A Mongolian Tale

One of my favorite dishes as a meat-eater was chicken piccata. I ordered it pretty much every time we went to our favorite Italian restaurant. It’s one of the few dishes I miss a bit, but probably more from the lemony sauce and capers than the chicken. So imagine my delight to find Tempeh Piccata in “Chloe’s Kitchen”! As soon as I came across that recipe, I knew it had to be part of this week’s menu plan.

This recipe called for steaming the tempeh first. I had not done that in any of my prior tempeh recipes. It’s supposed to make the tempeh less bitter, but I actually don’t find it bitter at all, so I may leave that step out next time.  Since I was using my cast iron skillet, I did rub a tiny bit of oil in the pan, but I eliminated the vegan margarine. It was definitely not missed. I also added extra capers since we love them!   I served this dish over rice and with sautéed spinach.

I did double the recipe, since I knew I was going to love it and I wanted leftovers. Plus, I do have two big eaters in the house and I like to make sure I have enough. I am finding that I need to double most of Chloe’s recipes. Her serving size is clearly not the same as in my house.

(Doesn’t it even LOOK like chicken piccata???)

Next up:

Mongolian BBQ Seitan – This was also a fabulous dish! I loved the homemade barbecue sauce with a kick from the chili-garlic sauce and the fragrance of the ground ginger, cinnamon and cloves. This really was a pretty easy dinner to put together — Chloe describes it as “effortless”. I did double the recipe (of course), but I tripled the sauce so we had a little extra to put over our rice.

Note: In the video, she starts with making her seitan from scratch… I did not do this; I purchased the seitan and it was just as delicious. Just skip ahead on the video; you can also find the recipe online in print format.

IMDb: A Mongolian Tale (1995)

 

 

Chloe

Winter Storm Stella has us all home bound (25-28″ at last measure) so I thought I’d crank out a blog post as I recover from extreme shoveling.  (Yes, I will be sore tomorrow!)

*****

A few weeks ago I attended a class “Demystifying Tofu” (a topic for another day) at which I met a woman who recommend a new cookbook: “Chloe’s Kitchen” by Chloe Coscarelli. My new friend, Lisa, raved about the recipes so, on the spot, I ordered the book from Amazon.  I have since been trying out a slew of recipes from it ever since and we have all absolutely loved them! Isa is still my favorite by a teensy bit, but this book is a very close second.

Tonight I tried Green Curry Crepes – my first attempt at crepes of any kind. I did some homework on the internet before braving this task to ensure I was aware of any and all handy-dandy cooking tips. One article said the first 1-2 are “experimental” and will give you the hang of it and, truly, I felt like a pro by the time I was done. There was not a crepe left in the dish!  Ethan loves crepes so I’ll have to look for some new recipes now that I’m comfortable making them.

Here’s a photo of one of the crepes.  I intended to take a photo of a plated crepe (the delicious filling has potato, onion, carrot, chickpeas, coconut milk, and seasonings), but I couldn’t wait to try them and then I forgot. 

The next fabulous recipe was her Falafel Sliders with Avocado Hummus. Her secret ingredient is sun-dried tomatoes in the falafel, and the avocado hummus was to die for! I doubled the recipe so we had a few leftover. I eliminated the oil in the sliders and added a tablespoon instead of 1/4 cup to the hummus.  I’m thinking I could eliminate it there, too.  These truly were fantastic, and not as difficult to make as I expected, given that there are 3 separate pieces.   Definitely toast the buns!

Drunken Noodles in Cashew-Shiitake Broth: I have loved trying so many different types of noodles on this way of eating. Soba, Rice, Lo Mein, Ramen, Somen… and this recipe called for Udon noodles. They cook quickly – typically 4 minutes – and hold up in stir fries and soups. I doubled this recipe, as well, and good thing!  Ethan had 4 bowls!  It’s such a great soup for strengthening the immune system: garlic, freshly grated ginger, cayenne… Great stuff!  And I actually remembered to take a photo!

