Pink Beans and Rice

A few weeks ago, I found a vegan blog with, what I think is, the funniest title: I Eat Food.  No duh.  But the recipes on it looked delish, and I couldn't wait to try some of them.  (I did find one really odd thing about the author though; he doesn't like mushrooms!  Oh, horrors of horrors!)  I found a recipe that seemed to be heaven sent just for me- Pink Beans and Rice.  Lately, I have still been craving rice for some really strange reason, and I still have a huge bag of pink beans floating around that need to be used up.  I also just happened to have some Morning Star burger crumbles on hand, and so the dish was born. 
I have to say, it has a bit of a Mexican flair, which was just right with me.  This is, as I pointed out to M, a great dish for sore muscles... which seem to be a problem with us this weekend!  (Blame the YMCA instructors)  Once the prepwork for this dish is done- meaning cooking the rice and beans- it should take all of 15 minutes working time to throw in a pot and let simmer.  And the results are excellent!  Nice and warming, filling, and a very nice mixture of flavours that would probably go well with almost any other dish.  Great for cooler weather, and it makes a ton.

Pink Beans and Rice

Adapted from I Eat Food

Serves 8

1 1/3 cup dried pink beans, cooked
1 large pinch red pepper flakes
1 large onion, chopped
1 smallish bell pepper, chopped small
6 cloves garlic, pressed

1 ½ cups boca crumbles

2 cups canned tomato sauce
1 cup water
1 tbsp Better Than Bullion Vegetarian Beef Flavour
2 tbsp bbq sauce
1/2 tsp liquid smoke
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp Hungarian paprika
1 1/4 cups uncooked brown rice, cooked (which equals 3 1/3 cup cooked)

Heat a large dutch oven coated with nonstick spray over medium high heat with a bit of water. Add the onions, and sauté until soft, about 7-8 minutes. Add the bell pepper and garlic, and for a couple minutes more, until they are cooked. Add all of the ingredients except the rice, and simmer for 20 minutes, covered. Stir in the rice, and cook for 10 more minutes, adding water to get the texture you desire. Serve.

A Heavy and (Of Course) Delish Stir Fry

Another one of those lovely clean-out-the fridge recipes.  I don't know who doesn't love those... I sure do.  Anyway, I was very pleasently surprised to see how good this one turned out.  So much better than I though it would.  And it took so much less time that I had predicted, too, which is always nice.  I know, this isn't the prettiest stir fry, but who cares when it is something that you just want to gobble up at lightning speed? 

Anyway, I really think straw mushrooms are growing on me.  And the balance of the bean sauce in the sauce (that sounds kind of weird) was perfect, so yay for this recipe.  The tofu knots are always something that both M and I really enjoy, and so are the walnuts, which I have just recently discovered as another nuts possibility for stir fries.  Hehe, I got to use another one of my monster onions in this recipe, too.  I love those babies!  They are awesome, and totally outdo any onions that you could ever find. 

Black Bean Sauce Stir Fry

Serves 4-6

Adapted from CookShareEat.com


• 6 oz soba noodles, or any other kind of noodle, cooked
• Veggie broth, as needed
• 3-4 Tbsp black bean garlic sauce (I just happened to have just over 3, so I usedit up…)
• 3 Tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp mirin
• 1 tbsp agave nectar
• Chili sauce, to taste
• 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch
• 1 monster onion, halved and cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 3 heads baby bok choy, chopped
• 1 large portabella mushroom, chopped
• 3 cups shiitake mushrooms, cut into large pieces
• 1 can straw mushrooms
• 1 leek, tough green stems removed, chopped
• 1 large carrot
• ½ package dried bean curd knots (75 grams), soaked
• 4 green onions, sliced into ½ inch pieces
• Walnuts


1. In a small bowl, combine black bean sauce, soy sauce, mirin, nectar, chili sauce, and corn starch. Set aside for later.
2. Heat a wok coated with nonstick spray over high heat. Add the onion, and sauté for a minute, then add the carrot and leek, adding broth as needed. Cook for another minute, until heated up again. Then add Portobello and shiitakes, and cook for 3-4 minutes, until almost almost tender. Add the green onions, and cook for another minute. Add the bok choy, cook for another minute, and then add the sauce, bean curd skin, and straw mushrooms. Cook until it’s done to your liking.
3. You can either stir in the noodles, or serve them separately. Top with walnuts.

