It's April Already?!

My mom and I have been discussing ways to save money, and for a while now we've been considering actually organizing a menu for the week and buying our groceries accordingly. Until now, we've always kept a general supply of foods and made a trip to the grocery store whenever we've needed something (the store's within walking distance).  But this way, if we get everything we need at once, we can make a trip to one of the less expensive supermarkets that are just a bit further away than our usual store and save some money (we actually saved $50+ on our most recent shopping trip). My town's farmers market opens next month too, so if I know ahead of time what veggies I need, I can get most of them there.

The other day I was looking through my copy of Veganomicon when I realized that, for a book I only just got at Christmas, I've cooked an awful lot of the recipes. And there hasn't been a single one I haven't liked. So I'm making it my goal to make everything in the entire cookbook, with the exception of some of the desserts and cookies. I'm not going to go full out Julie & Julia and cry while cooking and almost lose the people I love just because I have to finish the damn cookbook, but I hope to make everything eventually. I'm going to start posting more pictures of what I cook too and not just my own recipes. We'll see how this goes. 

For dinner I had bok choy with crispy shallots and roasted sesame seeds, marinated Asian tofu, and quinoa, plus a side salad with lots of veggies and a homemade Asian sesame dressing. And for lunch I had a vegetable sandwich that wasn't from a cookbook, but okay please just look at how beautiful that sandwich is.

VeganMoFo Days 19, 20, and 21: Spinach Tofu Frittata

I'm very disappointed in myself for going several days without posting here (and for my last several posts being incredibly lame). I am so busy, it's not even funny anymore. I cannot wait for this month to be over and for things to start calming down again! Today was the first time I had the opportunity to cook an actual meal, with a side dish and everything, in what feels like forever. I made stuffed peppers using this recipe, only I used barley instead of rice, and dried herbs instead of fresh (fresh herbs are one thing I really miss about summer); I added some diced onions to the filling too. As a side dish, I made this frittata, mostly because I was looking for a creative way to add protein to my meal. I used Isa's recipe for Asparagus and Sun-dried Tomato Frittata from her book Vegan With A Vengeance as a general guideline, but I changed it enough that I feel okay posting it online. It was absolutely wonderful. I'd never had a frittata before I was vegan, so I'm not sure how close this is to the real thing, but even if it's not, it's still a great dish. It works well as a side, but I could imagine it'd be good for breakfast too.

Spinach Tofu Frittata

• 1 package firm or extra firm tofu (about 14 oz), drained and pressed
• 3/4 tbsp soy sauce, tamari, or Bragg's
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 2 1/2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1/2 medium onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 package frozen spinach (about 5 oz), defrosted with excess liquid drained
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp olive oil

1) Preheat oven to 400°F.

2) In a large bowl, crumble tofu with your fingers, squishing it until it looks sort of like ricotta cheese. Add soy sauce, mustard, and nutritional yeast and mix well.

3) In a non-stick skillet (if you have an 8-inch oven safe skillet, use that! If not, that's fine), heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and cook until onions are soft and slightly transparent.

4) Add spinach and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in thyme, turmeric, and lemon juice and remove from heat.

5) Add onion mixture to tofu and stir to combine.

6) If you used an oven-safe skillet, then place tofu in the skillet and firmly mash it down. If you used a regular pan, then place the tofu in a pie dish and firmly mash it down.

7) Bake at 400°F for 20 minutes. Set oven to broil setting and bake for another 2 to 3 minutes. Serve warm.

Serves 4

And here is a photo of my kitten Boo, because he is cute.

VeganMoFo Day Twelve: Orange Tofu Stir-Fry

I threw this together for dinner because I was craving rice (apparently that's possible??). This was one of the first recipes I ever made as a vegan, and it's one I'll always keep. The tofu tastes best if you cook it separately the same way I explain in this recipe. I also added in 1/2 cup snap peas and 1 cup broccoli florets. In the sauce, instead of brown sugar, I used brown rice syrup and doubled the amount of the corn starch mixture; however, I think it tastes best if you stick with the brown sugar version.

RECIPE HERE 

VeganMoFo Day Two: Tofu Scramble for One

I'm on to day two! This is so exciting, now that I've actually had time to think about and plan my VeganMoFo. I still don't really have a plan I guess, but a better idea. Anyway, this morning I made some fabulous tofu scramble. I remember when I was little, the first thing I ever learned to cook was scrambled eggs. My dad and I would always cook it together, and it pretty much just ended up being him cooking and me eating parmesan cheese. But now that I'm vegan, I make this meal instead, and, honestly, I like it much better. I sometimes add vegetables, such as carrots or peppers. If you want a gluten-free version, just make sure that the broth is gluten-free or use water.

Tofu Scramble for One

• 1/5 block of tofu, drained & pressed
• 2 tbsp vegetable broth, vegan chicken broth, or water
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast (you can adjust the amount depending on how much you like the flavor of nutritional yeast)
• salt and pepper, to taste
• handful of spinach, stems trimmed

1) Heat broth in a non-stick pan over medium heat until boiling.

2) Using your hands, crumble tofu into pan. Cook for two minutes, stirring constantly.

3) Reduce heat and stir in nutritional yeast until completely absorbed (you can add more broth if needed, one teaspoon at a time). 

4) Stir in salt, pepper, and spinach, and cook until spinach is slightly wilted. 

5) Serve immediately. Very good topped with ketchup and with a side of toast!

flickr

Veggie & Tofu Stir-Fry in Spicy Peanut Sauce

There's a music festival I go to every summer that has a a vegan food stand with a meal very similar to this one. I didn't go the festival this year and especially missed going to lunch there, so I recreated the recipe.

Veggie & Tofu Stir-Fry in Spicy Peanut Sauce

• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 cups water

• 1 cup broccoli, broken into small pieces
• 1/2 red onion, cut into 1 1/2 inch strips
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1 1/2 inch strips
• 1 cup snap peas, cut in half
• 2 medium carrots, cut into 1 inch chunks
• 2 cups spinach

• 1 package of tofu, drained and pressed, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

• several tbsp olive oil

    sauce ingredients:

• 1 cup chunky or smooth peanut butter
• 1/4 cup water
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 4 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp agave nectar, brown rice syrup, or pure maple syrup
• 1 tbsp freshly grated ginger
• 1 tsp cayenne
• crushed red pepper flakes, to taste

1) Bring 2 cups water to a boil in a medium pot. Add quinoa and let simmer for 12-14 minutes.

2) In a small bowl, mix together sauce ingredients until smooth.

3) Heat one or two tablespoons olive oil in a non-stick pan over medium heat. 

4) Add tofu and cook for several minutes on each side, adding more oil if necessary. Don't be afraid to cook the tofu for a long time; just don't let it burn. Set aside when done.

5) Heat one more tablespoon of oil in an 8 quart pot over medium heat.

6) Add all veggies except spinach and cook until soft. Add spinach and cook for one minute, or until wilted.

7) Add peanut sauce, quinoa, and tofu to veggies and stir well. Keep on stove for several minutes, until hot. Serve immediately.

Serves 4

View more photos here