Jeera Thai

A few months ago when I was doing some holiday shopping at the Project Storefronts pop-up shops in New Haven, I spotted a new Thai restaurant on Crown Street.  It's wedged between a Nail salon and Bubble Tea place, all of which are making a go of it across from the new cooperative arts and humanities school.  I made a mental note to give the restaurant a try next time I was in the neighborhood, which is where I happened to find myself today.

After a week of summer-like weather, today's chill set the perfect stage for a bowl of noodles.  Jeera Thai does not disappoint in this arena, as there are many options to choose from.  There are also plenty of soups and curries as well.  I decided on the Pad Thai Miracle Noodles, which came with a good amount of my favorite veggie, baby bok choy.  You can choose from noodles made from tofu, yam or rice; I went with the traditional rice noodle.  The dish was topped with ground peanuts and had a flavorful combination of citrus and soy with a bit of sesame oil.

I started the meal with an order of Triple Mushroom Spring Rolls with Hawaiian Pineapple Dipping Sauce.  This was a good portion of super crisp and hot rolls filled with smoky mushrooms and cabbage.  The sweet and sour dipping sauce was the perfect contrast.

I jumped ahead and ordered dessert not realizing how filling my meal would be, but I was intrigued by the Yam Coconut Custard with Purple Sticky Rice.  Most of the time I get Mango Sticky Rice for dessert and have never had this dish before.  My server assured me it was vegan, so I decided to give it a try.

Served warm, the custard is light and spongy, and the sweet coconut cream is a luscious contrast to the savory sticky rice underneath.  I'm happy to know I now have a place for vegan dessert in New Haven!

Jeera Thai is a lovely little spot for a quick bite to eat serving creative dishes that surpass most Thai restaurants in the area.  There are only 4 stools beneath a narrow counter for seating, so unless you're prepared to bump and twist during your meal to allow diners and servers to squeeze past, I recommend takeout rather than dining in.  Or, once the weather warms up again, be sure to grab one of the 2 streetside tables for dining al fresco.

This Week's Menu

We're seeing green here at Well on Wheels headquarters... that is, St. Patrick's Day and all things Irish.  This week's menu features a traditional Irish side dish, Colcannon, made by combining mashed potatoes with chopped greens.  Any kind will do.  I used parsley, green onion and kale, but you can do this with green cabbage instead.

I was also making butternut bisque soup today, so I decided to throw in a bit of the squash, too, turning the potatoes a bright chartreuse color.  I kinda liked the glowing quality of the end result.  The Colcannon was served with pan-fried tempeh and a tahini mushroom gravy.

Also on the menu was a Teriyaki Seitan Stir-fry with broccoli, carrots and red onion.  I love the color contrasts, as well as the sweet and spicy flavors.  For textural interest, I tossed some roasted salted peanuts on for a finishing touch.

The final item on this week's menu was a Stewed Black Beans with Dirty Rice and Cumin Spiced Zucchini and Yellow Squash.  I've been doing variations on enchiladas the past couple of weeks, and this was sort of a deconstruction.  A delicious deconstruction.

This Week's Menu

I've recently been playing around with various combinations of colorful quinoa after discovering a box of black quinoa at my local health food store recently.  The black quinoa look similar in size and color to poppy seeds, which is slightly smaller than the more common white quinoa.  They take a little longer to cook (otherwise, you end up with a slightly crunchy pop when you bite into them).... but I'm liking them.  This week I decided to try mixing black and white quinoa for a paella.

I sauteed some sliced Tofurky Italian sausage in a pan, then added chopped onion, carrots, and mushrooms.  I finished it off with a can of Muir Glen fire-roasted tomatoes, some sliced kalamata olives, green peas, and a squeeze of lemon.  The flavor combination was slightly smoky and savory.  I topped the dish with a fan of steamed asparagus which made a nice color contrast.

The second meal this week was Black Bean and Garnet Yam Enchiladas since a client requested something Mexican.  I topped the enchilada with some homemade sauce spiced with chili powder, paprika, onion powder and cayenne pepper, and paired it with Cumin Spiced Zucchini which had been broiled in the oven.

The final entree was a simple tofu tir-fry since I found some baby bok choy at my health food store and thought it would be perfect with the plump snap peas that are coming into season soon.  Sesame seeds make a nice garnish for this dish.
 

