Sometimes Simple is Best

If you've been following the blog for a while or you know me personally, you are probably aware that my recipes often contain a load of ingredients. In my defense, they are often just spices that (hopefully) you have on hand. Last night I was in the mood for simple, wholesome food with very few ingredients; something that I could whip up without having to depend on my great dried herb arsenal. 

The herb barrel is doing quite well now. Those fresh herbs were calling out to me to be used. In addition, the fridge was stuffed full of produce quickly coming to the end of its prime. I bought lots of fresh goodies at the farmers' market the week before with good intentions of cooking up a storm. As my busy schedule would have it, cooking was not to be on the agenda after all. 

After a quick trip to cut the herbs and sort out the mess in the fridge I found the makings for a lovely, fairly light dinner. The smells of roasting rosemary, oregano and garlic were heaven to the nose. I don't know if it is even fair to call these recipes, but I will anyway!

Greek Lemon Tofu

4 servings

1 - 12 oz package extra firm tofu, pressed and cut into 8 triangles

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoon vegetable stock

1 tablespoon fresh chopped oregano, measured after chopping

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon or so lemon pepper seasoning

2 teaspoons + 2 tablespoons panko bread crumbs

spray olive oil

In an 8 x 8 baking dish stir together lemon juice, olive oil, vegetable stock and garlic until well combined. Place sliced tofu in a single layer in pan. Marinate for at least two hours, preferably overnight, turning about half way through marinating time. Remove tofu from pan and reserve marinade. 

Preheat oven to 350. 

Lightly oil parchment lined baking dish (you can use the same dish you used for the marinade, rinsing first). Place tofu in single layer in baking dish and sprinkle with lemon pepper seasoning. Brush or drizzle with reserved marinade. Bake for 20 minutes. Turn over and sprinkle other side with lemon pepper seasoning. Brush or drizzle lightly with reserved marinade. Sprinkle about 1 teaspoon panko bread crumbs. Spray generously with spray olive oil or canola oil. Bake for another 20 minutes until panko is nicely browned. Remove from pan with spatula. Serve immediately with Rosemary Roasted Red Potatoes (recipe below).

Rosemary Roasted Red Potatoes

Make 4 servings

2 pounds small red potatoes, with peels, quartered

3 sprigs fresh rosemary (approx. 2 tablespoons), removed from stem

3 large cloves garlic, crushed

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400.

In a large saucepan, add enough water to cover potatoes. Over medium heat bring water and potatoes to bowl. Reduce heat to low to simmer until just barely fork soft, about 15 minutes. Drain well. 

Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Toss together all ingredients. Salt and pepper to taste. Place in the oven and roast for 25 minutes. Turn the potatoes and roast for 20-25 more minutes until potatoes are starting to turn golden brown. Remove from oven and serve immediately.

Guess Who's Testing Again

Yep. I said I would stop testing for a while. Ha! That didn't last long. I love testing and being part of the process of helping make amazing books come to the shelf. I can't help myself.

Right now I am testing for three people...one who prefers to remain obscure and annonymous. The two other I'm hoping will offset each other. One is for Isa Chandra Moscowicz's upcoming Appetite for Reduction (I hope they keep that name - Love ya Axel), a low fat book. The other has yet to be named and it is a baking book by Carla Kelley. Both gals' recipes are amazingly good. I'll post a couple of teasers for you today.

It is St. Patrick's Day, so being the good Irish girl that I am, I must post this fantastic Irish Stew. It is not only delicious and bursting with homey, flavorful goodness, it boasts only 330 calories for a big hearty serving. It is low fat too. Bonus. I'm sure the green beer will offset any calorie savings, but hey, it's all about balance, right? (Please ignore the Smithwicks in the picture...I just found out it is not vegan...boo!)

Next comes a very fun and festive cupcake from the fabulous Carla (who you PPK folks know better as QueenV). These are a little bit on the pricey side due to the hazelnuts, but so worth it if you are a fan of them. I made these for a bake sale to benefit the Breast Cancer Fund, so the pink ribbon sprinkles were the perfect touch. I will be making these again! They are a decadent treat and are sure to impress your guests, friends, and family.

Hazelnut Latte Cupcakes

Our waistlines may not be excited about the testing, but I am. It is my way to unwind and have fun. It gives me excuses to cook, invite people over to taste test and spend some quality time in the kitchen. So you local peeps, don't be surprised if you get a desperate call from me to help eat the goods!

Course # 3 - Seitan Oscar

As luck would have it, this year I was in charge of entrees. For quite some time the classic dish Veal Oscar had been on my mind. I wanted to try and veganize this dish so it would be cruelty free, yet still delicious. It was a success, but still needs a bit of tweaking. I used a slight variation of Julie Hasson's Italalian Sausage Cutlet recipe (which will be in her upcoming Vegan Diner cookbook) to replace the veal. It was breaded in herbed panko crust and sauteed. For the crab I substituted thinly sliced marinated, alder smoked tofu. I topped it off with a Bearnaise sauce which was a variation of Isa's Vegan Brunch Hollandaise recipe. Traditional Oscar is served with steamed asparagus. This version has marinated and grilled spears.