I have tried several more and will try to get those shared with you soon!

IMDb: Chloe (2009)

 

Lady Vengeance

I recently bought a new Isa cookbook.  As you all know, “Isa Does It” is my go-to book. My family loves all her recipes and they are easily adaptable to “no oil”. She provides great cooking tips and shares ideas for substitutions in many cases.

The new book is “Vegan with a Vengeance” and I’ve tried out a few recipes so far.

Ginger Pear Waffles were pretty easy to make and were quite tasty. I found the batter had a more powerful taste than the cooked product, so I might use a bit more ginger next time. I made the mistake of doubling the batter since the recipe said it made eight 6-inch round waffles.  I read it as “6 waffles” and thought I better make 12…  The good news is that we had leftovers for breakfast for a few days.

The Tempeh Reuben is a new favorite in my house!! I always say a recipe’s success is based on how much my son eats… He ate FOUR of these sandwiches!!!  Marinated tempeh (a new favorite), vegan mayo-based Thousand Island dressing, and sauerkraut on grilled pumpernickel bread. It was fabulous!  Highly recommend! I made this with some French fries from the air fryer and Ethan dipped his fries in the dressing – a very tasty dinner!

Creamy Red Chard Linguine was an easy pasta dish on a night where you need a quick dish. I used Merlot since that’s what we always have on hand and it gave the dish a great flavor. I did double the recipe and swapped out the Swiss chard for spinach. I have never used Swiss chard, so just went for what I knew everyone would eat (plus I had some extra spinach in the fridge). Next time: Swiss chard it is.

So I’m cooking with a vengeance and loving all these great dishes! Can’t wait to work my way through the rest of the book.

p.s. A quick shout out to Jean for a great “Tofu Demystified” class today!  I learned a lot and it was great to make some new friends!

IMDb: Lady Vengeance (2005)

The Silence of the Lambs

“I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice chianti.”
~Dr Hannibal Lecter, “The Silence of the Lambs”

As I started to write this post, this quote came to mind. I remember going to see this great movie with my friend, Susie, and we clung to each other the whole time!

In case you are worried…no… I’m not cooking liver!  I did, however, cook fava beans for the first time ever!  Have you ever even seen a fava bean?? Those suckers are huge! (Or “yuge”, if you are following current politics.)

Yesterday’s dinner included: Isa’s Garlicky Thyme Tempeh (my first foray into tempeh), Lemon-Garlic Fava Beans & Mushrooms, and rice.

The tempeh was easy to do; basically cut according to the instructions, marinate for an hour or more, and grill or broil.  I actually seared on high heat in my cast iron pot which worked just as well. I will admit that, despite actually purchasing fresh thyme, I just ended up using dried. Minus the oil, I followed the fava beans recipe as is and both made for a delicious, hearty meal.

One more new recipe, also from Isa… Good Gravy Bowl with Broccoli & Seitan. The gravy is delicious; I actually doubled the gravy so I had some left over to top a baked potato for lunch. My only challenges with this recipe were related to poor planning. I felt like I used a lot of pots for this recipe for some reason and I didn’t plan the usage correctly. When I realized that I forgot to cook the quinoa, I only had a small pot available and I made a mess on the stove!  So plan ahead!  🙂

“Quid pro quo, Clarice. Quid pro quo.”  What delicious plant-based recipes have you tried lately?

IMDb: The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

Tofu the Vegan Zombie in Zombie Dearest

Just to get things started: a reminder.  Given the “lights cancer action” theme of my blog, every blog title is an actual movie term or title.  So, yes, this is actually a movie.  🙂

And, as you can guess, our topic is tofu!

I have indicated several times in the past that I have completely avoided soy since forever, but even more so since my diagnosis. There was so much debate as to whether tofu was healthy for a breast cancer survivor of an estrogen positive tumor, it wasn’t worth the risk. I changed my mind after reading Dr. Greger’s “How Not To Die”. The chapter on breast cancer, and his supporting research, convinced me that soy is actual beneficial.

