I cannot make Chinese food to save my life. In particular, I’ve mastered the art of ruining stir-fries.  Yet I keep trying.  Today I started with a recipe for stir-fried tofu and bok choy in ginger sauce from Cooks Illustrated’s The Best Light Recipe and modified it to fit what was in the fridge.  I ended up with a tofu, broccoli, carrot, scallion, ginger, garlic stir-fry.

Ingredients:

• 1.25 cups short-grain brown rice
• 14 ounces firm tofu
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons dry sherry
• 2 Tablespoons minced garlic
• 2 Tablespoons grated fresh ginger
• 3 scallions, whites minced and green parts cut into 1/4-inch lengths
• 2 Tablespoons + 1 teaspoon oil
• 1.5 pounds broccoli, florets and stems
• 3 small carrots, about 8 ounces

Sauce ingredients:

• 8 Tbs. boiling water
• 1 low-salt bouillon cube
• 4 Tbs. soy sauce
• 1 Tablespoon sugar
• 1.5 tsp. arrowroot
• 1 tsp. toasted sesame oil

Instructions

1. Put the brown rice on to cook.
2. Cut the tofu into 1/2 inch cubes.  In a large bowl, toss the tofu with the soy sauce the the sherry.
3. Prep the aromatics:  Minced the garlic and the whites of the scallion, grate the ginger, and combine in a small bowl with 2 tsp. of oil.
4. Make the sauce.  Heat the water and pour it into a ramekin with the bouillon cube.  Mix the reamining ingredients in a small bowl.
5. Prepare the veggies:  Cut the broccoli florets into 1 inch pieces and slice the stem thinly.   Cut the carrots into two inch matchsticks.
6. Heat 2 tsp. oil in a 12-inch skillet over high heat.  Add the tofu and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, 4 to 6 minutes.  Transfer the tofu back to its large bowl.
7. Add 1 more teaspoon oil to the pan and heat again.  Add the carrots and cook until tender-crisp, about 2 to 3 minutes.  Add the carrots to the bowl with the tofu.
8. Add 1 more teaspoon oil to the pan and heat again.  Add the broccoli florets and stems, and cook until the broccoli starts to brown slightly.  Then pour in 1/2 cup water, cover, and let steam for about 3 minutes, until the broccoli is bright green and starting to soften.  Remove the lid and cook until the broccoli is tender and all the water has evaporated, about 2 to 4 minutes.  Add the broccoli to the bowl with the tofu and carrots.
9. Add 1 more teaspoon oil and the garlic/ginger mixture to the pan.  Mash the garlic mixture into the ban with the pack of a spatula, until fragrant, about 45 seconds.  Whisk the sauce to recombine, then add it, the scallion greens, and the bouillon mixture to the pan and bring to a simmer.  Remove the pan from the heat, add in the tofu and veggies, and toss until all the ingredients are well coated with sauce.  Serve immediately.

Serves 4 to 5.

My notes

This recipe worked fine.  All the veggies came out properly cooked–not too mushy, but not at all undercooked.  The sauce worked as well–it thickened up but wasn’t gloppy, and there was just enough to coat all the tofu and veggies.  I was a little concerned that the broccoli wasn’t cooked with any salt, but the sauce was salty enough that once everything was mixed together the broccoli tasted fine.

Although the instructions were all reliable, the final dish was disappointing.  I could definitely taste the ginger in the sauce, but other than that the flavors were all a bit insipid.  I used bouillon instead of chicken broth, but I suspect that didn’t make a huge difference.  Even with chicken broth I think the sauce would be wan tasting. I think Chinese restaurant stir-fries must just have a lot more oil and sugar and salt in them, and that with 1.5 teaspoons of oil per person, it’s just not going to taste the same.  I wouldn’t make this recipe again.  If you try it, I recommend you add some hot peppers or chili sauce to the sauce. Rating: B-.

Derek wasn’t excited about this dish.  He added toasted sesame oil, soy sauce, and chili sauce, but even after that he said it was “fine”.  Rating: B.

Next time I attempt a stirfry, I’m going to stay far away from cook’s illustrated, and instead take some tips from the blog Tigers and Strawberries, which seems to have lots of good information about cooking authentic Chinese food and stir-fries with tofu.

Most tofu enchiladas are awful.  Normal tofu just doesn’t have the right texture for enchiladas.  My mom’s enchiladas are different, however.  They’re based on a recipe they used to make on the Farm, which uses frozen, marinated, and baked tofu that has a chewy texture and deep, umame flavor.  When I was a kid and my mom asked me what I wanted for my birthday dinner, I invariably requested tofu enchiladas. The enchiladas were simple, American-style enchiladas, made from flour tortillas filled with savory tofu chunks and then covered in a tomato, chili gravy and baked in the oven.    They were simple, but amazingly delicious.  More recently my mom has started adding vegetables to her enchiladas, and I’ve followed suit.   I usually add some combination of spinach, corn,  peppers, and onions.  Other veggies would probably be good too.

I decided to make enchiladas for New Year’s dinner because of my freezer fiasco–I need to use up 3 blocks of no-longer-frozen tofu, a big tupperware of enchilada sauce, small containers of chipotle chilis and minced jalepeno, and boxes of no-longer-frozen corn and spinach.

This recipe is still pretty approximate.  I’m not sure of a number of the measurements, oven temperatures, pan sizes, etc.  I’m guessing at the moment, but I’ll nail these numbers down next time I make enchiladas.

And now… the book.

The recipe

These enchiladas are not difficult to make, but the recipe involves many steps and is quite time consuming.

The game plan

1. At least 24 hours in advance:  Freeze 2 blocks (14-16 ounces) of medium-firm tofu.  If it’s water-packed tofu, you can freeze it in the package, or you can take it out and freeze the blocks together in a large tupperware.  You can freeze the tofu as far ahead as you like, but you’ll need to freeze it at least 24 hours in advance so that it has time to freeze and defrost.
2. The night before you want to make the enchiladas, remove the tofu from the freezer and leave it out to defrost.
3. Make the enchilada sauce.  (Note:  Start this first because you need the enchilada sauce for the tofu’s marinade and the veggie’s seasoning.)
4. While the sauce simmers, prepare the veggies.
5. Make the tofu.
6. Assemble and bake the enchiladas.

You can make the enchilada sauce and/or the tofu one to two days ahead of time.  You can make the veggie mixture the day before.  You might even be able to assemble the enchiladas the day before (leaving off the sauce to avoid sogginess), but I haven’t tried this.  I also haven’t tried freezing the pre-baked or baked enchiladas.  But maybe my Mom has.  Mom?

Enchilada sauce

Ingredients

• 2 Tbs. olive oil
• 1 large onion
• 30 oz tomato sauce
• 5 cups water
• 5 Tbs. chili powder
• 1 Tbs. cumin
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder

Instructions: In a 3- to 4-quart saucepan, sauté the onion in the oil.  When the onions are transparent, add the remaining ingredients and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes.

Tofu

Ingredients

• 1 Tbs. oil
• 4 Tbs. soy sauce
• 2 Tbs. tomato paste
• 2 Tbs. peanut butter
• 2 tsp. onion powder
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1/2 cup enchilada sauce (see above)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.  Oil a cookie sheet with the 1 Tbs. of oil.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the remaining ingredients to form the marinade.
3. Squeeze the tofu dry, and then tear into bite sized pieces.  Use a rubber spatula to gently mix the tofu into the marinade, making sure all the pieces ends up evenly colored.
4. Pour the tofu pieces onto the cookie sheet, distributing them evenly.  (Do not wash out the bowl.)  Bake for 20 minutes, flip, then bake another 15 minutes.  The tofu should be crisp on the outside but still moist on the inside. Transfer the tofu back to the large bowl.

Vegetables

This is the vegetable mix I made tonight.  There are a lot of ingredients, but they’re not all necessary.  I was just trying to use up various things that were in the fridge.

Ingredients

• 1/2 Tbs. olive oil
• 1/2 cup sliced red onion
• 1/2 Tbs. minced jalepeno
• 1 canned chipotle chili, minced
• 2 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1 long pale, not-too-spicy, yellow-green pepper (banana pepper?), sliced
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 450 grams frozen, chopped spinach
• 1/4 cup Frontera Grill salsa verde
• 1/2 cup enchilada sauce (see above)
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1 can of artichoke hearts, hearts cut into eights

Instructions

1. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil.   When hot add the onion and saute until slightly softened.  Add the jalepeno, chipotle chili, garlic, yellow pepper and saute briefly.  Add the cumin and salt and saute for 30 seconds more.  Add in the frozen spinach, and cook until defrosted and any extra water has evaporated.
2. Remove from heat, and add to the large bowl that the tofu is in.  Add in the salsa verde, enchilada sauce, and frozen corn.  Stir to mix.
3. Slice the artichoke hearts, and set aside on a plate.

Assembling and serving the enchiladas

Ingredients

• 12 8-inch flour tortillas or 18? 6-inch corn tortillas
• tofu/vegetable mix
• sliced artichoke hearts
• 20 good-quality green or black olives, sliced (optional)
• grated cheese (optional)
• sliced avocado (optional)
• shredded lettuce (optional)
• minced onion or scallions (optional)
• diced tomatoes or pico de gallo (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
2. Smear bottom of a 13- x 9-inch baking dish with 3/4 cup  enchilada sauce.
3. Fill your enchiladas:  Place a tortilla on a plate and spread 1/3 cup filling (for corn tortillas) or 1/2? cup filling (for flour tortillas) down the center of each tortilla.  Lay 3-4 pieces of artichoke heart on top of the filling.  Roll each tortilla tightly and place in the baking dish, seam-side down.  Pour another 1-2? cups enchilada sauce over the top of the enchiladas.  Use the back of a spoon to spread the sauce so that it coats the top of each tortilla.   If using cheese, sprinkle over the top of enchiladas. If using the olives, spread over the top of the enchiladas.
4. Bake for about 25 minutes, until cheese is melted or tops start to look a little dry.
5. Serve immediately, with whatever garnishes you like, and extra sauce.

Note: If you’re using corn tortillas, and they’re not 100% fresh, you might want to soften them in the oven or microwave before rolling the enchiladas.  Place the tortillas on 2 baking sheets. Spray both sides of tortillas lightly with cooking spray. Bake until tortillas are soft and pliable, 2 to 4 minutes.  Or stack the tortillas on a microwave-safe plate, and microwave for 40-60 seconds until soft and pliable.  I think you’ll need to somehow cover the tortillas to keep them from getting dried out and cracking.

My notes

My notes on the tofu:

A variant of the farm recipe has since been published in Louise Hagler’s cookbook Tofu Cookery.  Hagler calls for only 1.5 lbs tofu, and uses 1/2 the peanut butter, no tomato paste, no enchilada sauce, and the same amounts of cumin and onion powder.  She uses twice as much oil on her cookie sheet, however.

My mom’s recipe (as I have it written down) actually specifies that the marinade listed above is for four blocks of tofu.  I used the marinade ingredients above, but for 3 pounds of tofu rather than four.  (But I only used 2 pounds  of tofu for the enchiladas; the rest I set aside for another dish.)  After mixing the tofu into the marinade, it seemed like plenty of marinade for all 3 blocks of tofu.  All the pieces were uniformly light pinkish brown. I tasted the raw tofu, and it tasted extremely salty, which is how it’s supposed to taste.  After baking, however, it didn’t taste that great.  Normally the tofu is irresistible when it comes out of the oven, but this time it was bland.   I’m not sure if it’s because the marinade was too diluted, or because there wasn’t really enough oil and space on the baking pan for 3 blocks of tofu.  Next time I’d use the same amount of marinade with only 2 blocks of tofu (as is specified in the recipe above).

