'twas a good day for LOVE

Today is that special day, where lovers everywhere spend a bunch of money on roses, chocolates, and lingerie, and the singles complain that they are alone and hate the stupid cupid. 
Not this girl.
I told my husband, who managed to get my present only yesterday, "No flowers, no chocolates." He just stared at me and said, "Then what??" Ha ha. After 6 years, he should know the drill, "Surprise me." I said.
This morning I woke up to some badass patent leather red heels. Yes..that's perfect!

Since my husband decided he is also now eating only a plant-based diet (AWESOME), I decided that our V-day plans would be to go to lunch at the local vegan restaurant, Pura Vida. I love Chef Mayra's fun personality. She has some videos (here) you can watch and see for yourself! I also am completely in love with her incredible Latin inspired food. I knew my hubby would, too. So we went for lunch, filled out bellies with delicious food, and talked about what to do for dinner.

I had planned to make portobello piccata, but I found a "tasting menu" on another site yesterday, and wanted to try that fun combination of different foods. I am a sucker for food, obviously, and if I have the option to have MORE of it, I definitely take it. So, I made some of the recipes I found on the V-day tasting menu from The Family Kitchen, here.
We had:  
- 5-Minute Spicy GlazedVegan Meatballs, with less spice in half to be more kid-friendly.
- Cheesy Pumpkin Chickpea Croquettes, hubby's favorite of the night
- Lemon Sunflower Pesto Pasta, we used rotini and the kids loved it

- Salt and Pepper Tofu Triangles, which were my brother's favorite. The maple adds a slight sweetness that I also enjoyed a lot   

Also, from my own arsenal of ideas:
-Portobello Piccata, with mashed potatoes. I used slices of big caps that cooked down and caramelized perfectly. I will make a recipe for this someday. I just eyeballed it.
-Chocolate covered strawberries, which were dipped in melted grain-sweetened chocolate chips. These are my favorite, and they have this fun stickiness to them when your mouth melts them. I love them!

And, my dear friend, the Red Velvet Cupcake.
No, no, this wasn't a big dinner. It was actually a nice, somewhat romantic one with my husband and toddlers, and my brother sneaking in (and out) to grab his servings when it was all done. 
I told you, I love food. 

I got the red velvet cupcake recipe here. The cupcakes were moist and dense, exactly what I was going for, in the texture dept. But the flavor...It was not even close. These cupcakes were definitely lemony beet cupcakes. They were tangy, and...beet flavored. Not bad, really, it fits perfectly for that gorgeous red hue and the 6 tbsp of lemon juice it called for. I even amped up the cocoa powder and added water to balance it out. But that was not the slightly cocoa flavored red velvet I was looking for. Chef KC said, "You know what would be good, if you filled them with that chocolate avocado mousse." I know he was just teasing me about the veggie-ful odd recipes I make, but I am going to call his bluff and actually do it tomorrow. Who knows, maybe it will be an awesome combo.

Stir Fry with Teriyaki Tofu

 

Stir Fri With Teriyaki Tofu

This dish is a great meal with bright colored vegetables, sweet teriyaki tofu, and your choice of noodles or rice.
Be sure to notice the prep time for the tofu. You need to prep the tofu in advance, it does take some time to get it ready to add to the stir fry. Have the tofu completely cooked or nearly done before you start the stir fry, because the stir fry cooks fast.
The two types of tofu preparation I use are in the previous blog post. I think the frozen type is best for this recipe.


Teriyaki Tofu
Serves 4

2 blocks of tofu, each in 6 slices (frozen pressed tofu works best, instructions are in previous post)
3 tbsp Bragg's liquid aminos (or soy sauce)
1 tbsp sesame oil
1/2 cup pineapple juice(You can get a can of pineapple chunks and use the juice, and freeze the chunks for smoothies)
3 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp agave
2 cloves garlic minced
1 tsp ginger juice
Whisk all ingredients together. submerge slices of tofu in the marinade, and marinate for 1 hour, flipping mid-way through marinade time.
Place tofu on baking sheet and spoon a little bit of marinade onto each slice. Bake the tofu at 300 degrees for 1 hour, flipping mid-way through baking time. It should be dry to the touch.

Stir Fry

1 tbsp oil

1 onion, sliced
1 red bell pepper, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup mushrooms, sliced
1 carrot, sliced into thin coins
1-2 cups broccoli florets
1 zucchini, sliced
2 cups snow peas
Marinade from tofu
1 tbsp corn starch

Heat the oil in a wok or large skillet. Add the onions, saute for two minutes. Add the garlic, bell pepper, mushrooms and carrots, and saute 2 more minutes. Add the broccoli and zucchini, and stir. Cover with a lid, and let it steam for a few minutes.
Mix the corn starch with two tablespoons of water, then stir it into the leftover marinade. remove lid and pour onto the vegetables, mix well, then add the snow peas. Cover and let steam for 3 minutes, remove the lid, stir, and let it cook for 2 more minutes.

I used maifun rice noodles, but I know this would be good with brown rice, soba noodles, ramen noodles, wide rice noodles...okay, any noodle or rice. Even quinoa.
Place the rice/noodles on the plate, add your veggies, and top with chopped tofu.

