Green Onion Tofu over a bed of Vermicelli

1 container of extra firm tofu
2 bundles of vermicelli
1 Bunch of green onions
1 Tbs of Olive Oil
2 pinches of black pepper (to taste)
2 garlic cloves
1 tsp of Tuong OT Sriracha (rooster)
1/4 Cup Soy Sauce

Boil water in a separate pan, add vermicelli when boiling then take off the heat (leave covered).

Place olive oil in a skillet and turn on medium heat. While heating, dice the green onions, and garlic cloves. Add the green onions and garlic to the heated oil. Cut the extra firm tofu into cubes and then pour onto the tofu enough soy sauce to cover (in a bowl). Once the onion and garlic combination is sizzling, add the tofu. Add the remaining soy sauce, black pepper, and sriracha. Let cook uncovered until sauce reaches desired level of thickness.

Enjoy :)

The Best Baked Green Bean Fries

These are essentially fool-proof, and perfectly crispy!

Ingredients:
1 bunch of green beans, washed and ends removed
1/2 cup flour (I used whole wheat, I don't think it matters)
2 eggs, beaten into a bowl
1 cup breadcrumbs, plain or seasoned (if plain, spice them up anyway you like! I added 1 tbsp oregano, fresh ground pepper, and 1/4 cup grated pecorino to mine), in a large bowl



Instructions:
Preheat oven to 425 F.  After green beans have been washed and cleaned, toss them together with the flour in a bowl or ziploc bag. Carefully, leaving flour not stuck to the green beans, transfer a handful of green beans at a time to the bowl with egg, and gently stir to coat. Again, leaving behind as much of the egg as possible, transfer (hands or a fork) to the bowl of seasoned breadcrumbs. Toss to coat. Transfer to a baking sheet sprayed or wiped with cooking oil, leaving some space between the fries on the baking sheet, bake for 20 minutes or until golden and crispy. It's important that the fries are in a single layer, with some space between them, so they can get crispy- too close and they'll steam each other and get soggy!

Enjoy with some creamy dipping sauce, or plain! Ranch or a flavored mayo would be great with them :)

Crispy, Deliciousy, Turnip Fries

Ingredients

3 Large Turnips (I had two ginormous ones from my CSA on hand)

1/4 cup olive oil

Spice Blend: whatever you feel like (we used smoked paprika, cumin, cayenne, and a generous heap of salt)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425 F. Wash well, and trim turnips. Slice into 1/2" X 1/2" strips. Place all ingredients in a large plastic ziploc, and shake well. Lay in a single layer on a baking sheet, spread out a little (we used two baking sheets). If they're too close, they will steam each other and become mushy instead of crispy. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until golden, crispy, and a taste test says they are delicious. Allow to cool slightly so you don't burn your tongue (oops). 

Enjoy!

8/06/2013 Update
Added 1/4 cup nutritional yeast and some smoked paprika to the spice blend, and left out the cumin- was delicious!

Homemade Mustard

Inspired by http://www.splendidtable.org/story/how-to-make-homemade-mustard I gave it a try and wow, awesome, amazing is all I have to say.

I placed the following into a small glass canning jar:

• 6 tablespoons of whole mustard seed (3 yellow and 3 brown)
• 1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons dry white wine
• 3/8 tsp salt
• a pinch of ground allspice
• a couple of grinds of black pepper

I closed the jar and shook it up before placing it in the refrigerator for the night.

The next day I dumped the contents into my food processor, added some water (I started with a few tablespoons)  and blended it until I was happy with the consistency.

I was going to add horseradish but now I'm thinking honey, this packed quite a punch.

White Bean Hummus

This hummus is a great alternative to chickpea hummus, and is just as tasty!

Ingredients

1/2 cup dried white beans

2 tbsp olive oil

2 1/2 tbsp tahini

2 tbsp lemon juice

3 to 5 cloves peeled garlic

1/2 tsp salt, pepper to taste

1/4 tsp paprika, optional

Instructions

Boil beans in 1 1/2 cups water, in a covered pot until cooked through, about an hour. Strain and rinse beans in cold water, and transfer to a food processor or blender. Add all the other ingredients, and cover and process until smooth. More olive oil or lemon juice may be desired for consistency and taste. Spoon out into a serving bowl and enjoy!