My notes on the sauce:

I used enchilada sauce that had been frozen for quite a while, and the look of it was a bit strange–it wasn’t as uniform anymore, more like cloudy particles floating in a reddish water.  It tasted fine, however, when used to cook the enchiladas.  I vaguely remember that my mom’s sauce recipe always makes too much for one batch of enchiladas.  Maybe it should be cut in half?  Or 2/3rds?

For the enchilada sauce, Hagler uses 3 cloves fresh garlic rather than garlic powder,  1/2 as much tomato sauce, 2/5th as much water, 3-6 Tbs. chili powder, 2/3 the salt, and the same amount of cumin.  That’s pretty different!

I also compared my mom’s sauce recipe to one from Cook’s Illustrated, in their recipe for “lighter enchiladas”.  This is their recipe, doubled:

Their instructions:  Combine the onion, oil, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large saucepan. Cover and cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, until the onions have softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the garlic, chili powder, cumin, and sugar, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the tomato sauce and water, bring to a simmer, and cook until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.

This recipe uses less oil, and thus “sweats” the onions with the salt in a covered pan.  It uses slightly less salt, but a little more chili powder and cumin, and lots of fresh garlic instead of garlic powder.  It uses significantly less water.  The final difference is that CI adds sugar to their sauce.  I’m not sure why.

My mom’s sauce recipe tastes pretty good to me–not quite authentic Mexican, but tasty.  It could probably use a little tweaking, however.  Next time I’ll use fresh garlic, CI’s amounts of cumin and chili powder, and try it with a little less water, maybe 4 cups.

My notes on the veggies

The last few times I’ve made enchiladas I’ve used frozen spinach.  It’s easy, tasty, and nutritious.  You can also use fresh spinach, but make sure to clean it well and chop it up well–long stringy strands of spinach are quite unpleasant.  Chard or beet greens, which are very similar to spinach, would also probably work well.  I’ve never tried heartier greens like collards or kale.

I used to put mushrooms in my enchiladas, but Derek always complained that they ended up rubbery.  He says I don’t know how to cook mushrooms so I stopped putting them in.  Probably if I minced them up really fine, though, they wouldn’t be noticeable.

I’ve never put artichoke hearts in my enchiladas before, but I know my dad and brother always ask for my mom to put them in.  I thought they were fine.  They added some variety, which was nice, but most of the time you didn’t really taste them.  Also, they’re quite salty.

I really liked the corn in the enchiladas.   The added a touch of sweetness that contrasted nicely with all the salty, savory flavors.

I only had a little bit of salsa verde left, but I think the sourness helped balance the flavors out.  My mom often adds Pace picante sauce, which has a vinegary bite, and probably plays a similar role.

When my mom came to Saarbruecken last Spring, she made us enchiladas using a big bag of long yellow/green peppers she bought at the Turkish market.  They were delicious.  I only had one of those peppers this time, but if you have more by all means throw them in.  Poblano peppers are also really good, if you can get them.  (Sadly, they don’t exist in Saarbruecken.)  Plain green bell peppers are okay, but I prefer them in smaller quantities, not as the main veggie in the enchiladas.

Other veggies that might be good but I haven’t tried:  winter squash, sweet potatoes, zucchini or yellow squash

My notes on the whole enchilada

Our enchiladas ended up a bit soggy.  I’m not sure if I added too much sauce, or maybe these Turkish tortillas just aren’t heavy-duty enough.  The enchiladas were still tasty, but I wished the tortillas ended up a bit more al dente.

We topped our enchiladas with a mix of aged cheddar and pecorino. (We didn’t measure that carefully, but I think Derek added about 8 ounces of cheese in total.) The cheese gives the dish a very rich mouthfeel.

I found the enchiladas a bit too salty today.  Derek didn’t add any salt, so that means they must have been way too salty!  Maybe next time I’d cut the salt in the vegetables to 1/4 tsp.

I ended up with a little extra filling.  If I had had more tortillas, I probably could have made another 1-2 enchiladas.

I don’t currently have an 13- by 9-inch pan, so I made two batches:  one in a casserole pan that’s probably about 6- by 11-inches, and the other in a 9- by 9-inch square pan.  i probably could have fit two more enchiladas in if I had had more tortillas.

I think one enchilada is really a serving, but most people like them so much they end up eating 1.5 or 2 at dinner.

Derek says (about the enchiladas with cheese)  “These are delicious.  Perfect.  A”.  He thought they were actually less soggy than normal.  Derek said the artichoke hearts were good when he got one, but you couldn’t taste them most of the time (unless you happened to bite into one).  He said they added some nice variety.

Oh, I forgot–I had a little ground up almonds leftover from Nikki’s healthy cookies and I threw it in with the spinach.  It was maybe 2 Tbs. of ground almonds.

Nutritional Information

I calculated the nutrition information assuming 2 blocks of Nasoya firm tofu that’s made with all the marinade, only half the enchilada sauce is used, the tortillas are made from flour and contain 150 calories each, only 1/4 tsp. salt was added to the veggies, the tomato sauce for the sauce was low-salt, and the following were added to the tofu to make the filling: 1 pound spinach, 1 cup frozen corn, 1/2 cup green bell pepper, 1 hot green chile,  3 large cloves garlic, 1/4 cup Pace picante sauce, 1 cup mushrooms, and 20 small green olives.  Clearly, however, the nutritional information is going to depend a lot on which specific tortillas, tofu, tomato sauce, soy sauce, etc. you choose to use, and whether or not you add cheese.

Macronutrient breakdown: 32% fat, 50% carbs, 18% protein.

Serving Size: 1 enchilada
Amount Per Serving
Calories	308
Total Fat	11g
Saturated Fat	1.4g
Trans Fat	0g
Cholesterol	0mg
Sodium	982mg
Carbohydrate	38.1g
Dietary Fiber	4.3g
Sugars	4.5g
Protein	13.5g
Vitamin A 34% Vitamin C 34% Calcium    19% Iron 21%

The main problem with this recipe is that the salt level is through the roof. Clearly that’s something I need to work on. Other than the salt, however, the enchiladas seem reasonably healthy. (At least, before any cheese is added.) The fat is a little high and the fiber is a bit low, but that would be ameliorated by serving the enchiladas with a side of lowfat “refried” beans and a salad (or more fresh garnishes).  If you can get jicama, a salad of jicama, cucumber, and pineapple would go nicely.  Or you could make a more typical chopped salad with tomato, cucumber, bell peppers, and radishes.

I love pad thai, but I rarely order it in restaurants anymore because I’m always disappointed by the oily, bland mockery they serve.  Restaurant pad thai is invariably insufficiently sour, and often too sweet.   Proper pad thai requires a careful balance of sweet, salty, and sour, as well as warm heat and a strong peanut flavor–two other features that are often lacking in restaurant versions of this popular dish.  Traditionally, pad thai is made with salty dried shrimp and fermented fish sauce.  Nancie McDermott, in her book Real Vegetarian Thai, suggests that vegetarians substitute Asian bean sauce (dao jiow), a pungent condiment made from salted, fermented soybeans.  She says that either the “brown bean sauce” or “yellow bean sauce” will work fine.  McDermott’s excellent cookbook includes a recipe for vegetarian phat thai that is superb, if decadent.  If you’re going to eat pad thai, and don’t have any excellent Thai restaurants around, I strongly suggest making it yourself rather than settling for another mediocre mockery.  Here’s Nancie’s recipe, with a few adjustments to reduce the oil content and speed up the process just a little.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup vegetable stock
• 2 Tbs. Tamarind liquid (see below) or freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1 Tbs. Asian bean sauce (see above)
• 1 Tbs. sugar
• 2 tsp. soy sauce
• 1 tsp. salt
• 4 ounces dried rice noodles, the width of linguine or fettucine
• 1 Tbs. olive oil
• 2 Tbs. canola oil
• 8 ounces firm tofu, cut into slender 1-inch-long rods
• 1 Tbs. coarsely chopped garlic (4 to 6 cloves)
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 tsp. ground red chili pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup finely chopped salted, dry-roasted peanuts
• 2 cups bean sprouts
• 3 green onions, whites thinly sliced crosswise and tender green tops cut into 1-inch lenghts
• 1 lime, quartered lengthwise

Instructions:

1. Combine the tamarind liquid, Asian bean sauce, sugar, soy sauce, and salt in a small bowl.  Chop the garlic and let it sit to develop its enzymes.
2. Place the dried rice noodles in warm water to soak for 20 minutes.
3. Slice the tofu.  In a 12-inch nonstick skillet or large wok, heat 1/2 Tbs. olive oil.  When hot, add the tofu, turn heat to medium-high, and cook, flipping occasionally, until tofu is lightly browned on all sides.  (If you prefer, you can deep fry the tofu.)  Sprinkle the tofu with salt and nutritional yeast for more flavor and color.  When tofu is cooked, transfer it to a large plate or a serving platter.
4. While the tofu cooks, crack and lightly beat one egg.  Add the other 1/2 Tbs. of olive oil to the still hot skillet, then add the chopped garlic and toss until golden, about 1 minute.  Add the egg and tilt the pan so it coats the surface in a thin sheet.  As soon as it is opaque and beginning to set, scramble it well and transfer it to the serving platter that’s holding the tofu.
5. At this point the noodles should be very limp and white. Drain.  You should have about 2 – 2.5 cups.  Set the noodles near the stove.
6. Add 2 Tbs. of canola oil to the same pan and heat for 30 seconds.  Add the softened noodles and pull the noodles into a thin layer covering the surface of the pan.  Then scrape them down into a clump again and gently turn them over.
7. Add the sauce mixture and the vegetable broth to the pan and toss well.  Spread the noodles out into a single layer again.  The noodles should soften and curl into ivory ringlets.  Add the chili flakes and half of the peanuts and turn the noodles a few more times.
8. Set aside half the bean sprouts for garnish.  Add the remainder to the pan along with all the green onions and the cooked egg and tofu.  Toss well and cook until the bean sprouts and green onion tops are shiny and beginning to wilt, 1 to 2 minutes more.  Transfer to the now-empty serving platter, and squeeze the lime wedges over the top.  Garnish with the remaining peanuts and bean sprouts and serve at once.

This recipe makes one massive restaurant-sized dish, 2 large home-sized main dishes, or 4 small or appetizer-sized servings.  If you want to make more, McDermott cautions that you can’t simply double the recipe.  She says that you have to just make another recipe as a second batch–even in Thailand, expert chefs make only a batch or two at a time.

My notes:

I’ve reduced the oil used to fry the tofu and egg, but haven’t tried reducing the oil used to cook the noodles.    The current version is very rich tasting, but not quite as greasy as Thai restaurant noodle dishes.

