Okonomiyaki—Japanese vegetable pancakes | Oprah

I was reading this post about Your Vegan Mom's obsession with okonomiyaki, Japanese vegetable pancakes, and her obsession soon became mine. All I could think about were those darn pancakes. I actually had the cookbook they were from, and had even reviewed it on this blog last October, so I fetched it from the cookbook shelf and got to cooking. "Japanese Cooking, Contemporary & Traditional" by Miyoko Nishimoto Schinner is a terrific little cookbook filled with simple but delicious traditional and contemporary Japanese dishes. Everything I've made from it has been wonderful, and the pancakes, from the contemporary everyday favorites section, were no exception.



The batter was thick, white and a little weird, and I wasn't sure what to expect, but the pancakes cooked perfectly on a lightly oiled cast iron skillet. There are five cups of julienned vegetables in the mix, though it's hard to tell that from the photos. I used two cups of Chinese cabbage, one cup of carrots, one cup of broccoli stems and one cup of onion. I used white whole wheat flour for the okonomiyaki, as it has become my all-purpose flour, and I thought it worked very well. The thick and savory pancakes, served with a little tamari and some hot sauce, were absolutely delicious, and I will certainly be making them again soon.

The recipe says it serves six, but I got seven large pancakes, and my husband and I could only comfortably eat one each. It was awfully hard to stop, however, so we split an additional one and put the rest away before we had a chance to eat any more. The pancakes reheated well and were delicious for breakfast the next day. (And the day after.)



Savory vegetable pancakes (okonomiyaki) reprinted with permission

• 2 cups water
• 1/4 pound regular tofu
• 2-1/2 cups whole wheat pastry or unbleached white flour (I used white whole wheat)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 4 to 5 cups thinly sliced or slivered vegetables: onions, carrot matchsticks, cabbage, broccoli, green beans, mushrooms, etc.)

Purée the water and tofu in a blender until smooth. Combine the flour, salt, and baking powder in a large bowl, and mix well. Pour in the liquid mixture, and mix lightly. Add the vegetables and mix well to combine.

Cook large pancakes on a lightly oiled skillet or griddle over medium-low heat until browned on both sides. Serve while hot, with soy sauce. (You can also serve plain or with your favorite Japanese-style sauce.)

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What we've been cooking


Tofu and kale tostados

One of our old favorite quick meals is tofu and kale burritos, which I first made after eating something similar in a restaurant in Santa Fe. The recipe is here. My husband made tostados recently and when I tasted them I recognized the old recipe right away. It's a very easy to make dish with great flavor, and it worked perfectly on corn tortillas.



My son whipped up a batch of English muffins from Vegan Brunch. He loves these, and has now made them three times.

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Thoughts on Oprah's vegan for a week experiment
The vegan blogs are buzzing with criticism of the way Oprah handled her show about what happened when she and 378 members of her staff went vegan for a week. You've probably encountered at least one blog review of her show. I encourage you to watch the program if you haven't seen it. I was going to spout off my opinion, but Natala of Vegan Hope has said everything I was thinking much more eloquently than I could, so I'll just direct you to her post instead. I certainly agree with all the negative points vegan bloggers have been making; I couldn't help but be disturbed while I watched. But the show wasn't directed towards committed vegans. Oprah knows her audience well, she has the power to influence people, and she probably did more than we know to encourage people to think about what's on their plate.

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Some of the recipes I've been testing for Urban Vegan
I've been expending a lot of cooking energy on testing recipes for Urban Vegan's newest cookbook. All this testing doesn't leave much time for other food exploits, but I'm not complaining. It's been fun to try so many new recipes.


Spicy tomato lemon dressing


Earthy eggplant

This was so good. We had it as a side dish the first night, then I added sun-dried tomatoes and served the leftovers over brown rice spaghetti.


Mushy peas


Golden millet pilaf

I loved this dish so much but my husband and son didn't like it at all. I couldn't understand why.


Cinnamon-date scones


Island-style tempeh


Island-style tempeh served with rice, roasted veggies and salad

Recipe testing / tofu and cabbage /Texas caviar

Where oh where has the week gone? Wherever it went, it went quickly. I can't even remember eating but I've got the photos to prove we did. I tested more recipes and threw together random meals, and I'll share those with you but as far as personal, creative cooking. Ha. Nothing. At the top of the page you see a butternut squash-pasta bake tester recipe.



Above you see a super-fast baked seitan tester. Too bad I can't share this!



Some of the seitan was used to make a seitan and kale stir-fry that was delicious. It was served alongside the baked pasta and squash.



This was a thrown together lunch of humble origins but wonderful taste. I stir-fried extra-firm fresh tofu cubes with a small amount of tamari. When the tofu was sizzling and brown, I added a prodigious amount of grated ginger and some finely sliced green cabbage. The cabbage was cooked to the crisp-tender stage and the the dish was further seasoned with a grind of pepper. You can really pull a lot of flavor out of simple ingredients when necessary.

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Texas Caviar: black-eyed pea salsa

Way back back in 2007 when I first started blogging, I ran a recipe for a traditional black-eyed-pea dish that's supposed to bring good luck if you eat it on New Year's. You can find the original post here. I hope the two people who may have read that post will forgive me for posting it again. I love this dish and think everyone should make it!

