To see images of my past posts & get links to the recipes – look on my Pinterest board – HERE.
All my posts now have a VERY customizable PRINT & PDF option. Create a PDF & save the recipe to your computer or print it out. It offers a “remove images” option & you can delete any part of the post you do not need before printing. The button is below by the Twitter & Facebook links.
Click the image above to watch the video.
Red Coconut Curry Pad Thai Noodles with Crispy Garlic Tofu
serves 4-6
INGREDIENTS
1 lb tofu
oil
3 TBS red curry paste
1 15 oz can lite coconut milk
1 TBS fresh ginger – minced
2 TBS minced garlic
1 TBS soy sauce
for the marinade
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
2 TBS brown sugar
2 TBS low sodium soy sauce
1 TBS minced garlic
1 TBS minced ginger
1 TBS crushed red pepper
for the noodles
1 lb noodles (either fresh Pad Thai noodles or a pound of cooked & drained noodles of your choice)
1 small onion – diced
1-3 jalapenos – sliced
Your mix of fresh vegetables (I used 1 15 oz can of baby corn, 1 small can diced water chestnuts, 1 cup broccoli florets, 1 cup chopped purple cabbage, 1 cup chopped carrots, 1 cup sliced snap peas, 1 cup frozen peas)
Garnish: lime wedges, cilantro, sesame seeds and maybe another can of warmed coconut milk with red curry paste whisked in to use as a gravy over the noodles – for those that like a saucy dish)
DIRECTIONS
Optional – cut the tofu in half so you have two large squares about 3/4 inch thick. Put them between paper towels & cover with a heavy pan for 30 minutes to release some moisture.
Cube the tofu. Whisk the marinade together & marinate the tofu for 30 minutes or longer.
Heat a TBS or oil & over high heat – fry the drained tofu. Let it sit a few minutes on each side before turning until it is well browned. Set aside.
Heat 1 TBS oil in a pan & saute the onion & jalapeno. When soft, add the remaining vegetables (retaining the frozen peas to add later) and saute a few minutes. Add garlic, ginger & soy sauce. Stir to combine.Add curry paste & coconut milk. Stir & add fresh or cooked noodles. If it gets too dry – add some water. Heat through. Stir in the frozen peas & heat through.
Plate each serving & top with the crispy tofu.
Garnish as you desire.
I warmed another can of coconut milk & whisked in more red curry to drizzle over each serving.
To see images of my past posts & get links to the recipes – look on my Pinterest board – HERE.
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All my posts now have a VERY customizable PRINT & PDF option. Create a PDF & save the recipe to your computer or print it out. It offers a “remove images” option & you can delete any part of the post you do not need before printing. The button is below by the Twitter & Facebook links.
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Click the image above to watch the video.
This dish might be one of the tastiest & easiest recipes I have ever posted!
I steamed the broccoli separately. I recommend this highly as a way to avoid overcooking it & to keep it from turning an unsightly dark brown color from the sauce. You can use any kind of rice you like – or put this over noodles of some kind – but try it!
This is a REALLY easy dish to make. It made my house smell like a Chinese restaurant (in the best way) & was so shockingly good – it was all I could do not to eat the entire recipe in one sitting. The leftovers were even better today & I wasted no time devouring them. I think you will be blown away by how Goddamn tasty this fucker is.
Ultra Easy Vegan (or not) Spicy Mongolian Beef
serves 2
INGREDIENTS
Steamed rice of your choice
1 (8 oz) of your choice of faux beef
1-2 TBS avocado oil (or vegetable or olive oil or oil of your choice)
Cornstarch
1 tsp – 1 TBS crushed red pepper (or sriracha or other chili paste – or hoisin sauce) – optional
1 TBS minced ginger (I used jarred)
4 garlic cloves – minced
1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/3 cup water
1 heaping TBS or more (to taste) brown sugar
1/2 cup shredded carrots
4 scallions sliced
Garnish – sliced scallions, sesame seeds
DIRECTIONS
Toss the fake meat in just enough cornstarch to cover it.
Heat 1 TBS olive oil in a large saute pan. Add the crushed red pepper & the meat. Fry the meat until the outside begins to brown or get a bit crusty. Maybe 3-5 minutes. If using real meat – cook it to your desired doneness. Put the meat on a plate & set aside.
Lower the heat on the pan to med-low and add another TBS (more or less) of oil Add the garlic & ginger & let saute about a minute & then add the water, soy, carrots & sugar. Increase heat to a boil.
The sauce should thicken pretty quickly. Add the cooked meat & scallions. Add some rice to the situation & eat the two servings on your own. Get drunk & start shit-talking on Facebook about what a badass, cooking muthafuckah you are.
To see images of my past posts & get links to the recipes – look on my Pinterest board – HERE.
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All my posts now have a VERY customizable PRINT & PDF option. Create a PDF & save the recipe to your computer or print it out. It offers a “remove images” option & you can delete any part of the post you do not need before printing. The button is below by the Twitter & Facebook links.
