped a bit (maybe a teaspoon, maybe less) of dark sesame oil, then the rinsed and sliced mushrooms, added a small pinch of salt, and cooked them until they were softened. I added tiny splashes of water until they started to lose their own to prevent sticking. I deglazed the skillet with about a tablespoon of sake, and let it burn off. Then I pulled the mushrooms out of the pain and set aside.
next, I cooked about a tablespoon of the garlic until it was fragrant but NOT browned (garlic shouldn’t brown, it is bitter that way), then tossed in the carrots. similarly, to control sticking without adding more fat, I added teaspoons of water as needed until the carrots were halfway softened (I like my veggies pretty crisp), then to finish I dropped in a generous pinch of sesame seeds, a half teaspoon of Agave nectar, tossed to coat, and removed the carrots from the skillet.
Next, I made the spinach. This is so easy, “they” should take away your stove if you can’t make it. I threw in another microsplash of sesame oil, and some garlic. Once the garlic was cooking, I added in three large handfuls of baby spinach. This will wilt down to nearly nothing speedily, so keep stirring. The pan was deglazed with a small splash of rice wine vinegar, and I added a bit of salt to taste. The spinach was set aside.
While all that was cooking, I made the sauce. Now, real Korean grandmas, don’t gang up on me. I know this is a bastardization, but I prefer to see it as hunger-induced fridge-ingenuity. ok?
SAUCE: I squirted some ketchup (I used Whole Foods organic ketchup, which is apparently gluten-free? This isn’t an issue for me, but just in case it is for you, read the labels) into a small bowl. To this, I added Sriracha to taste (I used a lot, you might prefer less), the remaining raw garlic, and small volumes of both the sesame oil and some agave nectar. I’d guess the proportions were 3 T of ketchup, 1 T of sriracha, a teaspoon of very finely minced garlic, a teaspoon of dark sesame oil, and a teaspoon of Agave. But this is all a guess. keep stirring and tasting. yum.
TOFU: I had some “savory flavored” firm pre-marinated tofu in the fridge. I cut it up into 1 cm cubes, ish. This went into the skillet used for the veggies and was heated through, with small additions of water to prevent sticking. It tasted bland. So I added in some of the scallion, some soy sauce, and a generous plop of the fake bibimbap sauce, and glazed them nicely, cooking the sauce down to a thin film of sticky spicy lacquered goodness.
TO ASSEMBLE: place rice in the bottom of a large bowl. Artfully arrange the vegetables in tidy plops on top. Add the tofu, also in a neat pile. Toss some of the remaining raw scallion over the center, and serve with the sauce on the side.
notes/ideas: The technique of “water frying” as it is called in some south Asian cooking traditions permits a LOT less oil to be used. In this recipe, the sesame oil is used predominantly for its flavor, which is strong and aromatic. To my nose, bibimbap is really typified by a savory intense mix of sesame, salt, vinegar, sugar, chili and garlic that I find so irresistible in many Korean dishes. This could be made with an alternative grain (brown rice, quinoa), the rice could be a little caramelized (like a paella) to be truer to the stone pot kind (YUM), but I was too hungry. Just cook up piles of whatever vegetables you have on hand and season each thematically but separately. I also think a pickled ingredient or two, and something fresh and cold would add more flavor and texture. Ideally, I should have sought more of a balance of sweet/savory/bitter-roasted/sour/spicy in the toppings to yield a more harmonious dish. But for fridge-pantry roulette, this totally hit the spot and was cooked very speedily.
let me know if you can fix it?
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Vive La Republique! (or, WWFD on Bastille Day)
1 cup whole what flour
1 1/2 cups nondairy milk (I used plain soy)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil (I used melted Earth Balance stick)
about a teaspoon of salt (you can use less if you're not into salt, I am, but whatever)
1. whisk egg replacer and water. pour in about half of the soy milk, and whisk together. then add the flour all at once, whisk like a banshee.
2. Mix in the remaining milk, and whisk until lumps are gone. Add vegetable oil and seasonings. (Next step takes some practice, but then it will be awesome)
3. Spray pan with some non-stick type spray, heat at medium to low. Ladle batter into pan. and rapidly spread the batter either by tilting the pan or by using the ladle or a spatula. this requires some practice. you may need to add some water to adjust your batter thickness to achieve the desired result.
