Sushi

I have never made sushi before, and I regret putting it off for so long. The task seemed daunting to me, and I just assumed there was no way I could ever roll the things, let alone make acceptable sushi rice.My culinary adventures as of late have been limited to leftovers and old stand-bys because honestly, I haven't felt like cooking. The stress of buying a house has been overwhelming. The only thing I've been able to do for months besides lay around and read has been to zone out on multiple episodes of Kitchen Nightmares on hulu.com. But after two disappointing let downs on homes that we thought we had, we have finally secured on and I think I can live again. At least until we're ready to sign the papers and I vomit all over myself, Jeffrey, and the loan officer, who has been more than kind to us throughout this whole ordeal. Let me just say that although it may be a buyer's market, the amount of short sales (I won't even get into the horror) and foreclosures that are just dirty and delapidated are nothing short of discouraging.

But as Jeffrey and I prepared to cut our losses and quit and die in this apartment that we've been living in for the past six years, the stars aligned and we actually found something nice, perfect for us, and at a decent price. So no more stress. Back to the cooking and writing.

So I made sushi, after watching many youtube videos on how to make the perfect sushi rice and how to roll the nori. The recipe is based off of Isa's recipe, and I added avocado because I love it. I also made some miso soup to go along with the sushi, but did not take pictures because a) I was too enthralled with the sushi to care and 2) I don't take good pictures of soup.

I won't go into the specifics of rolling sushi, being that I'm a total noob and only just learned myself, but there are plenty of resources available to you out there on the Internet, so if you feel inspired, go make some sushi using some other website than mine!

Noodles that were Supposed to be Pancit but were Not

Who knew that substituting wide udon noodles for rice vermicelli would change an entire dish from Filipino to Japanese? A lot of people, probably, but who cares? I am a big fan of udon. My plan was to make the pancit dish out of Vegan Planet, which I did, but I was disappointed in the recipe's lack of onion and garlic, and I would have liked the sauce a bit sweeter and more plentiful. I did throw some creepy vegan shrimp in, along with tofu and seitan, and although I fancy the concept, it's definitely a strange one.

I've been thinking that I want to be more creative in the kitchen and make up more of my own meals. I tend to follow recipes, and although I have been branching out and substituting and actually spending time thinking about what flavors work well together, I still dive for the cookbook whenever it's time to prepare something. All three of you that read this blog, send me your wishes for more creativity in the kitchen in the weeks to come!

On another note, I have downloaded Living Cookbook, which is as exciting as it is overwhelming. The recipe software has seriously everything you could hope for as far as recipe and panty organizing, nutritional information, and a boatload of recipes. The cool thing about it too is that you can tweak the existing recipes to your liking, so for instance if there is a chicken dish that you find appealing, you can edit the recipe to substitute seitan for the chicken (after adding seitan to the ingredient database, of course). I could go on for hours about it, but my real dilemma is whether or not to buy it. It's only $35, however I am a cheap ass and try not to spend money on anything unless I really need/want it. Will I use it on a regular basis? Will I become irritated by its vast capabilities or frustrated when attempting to calculate the amount of zinc in hearts of palm? These are the burning questions, and the days in my trial version are dwindling.....

"Old School" Peanut Curry

When I first started cooking vegan, years ago, I made a lot of Asian dishes. They were easy. Plus, we love Asian food. I have tried many a peanut sauce recipe in my day, and have tried to emulate the peanut curry sauce from our favorite Thai restaurant, Thai Basil, countless times. Although I still make Asian food once a week or so, the peanut curry took the backseat as I became too frustrated to make the sauce, as it was either too bland or too sweet or too salty or didn't taste enough like peanut butter. So we call it the "old-school" peanut curry, from the olden days of vegan cookery. The other night I gave it a go again, and this sauce is a winner. Too bad I didn't write it down, but I think I can remember. . .

Ingredients:
1/2 C coconut milk
1/4 C peanut butter
2 tbl tamari
1 tbl Turbinado or other brown sugar
2 tsp chili garlic sauce, or more, if you like a hotter sauce
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, or more

Whisk all of the ingredients together in a bowl, then pour into a small saucepan. Heat the sauce until almost boiling. Set aside until ready to use.

I think this sauce would be good on multiple items. Add less coconut milk and it becomes a thicker sauce for dipping veggies or seitan satay. I stir-fried some tofu, onion, garlic, green pepper, carrot, potato and broccoli, then served it over jasmine rice with the sauce ladled over the top.

Tofu and Greens with Spicy Peanut Noodles

It's difficult to get your leafy greens in on a consistent basis, I will admit. A lot of people are turned off by their bitter taste, or simply don't know what to do with them generally. I have found that a simple saute of greens, garlic, and onion is a good side dish, and I also enjoy them mixed in with mashed potatoes. I concocted this recipe tonight because I see no reason why greens would not be good with tofu, noodles, and a curry peanut sauce. An added bonus is that if you use rainbow chard, it will turn your tofu and noodles pink! Which is fun and exciting until you add the sauce and then it's just brown. Oh well.
Ingredients:
2 tbl peanut oil
2-4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 small red onion, halved and sliced into thin half-moons
1 jalapeno, sliced with the majority of seeds removed
1 bunch of leafy greens (I used rainbow chard, but any green should work)
1 package of extra-firm tofu, sliced into triangles
1 lb of rice noodles

For the sauce:
1 12 oz. can of coconut milk
1/4 C natural peanut butter
1 tbl red curry paste
1 tsp chili garlic paste (or more, depending on your tolerance for heat)
2 tbl tamari or other soy sauce

Method:
Soak your noodles in very hot water on the stove for approximately 10 minutes. Strain and set aside. Heat 1 tbl of oil in a non-stick skillet on medium high heat. Fry the tofu until brown and crispy, about 5-7 minutes. Remove from pan and set on paper towels. Combine coconut milk, peanut butter, red curry paste, and chili garlic paste. Bring to a simmer and cook until ingredients are combined, about 5-10 minutes. Set aside. Heat the other tbl of oil in the skillet on medium high heat and add garlic and red onion. Stir fry for one minute, then add greens. Lower heat to medium and stir until greens are tender. Add the jalapenos and cook for five more minutes. Add tofu, noodles and sauce and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly until ingredients are well-combined. Serve hot.