Asparagus That I've Served to Kids (Pan Seared Asparagus)

Be it 7 years ago but I on many occasions served this to a 3 year old and she loved it. Asparagus definitely has a "strong" taste that children usually do not like... even if they're not finicky. Asparagus is a powerhouse food (100g = 1/2 of our B9 recommendation, full of folic acid for you knocked up ladies, it's a diuretic and full of fiber for those trying to drop a couple of lbs with only 24 calories per serving... unless i'm making it) Adults love this shit... i do too! Super easy and not that bad for you so enjoy.


1 bunch of asparagus
3-4 T kosher salt (or Sea Salt... but no iodized)
1/2 lemon, seeds removed
2T olive oil
2T butter, EB or margarine

i wash my asparagus and bend them individually to see where they snap which is where the fibrous part is. Discard the bottom half that snaps off. I like mine in about 3 inch long pieces so cut lengthwise to that length or whatever you prefer.

(i'll cut smaller if i'm making a risotto).

Place into a separate container and liberally add kosher salt. I'm not going to kill you if you don't use Kosher

(mainly because i don't know where you live)

but iodized salt sucks and the crunch that the Kosher Salt gives is simply amazing. It's also great for searing meats. Let sit for about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile... heat up your preferably not-non-stick skillet on super high heat. I wanna see smoke off that thing if possible. Add your butter and let brown for literally a millisecond then add your olive oil.

(Olive oil has a higher smoking point than butter allowing you to cook at a higher temp without burning the fat. Brown butter = nutty and yummy, black butter = something i have to throw away.)

Add asparagus and saute till you start to see char marks on the asparagus... about 4 minutes.

(saute is french for jump... so really saute that shit like they do on the cooking shows... use your wrists... not your spatula.)

once the pan is dry and the asparagus has soaked up all of the oil and butter squeeze lemon into the pan. You will see smoke but this is just water vapor... you're searing the asparagus. saute for another 2 minutes and serve.

if you don't like this recipe... you're lame.

Salisbury Tempeh

Babe is watching the Lakers Game at his own place. So I am at home... doin' my own thang. Cooking things that he would NEVER eat.

Salisbury Tempeh (serves 3-4)

Ingredients:

1 8oz Package Whole Grain Tempeh
1/2C water
2T Braggs Aminos
4 cloves garlic sliced or minced or 2T fried garlic (optional)
1-2 drops liquid smoke (optional)
4 T oil

1T oil
8-10 sliced crimini (brown) mushrooms
2C raw spinach (optional)
1/2 sliced brown onion
fresh ground pepper

1 Package Hain vegetarian brown gravy mix
1 C water

Method:

Take the tempeh out of the package and slice lengthwise so that you have two thinner pieces. Cut each slice into 2 squares then into triangles. Heat oil in a large frying on medium heat and add tempeh.

Fry on one side for about 8 minutes moving from time to time. Turn tempeh over and add the 1/2C water, Braggs (you can substitute soy sauce), optional garlic and liquid smoke. cover and simmer for another 8 minutes moving from time to time. If the pan gets dry add about 1/4C of water only at a time. Transfer to bowl and set aside.

While pan is still hot add 1 tablespoon of oil and then add the sliced crimini mushrooms and onion. You can use white mushrooms and onion if you want but the flavors are not as savory and in my opinion not as good. Saute for a couple of minutes then add spinach (sorry, but i put spinach in EVERYTHING. I love it) and saute till spinach has wilted. Add to bowl with the tempeh.

Turn pan down to low and add 1 cup of cold water. Add Hain vegetarian brown gravy mix and cook according to package. Once thickened add the tempeh, spinach and mushrooms and gently heat through.

I serve this dish atop mashed potatoes with broccoli on the side but this can easily be served over rice or egg noodles if you're vegetarian.


My Two Cents:

when you look in my cabinet you'll see all sorts of crazy shit like fried garlic, braggs aminos, vegetarian gravy and liquid smoke. I seriously recommend having stuff like this on hand in your pantry at all times. Stocking up on "basics" like these in addition to vegetarian chicken stock, tandoori powder and steak seasoning make your possibilities endless when it comes to vegan and vegetarian cooking. Nobody eats beans, tofu or tempeh plain... SPICE IT UP!

fried garlic - Ranch 99 market (99 Ranch market... whatever the fuck you call it) Asian markets are the shit. Ever wonder where to buy mock chicken or duck..? Here mother fuckers!

