tofu steak 'n accoutrements

Hey kids.

It's WWFD! Everyone's favorite game.

The challenge today: a whole-food, plant-based meal reflecting the ideal of the "new" four food groups: fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and plant-based proteins.

The catch: cook it in 20 minutes.

The outcome:
What it is: quick-cooking bulgur wheat fragranced with chestnuts (which are yummy and surprisingly fat free!), tofu "steak" with a mushroom vermouth reduction (and the sauteed mushrooms - baby bella and shitake), and quick-kale with lemon tahini sauce (that I also made on the fly).

The trick: a well-stocked pantry and old school "backward math" meal planning so everything comes out together and hot. That, and a few trademarked Lazy Vegan (the working title of the cookbook) techniques. Got it all done (including time for water to boil) in 21 minutes. Not bad.

Recipes to follow.

I am actively seeking volunteers to test recipes. In exchange, I will provide you with a free digital copy of the book when it comes forth, and a mention in the credits. E-mail me if you want in on the project.

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?

Vive La Republique! (or, WWFD on Bastille Day)

Just a quick thought today after a conversation with my husband -

neither of us remotely misses eating meat.

This came up after a Bastille Day dinner - where we made vegan crepes. I'll tell you how to do it yourself below. I think I'll be reusing this as an easy weeknight dinner, since it was easy, fast, and we could each prep our own dinner and kind of graze on it, flexibly, until we were sated.

Fillings (this was refrigerator potluck, as you might imagine, since if you know me you'll know that I don't use recipes and I don't plan meals, yet we eat nicely!) were culled from

1) a bag of pre-cooked, pre-seasoned chickpeas in a cumin-and-ginger sauce (this is the Trader Joe's version of Tasty Bite, same manufacturer - kosher, vegan, and ok-tasting alone) to which I added a cube of Dorot frozen cilantro and tossed it in the nuker (why do we call it that?)

and

2) about 2 cups of frozen organic chard, some leftover artichoke hearts, and some leftover "vegan feta" that I made from tofu and has been marinating in my fridge, a smidge of soymilk to thicken, a pinch of salt, a packet of True Lemon (henceforth to be dubbed "the greatest lazy person's seasoning", or glps for short) and 3 Dorot garlic cubes - all tossed in a saucepan and heated until hot.

for a sidedish I made speedy tasty cauliflower inspired by my friend, Kelly Reine (but mine is lazier than her method): one bag of frozen organic cauliflower florets, tossed frozen into a medium saute pan. To this I added about a teaspoon of cheap olive oil (there is no need to cook with anything fancy), and let them get warm and slightly browned. Then I added 2 finely minced jalepenos (ribs and seeds removed) and let them bask in the heat for a few moments, then added about a half tablespoon of capers and their juice, toss. To finish: toss in another teaspoon of oil, and about 1/4 cup of panko crumbs. toss and toss until it is all lightly coated brown and good. Then to finish: one packet of "glps", salt and pepper to taste.

Finally, to eat: get your crepe pan hot, spritz with a touch of cooking spray, make a fresh crepe, fill will the filling of your choice,

et apres,

mange-toi!

So, you want to make a vegan crepe, eh?

Crepes without eggs may be an offense to some (and probably to the French as a whole), but as an exercise in veganism, I wanted to prove it could be done. Since I was feeling earthy-crunchy, these were whole wheat and not sweetened, since I was planning them only for savory use.

Here's the way:

3 teaspoons Ener-G egg replacer + 4 tablespoons water
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)

6 drops of Stevia extract (this is highly variable in potency, so I suggest using tiny amounts and adjusting to your own taste. For a crispier browner crepe and if you aren't into minimizing your carbs, evaporated cane juice or sugar could be used here)

nonstick spray


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.

4. Let it cook for about 2 minutes, then pry around the edges with a spatula. then with two hands shake it a little so it comes loose, and flip it. Cook the other side for another minute or two, and serve.

(not) Fettucini, (totally) Tasty! (WWFD #1)

As a beginning of a new series, that I shall now title, uncreatively, What Was For Dinner (to be known, henceforth, for brevity, as WWFD), I'd like to start to address an annoying phenomenon in the anti-vegan/anti-vegetarian world:

I am so tired of other people claiming that it is too time consuming, requires too much forethought and preparation, or takes too much money to make a healthy vegetarian (or vegan - even more so!) meal in the evening.

If you understand some basics (just as with all cooking), an easy, healthy, uncomplicated, and FAST meal can (and if you try this recipe, will!) be yours.

Here's WWFD #1: low carb fettucini with seared tofu and spinach with a quick pan sauce of garlic, lemon, basil.

