Election Food

It's election day! Did you vote? I voted this afternoon, and only had to stand in line for about 20 minutes. I cast my vote for Obama, and I'd like to say that I did so happily, but knowing that Louisiana is almost certainly going to McCain didn't do a lot to make me feel that my vote actually mattered. I think it's high time we did away with the electoral college. Who's with me? I've never lived in a swing state, so I've yet to feel that my vote really mattered in the grand scheme of things, but at least I voted!

We're prepared to camp out in front of the TV tonight, half working on homework, and half watching the election results come in. And of course we need sustenance for that! We had yummy, peanutty noodles based on this recipe from use real butter. This is an easy, fresh and filling meal that's deeply satisfying. It doesn't even really require a recipe. I just soaked some rice noodles in hot water, filled a plate with shredded carrots, cucumber matchsticks, bean sprouts, baby spinach, tofu and cilantro, and whisked together a batch of peanut sauce. All that remains when it's time to eat is to put some noodles in a bowl, pile on all the veggies and tofu we wanted, and top it all with peanut sauce and a sprinkling of crushed red pepper. Toss it all together, and there's your dinner! We ate ours cold, but I'm sure it would be equally as good heated through. I plan on taking some to work tomorrow for lunch. Yum!

At last!

Finally! A real blog post! With pictures AND a recipe! Hooray!



Tonight we had super yummy, crunchy, crispy, fresh, spicy, zest wraps stuffed with fresh veggies, grilled tofu, and a drizzle of peanut sauce. Oh, baby! I can't even begin to tell you how much these hit the spot. They were exactly what I've been craving! They're also fairly quick to throw together, which is a nice because Brad is taking off in a few minutes to go do his monthly Navy Reserve drill period in New Orleans, so we were able to maximize our time together before he goes.

These are great for a light meal, but if you're craving something heartier, you can also stuff the wraps with jasmine rice and chopped peanuts. Deeeelicious!



Thai Tofu Wraps with Peanut Sauce

1 block extra firm tofu, drained and pressed
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 Tbsp soy sauce
4 leaves green cabbage
1 cup bean sprouts
1 cup shredded carrot
1/2 medium cucumber, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
1/2 tsp fresh grated ginger
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
Very hot water
Large flour tortillas

Cut the block of tofu in half horizontally, then slice into sticks, about 3/4" x 1/2" x 3". Set aside. Heat a grill pan or Foreman Grill. Brush lightly with vegetable oil, then place the tofu on the grill and drizzle with soy sauce. Grill 3 to 4 minutes per side (no need to flip if it's on the Foreman Grill), or until it firms up somewhat and has pretty grill marks. Set aside.

Toss together the cabbage, bean sprouts, carrot, cucumber, vinegar, sugar, cayenne pepper, and salt. Set aside.

Whisk together the peanut butter, soy sauce, vinegar, ginger, brown sugar and cayenne pepper. Gradually whisk in hot water until it reaches a good consistency for drizzling. Set aside.

Now it's time to assemble the wraps. Heat tortillas in the microwave until soft and pliable. Place a handful of vegetable mixture on the tortilla, top with 3 strips of tofu, and drizzle with peanut sauce. Carefully wrap up and place seam-side down on a plate until ready to serve.

These can be served warm, chilled, or room temperature.

Bibimbap

Bibimbap is still a work in progress for me. I'm always afraid that I'll burn the rice on the edges, but then I end up taking it off the heat before it develops a good crust. Grrrrr. You'd think I'd learn by now.



We discovered Bibimbap at our favorite Korean BBQ place in Japan, and we were instantly hooked. I don't have the proper stone bowl for making it at home, so I use a Le Creuset saucier instead. I think I may have Brad suck it up and pay the money for a real stone bowl when he's in Japan next month, but we'll see. The Le Creuset works for now.

