Posts by admin:
- It was on sale.
- It is a vegan sauce.
- I had only 30 minutes to make dinner.
French Cuisine: Tofu au Vin
January 21st, 2010|
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
This has been a great week so far especially when the sun comes out after a gray and weepy last two days. The other great thing that has been great so far is having a consistent workout schedule. Since I chose veganism back in November, I have had to consistently be active, whether I walked, stretched, used a trampoline, etc. Even though I used to go to gyms, I am in a different situation now. I decided to go to the library and see if they had workout videos. Man did they ever! I have been enjoying Pilates with Denise Austin, Yoga Booty Ballet and Jillian Michael’s 30-day shred. Wow, did that kick me in the behind!
I have to tell you that it feels great to have clothes fit so much better. Ryan suggested I document all my workouts so that I know what ends up working the best. Eating better and journaling all that I eat has worked out so well that it helps me be more disciplined to wake up and choose a DVD. God has been great and having encouragement at home has been a blessing too!
Another thing that has helped is having a good intake of greens. After I workout, I make a Green Monster Smoothie that has so many delicious fruits, greens, and almond milk. It gives me the continous energy throughout the morning until lunchtime. Even though I do not have a problem eating my greens, I probably do not get as much as I should. Here is an example of what I had yesterday morning:
This seriously could sound nasty to some of you but it is the best smoothie I have had, and I am getting my GREENS. Try it! It is the biggest craze and now I know why.
By the time lunchtime comes around I crave a big salad, which includes romaine lettuce, arugula, cherry tomatoes, carrot shavings, cucumbers, chickpeas and a nice garlicky vinagrette! 4 months ago I had to force myslef to eat healthier but now I am craving fresh foods! It is exciting and satisfying.
After a nice choral rehearsal at MSU, dinner plans start to formulate. While at the airport in December I picked up an issue of Eating Well magazine. Even though it does not feature pure vegan recipes, it has great ideas for tasty vegan dishes. The magazine’s taste kitchen came up with an alternative to Coq au Vin that intrigued me even though I had not had the meal before. The original recipe is braised chicken cooked with wine, mushrooms , and carrots, but this recipe uses fried tofu which turned out to be fabulous.
Before I made this dish I have had a hard time working with tofu. I figured I was not patting it dry before frying or cooking. I also used a different brand that I actually really liked called Mori-Nu. It is actually not packed in water like Nasoya Tofu and it is not as hard to pat it dry.
The total time to prepare the dish came out to 35 to 45 minutes, which is ideal for a weekday night. I served the rest of the wine to accompany the meal and served the Tofu au Vin with couscous and brussel sprouts. The meal tasted and looked VERY gourmet, was very budget-friendly, and did not require us to be at a restaurant. How about that? This recipe is a keeper. Enjoy it as much as we did.
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
Tofu au Vin
slighted adpated from Eating Well Jan/Feb 2010 issue
serves 4
1 14-ounce package extra-firm tofu
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, divided
1 medium onion, diced
2 medium carrots, halved lengthwise and diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
8 ounces Baby Bella mushrooms, sliced
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon arrowroot or flour
2 cups light- to medium-bodied red wine, such as Beaujolais Nouveau, Merlot or Pinot Noir (I used Red Truck, which is a blend)
2 teaspoons butter(could have used Earth Balance, but I omitted)
Drain, rinse and pat tofu dry; cut into 1/2- to 3/4-inch cubes.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add tofu and cook in a single layer, stirring every 1 to 2 minutes, until golden brown, 7 to 9minutes total. Transfer the tofu to a shallow dish big enough to fit it in one layer. Sprinkle with vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; gently toss to combine.
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in the pan over medium heat. Add onions, carrots, garlic and bay leaf; cook, stirring often, until beginning to soften, about 3 minutes.
Add mushrooms; cook, stirring, until they release their liquid, 3 to 5 minutes more. Sprinkle the vegetables with arrowroot or flour; stir to coat.
Add wine, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper to the pan and cook, stirring, until the wine has reduced slightly and the sauce has thickened, 4 to 6 minutes more. Return the tofu to the pan, add butter and stir until heated through, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove the bay leaf before serving.
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Vegan Pad Thai and Peanut Satay Noodles
January 20th, 2010Did everyone enjoy the MLK holiday? I took it off to spend some time with Ryan since he was given a day off at school. We perused the outlet mall in Howell, MI and replenished some missing or broken kitchen gadgets we have not had for some time. I also found some neat gadgets, like a mini dumpling/empanada filler. I needed that back when I made the mini empanadas.