Vegan Valentine

Valentine's Day is one of my favorite holidays to get creative as a vegan chef because it features the theme of love and the opportunity to use aphrodisiac ingredients like avocados, asparagus, dates and of course... chocolate.  What better way to show someone how much you love them than by cooking a fabulous meal for them?

This intimate dinner for two began with an amuse bouche of Toast Points with Basil Oil and Sundried Tomato Butter.  This little teaser did the trick for satisfying a bread craving, despite my adherence to gluten-free.

The salad that followed was a luscious ripe Avocado Topped with Red Sand Spice Blend, Campari Tomatoes and Pea Shoots.  Even in February these were all tantalizingly flavorful.

The main course for the evening was Crispy Tofu with Horseradish Cream, Steamed Asparagus with Basil Oil, and Red and White Quinoa.

 Ohhh.... the flavors.  You'd never imagine they'd blend so well together, but they did... visually, too.

And they even looked pretty as an emulsion topped with green hearts!

The two-part dessert began with Chocolate Covered Strawberries (how could it not?) and was then to be concluded with the grand finale of a Chocolate Pudding Parfait, but instead that became breakfast the next day.  So much food!

It was fun putting these together, and you'd never guess the raw chocolate pudding was made with avocados, dates, and cocoa powder.

A fairly healthy ending to an otherwise decadent meal.

This Week's Menu

This week the birds started singing their pre-spring songs and I started thinking about pre-spring veggies... asparagus, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts.  I also tossed in some spices and made some soups to warm things up since, despite the warmer weather, it's still getting pretty chilly at night.  That didn't stop me from making a bunch of salads, however.  It seems I can't get enough of avocado lately.

The first entree featured Pan-Fried Tempeh with Wild Rice Pilaf and Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Asparagus and Cauliflower.  Roasting these veggies brings out their natural sweetness.  My favorite part are the crunchy little edges, or even entire leaves of Brussels sprouts that verge on being overdone.  Super sweet treat!

Entree #2 was a Mediterrannean Pasta tossed with Toasted Pine Nuts, Sundried Tomatoes, Kalamata Olives, Cannelini Beans, Fresh Basil and Baby Spinach.  A generous drizzle of olive oil and sauteed garlic add depth of flavor to the dish.

The last entree is kinda summery, but I was being hopeful.  I like Barbecue Tofu any time of year, and paired with Mashed Potatoes and Dijon Green Beans, it made me dream of sultry afternoons followed by relaxed dining al fresco.  Ahh... that is the life.

My Tale of Two Salads began with a Red Leaf Lettuce Tossed with Tahini Dijon Vinaigrette plated in a bowl lined with Cucumber Rounds and Cherry Tomato Halves.  Simple, delicious and beautiful.

The second salad was inspired by the first, and included cucumber triangles, tomato wedges, lovely red leaf lettuce, and more of that savory dressing, this time enhanced by horseradish.  Yeah, a little spice is what we all need.

And then there's soup.  This one was a hearty Minstrone featuring broccolini, baby spinach, potatoes, carrots and fire-roasted tomatoes in the mix.  Perfect for after a hike.

This Week's Menu

This week's menu is inspired by the tropics, and my memory of clean air, warm sunshine, tantalizing spices, and fresh fruit every morning.  I recently returned from a much-needed mini hiatus to the warmer climes of Nosara, Costa Rica, one of the world's five Blue Zones where people live longer and healthier.  This was like a literal and figurative oasis in the middle of winter which, although it has been a mild one, was nice to retreat from temporarily.

So I added a little spice in the form of cumin and chili powder to meal #1 which consisted of Fire-Roasted Tomato and Green Chili Black Beans, Spanish Rice, and Cumin Spiced Oven Roasted Yellow and Green Squash.  It felt like the middle of summer in the Well on Wheels kitchen.

Meal #2 was another spicy dish, this time flavored with fresh basil and red pepper flakes.  I've made this before with tofu and tempeh, but this week I featured seitan as the protein for the Teriyaki Stir-fry with Broccoli, Carrot, and Peanuts on Brown Rice.

The third entree this week reminded me that it's still the middle of winter, and therefore comfort food was in order.  This came in the form of Pan-fried Tempeh with Mashed Potatoes and Kale and Crimini Mushroom Gravy.  A perfect way to take the chill of a cold January evening.