Easy Peasy Homemade Pizza

This pizza crust is just self-rising flour and plain yogurt. It's super easy, healthy, and a good source of high quality protein. It's also very filling.

Ingredients

2 cups self rising flour

1- 1 1/2 cups plain yogurt, greek or regular

Toppings

Cheese!

Tomato sauce or pesto

veggie or meat toppings

Instructions

 Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease and then flour a baking sheet, shaking off the excess flour.

 In a large bowl, mix 1 cup flour and 1 cup yogurt, with a sturdy spoon. The mixture may be sticky and paste-like, and that is OK. Add more flour, a tablespoon or two at a time, mixing thoroughly in between, until dough-like and not sticky anymore. 

 On a floured work surface, roll out the dough to 1/4" thick, thinner if desired. Transfer the dough to the baking sheet, and pre-bake in the oven for 15 minutes, until the crust begins to feel firm in the middle. 

 Remove the pre-baked crust from the oven, and then top it with your desired sauces and toppings. I find this dough also makes a great cheesy-garlic flatbread. Return to the oven, and bake until the cheese starts to look toasty. Enjoy!

 The picture to the right is a pizza I made using whole wheat flour that I added 1 1/4 tsp baking powder and 1/4 tsp salt to to make it self-rising. I used greek yogurt, and topped it with half pesto and half tomato sauce. A beautiful curly haired friend chopped some mushroom and broccoli for on top.

Roasted Red Pepper Soup

I was dreaming of roasted red pepper soup and finally merged a bunch of recipes to come up with this one ... I  loved it cold!

Ingredients
6 fresh red bell peppers
4-8 garlic cloves
1 large yellow onion
2 small carrots
2 quarts low sodium vegetable stock.

Roast 6 fresh red peppers on the cooktop or grill, really char the whole thing it makes removing the skin so much easier.  Put the roasted peppers in a plastic bag and seal it or in a bowl covered tightly with plastic for about 10 minutes.  Peel, seed, and coarsly chop the peppers.

Mince the garlic.

Coarsely chop the onion and carrot.

Saute the onion, carrot, and garlic until they are soft OR put the onion, carrot, garlic, and stock into a pot and heat until everything is soft.

When the onion, carrot, and garlic have been cooked put everything together and puree with a blender (my immersion blender worked fabulously).

Chill and enjoy.  It was really good with pumpernickel croutons.

Marry Me, Stir-fry

Guys. Guys, I think I'm in love. With a stir-fry. I want to love it and hold it and grow old with it forever and ever and ever amen. However, this stir-fry is so spicy and beautiful and exotic that I don't think we'll ever be exclusive, so I guess I'll share

Spring Rolls and Thai Peanut Sauce

Spring Rolls: Makes 20 (3-4 servings)
Rice Paper Spring Roll Wraps
vermicelli rice noodles
1 bunch of chopped fresh cilantro
1 bunch of chopped fresh scallions
1 bunch of chopped fresh basil
1 bunch of chopped fresh mint, optional
4 carrots, sliced thinly into long and skinny matchsticks
               Optional: red bell peppers and cucumbers, sliced the same way as the carrots
3 good and big handfuls of mung beans/bean sprouts
optional: 12 oz cooked shrimp, peeled/deveined and chopped into quarters
optional: dry spiced tofu, chopped into matchsticks

1. Fill a medium bowl with very hot (from the tap is fine) water, and put one bunch of the noodles, submerging completely. 
2. Mix the chopped herbs (and shrimp) in a medium bowl. Prep the bean sprouts and carrots, and have them ready near your work station.

3. Fill a deep (as opposed to shallow) plate with water.

It helps to put the plate on the counter and then fill it from a pitcher. Please a single wrapper in the plate, gently sliding it under the water to fully submerge it. The wrapper will be completely soft when it is ready to be used.

4. When the noodles are fully soft, remove the wrapper from the plate, and hold it over the plate to allow excess water to drip off for a few seconds. Place the wrapper on a dry work surface, such as a plate or cutting board, and make sure it lays flat.