I’ve made this recipe without the bean sauce and with water instead of vegetable broth. It’s still good but lacking a bit of saltiness and pungency.  The combination of sugar, tamarind and lime juice really add the right sweet and sour punch that’s so essential to pad thai.  Next time I make this I might try adding brown sugar instead of white, and see what the extra molasses does for the flavor.  The last time I made this I felt like the peanut flavor wasn’t coming through enough, but maybe my peanuts were just too old.  I also didn’t really taste the egg.  Mine was quite small–next time I might use two eggs.

The raw bean sprouts really add a nice crunch.  If you can’t find them, I’d suggest adding something else crispy, maybe fresh water chestnuts.

Derek likes this recipe a lot.  He says its better than most (but not all) restaurant versions of pad thai that he’s tried over the years.

Peter Berley also has a recipe for Pad Thai in his cookbook Fresh Food Fast, but it is a less traditional recipe.  It calls for shiitake mushrooms, grated carrot, smoked tofu, romaine lettuce, cilantro, and 1 cup of coconut milk.   But it doesn’t have any peanuts!  It gets its sourness from rice vinegar, its heat from Tobasco sauce, and its sweetness from maple syrup or honey.   I’d be curious to try it, but I don’t think it will quite taste like pad thai.  Berley pairs his pad thai with a recipe for broccoli salad with ginger vinaigrette, which seems like a nice combination.

Nutritional information without the bean sauce (which I couldn’t find in the database).  As you can see, this is a very high calorie dish–essentially restaurant levels of calories, salt, and fat.  Macronutrients:  44% fat, 17% protein, 39% carbs.  To reduce the calories, I’d halve the peanuts and oil.

Serving Size: 1/4 recipe
Amount Per Serving
Calories	434
Total Fat	22.4g
Saturated Fat	3g
Trans Fat	0g
Cholesterol	56mg
Sodium	979mg
Carbohydrate	45.2g
Dietary Fiber	2g
Sugars	3.5g
Protein	19g
Vitamin A 3% Vitamin C 15% Calcium    6% Iron 18%

I wanted to use up some leftover millet, and decided to try a variation on the tofu patties in The Vegan Gourmet.  I figured I’d try out one more recipe before passing it on.  The recipe calls for bulgur rather than millet, but I figured the two grains are similar enough, and the substitution should work okay.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup uncooked bulgur
• 1 Tbs. raw sesame seeds
• 8 ounces firm tofu
• 2 Tbs. arrowroot powder
• 1/4 cup minced yellow onion
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 tsp dried dill
• 1 Tbs. low-sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley leaves
• pinch cayenne
• 2 Tbs. canola oil for frying

Instructions

1. Bring 1 cup of water to a boil, then stir in the bulgur.  Cover, reduce heat to very low, and cook for 10 minutes, until the water is absorbed.  Remove from the heat and allow to sit, covered, for 5 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, toast the sesame seeds.
3. Cut the tofu into 1/2-inch slices and pat them dry with a tea towel.  Crumble tofu into a bowl and mix in the arrowroot powder, onion, garlic, dill, soy sauce, parsley, and cayenne.  Add the cooked bulgur and mix until well combined.  Form the mixture into eight 3-inch patties.
4. Heat 1/2 Tbs. of the oil in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat.  Fill the pan with patties and cook about 4 minutes per side, until lightly browned.   Place the cooked patties on a platter and keep warm.  Use the remaining oil as needed to cook the remaining patties.  You should need no more than 2 Tbs. of oil if using a well-seasoned cast-iron skillet.

Serves 8

My notes:

I used 1.5 cups of cooked millet instead of the bulgur.  I used red onion instead of yellow, and upped the garlic to 3 very large cloves.  I didn’t measure my parsley, and threw in some fresh cilantro instead of the dried dill.  I increased the soy sauce to 1.5 Tbs., and used a very large pinch of cayenne.

I didn’t really understand the instructions for the tofu.  Why slice the tofu if you’re then going to crumble it into the bowl?  My tofu was extremely firm and I was worried about the texture not being soft enough, so I decided to puree it in the food processor with a little of the bulgur and the seasoning.  I couldn’t get the blade to turn, however, so I ended up adding a few tablespoons of water to get it to turn.  That was a mistake, as the final mixture was too wet.  The inside of the patties never really dried out.  Next time I’d just follow the recipe and use my hands to crumble the tofu.  The flavor wasn’t bad–you could definitely taste the parsley and cilantro, and the garlic was intense.  The millet wasn’t noticeable to me.  Surprisingly, Derek quite liked these patties, especially when served with some “Faux Annie’s dressing”.  He said they were very tasty, better than most things I’ve cooked over the past week.  He rated them a B/B+.

I enjoyed these well enough, but I definitely wouldn’t make them yet for friends, and I’m not sure I’d make them again even for myself.  Rating: B/B-.

I really like Berley’s recipe for tofu baked in white wine, mustard, and dill.  The recipe directly opposite that one in Berley’s cookbook is a similar recipe for tofu baked in a garlic, thyme vinaigrette.  I vaguely remember trying it once before, and not finding it all that exciting, although Derek liked it quite a bit.  Since I have no record on my blog or notes in my cookbooks, I decided to try it again.

The vinaigrette calls for olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, thyme, salt, red pepper flakes, and “2 bay leaves, crumbled”.  I’m not sure exactly how you crumble bay leaves, but both times I tried this recipe I ended up with jagged pieces that were not pleasant to eat.  I thought maybe I should have tried to remove the pieces of bay leaf, but there were enough pieces that it would have been a pain, plus the recipe doesn’t mention removing them.

Other than the prickly bay leaves, the recipe was fine.  I wouldn’t make it again though.  The tofu seemed a bit greasy to me, and it doesn’t end up very flavorful.  Even after baking it for a long time, the center of each piece was still white and bland and kind of raw tasting.  The marinade didn’t infuse the tofu with flavor like the Greek marinade does.

Derek liked this recipe more than me, both times I made it.  He scarfed it down happily.  I didn’t ask him for a rating, but he would have probably said B or B+.

Rating: B-

I had some expiring silken tofu in the fridge and felt like eating something savory.  I love how Isa Moskowitz uses silken tofu to simulate eggs in Vegan with a Vengeance, so I thought I would give these mini quiches from the fat free vegan blog a try.

I didn’t have any mushrooms so I used small broccoli florets instead.  I didn’t have the chives so I left them out.  I used tahini for the nut butter and lowfat milk instead of soymilk.  I used arrowroot instead of cornstarch.  I didn’t have any oil spray so I brushed my muffin tins with olive oil instead.

The batter tasted good.  The nutritional yeast flavor dominated, giving it a savory, umame flavor.  I couldn’t taste any of the other ingredients individually (not even the rosemary) but I think they contributed to the depth of flavor.   The texture of the batter, however, was very powdery from the arrowroot.

I didn’t have enough batter to fill my muffin tins halfway.  I’m not sure if I didn’t do a good job of scraping all the batter out of the food processor and skillet, or if my muffin tins are just a little bit bigger than Susan’s.

I took the quiches out of the oven after 20 minutes, since I was using metal muffin tins, and a knife came out clean.  However, after letting the quiches cool down, I couldn’t get them out.  I’m not sure if I greased insufficiently or didn’t cook them long enough.  The top of the quiches had a nice firm eggy texture but the rest kind of resembled mashed up raw tofu.  They tasted pretty good, and they were definitely low calorie.  I’ll probably try this recipe again sometime, and see if I can get them to firm up more and come out of the tins.

After my disappointment in Heidi Swanson’s orange tempeh, one of my blog readers suggested I try her tempeh bacon recipe.  My friend Alex contributed the canned chipotles, and I bought the last two packs of tempeh at the local Asian store.  The recipe says to marinate at least a couple of hours, but we only let the tempeh marinage for about 20 minutes while we prepared the rest of dinner.  We decided to cut the oil slightly (4 Tbs. in a double batch).   I included one whole chipotle chile in my 3 Tbs. of adobo spice, because we like things spicy.

• 1 pound tempeh
• 6 tablespoons olive oil (I used 1/4 cup)
• 1/2 cup  soy sauce
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 6 tablespoons adobo sauce from a can of chipotle peppers (I included 1 whole chile in my 6 Tbs.)

The tempeh turned out very well.  I was worried about all that oil and soy sauce, but it wasn’t too salty or oily or spicy.  I would venture to say that the flavoring was just right.

It actually didn’t taste that different than  Peter Berley’s barbecued tempeh recipe, which Derek and I have made (a variant of) countless times.  I compared the recipes, and Berley calls for more oil (1/2 cup), more maple syrup (1/3 cup), more vinegar (1/2 cup), uses chipotle powder instead of adobo, and adds cumin, thyme, and paprika as well.  My typical modified version of Berley’s recipe is actually even more similar to Heidi’s, as I cut the oil and maple syrup down (and also the soy sauce).  Also Berley’s recipe is baked not pan-fried.  I think I prefer Heidi’s less acidic version, but chipotle powder is certainly more convenient here in Germany where canned chipotles don’t exist.  I’d like to do a head to head comparison of the recipes to really see how the flavor profiles differ.  If I can get my hands on some liquid smoke, maybe I’ll do a three-way taste test, and throw in Isa’s tempeh bacon recipe, which gets the smoke flavor from liquid smoke rather than chipotles.  It calls for even more vinegar than Berley’s (2/3 cup), but less oil (1/4 cup), and less soy sauce (6 Tbs.).  It also adds a bit of tomato paste and crushed garlic.

This is a quick Chinese-inspired dish I whipped up for lunch today.

• 2 Tbs. soy sauce
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 3 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 Tbs.) [optional]
• 1/2 tsp. chili flakes
• 1 Tbs. olive oil
• 1 pound medium firm tofu
• 1 pound bok choy
• 2 shallots
• 1 inch piece fresh ginger , minced (about 1 tablespoon) [optional]

1. In a small bowl, mix together the soy sauce, sugar, minced garlic cloves, and chili flakes.  Slice the tofu into long rectangles (about .75” x .75” x 2”).
2. In a 12-inch non-stick skillet over high heat, heat the olive oil until a drop of water sizzles.  Add the tofu in a single layer.  Do not move the tofu once you’ve placed it down.
3. While the tofu cooks, wash and cut up your bok choy.  Break the bok choy into individual leaves, and remove the green part from the white stems.  Chop the stems into bite-sized pieces, halving vertically any particular fat stems.  When the stems are all chopped, throw them into the pan, filling up any spaces not taken by the tofu, and letting the rest of the pieces rest on top of the tofu.
4. When the tofu has browned on the first side, toss everything making sure that each tofu piece ends up on an unbrowned side.  While the second side browns, slice the bok choy leaves into fat ribbons, and slice the shallots into 1/4 inch pieces.  Add the shallots to the pan.  Toss again, getting a third side of each tofu rectangle down this time.
5. When the third side of tofu is browned, throw in the bok choy leaves and the soy sauce mixture.  Stir fry for about 1 minute, until the leaves are wilted.  Eat immediately.

You could serve this over rice or another grain, but we just ate it plain.  It’s salty, but not over the top salty.  The bok choy stems and shallots get nicely caramelized, and the tofu ends up crisp on the outside and soft on the inside.  It’s a satisfying dish.

If you use the ginger, add it about 30 seconds before the soy sauce mixture.