Pressing tofu, and a simple kid friendly tofu recipe

There are two basic methods I use to press tofu, and the method I used depends on the recipe I am using.

For either method, start with a 14-ounce block of firm or extra firm tofu, the kind you get in the refrigerated section in the tubs. Drain the liquid, then hold it in your hands and squeeze a little to get water out, while keeping the shape of the tofu. To get equally sized slabs, I slice the whole thing in half, then each half is sliced in half, and finally each quarter is sliced in half.

Regular Pressed Tofu

  Fold a clean dish towel in half and place the tofu on one end, then fold the other half of the towel over it. Place a large plate or a large pan on top of the tofu, and use something heavy like a few cans of food to weigh it down.
  Leave it there for about 20 minutes, and you have pressed tofu, ready for recipes.

Frozen Pressed Tofu

  This method produces a firm, chewy texture that accepts liquids and crisps up well.
24 hours before you plan to cook the tofu, put the whole package in the freezer. It works best if you leave it in overnight and take it out in the morning. If it is allowed to sit out all day, it should defrost. If it is still a little frozen in the middle, it’s okay.
  Once it is thawed, open it up and drain the liquid. Squeeze the block of tofu to get most of the liquid out. Continue as with regular pressed tofu method.





Kid-Friendly Tofu


Kids love this tofu. It is so easy and simple, the hardest part is waiting until it is done pressing!

1 block tofu, pressed and diced
2 tsp oil
2 tsp Bragg's liquid aminos or soy sauce
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp water

Heat oil in a small frying pan. When oil is hot, add the diced tofu and let it cook for 1-2 minutes, until it starts to crisp. Stir, being careful not to break up the pieces, and let it cook again. Repeat this until all sides are starting to crisp. Combine the soy, vinegar and water, then pour into the pan. Let the tofu cook, stirring often, until the liquid is absorbed.

Stuffed Pasta Shells

Stuffed Pasta Shells

1 lb large pasta shells
1 cup vegan cheese (optional)
For the filling:
2 cups Tofu basil (recipe follows)
1 lb frozen spinach, thawed, or 1 20 oz bag chopped and steamed
For the sauce:
2 tsp olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
2 tsp Italian seasoning

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, add the shells, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until softened but not thoroughly cooked. Drain and rinse them in cold water.

To make sauce, heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic, and cook until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the can of crushed tomatoes, and the Italian seasoning. Cook for a few minutes, until the sauce is heated through and the spices have incorporated. Spread a thin layer of sauce on the bottom of a large casserole pan.

For the filling, stir 1 ½ cups of the basil ricotta and the spinach together. Stuff the shells with about 2 tablespoons of the mixture, then arrange them on the bottom of the pan with the open sides facing down. Spoon the remaining sauce over the shells. Top with cheese, if using. Cover and bake for 15 minutes, then remove lid and bake for 10 minutes longer.


Basil tofu ricotta

1 lb (16 oz) firm tofu, pressed
2 tsp lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
¼ tsp salt
A dash of fresh black pepper
a handful of fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
2 tsp olive oil
¼ cup nutritional yeast

In a large bowl, mush the tofu up with your hands until it is crumbly. Add the lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper and basil. Mush with your hands again, until it reaches the consistency of ricotta cheese. This may take a few minutes. Add the olive oil, stir with a fork. Add the nutritional yeast, and mix all ingredients well. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Spanakopita I

Spanakopita 1

1 pkg phyllo dough
1 cup olive oil
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 (10 oz) pkg frozen spinach, thawed
2 cups cooked lentils
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 lb soft tofu, crumbled
2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp dried dill

Set the phyllo dough out at room temp. while you prepare the other ingredients. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a skillet over medium-low heat, add the onion and garlic and sauté for 5 minutes. Stir in the spinach, lentils, lemon juice, tofu, salt, and dill, and remove from the heat. Drain any excess liquid before proceeding.

Use a pastry brush to spread a layer of olive oil on the bottom of a 11x17 inch baking pans, or use an oil spray (I have a nifty little gadget that I can pour oil in, pump it, and it turns the oil into a mist. Awesome!). Spread a sheet of the phyllo on the pan, brush it with oil, and repeat with 11 more sheets. If some rip, it will be fine. They are baking together!

Spread the filling as evenly and gently as possible over the phyllo, then layer the remaining phyllo over the filling, oiling each one as before. Score the top layer into thirds lengthwise and into fourths crosswise to make 12 rectangles, cutting down just to the filling. Bake for about 30 minutes, until the top is golden brown. Cut all the way through and serve.

To make this into a casserole style dish: Spray a 9x11 pan. When you roll the phyllo out flat, cut it in half so you have two smaller rectangles, and follow the same as above. Or, you could just use the full sheets, and fold them in half as you layer them…if that makes sense. Then you’d use half as many sheets, and have some for other things later...fruit pies, maybe?

Arame Tofu Croquettes - V

Egg Salad Sandwiches - V

French Toast - V