Garlic and Black Pepper Tofu

In your face flavor

The shout out:

No doubt, the internet is alive with vegan recipe inspiration. The ideas I get from Pinterest and Food Gawker alone could keep me in fresh new recipes for life. And then, of course, there are the blogs – which can only be described as profuse.

And thank goodness. What fun!

Garlic and Black Pepper Tofu: serve over udon noodles or brown rice

But then there are those sites that are just plain weird. Unsightly, strange to navigate and seemingly unanchored to an identifiable author or institution. You know, the sites you tend to avoid. With so much beautiful cooking content to sift through in the internet-at-large, why stick around?

You stick around because, with patience, recipes with unprecedented elegance – i.e. Garlic andBlack Pepper Tofu – emerge from the clutter.

Elegance, here, comes as freshly cracked black pepper marries minced cilantro root as if they’re the most passionate and compatible of lovers. Coming together in a powerful sauce (not for the weak of heart) of garlic, tamari and cane sugar, this recipe, which lives in a most inconspicuous corner of the internet, deserves a standing ovation.

If you’re into your cilantro, you must try this truly original, Thai-inspired spin – and where the recipe calls for red bell peppers and green beans, don’t be afraid to experiment. I’ve added veggies from mushrooms to kale with great success! The sauce is so good, you'll want to double this recipe to ensure you have enough.

Pineapple Fried Rice

Sweet and salty on a Sunday night 

  

The Sunday:

Sunday usually calls for a take-your-time recipe. Something challenging or never-before-attempted. Some new vegan inspiration you can put together at your leisure, learning along the way.

Make your own Pineapple Fried Rice! It'll be amazing.

Well, most Sundays go this way. But not all.

If you’re frantically planning your own wedding (like me, omg), the notion of overpriced takeout delivered to your doorstep takes on a whole new allure…even on the most sacred of stay-at-home cooking days. 

But no, no! Sunday kitchen time, you will be mine. And so will you, Pineapple Fried Rice, aka Takeout 2.0.

The Recipe:

This dish is such a treat – juicy pineapple, salty cashews, and loads of vegan color from carrots, peppers and peas. It’s a feast for the eyes as much as the belly.

And it’s so simple! Sometimes it’s intimidating to attempt restaurant recreations – we feel we’ll be downgrading a dish, creating a lesser version of professional kitchen classics.

But not here. Cast off those doubts and create your own Thai-inspired vegan entrée. For your Pineapple Fried Rice, you’ll need:

• 1 ¼ cup brown Jasmine rice, cooked (& cooled in the fridge if you have time)*
• 1 TBSP EVOO
• 1 leek, sliced (white and light green part only)
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 pinch red pepper flakes, to taste
• ½ tsp ginger, freshly grated
• 1 ½ tsp curry powder
• 1 tsp coriander
• ¼ tsp turmeric
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced
• 2 carrots, bias cut
• ½ cup frozen peas
• ⅔ cup pineapple, cubed
• ⅓ cup cashews, roasted and salted
• ¼ cup vegetable stock
• 2-4 tsp Tamari or soy sauce, to taste
• 2 scallions, sliced for garnish

In a large frying pan, heat your EVOO on medium and add leeks. Stir leeks for 3-4 minutes, until soft. Add red pepper flakes to taste, ginger, curry, coriander and turmeric. Stir gently to coat the leeks with your spices, 2 minutes. Next, add the red pepper, carrot, peas, pineapple and cashews. Stir to incorporate and then add your vegetable stock. Cook for 5-7 minutes. As veggies soften, add the rice and 2 teaspoons tamari. As you incorporate the rice, taste test for your tamari – adding in small increments until it’s just right. Top with scallions and serve!

If you want some extra sweetness, toss in a handful of raisins with your veggies. My fiance has a raisin-hangup, otherwise, I would have included them here!

*Leftover or cooled rice works wonderfully in fried rice, but freshly cooked rice will be fine, too.

 

Garlicky kale with sesame tofu

Tofu + greens = power team 

The protein:

My highly versatile, hugely yummy sesame tofu

Tofu – it’s pretty polarizing. Meat-eaters mock it and even among vegetarians, there’s not a clear consensus. While some are worried about the alleged health risks associated with soy consumption, other are worried about, well, making it taste good. 

It’s not the easiest to prepare, after all. Making the most of your tofu involves pressing it to remove excess water and then developing a recipe chock-full of flavor for the tofu to absorb. The quality* (i.e. price) of your tofu is also a factor in where your meal registers on the deliciousness continuum.  

Then, of course, there’s your preparation method – baking, frying, stir-frying, steaming. Where to begin? What on earth to do?

You bake it up sesame garlic style, as I did for this epic salad, and then you move on with your life. 

The power:
  
Yet you’ll surely run up against some follow-up questions, namely: now what? What do I do with a pan of perfectly browned sesame tofu?

When in doubt, my friends, go for garlic + greens. Sautéed kale, spinach, or collards work wonderfully here. Sliced mushrooms bring a mild meaty flavor, where your yellow peppers bring crunch and color.

You’ll need:

• 1 cup brown rice, cooked
• 1 large bunch kale, roughly chopped
• 1 yellow pepper, sliced
• ¾ cup mushrooms, sliced (white or Crimini variety)
• 1 small onion, sliced into half moons
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1-2 pinches red pepper flakes, to taste
• 1 TBSP EVOO
• 1.5 TBSP toasted sesame oil
• Sea salt and pepper, to taste

If you're tofu-ambivalent, try it sesame style over garlic greens!