Last night I was emptying out my fridge in preparation for my upcoming trip to Scotland, and I was trying to figure out what to do with about 1/3 cup of leftover chipotle salsa.  Good salsa is rare around here, so I didn’t want to just toss it.  But good salsa doesn’t seem to last that long, and I was pretty sure it would be moldy by the time I got back from my trip.  The salsa was a quite thick, cooked-style salsa, and visually it reminded me a little of a Thai chile sauce.  Derek was making sesame noodles with broccoli and cucumber for dinner, so I decided to make a stirfry with the salsa and what I found in the fridge:  4 ounces of tempeh, 2 small zucchinis, and a big bag of green beans.  I made a stir-fry sauce out of the chipotle salsa, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, and a spoonful of maple syrup.  It was really tasty!  It didn’t really taste fusion–the Mexican flavors in the salsa faded away in comparison to the Asian kick from the soy sauce.  But everyone seemed to like it a lot, and it was an easy way to make a tasty stir fry sauce.

I used a still-oily non-stick skillet to crisp up the tempeh and green beans.  (I julienned the tempeh first.)  Then when the tempeh and green beans started to brown I poured in the stir-fry sauce, which I had watered down so that the tempeh would have some liquid to cook in.  I added the zucchini, which I had cut into thin planks, and covered to cook everything through.  When the green beans were tender-crisp I took off the lid and led the sauce cook down until it was more of a glaze.  I sprinkled the dish with fresh cilantro before serving.   Delicious.  I’d definitely make this “recipe” again.

I was looking for a tempeh dish that would go well with spring rolls, and decided to try the recipe for orange pan-glazed tempeh that’s on the 101 cookbooks blog.  The pictures look pretty, and Heidi says “This might be the best tempeh recipe I’ve highlighted to date.”  Based on that strong recommendation, I decided I had to try it.

The recipe was disappointing.  The instructions work, and everything cooks just as specified, but my friend Alex and I both thought that the tempeh was simply boring.  I could definitely taste the orange juice, but that was pretty much the only flavor that stood out.  The ginger didn’t come through, I couldn’t taste the coriander seeds, nor could I detect any lime.  It pretty much just tasted like fried tempeh cooked in orange juice.  Plus,  the recipe is pretty high calorie.  I followed the instructions exactly, except I didn’t have mirin so used rice vinegar instead.  I can’t imagine that 1.5 Tablespoons of mirin could have really made that much of a difference.  If anything, I thought the recipe was too sweet and needed more vinegar/acid, not less.  I don’t think I’d make this recipe again, but if I was going to, I’d probably at least double the amounts of all the seasonings, and maybe cut down the maple syrup and add more soy sauce.

Rating: B-

I’ve tried grilling vegetables on a barbecue grill, but I’ve never liked what I’ve produced.  The vegetables are simply not that tasty.  I’ve had marvelous grilled veggies at restaurants, so I know it’s possible, but clearly I don’t know the secret.  I was invited to a barbecue yesterday, and struggling to come up with something vegetarian to bring.  I finally remembered this recipe for barbecued seitan “ribz”, on the fat free vegan blog, that I’d been meaning to try

I made the recipe as specified, with tahini, except I didn”t have any smoked paprika, so I used regular sweet paprika and added in a little chipotle powder.  I made the dough then let it rest for an hour in the oiled pan while I went to the gym.  When I returned I tried to shape it to fit the pan.  I didn’t get it perfectly square, but it mostly filled my 8×8 pan.  I baked my seitan for 25 minutes, then I poured my 1 cup of (homemade) barbecue sauce on top, and let it sit in a tupperware until the barbecue.

At the barbecue I put it on the grill, but I didn’t realize how hot it was and by the time I checked it the seitan was already burning.  You’d think seitan would like the heat, but it’s actually pretty dry and cooks really fast, unlike zucchini which has more moisture.  I flipped the seitan when I saw that it was burning, and then proceeded to burn the other side!  The pieces on the edges didn’t burn as much and they were delicious.  The seitan had a more bready texture than most seitans, but was still pleasantly chewy.  I liked the texture and the flavor a lot.  The flavor was mostly from the barbecue sauce, but also from the seasoning in the seitan.  I’ll definitely make this again next time I have a barbecue to go to, and hopefully I won’t burn it again!

Besides the seitan I brough watermelon, and made mint lemonade, and zucchini, all of which were a hit.  I made the lemon/garlic/mint zucchini from Fresh Food Fast, and let them marinade in the dressing all day.  I cut the zucchini along the bias to try to make the pieces bigger and less likely to fall through the grill.  However, my zucchini were pretty small and we still lost quite a few of the end pieces.  Next time I would buy bigger zucchini for grilling.  The zucchini came out well.  The ones that were really blackened and soft didn’t have much zucchini flavor, and the ones that weren’t browned at all were undercooked, but the ones with just a few flecks of brown were perfect.  I could stil taste the marinade on them, but I think it would have been even better to throw the cooked zucchini back in the tupperware with the rest of the marinade and give it a quick toss before serving.

I threw together this dish for lunch today, with various things I scrounged from the fridge.  I didn’t measure, so all amounts are a guess.  This recipe is similar to one I posted last year for green beans, red peppers, and tofu in a Thai chili paste, but its less fiery, and the addition of pasta and nutritional yeast and sesame seeds makes it taste a bit more co-op pan-Asian and a bit less Thai.

• 2? Tbs. toasted sesame seeds
• 2-4? tsp. oil
• small onion
• 1/4 – 1/3 pounds very firm tofu
• salt
• nutritional yeast
• black pepper
• 2 scallions
• about 3 cups of green beans
• 1/4? cup white wine
• 1? Tbs. soy sauce
• 1/4? cup water
• 1/2-1? tsp. Thai red curry paste
• 2 cups of cooked, chunky, whole wheat pasta
• 1/2 cucumber (with peel), cut into 1-inch chunks
• a small handful of mint and a small handful of basil, torn into small pieces

1. Wash and snap green beans.  Slice the onion into rings.  Cube the tofu into 1-inch cubes.
2. In a medium pan (I used a 3 quart slope-sided pan), toast the sesame seeds over medium-high heat.  When the seeds start to brown and smell fragrant, pour them onto a large plate or bowl.
3. In the same pan, add enough oil just to lightly coat the bottom.  Heat the oil on medium-high until hot, then add the tofu and onion rings in a single layer.  Sprinkle on salt and nutritional yeast, and let cook until the bottom has browned.  Meanwhile, chop up a few scallions.  Use a metal spatula to scrape up the tofu and stir it around so another side gets browned.  When the tofu is brown enough for your taste, add the chopped scallions and sprinkle on more yeast and some black pepper.  Fry briefly just to wilt the scallions, then remove the tofu and onions to the plate with the sesame seeds.  Use your metal spatula to try to scrape up any cooked on tofu bits, but you won’t be able to get them all.  That’s okay.
4. Keep the pan on medium-high and add a little more oil to the now-empty pan, and when the oil is hot add the green beans.  Stir-fry the beans briefly, until all the beans are slightly browned.  Then add the Thai red curry paste and the cooked pasta.  Stir to distribute.  Add a little white wine, soy sauce,  and water to deglaze the pan.  Immediately cover the pan and let the green beans steam for a few minutes, until they’re just tender crisp.  Meanwhile, cut up the cucumber and tear the herbs.  Remove the lid and cook on high until almost all of the liquid has evaporated, and all that’s left is a bit of glistening glaze.  Remove the pan from the heat, throw in the tofu and onions and sesame from the plate, the cucumber, and the torn mint and basil leaves.  Stir to coat everything with the glaze.
5. Serve immediately.

This dish made a very satisfying lunch for two.  The basil was essential I thought.  The mint and basil combo was good, but if you just have basil that would work as well. (Thai basil would be especially good.)  The onion added a little depth and sweetness, and the little bit of curry paste added a nice bit of spice.  I also liked the earthiness that the sesame seeds added.  It might seem odd to add cucumber to a cooked dish like this, but it adds a moistness and crunch that is a nice contrast to the cooked green beans and soft tofu.   If you don’t have cucumbers, radishes or halved cherry tomatoes might also work well. If I make this again, the only thing I might add is a little garlic when I add the green onions.

I wouldn’t make this recipe with white pasta.  It really needs something more hearty.  If you don’t have whole wheat pasta, then maybe just serve it over brown rice or another whole grain.  If you don’t have curry paste probably any chili paste or even dried chili flakes would be fine. If you don’t have white wine then maybe use a little mirin or rice wine vinegar to add a bit of acid.  If you don’t have a very firm tofu, you might want to press some water out of your tofu.  The lack of moisture in the tofu really helps it to brown well.  Otherwise you’ll need to cook the tofu at a lower temperature and allow more time to cook all the water out, so that the tofu can brown.

I removed the tofu and onion from the pan before adding the green beans because I thought that if I didn’t the pan would be too crowded, and the green beans wouldn’t brown, and the tofu and onions would become soggy when I steamed the green beans.

Derek said this dish was delicious.  The vegetables were nice and crisp, the onions added a nice depth of flavor, and the tofu was excellent.  It was the essence of simple, ingredient-oriented cuisine.  “If only I could get this sort of thing at a restaurant in Saarbruecken,” he lamented.  Rating: A-.

I finally found tempeh in Saarbrücken.  I’m so excited!  It’s a beautiful tempeh too:  big and fat and covered in a soft white layer that looks almost like paper.  I tried to take it off at first before I realized it was part of the tempeh.  Rather than use the tempeh in one of our old tempeh recipes, we decide to try a new one from Peter Berley’s Fresh Food Fast.  We chose one of the spring menus:  charmoula baked tempeh with vegetable couscous.  Apparently charmoula is a spicy moroccan marinade.  Derek was worried, as he claims not to like moroccan food but I thought the combination of spices looked good.

Basically you make a marinade with olive oil, cilantro, lemon juice, garlic, paprika, cumin, coriander, and cayenne.    You cube the tempeh and place it in a large skillet, then pour the marinade over it, cover, and simmer until the liquid is absorbed.  After the suggested simmer time, however, our liquid was only half absorbed.  We decided to eat it anyway.  I’m glad we didn’t keep cooking it, because the marinade was really tasty!  In any case, I can’t imagine the tempeh ever absorbing all that liquid, no matter how long we cooked it for.  Tempeh is simply not that absorbent.

Berley’s spring menu 2 also calls for a spring vegetable couscous, but I used bulgur instead.  I screwed up though, in that I added the vegetables with the bulgur, and by the time the bulgur was cooked the vegetables were all faded looking instead of a pretty bright green.  I forgot how much longer bulgur takes to cook than couscous.  Next time I’d cook the bulgur separately and just add in the cooked vegetables once it was done.  The bulgur dish had onions, mushrooms, asparagus, and snow peas (we couldn’t find sugar snaps).  It made a really nice base for the tempeh dish–the bulgur absorbed all the sauce nicely and the vegetables added a bit of crunch.

Our tempeh had a great texture.  I’m not sure if it’s the brand I bought, or if it’s the process of simmering it in the marinade, but it was meltingly tender–not a texture I associate with tempeh.  The flavors in the marinade completely masked the strong tempeh flavor that I don’t care for.  To me the soupy marinade really did taste Moroccan, just without all the typical carrots etc. in a Moroccan tagine.  The asparagus, mushrooms, and snow peas were actually a really nice combination with the moroccan flavors.  I’d definitely make this dish again.  I think it would be a great dish to serve for company, especially for someone who’s never tried tempeh before.  Next time, however, I’ll find couscous.

