Gefilte Tofu

So, I'm not going to lie... I probably wouldn't make this for anything but Passover sedar. It is better than real gefilte fish, I'm sure, but the sauce is strangely gelatinous. I don't mean to scare anyone, I would make this again next year. 

Sauce:

1 quart water

3/4 c onion, chopped

1/2 c baby carrots

1/2 c celery

3/4 t salt

1/4 t pepper

1/2 t thyme

1 whole clove 

1 bay leaf

2 t agar powder

Gefilte Tofu:

1 c onion, chopped

1/2 c carrot, chopped

1 package of tofu, crumbled

3 T matzo meal

1 T egg replacer

3 T almonds, ground

1/4 c parsley, chopped

1/2 t salt

1/4 t pepper

• To make the sauce: Saute onion in a little oil for a couple minutes then carrots and celery, cook another 2 minutes. 
• Add water, salt, pepper, thyme, clove and bay leaf then simmer for about 30-45 minutes.
• Add agar powder to stock stir and cook for another few minutes (sauce will thicken when removed from heat).
• Preheat oven to 375.
• To make the gefilte tofu: blend onion, carrot and tofu in a food processor until smooth, then transfer to a mixing bowl.
• MIx in matzo, egg replacer, almonds, parsley, salt and pepper.
• Form mixture into balls. The size is up to you. I made them smallish (about 2 inches in diameter) but traditionally I think the balls are huge and disgusting,... use your own judgement.
• *Rolling the balls is a little easier if you have oil on your hands so the mixture doesn't stick.
• Bake the gefilte tofu for about 40 minutes.
• Transfer balls to a serving dish and pour sauce on top. Make sure the sauce is hot, it will turn into a frightening gelatinous blob as it reaches room temperature.
• Enjoy!

Summer Salsa

A couple of days ago the weather was absolutely beautiful. The warmth and sunniness inspired a meal of springy and summery dishes. All of the food was delicious, but this salsa stole the show, in my opinion. If you're worried about the avocado turning brown, you can always add it right before serving, but if you use fresh limes the problem should be pretty well avoided.

4 -6  tomatoes, diced

1 small red onion, diced

1 jalapeno, minced

1 avocado, cut into chunks

1 pablano pepper

1/4 c cilantro

1 clove garlic, minced

juice of 1-2 limes

2 t red wine vinegar

salt and pepper

• Roast  and peel pablano. Once cooled, seed and chop the pepper.
• mix all ingredients together and chill. 
• Serve with chips, on top of salad, or whatever.

Mango-Ginger Nori Rolls

Some fellow Michiganders had a euchre party last weekend.  At this euchre party we ate sushi, therefore donning the party a sush-ucher party. I usually cut up a bunch of veggies and make rolls of different combinations. This time I tried a sweet roll that had fresh mango slices and crystallized ginger. They were a hit but I would suggest a variety of veggie rolls as well. Other rolls I made had roasted beets, avocado, alfalfa sprouts and green onion. Sushi rules! Get creative, the possibilities are endless.

1 c sushi rice or short grain brown rice

2 c water

juice of 1 to 1/2 lime OR

1-2 T apple cider vinegar

1-2 T maple syrup

1-2 T toasted sesame seeds

mango

crystallized ginger

nori sheets

sushi mat

• Prepare rice and add lime juice or vinegar, syrup and sesame seeds.
• I am not going to try to explain how to roll sushi, sorry. If you don't know how, I think it would be easiest to watch a video on youtube. 
• These were good all on their own, but that's not to say you can't try them with the traditional soy sauce, wasabi, etc.

Sweets, Kale, Kidney and Coconut Soup

Today was cold and crappy. When I came home from work I was crabby, tired and hungry. I was more tired than hungry, so the nap won on my list of priorities. When I woke up I was starving, nothing sounded good and I hadn't been to the grocery store. I gathered what veggies I could find in the fridge and cans in the cupboard and came up with this magic soup. I hope that this soup cheers you up as much as it did me!