I read that book months and months ago, but, despite giving myself the green light, I remained intimidated by tofu.  That is until this week!  I finally braved purchasing and cooking with it.

I have my Scranton Beets group to thank for getting me over my hurdle.  I tried this yummy dessert two weekends ago and loved it SO much that I made it for a party I attended this past weekend.

Pina Colada Banana Coupe’

1 pound can of pineapple chunks (drained)
1/3 cup shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)
2 T. of a sweetener (I used brown rice syrup; other options: honey, agave, etc.)
1/2 cup silken tofu
1-2 small, ripe bananas

Put all ingredients (except the bananas) in your food processor and blend until very smooth.  Layer the banana slices with the pudding and chill it before serving.  (For a bigger group, double the recipe.)

Inquiring minds might want to know: It’s called a coupe’ because the original recipe instructions suggested that this dessert be served in stemmed wineglasses or some other individual serving cup.  I had to Google coupe’, which means “a shallow glass or glass dish, typically with a stem, in which desserts or champagne are served.”

The dessert was a hit at the party for vegans and non-vegans alike!

After this, I was feeling quite brave and moved on to a dish with firm tofu. Purchasing the tofu wasn’t as overwhelming as I thought it would be. It was in a refrigerator in the health food section and was clearly labeled “silken” and “firm”.  🙂

Tonight’s recipe was, again, from my go-to book “Isa Does It”: Shroomy Hot & Sour Soup. It was pretty easy to make and was absolutely delicious!  The fact that my 15-year-old ate FOUR bowls will give you some indication of just how good it was.  The tofu was tasty and the texture didn’t freak me out.

I plan to continue experimenting with more tofu recipes and, in fact, will be attending a “tofu 101” class offered by our Scranton Beets leader, Jean Hayes.  If any local peeps are interested in attending, you can check out the Scranton Beets Facebook page and sign up for Tofu Demystified on Sunday, February 26th, 2-4:00 pm.

Hope to see you there!

IMDb: Tofu the Vegan Zombie in Zombie Dearest (2007)

Love Old and New

We’ve been enjoying a lot of new recipes this past week, along with some oldies but goodies:

New: “From Oh She Glows Every Day”, Fusilli Lentil Mushroom Bolognese. This was a tasty dish, and I would make it again, although I found it to be similar to Isa’s Lentil-Roni, which is a little easier to make, with fewer ingredients.

Old: From “Isa Does It”, Dilly Stew with Dumplings. Ethan really loves this one, especially the dumplings. I make 1 1/2 batches of those which gives us enough for dinner plus leftovers, and yet they still fit in the pot for steaming. I’m not a fan of rosemary, so I do use dill or thyme instead of the rosemary in the dumplings. Honestly, you probably don’t need anything additional in them.

New: From “OneGreenPlanet.org”, Vegan Crab Cakes and French Fries. I’ve done the crab cakes just baked, and they are fine that way, just a bit drier. They are, obviously, better fried, but then you get all the fat. My edits: I don’t cook my own garbanzo beans; I use 2 cans. Rather than grinding up my crackers, I use panko or bread crumbs. And I’ve never had luck finding dulse flakes, so I substitute Old Bay.

For the fries… I have been using my new air fryer (a Christmas gift from my hubby). I’m getting better as it as I use it more, but the fries were quite delicious and Ethan asked for them more often. The instructions say to toss the potatoes in oil, which I do NOT do, and it’s actually not necessary at all.  I think the intent is to keep them from sticking (the potato starch can make them stick together). I have found the trick is to dry the potatoes off well before starting, and to mix the potatoes periodically during baking.

