Veganomicon: Hot Glazed Tempeh

My office had a BBQ Christmas potluck theme.  Rather than complain, I joined in the festivities and made the hot glazed tempeh recipe from Veganomicon. The recipe was good, mine didn't turn out too spicy, it actually had a heavier wine flavor.

This recipe required a few ingredients and assembly. 

Few ingredients: wine, hot sauce, tamari, crushed garlic, cumen, and tempeh

Make sure to taste your hot sauce beforehand. This particular brand had a strong vinegar flavor and faint level of heat, but you want to make sure it's not too spicy or salty or too much of anything you don't want to eat.  I added some Sriracha for a bit heat.

What an awesome label!  

 The tempeh was cut and boiled.

cut tempeh diagonally 

boil it for 10 minutes

The wine gave this marinade a lovely burgundy color. I added steak rub, so the specks are herbs and whatnot.

marinade goodness

marinated tempeh

 I marinated the tempeh overnight and it was super dark by the morning, but the marinade did not penetrate all the way through. I pan fried it on a cast iron skillet for about ten minutes on each side and re-heated it in the microwave at work. Below is a picture of the finished product.

Made a perfect salad

 After a tasty meal, we had our White Elephant Party and this I what I won.

Fun, yet silly. 

Chow Mein

I made  the  "Chinese Takeout Chow Mein" recipe from Chloe's Kitchen and I am sad to inform that it was just okay. I just doesn't have enough takeout essence. I suppose that requires more oil, alas the whole point of making chow mein at home is to eat a healthier version. My boyfriend summed it up best when he said this was a typical Monday meal.

Looks tastier than it was

Sauce: Mix it in a bowl
1/4 Hoison Sauce
1/4 cup vegestable broth
3 tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons chili-garlic sauce
Sesame oil (not in the recipe, I added some because it's good)

I wish I could uncover the secret to a delicious chow mein. Is it the oil, the oyster sauce, fish sauce or other sauce I'm not aware about that makes it so addicting and delicious? Who knows, but it's  a good idea to have hot sauce on hand. 

Thank goodness for sriracha

a cornucopia of delights

Last month, I  subscribed to a weekly organic produce delivery through Abundant Harvest Organics (http://www.abundantharvestorganics.com/index.html). I picked up my first delivery this morning and I am super pleased. Below are pictures with the produce found in the small box.

Fresh greens: arugula, Swiss chard, and cilantro

Produce: oranges, Bartlett pears, broccoli, red onions, poblano chilies, potatoes, and black Spanish radishes

Finally, lettuce and a butternut squash (not pictured)

I always feel I don't shop for grocery's properly or I feel I get cheap on myself and not buy enough greens because they're going to spoil or whatever excuse I come up with. However, knowing the contents of my produce for the week will hopefully help me arrange more meals with seasonal produce. At the moment, I am super excited to start cooking.

My favorite Tofurky recipe

Tofurky Roast 2012

 My boyfriend and I started eating Tofurky when we began to dating in 2007. The first year, I used the recipe on side of the box, which was ok. However, the following year (and every year since), I have been using a recipe I found on the Tofurky website: the Roast Tofurky baked w/Caramelized Onion & Cherries. I LOVE this recipe. The vinegar and cider are strong and definitely flavor everything, but the sweetness of the sugar, onions, and cranberries really compliment the acidity. Plus, the caramelized onion and cranberry mixture is the best cooked-in cranberry sauce. If you had a bland Tofurky, I recommend trying this recipe immediately! Don’t forget to serve it with sautéed green beans, the onions and cranberries add extra flavor!

I prefer to use cranberries

Roast Tofurky baked w/Caramelized Onion & Cherries

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, sliced very thin
1 cup dried sour cherries (clearly, cranberries must be used instead)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons dijon mustard (I didn’t have any this year and it still turned out well)
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
4 tablespoons apple cider
1 Tofurky roast

  

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large skillet, heat olive oil on medium heat. Add onion, cherries, brown sugar and vinegar and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft. Stir in mustard and apple cider, and simmer for two more minutes. Place Tofurky roast on sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil, and spread with the onion mixture. Wrap roast snugly with the foil. Place in roasting pan, and place on center rack of oven. Bake for 45 minutes. Uncover roast for last 10 minutes of baking.

Slice roast, and serve with some of the pan juices spooned over it.  

Thanksgiving Food Round-Up 2012 

The green beans (mix the cranberry/onion mixture with this)

Kale & Yam Salad instead of Brussels sprouts

Mushroom gravy is super savory!

My place setting! *whimsicalness* 

And that concludes my Thanksgiving posts. I hope I inspire someone to try this recipe or to share a new one with me.

Old Thanksgiving Menu

My boyfriend and I practically eat the same thing every Thanksgiving. This year was no exception. When I was putting my post-Thanksgiving update together, I started to look for old Thanksgiving pictures and instead I found the following note on my Facebook account.

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Thursday, November 26, 2009 at 7:37pm

Tony had to work this year, which left me in charge of thanksgiving dinner. I did not plan [a menu] sooner because I had finals, but I got my act together today and prepared the following:

Tofurky with an onion, dry cherry, & every other sauce in the pantry glaze, plus orange & lemon
Mashed Potatoes w/mushroom gravy
roasted brussels sprouts (these are so bomb!)
Green beans w/shallots
wheat rolls
those potato dumplings that come in the Tofurky feast (don't care too much for them)
a rustic apple tart with apricot glaze
& Prosecco *party time*

If I had to be thankful for something, it would definitely be my tasted buds 'cos they know what’s up. I am also excited to make vegan pot pies with the leftovers.

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Then, in my search for the photos, I found my Thanksgiving meal from last year, and it was very similar to the menu above. (I got a bit carried away with the number of pphotos and angles, but I had a new phone).  

Tofurky roast w/caramelized onions & cranberries (also potatoes and carrots)

Rolls! Looks like we had white ones this year

the infamous Brussels sprouts & sauteed green beans

from a different angle

Oh yeah, it was delicious!

My boyfriend an I only eat Tofurky once a year, twice if we go to a potluck, so I guess it's our special meal. Even though I would like to experiment, I will have to appease him because it's practically a tradition to prepare this menu.