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Click the image below for a video of this recipe. In it there is an easy & inexpensive recipe, a peek at all my dogs & look at my trip to Chicago to see 90210 The Musical! Complete with a clip from the show! #EmilyValentine
OK – I decided I had to make these for two reasons. 1) Sir Mix-a-lot & his Baby Got Back song. Is there EVER a time when this song doesn’t sound great? For a novelty-sounding song – it really holds up over time. Anyway – one line is “Red beans & rice didn’t miss her.” While that makes it sound like red beans & rice give you a huge ass – this recipe is clean & healthy. I hear this song at the gym rather frequently & it always makes me crave red beans & rice.
2) It has been hot as FUCK this week and these can be made stove-top (or in a crock pot) – minimizing the heat added to my already sweltering kitchen.
I am sitting at my desk in my un-air-conditioned office (the hottest room in my house) – I will simply show what it was like outside before 10AM today:
Yes. That says 100 degrees at 9:58 am. UGH!!!!!!!!
So – I will keep this brief & slink down to my kitchen – the coolest room in my house – for the remainder of the day.
One note – I used two kinds of veggie sausage here but I am not 100% certain either is vegan (though I think they are). Just check the brand you use to be sure – assuming you are vegan.
Also – I browned the two Field Roast links you see there before adding the other ingredients & that was sort of a waste of time because they just got sort of soggy after the stock was added. So – I browned additional sausage:
and set it aside & just added it at the end – sort of like a garnish. That way, it retained it seared qualities. You can do this – or not – your call. Combined – the two varieties of sausage made this a “meatier” dish than it need be but those fake sausages are yummy – so fuck it. I did add a couple of zucchinis to lighten the beans up a bit.
Presoaking beans overnight not only cuts down on cooking time by up to 25 percent, it also helps the beans cook evenly without splitting. It’s easy, too (if you remember to do it). Still, we prefer the “power soak” method. Not only is it faster than soaking beans overnight, it also breaks down more of the complex sugars that can make beans hard to digest. The process is simple: Place beans in a pot and cover with water by three inches. Bring to a boil and simmer briskly for two minutes. Remove from heat, cover, and let stand for one hour. Drain. Your beans will be ready to use in your favorite recipes.–Kay Chun
Healthy Spicy Vegan Red Beans and Rice
Feeds a lot – 6 or more
INGREDIENTS
Cooked rice ( I used brown basmati)
1 lb dry small red beans (soaked overnight or quick-soaked as outlined above) – try to use small red but kidney will do in a pinch
Olive oil
4 celery stalks – chopped
1-3 chipotle peppers in adobo (I used 3 & these beans were SPICY!) – minced
1/2 large onion – diced
2 zucchinis – cubed (optional)
1-2 jalapeno peppers – seeded & diced (I used two)
4 garlic cloves – minced
1 bell pepper – diced (traditional in the dish – but I didn’t have one & I didn’t miss it)
2 tsp dry thyme
3 bay leaves
1 TBS dry rub (I used that Road Kill stuff above but any rub you like will do)
1-3 tsp Creole seasoning (I used Zatarain’s)
Vegan sausage (I ended up using 6!) – in a quantity you feel suits your taste – sliced
5+ cups vegetable stock
Scallions for garnish
DIRECTIONS
Quick-soak the beans if you did not soak them overnight (instructions are above). The soaking helps to stop the gas beans are famous for giving us.
As I explained above, you might want to brown your sausage & set it aside – and add it at the very end – so it retains its texture better. If texture doesn’t matter to you – just add it with the onions. Or – divvy it up & do a little of both – as I ended up doing.
Cook your rice.
Heat 2-3 TBS olive oil in a LARGE stock pot & saute the sausage until browned & either set it aside or just continue. Some vegan sausage is pretty dry & you might need more olive oil. Add onions, celery, bell pepper (if using), jalapeno & saute til softened a bit. Again – add more olive oil if you think it is getting too dry. Add chipotle, zucchini, dry rub, thyme, Creole seasoning, bay leaves & garlic & stir to incorporate & then add the red beans & 5 cups of stock.
Then bring this all to a boil. Lower the heat & cover & simmer for 2 hours or so – or until the beans are tender. Stir every once in a while & add water if it gets too thick. I added 1-2 cups of water by the time it was all said & done. At some point – when the beans are soft – smash a cup or two with a wooden spoon against the pot – or (as I did) – drop an immersion blender in there & mash a cup or two – so there is a thick broth.
When you are ready to serve, put some rice on each plate, add the red beans & garnish with sausage (if you set some aside) & chopped scallions. A cold beer or two – and you are good to go!
To see images of my past posts & get links to the recipes – look on my Pinterest board – HERE.
Click the image below to watch the video for this recipe.
This chicken & broccoli comes together faster than the rice – so – if you have warm, cooked rice ready – you can serve this in ten minutes. None of the ingredients are particularly exotic but it is GENUINELY spicy. I like a lot of heat & this took it to my limit – so – if you are more timid in the spice department – cut the spicy things way back or drop them completely. I used – as always – Beyond Meat brand vegan chicken because it is absolutely the best on the market. It comes in 9 or 12 ounce packages.