This should have a raw egg on top, which is then stirred and tossed with the rice mixture, cooking it sort of like fried rice, but there's no real way to do that and keep it vegan, so we left out the egg. I also substituted diced tofu for the typical ground meat. It was still really good, and incredibly filling. This is not an authentic recipe, just my own attempt to make it as best I can, but I think it's a pretty good approximation. ; )

Bibimbap

2 Tbsp sesame oil
3-4 cups cooked rice
1/2 cup extra-firm tofu, finely diced
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp grated ginger
2-inch section zucchini, julienned
2-inch section carrot, julienned
1/2 cup bean sprouts
1/2 cup spinach, cooked and coarsely chopped
1/2 cup mushrooms, finely diced
2 Tbsp hot chili sauce

Combine tofu, soy sauce, sugar and ginger. Toss gently to coat. Set aside.

Add the sesame oil to a stone bowl, and heat over high heat until smoking, tilting to coat the inside. Add rice, pressing it against the sides and bottom of the bowl. Arrange tofu mixture, zucchini, carrot, bean sprouts, spinach and mushrooms over the rice. Pour the hot sauce in the middle.

Continue heating bowl, if necessary, until rice is crispy and brown on the bottom and edges. Use a spoon to combine the mixture thoroughly, being sure to get the crispy bits off the bottom and edges. Serve immediately.

General Tso's Tofu (and my favorite bento box)

When we got Chinese take-out last week, Brad got General Tso's chicken, and I'll admit it: I was jealous. And I set out to make a vegan version. It was surprisingly easy. I found a recipe on allrecipes.com, and it was really tasty. The only thing I would change is the ridiculous amount of cornstarch it called for in the sauce. An entire HALF CUP of cornstarch for less than 2 cups of liquid? Are you kidding me? I should have gone with my gut and used less, but I figured I'd go ahead and try it per the recipe the first time. Big mistake. The "sauce" wasn't even saucy; it was thick gelatinous, jiggly mass. I think 2 Tbsp would be more than enough next time. But the flavor of the sauce was fantastic, and I wouldn't alter the rest of the ingredients a bit.



I'm taking leftovers to work tomorrow in my very favorite bento box. I bought this on the shopping street in Kamakura several years ago, but this is actually the first time I've used it. I used to pack bentos for the kids for lunch every day back in Japan, and had tons of fun doing it. I have literally over 100 fun bento boxes, most from the 100 Yen Stores, and accessories to go with all of them. Sooooo fun! Here, though, the kids qualify for free school lunches (poor college students that we are), so I'm not going to throw money away on food if they can get it at school for free, and all those bento supplies are in boxes in the garage. :sigh: I've been using a few of the less kid-oriented boxes to take lunch to work, and dug out this one so I can use it tomorrow.



Look how cool it is! Three stacking trays, with a cute little bunny on the lid, and the coolest carrying contraption. I love this bento box!



General Tso's Tofu

2 Tbsp cornstarch
3/4 cup water
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger root
3/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup mirin
1 package extra-firm tofu, drained and pressed
1 cup cornstarch
1 cup vegetable oil
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 Tbsp crushed red pepper

Whisk together the 2 Tbsp cornstarch, water, garlic, ginger, sugar, soy sauce and mirin. Set aside.

Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. While oil is heating, cut tofu into 0.5" x 1" cubes; toss with the remaining 1 cup cornstarch. Add to hot oil and cook several minutes, shaking occasionally, until tofu is crispy and lightly golden brown. Drain on paper towels, and discard all but 1 tsp oil.

Return pan to heat, and add green onions and crushed red pepper. Cook and stir for 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk soy sauce mixture and add to the pan. Whisk and stir until the sauce boils and thickens. Add tofu and toss to coat.

Serve with rice and broccoli.

Thai Red Curry Tofu

This is my second attempt to make a really good Thai red curry dish, but it's still not quite there. This time I used kaffir lime leaves, which made a huge difference, but there's still something missing, and I don't know what it is.

Still, though, it was yummy! Next time I wouldn't use all coconut milk, because this was way too oily, but I think if I mixed half vegetable stock and half coconut milk it would be better.



I'm on day 4 of eating vegan, and it's going well! I haven't been able to eat anything at work, so I've been packing my own lunch. Today they catered in creamy chicken pasta, garlic bread, salad already tossed with ranch dressing, and chocolate cake. It all looked fabulous, but I stuck to my guns and ate my fruit and granola bars instead. Hooray for me!