1 onion, chopped

2-4 cloves garlic, minced

1 carrot, sliced

1-2 sweet potatoes, halved and sliced

1/2 bunch of kale, torn

1 can kidney beans

1 can coconut milk

3-4 c vegetable broth

1 t garlic-chili paste

1 T fresh ginger, grated

salt and pepper

2-3 T fresh basil, torn

• In a large pot, saute onion and garlic until tender.
• Add sweet potatoes and carrot. Cook for a few more minutes.
• Add coconut milk, broth, garlic-chili paste, ginger, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and simmer until potatoes and kale are just tender.
• Add kidney beans and simmer for a few more minutes. 
• Remove from heat and toss in basil.

Roasted Veggies

I was going to Lynn and Dave's to watch Rock of Love Tour Bus (what? it's a good show) and was pretty excited about the concoction I had created. Basically, what I did was chop all of the vegetables I had in the house and roast them together. I love eggplant and I love beets, together they are no less lovable. I decided to transport the veggies in my previously beloved bake and take. On my way into their house the top broke on my bake and take and the majority of the meal ended up in Lynn and Dave's front yard. We each ended up having about a tablespoon of the roasted veggies  each. I thoroughly enjoyed my tablespoon.

1 medium eggplant, cubed

1 red pepper, chopped

1-2 sweet potatoes, cubed

1-2 beets, cubed

1 large onion, chopped

6 cloves garlic, roughly chopped or whole

4 T olive oil, or enough to lightly coat veggies

1 t thyme

salt and pepper to taste

• Preheat oven to 425.
• Salt eggplant and let sit for about 20 minutes. Rinse and pat dry.
• Toss all veggies together with oil, thyme, salt and pepper.
• Spread evenly on cookie sheet or in 9 x 13 baking dish.
• Bake for 40-50 minutes. Stir half way though, if needed. 

Not Quite Taboulleh

This salad was pleasing to the palate as well as to the eye. It was bursting with both color and flavor. It was healthy and handsome. Umm... what other cheesy sayings can I come up with? 

Seriously, folks... I cooked the millet and quinoa together, 1/2 c grains to 1 c water for about 30 minutes. This is somewhat reminiscent of tabbouleh. If you have some fresh mint growing around your house, toss it in. Along with any other veggies you feel like. 

1 c cooked millet and quinoa

1 c parsley, chopped

1/2 c cilantro, chopped

1/2 c purple cabbage

1 carrot, diced

1/2 - 1/4 small red onion, diced

1-2 stalks celery, diced

1/2 red pepper, diced

1 c chick peas

juice of 1 lemon

1-2 T flax oil

salt and pepper

cayenne

• Mix all of the ingredients together in a large bowl and chill.

*This was really good with a yogurt version of the famous lemon tahini ginger sauce:

1/4 c tahini

3 T braggs

juice of 1 lemon

1 T ginger, grated

1 t garlic chili paste

1/4 c (or more) plain yogurt

Tempeh Hash

I am attempting to cut down on processed soy products and tofu. Soy is difficult for a lot of people to digest... I'm starting to suspect, myself included. Because tempeh is fermented and uses the whole soy bean, it is more easily digested than tofu as well as higher in protein, dietary fiber and vitamins.  

This recipe is this morning's experiment with tempeh. It was pretty good. I wasn't feeling terribly creative, so I didn't go crazy with seasoning it, I just kept it simple.  

1 small onion, sliced

1 package of tempeh, crumbled

1 c kale, torn

4 small potatoes, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced 

1 carrot, shredded

3 T braggs

salt and pepper

hot sauce 

• In a large pot, steam potatoes until almost done.
• In a cast iron skillet, saute onion until almost translucent. 
• Add tempeh, garlic, kale and potatoes then cook until kale is wilted, stirring occasionally.
• Season with braggs, salt and pepper and top with hot sauce if you wish.