After 2 hours of looking and walking we finally realized we were starving! We headed out to Ann Arbor and decided to eat at my favorite vegetarian / vegan restaurant, Seva. As everyone has already seen from my last restaurant review, I did not have a great experience. How did I make this up? Ryan took me to the well-known restaurant in Ann Arbor. What a sweetie, is he not? I think so! Even though I know there are not many choices for my husband, he makes do, knowing that I will enjoy tasting a different vegan dish. I had a nice Portabella Mushroom Burger with Soy cheese and grilled onions and some Idaho Fries. Ryan ordered the Bean Burrito in a Wheat Tortilla with fresh salsa and melted cheddar cheese on top. After we finished eating we felt like napping seeing that it was a gray, damp and cold day. We shrugged it off and visited some used book stores and music stores.
After we were done, we realized that our day had gone by since we made a late start, but lately it has felt like the days are going by SUPER fast. Don’t you feel it? Either way, we decided we needed to make one more stop before we headed home, since Ryan had to catch up with work and all. Last month, I won a $100 Whole Foods giftcard from Keep Your Diet Real after she hosted a 40 day breakfast challenge. It sure was an encouragement since I now officially eat a healthy breakfast. Anyway, since the closest Whole Foods was an hour IN Ann Arbor, we decided to make a stop and see if i could stock up on goodies. Funny that someone said that I would not be able to get much with $100 there, but I beg to differ. Thanks again Corrine for such a great giveaway!
After a long day of relaxing (wink), I felt inspired to cook a nice meal. Lately I have been cooking a lot of stir frys and noodle dishes using coconut oil. A while back, Tropical Traditions provided me with a free sample of their product to review and even though I am under no obligation to review their product I decided to share how delicious their product works for all my dishes.
One of my Asian dishes last week came from the Skinny Bitch in the Kitch cookbook. If you have not heard of this cookbook, I know, it is a little bit of a shocker, but these gals have great vegan recipes that do not fail at all. Pad Thai is one of my weaknesses when it comes to Thai food, but the problem I face at restaurants is that it has fish sauce. This recipe substitutes delicious ingredients to make a satisfying alternative. I also used Brown Rice vermicelli for a healthier alternative but the flat rice noodles can be used.
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
Pad Thai
serves 3 to 4
slightly adapted from original recipe
8 oz. Brown Rice vermicelli
1/4 cup Xagave nectar
1/4 cup mirin
3 Tbsp ketchup
3 Tbsp tamari
1-1/2 Tbsp lime juice
1 Tbsp Thai chili sauce
2 Tbsp Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil
14-16 oz. Extra Firm tofu, cubed
1/2 cup green onions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup green beans
2 cups bok choy, chopped
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup yellow pepper, sliced
1 carrot, Shredded
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
4-8 lime wedges
Cook the noodles according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the agave, mirin, ketchup, tamari, lime juice, and chili sauce; set aside.
Heat the oil in a 12-14 inch skillet over high. Add the tofu and stir-fry for 4 minutes
Add the garlic and vegetables and stir-fry for 5 minutes.
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
Add the noodles and the sauce mixture and stir-fry until the noodles are softened and evenly coated with sauce.
Add the green onions and cilantro and combine well.
Serve on plates and garnish with peanuts and lime wedges.
The next dish was also very delicious and FANTASTIC. Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil is VERY flavorful and even has a coconutty smell and flavor so it enhances your dish. The Peanut Satay Sauce contained coconut milk so using the coconut oil enhanced the flavor in each bite. I picked up a fabulous bottle of Peanut Satay sauce from Whole Foods yesterday because:
This was my first time using Simply Asia Foods sauce for a quick dinner. I usually like making my own sauces but this proved to be a great substitute. The following recipe is my own creation using this fab sauce, but I made this with chicken since Ryan requested it. The seasoning for the chicken can be used for tofu. Ryan gave the flavor an enthusiastic 2 thumbs up! Remember, the key to these dishes is making sure you have plenty of veggies so that you will not feel guilty about the carbs. Enjoy!
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
Peanut Satay Noodles
serves 3
8 oz Flat Rice Noodles
1 chicken breast, cubed or 12-14 oz Extra-firm Tofu
1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced.
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 cup broccoli slaw, or broccoli stems, julienned
1 cup carrots, julienned
1/2 cup mushrooms, sliced
1 cup red pepper, julienned
1 cup bok choy, chopped
1/2 cup Thai Kitchen’s Peanut Satay Sauce
1/3 cup water
2 Tbsp Tropical Tradition’s coconut oil
2 Tbsp cilantro, chopped
Prepare the noodles according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
In a wok, heat coconut oil on medium-high heat.