5. Place a very small handful, less than 1/4 cup, of the chopped herbs in the middle of the wrapper. Lay down a few carrot matchsticks, some bean sprouts, and other chopped veggies and tofu if you chose to include them also in the middle of the softened wrapper, aligning everything in one direction. 

6. Wrap like a burrito! Fold the ends in first, then roll up along, making sure everything is nice and tight in the wrapper. If the wrapper rips, just throw out the wrapper and start again with a new one. Do you even know how many are in just one container of wrappers? It's a lot.

Thai Peanut Sauce: makes 1 cup sauce

1/2 cup chunky peanut butter, I prefer the non-homogenized kind

Scant 1/4 cup soy sauce or tamari or Bragg's

scant 1/4 cup rice vinegar

1-2 tbsp sriracha sauce, to taste

3-4 crushed or finely chopped cloves of garlic

optional: 1 finely chopped scallion

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

1 tsp toasted sesame oil

optional: 2 tsp fish sauce (it really does make the difference, but vegetarians can omit it)

1 1/2 tbsp lime juice

1/2 tsp ground white pepper

optional: 1 tsp sugar (personal preference, add it after you mix everything else)

1. Mix everything together!! If you feel the sauce is too thick for your liking, add 1/2 tbsp water at a time to thin. If you feel it's too thin, add 1-2 tbsp peanut butter at a time.

Serve the spring rolls on a giant platter, with the sauce divided up into a few small bowls for dipping. Enjoy!

Vegan Spinach and Brocolli Quiche

Adapted from this recipe

Ingredients
1 block firm tofu
1/2 cup plain soymilk
dried basil, thyme, crushed red pepper, umami paste, pinch nutmeg

Filling
1 lb fresh spinach, coarsely chopped
12 oz bag frozen chopped broccoli
1 small onion, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tbsp vegetable oil

pie crust: adapted from this recipe mix in a small bowl, and roll with a peppermint schnapps bottle
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon baking powder¼ cup ice cold olive oil (refrigerate)
¼ - ½ cup ice cold water, as needed


Instructions

• Blend tofu and soymilk in blender until smooth, add spices and blend again until thoroughly mixed.
• Saute onion and garlic in vegetable oil until soft, add broccoli and continue stirring over heat until not frozen. Add chopped spinach and stir over heat until just wilted.
• Remove filling mixture from heat, and add blended tofu, stirring well to incorporate.
• Press pie crust into tin, and fill with filling mixture. Bake at 400 F for 40 minutes.
• Allow to cool for 5 minutes, and then EAT

Mango Horchata Breakfast Quinoa

Ingredients

• 1 cup quinoa, I prefer red because it is slightly crunchier
• 1/2 cup vanilla soymilk (I used Silk very vanilla)
• Dried coconut flakes, chopped- unsweetened or only lightly sweetened (I used Costco's 'young coconut,' but Bob's Red Mill has unsweetened coconut flakes as well)
• 1/3 cup dried mango, finely chopped (preferably unsweetened)
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground cardamom, optional

• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Prep

• Put everything except the walnuts in a pot on the stove with 2 cups of water, and cover with a lid.
• Bring to a boil, and then cover and turn down to a simmer.
• Simmer on low until all liquid is absorbed, adding more if the quinoa is still too crunchy for your liking (about 30 minutes)
• Add honey or sugar if it's not sweet enough for your liking.
• Serve warm or cold, topped with walnuts. Sliced almonds or more coconut is also a good choice

I chose to add an extra 1/2 cup of water at the beginning because I know I like my quinoa a little mushier when it's for breakfast.

Doolittle's Version of Cooking:

Ingredients:

1. Hendricks Gin
2. Simple Syrup
3. Fresh Lemon Juice
4. Champagne

Mix 2 parts Gin, 1 Part Simple Syrup, Juice from 1/4 Lemon, Fill rest of class with Champagne.

Happy Friday,

Have a good Spring Break

Turkey Ginger Potstickers

Study Break!

These are especially awesome for being (besides delicious) quick and easy to prepare once you have them all made. They freeze great, and don't need to be defrosted before cooking if you choose to do that.

Yield: feeds 12-15 people, or that many servings for yourself :)

Ingredients

Wonton wrappers, square preferably, round works too. Usually by the tofu at grocery stores.