Friday, April 8, 2011
why avoid meat?
The Hunger Argument
Number of people worldwide who will die as a result of malnutrition this year: 20 million
Number of people who could be adequately fed using land freed if Americans reduced their intake of meat by 10%: 100 million
Percentage of corn grown in the U.S. eaten by people:20
Percentage of corn grown in the U.S. eaten by livestock:80
Percentage of oats grown in the U.S. eaten by livestock: 95
Percentage of protein wasted by cycling grain through livestock: 90
How frequently a child dies as a result of malnutrition: every 2.3 seconds
Pounds of potatoes that can be grown on an acre: 40,000
Pounds of beef produced on an acre: 250
Percentage of U.S. farmland devoted to beef production: 56
Pounds of grain and soybeans needed to produce a pound of edible flesh from feedlot beef: 16
Cause of global warming: greenhouse effect
Primary cause of greenhouse effect: carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels
Fossil fuels needed to produce meat-centered diet vs. a meat-free diet: 3 times more
Percentage of U.S. topsoil lost to date: 75
Percentage of U.S. topsoil loss directly related to livestock raising: 85
Number of acres of U.S. forest cleared for cropland to produce meat-centered diet: 260 million
Amount of meat imported to U.S. annually from Central and South America: 300,000,000 pounds
Percentage of Central American children under the age of five who are undernourished: 75
Area of tropical rainforest consumed in every quarter-pound of rainforest beef: 55 square feet
Current rate of species extinction due to destruction of tropical rainforests for meat grazing and other uses:1,000 per year
Increased risk of breast cancer for women who eat meat daily compared to less than once a week: 3.8 times
For women who eat eggs daily compared to once a week: 2.8 times
For women who eat butter and cheese 2-4 times a week: 3.25 times
Increased risk of fatal ovarian cancer for women who eat eggs 3 or more times a week vs. less than once a week: 3 times
Increased risk of fatal prostate cancer for men who consume meat, cheese, eggs and milk daily vs. sparingly or not at all: 3.6 times.
Number of U.S. medical schools: 125
Number requiring a course in nutrition: 30
Nutrition training received by average U.S. physician during four years in medical school: 2.5 hours
Most common cause of death in the U.S.: heart attack
How frequently a heart attack kills in the U.S.: every 45 seconds
Average U.S. man's risk of death from heart attack: 50 percent
Risk of average U.S. man who eats no meat: 15 percent
Risk of average U.S. man who eats no meat, dairy or eggs: 4 percent
Amount you reduce risk of heart attack if you reduce consumption of meat, dairy and eggs by 10 percent: 9 percent
Amount you reduce risk of heart attack if you reduce consumption by 50 percent: 45 percent
Amount you reduce risk if you eliminate meat, dairy and eggs from your diet: 90 percent
Average cholesterol level of people eating meat-centered-diet: 210 mg/dl
Chance of dying from heart disease if you are male and your blood cholesterol level is 210 mg/dl: greater than 50 percent
The Natural Resources Argument
User of more than half of all water used for all purposes in the U.S.: livestock production
Amount of water used in production of the average cow: sufficient to float a destroyer
Gallons of water needed to produce a pound of wheat: 25
Gallons of water needed to produce a pound of California beef: 5,000
Years the world's known oil reserves would last if every human ate a meat-centered diet: 13
Years they would last if human beings no longer ate meat: 260
Calories of fossil fuel expended to get 1 calorie of protein from beef: 78
To get 1 calorie of protein from soybeans: 2
Percentage of all raw materials (base products of farming, forestry and mining, including fossil fuels) consumed by U.S. that is devoted to the production of livestock: 33
Percentage of all raw materials consumed by the U.S. needed to produce a complete vegetarian diet: 2
Percentage of U.S. antibiotics fed to livestock: 55
Percentage of staphylococci infections resistant to penicillin in 1960: 13
Percentage resistant in 1988: 91
Response of European Economic Community to routine feeding of antibiotics to livestock: ban
Response of U.S. meat and pharmaceutical industries to routine feeding of antibiotics to livestock: full and complete support
Common belief: U.S. Department of Agriculture protects our health through meat inspection
Reality: fewer than 1 out of every 250,000 slaughtered animals is tested for toxic chemical residues
Percentage of U.S. mother's milk containing significant levels of DDT: 99
Percentage of U.S. vegetarian mother's milk containing significant levels of DDT: 8
Contamination of breast milk, due to chlorinated hydrocarbon pesticides in animal products, found in meat-eating mothers vs. non-meat eating mothers: 35 times higher
Amount of Dieldrin ingested by the average breast-fed American infant: 9 times the permissible level
Number of animals killed for meat per hour in the U.S.: 660,000
Occupation with highest turnover rate in U.S.: slaughterhouse worker
Occupation with highest rate of on-the-job-injury in U.S.: slaughterhouse worker
Athlete to win Ironman Triathlon more than twice: Dave Scott (6 time winner)
Food choice of Dave Scott: Vegetarian
Largest meat eater that ever lived: Tyrannosaurus Rex (Where is he today?)