Bamboo- Fresh!

So, I was adventurous enough to give fresh bamboo shoots a go today.  I actually bought them quite awhile ago, but have never had the chance to make this dish until today for lunch.  The original recipe is from that amazing cookbook called Wok.  The weird thing, though, is that the bamboo shoots in their picture look nothing like the ones I got from the Asian market. 

Oh, it was kind of funny- M and I had no clue what these were when we got them.  I was pretty sure they were bamboo shoots, but there was no lable or anything.  When we were checking out, they rang up as bamboo shoots, and I said "Oh, look.  We guessed right."

So, we ended up with this for lunch.  And I have to say, I almost hesitated when I was cutting up the bamboo shoots because they looked so darn funny!  But they went in, along with the odd assortment of veggies that were lying around.  I do have to say, I think M and I are big fans of hoisin sauce!  That stuff tastes great, and gave this dish a boost in flavour.  I would certainly make this one again, and perhaps serve it over rice.  I think the alfalfa is another really unique thing about this stir fry.  I never would have thought of it, but Wok said to top it off with alfalfa, and so I obeyed.  The sprouts add a pleasant crunch, and M said it made her feel like she was eating a salad.  Which I kind of felt like too.  A darn good salad.  With bamboo... go figure.

Bamboo Shoots and Veggies in Hoisin Sauce

Serves 4-6

Adapted from Wok

1 lb fresh bamboo shoots, cut into halves (I don’t know how many pounds I used, but it was about 3-4 cups, one box at the Asian market)
½ lb shiitake mushrooms, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 red bell pepper, cut into strips
1 cup snap peas, trimmed
2 baby bok choy, chopped
1 tbsp yellow bean sauce
1-2 tbsp rice vinegar
1-2 tbsp mirin
2 tbsp hoisin sauce
Alfalfa sprouts
Parsley

Heat a few tablespoons of water in a wok over medium high heat. Add the bamboo and mushrooms, adding more water as needed throughout. Stir fry for about 2 minutes, then add the celery, pepper, and peas. When the mushrooms are about tender, add the bok choy, yellow bean sauce, rice vinegar, mirin, and hoisin sauce. Cook until all veggies are tender, about 4 more minutes. Serve topped with alfalfa and parsley.

Really Over-Stuffed Tofu

Last night I decided to give Fat Free Vegan's Stuffed Tofu recipe a go.  Although I decided to add a few more veggies, I didn't think that that would really change all that much.  Appearently it did.  Although making the tofu pockets was not hard in itself, there was WAY too much filling to fit inside of them.  It turned out to be some sort of casserole. 
I think that this is a great recipe- slightly bland, but a good starting point.  Thus, I have edited it to where I think this this dish would turn out great, and with a lot less trouble than M and I went through.  My experience with this dish was not really that great- the rice seemed to not want to cook, so we just served that on the side.  Also, both M and I agree that a separate gravy, like Fat Free Vegan calls for, is not really necessary for this.  Also, I solved the blandness problem by adding a bit more soy sauce to my serving, along with a bit of black bean sauce. 
Like I said, this is a great recipe- not really like anything that I have made before.  But I really have no clue how Susan made her's work out to be so perfect.  Ah.  The mysteries of a professional chef...  Honestly, I think some people can work miracels. 
But anyway, here is my version of Tofu and Veggie Casserole- not nearly as fancy as what Susan came up with, but tasty nonetheless.  And much less time consuming, to boot.
One last thing- I bet if you wanted to add nuts, almond slivers or walnuts would taste fantastic!