Vegetable oil 

Filling

1 head napa cabbage, very finely shredded. Can sub in baby bok choy, sliced finely

1/3 lb ground  raw turkey- can sub pork if you like
                              Reconstituted mushrooms for vegetarian potstickers4-5 carrots, peeled and grated
2-3 bunches scallions, sliced thinly, 2 or 3 reserved for sauce
1-2 bunches cilantro, chopped
                         Can omit if you're one of those people that don't like cilantro
3" small knob fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 head fresh garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1 1/2 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp chili oil
1 1/2-2 tbsp chili paste or sriracha (rooster) sauce, optional
1/2-1 tsp ground white pepper, to taste
1 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp salt, optional
1/3 cup kosher salt, optional (don't worry, this much won't end up in the final product)

Dipping Sauce

1/3 cup Soy sauce
3 tbsp Rice wine vinegar
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1/4 tsp ground white pepper
optional: 1-2 cloves finely chopped garlic, 1/2 tsp sriracha sauce, 1/2 tsp sesame seeds

Optional Step: This is optional due to the salt content it incorporates. The point of this is to remove the extra water from the cabbage.

In a colander over a bowl or sink, lay down 1 to 2 inches of shredded cabbage, and sprinkle with about a tablespoon of kosher salt. Repeat, continuing until all the cabbage is layered with salt in the colander. Use your body weight to press very firmly on the cabbage in the colander, and then let it sit for 10-20 minutes, more time is better, if you have it. Roughly toss and then press every ten minutes or so within the colander. When you get sick of playing with limp cabbage, press firmly one final time, to try to get as much residual water out as possible.

Now here comes the counter-intuitive part, that removes the salt. RINSE the cabbage under very cold running water, stirring it with your hands to make sure all the salt can be rinsed out. The water you removed with the salt will not be reabsorbed. Again, press firmly with your weight to drain as much of the rinsing water as possible.

 Preparation

Following the optional step, if you chose to do it, combine all ingredients for the filling in a large bowl, and stir (with your hands) to combine thoroughly.

 The folding normally takes some time, so I usually do it sitting at the kitchen table while watching TV or talking with friends. Fill a small bowl with water, and place it next to your work station.

On a dry surface (plate, cutting board, etc), lay a wonton wrapper flat. put about half a teaspoon in the middle of the wrapper. I use two small spoons to make sure the filling stays together while doing this.

Wet one or two fingers, and trace around the outside of the wrapper. I have made you a handy dandy guide to follow. You want to make sure all your edges really are sealed well with water, and pinched/crimped shut. If you want to get fancy, you can make little pleats along the edges.

Once you get the hang of how much filling you should use, you can lay out and fill many at once.
Keep them on a dry surface until they're ready to cook. If you freeze them before cooking, lay them out in a single layer on a baking sheet, and once frozen through they can be put in a plastic bag. When they're freezing, you don't want them to be touching or they'll stick together.

Cooking: Batches
Grab a large cup, and fill it with water. This is for steaming the potstickers.
In a frying pan (the wider the better) that has a fitted lid, heat about a tablespoon oil on the low end of medium-high heat. When hot, carefully place the potstickers one by one into the pan, not letting them touch. If they touch during the first 30 or so seconds, they'll stick together. Which is fine, if you want one big potsticker. Jiggle the pan after about a minute to make sure the potstickers aren't sticking to the bottom.

When the bottom looks dark golden, crispy, and delicious (about 4 minutes), pour in enough water so there's about 1/4" on the bottom of the pan, and immediately put the lid on the pan.
Keep the lid on! Again, jiggle the pan to make sure they're not sticking. The water should not evaporate immediately, if it does, you need to add more now, and next time add more to begin with.

This is normally when I make the sauce, if you haven't already. A shallow bowl is great, stir everything together.

When the water is completely evaporated, the potsticker wrappers should look very slightly translucent, and darker than before they were cooked. If there are parts of the wrapper that are not cooked, add a little more water and cover again until the wrapper looks uniform.

I allow my potstickers to get crispy again by leaving them in the pan for about 30 seconds to a minute after the water has evaporated. Make sure to jiggle the pan so they don't stick to the bottom!

