chinese stir-fry cabbage with soy dumplings

Tuesday is Asian Day

It is so troubling that it is Tuesday already and I still do not have my menu ready for the week! Holidays tend to throw me off - David is home and things just move at a different pace. So tonight I grabbed my trusty Chinese cookbook, Bryanna Clark Grogan's Chinese Cookbook, and opened the book at a page.

That was it. I had the ingredients, or close enough to them, and away we went. Dinner was ready in an hour, eventhough the 'pork' balls needed to be made from scratch.

I changed things up just a little by stir-frying the cabbage before I added the 'chicken' broth (see recipe page). I simply adore the flavor of stir-fryed cabbage and I wasn't going to merely just simmer them.

Everyone loved the meal and I loved that I could make it fast.

School has started in earnest here and it is always a challenge to get everyone back in rhythm. This is also Literature Group week and I have to prepare for that as well.

Back to work!

Cost Breakdown:

cabbage: $3

tofu, TVP: $2

onion, carrot, tamari, sherry: $1.50

rice: $1

Toal to feed a family of 5:

$7.50

bbq tempeh on focaccia

African-Inspired Night

This was another recipe from Vegan Soul Kitchen by Bryant Terry, 'Open-Faced BBQ Sandwich on Foccacia with Cayenne Coleslaw.' Tempeh is what is being barbecued. I don't know if I've blogged before that my hubby has a few culinary dislikes, tempeh being one of them.

I haven't been able to convince him to give tempeh a try after he had it in a few times in restaurants, but I know that he just hadn't had it prepared the right way. He had the same dislike of Brussels sprouts until I made them and thereby convinced him that Brussels sprouts are not supposed to be bitter balls of blues.

Same deal with tempeh. If you've had bland tempeh, you need to cook it differently. Terry and I concur.

For flavorful tempeh, choose one:

(1) simmer on the stove in a flavorful broth

(2) bake in a marinade or sauce

(3) fry in fat and sprinkle with salt

Most people steam tempeh, to make the it more ready to absorb marinade or to reduce the bitterness. However, if you will be cooking it using method (1) or (2) for at least 20 minutes, steaming it is not necessary - in fact, it's overkill. Save your time!

Since this recipe called for focaccia, I was on the hunt for a whole wheat version. I found it! Super easy to make, especially in the bread maker. Not super low in fat, though; it can't really be focaccia without the 1/4-1/2 c of olive oil. Of course, if you'd like to omit most of the olive oil, I would omit it from the dough completely and drizzle a half teaspoon on a slice just before eating . Maximize the flavor.

This was a great meal, both men in the house loved the tempeh and the focaccia was an all around hit.

Cost Breakdown:

focaccia: $2

tempeh: $6

lime, tomato paste: $1

cabbage: $2

tamari, Dijon, maple syrup: $1

Total to make 7 sandwiches:

$12.00

Focaccia, Whole Wheat Recipe

(coming)

indian-spiced rice

Another fridge cleaner! When you have freshly roasted and ground spices, fresh stir-fried vegetables and gremolata, you can't really go wrong.

I don't usually make Indian food at home because we live so close to a great Indian restaurant, and one of the best things about going to Indian restaurants is the variety. Realistically, am I going to cook four different curries and make 2 different breads as well as a whole bunch of other wonderful Indian dishes for a weeknight meal? And it is the variety I love - as well as the food, naturally. 

But today I felt the need to make something Indian inspired (maybe it's because of Top Chef last night). It had to be fast though, I'm still cleaning. I am hosting a couple of Literature Groups for my kids over the next year and I need it to be spic and span, otherwise I can feel my Mom shaking her head.

So I toasted some fenugreek seeds, yellow mustard seeds, coriander seeds, cumin seeds and ground them up. I cooked the rice with this spice mixture, adding a chopped tomato, turmeric and paprika. 

