Summer Squash with Tofu and Balsamic Roasted Shallots

New England summer staples

The season:

There’s a lot of “I can’t wait for fall!” giddiness going on this week. What gives? Yes, the cool morning air is refreshing and it’s been nice digging out a few lightweight long sleeved tops for layering, but for the love of god, people, let’s stay focused.

It’s still summer. It’s gorgeous out. Let’s embrace it.

Nothing says summer in New England more than zucchini and summer squash, crayon-colorful and absolutely ubiquitous this time of year. Cook it up with a little EVOO, garlic, red pepper flakes and fresh thyme and you’re in business – add pan-friend tofu with a side of balsamic roasted shallots, and you’ve done your summer staple proud.

The dish:

Roasted shallots add an unexpected touch of sweetness

This easy vegan entree comes together in four simple parts. First, put 1 cup of brown rice on the stove and let cook for about 45 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400 and grab your:

Balsamic Roasted Shallots:

• 8-10 large shallots, peeled with ends removed
• 1 TBSP balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp EVOO
• Salt and pepper
• 6 sprigs fresh thyme

Pan-fried tofu:

• 1 block extra firm tofu, pressed and cubed
• 1 TBSP EVOO
• ½ tsp red pepper flakes
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• Sea salt to taste

Summer squash, zucchini & sliced mushrooms:

• 3 small summer squash, sliced at ¼ inch thickness
• 3 small zucchini, sliced at ¼ inch thickness
• ¾ cup white mushrooms, sliced
• 1 tsp EVOO
• Pinch red pepper flakes
• ½ tsp fresh thyme
• Sea salt and pepper to taste

Begin by peeling the shallots and trimming the ends. Arrange all shallots on a large cookie sheet and drizzle with balsamic and EVOO. Sprinkle with sea salt and place the thyme evenly across the cookie sheet. Cover with tin foil and roast at 400 for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, remove the tin foil and thyme sprigs, and continue to roast for another 15 minutes, or until the shallots are evenly browned.

While the shallots are roasting to perfection, pan-fry your tofu in 1 TBSP EVOO over medium heat. As tofu begins to brown, after about 5-7 minutes, add the red pepper flakes and garlic, stirring often to make sure the garlic doesn't burn. At the 10 minute mark, add sea salt and cook for another 2-3 minutes, or until desired crispness.

And for the squash, grab a large frying pan and heat the EVOO over medium. Add the squash and mushrooms, stirring often until they start to soften. After about 5 minutes, add your red pepper flakes, sea salt and pepper. If your squash is sticking to the pan at all, add a splash of veggie stock or water. When the squash and mushrooms are soft but still firm, about 8-10 minutes in, add a sprinkling touch of thyme and remove from heat.

Serve over a scoop of brown rice, piling your squash on first, followed by the tofu and shallots. If desired, garnish with fresh thyme. 

Vegan Burrito Bowl

Layers to live by

The Inspiration:

Flimsy-ass taco shells. 

Burrito Bowl: debunking the myth that vegans
eat like rabbits

That’s right, this bowl of vegan bliss was inspired by one too many taco shells crumbling in my hand before the first bite. I’ve yet to act on my fantasy of developing a sturdier shell – one durable enough to hold my homemade refried beans and vegan taco meat without buckling – so I’ve been using the next best thing: an easy-peasy already invented bowl.

So lazy, I know! Some over-achiever out there will beat me to it and invent the world’s most robust, crack-proof taco shell. Damn them and the assured fame that will follow.

But who knows, maybe there’s some fame in my own future once the world beholds my vegan burrito bowl. A girl can dream!

The Preparation:

First, assemble all your ingredients for easy-access – there are a few moving parts here and you’ll want them all within arm’s reach. Go ahead and grab:

• 1 cup brown rice, cooked
• 1 package Smart Ground Mexican by Litelife
• 1 can refried beans
• 1 yellow bell pepper, diced
• 1 small bunch kale, coarsely chopped
• 1-2 TBSP EVOO
• ½ yellow onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, pressed
• ⅓  tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 avocado, sliced
• 8 cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 1 lime
• ¼ cup cilantro, roughly chopped
• Salsa

The kale comes first:

Sautéed kale: totally unexpected,
totally exceptional

Heat the EVOO on medium-low in a large skillet, then add the onion, garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook for 2-3 minutes, then add the yellow bell pepper. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring often. Next, incorporate the kale, adding a few splashes of water to help it cook down. Increase heat to medium and stir often for 4-5 minutes, or until kale is bright green.

Then the vegan meat:

In another skillet, add a few splashes of EVOO and heat your Smart Ground Mexican on medium. Stir often for about 7 minutes. If desired, add a dash or two of water or veggie stock for a moister consistency.

And the refried beans:

Empty your refried beans into a bowl and pop them in the microwave. (Or, if you’re feeling ambitious, go with my hot jalapeno refried beans.)

Then the fun:

Finally, build your bowl! Rice first, followed by a heaping layer of kale, with your Smart Ground Mexican and refried beans sharing the top floor of this towering Mexican mound. Top it all off with your sliced avocado, cilantro sprigs and cherry tomatoes. Add a few scoops of your favorite salsa and a squirt of lime.

…and welcome to your new life. This bowl is like being born again.