Old: From “Isa Does It”, Wild Rice Soup with Seitan Strips. I think this soup is delicious, as does the family. It’s tough finding Isa’s recipes online, so this link is a modification of the original. What’s missing is the Seitan strips. While you could make the soup without the seitan, and really not miss it, I do find it adds a little something. I simply cut the strips and fry in a non-stick pan until browned – then just throw in the soup.

New: I have to say that “Isa Does It” probably IS my favorite cookbook. Tonight we tried her Chipotle Oyster Mushroom Tacos and they were fabulous. Definitely one of my new favorites. Ethan and David both really enjoyed them also. I loved the texture of the oyster mushrooms. If you don’t like mushrooms because of mushy texture, these might be the ones to try, as they stayed pretty firm after cooking. This one definitely goes into the rotation!

Two more Isa recipes on tap for the rest of the week: New: Lentil Quinoa Stew and Old: White Wine Risotto! Yum!  I highly recommend this particular book for purchase. It’s become well-worn from much use.

IMDb: Love Old and New (1961)

 

So Far So Good

Day Two! So far, so good!

Just to keep myself honest with getting back to healthier eating, I’m going to try to get back to posting menu plans and recipes… I’ve tried so many new ones over the past few months, there is a lot to share!

I did receive 3 new cookbooks for Christmas.  I had actually asked Santa for “Straight From the Earth” (by Myra & Marea Goodman) and so far I have enjoyed both recipes I tried.  I have to admit, however, that both were a bit more time consuming than I would prefer, especially on a week night.  So I’ll save those for days that I have a little more time to cook.

Over the weekend I made Pasta with Creamy Mushroom Sauce.  My only modification was to reduce the olive oil. The dish was quite tasty, but I have made a similar dish from Forks Over Knives (Mushroom Stroganoff) that I liked just as much with, seemingly, less work — and no oil. I will admit to using regular sour cream in place of the tofu sour cream in the FOK version, but that’s only because I’m intimated by tofu.  (I definitely need a class!)

The second recipe I tried from this particular book was Baked Falafel Pitas with Chopped Greek Salad and Roasted Cashew Sauce. I should have guessed by the long name that this was going to take a while…3 separate pieces.  None of hard, but collectively longer than I would spend on a school night meal.  This one had a few modifications, mostly just to reduce the oil.  Next time I try this one, I am going to try for a complete elimination of the oil.  I also did not bother to roast either the cashews or the pine nuts.

Chopped Greek Salad: I eliminated ALL the oil and didn’t miss it.  I actually enjoyed this and would eat it as a side salad just by itself.

Roasted Cashew Sauce: I clearly didn’t realize this part called for 1/4 cup of oil. Yikes, that’s a lot of nutrient free fat! Because I was afraid of ruining the consistency, I reduced it to a 1/8 cup. But next time I think I would eliminate completely and see how it goes.

Falafel: Again, I eliminated the 2 tablespoons of oil in the mixture, and I did not grease the pan (I used a Pampered Chef stone and had no issues with sticking. Use parchment if needed, but skip the oiled pan.)

I actually really, really enjoyed these! Plus leftovers for lunch!

*****

Tonight I opted for quick and simple, borrowing from fellow McDougaller and recipe creator extraordinaire, Michael Klunker.  He’s got a slew of great recipes on his site, Klunker’s Kitchen.  I love a recipe where you throw everything in one pot and just cook. Easy clean up, easy prep.  For his Insanely Easy Potato Corn Chowder, I love that a few of the ingredients were frozen, so that makes prep even easier. Limited chopping (potatoes, carrots, onion and celery), one pot, 13 minutes in the Instant Pot, and a quick spin of the immersion blender, and this was done in short order.

The soup was delicious as is!  I think my only tweak for my personal taste is a bit less onion and I would add some more corn.  Enough for 3 for dinner, plus leftovers!  When you check out this recipe, you should see what else Michael has on his page.  Would love to hear if you find any others you enjoy!

*****

IMDb: So Far So Good (2012)