Mar 26, 2014

grilled buffalo tofu po' boy

Ever since Buffalo, New York, introduced Buffalo Wings to the world, buffalo sauce has inserted itself into almost every genre of food. Now you can find all sorts of recipes with buffalo sauce, which is a mixture of butter and hot sauce, from Buffalo Cauliflower, Buffalo Seitan Wings, Buffalo Sandwiches, Buffalo Pizza, Buffalo Shrimp, to Buffalo Chicken Salad, and list goes on.

Traditionally, the item to be sauced is battered and deep fried until crispy and then tossed in the butter and hot sauce mixture. It is then served immediately, to keep the texture crisp, with bleu cheese dressing, which has a cooling effect, thus balancing the heat of the spice.

While I, too, love a great vegan buffalo-ed anything, most of the time the ingredient is deep fried. I wanted to have a buffalo sandwich without all the unnecessary side of fat that usually comes served with the spicy and tangy flavor.

I’ve lightened up the typical buffalo sandwich by eliminating the breading and the need for deep frying the protein. Instead, this sandwich features a grilled tofu and is made into a po’ boy by adding a creamy slaw. The cabbage and apples in the slaw add crunch, the vegan mayo adds creaminess and the vinegar gives it some needed acidity.

The tofu is marinated in the buffalo sauce and then grilled. Once you have the tofu pressed overnight, using a Tofu Xpress or my towel method, this sandwich will come together in about 30 minutes, including marinating. Use a gluten free bread or a gluten-free wrap to make this sandwich completely gluten free.  




GRILLED BUFFALO TOFU PO' BOY PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE


Cookbook Update: While my upcoming cookbook, Everyday Vegan Eats, has been available for pre-order for a few weeks, Amazon has updated the information on the book. Look-inside is not available, yet, but a few recipes have been published. Check it out! 

And here is another picture from the book, Fried Vegan Omelet.




I am also linking to these recipe parties! The blogs hosting Healthy Vegan Fridays are Suzanne at Hello Veggie, Anna at Herbivore Triathlete, and Kimmy at Rock My Vegan Socks.  



The blog hosting Gluten-Free Fridays is Vegetarian Mamma.


I’ve also decided to submit this dish to What I Ate Wednesday hosted by Peas and Crayons since, well, it will be Wednesday soon enough!

Mar 22, 2014

spring kale and dill soup with rice

Dill has to be one of the more interesting herbs available, with its citrus aroma and fresh taste. The term dill weed is quite accurate, in the sense that if left to its own devices, your garden would be overrun with the herb in much the same way as mint is apt to do. If the ground is left untouched from season to season, dill will rule.

I suppose in much the same way, dill can be a dominant flavor in a dish and be overpowering if the flavor is not something you enjoy. Me, on the other hand, I am in love with dill. I will even buy it just to freshen the air in the kitchen, as I would use basil; both are aromatic not just in recipes, but in the environment.

The dill weed in this soup adds a refreshing flavor, which is accented by the fresh lemon juice added to each bowl. While the soup might at first seem to be hardy and rich, the kale is young and tender and the rice just makes sure we don't take the soup too seriously. After all, it is spring and the time for heavy, hearty, rich stews and soups are getting ready to be retired until autumn.

Although the recipe calls for small butter beans, which are creamy, you can substitute cannellini or another white bean.






On a side note, lately my son has been doing video reviews of movies and shows on YouTube. He's been doing it for a while now, but I just saw one for the first time the other day and I was quite impressed. He is doing them while attending college, but has still managed to keep up with his school work and write, narrate and edit his reviews. 

Although most of the reviews he does would not be of interest to most of the readers of this blog (unless you like anime), this short one might. It is of the final movie by Hayao Miyazaki, "The Wind Rises," an Academy nominated animated historical drama.





I am also linking to these recipe parties! The blogs hosting Healthy Vegan Fridays are Suzanne at Hello Veggie, Anna at Herbivore Triathlete, and Kimmy at Rock My Vegan Socks.  



The blog hosting Gluten-Free Fridays is Vegetarian Mamma.


I’ve also decided to submit this dish to What I Ate Wednesday hosted by Peas and Crayons since, well, it will be Wednesday soon enough!