Source = "Diet For A New America" by John Robbins
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Seitanism is Simple, you can do it yer damned self!
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Seitan is simple, Seitan is cheap!
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Seitanism is Simple!
Thursday, February 10, 2011
The future is now. Homaro Cantu and Ben Roche.
a new idea: Vegan product review (henceforth, VPR!)
It is no secret that I am kind of a "secret Vegan." I am Veganish. I think it is healthier, better for the environment, and probably better for my soul (If I believed that I had one, but that is another post for another day...) but I am not going to starve in Mongolia if all they have is yak, either. I don't make a "thing" of it, I don't proselytize. I am not an animal-rights activist, or much of any kind of activist, but I kind of do my mostly vegan thing as much as I mostly can. I have no idea if I just offended someone in a yurt somewhere.
Monday, February 7, 2011
lazy. hungry. vegan. (WWFD)
So, I got kind of depressed today, and I was wandering around Whole Foods and got looking at all of their sexy sexy produce.
(hey, you cheer up your way, and I'll cheer up mine, ok?)
And I found some REALLY hot vegetables. Butternut squash, cauliflower, all kinds of kale...
but when I got home, I discovered that we barely had enough space for it all in the fridge, which, in turn, spawned - WWFD!
This required under 5 minutes of prep. The trick to speed here was a pressure cooker.
Lazy person's very low fat vegan squash soup with Asian pear and "sausage"
one butternut squash, peeled and chopped into 2-3 inch hunks
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Easy Cheeze? NOT.
The thing is, it sucks.
I don't get it, cuz ya see... nutritional yeast TASTES BAD. not "addictive" not "just like cheese" not "a tasty topping for popcorn" or any other thing that the nutritional yeast council has put out there on the interweb. IT IS HORRID.
that is all.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Back from sleeping, WWFD!
Have we met?
How long have I been sleeping?
I have much to share with you.
Much new Boston foodie mostly vegan news upcoming. But first, drumroll please...
WWFD!
What the hell is THAT?
Simple.
Vegan high protein vegetable lasagna! Contains (filling) a block of organic firm tofu (frozen, defrosted, drained and pressed), a bunch of kale, a head of roasted garlic, salt and pepper, and seasoned breadcrumbs to thicken. Pasta? Kind of. It's eggroll wrappers. Tomato sauce. Vegan soy cheese. Stack it up, bake covered for 40 minutes at 350 F, then sprinkle on breadcrumbs as topping and bake uncovered another 10. Voila! Served with baby greens salad and a roasted garlic and Meyer lemon vinaigrette that I made a day before.
Tips: I should have used more sauce and a little cooking oil spray on the bottom of the pan. I think more veggies (a layer or thinly sliced squash? A layer of caramelized onions? Would have been good. I ran out of "cheese" or I'd have put some on top... And I think nutritional yeast or a little miso paste in the sauce would have improved the savory tang- all of that said, though, it took seconds to prepare, was very low in fat, high in protein, and Todd ate two plates-full. Definitely try this.
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