UDON STIR FRY

The already cooked Udon noodles are in the refrigerated section of the produce department of the grocery store near the tofu. They seem all gummed together when you open the package, but when you add them to your pan and stir, they quickly loosen up. This is the closest thing I have found to the yummy soft chow mein noodles that you get from a Chinese food place. I received some very cute mushrooms in my CSA box which were perfect for this. I have no idea what kind they are, but as with any stir fry, just use whatever veggies you have, and a bag of frozen stir fry veggies works too!

INGREDIENTS:
Stir fry veggies... frozen or fresh, whatever you have, and plenty of them.
1 package Udon
1/2 package tofu, firm, cut into 1/2" cubes
4 T tamari or soy sauce

Stir fry your veggies until crisp tender. Add Udon and stir until loose. Add tofu and tamari/soy and stir gently until everything is heated through. (The Udon comes with a flavor packet of powder that you can mix with water and add if you like. I kind of avoid that kind of thing. Check the ingredients to make sure there isn't anything yucky in there if you want to use it. I'm pretty sure it is vegetarian.)

I just had to post another photo of the cute mushrooms....

MUSHROOMS AND ISRAELI COUSCOUS

Every time I cook something with mushrooms, it always comes out fantastic. So meaty and satisfying with great flavor. I can't decide whether sage or thyme is my favorite herb to go with mushrooms... this recipe uses thyme, which is probably my second favorite herb flavor, next to rosemary. I don't have thyme growing in my backyard. It just isn't as hearty as rosemary and I don't have much or a green thumb, but if I could get it to grow, I would! Having fresh thyme all the thyme :-) would be fantastic. But for this recipe, I use dried.

INGREDIENTS:
1 and 1/3 cups Israeli coucous (that's the big kind)
2 cups water
1 t salt
2 T oil or butter

1 lb mushrooms, sliced or chopped (I used king trumpet and crimini for this version. King trumpet are kind of hard to find. Molly brings them home for me from the San Francisco Ferry Building Farmers Market. You have to slice them very thin and you use the whole stem.)
4 T oil
1/2 t salt*
1/2 t ground pepper*
1/2 t granulated garlic*
1/2 t onion powder*
(*salt, pepper, onion powder, and granulated garlic together is the same thing as my house seasoning, so you could also use 2 t of house seasoning instead)
1/4 t red pepper flakes
1/2 t dried thyme

INSTRUCTIONS:
Cook the couscous and water with 1 t salt and 1 T oil or butter in the rice cooker just as if you were cooking rice (note the ratio of couscous to water is different).

Put the oil in a large saute pan on medium heat, add all of the herbs and spices and stir around to bring out the flavor of the spices.

Add all of the mushrooms and saute until tender. Turn off the heat.

Add the cooked couscous and gently stir.

BROWN RICE PAD THAI

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup brown rice
2.5 cups water

2 T oil
4 cups of various stir fry vegetables or a 10oz bag of frozen stir fry veggies
1/2 package tofu, firm, cut in 1/2" cubes
3 cubes of Dorot cilantro or chopped fresh cilantro if you have it

1 T sriracha sauce
1 T crushed garlic
4 T soy sauce
1 T brown sugar
1 T lime juice

INSTRUCTIONS:
Cooked the brown rice in a rice cooker 1 cup of brown rice to 2.5 cups of water.

Saute your veggies in a large skillet on high heat with 2T oil until they are crisp tender... or thawed... depending on what kind of veggies you use.

Turn heat down to medium.

Mix the sriracha, garlic, soy, sugar, and lime juice in a small bowl.

Add the tofu to the pan of veggies. Pour the sauce over the tofu and let sit for a minute on the tofu.

Add the brown rice and the cilantro and stir it all together.

Taste and add more soy sauce if it needs salt.

AWESOME CILANTRO (OR PESTO) POTATO SALAD

This is so easy you can have it finished in 2 minutes after your potatoes are steamed... then just let it marinate while cooling a bit. A perfect side dish.

1 lb. small red potatoes (or small yukon gold or fingerling), cut in quarters
3 T olive oil
2 T dijon mustard
1 tsp House Seasoning (salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder)
2 cubes Dorot cilantro
Note: For Pesto Potato Salad substitute lemon juice and Dorot Basil for the mustard and cilantro.

Steam the potatoes until just tender (you can boil them too, if you don't have a steamer). Combine the remaining ingredients in a bowl large enough to hold the potatoes (don't worry if the herb cubes aren't melted). Dump in the potatoes and stir. Let sit for a minute so the herb cubes melt. Stir again to completely coat the potatoes and let sit to marinate for 15 minutes or so. Best eaten at room temperature, but you can refrigerate for later as well.

COLCANNON

Colcannon is Irish mashed potatoes and cabbage (or kale). My girls always loved anything with cabbage in it... so this is a big hit. (Note that I use red potatoes with the skins still on them... so that is potato skin in the photos... not bacon... although, if you eat bacon, it would probably be a fabulous addition, but not traditional.)

INGREDIENTS:
3 lbs red new potatoes (or yukon gold, or whatever you have), cut in chunks
1/2 head green cabbage or bunch of kale
1 large onion (or two leeks), chopped
1 clove crushed garlic
3 T Butter (or Earth Balance)
salt
pepper
onion powder (optional)
1/2 c milk (or almond milk)

DIRECTIONS:
Cut up potatoes and onion

        

Place in salted water.

Throw in the onion.

 

Bring to a boil and cook until soft. Then pull out the potatoes/onion leaving the boiling water in the pot.

