Lunch!

Checking out 2 new recipes at once for lunch, reports to follow!

1. Smoky Miso Tofu
Notes:
- Coating the thin slices of tufu worked best for me by dipping them in the marinade and turning to coat - use your fingers!
- I ended up having to turn the heat up to 450F, turning the tofu pieces over gently. I also had to cook these for about 3 times as long. I wonder if the oven rack was too high? It's possible that having my baking stone and my cast iron skillet beneath the cookie sheet these were baking on may have necessitated the change in cooking time.
- This is really good, room temp or cold, with vegan mayo and lettuce and mustard on a bun.

2. Pinto Bean & Brown Rice Cakelets
Notes:
- I discovered at the last minute (Mike had gone to the store without his phone) that I had no canned pinto beans, so subbed a can of cannelini beans. Otherwise, this came together very easily even though I did have to make some brown rice (I used basmati).
- I wonder if these will need a dipping sauce, and I'm wondering if baking would work as opposed to frying.
- The recipe makes a LOT so I'm wondering if I can make the patties and freeze them (or cook them partway and then cool & freeze). I will be trying to do this as there is no way two of us will eat all this for lunch!
- I didn't add salt and they do need it (though there is plenty in the soy).

followup note: these cakelets were good, but not good enough to warrant the fat content.

why do I get the feeling we will be too stuffed for dinner?

chickpea salad sandwich

1 15 oz can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 chopped green bell pepper
1 chopped onion
1/2 cup nayonaise or veganaise
dash of cayenne
sea salt, pepper - to taste

mash chickpeas, add all else & stir it up. put on bread with lettuce & tomato.

posted at ppk by greenisgood

Fresh Spring Rolls

copied from culinate, an interesting omni blog

From the book Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites by Moosewood Collective
Serves 6
Total Time 1 hour
Yield 12 rolls
Introduction
\s.
Ingredients
Rolls
3 oz. rice vermicelli
2 to 3 cups lettuce, shredded
1 cup scallions, minced
1 cup carrots, peeled and shredded
1 cup red bell peppers, thinly sliced
\1¾ cups tofu strips (about 6 ounces)
½ cup fresh basil and/or cilantro, chopped
¼ cup toasted peanuts, chopped (optional)
12 rice-paper discs (see Note), each 8 to 10 inches in diameter
Dipping sauce
~ Hoisin sauce, thinned with a little water, or a combination of:
1½ Tbsp. brown sugar
¼ cup soy sauce
2 Tbsp. rice-wine vinegar or lime juice
Steps

1. Place the rice vermicelli in a heatproof bowl, cover with boiling water, and set aside for 10 to 12 minutes, until soft. Drain well.
2. Assemble all of the filling ingredients, then dampen a clean dishcloth and lay it flat on a work surface.
3. Fill a large bowl with hot water. Holding a fragile rice-paper disc by the edge, gently lower one side of it into the hot water; it will soften as it absorbs water. Slowly turn the disc in the water until it has completely softened, taking care not to force it or it may crack. Place the disc on the damp towel and flatten it out (see Note).
4. Using about 3 tablespoons of noodles, make a small bed of rice vermicelli just below the center of the disc. Top the noodles with 1 or 2 tablespoons of lettuce, a pinch of scallions, a sprinkling of carrots, 1 or 2 bell-pepper strips, and finally a few tofu strips. Sprinkle on some basil and/or cilantro and chopped peanuts, if desired.
5. Fold the two side edges of the disc over the filling to form a rectangular shape with curved ends. Roll up from the bottom to make a neat little package. Place, seam side down, on a platter.
6. Soften and fill each of the remaining rice-paper discs, cover with plastic wrap, and chill until ready to serve.
7. Serve with either, or both, of the two dipping sauces.

Notes

To soften several discs of rice paper before beginning to fill them, soften each one individually and arrange on the towel side by side; don’t stack them, because they will stick together.

Culinate editor’s notes: Other potential filling ingredients include fresh mint leaves and long, thin matchstick slices of cucumber.

This content is from the book Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites by Moosewood Collective.

My note: these are SO good! try them with the peanut sauce on this blog, or a chili sauce!

incredible-looking tofu

"the tofu was marinaded in the smoky tempeh marinade from v'con then sautéed in some oil & cooked off with bbq sauce." - from the ppk, posted by calcuhater

Follow-up notes: Oh, yeah. This is a keeper! Dinner was tofu, marinated in a smoky mix of garlic, Bragg's, stock, and liquid smoke, then broiled, then baked in a homemade barbecue sauce, served on a whole wheat bun & topped with veggie slaw (carrot, broccoli & cabbage in a light sauce) accompanied by home fries.

From Veganomicon:
- basic broiled tofu
- marinade from the smokey tempeh marinade recipe
- backyard barbecue sauce
- coleslaw

That sauce is great, and we have lots left over! Since we got a bag of preshredded veg for the slaw, I'll be using that in salad and stirfries. yum!