On Friday night, I made Moroccan Mishmash, and it was just as fun and savory as I remembered it. I nearly added some mint, just to see what would happen, but at the last minute I chickened out. Tofu-ed out? Seitan-ed out? Anyway, I served it atop salt-n-(white)pepper rice, which complemented the flavors perfectly, drawing out the more umami notes, which I always love in dinner.
Saturday night, Mister didn't feel much like eating, so I made a quick pitstop up to SuperFresh so I could make myself a little veggie-tofu bowl with the tofu I had left over from....well, I don't quite remember, but it was earlier in the week (which should be enough of a hint about my lack of memory). I came back with this sucker:
I'm not a big fan of frozen broccoli...or carrots, but I allowed myself to be fooled into thinking that "Perfectly Cooks in the Bag!" meant that it would taste fresher than "ordinary" mixed frozen veggies. I was horribly mistaken. Although the light seasoning was tasty and the vegetables probably maintained at least 50% of their original nutrients through the freezing, bagging, and microwaving process, they maintained absolutely none of their characteristic crunch. Once I remembered they were frozen veggies I "steamed" in a bag in my microwave, I didn't feel so bad about the whole situation. Besides, the tofu (braised in a blend of apple juice, olive oil, tamari, and garlic powder) was divine.
Last night, we had Thai Pineapple Stir-Fried Rice from Vegan Express. As I was preparing everything, it dawned on me how Way-Too-Much-For-Two-People the recipe would make if I used the full cup and a half of rice called for in the recipe (remember kids, rice multiplies its size by three when cooked!), I cut it down to one cup without even bothering to think that I should also reduce the amount of coconut milk I added at the end. As a result, it was a little brothy, but fortunately, Mister decided I had actually made a pineapple curry, so I just let it go at that.
Tonight, I reprised Granada Paella from The Urban Vegan, because we both just love that dish so much - I've mentioned before that it's the only paella recipe I have that actually cooks the rice in fewer than two hours. It never looks any different, though, so if you want a pretty picture, click the link :)
Following my heart through the pages of The Urban Vegan, I felt compelled to welcome September (one of my favorite months) with its signature fruit, cleverly disguised as dessert (rather than breakfast). I made Double Apple Cake and it was moist and a little dense and each little cube of apple was a pleasure to bite into. There was an unexpected shock of ginger with each bite of apple, since the little cubes were coated with powdered ginger, cinnamon, sugar, and lemon juice. I'm considering baking my way through the alphabet this fall...thoughts?
Speaking of thinking, we'll be back to my in-depth "book report" tomorrow, but for now, feast your minds and eyes on this week's menu:
1. Curried Bulghur Casserole with Garbanzo Beans from The Complete Vegan Cookbook. I've made it before and felt it wasn't quite noteworthy "as-is," so I'll be embellishing a bit this time around.
2. Tomato Pie with Beans and Greens, both from The Urban Vegan. I'm altering the recipe for the tomato pie so significantly, it will barely follow the author's notes, but I wanted to give her credit for inspiring me.
3. Clara's Pasta e Fagioli, also from The Urban Vegan.
So, there you have it - short week, short menu. Stay tuned for your regularly scheduled programming, returning tomorrow night with another B*tch session!
No comments:
Post a Comment