In a small bowl, place chicken breast, ginger, garlic, salt and pepper and mix. Add to wok and cook for 10-15 minutes. If working with tofu, make sure the tofu gets crispy and golden before adding veggies.
Add vegetables and cook for 5-7 minutes, and then add rice noodles, Peanut sauce, and water. Mix thoroughly and cook for another 5 to 7 minutes or until noodles soften and sauce has been somewhat absorbed.
Add cilantro and toss in noodles. Serve on plates and enjoy.
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Dusty’s Cellar: A vegan’s review of fine dining
January 17th, 2010
Friday night was date night for the two of us. We have had two nice gift cards waiting to be used. Since moving to East Lansing we have heard so much about Dusty’s Cellar and Tap Room. It boasts a huge variety of wines, beer, and food imports for sale in their store plus it has a deli that allows for anyone to order gourmet sandwiches. The Tap Room is more of a local hang out, offering burgers, sandwiches and such with beer being the drink of choice. My husband and I decided to try the fine dining since we had heard how delicious and gourmet each dish proved to be.
We arrived and we were asked whether we had reservations. Umm, no, we did not so we placed our names on the waiting list and we were asked whether it was an option for us to be seated in the covered patio. It looked nice and they ad huge warmers in the room. I forgot to mention that my husband had dropped me off and I made the decision for covered patio to be an option. (Big mistake). We left our phone number since the hostess told us it would be an hour wait. Before leaving I asked the hostess whether there were vegan options. She said there were not too many but to let my server know and they would accommodate me as well as they could.
We drove off and lingered at a local bookstore for 10 minutes when we received a call letting us know that a table was ready. I was surprised that their quoted time was way off but I overlooked it. We arrived and were seated in the patio. My husband did not look happy but then I told him I had said it was fine. We later regretted that decision. Either the warmers were too low and our legs were cold or the warmers were too hot and our faces felt like they would melt off. I got a bit sunburned in the patio room by the way. 🙁
Our waiter arrived at our table and greeted us and shared the night’s specials with us, both of them being meat choices. Before I opened the menu I asked the waiter what options there were for a vegan. He paused for effect, cringed, and said that they really did not have any choices except a Spicy Thai Penne Pasta dish, even though the noodles had eggs in them. My husband then told him that was obviously not vegan. Our waiter then said he would go to the chef and ask what cold be cooked for me. He came back 5-7 minutes later and cringed again and said that at this time the chef would NOT be able to accommodate me since there was a larger party he was concentrating on. Wow. Turn-off number one. All I could think about at the moment was “How rude!” Oh well. As I kept on looking at the menu, I noticed that the restaurant was more of a steakhouse more than anything. Every dish had meat, whether it was chicken, fish, beef, lamb, game, there was not a SINGLE dish that did not have meat except for the blasted pasta dish.
My husband and I decided to stay since we have been waiting SO long to use the gift cards. I regrettably ordered the Spicy Thai Penne Pasta with a baby greens salad that had cherries, candied pecans, tomatoes, and a lovely curry dressing. If I had been a good girl, since I devotedly have been ordering STRICT vegan, I would have just eaten the salad, but I did not. I was just frustrated that I could not order something that was gourmet and equally fine dining without it having meat. Either way, we decided to order drinks, so I had the mojito and my husband, Ryan, had a POM mojito. I preferred his so we shared. We asked for the Tomato Bruschetta as an appetizer since that seemed safe for a vegan.
Our waiter returned 10 minutes later with our dinner salads. As we ate we wondered if our waiter had forgotten our appetizer. We decided to give him a chance. After we finished our salads, our waiter picked up our plates and said that our dinner would be ready soon, which then prompted Ryan to respond, “Please do not bother to bring our appetizer with our meals. We would have liked them before the salad.” He said it very kindly and our waiter noticeably realized he had forgotten our order. I felt bad for him, but he returned 5 minutes later with our dinner and told us that dessert was on the house.
My husband ordered the Filet Mignon which was accompanied with mashed potatoes and squash. My husband takes advantage of ordering meat while we are out since I have not been fixing it but once a week. My Spicy Thai Penne Pasta had a peanut sauce made with coconut milk, fresh crushed ginger, and red pepper. It proved to be too sweet and saucy, but was perfectly spicy. I gave about a cup of it to my husband. The salad was a favorite of mine, thus my regret for not just having a big bowl of their salad.