Slide your potstickers off onto your plate, dip them in the sauce, and eat!

Jalapeno-Ginger Caramelized Tofu Fiesta!

It smells like a spice market, looks like a rainbow, and tastes like a tropical vacation. It's very rare that I repeat a recipe, but this is one of those rare gems that keeps showing up on my plate. Why? Well, it's one of the yummiest, most interesting things I've eaten in a good long while. Here's how it goes:

THE TOFU:
~1 lb. firm/extra-firm plain old boring tofu turned into cubes
~Medium jar of spicy jalapeno jelly (lovely Miss Giraffe made this one)
~A hefty chunk of fresh ginger
~Whole head of smelly garlic
~As much lemongrass as you manage to steal from your friends (like maybe a tablespoon)
~Salt and pepper and whatnot

Chop up all the tasty junk and put it in the jelly. If the jelly isn't liquidy, add some hot water until it is. Let your happy little tofus marinate there for a long, long time. Like three days. Or an hour. Or whenever. You might want to stick it in the fridge. Then when you get bored of watching the tofu, heat up a big frying pan. Put a dot of coconut oil (or whatever else ya got) into the pan, and then throw in the tofu and marinade and all that. If you keep stirring the tofu, eventually the water will evaporate away leaving this gorgeous, caramelized layer over the tofu and these candied little garlic-ginger clusters. Just be sure not to burn it all because that would be tragic!

THE FIESTA:
~Big bundle of baby bok choi
~2 red peppers
~A few ripe mangos
~Coconut oil
~Maybe some salt, maybe not

Unless you have an awfully large mouth, chop everything into small pieces (1cm chunks for the peppers, 2cm chunks for the mangos, whatever for the bok choi). Take another hot frying pan with another dollop of coconut oil. This makes for a really fabulous, tropical fragrance. Put your peppers in first. They take the longest to cook. When they start to get a little bit softened, toss the bok choi into the party until just wilted. Lastly, mango that sh*t. Really, all it needs is to get a little warm. Overcooking will cause mango-soup (recipe for another day?).

THE WHOLE SHEBANG:
Put the veggie fiesta on a plate. Put the glorious tofu chunks on top. Eat it with chopsticks or a spork or your hands and a bunch of good friends. If you're skeptical as to whether or not this is a full meal, some coconut rice (look it up) would be a rockin' addition. Enjoy!

P.S. The following things are really good on top: Sesame seeds, hot oil, sesame oil, smiles, etc.

Golden Spicy Tofu

This is one of my favorite ways to prepare tofu of all time. The main flavors are garlic, jalapeno, and white pepper. This is my adaptation of my favorite dish at Mandarin Gourmet in Cupertino, CA. This is all thanks to a very special post, at Viet World Kitchen. It took me so long to find a recipe this close to the one at Mandarin Gourmet.

Ingredients:

• 1 block firm or extra firm tofu (16 oz), liquid drained, cut into 1" cubes
• Fine kosher Salt and pepper
• ground white pepper
• white sugar
• 3 to 5 garlic cloves, depending on your preference
• 1"X1/2" chunk fresh (or frozen) ginger
• canola, soy, corn, or other pan fry-appropriate oil
• 1 or 2 Chilis or jalapenos
• Note: use jalapenos and deseed if you're afraid of spice- this will just add flavor, and very little actual heat
• Optional: 1 or 2 scallons, chopped finely

Instructions

Soak the cubed tofu in a bowl filled with boiling hot water that has been very liberally seasoned with salt- think saltier than pasta water, 2 tsp per 2 cups. The water should cover the tofu; Soak for about 15 minutes. 

While the tofu is soaking, chop the garlic, ginger, scallions, and spicy peppers finely. Set this mixture aside for later.

I've noticed (Thanks to a certain dinosaur) that when I buy too much ginger, I can peel and then freeze it in a zipped bag in 1" hunks- it's MUCH easier to cut when it's frozen.

In a small cup or bowl, mix 1 tsp salt, 3/4 tsp sugar, 3/4 tsp white pepper, and 1/4 to 1/2 tsp ground black pepper. Set aside for later.