The one thing I didn’t like about the dish was that after cooking the cilantro turns a sort of putrid green color.  I think I will add some more fresh cilantro once it’s done to brighten the dish up.  Also, as always, I think the salt and fat need to be reduced.  We added 1/3 cup olive oil instead of 1/2 cup, and 1 1/4 tsp. kosher salt instead of 2 1/2 teaspoons.  Even with these reductions the dish is still very rich and very salty.  It tasted like restaurant food!

One last comment:  In FFF the recipe is called “charmoula baked tempeh,”  but the tempeh is simmered on the stovetop not baked.  I wonder if that’s a mistake, or if Berley simply has a loose definition of baking?

Berley’s menu also includes a carrot mint salad with currants.  I really like the combination of the carrots and currants, and the bright orange salad contrasts nicely with the green vegetables and darker colors of the tempeh.  However, the salad was just a tiny bit bland, in my opinion.  I could barely taste the mint, so I added another tablespoon, but it still wasn’t very minty.  Next time I would double the mint.  The currants add sweetness, and the lemon juice adds acid, but it still wasn’t quite as peppy as I would like, so I added a touch of pineapple juice, which added both a little more sweet and a little more acid.  I also tossed the salad with some aleppo pepper (maybe 1/2 tsp?), which added a warm heat that I enjoyed.  This salad is definitely a good start, but it needs a bit of work to be perfect, I think.  I might also try cutting out the olive oil, since the tempeh dish already has plenty of fat for one meal.  Also, I would increase the recipe and make 1.5 pounds of carrots, especially if you own a food processor.  Carrot salad makes nice leftovers.

Update June 14, 2009:

I made the tempeh dish again, but I multiplied it by 1.5 because we had 4 people at lunch and I was hoping to have some leftovers.    I didn’t make extra of the bulgur, however, as we had too much of it last time.   The proportion of bulgur to tempeh was better this time, although still we had a little too much bulgur I think.   Since I had so much tempeh, I didn’t have a pan large enough to fit all the tempeh squares in a single layer.  I decided to use my dutch oven to cook it instead of a skillet, because I was worried that even a 12 inch skillet wouldn’t be bit enough.  Even though the tempeh wasn’t completely covered, the texture was still quite nice and soft.  I made sure to stir it a few times so that every tempeh square got his “5 minutes of fame.”  I cooked the tempeh for about 25 minutes, but I think it was too long because almost all of the liquid was absorbed.  (And I said it couldn’t happen!)  Next time I’ll just cook it for the suggested 15 minutes.  Also, next time I make the tempeh I’m going to try cutting the oil even more, and see if the recipe is still as good..

I couldn’t find sugar snap peas so I just used real peas from the farmer’s market.  They worked well.  I cooked the bulgur ahead of time so that the vegetables didn’t get overcooked.  I added a skimpy 1/2 tsp. of kosher salt to the bulgur, but I think next time I’d add a full 1/2 tsp, as the bulgur was slightly undersalted.  I’d also add a little salt or soy sauce to the vegetables while they cook.

Update August 14, 2009:

I’ve now made this recipe four times!  The last time I threw in some frozen spinach and just ate the tempeh with the spinach.  It was good, and the spinach helped brighten up the muted green and orange colors.  The last two times I cut the oil to 1/4 cup and used the full 1 pound of tempeh (my tempeh blocks here are only 12-14 ounces).  The tempeh was definitely not as rich tasting, but still was extremely tasty.  I think both 4 Tbs. of oil and 5.33 Tbs. of oil are good–it just depends whether you’re in the mood for really oily and really tasty, or less oily and a little less decadent.    Again, I forgot to save a little cilantro for the end for the bright green effect.  I’m sure I’ll be making this recipe again, and I’ll try to remember to add some cilantro at the end next time.  We didn’t quite have enough sauce these last two times.   I think next time I might try adding a little extra water to make sure that there’s enough yummy liquid leftover.

This time I served the tempeh over quinoa, which was excellent.  The flavors went well together, and the quinoa effectively sops up all the great sauce.  I also made the sweet spiced chard that I recently posted to my blog.  We liked the combo a lot, although I did miss having something raw and a little crisp.  If I’m inspired next time, I might make the chard and the carrot salad!

Update Sept 12, 2009:

After making this recipe a half dozen times I figured I better post the recipe!  Below are my version of the ingredients and instructions, slightly modified from Berley’s original recipe.  This recipe makes 8 medium-sized servings.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 to 2/3 cups olive oil (depending on how rich you want it–Berley calls for 1 cup!)
• 1 1/2 cups chopped fresh cilantro (not tightly packed)
• 8 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 1/2 cups of water
• 2 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 4 tsp. sweet paprika
• 4 tsp. cumin seeds
• 2 tsp. coriander seeds
• 1 1/4 tsp. cayenne
• 1 3/4 – 2 pounds soy tempeh, cut into 1-inch cubes

Instructions:

1. In a 3 or 4 quart pot, mix the olive oil, 1 cup of the cilantro, the lemon juice, the garlic, the water, and the salt.  In a spice grinder or mortar, grind the paprika, cumin, coriander, and cayenne.  Mix the ground spices into the olive oil.  Cube the tempeh, and add it to the pot, stirring to cover all the tempeh with the marinade.
2. Over high heat, bring the mixture to a simmer.  Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes.  Remove the cover, stir to submerge any tempeh that’s not in the liquid, and simmer for another 5 minutes, until the liquid is slightly reduced.  You want it to be pretty soupy, however, so don’t reduce all the liquid.
3. When the tempeh is soft, stir in the remaining 1/2 cup chopped cilantro, and serve over a grain (e.g. quinoa, cous cous, or bulgur) which will absorb the delicious “pot liquor.”

On my last attempt I served the tempeh with the carrot salad, plain quinoa, and a simple mix of steamed green vegetables. It worked well.

Rating: B+

Derek: A

Nutritional information

Serving Size: 1/8 recipe
Amount Per Serving
Calories	237
Total Fat	17.9g
Saturated Fat	2.4g
Trans Fat	0g
Cholesterol	0mg
Sodium	687mg
Carbohydrate	10.3g
Dietary Fiber	5.5g
Sugars	0.8g
Protein	10.5g
Vitamin A 18% Vitamin C 20% Calcium    7% Iron 14%

Macronutrients (using 1/2 cup olive oil): 66% calories from fat, 17% from protein, 17% from carbs. If you eat one serving of the tempeh with 2/3 cup quinoa, 1 cup mint, carrot salad, and mixed veggies (e.g., asparagus, mushrooms, snap peas), then the stats would end up closer to 35% fat, 15% protein, and 50% carbs.

Another review of this dish from the blog “Kitchen notes from an aspiring herbivore.”

I threw together a burrito the other day with some frozen, marinated tofu that was leftover from the tofu I prepared for chili.  Derek loved the burrito so much that he insisted I blog about it, even though it wasn’t particularly original.  The burrito was comprised of:

• frozen tofu that was defrosted, squeezed out, marinated in peanut butter, soy sauce, tomato sauce, and garlic powder, and baked til crispy
• diced avocado
• cheddar cheese
• smoky chipotle salsa from Frontera Grill
• lettuce

Although the combination is not particularly novel, I agree with Derek that the burrito was certainly very tasty.

Derek Rating: A

Rating: A-

On a second attempt I cut the avocado into slices and sprinkled on top fresh minced garlic, salt, and lots of lime juice.  We ate it with a salsa verde, and the sour tomatillos and lime juice went great together.  Delicious.  I just need to record the amounts and make this a real recipe now!

This version of Tom Kha Gai is vegetarian, and very light on the coconut milk.  Derek objected to calling it Tom Kha Gai (because it doesn’t have enough coconut milk), but I think it’s close enough.  If you want a more authentic version of this traditional Thai soup, simply reduce the water and increase the amount of coconut milk.

In a 3- to 4-quart saucepan combine and bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat.  Boil for 15 minutes:

• 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk
• 5 cups water
• 1/2 bouillon cube
• 15 quarter-sized slices fresh unpeeled ginger (about 30 grams)
• 10 peppercorns
• 10 wild lime leaves or wide strips of lime zest from one lime
• 1 ounce of fresh lemongrass stalks, smashed with a heavy pestle, and cut into pieces that fit in your pan

Strain the soup, or use tongs to remove the flotsam.  Return the broth to the pan.  Add and cook for another 5 minutes longer:

• 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk
• 8 oz firm tofu, cut into bite-sized squares
• 6 oz fresh, small button mushrooms, quartered (about 1 1/4 cups)
• instead of mushrooms, I sometimes add ribbons of a fresh green, often bok choy.
• 2 tsp. soy sauce
• 1/4? tsp. salt (it despends on how salty your bouillon cube and soy sauce are)
• 1/2? tsp. brown sugar (maybe 1 tsp.)

Remove the pan from the heat and add:

• juice of 1 lime (about 2? Tbs. freshly squeezed lime juice, to taste)
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
• 3 scallions, thinly sliced crosswise (optional)
• slices of hot red chilis (optional)
• bean sprouts (optional)

Serve hot.  Makes 4 large bowls or 6 small bowls.

Rating: B

My friend Katrina, a kind hearted soul, sent me a care package containing Trader Joe’s thai lime and chili cashews, and a package of vital wheat gluten.  I searched around for a while before deciding how to use the much-pined-after flour, and ended up choosing a recipe for steamed seitan from Kittee’s blog Cake Maker to the Stars, a recipe based on a steaming technique developed by Julie Hasson.  The recipe calls for 3 cups of gluten, but I had just under 2 cups, so I cut the recipe by one third, even though Kittee explicitly says not to.  Also, I added in a spoonful of peanut butter because I was trying to finish off a jar and peanut butter makes everything better. Kittee says the recipe should yield a 3 pound loaf, but I only ended up with 1 pound 12 ounces of seitan, slightly less than the 2 pounds I was expecting.  I didn’t have any creole seasoning, so I read recipes for creole seasoning and created my own blend:

• 1 tsp. paprika
• 1/2 tsp. onion powder
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp. white pepper
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne (more if you want the seitan to be spicy)
• 1/4 tsp. oregano
• 1/4 tsp. thyme
• 1/4 tsp. basil

The spice blend makes just over the 1 Tbs. of creole seasoning that the recipe calls for.

The recipe was a bit more work than I expected, because caramelizing the onions took forever, and I only have a mini food processor so I had to process the seitan in batches.  On the other hand, it did make a lot of seitan, and Kittee says it can be frozen.  The other difficulty I had with this recipe is that I used a folding steamer basket in my largest pot, but the basket’s legs are only about 1 inch tall, so I couldn’t add that much water without boiling the seitan.  I added water after 20 minutes but still ended up running out of water towards the end and burning my pan before I noticed that all the water was gone.  Next time I’ll make sure there’s a good 3 inches of water in my pan at the beginning, even if I have to construct a make-shift steamer.

