Do you ever have one of those meals that just leaves you wanting ... MORE ? ? ? You know that you have had more than a portion but yet you could easily keep eating it. Yummmmmy Umami flavor is what I am talking about. There is no recipe here ... just a little of this and a little of that. The next time we make it I will post pics but last night I was too busy EATING the food to photograph it ! :)
Homemade fried rice ... precooked rice, canola oil, stir fry veggies, sesame oil, light tamari , ginger, garlic and prepared "egg" (tofu, ground tumeric, Bragg's, & pink salt). This was a late-night convenience meal and EXACTLY what we were looking for to fill the void left by a lack of access to such establishment. LOL We had things leftover but (of course) you could use freshly made items ... the rice is best for this when it's NOT freshly made as it tends to get gummy. If you want to just throw it together as quick as possible I'd use veggies off of the salad bar and ready-rice.
We simply started with a hot pan, the canola oil, ginger, & garlic ... then add the veggies. When they are tender and starting to brown slightly add the rice to the pan. Now you can stir in the tofu "eggs" followed by a tiny bit of sesame oil and tamari (or your favorite soy sauce) to taste.
The key to the tofu is to have it done beforehand ... crumble an extra firm tofu (refrigerated version works best here) into a dry (non-stick) pan, add tumeric until it's the color you want it, a dash of pink salt to give it a bit of sulphur flavor, and a few sprays (or drizzle) of Bragg's to add some body. A spatula with holes or a potato masher works well to break up the tofu into tiny pieces.
Of course if you don't have fresh garlic and ginger you can used ground and combine it with the oil in the pan. There is a version for everyone here ... make it all fresh ingredients & brown rice with minimal oil or closer to take-out with frozen veg, plenty of oil, white rice, & dripping with soy sauce ... or anywhere in between.
Happy Eating !
Monday, August 31, 2009
Friday, August 28, 2009
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
It's Been a While !
Ok so once again it's been a good while since my last entry.
It's not that I haven't eaten some amazing Vegan food ... or that I haven't faced struggles living in Houston, TX as a Vegan ... but just that LIFE has happened and writing a blog entry has fallen to the bottom of my list. :)
I am writing today (briefly) about a late-night episode of Good Eats! (Food Network) I watched recently on the topic of Avocados ... Curious Yet Tasty Avocado Experiment.
My mind always starts in with questions of "what could I substitute?" so when Alton Brown started talking about looking at an avocado as one would an egg both my husband and I snapped to and eagerly watched !
The recipe I have decided to try my hand at today is the Avocado Ice Cream. I have prepared the base using soy milk in place of the whole milk and soy cream in place of the heavy cream.
I have added a salted caramel syrup made from:
1 cup of light brown sugar
1 cup of soy cream
1 tsp Maldon sea salt (flakes)
I will post the results asap. :)
It's not that I haven't eaten some amazing Vegan food ... or that I haven't faced struggles living in Houston, TX as a Vegan ... but just that LIFE has happened and writing a blog entry has fallen to the bottom of my list. :)
I am writing today (briefly) about a late-night episode of Good Eats! (Food Network) I watched recently on the topic of Avocados ... Curious Yet Tasty Avocado Experiment.
My mind always starts in with questions of "what could I substitute?" so when Alton Brown started talking about looking at an avocado as one would an egg both my husband and I snapped to and eagerly watched !
The recipe I have decided to try my hand at today is the Avocado Ice Cream. I have prepared the base using soy milk in place of the whole milk and soy cream in place of the heavy cream.
I have added a salted caramel syrup made from:
1 cup of light brown sugar
1 cup of soy cream
1 tsp Maldon sea salt (flakes)
I will post the results asap. :)
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Two Words ... Vegan Marshmallows
Long before the thought even entered my mind that it was about time I make the transition from Vegetarian to Vegan marshmallows were off limits due to the gelatin used to make them.
There was a short period of time in my early college days when I went on a "marshmallow bender" and ate as many as I could ... the giant puffy kind ... that swell in your stomach and make you beg for mercy once they have stewed there for a while waiting to be digested ! Ah, the ignorance of youth.