Pantry items:
Low-carb Fettucini (I used this since I had some really high protein low carb stuff on hand, the brand I have is not vegan, you use what you want)
salt (kosher) and pepper
dried lemon (no joke, try "real lemon" and "real lime" - delicious and extremely versatile) crystals.
olive oil

Freezer items:
prefrozen cubes of garlic and basil (three of each, I get the dorot brand at Trader Joe's)
firm tofu (I almost always freeze my tofu before using it, then defrost and press - gives a much drier, more easy to crisp, texture - but a block of firm tofu from the fridge would be perfectly fine here)
you could use frozen spinach (defrost in the microwave just to room temp, then press well) - I used fresh

Fresh items: (this is where most people feel fouled up since savvy shopping won't save you)
soy milk (unflavored, you could also use dairy milk)
spinach (you could use frozen, but i didn't)

easy:
heat about 2 tsp of olive oil in a large skillet.
meanwhile, heat some water (salted) in a pot for your pasta.
slice the tofu into large uniform bite-sized pieces.
and toss it into the skillet.
cook the pasta.
when you have about a minute left on the pasta, and you have been lightly turning the tofu here and there and now it is golden, add to the tofu the garlic and the basil and mush them around.
add the spinach. add about 2 cups - sounds like a lot but it'll wilt into nearly nothing, agitate gently.
to finish - drain the pasta, save some of the water.
toss it into the skillet with the tofu etc.
finish with a splash of soy milk, stir it all up, and let thicken.
finish with salt, black pepper, and lemon granules to taste.

viola! it's WWFD.

I served this with roasted cauliflower. Red peppers would have been better.
if you try this one, let me know! Made with Carb-o-nada pasta (from the Al Dente company) to serve 4 each serving would have about 200 calories, and 18 grams of protein. this takes under ten minutes to prepare. The tofu I had on hand was .99 a pound at Costco, and including the fancy pasta (4.99 a bag, I used half a bag) and spinach (3 bucks for a big thing of it, I used less than 1/4) and the random ingredients, still cheap no matter how you crunch it.

a small start

I'll start with a recipe.
I posted it once before and it got lots of good reviews from my tofu-eating foodie pals. The original post can be found here.

but here's an easy high-protein mostly vegan meal that takes minimal time to prepare and is tasty.
La Nuit de la Grande Citrouille, Charlie Brown!
(Aromatic maple pumpkin tart with sage-polenta crust and red wine laquered wild mushroom ragout with sage and brown butter)
(yes, I know the butter isn't vegan)
(and that that description is silly)

preheat oven to 350 degrees.

ingredients (all of this is rough, I didn't measure):
1/2 cup corn meal
1.5 cu water
salt
about a tablespoon of finely minced (back cut for dryness) fresh sage

one can, 15 oz., of Libby's pumpkin (just the plain pumpkin, not the preflavored pie mix)
3/4 cup of silken reduced fat tofu
about a teaspoon of finely minced Chinese ginger
a small dash of ground red cayenne pepper (I always put this in a pumpkin pie, as an aside)
a few shakes of five spice powder
one shake of nutmeg
salt
2 tablespoons maple syrup

2 cups of mixed wild mushrooms (we had shitake, crimini, and oyster)
2 tsp of olive oil
1 tsp of unsalted butter
the red wine (a medium bodied cab) that was left in my glass (I think a dry chardonnay would have been better, but I wasn't drinking that)
some more fresh sage (this is just rolled up and sliced finely into the pan with kitchen scissors) - circa a teaspoon
salt

maple syrup (and a little Pecorino Romano as a garnish would have been good, but I didn't want the fat)

easy:

in a saucepan, put the water and salt it to taste (I think I used about 2 tsp). boil it. whisk in the corn meal, cook it until it is done over medium heat (maybe a minute or so), toss in the sage, whisk it all together, and remove from heat. set aside to cool a bit.

spray a nine inch metal pie pan or whatever you have around with some cooking spray. I just use the olive oil kind since I like the taste.

Press, using a hand rinsed in cold water (no sticking), the polenta into the pie pan, then put this in the oven and cook it for about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the filling: dump filling ingredients into a bowl and blend until smooth, then salt to taste. I used a stick blender. You use whatever you like.

when the "crust" is kinda set and dried a little, dump in the filling, smooth it out, and put it back in the oven.

I cooked it at about 350 (the oven in my apt is unreliable, but that is what my thermometer said. Incidentally, I set the oven to 390 F, so as ever, YMMV) for about 50 minutes whilst I accomplished other goals.

when it was done, I turned the oven off but left the pie in there while I made the mushrooms: put the olive oil in a skillet. get it warm but not super hot. put the mushrooms in, whole. toss in a pinch of salt. toss the mushrooms every so often to prevent sticking. when they're mostly done to your liking, toss in the sage. continue to cook. toss in the butter, let it brown very slightly, and lightly caramelize the outsides of the flat mushrooms. deglaze with whatever you were drinking at the time (kinda like a reverse monte au buerre), toss a bit more, the whole thing will thicken and be delicious.

to serve: cut a nice slice of your semisavory pie. put some of the mushrooms on top. pour on a teensy touch of real maple syrup, and finish with a sage leaf and a little Romano grana if you have it and are feeling fancy (or just eat it, if you are me, while watching William Shatner interview Jenna Jamison).

If you are a hungry person, 1/4 of the pie is a serving. roughly, this contains 14 grams of protein, 12.5 grams of sugars, and under 200 calories. plus the mushrooms, which, depending on how many you eat, are the source of fat in this dish.

Have vegetarian(ish) food ideas? a great recipe to share? tried this and it sucked? let me know!