The flavor of this seitan was okay, but a bit too strong for me.   I would prefer a more neutral seitan that could be used in many different types of dishes.   The texture was better than the flavor.  It wasn’t anything like boiled seitan–it was not spongy at all but denser and fattier tasting.  The texture actually reminded me a lot of the White Mountain Foods “wheat roast” we used to buy in Austin when I was a kid, which was made with only gluten, peanut butter, and nutritional yeast, but had a perfect texture and rich, nutty flavor.   I tried my seitan by itself, and it was okay but not exciting.  I also tried it on a sandwich, but I didn’t care for the flavoring that much.

Derek liked this seitan more than me.  He was so inspired that he even invented the “Seitanosaurus rex,” a dinosaur that resembles the velociraptor in Jurassic Park, but only eats (as Derek calls it) wheat meat.  Every morning he would transform himself into the Seitanosaurus rex, and rove excitedly around the kitchen searching for “wheat meat”.  Once he found it he would cut himself 4 slices (about 4 ounces) of seitan and sit down to a plate of “wheat meat and ketchup.”  I thought it looked pretty gross, but Derek obviously liked it, as he singlehandedly finished almost the entire pound and a half of seitan.  I asked Derek if the seitan tasted like meat, or tasted like creole anything, and he said no, not at all.  Then he ate another slice of seitan.

Rating: B-

Derek: A-

July 27, 2009, 2nd try:

This time I got my hands on enough gluten flour to make the full recipe.  I still made my own creole seasoning, but I didn’t add any peanut butter.  The log was huge, and didn’t really fit into the steaming pot I was planning on cooking it in, but I kind of folded it in to make it fit.  It grew as it steamed, however, and by the end had pushed the lid of the pot off.  Nonetheless, the texture seemed fine and the seitan seemed well cooked.  The texture is actually quite similar to the White Mountain wheat roast, and the flavor isn’t that different either.  It’s a little less fatty tasting, and it doesn’t have the darker crust since it’s steamed not baked, but it has that same string-cheese like texture without being spongy like seitan often is.  Derek said it wasn’t quite as good as the last time, because the flavor is more mild, but still he likes it a lot.

I took a seitan cooking class with Myra Kornfeld last year, at the New York Natural Gourmet Institute.  Each student started out making her own ball of seitan, from scratched.  Once our seitan balls were boiling in broth, each student was assigned one of four dishes.  I helped make seitan fajitas, essentially just big chunks of browned seitan mixed with grilled bell peppers and onions, with a little garlic and oregano for flavoring.  The dish didn’t excite me, nor did I care for the seitan-portobello sloppy joes.  I did enjoy the orange-glazed seitan cutlet, served over watercress, that I blogged about previously.  Surprisingly, my favorite of the four dishes was the seitan moussaka.  I’m not a fan of eggplant, or mashed potatoes, so moussaka is not usually something I care for.  But Kornfeld’s moussaka was delicious–savory, rich, flavorful, and satisfying.  I wanted to try making it myself, but the recipe has five sub-recipes and I never felt like spending so much time on one dish, especially one I wasn’t sure I would like.  When I was deciding what to make for Thanksgiving this year, I decided it was the perfect time to give it a try, despite the fact that it was really too late in the year for eggplant and zucchini.

I made the seitan from scratch, according to Kornfeld’s recipe.  I didn’t follow the instructions for what to put in the boiling broth, but still the seitan came out with a pretty good texture and a great flavor.  According to Kornfeld, her recipe is supposed to make 1.5 pounds of seitan, but I got out 2 pounds.  We ate half a pound and I used the rest in the “meat” layer of the moussaka.  The meat layer contains ground up seitan and portobello mushrooms, onions, garlic, cumin, cinnamon, canned tomatoes and lemon juice.  I really liked the dimension the cinnamon added, and I think other people did too–people were nibbling on the filling before I put it in the moussaka.

Along with the “meat” layer, there was a vegetable layer (grilled eggplant and zucchini sprinkled with pepper and thyme), and a mashed potato layer (potatoes, olive oil, soymilk, and lemon juice).  The top layer was composed of a vegan bechamel sauce (made with olive oil, flour, soymilk, and nutmeg), and then sprinkled with seasoned breadcrumbs.  I remember tasting the vegan bechamel sauce when I took the class, and I thought it tasted pretty nasty, but once it was on the moussaka it just added creaminess, no off flavors.

Although I followed Kornfeld’s recipe, in the final moussaka the ratio of mashed potatoes to seitan seemed way off.  Everyone kept asking “there’s seitan in this?  where?”  The dish kind of ended up as glorified mashed potatoes, with bits of string eggplant mixed in.  I’m not sure why the eggplant came out so stringy.  Could I have cut the slices too thin, over or under cooked them, or perhaps the eggplant was just old?

In any case, I didn’t really care for my version of the moussaka, but other people at Thanksgiving seemed to like it.  At least, the whole monstrous casserole got eaten (and it really was monstrous, since I tripled what was originally a pretty big recipe).

Given how much work and expense went into this recipe, and the less than stellar results, I don’t think I’ll be attempting to make moussaka again.  If anyone else has had better luck making vegan moussaka, however, please do let me know.

When I was a kid my mom would occasionally make a vegan spinach mushroom pie.  I’m not sure how she made it, but I always enjoyed it. In my co-op days I tried making something similar,  starting with a recipe from Ron Pickarski’s cookbook, but it  turned out bland and boring. Recently, when looking for something to do with a pie crust that had been taking up precious space in my envelope-sized freezer for about 6 months, I noticed that Peter Berley also has a spinach mushroom quiche recipe in his cookbook Modern American Kitchen. The recipe was even posted on 101 cookbooks, along with a beautiful photo, a rave review, and a discussion of how loooong this recipe takes to make. I decided to try the recipe, using my traditional, non-vegan crust rather than making Berley’s oat/sesame vegan crust.

Besides switching out the crust, for the most part I followed the recipe.  The largest change I made was substituting 13 ounces of frozen, finely chopped spinach for the 2 pounds of fresh spinach.  I figure that substitution alone cut at least half an hour off the prep time.  I also used thai basil instead of regular basil, dried thyme instead of fresh, and reduced the oil and salt a bit.  (This recipe calls for a huge amount of oil, and Berley always goes overboard with salt.)  I also failed to follow the instructions in a few places.  I pureed the garlic with the tofu before sauteeing it, so then I sauteed some more garlic with the herbs and chili flakes and added this mixture to the (already) pureed tofu mixture, forgetting to puree them together.  I also didn’t squeeze all the moisture out of my frozen spinach; I just mixed it directly into the cooked onion and mushroom mixture, then mixed in the tofu.

I used a smallish tart pan (9 inches, with short sides), and there was no way that I could get all the filling into my pan without it overflowing.  I could only fit about 3/4 of the mixture into the pan.  I prebaked my crust for about 15 minutes, but still when the finished tart came out of the oven the bottom crust was  completely soggy (perhaps because my filling was too wet?).  However, the side crust was crisp and delicious, the texture of the filling was firm, and the tart held together well when sliced.  The flavor was good, but a tad too acidic for my taste.   I could definitely see the tofu and spinach, but I couldn’t pick out the flavor of the basil, the thyme, or the mushrooms.  It’s unclear to me if these ingredients (even if I can’t taste them individually) are what make the filling flavorful, or if they’re actually non-essential.  The mushrooms, at least, certainly add some texture.

Derek and I both really liked this recipe, and I’ll definitely be making it again, but next time I’d like to tweak the flavor a bit, reduce the oil if possible, and try using only a side crust to see if the tart still holds together without the soggy, wasted bottom crust.

Update 2nd try:

I made this recipe again for company, as it seemed like a pretty dish to make, and a crowd pleaser.  I actually doubled the recipe as it really only makes 6 servings and I was having a big group over for dinner.    This time I made Berley’s oat/sesame crust, which wasn’t hard but took more time than I expected, and used a lot of oil.  Also, I couldn’t find whole wheat pastry flour here in Germany so I subbed in half whole wheat flour and half white flour.  Finally, I only had one tart pan so I made the second quiche in a 10-inch springform pan, and didn’t attempt to make any side crusts.

This time I was careful to saute the garlic in the same pan I used to cook the onions, so as to only get one pan dirty.  Then I added the garlic/herb mixture (using fresh thyme) to the tofu mixture in my mini-food processor, and pureed it, as the recipe says to do.  I cut back on the vinegar/lemon juice just a tad this time, and subbed in some soy sauce for some of the salt, to increase the recipe’s umami level.  I still used frozen spinach, but this time I let it cook a bit with the onions and mushrooms, to release some of its water.  However, I accidentally added the white wine to the tofu mixture, instead of using it to deglaze the pan.  Also, even with my large springform pan, I still had too much filling, and had to leave at least one quarter of the mixture in the fridge for another day.

The tarts cooked up nicely.  After letting them cool for a few minutes we removed the sides from the pans, and sliced them.  Almost all the slices held together perfectly, even the ones with no sides.  We did cut up the bottoms of my tart and springform pan a bit, however.  I wonder if I could have removed the bottoms before trying to cut them.  Would the pies have fallen apart if I attempted to pull off the pan bottoms?

Berley’s oat sesame crust was okay.  It had a nice flavor, but tasted quite oily to me, and Derek said it tasted “granola” and “vegetarian.”  It held together fine, and the bottom crust was less soggy than before, but still a little soggy, and didn’t really add all that much texture or flavor.

The filling was pretty, and really tasty.  It had just the right acidity and salt levels, and the flavors were more cohesive and well-rounded than my first attempt.  All my guests seemed to like the tart, with most taking seconds.  Derek liked it even more than the last time (although he preferred the non-vegan crust).  I’ll definitely be making this again on a special occasion.

Below are my modified instructions, designed to minimize prep and cleanup time.  I haven’t tried this exact recipe, but this is what I want to do next time.

For the filling:

• 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 cup finely diced onion
• 8 – 10 ounces white button mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, slice crosswise into 1/8-inch rounds
• 10 to 12 fresh basil leaves, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
• Pinch hot red pepper flakes
• 14 ounces firm tofu, rinsed and patted dry
• 5 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 tsp. rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons dry white wine or water
• 12 ounces frozen, finely chopped spinach

1.  Adjust oven shelf to middle of oven.  Preheat the oven to 350.  Lightly brush a 9-inch tart pan with toasted sesame oil.

2.  Make one third of a crust recipe, either a traditional butter crust or Berley’s vegan oat/sesame recipe–just enough for the sides of your tart pan.  Roll the crust out into a long narrow strip. Place the dough around the edge of the tart pan, and press to fill int the fluted sides of the pan.  Refrigerate while you make the filling.

4.  To make the filling, start by using your food processor to finely chop your onions, and to slice your mushrooms.  Move the vegetables to a large bowl, but no need to clean out the food-processor.

5.  In a 12-inch, thick-bottomed skillet over medium heat, warm 3 tablespoons of the oil. Add the garlic, basil, thyme, and red pepper flakes. Simmer gently for 3 to 4 minutes.  While the garlic simmers, crumble the tofu into the now-empty bowl of the food processor.  When the garlic is golden (but not brown), use a heat-resistant spatula to scrape the garlic oil into the bowl of the food processor, on top of the tofu.

6.  In the now empty large skillet, warm the final 2 tablespoons of the oil.  Add the onion and mushroom, raise the heat to high, and saute for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring and shaking the pan until the vegetables are caramelized. Add the wine and deglaze the pan.  Season with 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and continue to cook until dry.  Next, add 13 ounces frozen, finely chopped spinach to the skillet, along with the onions and mushrooms.  Cook briefly, just until the spinach stops releasing liquid.