I found some cute tiny yellow fingerling potatoes. I couldn't resist using them for this. These were roasted with garlic and herbs. Breaking from tradition, I developed a red wine reduction and sauteed some fresh shiitake mushrooms for a garnish. The recipe of the red wine reduction is MIA. I'm hoping it will re-surface. When it does I will post it here. In the mean time here are some pictures for you to feast your eyes on.

Assembly line

Seitan Oscar

Wine makes us happy.

Vegan MOFO - Day 25 - Grandma's Potato Salad

The original recipe for this was handed down from my grandmother to my mother. I'm not sure how many generations before that it was born, but it was my all time favorite. The original recipe called for both mayonnaise and Miracle Whip. I was never a big fan of Miracle Whip, so I did take the liberty of changing the original a bit by adding mustard. This would have been cause for being ousted from the family cooking library had it not resulted in an even better version. I didn't think it was possible to make it taste any better. But lo and behold! This is an outstanding dish to take to a potluck or a picnic.

Germany Meets Poland Potato Salad (Lower left hand corner of the plate)

10-12 Servings

2 lbs baby red potatoes quartered

2 lbs Yukon gold potatoes, diced to same approx size as red potatoes

4 tablespoons vegan French dressing, separated

1 ½ tsp celery salt, separated

2 stalks celery, finely diced

1 med white or yellow onion, finely diced

2 tbsp pimento, finely diced

¼ cup German-style mustard

1 cup Vegannaise, separated

¼ cup tightly packed dill,

Salt and pepper to taste

In two separate pots, boil the potatoes, reds in one and Yukons in the other. I recommend this as they may have different cooking times. Cook until just soft, being careful not to over cook. Drain but do not rinse potatoes. While still hot stir 2 tbsp French dressing and ¾ tsp celery salt into each potato pot. Let potatoes cool completely, this may take an hour or more. Once the potato mixture is completely cool, you can transfer all of the potatoes into a large mixing bowl and mix in the remaining ingredients. Add salt and pepper to taste. Chill for at least 4 hours, overnight is best.

Vegan MOFO - Day 7 - Piot's Cheezy Potatoes

Day seven and I'm wishing my friends and family had low fat favorites. It just is not the American way. My Biggest Loser challenge is very challenging with recipes like this one.

This recipe is busted out regularly during our combined family get togethers. My friend Piot sent me her recipe for Cheezy Potatoes. Her daughter Rachel loves these and requested them for her birthday dinner last weekend. This is a very quick and easy dish to put together. It packs a very high-cal punch, so proceed with caution. Whenever these are busted out, there are never many leftovers.

The original version includes lots and lots of dairy and butter. The butter is replaced by Earth balance, the cheddar is replaced with Daiya cheddar style, and the dairy based cream of mushroom soup is replaced with this vegan recipe.

Piot's Cheezy Potatoes

1 pound frozen hash browns, partially thawed

1 1/2 cups cream of mushroom soup

4 tablespoons Earth Balance, melted

1/2 onion, chopped

4 oz. shredded vegan cheddar (I highly recommend using Daiya for the right texture)

Salt and Pepper to taste

Plain potato chips to crumble on top

Preheat oven to 350.

Melt butter in small saucepan. In a large bowl, mix all ingredients except for potato chips. Pour mixture into oiled 8 x 8 pan. Crumble potato chips over the top. Bake for 35 minutes.* Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

****Version Dos****

My friend at work is very allergic to onions. But I didn't want her to miss out on potato goodness. I decided to modify the cheezy taters so she could enjoy them. As a bonus I think this version is just as good or better!

1 pound frozen hash browns (preferably O'brien style, chunks rather than shreds)

1 1/4 cup Tofutti Sour Cream

1/4 cup strong vegetable broth

2 large cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

4 oz vegan cheddar (again I recommend Daiya)

4 tablespoons Earth Balance, melted

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

Salt and pepper to taste.

Plain potoato chips to crumble on top.

Preheat oven to 350.

Melt butter in small saucepan. In a large bowl, mix all ingredients well except for potato chips. Pour mixture into oiled 8 x 8 pan. Crumble potato chips over the top. Bake for 35 minutes.* Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

* cooking time will vary slightly depending on how frozen the potatoes are. Begin the professional that I am, I use the finger test to see if it's done. You can also use a thermometer inserted into the middle most portion of the taters. They should be at about 150.

**As another side note, this recipe doubles nicely. Just use a 9 x 13 pan and up the baking time 5-10 minutes.