General Tao's Tofu

Recently I've been discovering the wonder that is VegWeb.com. Previously I was wary of the site, being that all the recipes are user-submitted {and I remember a particularly horrendous mushroom pate that a friend made using a recipe from that site. It included dried stuffing mix...} However, I discovered upon further investigation that each recipe has a user rating, as well as comments and pictures that can give you a pretty accurate idea of how the recipe is going to turn out before you make it.

The most popular recipe on the site, hands down, is General Tao's Tofu. Naturally, it was the first one I tried. As I was making it, I noticed a few things that could use a few tweaking {and some serious re-writing, for clarity}. Here is the recipe, re-written and including my tweaks.

General Tao's Tofu
Serves 4

16 oz container extra firm tofu, drained, pressed, and cut into cubes
flour, in a shallow dish
2 tbsp vegetable oil, plus more for frying
4 chopped green onions
1.5 tbsp minced ginger
1.5 tbsp minced garlic
1 cup vegetable stock
3 tbsp soy sauce
6 tbsp sugar
a pinch of red pepper flakes {to taste}
1.5 tbsp white wine vinegar
1.5 tbsp cornstarch dissolved in 3 tbsp cold water
1 lb broccoli, steamed

1. Heat a thin layer of vegetable oil in a large pan until hot but not smoking. Coat the tofu in the flour. Transfer the tofu to the pan and fry until golden brown on all sides. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside.

2. Meanwhile, heat 2 tbsp additional oil in a separate pan over medium high heat. Add green onions, ginger, and garlic, and cook for 2 - 3 minutes, until tender. Be careful not to burn the garlic. Stir in the vegetable stock, soy sauce, sugar, red pepper flakes, and vinegar. Whisk in the cornstarch and water mixture, and cook the sauce for several minutes, stirring often, until bubbling and thick.

3. Add the fried tofu and steamed broccoli to the sauce, tossing lightly to coat. Serve over your choice of rice.

If you like, you can leave the broccoli separate and serve it on the side.

Broccoli and Lemon Orzo Soup

This is one of my all-time favorite soups. It's simple to put together, delicate enough to eat when you're not feeling well, but with a complex enough flavor to enjoy when you feel great and just want some good soup. It's on the brothier side, which lend itself well to being served with a loaf of crusty artisan bread.

The quality of the vegetable stock you use here is important. Use one that is relatively neutral and that you enjoy the flavor of. As with any brothy soup, it's only as good as the quality of your broth. Another note -- orzo is magical. As this soup sits, the orzo will soak up any remaining liquid. If you want to eat leftovers of this soup the next day, either plan on eating it more "casserole" or "stew" style...or add more broth/lemon to return it to its original soup state.

Broccoli & Lemon Orzo Soup
Serves 6.

1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
8 cups good vegetable broth
1 lb of broccoli, cut into bite­size pieces
3⁄4 cup orzo
the zest of one lemon
the juice of half a lemon
2 tbsp dill, chopped

1. In a large pot over medium­high heat, cook onions in olive oil until starting to caramelize, about 7 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another 2 minutes.
2. Pour in vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Add orzo and cook for 4 minutes. Add broccoli and cook for an additional 5 minutes, until broccoli is tender and orzo is cooked through. Add zest, juice, and dill. Serve immediately.

Lazy Lunch

A lazy lunch today: baked potatoes smashed onto the plate and topped with melty Earth Balance, velvety cheese sauce, lightly steamed broccoli, creamy Tofutti Better-Than-Sour-Cream, and freshly ground sea salt and black pepper. On the side, a healthy dose of Bush's Vegetarian Baked Beans.

Teriyaki Tempeh

Unfortunately, not as good as it looks. Read about what the Ninjahusband refers to as The Tempeh of Epic Sadness here. Dinner fail!

Veggie Planet Stir Fry

Last September I visited a friend in Boston for one glorious and relaxing week. She lived right off Harvard Square, and one lazy morning we visited Veggie Planet for brunch. I chose the Homefry Tofu Scramble, and I was not disappointed. It wasn't quite a scramble, but more of a tofu stir fry, taking full advantage of delicious butternut squash that was in season.

Upon arriving home to Utah, I was still thinking about the scramble, and I knew I had to re-create it for myself. After several tries, I came up with the following version which is very close {and possibly even better? Blasphemy!}. I roast the potatoes and butternut squash because I feel that method of cooking brings out the best characteristics in both.

Veggie Planet Stir Fry

1⁄2 lb white potatoes {about 2 medium}, peeled and chopped
1⁄2 lb butternut squash {about 1⁄2 small}, peeled and chopped
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp cumin
1⁄2 lb broccoli, cut into bite­size pieces
1⁄2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp lemon juice
1 lb tofu, drained, pressed, and cut into cubes
1 small onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1⁄2 lb ripe tomatoes, chopped
1 tsp chili powder
salt & pepper to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 375 F.
2. Toss potatoes and squash in 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, salt, garlic powder, and cumin. Spread evenly on a foil-­lined baking sheet, and bake for 30 minutes, stirring half­way through baking time.
3. Meanwhile, bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Boil broccoli for 3 – 4 minutes, until just tender. Remove promptly from heat, drain water, and toss with lemon juice, red pepper flakes, and salt & pepper to taste. Set aside.
4. Heat the remaining tbsp of oil in a large saute pan. Add tofu cubes to the pan, and cook until golden brown on all sides, about 10 – 12 minutes. Remove tofu with a slotted spoon and set aside.
5. In the same saute pan, cook onion over medium to medium high heat until tender and starting to caramelize, about 8 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 2 minutes longer, until garlic is golden and fragrant.
6. By this time your potatoes and squash should be finished. Return tofu to the saute pan, and add broccoli, potatoes, squash, and chili powder. Cook for 5 minutes to combine flavors. Remove from heat and add raw tomatoes {salted and peppered to taste}. Serve immediately, either plain or over rice.

Creamy Broccoli and Potato Soup

Creamy Broccoli & Potato Soup was the perfect October dinner, especially when served with a crusty loaf of artisan bread from the local bakery.

It makes me want to figure out how to make a Broccoli & Potato Cheese Soup {vegan of course}. I see some experimentation in my future!

Hurry Up Alfredo

I made Hurry Up Alfredo for dinner tonight, from the new Vegan Yum Yum cookbook. And, I hate to say it…but my faith in the author is shaken. It looked NOTHING like alfredo sauce {it was pink!} and tasted NOTHING like alfredo sauce. I’ll admit that it was yummy, and we did snarf it {the Supertoddler especially!}, but I was really hoping for some good alfredo.

I read the recipe over at least 10 times, trying to figure out what I did wrong. The Ninjahusband finally said to me “Sweetie, unless she knows about some sort of blond soy sauce and white paprika that we don’t know about, there is no way that sauce is going to come out white…” And of course, he’s right.

It was quick, and it was yummy, so definitely make it {the recipe is on her blog at veganyumyum.com} — but don’t expect it to taste or look like alfredo.