I would definitely recommend the restaurant to a non-vegan, but certainly not for a vegan. I promptly emailed the owner and expressed my disappointment and sadness of not seeing more options. Nowadays there are SO many people who are vegetarians. I just kept on asking, don’t vegetarians and vegans like fine dining? Does fine dining only mean a steakhouse? So many questions. The irony of it all is that I could have eaten vegan at Chili’s or Taco Bell if I wanted to but that is not my choice. Stay tuned for an update concerning my email to the owner.
On a lighter note, Vegan Family Style is giving a copy away of Vegan Cupcakes By Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero. Go and visit her site!
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Vegan Apple Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Sauce
January 14th, 2010|
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
Last night the choir in Holland, Mi had a great rehearsal. We are working on a variety of opera choruses and Broadway show pieces. I told my husband, who incidentally directs the choir by the way, that this was going to be a grand concert. I am in my element when I sing opera. There is something about singing in a variety of languages. Our concert will feature pieces performed in Italian, Russian, German and English of course. I thought I had a favorite but I love singing in German and Italian. The lips for Italian pucker up a lot more whereas German demands there to be more sound from the middle of the mouth. It is truly exciting and exhilarating for me. I am working on a solo for the upcoming concert that I have never performed. I have recently been studying under a fabulous voice teacher that has taught me so much that I cannot wait to perform this solo. Here is a YouTube video of this piece. I will be singing what the main lady up front performs!
I have been meaning to post this recipe that I veganized. The recipe was adapted from a fellow blogger’s post from mid-December. Since I became a vegan I have not desired for many sweets or desserts but on the rare occasion I would want something or would have to prepare a dessert for a dinner party. What is a girl going to do? Prepare something she can’t eat? Heck no.
As I started researching substitutes for eggs, heavy cream, and butter, I became a little confident that I could add and substitute the non-vegan items for this apple dessert. The result was not a disaster, which is important. Even though I could smell the bundt baking in the oven, with the scent of apples and cinnamon, I could not be SO confident that this experiment would turn out. By God’s grace it turned out really well! I had almost thought I should not use the cream cheese icing but the cake required something more, even though my husband suggested ice cream. I was adamant that the whole dessert required to be vegan for it to my own success. I am glad I stood my ground because the icing was more of a sauce and it worked really well! Have a great weekend y’all!
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
Apple Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Sauce
based on Dorie Greenspan’s Double Apple Bundt Cake
adapted from Vegetable Matter’s blog
Cake
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp salt
2 Tbsp ground flaxseeds
10 Tbsp Earth Balance margarine, at room temp
1 cup Xagave nectar
3 tsp Ener-G (egg replacer)
4 Tbsp water
1 cup applesauce
3 red apples, peeled and grated
3/4 cup walnuts, chopped
1/2 cup dark raisins
Sauce
1/2 cup Tofutti cream cheese, at room temp
1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup organic powdered sugar, sifted
1/2 tsp vanilla
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit with shelf in the middle. Spray bundt pan with canola oil spray and flour with 1 Tbsp of flour.
Combine first 8 ingredients and set aside.
Cream margarine and agave nectar on medium high until somewhat fluffy. Mix Ener-G egg replacer with water and add to agave mixture. Mix for 3 minutes.
Reduce speed to low and add applesauce. Scrape sides and mix under well incorporated. Add grated apples and mix well.
Add dry ingredients and mix by hand until fully incorporated. Don’t over mix.
Fold in nuts and raisins. Fill bundt pan. Use a spatula to spread batter evenly.
Bake straight on oven rack until cake is springy and knife comes out clean, about 45minutes to an hour.
While cake is cooling, make sauce:
Mix first 3 ingredients until well combined and fluffy. Add vanilla and blend.
Refrigerate sauce until ready to serve on cake.
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Foodbuzz Tastemaker: Savory Mini Empanadas with Pace Picante Guacamole
January 14th, 2010|
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
It is almost that time of the week and I can see the weekend in the horizon. Who is happy? Woohoo! We have been having a beautiful week here in Michigan, with bright, sunny days and melting snow. I hear that it is supposed to be like that the rest of the week too! Can I be any happier? At least my Vitamin D factor is happy, becasue I have been soaking it in.
