Catch-up Blogging

May was a bit of a tough month in terms of travel and general busy-ness, hence the lack of posts.  I don't cook as much when I'm traveling or tired from travel.  I did do some cooking though, so here are some recent-ish highlights:

Deviled Beans

This was a successful attempt to make a good spread for crackers. In fact, Mark liked this recipe so much, he tried to make his own version, without quite so much luck. The basic recipe involves cooking white (soy) or beige (pinto) beans, then blending them with some Bragg liquid aminos, garlic, sundried tomatoes, a dash of liquid smoke, lemon juice +/- apple cider vinegar, and various herbs. I called it "deviled beans" because it reminded me of deviled ham from a can, which my mom used to eat all the time.

Waffles & Sausage

We hosted a waffle party on World Vegan Waffle Day (May 29 this year) and had a total blast. We had Chocolate-pecan waffles (from Veganomicon); Lemon-corn waffles (from waffleparty.com); buckwheat-barley waffles (from waffleparty.com); a gluten-free waffle from Pam; lots of amazing fruit toppings; tofu scramble; potatoes with herbs; tempeh "bacon" and regular tempeh... it was amazing!

At right are the chocolate-pecan waffle and the buckwheat-barley waffle with strawberries from my garden plus homemade vegan breakfast sausage from this recipe. The sausage was AMAZING. I must admit, it's probably not cost-effective to make your own vegan sausage... but it's fun, and I like knowing there are just healthy real ingredients in there.

And finally, we come to tonight's dinner: Basil Tempeh Noodles. I put this in the category of "better than restaurant" food -- this is the kind of thing that ruins me for going out to eat, because I can so easily make something that's less salty, more healthful, mostly organic, cheaper, and lower in calories in about 20-30 minutes.

Ingredients:
Extra-wide Thai-style rice noodles, about 2/3 of a box (300 grams) (more or less is fine, depending on how you like your noodles-to-veggies ratio)
Organic soy tempeh, 8 oz, diced
Canola oil, 1 tbsp
Soy sauce, low sodium, 2 tbsp
Rice Vinegar, 2 tbsp
Minced garlic, about 2 tbsp
Minced ginger, about 1 tbsp
Rooster Sauce, to taste
Trader Joe's Thai Red Curry Sauce, about half a jar, with water to fill the other half
365-brand frozen organic Chinese style stir-fry vegetables, 1 bag
Big bunch of basil, cut in thin ribbons


Method:
Note: I use a an unconventional way of cooking rice noodles -- you may want to follow the directions on the package instead. First, I put the noodles in a microwave-safe bowl and add hot water to cover, swirling the noodles around to make sure they don't stick. Then I stick the bowl in the microwave for 2 minutes, check & stir, then another 2 minutes. After that, I drain and add to my wok/skillet.

While the noodles are cooking, start the tempeh. Pre-heat the skillet over med-high, add the soy sauce, vinegar, and oil, and stir to mix. Add the diced tempeh and cook, stirring often, until lightly browned. Add the garlic, ginger, and Rooster Sauce and stir. Add the veggies and stir. Add the rice noodles and stir. Add the curry sauce and stir. Add the basil and stir. Lower heat to medium, cover, and cook for a couple of minutes until everything is done! Stir, stir, and stir some more... add water if needed... then serve!


Makes about 4 servings. Each serving is about 312 calories, 12 g fat (3.6 g sat fat), 37 g carb (4 g fiber), and 14 g protein.