Drain the tofu, and lay in a single layer on a plate with 2 or 3 paper towels on it. Pat the tops of the tofu cubes with another paper towel. You want the tofu to be as dry (within reason) as possible. The drier the outside of the tofu, the less the oil will splatter when it's frying.

Heat your oil 1/4" deep in a shallow frying pan, or wok if you have one, on just above medium heat. If you're not sure if the oil is the right temperature, cut a cube in half and put it in- it should sizzle and spurt, but not too violently. Below you can see how your tofu should look, and my salt and pepper mixture ready to go.

Add the tofus in a single layer into your oil, careful not to let them touch- they'll stick together. If they do, just turn the two stuck cubes at the same time. Turn the tofus one side at a time as soon as a golden crust forms- I use wooden chopsticks for ease and to protect my hands from hot oil. Keep turning until all tofus are beautiful and golden. The picture on the right is how it should NOT LOOK- these tofus are too brown! Check out the Viet Kitchen link in the description for a good visual.

Once the tofus are golden and crispy on all sides, transfer one by one (so you don't take the oil with you) to a paper-towel. Pour off most of the oil, so there's only about 1-2 tbsp left in the pan- BE CAREFUL where you put this hot oil! Another cool pan is, unfortunately for the dishwasher, the safest place to put this hot oil. Return the original pan with the remaining oil to the stove to reheat for 15-30 seconds, and then add the mixture of garlic, ginger, jalapeno, and scallions if you chose to include them. Give them a good stir so they're cooking evenly. Don't forget about them! we're coming right back to them.

Sprinkle the tofus with the salt-pepper-sugar mixture- this is really at your discretion for how much you want to use, normally I use 2/3 to 3/4 of what I actually make. As soon as the garlic and ginger start to become fragrant, add the seasoned tofus back into the pan, and stir to coat with that yummy oil. Because you removed most of the oil, the tofus should not get greasy- in the next step, you can carefully avoid pouring some oil onto the plate if you feel like they did. When you feel like the tofus are coated, pour the entire pan of tofu and seasons onto a plate, let cool for a few moments (really, you have no idea how many taste buds I have destroyed on this dish), and enjoy!

Vegan Veggie (Breakfast) Sausage

These awesome patties have no TVP, no egg, and no dairy. They taste great (better than MorningStar), hold together, and are currently on my plate ontop of an english muffin and fried egg :) 


Recipe

Equal parts (1/3-1/2 cup each) dry: brown rice, quinoa, barley. Whole oats would also do great here
1/2 cup dry white beans- any kind of beans will work though

In a large pot, pour in the grains, and add enough water to cover with an additional 2" above the grains. To this pot, add seasonings to taste- don't be afraid to overseason slightly because this will eventually be diluted with the rest of the ingredients. I've bolded the really important ones for a meaty flavor. The ones I used were:

• 1/3 cup French onion dry soup mix and 1 tbsp mushroom dry soup mix, 
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 tsp Bragg's liquid aminos. Tamari or low-sodium soy sauce would also work
• 2 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp of each: chili powder, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, paprika, ground black pepper
• 1 tsp of each: ground sage, ground thyme, 
• 1/4- 1/2 tsp of each: coriander, cumin, nutmeg, white pepper
• I added a whole dried cayenne pepper I had on hand- 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper would work

Bring this to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to a simmer. Keep an eye on the water level- You don't want this to burn or be stuck to the pot. If this starts to happen, add 1-2 cups more water and cover, return to heat and cover again. When the grains are fully cooked (the quinoa will be mushy- use the barley and rice to check for done-ness. If you didn't need to add water before, add the 1-2 additional cups now. Simmer on low with the lid off, stirring every few minutes to prevent sticking; You want the water to evaporate, leaving a loose sticky mush. Remove from heat, and remove the bay leaves and whole pepper if you used one.

In a second, smaller sauce pan, start the beans cooking according to the package directions, with 2 bay leaves, a few squirts of Bragg's, and 1 tsp dried oregano. Keep the pot covered, and add more water if necessary to keep the level above the beans. My package said 2 hours, but at the end of an hour and a half they were definitely done. I let my beans cook until they were slightly mushy when I took them out of the water- This way they would incorporate into the patties better. Drain and discard cooking liquid and bay leaves.