Now throw the cabbage into the boiling water and cook for a few minutes while you mash the potatoes. You will know the cabbage is done when it gets a little translucent.

While your cabbage is cooking, get a large bowl and put in the butter, milk, salt, pepper, garlic, and onion powder.

Add potatoes and mash.

Drain cabbage

Add to mashed potatoes.

 

Season to taste.

MUSHROOM GALETTE

This is one of the yummiest things I have ever made. It is simple and just awesome. I like it best with just leeks and mushrooms (I tried putting in greens, chard, once as you can see if some of the photos, but I didn't like it nearly as well. I would suggest serving the greens on the side.) This looks really fancy, so is nice for a fancy dinner. I also took it to a party as an appetizer and it was a big hit.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 T oil
• 2 large leeks (or onions), chopped
• 1 lb mushrooms, chopped, whatever kind you have... crimini, portobello, white button, shitake, oyster, king trumpet (sliced thin instead of chopped), etc.
• salt
• pepper
• 1 T butter (I use Earth Balance vegan butter)
• 1 single pie crust (I cheat and use the rolled up pre-made kind)
• 1/2 tsp Poultry seasoning (optional... if you want a more Thanksgiving holiday taste)
• 1 ice cube
• 1 T kosher salt

DIRECTIONS:
Saute leeks (onions) and mushrooms in a large pan, season with salt and pepper and optional poultry seasoning.

 

If you want to use dried shitake mushrooms, bring them to a boil in a saucepan of water, turn off heat and let sit for 15 minutes, then drain and add to your saute. (the broth is good for soup stock)

(Lovely oyster mushrooms that Molly brought home from the SF Farmer's Market)

Unroll your crust onto a baking sheet (you can use parchment paper if you don't have a Silpat)

Put your filling in the center leaving a good inch and a half around the edge.

Start by folding up one side, and continue all the way around.

Put a couple dabs of butter on top of the filling.

Take an ice cube and rub it around all over the top of the crust to make it wet.

Sprinkle kosher salt all over the top.

Bake at 375°F until crust is nice and brown (around 20-30 minutes).

CASHEW LOAF

I'm always looking for a good loaf to make... and I'm always trying to find good recipes for tofu since it seems to be the healthiest form of protein. This loaf is very tasty, full of veggies, and easy to make...Oh, and it's not full of cheese and eggs like most veggie loafs! I called it Cashew Loaf because Tofu Loaf only sounds good to gnomes...

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 Tbsp olive or canola oil
• 1 onion in chunks
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2 medium-size carrots
• 2 stalks celery
• 1 Tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp ground sage
• 1 tsp. dried thyme
• 1 lb firm tofu
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup ground raw cashews
• 1 tsp. vegan Worcester sauce
• 1 Tbsp. white miso
• 1 Tbsp. tamari or soy sauce
• 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

Preheat oven to 375°.

Put carrots, celery, garlic, and onion in the food processor and pulse until finely chopped. I only have a small food processor, so I have to do it one kind of vegetable at a time. You can chop it finely if you don't have a food processor. 

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a frying pan and sauté the veggies with the salt for about 5 minutes, until vegetables are softened.

It is best to get as much water out of the tofu as possible. I saw this technique online and though it was brilliant. Open up the tofu, put it in a strainer, put the tofu container on top and put a big can of tomatoes or something into the container as a weight. Let it sit like that for at least an hour.

Use the food processor to grind up your cashews.

Crumble the tofu into a mixing bowl and add the cooked vegetables, bread crumbs, miso, tamari, seasonings and everything else. Mix it up, use your hands to get the tofu blended.

Oil a loaf pan and press the mixture into it. Drizzle the top with 1 tablespoon olive oil and bake for 35 minutes.

 

MAC & CHEESE (Vegan)

I found this recipe on the VegNews website (by Allison Rivers Samson). It was voted their #1 recipe for several years. It is pretty awesome for not having any dairy or fake stuff in it. I wouldn't say it tastes that much like mac & cheese, but it is really good anyway.

INGREDIENTS:

4 quarts water

1 tablespoon sea salt

8 ounces macaroni

4 slices of bread, torn into large pieces

2 tablespoons + 1/3 cup non-hydrogenated margarine (the first time I made this, I actually didn't see the "+1/3 cup" part and only used 2 T... still good!)

2 tablespoons shallots, peeled and chopped

1 cup red or yellow potatoes, peeled and chopped

1/4 cup carrots, peeled and chopped

1/3 cup onion, peeled and chopped

1 cup water

1/4 cup raw cashews

2 teaspoons sea salt

1/4 teaspoon garlic, minced

1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon lemon juice, freshly squeezed

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/8 teaspoon cayenne

1/4 teaspoon paprika

In a large pot, bring the water and salt to a boil. Add macaroni and cook until al dente. In a colander, drain pasta and rinse with cold water. Set aside. (You know how to do this... no photo)

In a food processor, make breadcrumbs by pulverizing the bread and 2 tablespoons margarine to a medium-fine texture. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a saucepan, add shallots, potatoes, carrots, onion, and water, and bring to a boil. Cover the pan and simmer for 15 minutes, or until vegetables are very soft.

In a blender, process the cashews, salt, garlic, 1/3 cup margarine, mustard, lemon juice, black pepper, and cayenne. Add softened vegetables and cooking water to the blender and process until perfectly smooth.

In a large bowl, toss the cooked pasta and blended cheese sauce until completely coated.

Spread mixture into a 9 x 12 casserole dish, sprinkle with prepared breadcrumbs, and dust with paprika.

Bake for 30 minutes or until the cheese sauce is bubbling and the top has turned golden brown.