At long last! It’s finally tomato harvesting time! We got tons of lettuce, are still getting kale, and have been getting green beans and cucumbers for a few weeks now, but there’s something momentous about that first big batch of tomatoes. Something that says, “your garden has arrived.” Everything leads up to tomatoes; they’re the climax. The winter squash and fall kale are the denouement, with canning, perhaps, as an additional baby climax.

My friend Simon (fellow vegan, drummer for Ineffable Robot [new tracks up soon!]) was in over the weekend and we ate largely from the garden. The first night, we had Shells al Pomodoro and Cucumber Salad.

Shells al Pomodoro

• 4ish medium-sized tomatoes, gutted and diced
• 6 cloves of garlic, diced
• 1 small green bell pepper
• 1 fresno chili, seeded and diced (optional)
• 1 large handful of fresh basil, chopped
• cooked shells (or noodle of choice)
• salt & pepper, to taste
• olive oil

In a medium-large pan, saute the garlic in olive oil for a few minutes, until it just starts to brown. Toss in the tomatoes and peppers, cooking until tender. Salt and pepper to taste. A minute or two before serving, stir in the basil. Serve over pasta. Easy! Delicious!

Cucumber Salad

• 2 – 3 cucumbers, cubed
• 1 tomato, gutted and cut into medium-sized pieces
• rooster (Sriracha) sauce (to taste)
• 2 tsp curry powder
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 – 2 tbsp olive oil
• toasted pita or tortilla, chopped (optional)
• salt & pepper, to taste

Toss everything together. That’s it.

Be forewarned: this was not one of my best efforts. We had something similar a few weeks ago at an Indian restaurant and I really liked it, so I thought I’d attempt my own version, what with all of those cucumbers to use up. It was a little spicy, because I went overboard with the rooster sauce. I think I also over-soy-sauced it, so add everything little by little. I’ll have to return to this at some point to perfect it. We have a LOT of cucumbers.

The next day, we biked 20 miles (and 20 miles back) to a neighboring town to try out the Red Pepper, a raw vegan restaurant. After the ride there, we were mighty hungry. We got the Italian Pizza and the Raw Tacos, both of which were quite good. The pizza’s crust was probably its standout feature. The tacos were made with a seasoned walnut “meat”. It was pretty amazing. The “shells” were just lettuce, though, so this was a bit more like a salad than tacos. We got some energy shakes for the ride home, which were also good, though I was a little over-full, and thus kinda sluggish for the ride. 40 miles of super hilly terrain is a lot harder than I thought it would be (we biked 25 flat miles two days later, and it was a cinch, comparatively). We were so pooped when we got home that we couldn’t be bothered to cook, so it was vegan pizza time.

We made homemade brats (the best batch ever!) the next night, but that post, friends, is forthcoming.

The next night we rocked this Tempeh & Kale Stew (we’ve also got tons of kale right now):

This stew is very much like the Spicy Potato & Kale Soup, but with carrots, and minus the spicy and parsley. It was pouring out, so this was something of a summer rarity, but very appropriate.

Slimetime’s since hit the road, but I still have lots of maters to use up, so last night I rocked a chili.

There’s no chili better than one made from your heirloom tomatoes, especially if you’re growing multiple varieties. The freshness and variation in flavor really take the flavor in interesting, often inimitable, directions. This particular batch was made with Black Krim (our favorite–dense, not too sweet, not too acidic, very flavorful), Supersonic Orange (a new one this year–very tangy), and Oaxacan Pink (gigantic, fairly sweet). It made for a somewhat sharp, but slightly sweet chili–a perfect chili for crackers. Outstanding!

After a long day hiking up Mt. Esja, we decided to forgo any notion of “cultural” American cuisine (what would have been a good choice for this?) and make a hearty veggie soup with what produce was available to us.

Since much of Iceland is covered in volcanic rock and ash, a lot of veggies are grown hydroponically or in greenhouses or are imported–so it’s a lot tougher to get fresh produce, and it’s all pretty pricey. We opted for potatoes, carrots, kidney beans, chickpeas, onion, garlic, celery, leeks, and tomatoes for this incarnation of a very simple vegetable soup.