When the rice was almost done cooking (and brown rice takes a while), I stir-fried sunflower seeds (remove from pan and set aside), 1/2 onion, 1 corn (kernels removed) and zucchini, diced (these takes longer to get color so make sure it has before adding...), a 1/4 of a red cabbage, chopped. Quickly stir-fry after adding the cabbage so it stays crisp tender.

Add the rice to the veggies and sunflower seeds, squirt it with thejuice of 1/2 lime, adjust seasoning and serve with the gremolata.

Gremolata:

1/2 c cilantro, minced

2 cloves garlic, smashed and minced

zest of 1 lime

salt and pepper

Mix all the ingredients and mince everything together or process all in a machine. 

Cost Breakdown:

zucchini: $1

cabbage: $1

corn, onion, garlic: $1

brown basmati rice: $1

tomato: $1

cilantro, lime, spices: $2

Total to feed a family of 5:

$7.00

oyster mushroom po' boys

Family Favorite

Tonight we had Oyster Mushroom Po' Boys. In lieu of battered and fried, though, we make pan sear them with panko bread crumbs. The panko gets crispy and crunchy, the mushrooms get nicely seared and we save a bunch of deep-frying oil.

These sandwiches can be topped with either lettuce and tomato or cole slaw. We do the slaw with tartar sauce.

Mikel requested this - my oyster mushroom man - and the rest of us are thrilled when he does. When I first made these, I did batter and fry them, but over the years this has become tedious, not to mention unhealthy. It is so much better to deconstruct the mushroom and batter. The slaw adds a nice creaminess with the hot sauce, for those using it.

Cost Breakdown:

mushrooms : $10

panko: $1

bread: $2

cabbage, carrot, onion: $2

tartar sauce: $1

Total to feed a family of 6:

$16.00

buffalo baked potatoes

Kate wanted to make baked potatoes for her lunch.

 Yes, the second potato dish in as many days. You know how we like to double up on the good things! Well, I couldn't say no, but I did ask her to make something with it. She chose to steam broccoli and make a cheese sauce.

She baked some huge potatoes in the toasted oven (less hot than the big oven) and steamed some of the florets.

She made a killer cheese sauce using a simple bechamel sauce that she seasoned and put about a cup of Daiya cheddar in. To make it special she added diced tomatoes and Frank's Hot Sauce - the original Buffalo Sauce , uh, sauce.

This was phenomenal! I added some sliced red cabbage onto mine, some extra hot sauce and there was no need for any wings to be involved except when the flavors took to flight.

Fabulous, Kate. So glad you made baked potatoes.

Cost Breakdown:

6 huge Russets: $4.50

broccoli: $3

Daiya: $2

Almond milk: $1

tomato, cabbage and Frank's: $1.50

Total to feed 6 people:

$12.00

BUFFALO BAKED POTATO PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE

Cheese Sauce Recipe

jamaican veggie purses

Jamaican food is African inspired, so it is appropriate for our Tuesday Night meal. This one comes out of Vegan Soul Kitchen by Bryant Terry. I picked up this book when Vegan.com spread the word that it was on sale for $8. This  has to be one of the better cookbooks out there. I've had great success with many of his recipes, and this one is no exception.

He uses coconut butter in the crust and coconut milk in the recipe. There are fresh cut corn, fresh shelled peas (CSA), carrots and shredded cabbage. The salad is cucumbers and tomatoes in a dressing of lime, lemon and orange juices, from the same book.

Excellent meal, although Cat does not like coconut milk - tastes too odd. The other two gobbled it up.

Cost Breakdown:

crust: $2

vegetables: $2

coconut milk: $1.50

salad: $2.50

spices, onion, garlic: $1

Total to make 6 purses:

$9.00

We have a bunch of blueberries and since blueberry season is almost over, and since GiGi at Veganville blogspot has a recipe for said blueberries and coconut milk, it was destiny.