Walnut Grille Restaurant Review

Staples and surprises at Walnut Grille

Walnut Grille ∙1203 Walnut Street ∙ Newton, MA

Walnut Grille, with its affordable, fully vegetation menu and sizeable drinks list, fits seamlessly into its upscale-indie Newton Highlands neighborhood. That’s not to say, however, that the bright, inviting space – and the fresh, local, and vegetarian concept – is characteristically suburban. On the contrary: since winter 2013, Walnut Grille has established an atmosphere of its own, one where meticulously plated meals emerging from the open kitchen create a collective experience of entrée envy and plenty of incentives to return.

The food:

Walnut Grille is the brainchild of five friends, two of which who honed their culinary craft in some of the world’s top hotel kitchens. The menu, both sophisticated and approachable, appears to reflect that training. Pizza, lasagna and a few staple salad selections will be familiar to all, where seitan, hijiki and tempeh dishes offer more adventurous options.

Gobi Manchurian, crisp and saucy
bite-sized flavor bombs

The Gobi Manchurian appetizer ($8) tops the roster of the Indo-Chinese inspired plates. Lightly fried cauliflower dressed in a sweet tomato sauce that was somewhat imbalanced – heavy on some pieces and much lighter on others – my date and I ended up splitting the last piece on the plate. It was too tasty for that “no, you have it” pretense.

A generous portion of the Daily Special,
which is announced daily on facebook

While most menu items are vegan-adaptable (gluten-free, too!), my date opted for the Daily Special ($17), an orzo base with butternut squash, goat cheese, seitan and a light arugula and crisped onion finish. In short, it smelled like Thanksgiving and I was cursing the goat cheese that prevented me from sampling.

My Seitan Marsala ($13), presented in an oversized dish allowing the marsala sauce to frame the softly mounded mashed potatoes, kale and seitan, was a treat to behold – one of those dishes that looks so good that you wish it were bigger, even before you’ve taken the first bite. Perfectly fluffed potatoes, finely sliced seitan and a salty sweet sauce – my first impression panned out; by the time I was finished, I was ready for more.

The scene & service:

From our table in the one-room dining area’s back corner, we had full view of the restaurant, including the lonely looking hightop bar. At 8:00pm, the lighting was quite bright, and a full collection of jeweled chandeliers, reminiscent of a teenage girl’s dream bedroom, competed with an otherwise modern motif of sage green and metallics.

Sky-high Seitan Marsala

Carrot cake, one of Walnut Grille's
many from-scratch sweets.

Service was quick and friendly. Despite a few of our questions stumping our server, she promptly quizzed the kitchen staff and provided helpful suggestions.  

The verdict:

Walnut Grille is a solid vegetarian option for a date night or quick bite alike. Casual with a touch of class (chandeliers notwithstanding), the beauty of this Newton eatery is in its flexibility and broad appeal. Your meat-eating friends will have pizza and you, perhaps, will have one of the many more imaginative options. With free parking and easy Green Line access, the trek to the burbs is well worth it.  

Root - Inspired Food & Juicery Restaurant Review

No frills, but plenty of flavor

Root ∙ 487 Cambridge Street ∙Allston, MA

Opening their doors on July 9 in the space previously occupied by the much beloved Peace o’ Pie, Root has big shoes to fill. Yet based on my visit just 48 hours after the grand opening, I suspect Root is going to do more than hold its own – with fantastic food, friendly staff and an inspired space, Root is poised for success. Like FoMu, a nearby vegan ice-cream shop by Deena Jalal, Allston’s top vegan visionary, Root has veggie-friendly food service on lockdown. 

The food:

Root offers a fully vegan menu of down-to-earth café fare. Sandwiches, salads, juices and to-die-for fries are reasonably priced and served in generous portions. Where the menu lacks in length, it makes up for in fresh flavor and downright deliciousness. And be sure to come hungry, because the portions are impressive.

The Roasted Root salad, served on a bed of arugula and dressed with fresh fennel and balsamic, is surprisingly filling – even the half size portion. This salad is a perfect balance of subtly sweet red beets and a citrus smack of diced orange. At $5, it’s a steal.

Root's 5-star Sweet Potato Quesadilla

Then there’s the Sweet Potato Quesadilla ($7), boasting a blend of sweet potato, kale and sautéed onion. Here again, Root doesn’t skimp on size. The quesadilla was cut into four large slices, each delicately crisped and veggie-packed with an ever-so-slight layer of cheeze hugging it together. A side of thyme dipping sauce added a touch of creaminess where the cheeze left off. Comfort food incarnate, you've been looking for this quesadilla for your entire vegan life, promise.

The scene & service:

Here’s where it may get tricky. Root can seat about 25 people, and on my Thursday night visit, it was packed to capacity. Seating seems iffy, especially at peak hours. Since the space is cozy, there’s nowhere to wait for a table without lurking over the shoulder of at least two diners.

Root also offers fresh juices
made to order. The Veg Blend (pictured)
contains carrot, kale,beet and lemon.

The staff, however, seems on top of their game – well trained, pleasant and altogether into providing a satisfying experience. After placing my order at the counter - there are no servers, per se – the Roasted Root salad was almost immediately upon me. The quesadilla arrived shortly thereafter, allowing just enough time to enjoy most of the salad without the entrée competing for my attention.

Silverware, water and napkins are self-service, and bussing, too, is each patron’s obligation. Root appears to compost food scraps and napkins, providing two bins and friendly disposal directions.

The upsides of this DIY arrangement: no tipping, quick table turnarounds, and a nod toward urban composting.

The verdict:

Where growing pains can consume a start-up restaurant like Root for months on end, no such spasms were apparent during my visit. As an unpretentious vegan eatery, Root’s laid-back, inclusive ethos is one to aspire toward – and reason to recommend it to your friends, vegans and meat-eaters alike.