We didn’t have a large pot, so we made this in two pots using two slightly different methods. I cut my potatoes into large cubes and only used the white part of the leeks; Torgier cut his potatoes more finely and used the green parts of the leeks as well. I don’t think anyone else noticed, but Torgier and I both agreed that the larger pieces were slightly better. So that’s settled, once and for all.

Check it:

Super Simple Veggie Soup

• 3 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 large leek, cut into disks
• 2 medium-sized carrots, cut into half-disks
• 2 stalks of celery, cut into quarter-disks
• 2 small onions (or 1 large), diced
• 6 – 8 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 large tomatoes, diced (or 1 can)
• 2 cups (1 can) of chick peas
• 2 cups (1 can) of kidney beans
• 8 cups veggie stock
• 2 tsp thyme
• 4 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp ground sage
• salt & pepper, to taste
• additional water, to desired consistency

Veggie soup should be easy, and carefree–you just use what you have on hand. Saute all of the veggies (including potatoes) except the tomatoes in a large pot over medium heat, in your oil of choice. Once they’re tender, add in the tomatoes, stir well, and cook for a minute or two. Add in the stock and spices. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes or more. Eat with bread.

This recipe is pretty adaptable to any conditions or locale and seemed to go over pretty well with folks here. Of course we probably would have eaten spiced tree bark we were so tired and hungry…

Up next: Torgier & Catrine’s Spicy Vegetable Couscous!

The Indian Feast Saturday night would not have been the same without pakora.  We especially like that our version is baked, not deep fried.  If you know anything about us here at IV, you know that we leave frying to greasy spoons and love adapting fried recipes to delicious (and healthier) baked ones almost as much as we like converting meaty, cheesy, eggy dishes to delicious (and healthier) vegan versions.

When we told our friend Mad Dog about this recipe last night, she nearly squealed with glee.  We hope you receive it with just as much enthusiasm.  Adapted to vegan from this recipe, it sure was fun to make (even more fun to eat).  At the last minute, we got the bright idea to make dhaniya dipping sauce to accompany the fresh pakora.  Ken was a champ and served as our runner, heading out the local food coop for a big bunch of cilantro (in southeast Asia, it’s called coriander) to make it happen.  Without further ado, we give you:

Baked Pakora and Dhaniya (Coriander Chutney)

Pakora:

• three medium-sized soft-skinned potatoes (such as red or yukon gold) or peeled russet potatoes, grated
• one large onion (any color), diced
• one overflowing handful of chopped spinach
• any other veggies you might want to add such as grated carrots, peas, or diced cauliflower.
• 2 cups chickpea (garbanzo bean) flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp curry powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp red pepper (optional)
• 1 1/2 tsp dried coriander (cilantro)
• 1 1/2 cups water

Preheat oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a large mixing bowl, combine all dry ingredients (flour, spices, herbs, baking power).  Stir in enough water to make a batter.  Do it a bit at a time, making sure that is it about the consistency of pancake batter.  Ours was a little too thin, but didn’t affect the overall deliciocity of the outcome.

In a separate bowl, combine all veggies, and mix well with your hands.  Pour the batter into the veggies, stirring to a homogeneous consistency.

Use a spoon to ladle little bundles of battered veggies onto an oiled cookie sheet.

Bake for 8 minutes, then flip and bake for 10 more minutes until toasty around the edges.  This batch made about 30 pakora for us, but the final quantity really just depends on the size you make each one.

Dhaniya

(We used this recipe and are rewriting it here with some measurement and ingredient changes.)

• one large bunch of fresh coriander (cilantro), leaves peeled from the stems
• a one-inch square chunk of fresh ginger, grated on a ginger grater (or about 1 tbsp of dry ginger)
• 4 cloves of garlic
• the juice of half of a lemon
• a whole green chili (we used half of a poblano pepper since that’s all we had)
• 1 tsp mustard powder
• 1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)
• enough olive oil to make into a sauce (1/4-1/2 cup)

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth.  If you want enough dhaniya to accompany all of the pakora in the recipe above, I suggest at least tripling this recipe.

