Sugar Snap Peas with Toasted Sesame Seeds

Thursday, October 15, 2015 - Dinner
Sugar Snap Peas with Toasted Sesame Seeds (Recipe from The Vegan Table by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau)

This dish was amazing - probably one of my favorite vegetable recipes of all time! It was super-quick; the longest part of this recipe was waiting for the water to boil to steam the pea pods. It was a short steam, then a quick searing with sesame oil, and tossing with salt and sesame seeds to finish. The peas were tender yet crispy, and they tasted delicious. I was planning to take leftovers to have with lunch tomorrow, but there weren't any! I will definitely make this dish again. This could be a go-to recipe from now on!

Tofu Breakfast Casserole

Monday, October 12, 2015 - Dinner
Tofu Breakfast Casserole  (Recipe from Vegan Cooking for Carnivores by Roberto Martin)

This dish was not visually appealing, and the texture was not particularly appetizing either. It tasted alright, and it had ingredients for a great recipe: potatoes, bell peppers, tofu, scallions, and fake bacon. I'd actually like to try this recipe as a scramble with diced potatoes, instead of a casserole with grated potatoes. (Plus, my hand hurt from shredding the potatoes on a cheese grater.)

Golden Corn Pancakes

Sunday, October 11, 2015 - Lunch
Golden Corn Pancakes (Recipe from The Vegan Table by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau)

These pancakes were good - they tasted like a mixture between a breakfast food and a Thanksgiving-style sweet corn bake. They were easy to make, and tasted good. They are whole wheat pancakes, with kernels of yellow sweet corn added.  The cookbook said to serve with maple syrup, but I was a little skeptical of how the corn would taste with syrup. I tried a bite without, and it seemed like it needed something. I added maple syrup, and it complemented the flavor very well.

Served with: Shirley Temple (2 parts ginger ale to one part orange juice, plus a splash of grenadine and a maraschino cherry)

Grilled Tofu with Peanut Soy Sauce

Friday, October 9, 2015 - Dinner
Grilled Tofu with Peanut Soy Sauce

This is my own recipe.  I made quick-marinated grilled tofu, and served it with crunchy cooked broccoli.  

Ingredients:

1 block extra firm tofu

1/4 cup tamari soy sauce

1/8 cup crunchy peanut butter

1 Tbsp sugar

1 Tbsp lime juice

Red pepper flakes

Directions:

Press tofu to remove excess water.  Meanwhile, warm a cast iron grill pan on the stove at medium-high heat.  In a small bowl, mix together the tamari soy sauce, peanut butter, sugar, and lime juice.  Transfer the mixture to a shallow square container.  

Cut tofu into slices and pat dry.  Place tofu slices into sauce container, and turn to coat.  Let slices soak a few minutes, then place in grill pan.  Cook until grill marks darken on one side, then flip to the other side and drizzle a spoonful of sauce on top.  When cooked, remove from pan, drizzle with more peanut soy sauce, and sprinkle with red pepper flakes.

This turned out great, and tasted fantastic.  The peanut soy sauce was great on the tofu, and the grilled tofu was tender and tasty.  It also went really well with the broccoli. 

Miso Soup with Shiitake Mushrooms

Tuesday, October 6, 2015 - Dinner
Miso Soup with Shiitake Mushrooms  (Recipe from The Vegan Table by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau)

This was an easy recipe to make. I combined the ingredients in a pot, then let it cook while I took a quick post-run shower. It was ready to eat shortly after I got back to the kitchen.

The soup was tasty. It wasn't particularly filling, which I suppose is why it's usually served as an appetizer. Next time I'll make something to go with it, or possibly add more veggies and/or some tofu.

The recipe makes 8-10 servings, so there are plenty of leftovers for me to eat for lunch the rest of the week. 

Dark Leafy Greens with Sesame Miso Dressing

Thursday, October 1, 2015 - Dinner
Dark Leafy Greens with Sesame Miso Dressing (Recipe from The Vegan Table by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau)

This was a quick (less than 15 minutes) and easy dish to make.  The greens tasted good with the sesame miso dressing, but I think I would have preferred more greens for the amount of dressing.  I started with a full bunch of turnip greens, which cooked down more than expected during the steaming process (something like kale would have been sturdier), so we ended up with two small-ish servings.

Substitions: 

The dressing recipe called for mirin, a sweet Japanese rice wine, but I didn't have any (and didn't want to get full bottle for the small amount needed), so I substituted 1 Tbsp rice vinegar plus 1/2 tsp sugar.  

The other substitution I made was to use toasted sesame seeds, instead of starting with raw seeds and toasting them myself. This was quicker, and I don't think it detracted from the flavor.

Overall, i enjoyed this recipe. It would be a good side dish for Japanese or Thai dishes, or it could stand on its own. If I make it again, I will use more greens to get a higher ratio of greens to dressing. I might also like to try this as part of a rice & veggie bowl.