Hain Vegetarian Brown Gravy - I get mine at Henry's Marketplace. I buy at least two if i need to pick up one. they make a "chicken" version too but i don't find it all that often.

Braggs Liquid Aminos - apparently this shit is really good for you. I don't cook with it much but i do like it as a salad dressing with fresh lemon juice and maybe a drop of sesame oil. This is a great alternative to soy sauce if you're gluten free since this is not fermented and does not contain yeast. i dont' know what the fuck is in it... i never read the label.

Liquid smoke - i got this at Henry's. This stuff goes a long way. Literally all you need is a drop or two. I'll post the recipe for Fakin' Bitz which uses this with TVP (Texturized vegetable protein... yet another random vegan item i keep in my pantry)


till then... i'm outta here! time to clean up the kitchen and straighten my hair. This is my last day at the office being 30 (my barfday is Sunday) and i got new jeggins (yes... jeggins) so i gotta look at least remotely decent. plus my hoegaarden is gettin' kinda warm. i'll try to post more but i have adult ADD so.... look! bears!

Chilled Soba Noodle Salad with Seared Tofu and Julienned Vegetables

8 oz asparagus (10-12 slimmer spears)
1T toasted sesame oil
1/3 C + 1T soy sauce
1/4 C vegetable stock
1 1/2 t sugar
1 1/2 T toasted sesame seeds
1/2 t grated ginger
2 T fresh squeezed orange juice
1 1/2 t dry sherry (optional)
2 t grapeseed oil (or extra virgin light olive oil)
1/2 tub pressed tofu
8 oz soba noodles
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 med red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and cut julienne


Preheat oven to 450


1. after tofu has been pressed of excess liquid cut into one inch cubes and place into bowl. In a separate bowl whisk together 1 T soy sauce and mirin and drizzle over tofu. allow to sit for at least 15 minutes.

2. trim off dry, woody ends of the asparagus. Place spears on silpat lined or parchment lined baking sheet. Brush with sesame oil and bake for about 5-7 minutes, till tender. Once cool, slice into 1/2 inch lengths.

3. in a small mixing bowl whisk together remaining soy sauce, stock, sesame seeds, ginger, orange juice and sherry. Set aside till needed

4. heat a medium saute pan over high heat, add grapeseed oil and heat through. Drain and blot dry tofu and sprinkle evenly with sugar. Sear until golden brown. Drain and set aside.

5. Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil. separate noodles and drop into boiling water, stirring once or twice. Cook just until al dente. Drain in a colander and rinse really well with cold water until completely chilled and there is no more excess starch. Drain into serving bowl and toss with soy sauce mixture.

6. Add green onions, bell pepper, asparagus and seared tofu. Leave as is or toss to coat with the dressing and mix well. Serve Chilled

Server 2 as an entree or 4 as an appetizer

Leftover Lemony Garlicky Seared Carrots (vegan/vegetarian)

As a side dish to any meal especially BBQ tofu (OMG delish!) and to use the left over carrots and garlic from the Sweet Potato Lentil Curry I present to you Lemony Garlicky Seared Carrots This recipe is so easy and very versatile. Use sesame oil instead of olive and sprinkle with sesame seeds for an Asian kick, use basalmic vinegar instead of lemon juice for a french inspired side dish to a mock meatloaf or lentil loaf.

serves 3-4

Ingredients:

3T Olive Oil

2T EarthBalance or margarine... or butter

7 carrots cut into batons ($.35)

6 cloves garlic sliced($.20)

1/2 lemon ($.10) I'll but them when they're 10/$1 and freeze what i don't use straight away.

salt, preferably Kosher

total cost: $.65. cost per serving: about $.20!!!