Aloo Gobi is our second favorite Indian dish after Chana Pindi/Masala (and maybe third after Dal Makhni, if you can ever find it vegan). There are lots of variations on this dish across restaurants, some saucy and others more or less just seasoned cauliflower and potatoes. We love the former, and thusly bring you:

The secret to this guy is (a) chickpea water or veggie stock and (b) blending a small portion of it to make it saucy.

Aloo Gobi

• 1 head of cauliflower, cut into pieces
• 4 or 5 medium-sized potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 -4 garlic cloves, crushed or minced
• 1 large/2 medium tomato(es) (or 1 8oz can), diced
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 green chili, seeded and diced finely
• small bunch of chives, diced (optional)
• 1 cup veggie stock or chick pea water
• salt, to taste

In a medium-sized pot, cook the potatoes until they’re barely tender. Strain and save.

In a large skillet or wok (as always, wearing leg warmers and a headband), heat up some high heat cooking oil over medium heat. Toss in the cumin seeds, chili, and garlic and cook until the garlic begins to brown. Add in half of the spices (you can just combine them in a small dish ahead of time and pour in about half–this doesn’t have to be exact). Let them cook for a few seconds, then add in the cauliflower, stirring well to coat, cooking until it starts to brown/sear–about 6 – 8 minutes. Add in the potatoes, again, coating well, and cook for another 2 – 3 minutes. Add in the tomatoes, broth/chick pea water (we made this along with a chana, so we had chick pea water on hand), and remaining spices. Blend briefly with an immersion blender or scoop a small portion into a standard blender and puree–this should be just enough to make a thick sauce to coat the potatoes and cauliflower.

Serve over rice (we had this over couscous the second time, and have had it over quinoa to delicious effect as well), ideally with pakora and naan (gluten free), and maybe Chana Marksala, if it’s a feast.

We mentioned last week that our friends Stef and Ken had decided to rock the vegan action for a week, so we thought it would be fun to get together and do some serious cooking. They were game for any type of food, so we thought we’d try an Indian feast.

The Menu

• Gluten-free naan
• Pakora w/dhaniya (cilantro sauce)
• Chana Marksala
• Aloo Gobi
• Rice

Two nights later, we also revisited our old Indian Dal recipe as well as a standard vegan naan, just for good measure, thus declaring this Indian Week here at IV. We’ll be posting all of these recipes throughout the week, so stay tuned!

And…Some Thoughts

As with many vegans, Indian food was one of our first exotic culinary love affairs. Over the years, we’ve gotten closer and closer to authentic on many dishes, but have never fully mastered any of them, so every time we try it’s sort of an adventure. And did I mention? Team Stef and Ken got cooks. So what better way to perfect a recipe than to get some feedback from other folks?

Cooking with other people is one of our favorite activities. It’s not just the task-sharing or equal-stakes-in-the-meal thing; it’s a way of connecting with people. Everyone has a different cooking style and, depending on the mix of people, will fall into certain roles. Some folks love the chaos of managing multiple dishes on the stovetop, spicing at will. Others like the regimented baking process. Still others are happy to sous chef or are “runners” (those folks awesome enough to run to the store for that one ingredient you inevitably forgot).

And what else are you doing? You can talk while you cook. You can drink while you cook. There’ll be time for games or a movie after you eat (unless you don’t eat until like 10:30 and drink waaay too much while cooking…then there will just be sleeping).

A Brief Stroll Down Memory Lane

I remember my first experience really cooking down with other people–making Indian food in my friend Uncle Nathan’s kitchen (I think that first menu was Spicy Chick Peas and Kale [like a chana], Kofta, some sort of naan, and rice). I’d only been vegan for a year or two at that point, so I was sous chef-ing for the most part. I’d just begun my own forays into Indian food, which at the time seemed pretty good. In retrospect, I can’t imagine using roughly a cup of spices (I later learned about hot and cool spices from an Indian friend).

[Actually, my first forays were into collaborative baking--in this case "Man Baking" with my friend and vegan sire Nick, which involved splurging on good vodka, drinking a lot of it, then making cookies with kids cereal (think Cocoa Puffs) in them.]