7.  While the onions and mushrooms cook, add the lemon juice, vinegar, soy sauce, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the food processor and puree until smooth.  Use a rubber spatula to scrape the tofu mixture into the now-empty large bowl.  Add the cooked onion/mushroom/spinach mixture, and mix evenly.  Add black pepper, and add more salt if needed.

9.  Remove the tart pan from the refrigerator, pour in the filling, and bake for 45-50 minutes, until the center looks firm.   Let cool for 8-10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Yields 6 to 8 slices, or 4 to 6 main-dish servings.

Rating: B+

Derek: B+ (A- with a standard pie crust)

Sarah Palin grew up in Alaska, which is close to Russia, and thus she claims foreign policy experience. I grew up in Texas, the great state of barbecue, so therefore I’m an expert in the art of barbecuing.  Well…, let’s just say that I know as much about barbecue as Sarah Palin knows about foreign policy.

I’ve only ever tried two barbecue sauce recipes: my mom’s, and more recently the recipe in Vegan with a Vengeance.  The recipe on the left is my mom’s recipe for barbecue sauce, and is meant to be added to frozen tofu which has been marinated in peanut butter, paprika, garlic, salt, pepper, and oil. Barbecue sauce #2 is based on the recipe in Vegan with a Vengeance (I’ve made a few changes), and is meant to be added to tofu baked with oil and soy sauce.  The second recipe calls for more esoteric and expensive ingredients: pomegranate molasses, shallots, maple syrup, liquid smoke, star anise, etc.  On the other hand, I haven’t been able to find American style tomato sauce, brown sugar, salad mustard, or blackstrap molasses here in Germany.  After making the VwV recipe, I was surprised that it tasted quite similar to my mom’s recipe.  I lined the recipes up below to compare them and there are quite a few differences. The most noticeable difference to me was the absence of any acid in the VwV recipe.  I added lemon juice both times I made it, and it helped balance the flavors.  I’m curious, however, to try a side by side taste test and see which one comes out ahead.  My taste test will have to wait until I get my hands on some yellow mustard and molasses.  Ultimately, I’d like to merge the two recipes, and create the perfect, German-shopping-friendly recipe for a vegetarian barbecue sauce.   If anyone has any suggestions for other barbecue recipes I should try in my taste comparison, please post a comment.

This is currently my favorite way to eat Thai roasted chili paste. This recipe from Real Vegetarian Thai by Nancie McDermott is simple and satisfying. For more color, use half yellow squash, but add it slightly before the zucchini as it’s slower to cook. Alternatively, throw in a handful of halved cherry tomatoes when you add the tofu.

• 10 – 14 ounces medium-firm tofu, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 tsp. – 3 Tbs. vegetable oil
• 1 Tbs. coarsely chopped garlic (4 to 6 cloves)
• 1 large onion (about 10? ounces), cut lengthwise into thick strips
• 3 medium or 2 large zucchini, cut into 1/4 inch rounds (about 1.5 pounds?)
• 3 Tbs. roasted chili paste
• 1/4 cup vegetable stock
• 2 tsp. soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp salt (omit or reduce if your vegetable stock is salted)

1. Heat a wok or a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil and swirl to coat the pan. Add the garlic and onion and cook until shiny, fragrant, and softened, about 1 minute. Add the zucchini and cook, tossing occasionally, until shiny, tender, and a brilliant green, about 2 minutes.
2. Reduce the heat to medium and add the chili paste, vegetable stock, soy sauce, and salt. Toss well. Add the tofu and cook, giving it an occasional gentle toss, until it is heated through and evenly coated with the sauce, about 1 minute. Transfer to a serving dish and serve hot or warm.

Serves 4.

Rating: B+

Derek: A-

This is a tasty summertime recipe that’s very quick to make (if you already have the chili paste made).  Just put on your rice a little while before you start prepping, and by the time it’s done dinner will be ready.

• 2 tsp. vegetable oil
• 1 medium red onion, cut into thin rings
• large bag of green beans (1 pound?), stemmed and long beans broken in half, washed, and dried well
• 1 Tbs. palm sugar or brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 – 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 3/4 pound medium-firm tofu, cut into 1 inch cubes
• 1 Tbs. coarsely chopped garlic (4 to 6 cloves, optional)
• 2 Tbs. thai roasted chili paste
• 1 Tbs. water
• 1/2 cup loosely packed Thai basil, ribboned

1. Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed 9-inch skillet over high heat.  When hot, add the red onion, stirring frequently until just beginning to soften, about 2 minutes.
2. Add the green beans, keeping the heat on high.  Next add the sugar and salt, and mix well. Stir constantly, until the green beans start to brown and shrivel up a tad, about 5 minutes.
3. Add the garlic, red bell pepper, the tofu, the chili paste, and the water, and gently stir to combine.  Cover, turn heat to medium-low, and cook for about 2 to 3 minutes, until the red pepper is shiny and beginning to wilt.
4. Sprinkle with the ribboned basil, and serve immediately, with brown rice.

Serves 3-4 as a one-dish meal, with brown rice.

Notes:

The green beans will be slightly shriveled and brown with this recipe–adding the salt and sugar early on helps draw out the moisture, and carmelizes the sugar.  To make them even more like the green beans served in a Chinese restaurant, I want to try either pre-salting them, or roasting them in the oven briefly before stir-frying them.

The Thai basil is really essential: it adds add a fresh bright floral note on top of the tangy explosive sauce.  If you can’t find Thai basil perhaps try substituting regular basil or mint.

Cutting the tofu into very large cubes helps keep them from breaking up too much, and adds visual appeal.  Make sure to use a Chinese-style tofu that’s firm but not too firm.  Many of the brands available in organic stores in Montreal and Germany were hard as a rock, and sour, and would be awful in this dish.  If the tofu doesn’t taste good raw, leave it out.

If your sauce is really fiery, you’ll want to serve this with a refreshing beverage, like tamarind juice or iced tea or ginger lemonade.

Rating: B

Derek Rating: A-

I had mixed feelings about the chickpea burgers I tried a while back, but I really liked the idea of using gluten flour in a veggie or bean burger to add a chewy texture. This is my attempt to create a burger recipe that’s a little less bland boca and a little more vibrant veggie.  It’s basically a combination of Isa’s chickpea cutlet recipe and the cook’s illustrated falafel recipe.

1. In the bowl of a food processor, briefly process the garlic.  Add the chickpeas, soy sauce, parsley, salt cilantro, cumin, cinnamon, and olive oil, and pulse a few times, until the mixture is thick and chunky, but there are no whole chickpeas remaining.  The mixture should be substantially thicker and lumpier than hummus.
2. Move the chickpea mixture to a mixing bowl, and add the matzoh meal, wheat gluten, scallions, and liquid.  Mix with your hands until all the meal and gluten are incorporated. Knead the mixture for about 3 minutes, until strings of gluten have formed.
3. Preheat a large heavy-bottomed nonstick or cast iron skillet over medium heat. Meanwhile, divide the  dough into 8 equal pieces, and form a thin patty out of each piece, the thinner the better.
4. Add a moderately thin layer of olive oil to the bottom of the pan. Place the cutlets in the pan and cook on each side for 6 to 7 minutes. Add more oil, if needed, when you flip the cutlets. They’re ready when lightly browned and firm to the touch.

My Notes:

Unfortunately, my experiment was not a success, with regards to either texture or flavor.  When I shaped the patties the texture felt right–not as springy as last time, but they definitely held together well.   They browned up nicely in my cast iron skillet, but the inside was soft and doughy, almost unchanged from the raw dough.  I think making the patties thinner would help with this. I also would bump the gluten up to 3/4 cup.  After the patties cooled off the inner texture firmed up, and they seemed more cooked and cohesive.  They weren’t bad dipped in ketchup.

Despite my efforts, these patties were very bland!  The only seasoning I really could taste was the cinnamon, which Cook’s Illustrated calls for but I don’t recall having a presence in normal falafel. The number one problem: I clearly did not add enough salt.  I think the recipe needs another 1/2 tsp. or more of salt.  I couldn’t really taste the cumin, cilantro, or parsley, although I could definitely see the bright green herbs.  Maybe more salt would have brought out these flavors, but certainly the patties tasted nothing like falafel.  I can try again, doubling all the seasonings, but I’m not sure that will turn these from bland burgers to falafel taste-alikes. Another problem was that the patties were missing any hint of hot, which I somehow didn’t notice when putting together the recipe.  I went back and checked the Cook’s Illustrated falafel recipe and it calls for black pepper, but I think I’d prefer something with even more zing, maybe jalepeno or cayenne.

Rating: B-

My friend Katrina picked this recipe for chickpea burgers for our first food club challenge. It’s a recipe from Veganomicon that’s been all the range on the vegan blogosphere.  Below I’ve posted my comments, as well as those of the other members of our newly started cooking club.

My comments:

I made these chickpea burgers when visiting Derek in Germany.  As soon as I took my first bite I thought “these are seitan burgers, not really veggie burgers.” They had the distinctive chewy, stringy texture of undercooked seitan. I didn’t find it altogether unpleasant, but neither did it excite me. I thought the patties had little flavor: I couldn’t taste the sage or other dried herbs at all. I cooked the first four with 1 Tbs. of oil in a large skillet, and Derek and I thought that the crispiest patties were the best, so the second batch of 4 I cooked with 2 Tbs. of oil. They turned out oilier, but not any better, I thought. I could see how someone who really likes greasy food would like these patties cooked with a lot of oil though. I only used 3/4 of the soy sauce as I was worried they’d be too salty. With 3/4 they were fine.

I like that the recipe is novel: I’ve never seen a veggie burger recipe that calls for gluten flour before. However, I would have preferred more chickpea flavor and less seitan texture, so if I make these again, I think I will try replacing half of the gluten flour with besan (chickpea flour). I may also try adding different seasonings to make them Indian tasting, or perhaps Mexican spices.

I don’t think these would work very well on a hamburger bun with all the fixings, because they are a bit dry and quite starchy, and bland. I think they would be better served as Heidi Swanson suggests serving veggie burgers: use the burger as the bun, slice each one in half and fill it with tomato and lettuce and whatever other toppings you like to add to your veggie burgers. Or just serve them as I did: with a creamy, spicy sauce.

My rating: B-

Derek’s response:

The first time I made them Derek commented that they tasted like cheap veggie burgers, kind of like boca burgers. He said the texture was soft and cardboardy. When I objected that cardboard is the opposite of soft, he said “like wet cardboard.” Then he asked for a second one, and he ate half of one of mine as well. He claims that he ate so many of them because they were a good carrier for the sauce I made, which was yogurt mixed with amarillo pepper sauce and lemon juice. “Aaaah, lemon juice,” he says. I had doubled the recipe and stored half of the dough in the fridge for two days. When I made the second batch, Derek said they had gotten chewier and stretchy, but the flavor was still fairly bland. He gives the recipe a C+.

Katrina’s comments, as transcribed by me (Katrina broke her thumb so I offered my typing services. This is only approximate however–Katrina was much more eloquent in real life.)