This also reminds me of a couple years later -- after transferring from my Community College to a University. On a pit-fire excursion for ceramics class I was tempted by marshmallows dancing on twigs in the crackling fire ... that charred exterior with the molten insides that I remembered from childhood dangling there and calling my name. As I had the PETA fact sheets playing through in my head I also had my (rather charming) professor taunting me ... "just ONE marshmallow? How long has it been since you've had a marshmallow? Oh, wouldn't it be awesome after all this time!" Be it the crush I had on him, the lateness of the hour, or just simply being human I ate the bruleed morsel and felt a moment of ecstasy ... followed by a rush of regret. Yes, I am still talking about food here and yes it was "just a freakin' marshmallow" I didn't 'fell' a deer or anything but to me it was just as bad. All of that work supporting my 'cause' for what? I quickly let myself off the hook for the event -- I was human after all. My only veggie friend at the time came to the pit armed with veggie dogs and mangled coat hangers so that we too could participate. Good times!
All of this rambling brings me to present day when such a thing exists as a VEGAN MARSHMALLOW sans gelatin. They must be refrigerated, are a bit pricey, and the cost of shipping is rather cost-prohibitive but alas they exist. This elusive Vegan mallow can be difficult to get your hands on ... to my knowledge there are 2 brands only - one air puffed version & one gourmet/homemade style. The later was found on a recent trip to Whole Foods Market in the refrigerator case between goat's milk yogurt and a kefir drink so it's amazing that I even stopped to look at the little squares of goodness because at first glance (given their location) I thought they were a farmer's cheese or paneer of some sort. There was no price tag to be found but I knew they would be around $6 and justified the purchase as my "treat" for the week. Now, trying to explain to a 5 year old boy who has never tasted a marshmallow before that he can only have ONE is a whole other story for another blog entry. :)
Sweet & Sara (R) makes the luscious homemade/gourmet style Vanilla Marshmallow I speak of . Though I have not had the opportunity to try the air puffed variety they are made by Chicago Soydairy and are called Dandies Vegan Marshmallows. I found them online while drooling over the junk-food offerings at Food Fight! Vegan Grocery.
I am excited to make some Vegan S'mores with my oldest son later today!
There was a short period of time in my early college days when I went on a "marshmallow bender" and ate as many as I could ... the giant puffy kind ... that swell in your stomach and make you beg for mercy once they have stewed there for a while waiting to be digested ! Ah, the ignorance of youth.
This also reminds me of a couple years later -- after transferring from my Community College to a University. On a pit-fire excursion for ceramics class I was tempted by marshmallows dancing on twigs in the crackling fire ... that charred exterior with the molten insides that I remembered from childhood dangling there and calling my name. As I had the PETA fact sheets playing through in my head I also had my (rather charming) professor taunting me ... "just ONE marshmallow? How long has it been since you've had a marshmallow? Oh, wouldn't it be awesome after all this time!" Be it the crush I had on him, the lateness of the hour, or just simply being human I ate the bruleed morsel and felt a moment of ecstasy ... followed by a rush of regret. Yes, I am still talking about food here and yes it was "just a freakin' marshmallow" I didn't 'fell' a deer or anything but to me it was just as bad. All of that work supporting my 'cause' for what? I quickly let myself off the hook for the event -- I was human after all. My only veggie friend at the time came to the pit armed with veggie dogs and mangled coat hangers so that we too could participate. Good times!
All of this rambling brings me to present day when such a thing exists as a VEGAN MARSHMALLOW sans gelatin. They must be refrigerated, are a bit pricey, and the cost of shipping is rather cost-prohibitive but alas they exist. This elusive Vegan mallow can be difficult to get your hands on ... to my knowledge there are 2 brands only - one air puffed version & one gourmet/homemade style. The later was found on a recent trip to Whole Foods Market in the refrigerator case between goat's milk yogurt and a kefir drink so it's amazing that I even stopped to look at the little squares of goodness because at first glance (given their location) I thought they were a farmer's cheese or paneer of some sort. There was no price tag to be found but I knew they would be around $6 and justified the purchase as my "treat" for the week. Now, trying to explain to a 5 year old boy who has never tasted a marshmallow before that he can only have ONE is a whole other story for another blog entry. :)
Sweet & Sara (R) makes the luscious homemade/gourmet style Vanilla Marshmallow I speak of . Though I have not had the opportunity to try the air puffed variety they are made by Chicago Soydairy and are called Dandies Vegan Marshmallows. I found them online while drooling over the junk-food offerings at Food Fight! Vegan Grocery.
I am excited to make some Vegan S'mores with my oldest son later today!
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