An Invitation

Interested in cooking down? We’re always hip to cook together, taking fledgling vegans under our wing, embarking on culinary adventures with the vegan-curious, or just communing with friends who like great food.

So, everybody loves breakfast for dinner, right? Like when you were 8 and you got to have Fruity Pebbles ™ for dinner?

Well, this is like that–but the opposite! It’s about taking regular dinner-y foods, and converting them into something palatable for breakfast. So, we’re not talking about firing up the grill at 7am and cooking up a black bean burger; we’re talking about the breakfast burrito–with which you’re probably already acquainted–which consists of a tofu scramble, soysage, and potatoes, all wrapped up in a lightly toasted tortilla, and the breakfast pizza–a delicious new treat–which consists of a toasted pita, topped with the same tofu scramble, soysage, and potatoes, but with the addition of pinto poblano/refried beans & chilis.

Truth be told, I’m not sure what relegates these to breakfast. The tofu in your scramble is the same as the tofu in your stir fry. We’ve used tempeh/tvp soysage/soyrizo in soups and all manner of Mexican delights. So what makes this any different?

Thusly, you have our blessing to indulge in dinner for breakfast for dinner.

For both recipes, you will need the following scramble:

Dinner-for-Breakfast Scramble

• 1 batch of tempeh soysage (or the same recipe, using 1 cup dried TVP, rehydrated in 3/4 – 1 cup water)
• 1 lb of extra firm tofu, drained
• 3 medium-sized red potatoes, cut into small cubes
• 1 medium – large yellow or white onion, diced
• 2 – 4 cloves of garlic, minced (optional)

Prepare the tempeh/tvp soysage as instructed in the above link, and let sit, allowing the flavor to soak in. In a large pan, saute the onions in oil over medium heat, until they start to get tender. Add in the soysage and cook until the soysage starts to brown on one side. Crumble in the tofu and add in the potatoes, stirring well. Cook for about 5 minutes, then lower heat to medium-low and cover, stirring occasionally. Cook until the potatoes are tender.

Breakast Burrito

• dinner-for-breakfast scramble
• 6 – 8 tortillas (or however many you plan on eating–but this should fill 6 – 8 )

In a toaster over or frying pan, lightly toast a tortilla (you want it warm, but not crispy). Generously fill with the above scramble. Top with salsa, if available. Roll up then eat up. Outstanding!

Breakfast Pizza

• dinner-for-breakfast scramble
• 6 pitas (same as above, my friend)
• olive oil OR Earth Balance ™
• ~ 2 tsp dried thyme
• 2 cups pinto poblano soup OR
  • 2 cups (1 can) cooked refried beans
  • 1 4 oz can of diced green chilis
  • 1/2 poblano or green bell pepper, diced
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp smoked chili powder
  • 1/4 tsp oregano
  • 1/4 tsp ground cumin

Prepare the scramble as directed above. If you don’t have pinto poblano soup on hand, add the pepper and chilis in with the onions. When the scramble is ready, mix in either the pinto poblano or the refried beans and spices. Continue heating until it’s heated through and through.

Meanwhile, prepare your pitas. If you don’t have a toaster oven, preheat your over to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly brush the pitas with olive oil or slather them with Earth Balance (we used Earth Balance), then sprinkle them generously with dried thyme. Bake in the (toaster) oven until they just start to brown.

Remove them from the oven, then allow them to cool for a few minutes. Dollop the bean-y scramble on them and spread. You can serve these with a fork and knife, or cut them up in advance, pizza-style. Using the latter method, these would make a great brunch treat. Phenomenal!

We still had two seitan chik’n cutlets leftover from our gumbo, and this last time we made them in chik’n broth (which added just enough extra zang to make this my new favorite seitan recipe), so, after our beautiful weather turned cold, rainy, and gray, it was indubitable that we had to make a chik’n soup of some sort.

We wanted something a little heartier than our chickpea noodle soup, so we opted for something creamier and with potatoes. Additionally, we had some amazing fresh Hungarian paprika from Amy’s recent trip to Budapest. So, we rocked this euro-style, added some tarragon, and went for an unusually savory (in the traditional sense of the word) soup.