6/30/2013 Update: Recently I've been adding the beans directly to the grains(I used black beans more recently), and just checking them for done-ness by pulling out a few and tasting them.

Preheat the oven to 350F. Now here comes the fun part. If the large pot you cooked the grains in is big enough, this can be done straight in there. If not, move the grain mush to a large bowl, and add the following. Stir this mixture well after each addition of the next 2 or three ingredients, carefully monitoring it for texture. The texture should be like that of sticky ground beef. 

• 1/2 to 1 cup old fashioned oats
• 1/3 cups breadcrumbs- mine were "Italian Seasoned", but I don't think it made a big difference if you want to used plain. Panko may also work, but I don't know.
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds
• 1/2 to 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/4 cup chia seeds
• 1/4 cup wheat germ
• 1/3 cup ground flax meal
• 1 1/2 tbsp light molasses

Form patties with your hands. To prevent the mixture from sticking to your hands, rub some vegetable oil on your hands (be liberal with the oil). This oil will allow the outside of the patties to get crispy, and prevent them from sticking. Place the patties on a baking sheet covered in foil. 

To be honest, I had too many patties for my one measly baking sheet, so I put foil on the oven rack, and once it was covered in patties I poked holes between the patties in the foil to allow air flow. Bake until they feel firm and are just starting to get crispy, about 30 to 45 minutes. Baking time may vary depending on what kind of baking "sheet" you use. Once done, allow to cool. 

I wrapped the patties in saran in bunches of 4, and then put the stacks of 4 into a gallon ziplock and froze all but 4. Out of the freezer, microwave for 30 seconds on a paper towel before reheating in a frying pan for a minute or two on each side. No additional oil is needed in the pan because you already coated them in oil lightly when you formed the patties!

Enjoy!

Other possible additions:

• miso paste
• tomato paste
• barbeque sauce, 
• ground fennel seed (italian sausage flavor)
• smoked salt
• finely processed mushrooms (reconstituted or cooked then processed)
• chili oil
• grated carrots
• finely chopped celery, sauteed to remove excess liquid
• grated (can be charred) red bell pepper, squeezed over a strainer to remove excess liquid. Save the liquid in case your final mixture is too dry.
• caramelized onions
• sauteed garlic
• sauteed finely chopped anise

• Instead of making the original grain mixture yourself, Kashi sells a multi-grain pilaf. You may use that (let me know how it goes in the comments!) instead of making the grain mixture yourself.

Update 4/24/2013

Today I made another batch. I sauteed an onion and a few cloves of garlic in 1 tbsp of oil in a large pan before I added roughly equal parts: great northern white beans, garbanzo beans, farro, brown rice, and pearled barley with enough water to fully submerge. I stirred every 10-15 minutes to prevent sticking and burning on the bottom of the pot, and added another 4 cups of water about 30 minutes in. I added the following for flavor about 20 minutes before everything was done cooking:

• ground white pepper
• ground black pepper
• chili flakes
• chili powder
• cayenne pepper powder
• ground fennel (liberal amount)
• french onion soup mix
• mushroom soup mix
• ground thyme
• ground sage
• liberal amounts of dried oregano
• Bragg's aminos

When almost all of the water was evaporated, I stirred almost continuously to prevent burning. The garbanzo beans were the last When everything was cooked through and mushy, I added the following after removing the pot from the heat:

• about 1/2 cup finely chopped sundried tomatoes that had been packed in oil, drained
• 1/4 cup tahini
• 
  
• 1/2 cup wheat germ
• 1/2 cup ground flax meal
• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
• 1 cup finely chopped pecans

This blend was dry enough after these additions that I didn't need the usual oatmeal. Note I didn't use any quinoa (I was just out of both of these ingredients).

As usual, I greased up my hands and arranged flattened patties on a baking sheet (again, fashioned out of perforated tinfoil on an oven rack). These are currently baking and smell awesome. I tasted the blend before baking, and I think the tahini really did good things for richness.