Great dessert; thanks GiGi!

raw mexican cabbage boats

Raw Night

I made a Mexican-style stuffed cabbage boats. I used soaked sunflower seeds, onions and garlic to make the filling. But since I am beginning to see that a lot of raw foods that are trying to imitate other meals are utilizing nuts and seeds, I wanted to add something different. So, I also chopped up fennel, zucchini and summer squash and mixed it with my seed filling. Not so say that nuts and seeds are not good for you, on the contrary, they are immeasurably so, but I am seeing that there is some dependency on them. All things in moderation.

I topped it with a salsa of avocado, spring onion, and yellow and red tomatoes. 

As for the cabbage, I attempted to dehydrate some leaves to see if I could get a crunchy shell. Nope. It turned out brittle and the color was off. I'll try marinating it in some olive oil next time.

The boats were Mexican influenced with the addition of chili powder,  chipotle chili powder and lime zest.

Very filling and delicious! I'm actually looking forward to raw nights. Not only is it easy and quick to make, but it tasted good.

If you make this, though, do not stuff the leaves as much as I did - not enough leaf for the filling.

Cost Breakdown:

2c sunflower seeds: $3

cabbage: $2

tomato, avocado,lime, onion, garlic: $3

zucchini, squash, fennel: $3

Total to make 10-12 boats:

$11.00

korean pancake with peppers and napa cabbage

Asian/African/Rice Night

I love Madhur Jaffrey's vegetarian meals, even though her recipes may not be all vegan and need tweaking sometimes. Tonight's meal was inspired by her many travels.

The Korean pancakes are made with regular flour and rice flour - and of course, egg. No need for the egg though -again. These savory pancakes were made in my well-seasoned wok although a non-stick is recommended. They have red and green bell peppers, mushrooms and napa cabbage. They were crispy and tasty. The dipping sauce is tamari with a little rice vinegar and sesame seeds.

They were well received! Kate and Mikel gobbled them up, but were kind enough to leave some for David and me.  This is a great way to get the kids to eat vegetables; the veggies are disguised by the crispy texture. Don't get me wrong - this isn't like sneaking in the vegetables by blending everything together. It is more like making the dish taste so good that the kids don't mind eating them :)

Cost Breakdown:

flours: $1.50

vegetables: $5

tamari, spices: $1

rice: $1

Total to feed a family of 5:

$8.50

CRISPY KOREAN PANCAKES PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE

cabbage pasta

Cat chose to make one of her all time favorite meals for lunch - Hungarian Cabbage Pasta. It is typically made with green cabbage but Whole Foods only had the red one - the one time I am looking to get it, of course.

She did a great job, it was delicious; nice bite from the fresh ground peppers and sweetness from the cabbage. The cabbage is taken to the edge of being caramelized - and then it is stirred. This is a wonderful way to enjoy this cruciferous vegetable. In fact, Hungarians even make strudel using this method of cooking cabbage.

Cost Breakdown:

cabbage: $3

brown rice pasta: $2

peppers, onion and spices: $2

Total to feed a family of 5:

$7.00

FNF - spicy cherry seitan

I am playing along with Tami's Food Network Friday challenge at Vegan Appetite. She chose Spicy Cherry Ribs to veganize to show the Food Network how easy vegan eating can be. I made a seitan using tofu and gluten which I make when I am trying for a layered seitan - you know, one that when ripped tears in layers. It turned out very tasty, but a little salty, thanks to Guy Fieri's love of salt. I am of the mind that the first time you try a recipe it should be as the cook wrote it. Then you can mess with it, assuming it is good enough to make again. Of course, it did not require the 4 hours of baking. Thank the universe.

I made some creamy cole slaw to accompany it; sort of a quintessential American BBQ. Just not. Better!

Cost Breakdown:

seitan: $3

cherries: $8!

cabbage: $3.50

Veganaise: $1.50

baked beans: $2

onion, garlic, spices: $2

Total to feed a family of 5 an American BBQ:

$21.00 (yikes)

Creamy Cole Slaw Recipe

Spicy Cherry Seitan Recipe

 Tofu-Seitan Recipe