Naan Bread

Tonight we packed up the crew and headed out to a friend's 40th birthday party. Indian food was the menu of choice, so I provided the naan bread. I posted this recipe before, but let me say once again how awesome it is. I subbed soy yogurt and margarine for the dairy, and added chopped garlic to half of the dough for garlic naan (which you can see I also sprinkled with chopped cilantro). The party was a blast, the vegan dishes were awesome, and the naan devoured.

Sausages in the Works

I have been working on a tempeh/seitan sausage in an attempt to make a sausage that is a little more tender and a little less "gluten-y." Sometimes I find that the steamed sausages come out a little tough, or give my stomach a gluten overload. So far, my results have been pretty good, but a little too soft, I think. They taste great and have a good texture right out of the steamer, but they turn to mush if placed in a sauce. I am kind of sausaged out right now, so I will experiment again in a little while.

Pan Fried Tofu with Plum Glaze

Vegan Mom and I were in the mood for mashed potatoes tonight. A simple tofu recipe seemed like the perfect accompaniment. Recently, my local Sobey's started carrying this awesome organic tofu made by Sol Cuisine (a Canadian company from Mississauga). It has the best taste and texture of any tofu I have tried, so try some if you can get it at your local grocery store. The sauce is based on a pork recipe I saw online which called for balsamic vinegar. I improvised when I discovered that I had none on hand.

INGREDENTS

- 1 pkg extra firm tofu, cut into triangles

- oil

- 1/2 cup plum sauce

- 2 tbsp hoisin sauce

- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

- 1 tsp Tobasco sauce (or to taste)

METHOD

1. Put tofu in a non-stick frying pan and place over medium heat. Once tofu starts to sizzle, cook on each side for 2-3 mins, until lightly browned. Add a splash of oil to the pan and increase heat to med-hi. Toss tofu to coat in oil, and fry each side until golden brown.

2. While tofu is frying, whisk sauces and vinegar together. Add to pan and toss with tofu. Let sauce bubble and reduce.

3. Serve tofu topped with sauce.

Summer Rolls

Just a real quick post tonight because I have to prepare for tomorrow's 8:30 am lecture. Basically, I made this recipe, and filled the rice wrappers with tempeh, sliced green onion, chopped cilantro, and steamed carrot sticks and sliced savoy cabbage tossed in soy sauce. Awesome. And, of course, I made the chili dipping sauce.

Ciabatta (Again)

This month I am featuring ciabatta at the bakery. The recipe comes from The Bread Baker's Apprentice, which is my second plug for that amazing book. Sorry I can't post the recipe here because the results are absolutely amazing. By far the best ciabatta of the several recipes I have tried.

On another note, the other day I finally got around to putting up this vegan nutritional guide in my kitchen (I bought it years ago, but had yet to put it up after moving to the new house 1.5 years ago). It is a great reference guide, and very handy to have on hand when you are prepping meals. This way you can always ensure that you are getting the vitamins and minerals you need every day.