I conquered many a tasks today, including making a delicious dinner that proved to be a definite winner. During the evening I decided to take a break from blog reading and did some book reading. I am not usually this type of person, but I can be reading several books at a time, which means it can take me a while to finish any one of them. I finally finished a great book called The Singer’s Ego: Finding Balance Between Music and Life by Lynn Eustis. As a musician, it has been hard to mentally grab a hold of what that means. Ms. Eustis explained how the voice should not define the person or affect how one should live. I loved that because it reminded me that my voice is a gift from God and was given to share and enjoy His gift. If you are a musician you would know that one of the hardest things about performing is stage fright. Ms. Eustis asks the singer whether this fright is based on what a people group would think of them as a singer or person, but in reality, our fright should be subsided when the focus is the love of our gift of singing. Do you know that when I started thinking this way, I felt a little more confident when singing in front of people? When I focused on how much I enjoy singing, then it was not about what people thought of me, but how I could show my passion for singing. WOW. What a change! Even though I have been singing since a little girl, tis book has been a gift. It has allowed me to not be defined by that profession but allowing it to make the person God meant me to be. Great book, now on to some great food!
I was inspired to create this recipe on my way home from Holland, Michigan. My husband took a nap after a long day at school and I drove home. What does a girl do while on an hour and a half drive home? Well, left in her own thoughts but of course! My mind is constantly active and part of the drive was spent mentally creating a dish that came into fruition tonight. As part of the Tastemaker program, I had received 2 bottles of Pace Picante sauce to create an delicious appetizer, just in time for Superbowl. Even though I created this dish as an appetizer I made it our main meal tonight. It was fantastic and a winner in my books.
I adpated a recipe for a basic vegan empanada dough recipe and created 2 separate fillings. As a side, I also created a guacamole using Pace Picante and also a broccoli slaw to accompany. I grew up on Chilean empanadas that consisted on ground beef, onions, garlic, raisins, green olives a hard-boiled egg and spices. Of course now that I am vegan, I had to make something that was close to my favorite childhood memory. I used soy crumbles that looked very much like ground beef and used the rest of the ingredients except for the hard-boiled egg. When cooked and baked in the empanada, I could not believe how close the taste and flavors were to the original recipe. Thanks to soy ground crumbles! Of course, if you are not vegan you can just substitute it with ground beef and it would still be a winner. ENjoy the pictures and recipes!
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
Savory Mini Empanadas
dough recipe adapted from Veganomicon cookbook
makes 2 dozen
Dough
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup cornmeal
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp turbinado sugar
1 tsp garlic powder
1 1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 cup nonhydrogenated shortening
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup cold water
Soy milk for brushing
Preheat oven to 400 degrees Farenheit.
In a large bowl, mix flours, baking powder, salt, sugar, and spices.
Using a pastry cutter, add shortening in 3 batches and mix until mix resembles small pebbles.
Mix water and vinegar together and add to flour mixture in 3 parts. Use a fork to bring dough together. On a floured surface, knead dough for 1 minute until all ingredients are mixed. Flatten to a small disc and cover with a towel until ready to use. (Prepare fillings)
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Flatten dough out with rolling pin to a 1/4 to 1/2 inch thickness. Use a biscuit cutter and cut in circles. Filling is ready to be used to each circle. Add a little over a teaspoon to each circle and bring each end together to seal edges. Using a fork, press gently on the edges until sealed.
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
Place each empanada on a baking sheet layered with parchment paper. Brush the tops of emapanadas with soy milk. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
Chilean soy crumble filling
makes 1 1/2 cups
1 cup soy crumbles
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 poblano pepper, diced
1/2 onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp raisins
2 Tbsp green olives, sliced
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
In a medium skillet, heat olive oil and saute onions, pepper and garlic for 5-10 minutes on medium-high heat.
Add spices and raisins and olives. Cook for 5 more minutes. Set aside.
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
Black Bean-Spinach Filling
1 cup canned black beans, drained
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup fresh spinach, chopped
1 carrot, diced
1/2 poblano pepper, diced
1/2 onion, diced
1/4 cup Medium Pace Picante Sauce
2 Tbsp cilantro, chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp paprika
In a medium saucepan, heat olive oil and saute onions, carrot, and pepper for 5 minutes. Add black beans, spinach, Picante sauce, spices and cook until the filling starts drying up a little. Add cilanto at the end and turn of heat.
Fill half the dough with one filling and use the other half with different filling.
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
Pace Picante Guacamole
makes 1 cup
3/4 cup Medium Pace Picante sauce
1/2 avocado
2 Tbsp Tofutti sour cream
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped and loosely packed
Using an immersion blender, blend 1/2 cup of Picante sauce, avocado, sour cream, vinegar and salt until smooth.
Add the remaining 1/4 cup salsa and cilantro and mix well.
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