Savory Chik’n Potato Soup

• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 1 large or 2 medium-sized carrots, peeled and cut into disks or half-disks
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 4 medium-sized potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 4 large cloves of garlic, diced
• 1 large green bell pepper, half cut into bite-size pieces, half diced
• 2 seitan chik’n cutlets, cut into small cubes
• 4 cups of chik’n/veggie stock (we used the seitan stock)
• 4 cups water
• 1 tsp Hungarian paprika
• 1 tsp tarragon
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• salt & pepper, to taste
• 1 tbsp Earth Balance ™
• 1/2  cup soy creamer (or use 1 cup soymilk, and reduce the water by 1/2 cup)
• 1/2 – 1 cup roux

In a large pot, saute all of the veggies in high heat oil over medium heat. Meanwhile, in a medium-sized skillet, lightly brown the chik’n in the Earth Balance ™. When the veggies are soft, add in the stock and the water. When the chik’n is lightly browned on most sides, add that as well. Add in the spices, then the creamer.

Make a roux with about 1/2 cup flour and just enough cold water to get a batter-like consistency, mixing with a fork or small whisk. Slowly whisk the roux into the soup, until it’s the desired consistency. Amy likes a thin creamy soup, I like mine thick. So it goes. Poo-tee-weet.

Enjoy!

(or else)

It’s a rainy sunday and we needed a scramble with an extra dose of heartiness. So, hot on the tail of my recent culinary upcycling kick, I whipped up a tofu scramble using our leftover chili and some wild rice from our wild rice and mushroom soup.

If for some reason, you happen to have the ingredients handy, here’s how it works:

Tofu Chili Scramble

• 1 medium-sized white or yellow onion, diced
• 1 poblano pepper, seeded and diced
• 1 lb tofu, crumbled
• 2 medium-large potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 cup chili
• 1/2 cup cooked wild rice
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• cooking oil
• salt, to taste

In a large pan or soup pot, saute the onion and poblano in a dash of oil over medium heat until they begin to soften. Toss in the potatoes and cover, cooking for about 5 minutes, browning the potatoes on one side. Crumble in the tofu. Stir in the remaining ingredients, cover, and cook until the potatoes are soft, stirring occasionally (about 15 minutes). Serve with a side of rainy.

This is going to seem weird: baked potatoes slathered in Earth Balance ™, topped with homemade chili, topped with homemade tempeh soysage. Behold, the Li’l Spudley!

But furrealz, is it any weirder than chili cheese fries? I think not. Amy’s had a taste for some kind of chili potato for the last few days, so I thought I’d surprise her by acquiescing (note 1: I was the initial hater). Sadly, I hadn’t though in advance to soak cashews to make sour cream and we were out of silken tofu. But chili and potato somehow wouldn’t be enough…so why not move in the entirely other direction?, thought I: tempeh soysage. Amy has highly skeptical of this twist (note 2: Now Amy’s the hater). Luckily, our friend Maddog was here and was game for my experiment, putting the pressure on Amy to indulge my strange flight of culinary fancy. As it turns out, this was pretty awesome (note 3: It’s awesome!). The buttery potato brings out the sweetness of the chili, while the soysage brings out the spice. It’s just right.

All you need is:

• baked potatoes
• Earth Balance ™, optional
• chili: Roasted Poblano Chili or Standard Chili (I recommend the Poblano for this)
• tempeh soysage (you could also use tempeh soyrizo, for a switch)
• green onions (optional)

We had this again a few nights later, with green onions. Unlike Amy, I’m a potato musher-downer. Deal with it.

Fantastic!

Growing up, I ate a lot of leftovers. My parents both worked two jobs so it was much more efficient to make a few big meals and then eat leftovers on off nights–especially since I could heat them up myself. Since you can’t always eke out a full meal from a single leftover, you often have to combine things or eat separate dishes. My mom referred to this as “Grab ‘n’ Growl”, a term passed down through the generations in my family’s unique (read: very bizarre) lexicon, which posits a family as a bunch of Neanderthals scavenging the fridge for food, battling over the best bits. Closer to the truth, perhaps, than we’d like to admit.

