This Week's Menu

Seasonal veggies, creamy goodness, comfy comfort food... that was the theme this week.

I think my favorite on the menu would be the Mac 'n' Cheese 'n' Stuff, which is kinda like if Mac 'n Cheese hooked up with Cauliflower Au Gratin and created this love child.  Then it's topped off with a crunchy topping of toasted walnuts and breadcrumbs.  I could eat it every snow-stormy day this winter.

Next up is the Baked Tofu with Warm Savoy Cabbage and Carrot Slaw and Quinoa.  I always forget to cook with cabbage, but this week I remembered!  It's so sweet and delicious.

Finally, the Panfried Tempeh with Mushroom Gravy, Mashed Potato and Rutabaga and Steamed Broccoli.  I love throwing a mix of starches together and mashing them up.  This week it's the slightly bitter, slightly sweet rutabaga (purple turnip) which makes its appearance on the menu.  Yum!

Tofu, Cauliflower, Carrot and Kale with Indonesian Peanut Sauce

A client recently requested a cooking lesson to learn how to make Tempeh and Broccoli with Indonesian Peanut Sauce.  Since it was nearing lunchtime and I was in a peanutty mood, I decided to make some for myself with veggies I had on hand.  I think the cauliflower was the perfect vehicle for absorbing that sauce, and the flavors and colors worked really well together.  I'd also consider swapping the tofu for the tempeh in the future since I discovered it microwaved pretty well after marinating in tamari and toasted sesame oil for just a few minutes.  Quick, easy, and oh, so satisfying.

Faux Farmer's Cheese and Caramelized Onion in Phyllo Cups

I saw this hors d'oueuvre listed in a VegNews article about perfect vegan wedding menus and thought I'd try creating the recipe myself since I couldn't find one on short notice.  The original called for puff pastry, but when I went shopping in the frozen foods section of my local independent grocer, all I found was the Fillo Factory phyllo dough, so I decided to make phyllo cups instead.  I figured I've made vegan spanikopita many times before, so how tough could this be?  I think the results went far beyond expectations.


Faux Farmers Cheese and Caremelized Onion in Phyllo Cups

(makes 1 dozen)

8 sheets of phyllo

¼ cup melted Earth Balance


Filling:

8 oz. extra firm tofu

4 oz. Tofutti cream cheese

4 oz. Daiya mozzarella

1 Tbl nutritional yeast

¼ tsp garlic powder

1 tsp dried oregano

¼ tsp sea salt

fresh black pepper

1 cup caramelized onion

olive oil

Start by laying 4 sheets of phyllo on a cloth towel that's on top of a wet paper towel.  Since the sheets are long, cut them in half, then make a stack of 8.  With a pastry brush, spread melted Earth Balance margarine evenly over the first sheet.  Lay a second sheet on top and brush with margarine, then repeat this process until all 8 sheets have been "buttered."  Cut the stack into 6 even squares and tuck them into the cups of a nonstick muffin pan.  You will need to do this process again in order to make a dozen phyllo cups.

Once the phyllo is in the muffin cups, get out your food processor to make the faux farmer's cheese filling.  Pulse together tofu, cream cheese, Daiya mozzarella, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, oregano, sea salt and pepper until it resembles the consistency of dry ricotta or goat's cheese.  Place about 1 tablespoon of the mixture into each phyllo cup, then bake at 375 degrees for 10-15 minutes.

Meanwhile, caramelize an onion in a nonstick skillet.  When phyllo cups are done, remove from oven and top with onion, then return to oven to heat another 2-3 minutes, or until filling begins to bubble and phyllo has browned.

These are best served warm straight from the oven, but if you cook them ahead of time, they can be reheated covered for 10 minutes, then uncovered for 3-5 more minutes to get them crispy again.

Christmas Dinner

While Christmas was a day off for Well on Wheels, it certainly didn't stop me from cooking.  The theme was Italian comfort food, which is a favorite any time of year, but with family around and a great big gollywhomper of a snowstorm brewing outside, this year it was particularly comforting.

Christmas Eve dinner was a potluck and I brought a family favorite:  Ratatouille.  While I must confess this is much more delicious in the summer with fresh produce from my garden, no one complained.  In fact, everyone loved it.

For Christmas, I brought some Faux Farmer's Cheese with Caramelized Onion in Phyllo Cups to my parents' house.  I can't rave enough about these little gems.  They're flakey, buttery, creamy and tasty and are the perfect little hors d'oueuvre to get the appetite going.  You'd never know they were vegan.  By popular request, the recipe can be found here.

My mom made some fabulous baked ziti with tofu ricotta and spinach for me - yum (thanks, mom!!).  There was also a heaping pile of kale, zucchini and yellow squash to accompany it.

For dessert I brought along some Gluten-free Gingersnap Cookies.  These came out particularly crisp and spicy, and I discovered they're pretty delicious dunked in chocolate peppermint stick soy milk.  Who'd have known?

One good thing about the timing of this snowstorm is that I'll have plenty of provisions to keep me well-fed and happy while digging out.  Merry Christmas everyone!

Mac 'n' Cheese 'n' Stuff

Tonight's dinner was inspired by a client's request for Cauliflower Au Gratin, which I made earlier in the day for a holiday party.  Since it was so good and there was a bunch of cauliflower that didn't make it into the baking pan, I decided to make some for myself for dinner.  Once the cheesey sauce was bubbling away courtesy of a combination of Daiya mozzarella, Tofutti cream cheese, and WestSoy soy milk, I changed my direction to mac 'n' cheese, so I boiled some gluten-free Tinkyada pasta shells.  At the last minute I threw in some green beans for color.  Once it was cooked up nicely, I sprinkled a crunchy topping I had made earlier with toasted walnuts and vegan bread crumbs.  Mmmm... creamy, crispy goodness.

Japanese Eggplant and Tofu Saute

A friend of mine had a surplus of Japanese eggplant and offered me half a dozen (thanks, Harry!).  I took 3, which I thought would be plenty for me, and decided to make a saute for dinner the other night.  Right now, I wish I had some more (maybe I should have taken those other 3). Japanese eggplant, when sauteed to perfection, has a luscious quality in taste and texture that makes me think of cotton candy:   it's light, sweet, and melts in your mouth.   Served with basmati rice, this was another quick and easy dinner that left me satisfied.