Yummy vegetarian collard greens

chop 1/2 large onion, 4 small cloves garlic finely with 1/2 tsp salt. saute until soft in 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil.

add 2 cups veggie stock, spices to taste, 1 1/2 tbsp crushed red pepper flakes

chili powder, cayenne, sprinkle nutmeg, pinch cumin, 2 sprinkles ground white pepper, a bunch of ground black pepper, 2 bay leaves, a bunch of paprika (smoked if u have it)

bring to a simmer

toss in 1 pound (16 oz bag) of chopped collard greens, and toss to coat.

add some random mild vinegar you have laying around (it should be cider vinegar) i used rice vinegar and raspberry red wine vinegar

 put the lid on and simmer for a while (30 minutes+)?

take the lid off and keep simmering until it looks pleasant, stirring ocassionally.

serve over yummy plain rice and with some grilled chicken.

Carrot-Clementine Soup (Or... The Crock Pot Love Affair)

Adventures in no-recipe, no-time, no-ingredients slowcooking, part one: Successful

CARROT-CLEMENTINE SOUP
~10 big carrots, roughly chunked
~1 onion, kinda chopped,
~Thumb-sized chunk of ginger, diced
~Juice of 5-6 smushy clementines
~Nutmeg, cardomom, black pepper, curry powder, salt, more ginger as desired
~Enough broth/water to cover it all
~Throw it in a crock pot on LOW until you forget about... it tomorrow
~Do magic with a blender until smooth and tasty
~Add a dollop of plain (soy) yogurt and a sprinkle of nutmeg
~Cheers! An appliance made you dinner!

 

<3 Tyrannosaurus Lex

Miso-glazed mushroom and greens stir fry

Ingredients

Spiced pressed dry tofu- 1 piece, cut into matchsticks

1 red bell pepper, sliced into thin strips

1 bunch enoki mushrooms (the width of a regular can), separated roughly

some collard greens (I thought the bag said mustard greens when I bought it, and until i opened it.. but oh well, turned out well)

Miso paste (there's no english writing on my box, just a picture of a bowl of miso soup)

sesame seeds, sesame oil

some homemade sriracha (the fresh version of the linked recipe)

ground white pepper, fresh ground black pepper

4 cloves of garlic, 1 very small onion, 

small knob (1"x1") fresh ginger, peeled and chopped finely

1. Chop garlic and onions. heat a large wok/pan on med/hi with about a tblsp of oil in it. Add garlic and onions, stir until they start to turn golden. Add ginger, stir for another minute-ish.

2. Add a handful of collard greens. Realize they're collard greens and add 1/2 cup water to the pan, and cover. Cook for ~5 minutes on med/hi still.

3. Uncover. Add the tofu, mushrooms, and peppers. dissolve some (1 1/2 tsp i think) miso into the remaining water in the pot, along with 1 tsp sriracha. Stir, add the peppers to taste. 

4. Turn the stove up to med/hi/hi (from 7 to 9 on my electric crap stove), and let the water evaporate, stirring occasionally. You want the veggies to be evenly distributed on the bottom of the pan. 

5. When you think the water's all gone, keep the pan on the heat- you want it to feel like the sugars in the miso are about to caramelize. Turn off the heat, leave the pan on the heat while you get a drink, plate... let the miso caramelize just a little.

6. Move stir fry mix to plate, sprinkly liberally with sesame seeds, drizzle very lightly with toasted sesame oil.

I think: it was good, although I wish I had a wok so the tofu would have crisped up a little.

-Giraffe

So this happened: Glazed Carrots

Dino: I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT THIS COOKING TECHNIQUE IS CALLED BUT I JUST DID SOMETHING BRILLIANT WITH CARROTS.

 Giraffe: Well what was it, silly?

Dino: 1. Put pan on high and added a tiny bit of olive oil 2. Threw in a ton of 1 cm slices of (unpeeled) carrot.

3. Sauteed for a few minutes until bored.

 4. Added salt, pepper, dried rosemary, dried basil, and crushed red pepper.

5. Sauteed a little bit more.

6. (This was the best part.) Added about a centimeter of water with the heat CRANKED so that everything made happy, sizzly noises.

7. Kept pan on high and uncovered to allow water to rapidly boil away, leaving a really neat, herby, tasty glaze to the carrots.

8. Also, somewhere in there I threw in a handful of raw walnuts and then I topped it off with a spoonful of hummus once cooked.

Giraffe: hi let's be friends who write a cooking blog

Dino: These are the things I dream about.