1-5 dry red chilies – halved & seeded (VERY optional as these are VERY spicy – and if you use hem – do not chew & swallow them – but pick them out when you eat)
1/2 cup vegan hoisin sauce
1-2 TBS sriracha sauce
1-3 tsp crushed garlic (I used jarred)
1 TBS ginger (I used jarred)
Broccoli for 2 – fresh or frozen
Salted peanuts
Sliced scallions as garnish
Cooked rice for 2
DIRECTIONS
Cook the rice. If you are using fresh broccoli – steam it a few minutes until it is done to your taste & set aside. If using frozen – cook it according to directions & set aside
Heat 1 TBS olive oil in a pan. Saute the jalapeno & red chili – if using them. When the jalapeno is softens (a few minutes) – add the garlic & ginger & saute 1 minute. Add the hoisin & sriracha and the chicken & heat the chicken through.
Assemble the bowls with the rice, broccoli & chicken & garnish with peanuts & scallions.
To see images of my past posts & get links to the recipes – look on my Pinterest board – HERE.
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All my posts now have a VERY customizable PRINT & PDF option. Create a PDF & save the recipe to your computer or print it out. It offers a “remove images” option & you can delete any part of the post you do not need before printing. The button is below by the Twitter & Facebook links.
~
Click the image below to watch a video for this recipe.
OK – this dish is really easy to make & wildly delicious! And – you get to smoke it yourself in just five minutes! This is a really cool new trick I learned & I cannot wait to find new ways to use it.
All you need is a piece of natural charcoal (without lighter fluid or chemicals) – like this:
You heat it up on the stove – like this:
There is one more step but I will get back to that later. There are a few steps involved in the overall recipe but all are very easy! And the only “exotic” ingredient is the garam masala. If you cannot find it or don’t feel like looking for it – you can make it from stuff you likely already have. Look for recipes HERE.
This recipe really makes quite a lot of this stuff – enough for four – more if you serve it with rice or naan or roti. If you don’t have lots of folks to feed & don’t want yummy leftovers – cut the recipe in half – at least. I like my Indian food very flavorful & I tend to double or triple the amount of spices that traditional recipes typically suggest. I will post this recipe with a suggested amount of each thing & then tell you what I used. This dish is spicy but not crazy spicy – but I do like heat. If you have a more tender palate – be conservative.
Oh – and check out this tip on how to cut an onion without crying!
Smoked & Spicy Indian Eggplant Curry
Feeds 4 generously – served with rice
INGREDIENTS
2 small onions – diced
1 red bell pepper – seeded & diced
6 medium tomatoes
30 raw almonds (or raw cashews)
3+ TBS vegan butter
2 lb eggplant (any variety) – cubed
1-2 TBS ginger – minced (I used 2 but mine was jarred. Maybe go lighter if you are using freshly grated ginger)
4-10 garlic cloves – minced (I used 10)
1-2 TBS garam masala (I used 1)
1-3 tsp chili powder (I used 1)
Cilantro – as garnish
(serve with steamed rice or naan or roti or tortillas)
for smoking the eggplant curry
1 lump of coal about the size of a lemon or larger
2 TBS olive or vegetable oil
1 small METAL bowl to safely hold the hot charcoal
You also need a large saute pan & some sort of cover. I used my wok cover.
DIRECTIONS
Soak the nuts in some water for 5 minutes. I used this metal dog food dish & used it again later in the smoking process.
(In the video version – I did not peel the tomatoes so feel free to skip this step.) Meanwhile – poke some holes in your tomatoes with the tip of a knife & drop them into boiling water. After a few minutes – you will see the skins curling off. Drain & run under cool water until you can handle them without burning yourself. Then core them.
Drain the nuts & then puree them in a blender with the tomatoes. Set aside.
Heat 3 TBS of vegan butter or olive oil in a large saute pan – large enough to hold ALL the ingredients. Over high heat – saute the onions & red bell pepper & eggplant. Saute until the eggplant begins to brown. Add more vegan butter or olive oil if needed. This should take about 10 minutes.
Add the garam masala & chili powder & the ginger – stir to incorporate. Add the garlic & stir for one minute – then add the tomato puree. Boil this for about 5-7 minutes until it thickens. If it gets too thick – add a bit of water.
When it looks about like this:
TURN OFF THE HEAT & put your metal bowl in the center of the pan.
Now – heat up the charcoal – like this:
When it is red hot or graying on the outside – USE METAL TONGS & put it in the bowl in the center of your curry. Then pour some olive or vegetable oil on it It will immediately begin smoking so – if you have a hood with vents – turn them on. Quickly – cover it up with a pot cover of some sort. I used my old & very beaten up wok cover.
Let this sit for 5-10 minutes & let the smoke work its magic. I went 6 minutes because I was afraid it would be too smoky. It wasn’t. In the future – I will go for ten minutes. CAREFULLY remove the metal bowl – with two pairs of tongs. DO NOT BURN YOURSELF!
DEFINITELY season this with salt. Do not be shy – but add it in increments. Salt is under-rated as a spice.
Then – just serve this over some rice or with naan or a tortilla or roti – garnished with some cilantro.
Delightful-Delicious-Delovely 