bulgoggi and cabbage salad

bulgoggi is a sweet soy sauce marinade used in korean bbq. you can use the marinade for tofu, tempeh, seitan, mushrooms, or other veggies. i got the idea from this month's vegetarian times. the salad was my own idea, and i was pleasently surprised. i served the meal with wild rice, but i think the rice would work well mixed into the salad.

cabbage salad
1/2 cup shredded red cabbage
1/2 of red sweet onion, chopped
handful of toasted slivered almonds and sesame seeds
(to toast, i sprayed frying pan with non-sticky spray, and added nuts and seeds once pan was hot, cooking for a few minutes only)
-spray a frying pan with non-stick spray
-add cabbage and onion with a splash of water
-cook until cabbage has softened but not wilted
-toss with slivered almonds and sesame seeds and add dressing!

salad dressing
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tbl agave nectar
juice from 1/2 of a lime
-mix together in bowl

bulgoggi marinade
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 sugar (i used stevia, a natural sugar substitute)
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tbl mirin
-mix together and marindade whatever you choose for at least 30 minutes.

if you live anywhere near this brownie

run, run to purchase and then consume it! 

this vegan treats brownie topped with peanut butter mousse topped with hard chocolate and drizzled with caramel is to die for. 

i got mine at dc's java green. it was otherworldly. 

ukrainian vinigret salad

 i first had this beautiful, delicious and nutritious salad at the wedding of my boyfriend's cousin and his ukrainian bride. when i learned the bride and her mother made the salad themselves, i requested the recipe. i added the avocado for a western twist. thanks nataliya!

2 potatoes
2 carrots
1 beet
1/2 red onion, diced.
1/2 cup sauerkraut
1 1/2 cup cannellini beans
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp olive oil
1 avacado sliced

1. bring two pots of water to boil, place potatoes and carrots in one pot and the beet in another.
2. once vegetables are soft, wash off the skin and chop into small cubes.
3. let the vegetables cool, while mixing together the remainder of the ingredients except the avacado.
4. add the vegetables, and toss. add the avacado last.

summer tofu salad

another salad, i know. and also, not yet officially summer. but seriously, this salad was so satisfying. perfect for a hot day.  the picture really doesn't do it justice. 

yields 2 big ass salads

orange tofu

12 oz of firm tofu marinaded in:

1/4 cup of orange juice

1 tbl soy sauce or tamari

1 tsp liquid smoke

-marinade for at least 3o minutes

-bake in marinade on 350 for 20 minutes

orange dressing

1 cup orange juice

1 tbl olive oil

1 tbl balsamic vinegar

salt and pepper

-mix it up!

salad:

mixed spring greens

normal salad stuff like carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes etc.

1/4 cup  of corn

cup of black beans

avacado sliced

orange tofu 

1/4 cup of mango salsa

orange dressing

-toss all the ingredient together, top with dressing

chocolate covered cherries

i made these babies because they are my dad's favorite candy. they are making their way to california via fed ex for father's day. they are not as pretty as store bought ones, but what they lack in beauty they make up for in love! 

-jar of about 40 ish maraschino cherries (you can get non poison, high fructose corn syrup, artificial color ones at whole foods and health stores.) 

-1/2 cup of powdered sugar

-1/4 cup of non dairy butter

-1 tsp of vanilla extract

-bag of vegan chocolate chips

-splash of non dairy milk

1. drain maraschino cherries and dry them on a paper towel

2. combine the sugar, butter, and vanilla together to make a thick dough

3. cover each of the cherries with a thin layer of the dough

4. once covered put the cherries in the fridge until the dough has stiffened a little (at least 30 min)

5. melt chocolate with a splash of non dairy milk by microwaving in 30 second intervals (avoid burning, by stirring during intervals) 

6. dip the cherries in the chocolate mixture, covering completely

7. lay the covered cherries on parchment paper and refrigerate 

the cherries are best after sitting for several days. the one i thieved from my dad's gift box was fantastic! 

tofu stuffed portabella mushroom for one

when you're just cooking for yourself, but want to do something fancy.

balsamic marinade

1/3 cup balsamic vinegar

splash of olive oil

dried basil, oregano, salt and pepper

-combine all ingredients

tofu mixture

1/3 cup tofu

1 tsp basil

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp garlic

2 tsp nutritional yeast

2 tsp frozen chopped spinach

salt and pepper

recipe!

-poor marinade into a small over safe pan

-clean one portabella mushroom cap, and place it in pan, being sure to get marinade all over it

-marinade for at least 20 minutes

-preheat oven to 350

-with portabella cap side down, take the tofu and stuff

-cook for about 20 minutes

-serve over a bed of greens, and drizzle with the remaining marinade

too hot

to eat anything aside from ice cream...

tofu quinoa burrito with mango salsa

ok, so obviously this should be titled tofu quinoa burrito with mango salsa turned gigantic tofu quinoa soft taco with mango salsa. i have failed again at my life long goal of wrapping a decent burrito. but, fear not, it was delicious! 

yields 2 burritos

mango salsa:

1/2 cup diced mango (pretty small pieces) 

1/2 red onion finely diced

1/4 cup finely chopped red pepper

1/4 lime juice

1 tbl fresh chopped ginger

-mix it all together

-the salsa will be best if it sits in the fridge for a while. 

tofu filling

6 oz firm or extra firm tofu, cubed 

1 portabella mushroom, cut in cubes

1 bell pepper chopped

1 tbl cumin

1 tsp crushed red pepper

salt and pepper

1 tsp olive oil

-spray a frying pan with non-stick spray and add a very small amount of oil

-add the bell pepper and cook until slightly soft

-add the rest of the ingredients with a splash of water

-cook until mushrooms are cooked all the way through

burrito!

2 tortillas

tofu filling above

refried beans

1/2 cup cooked quinoa

mango salsa

whatever else you want!

-apparently you put all these ingredients into a warm tortilla, being careful not to overstuff, and somehow wrap it so it stays together. or you can be like me, fold it over and call it a soft taco! 

fiddleheads and cannellini beans

i had to get on the fiddlehead bandwagon, just because of how awesome looking they are. i love cannellini beans, so i figure if i screw up the fiddleheads the beans will balance it all out. well luckily the dish turned out delicious! and i'm especially excited to note that my new roommate (my boyfriend's 88 year-old grandfather) loved it and ate it instead of his nightly tv dinner. 

1 garlic glove

1/2 c fiddleheads

1 can cannellini beans

1 tbl red wine vinegar 

1 tsp dried basil 

1 tsp oregano 

1 tsp lemon juice

-spray a pan with non-stick spray

-add chopped garlic and fiddleheads

-saute until fiddleheads loosen a little 

-add the rest of the ingredients 

-cook for additional 8 minutes