With Amy in Budapest, it’s officially grab ‘n growl week. This is sort of weird, since it’s just me, but I feel less lonely if I growl. Since I tend to do most of the cooking, the swingin’ bachelor life doesn’t necessitate eating cold beans out of cans, scratching my crotch, and drinking whiskey straight from the bottle. I may prowl the house growling, but I can still drink whiskey from a glass. What the bachelor life does invoke, however, is my occasional need to purge the refrigerator of leftovers and about-to-go-bad food. On a small scale, this is best accomplished in a single meal. But with Amy gone–taking her need for delicious, inventive cuisine with her–I’m free to do a major purge, using up everything in strange and sometimes wonderful/sometimes not combinations.  In other words, this isn’t generally the kind of food I’d foist on other people.

But from the ashes doth arise the phoenix! Behold these Curried Potato Everything Cakes aka Poor Man’s Pakora:

These puppies used up mashed potatoes, mushrooms, Brussels sprouts, kale, and a scosh of raw sushi filling, as well as some leftover Chik’n Almond Bake and crushed crackers for the breading. For combining so many different–and somewhat disparate–ingredients, these were actually pretty awesome. The cracker/Chik’n Almond Bake combo was the key.

I enjoyed this with leftover Avocado Wasabi Salad ala Vegan Yum Yum:

Remember that Roasted Poblano Chili? The leftover beans (I still haven’t mastered the exact yield of dry beans when you cook them) were a perfect base (along with rice, obviously) for beans and rice.

On Saturday, I made a green Thai curry out of a small smattering of frozen veggies (ack! I know), tofu, and the leftover raw Siamese Dream Soup.

And finally, last night I made a version of Zuppa Toscana, using up the rest of the mashed potatoes; some dilapidated turnips that didn’t make it into the Potato, Turnip, & Rosemary Soup; and the unused tempeh (we get it in bulk) from the Smoky Tempeh Hummus Wraps.

That’s a lot of food! As I’ve chiseled away at out leftovers (and this post), it’s become clear to me that we both cook and shop for our palettes, not from our resources. Forgive me if I’m stretching here, but this, in a general sense, is one the key problems with the American food industry. You can get as much of anything, from anywhere, at any time, as you want.  The variety comes from the store, not from your kitchen and brain.

Equally problematic is the amount of time between trips to the grocery store. Like most Americans, we tend to go once a week, if that. We task ourselves with predicting what our future selves will want to eat–based on what? How can we know what we’ll want to eat 3 days from now? This means that as the week wears on, we become less satisfied with our choices and less likely to cook with what we bought. Scanning our half-full fridge, nothing looks good. So we either (a) settle on something merely “acceptable” or (b) give up completely and go out for dinner. I’m not against going out to eat, but I think it should be a deliberate choice–because you want to, not because you need to. But (a) is a bit of a crapshoot; on nights when I’m feeling creative, it’s a fun challenge and usually turns out pretty tasty. On off nights, it’s a burden and “edible” suffices.

One solution to this is to shop more frequently and buy less. This also helps ensure the freshness of your food. The other solution, I’m afraid to say, may be getting comfortable with “pretty good” some of the time. Maybe it’s been a good week for culinary creativity, but I feel like I’ve eaten pretty well with nary a thought of hitting up the grocery store (okay…that’s not entirely true…when I ran out of soy sauce, I felt a ripple of panic). This may owe, in part, to the very fact that I’ve used up almost everything in the fridge; my choices have dwindled as the week wore on. While some choice is certainly good, a lot of choice, it turns out, is actually rather bad (think about your occasional trip to an all-vegan restaurant–it’s almost paralyzing; you’re not accustomed to so many choices). The problem with too many choices is our tendency to weigh any single choice against the combined best parts of all the other choices. While this doesn’t actually change how good any single choice is, it does change how satisfied we feel.

So my final thought, in this lazy cognitive meandering, is that our enjoyment of our food is often based on our frame of reference. Given my limited options, what I came up with seemed really good–as soon as I’d eliminated the other possibilities. This is the fulcrum on which “leftovers” become “leftover surprise”.

Rrrrrooaawww!