Creamy Lemon Dill Stew: A Dish in Process

I like the idea and taste of this dish, but the execution/method needs work. I envisioned a creamy stew with a lemony zing complemented by the unique flavour of dill. As far as taste goes, everything worked. The potatoes and asparagus blended well with the spices, while the chickpeas provided an earthy undertone (and the tofu packing an extra protein punch). The problem lay with the cream sauce. I knew that lemon would make soy milk curdle, but I figured it would all come together when I thickened the sauce with flour. Not so much. The sauce remained "grainy" and so the dish did not look all that great.

Rather than post a recipe, here is the basic idea of the dish. I started by parboiling baby yellow potatoes, and sauteing a sliced leek and some garlic in olive oil. I added cubed tofu and chickpeas, the potatoes cut into large chunks, and asparagus. I then added about 1/2 cup lemon juice and 2 tsp of dill, and then 2 cups of soy milk. After seasoning with salt and pepper, I blended flour in some water and added it to thicken the sauce.

Does anyone know how to make a creamy sauce with lemon? I assume there is a way to mix the two since I have seen vegan lemon cheesecake and lemon curd. Maybe it needs to be blended first and then added?

Asparagus Crepes with Super Easy White Sauce

For those wondering about yesterday's brunch crepes, here is the recipe. Not much of a recipe, really, but it is super tasty!

INGREDIENTS

- 1/2 recipe crepes (I actually forgot to put the chickpea flour in and they turned out just fine)--it should make 10 crepes

- 20 steamed asparagus stalks

- 2 tbsp olive oil

- 1 generous tbsp flour

- 1 1/4 cup soy milk

- 1/2 tsp garlic powder

- pinch nutmeg

- salt and white pepper to taste

METHOD

1. Steam asparagus while you are making the crepes. My original vision was to make smaller crepes so the asparagus would stick out of the ends. So, whatever you want. Rinse asparagus in very cold water to stop the cooking and set aside.

2. Heat oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook for a few mins, whisking constantly. Slowly whisk in soy milk and bring to bubbling. Season to taste and remove from heat.

3. Pat asparagus dry. Place two stalks on one side of the crepe and top with a generous tbsp of sauce. Roll up. Repeat with remaining crepes. Place in a warm oven until ready to serve.

Chili Garlic Tempeh Spring Rolls

I was in the grocery store the other day and happened to wander by the one place I never go: the deli counter. To my delight I discovered that they have many Asian products for sale in a variety of small displays: a sushi section, an Indian section, etc. When I saw that they had rice paper I knew I had to make spring rolls. I was really pumped today when I pulled them out of the cupboard until I realized I had no idea what goes into a spring roll! So I jumped online to find out. Rice vermicelli. Uh oh. I had none. Ditto on the bean sprouts and cucumber (didn't I just go shopping?). And I certainly wasn't going to put shrimp or chicken in them. So I rifled through the crisper and came up with these. They were awesome, even if they weren't authentic.

INGREDIENTS

Makes 6 spring rolls

- 1/2 pkg tempeh

- 4 cups water

- 1 tsp soy sauce

- few drops sesame oil

- 1 tbsp canola oil

- 1 tsp soy sauce

- 1-2 tbsp water

- 1 tbsp chili garlic sauce

- 6 pieces rice paper

- 6 stalks asparagus

- 4 romaine lettuce leaves

- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro

- 4 green onions, thinly sliced

METHOD

1. Bring water, soy sauce, and sesame oil to a boil in a medium saucepan. Put tempeh in water and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from water and cool. When cool, coarsely grate.

2. Heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add tempeh and fry for 3-4 mins, until tempeh browns a little. Add soy sauce and water and mix well (add more water if soy sauce is not evenly mixing through the tempeh). Then stir in chili garlic sauce and remove from heat to cool.

3. While tempeh is cooling, steam asparagus until tender. Roll up all four romaine leaves together and thinly slice. Chop cilantro and slice onions.

4. To assemble the spring rolls, soak a piece of rice paper in water for about a minute. Put 1/6 of the tempeh in row in the middle of the paper. Halve an asparagus stalk and flank the tempeh with the two pieces. Top with 1/6 of the lettuce, cilantro, and green onion. Fold in sides, then roll up, being careful not to rip the rice paper.

5. Serve right away with chili dipping sauce.

Spring Panzanella

I think spring is finally here to stay. It's getting warmer, though I would not say it is warm yet. I have been looking for a particularly "springy" dish to make, and this one really fit the bill. Panzanella is essentially a salad (in this case with asparagus, green beans, and cannelini beans) with a lemon dressing and crispy croutons. The recipe comes from Smitten Kitchen, a food blog with amazing pictures and detailed recipes. It is by no means vegan (in fact, once recipe actually adds sausage to an explicitly vegetarian dish!), but it is well worth a look for those interested in the art of food. I pretty much followed the recipe as is, except I cut back on the oil and upped the lemon juice, used thick sliced whole wheat bread for the croutons (nothing fancier to be had in the house today), and used nutritional yeast instead of Parmesan cheese. Oh, I also did not have any leeks, so I used green beans as was recommended. Really, this recipe is modifiable in many way. Go check it out!

Mandarin Chickpeas and Asparagus Sushi

It must be spring elsewhere because we are finally getting a better selection of produce in the grocery store. This week, it meant cheap mandarin oranges and asparagus. I steamed the asparagus and rolled it with tofu, rice, and a splash of hoisin sauce in a sheet of nori. The hoisin makes the sushi more palatable for the boys who still whine about eating seaweed. The plan for the mandarin oranges was to pair them with chickpeas, almonds, and a sweet and salty sauce. But, I did not have almonds, so I went with cashews. Actually, now that I think about it, this dish is very closely related to the cashew chickpea dish I made in January. That dish was tasty, and so is this one.

INGREDIENTS

- 2 tbsp oil

- a few drops of sesame oil

- 1 onion, cut in half, and sliced

- 2 cloves garlic, minced

- 1 inch piece of ginger, minced

- 1 red pepper, diced

- 3/4 cup raw cashews

- 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

- 4 mini bok choy, thinly sliced

- 1-2 tbsp soy sauce

- 2-3 tbsp hoisin sauce

- 1 tsp chili garlic sauce

- 6 mandarin oranges, peeled and sectioned

METHOD

1. Heat oils in a wok over med-hi heat. Stir fry onion, garlic, and ginger for a few mins, until onions start to soften. Add in red pepper and cashews and stir fry for 2 mins.

2. Add in chickpeas and mix well. Add in bok choy and stir fry until it begins to wilt. Add in sauces and adjust to taste.

3. Remove from heat and stir in mandarin orange sections. Garnish with cilantro and serve.