I made the mistake of grinding the chickpeas too finely–I wished there were bigger pieces of chickpeas. I would almost consider using more chickpeas and grinding some up and leaving some in chunks. I also liked Rose’s idea of using some chickpea flour. I thought they had an interesting texture and the idea was really nice, to have a bean burger that holds together and isn’t just beans and rice. But the taste wasn’t that exciting. I felt like they needed some more seasoning of some sort. You could probably go any way with it, Indian spices, Mexican spices–you just have to do something. I think it would be good with parsley or cilantro or something. I’ve seen online you could use it sort of like a parmigiana topped with a tomato sauce, and it would probably work pretty well with that as it has kind of a bready texture. You could probably even include some vegetables in it if you wanted. I don’t know if it was the high gluten content or what, but they just felt like a rock in my stomach. It was just a really dense food, which was kind of weird. I would certainly make something along these lines again, something with beans and gluten and seasoning made into some kind of pan-fried burgers, but I wouldn’t follow the recipe. I’d like to try it with a different type of bean as well.

Katrina said she used all the soy sauce but low sodium, and the salt level was fine.

Susan’s comments:

I doubled the recipe and made them into round burger shapes instead of cutlets which made 9 instead of 6. It is necessary to cook them on medium or they will burn. I used 1 tsp of oil per 3 to fry them in.

I thought the texture was good and they held together very well. There was too much sage taste for me and I think I would use something else next time.

Hanaleah said they were okay when she took a bite, but then came back and finished the whole piece.
I made them for a potluck. They all got eaten. This is a good thing, no? They liked the texture but not much taste. They needed a bun, tomatos, mayo, onions, etc everyone said. And when I ate mine 3 hours after I made them, you couldn’t tell that they had sage. It disappearred? At our potluck there was a red pepper salsa that was delicious and when eaten with the burgers helped immensel

Kathy’s comments

Chickpea Success!!!

A few of us here in Geneva attempted the Chickpea Patty recipe with a bunch of modifications, and it was a definite success. I’ve cc’d the co-creators/tasters and my chickpea consultant, spoons.

First: what will we do with the cutlets? I was talking to Spoons about this on the phone, and he was confused about why we were making chickpea patties in the first place — why not just make chickpeas, themselves, with good seasonings? Then we decided that one of the only reasons we could think of to make chickpea patties instead of chickpeas was that chickpeas would probably fall through a barbecue grill. So, I decided to go towards real chickpea burgers — the kind of thing that you could bring to a BBQ and toss on the grill.

So, how did we change the original recipe?

We made a double batch, which turned into 8 burgers.

We replaced half of the gluten with chickpea flour, and made sure to knead it lightly. We kneaded about one minute after it came together, not too vigorously. Toyoko, who had made this same recipe in Geneva before, blamed her patties’ too-dense texture on gluten + too much kneading.

We left half the chickpeas whole, or barely crushed, to add some more chunks. I wouldn’t do it that way again, since the burgers sometimes had fault-lines develop near the chickpeas, and I would be afraid the patties might break up. I might chop the unground half of the chickpeas about as finely as we chopped the garlic (not *that* finely).

We left out:
# 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
# 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
# 1/4 teaspoon dried rubbed sage

but put in a bunch of paprika and some soy sauce, and a drop of lemon oil (which like zest, but what I use when I forgot to buy a lemon). For vegetable broth, we used Veggie “Better than Bouillon” which has a very savory flavor.

Then, we cooked the burgers in a really hot cast iron skillet with some oil.

You can see the result!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/nowpicnic/2374225723/

There is a patty on the left, so you can see how it looks, and then another inside the bun. We topped the burgers with carmelized onions, and usual burger stuff like lettuce, tomato, mayo, mustard, ketchup. Next time I might put the carmelized onions INSIDE the burgers.

The other things on the plate are chickpea fries (delicious!) and a yogurt-cucumber salad that went really well with the chickpeas. We had dates, pitted with almond butter inside, for dessert, and those were excellent too.

With these modifcations, the taste and texture of the chickpea burger were both great. The taste was mostly hummus-like (chickpeas and garlic and paprika!) and the texture wasn’t at all boca-burger or seitan-ish. It held together pretty well.

I had some leftovers the next day, warmed up in a pan with some veggies and sausage, and it was OK but certainly more bread-like as it was reheated with steamy veggies. I think the hot searing of a skillet/broiler/grill helps the patties seem more protein-y and less bread-y.

So, your suggestions worked out well! I would definitely make this again, especially as a summer-time BBQ food.

I was trying to decide what to make for dinner last night, and my friend Katrina suggested a casserole. I said I never really make casseroles, and asked for ideas. She rattled off a bunch of recipe ideas from The Passionate Vegetarian, including a recipe for a cabbage, apple, sauerkraut, noodle casserole, seasoned with applesauce and paprika. It reminded me of a dish my college roommate’s Hungarian grandma used to make for us all the time: “cabbage noodles,” which were spiral noodles and sauteed cabbage and lots of oil and salt. They were simple, greasy, and delicious. The casserole also sounded reminiscent of a traditional noodle kugel.

I used to love my grandma’s noodle kugel when I was a kid. Many noodle kugels are sweet, with cinnamon and sugar and raisins, but my grandma’s recipe stood squarely in the savory camp. Her recipe called for 3 cups egg noodles, 1 cup full fat sour cream, 3 eggs, 3 ounces cream cheese, 1/2 cup cream, 2 Tbs. butter and 1/2 pound full fat cottage cheese, and just a Tablespoon of sugar and touch of salt. All that dairy fat made it rich and delicious, and the sour cream made is just a tad sour, which I loved. Sadly, her recipe, and most traditional noodle kugels, have few redeeming features from a nutritional standpoint. Not only would her recipe appall the the very-low-fat Dean Ornish types, and the no-carb Atkins types, but it would also be a no-no to the more modern low-animal-fat-and-white carbs (but lots of veggies) types. I think the only one who might approve is Michael Pollan, as most of the ingredients do seem like “food” (although I haven’t read his most recent book yet so I’m not positive that these ingredients would qualify). I’ve been wanting to experiment with Isa’s technique of using pureed silken tofu in place of eggs in baked dishes, and decided this was the perfect opportunity: I would try to create a savory vegan cabbage noodle kugel using tofu in places of the dairy and eggs.

• 11 ounces of whole wheat fusilli
• 3 Tbs. olive oil
• 1 pound red onions (about 2 medium or one very large)
• 1.5 pounds shredded savoy cabbage (about 10 cups)
• salt (maybe 1 tsp? I forgot to measure)
• 2 twelve ounce packages of dry-packed silken tofu (or 1.5 packages water-packed soft tofu)
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 Tbs. paprika

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta. Meanwhile, slice the onions (I did both the onions and cabbage using the slicing blade on my food processor, but I had to do the cabbage in two batches as it wouldn’t all fit at once.)
2. Heat 2 Tbs. of oil in a large 12-inch skillet or large dutch oven over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the onions and saute until softened. While the onions are cooking shred your cabbage, and add it in to the skillet in batches, along with a 1/2 tsp. of salt. You want to cook the cabbage and onions until they start to carmelize. Use a little water from the pasta pot if the veggies start to burn or stick.
3. Preheat the oven to 375. When the water comes to a boil, salt it and add the pasta. Cook until just al dente (remember that the noodles will cook more in the oven). Drain the pasta and add back to the large pot it was cooked in.
4. While the cabbage and pasta cook, blend your tofu in a food processor, with the last Tbs. of oil, the cayenne, cinnamon, and paprika, and another 1/2 tsp. of salt.
5. Add the cabbage and onions and the tofu puree with the noodles. Mix to combine. Pour the mixture into a 9×13 casserole pan, and bake for 40 minutes.

My Notes:

The kugel came out all right, but not great. It holds together pretty well, looks like noodle kugel, and the taste isn’t bad, but it’s a bit stinky from the cabbage. I was hoping that by carmelizing the cabbage and onions I’d avoid any sulfur odors, and bring out their sweet sides. It didn’t quite work. I think that a sweet version might be a better choice. The cabbage and onions already make it a little sweet, and the little bit of cinnamon I added reinforces the sweetness, but it’s not quite enough. Next time I would add the traditional raisins, use slightly less cabbage perhaps, and add some sweetener (and maybe copy Dragonwagon and add a bit of apples or applesauce as well). I added the paprika to give the pureed tofu more flavor, and to go with my Hungarian theme, but I suspect it just ended up muddying the flavors more than enhancing them. Next time I would just use more sweet spices like cinnamon.

The tofu didn’t work as well as I would like. In Isa’s potato omelette recipe the soy flavor is not detectable, and the tofu gets all puffy and egglike. That didn’t happen here, I’m not sure why. In the baked kugel the tofu has the texture and taste of raw blended tofu. Perhaps the tofu needs more room to expand, and my casserole was packed too tightly? I do think that the tofu was useful in helping the casserole hold together, and giving it a slight creaminess. However, next time I would try cutting back on the amount of tofu a bit, maybe try just 16 ounces, which would help reduce the soy flavor. Also, the kugel is not quite rich enough for my taste, so I would add another tablespoon of olive oil and possibly some nuts as well.

If you’re very efficient the prep work will take about 30 minutes, otherwise more like 45 minutes. There’s quite a bit of clean-up as well, as you’ll have a large pot, large skillet, strainer and food processor to wash. I recommend grating some extra cabbage in the food processor, as long as you’re dirtying it, and using it for another dish, perhaps cole slaw. (And that way you’ll get both the benefits of cooked and raw cabbage!)

Rating: B-

Last night I pulled some seitan out of the freezer. I’m not positive but I think I made it using the recipe from Vegan with a Vengeance. It was quite spongey and wet, so I let it drain in a colander for a while, then sliced it into very thin slices. I dredged the slices in chickpea flour (besan), then lightly pan-fried them in my cast iron skillet. While they were cooking I sprinkled them with thyme, lots of black pepper, and a touch of cinnamon. I didn’t add any salt as the broth they were cooked in was very salty. The final seitan was a little crispy on the outside but still moist on the inside, and had a great savory flavor. I don’t think I would have been able to tell that there was thyme or cinnamon on it if I hadn’t already known. The flavors combined nicely with the chickpea flour to create a good savory base, without any one flavor being dominant.

A few of the fatter pieces still tasted sponge-y in the centre, and the seasonings hadn’t penetrated, so I put them back on the pan and let them cook a bit longer, pressing down on the pieces with my spatula to get the water out. That seemed to fix the problem.

I enjoyed snacking on the seitan, but haven’t figured out what I’m going to do with it yet. I’m thinking of eating it for dinner with brown rice and broccoli and some kind of light sauce. It will be a simple dinner but tasty.

A few years ago my friend Spoons adapted a Paula Wolfert Moroccan recipe for chicken, turning it into a tofu dish. He used very finely minced onions, lots of cinnamon and black pepper, dates, and red wine vinegar. The dish was served with couscous (of course). I really liked the cinnamon and black pepper combination in a savory recipe, and vowed to try it myself. I’ve tried making a similar tofu dish a few times but mine never came out quite as well as Spoons’s. I will keep trying, but I mention Spoons’s creation here because it was his tofu dish that inspired me to season my seitan with cinnamon today. I thought about adding some red wine as well, as called for in the recipe for Ethiopian Seitan in Vegan with a Vengeance, but after tasting the seitan I decided not to add anything; I liked it too much to risk screwing it up.