Tofu and Veggie Casserole

Inspired by Fat Free Vegan

Serves 4 as a main dish

1 pound extra firm tofu, pressed


1 large onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 carrots, coined
2 small ribs celery, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
6 ounces shiitake mushrooms, chopped
1 1/2 tsp. thyme
1/2 tsp. ground sage
3/4 tsp. fresh rosemary, chopped
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1 cup long-grain brown rice, cooked
¼ cup fresh basil, chopped
3 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp black bean sauce

1 small onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
½ can straw mushrooms
1 tbsp flour
1 cup vegetable broth
3 tbsp. soy sauce
2 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp ground sage
1 3/4 tsp. thyme
1/8 tsp. Liquid Smoke
salt and pepper, to taste
Cut the tofu into thin, large rectangles.
Heat a large frying pan coated with nonstick spray over medium high heat. Saute the onions and carrots for 2 minutes, then add the celery, garlic, and shiitakes. Continue cooking until about half way done, then add the bell pepper. When all veggies are tender, remove from heat. Mix in the thyme, sage, rosemary, pepper, basil, soy sauce, and black bean sauce. Move to a separate bowl.
Reheat the frying pan, and add the small onion and garlic. Saute until onion is tender, and then add the remaining ingredients- straw mushrooms through salt and pepper.
Preheat the oven to convection 350. Spray a large casserole dish with nonstick spray, and then add half of the bell pepper mixture. Top that with half of the tofu slices, and then top that with all the rice. Put on the remaining tofu, then bell pepper mixture, and top it all off with the straw mushroom dressing. Bake for about 20 minutes, until heated through.

Orange Pho Noodles

As I was hunting around for ideas on how to use up some left over pho noodles, I stumbled upon this recipe on Vegan Dad's blog.  I thought I would give it a whirl, and see how things turned out.  I added a few more veggies, as usual, and increased the sauce a bit.  Even with these changes, when I first ate it, the stir fry seemed kind of bland, so I though about it for a minute, and darted back to the kitchen for some hot sauce and five spice powder.  That seemed to lived it up a little bit.  Actually, with those additions it was quite tasty.  I think, though, that this recipe could do with a bit more work, and here I have posted what I think would be the ideal recipe. 

This combination of veggies should work well, and the marmalade always seems to add extra depth to orangey dishes.  Hopfully I can give this version a whirl soon...

Orange Pho Noodles, Tofu, and Veggies

Serves 4

Inspired by Vegan Dad

3.5 oz Pho noodles, cooked in boiling water for a minute or two and soaked for 45 minutes
8 oz tofu, pressed and cubed
1 red pepper, sliced into slivers
2 baby bok choy, chopped
2 1/2 cup broccoli florets
1 ½ cups snap peas
4 cups shiitake mushrooms, chopped
6 green onions, cut into 1"pieces
3 tbsp soy sauce
½ tbsp corn starch
2 tbsp miso paste
1/3 cup orange juice
¼ cup sugar free orange marmalade
1 tbsp agave nectar
1 tbsp five spice powder, or to taste
2 tsp chili sauce, or to taste
Peanuts

1. Mix together the soy sauce, corn starch, miso, orange juice, marmalade, agave, five spice powder, and hot sauce in a small bowl.
2. Heat a wok over high heat with a bit of water. Add the broccoli and shiitakes, and sauté for 2 minutes, adding more water as needed. Add the peas and, and cook for 1-2 more minutes, until shiitakes are about ½ way done. Add the bell pepper and onions. After 2 more minutes add the bok choy. When the bok choy has wilted add the sauce and tofu, and heat through. Add the noodles, and stir until hot and everything is coated with the sauce.
3. Serve, topped off with peanuts.

More Udon- with Walnuts!

I think M's favorite kind of noodle is udon.  I really, really do.  I can't say that myself, becauce I love all kinds of noodles, really, but udons are great!  I love their texture, and their thickness makes them seem so luxurious and rich.  The miso- based sauce in this recipe seemed to really do the trick for the veggies, and both M and I loved the walnuts.  The mixture of veggies is really quite vibrant- I love the look of this stir fry too- very photogenic!

We had never actually had walnuts on a stir fry before, but when I saw this recipe, I was inspired to take some of it's basic elements, change the veggies, and came up with this recipe. 

I added a little hot sauce to my bowl, but I just wanted a little heat tonight.  The noodles don't really need it, but it was an excellent addition, I thought. 

I created this recipe with veggies enough for 3 servings, because that is the amount on udon that needed to be used up.  Just increase the sauce a bit, and add a few more veggies, and this could easily become a four serving dish.