Side Note:

ok... you need a really good professional style skillet preferably stainless over non-stick. (Go to TJMaxx if you have one in your area... way cheaper & worth it!) A stainless steel skillet allows you to get your pan hot enough to sear foods where as you cannot with a non-stick pan. Getting a non-stick pan super hot will apparently cause cancer causing fumes to release. IDK. If you do not have a stainless steel a non stick will do fine. Olive oil has a higher smoking point than butter so this combo allows food to get hot enough for searing but not taste burnt because of the butter. You will want some char marks on the carrots but not many.

Method

After you have cut your carrots into batons, liberally salt them and set aside. Get your pan searing hot if you have a stainless steel pan, set on med.high if your pan is non-stick. A drop of water should dance on the hot pan. Add your olive oil and just as it begins to smoke add your EB, margarine or butter. when it becomes bubbly brown add your carrots, then your garlic. Saute the carrots until the butter/oil has been absorbed the pan appears to be dry. Once dry, squeeze lemon juice onto the searing hot pan collecting the seeds in the palm of your hand. Let the excess juice absorb. Turn off heat, serve and enjoy!

Procrastination Sweet Potato Lentil Curry (Vegan)

When I should've been working on this research paper I have due on Friday I decided to make some curry. Curry is usually cheap, fairly easy to make and the sky's the limit when it comes to creativity. Literally, just about anything in your cupboard or fridge can be in curry. If you have nothing in your fridge... going to a farmer's market type grocery store (like Henry's/WildOats) can put you in a position to create a meal for 4 (with leftovers) for under $10! The best thing about these types of markets is that they have a bulk section where you can purchase grains, dried legumes, granolas, herbs and spices. You can buy as much or as little as you like. I like buying in this section when i can because it allows me to always have fresh spices and cut costs when i only need a tablespoon or two. Don't be afraid to be a weirdo like me and bring a tablespoon and quarter cup along. Sometimes the weight doesn't even register (you'll see what i mean when you see how much my curry powder costs). I save costs by also purchasing unwashed spinach. It's not much of a time waster in my opinion. I'll tell you when to start it.

All of the items were purchased from Henry's Market in Escondido, Ca. None of the items were on sale... booooooooo!

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

2T olive oil

3T curry powder ($.18)

2T veggie chicken stock powder ($.16)

3 carrots chopped ($.15) the whole bag costs $.50 but i only used 3

3 cloves garlic minced ($.10) bunches are 3/$1

1 bunch spinach in strips($1.49) a pre-washed bag costs around $3

1 med onion chopped ($.28)

1 russet potato chopped ($.61)

2 sweet potatoes or yams chopped ($1.29)

1/2 C dried red lentils rinsed ($1.08)

2 tomatoes diced ($.95) I tend to use whatever is cheapest when cooking, this time I used roma

1 can coconut milk ($1.19)

1 C hot water (I prefer to nuke it in the micro for 99 seconds. less energy used)

salt to taste

total spent $8.06 price per serving $2!!!

It is always wise to have "tout mise-en-place" (everything in it's place) I like to have everything chopped, diced and measured out before i start cooking. I also tend to keep out my shopping bag so that I have a place to put all of my scraps and trash.

Preparation:

Fill your sink with cold water. If your spinach bunch is really dirty, cut off the dirtiest part first before dropping it into the water. Agitate the water and allow sand to fall to the bottom. Let rest.

In a cup add hot water to veggie broth powder... you have now made veggie stock! set it aside for later.

In a stock pot i heat my oil on about med-low. Once warm i add my chopped potatoes, yams, carrots, onion and garlic. Add salt and saute till the onion is translucent. About 10 minutes

meanwhile....

gather spinach, drain water from sink, rinse sink add more cold water and put spinach back in the sink. Agitate and let rest.

back to the curry...

Add curry powder to the pot, along with the can of coconut milk and the lentils. add a bit more salt. Cover and allow to simmer for about 40 minutes. Stir occasionally adding the remainder of the stock if the curry becomes too thick.

while that's simmering... back to the spinach

agitate the spinach one last time and remove the stems. The best way to get the spinach leaves into strips is to use the Chiffonade method I stack more than i should an mine are usually messy but you get the point. Set that aside.

Once the lentils in your curry are tender add the spinach ribbons and chopped tomatoes. Stir gently and allow spinach to wilt. Season one last time with salt, if needed and BOOM DONE CURRY!