Heat the EVOO on medium and add the onion. Cook for 4-5 minutes, adding garlic and red pepper flakes once the onion softens. Cook for 1 minute before adding the yellow pepper and mushroom. Stirring often, cook the peppers and mushrooms for about 4 minutes. 

Finally, toss in the kale and stir to incorporate. You may want to add a drizzle of EVOO or a few splashes of water or veggie stock to create some stream. As your kale turns bright green, after about 4-5 minutes, add a generous hit of sea salt and pepper. Finish up by turning off the heat and adding a light drizzle of toasted sesame oil. 

Prepare your bowl with couple heaping spoonfuls of rice, a generous layer of steaming kale, and as many pieces of tofu as you deem reasonable. Yes, it’s fantastic, but you don’t have to eat it all in one sitting – it holds up in the fridge just fine. 

* As a Connecticut native, I’m hugely fond of The BridgeTofu, out of Middletown, CT. Living in Boston, I’m lucky to still have access to The Bridge’s handmade tofu, even if it retails at about 2x the price of store-brand varieties.

Hot Jalapeno Refried Beans

When canned won't cut it

The Game:

I like to play a game called “Has Anyone Ever…”

All you do is come up with a crazy scenario and ask a friend if anyone ever – just once in the history of the world – has experienced the scenario you’re describing. It’s a fun and often outrageous conversation starter.

And so I ask you: has anyone ever gotten giddy over canned refried beans?

I’d bet not.

Canned refried beans, aka meh, hardly get the heart pumping. But here’s what will: my homemade vegan Hot Jalapeno Refried Beans.

The Players:

If this is your first foray into homemade refried beans, fear not. More than easy, it’s intuitive. You’ll want:

• 1 can beans, kidney or pinto, rinsed and drained
• ½ jalapeno, minced, seeds intact
• 1 lime
• 1 TBSP garlic, minced
• ½ sweet onion, finely chopped
• 1 tsp EVOO
• Sea salt & pepper to taste

Onion, garlic and jalapeno pack
a lot of punch in these beans

Begin by heating the EVOO in a skillet on medium-low. Add the onion, garlic and jalapeno and cook for 3-4 minutes, until onion softens and becomes translucent. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Next, stir in your beans and increase the heat to medium. Cook for 6 minutes, stirring often. Add the lime juice and cook for 1 more minute. 

Lastly, turn off the heat and smash up your bean mixture with a potato masher. How smooth or chunky you make it is up to you! Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Add the lime juice and mash em' up

The win:

So now: has anyone ever gotten giddy over a hot bowl of Hot Jalapeno Refried Beans?

Absolutely – and here’s why. Hot off the skillet, these babies are a perfect accompaniment to a chips and salsa snack. They’re a hot and spicy add-on to any burrito, taco or Mexican bowl. And, I dare say, if you’re looking for a quick and easy vegan meal, whip these up and throw a heaping spoonful over a bowl of brown rice – add your avocado, salsa and cilantro, and you’re done.  

Power Protein Potato Hash

Dressing up your favorite starchy friend

The Goods:

Potatoes – 8 roasted pounds of them, to be exact. 

Why? Because for my dad, convenience is the holy grail of all culinary pursuits. If a recipe involves too much chopping, prepping, or clean up – forget it. “I don’t care if Christ’s coming to dinner,” he’ll say. It’s just not gonna happen.

Some days, though, he’ll get on a roll: slicing and dicing everything in the fridge and packing it up into neat stacks of Tupperware. With most of the prep work done in advance, early morning omelets or afternoon salads come together in a matter of minutes. 

Short on ingredients? Sub in some zucchini, squash, broccoli, or pinto beans.

So I wasn’t surprised to find enough potatoes to feed an Irish army when I was trolling through the family fridge this past weekend. Roasted and lightly seasoned, they were mine for the taking/making. With an afternoon of swimming in 100 degree heat before me, I needed something filling yet bikini-friendly. 

And so, of course, I grabbed a can of beans (because let’s be real, a little bloating won’t hold me back) and my vegan Power Protein Potato Hash was born.

The Recipe:

Get started by dicing 3 large russet potatoes into small squares. Toss the diced potatoes with EVOO, sea salt, pepper and garlic power. Freshly pressed garlic and parsley would work wonderfully, as well. Spread your potatoes into a flat layer on a large baking sheet and roast at 350 degrees, flipping every 10-15 minutes for about 45 minutes total. 

As your potatoes are roasting, grab and prep:

• ½ red onion, finely chopped
• 1 TBSP EVOO
• 1 can kidney beans (14.5 oz)
• 1 ear corn, de-kernelled
• 1 Portobello mushroom, sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 6 cherry tomatoes, quartered
• Pinch of red pepper flakes
• ½ avocado, sliced
• Salsa & cilantro for garnish

Remove the potatoes from the oven when they’re fork-soft. In a skillet over medium heat, heat the EVOO and add the onion. Let cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the mushroom and bell pepper and let cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring regularly. Incorporate ½ can kidney beans, corn, and cherry tomatoes, cooking for another 3 minutes. Finally, add in the potatoes, toss in your red pepper flakes and season with sea salt and pepper. 

Top it off with avocado slices, roughly chopped cilantro and a few scoops of your favorite salsa. If you want an even bigger protein boost, add in some sliced vegetarian sausage. 

Breakfast, my dears, is served!