Ooooh!  I had a little project of placemats going on, and M and I finally finished them this morning.  On one side, they are neon yellow with flowers, and on the other they are black with big colourful circles.  I will try to post a picture soon.  They are quite nice, and they look great.  It's cool to be able to say they are homemade! 

Miso Walnut Udon Noodles

Serves 3

Inspired by  Gardian.co.uk

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/jan/23/udon-noodles-miso-walnutottolenghi

½ large red bell pepper, chopped
1 large carrot, coined
3 green onions
3 cups shiitake mushrooms, chopped
1 cup snap peas, trimmed
1 generous cup broccoli, cut into florets
6 oz tofu, pressed and cubed
Salt
1/2 tbsp grated ginger
2 large garlic cloves, crushed
1 tbsp miso paste
3 tbsp mirin
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 ½ tbsp agave nectar
Water or broth, as needed
3 servings fresh udon noodles, cooked
Walnuts, for topping

Mix together the miso, mirin, soy sauce, and agave. Set aside

Heat a wok over medium high heat. Add a bit of water, and add the carrot and shiitakes, adding more water as needed to prevent sticking. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the broccoli and peas along with the ginger and garlic. Stir fry for 2 more minutes. Then add the green onions and bell pepper. Cook until veggies are almost finished, then add the sauce and tofu. Heat through, add the udon, and stir until the sauce has coated everything. Serve, topped with walnuts.

Spicy Browned Curry Tofu and Veggies

Wow.  This dish turned out... really spicy.  Not to mention good smelling and tasting... but still.  M and I were actually crying a little bit at the end of our bowls.  But, despite the heat (foodwise, and outdoors, still), it turned out to be something quite memorable!
This is another dish that I adapted from the cookbook Wok.  It was originally called Spicy Fried Meat, and used pork, and had lots of oil and cucumber.  But, obviously, neither of those sit well with me, so I decided that some changes were in order!  At the last minute, I asked M what other veggie we should throw in, becauce the pile looked rather skimpy, and she liked my suggestion of cauliflower.  I actually really liked that addition, so yay.
The tofu seems to take forever to brown properly, but M and I were patient, and I think it was in the wok for atleast half an hour.  We were well rewarded though, and it was so nicely browned.  And I have included the original amout of chili sauce and curry paste in the recipe, but, just warning you, it's HOT. 
We served ours over a bed of raw green cabbage, but this would also be a great dish to have over rice or with noodles.  I might give rice a whirl next time... we'll see.

For some reason, this week I have been craving mushrooms.  M and I made a trip to the Asian market yesterday, and we came back with a boatload of mushrooms.  They have a really strong odor, but I don't really mind- nor, thankfully, does M.  It's actually quite envigorating.  But our fridge is exploding with things of Asian origin... need to work on that.

Spicy Browned Curry Tofu and Veggies

Adapted from Wok

Serves 4

1 tsp peanut oil

1 lb tofu, chopped (I did triangles just for a change here)
½ tsp pepper
4-5 tbsp soy sauce
3-4 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp stir fry sauce
1 tbsp chili sauce
1 ½ tbsp yellow curry paste
2 shallots, chopped
1 cup cauliflower, sliced into florets
8 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 ½- 2 cups purple cabbbge, shredded
2 large king oyster mushrooms, chopped
8 black olives, sliced
8 green olives, sliced
2 baby bok choy, chopped
Nutmeg, to taste
Peanut for garnish

Heat the peanut oil in a wok over medium high heat. Add the tofu, and fry for about 30 minutes, turning occasionally, until nicely browned on all sides. Remove to a bowl.

Mix together the pepper, soy sauce, vinegar, stir fry sauce, chili sauce, and curry paste in a small bowl. Set aside.

Heat up the wok again, and add a little water. Add the cauliflower and shallots, and stir fry for 2 minutes, adding water as needed. Add the mushrooms, cabbage, and garlic, and cook until fairly heated through. Add the bok choy and both kinds of olives, and cook until bok choy is wilted. Stir in the sauce, and add the tofu and nutmeg. Heat through, and serve when all veggies are done, topped with peanuts.

Serve over rice, noodles, or raw green cabbage, with plenty of tissues and water.