Texas Caviar
2 cans black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained
4 scallions, finely sliced
3 jalapenos, minced
1/4 cup cilantro, minced
1/4 cup olive oil,
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
Fresh gound peppercorns

Rinse and drain the beans and place in a bowl with the scallions, cilantro and peppers. Put the oil, vinegar, lime juice and salt in a one cup glass measuring cup and mix together. Add the liquid to the beans mixture and combine. Place in a shallow glass (or other non-reactive) dish. Cover and place in the refrigerator for a few hours or a few days. Mix occasionally to distribute the marinade evenly. Grind some peppercorns over the top just before serving.

notes: I thought the mix looked a little too green and beige so I went looking in the refrigerator for a few grape tomatoes to chop up. They were gone so I got a few slices of the tomatoes I dried last summer (and keep in a sealed freezer bag in the fridge). I chopped those up and added them for color and tang. I also used jalapenos from last summer's garden. I always freeze bags of whole, hot peppers from the garden to use in cooking during the rest of the year. This was the first time I tried to use them uncooked. Couldn't tell they weren't fresh.

Fresh squeezed lime juice makes a superior salad but I would understand if you kept a bottle of lime juice (like Santa Cruz organic) in your refrigerator for "emergencies." The beans will still taste great.

I like to rinse and drain canned beans in a wire wok skimmer that I got in an Asian market years ago because I liked the way it looked. It's easier to clean than my fine mesh strainers and holds about one can of beans at a time.




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Today we're heading south towards warmer and, hopefully, dryer weather. I won't be cooking much but I'll photograph our culinary adventures to share when we return. Until then have the happiest of holidays and remember to share your bounty with those who have less.

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Oh, and by the way, we watched the original version of Invasion of the Body Snatchers and I wasn't scared witless. In fact, I slept very well after seeing it. Still, it's a cool, cult classic that you might want to watch.

Dinner with Aaron and Erica / veganmofo 2009

We had dinner with our son Aaron and his girl friend, Erica. Whenever we eat at their apartment, we know the food will be great, and we weren't disappointed. Aaron & Erica had eaten at The Farm Cafe in Portland, OR, and wanted to re-create the meal they had there. Lucky for us the recipe for this fabulous dinner was online, and with the link to Everyday dish TV (plant-based cuisine), you, too, can enjoy this delicious meal of Herb-Crusted Tofu with Mushrooms Marsala, and Garlic Mashed Potatoes. Yesterday I said I prefer to post recipes after I personally try making them in my kitchen, but Aaron said he followed the directions, and the recipe worked really well. He recommends watching the video because he said it differs slightly from the written instructions, particularly for making the marsala sauce. Aaron said that following the video will give you a meal that tastes just like the one at the restaurant. Our meal was accompanied by brussels sprouts and was delicious. Try it.

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Soy Curls at last
I've had Soy Curl-envy for a long time now as I've read all the rave reviews of this product and seen the photos of delicious-looking soy curl dishes. I just couldn't find them locally in Wisconsin and never got around to ordering them. I must have forgotten we moved to Seattle a few weeks ago, and all things vegan are now within my grasp. So I went to the Soy Curl Web page to discover what I already suspected - Soy Curls are sold at the Sidecar vegan grocery. My husband and I were planning a walk around Green Lake but we walked to Sidecar instead, and got some Curls, some Daiya cheese, some vegetable soup base and a lot of exercise.



My husband made Soy curls with asparagus and quinoa from Vegan Yum Yum except he used broccoli, green beans and sweet red peppers instead of asparagus. The verdict? Very tasty with a nice texture for those moments when texture is on your mind, if you know what I mean. Soy Curls are made from whole soybeans and contain no weird additives, and they're very low in salt. I see great potential here. We didn't try the Daiya, yet, but we will, soon.

FYI


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Bake sale!!!
If you're in the Seattle area this weekend and craving baked goods, stop by Sidecar for a vegan bake sale to benefit Sidecar for Pigs Peace Sanctuary. I've set aside today as a baking day for brownies, blondies and crackers, but I can't wait to buy the stuff other people make.

Where: Sidecar For Pigs Peace
5270 B University Way NE
Seattle, WA 98105

When: Saturday October 10
and Sunday October 11
1 PM to 4 PM

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Don't forget to enter the cookbook giveaway! Who wouldn't want a copy of "Love Soup" by Anna Thomas?

Cooking from the vegan blogs

© 2009 Andrea's easy vegan cooking

Lately I've been enjoying making things from other people's blogs and cookbooks. It's satisfying and creative when I devise my own recipes, but with so many intriguing recipes already perfected by others, and begging to be tried, it makes sense to benefit from my fellow-bloggers' hard work. We had a family dinner (minus two) Sunday night and everything we served came from food blogs and cookbooks.


© 2009 Andrea's easy vegan cooking

I made a batch of Cheezy Quackers from Have Cake Will Travel to have on hand when our hungry guests arrived. I especially had in mind the mini-guest, aged 19 months, who really likes to eat, and appreciates a good cracker or two. I was right about this - she had a cracker in each little fist both before and after dinner, and even carried a couple home with her. Because I was thinking about Miss E, I reduced the pepper in the recipe by about half. Although the crackers were delicious, they were a bit salty for me so next time I think I'll reduce the salt a little, too. I used white whole wheat flour with a very small amount of baking powder and they turned out great. My favorites were the ones I thought I had rolled too thin! I didn't have a tiny duck cutter - just a pig and a flower - but I opted to use a pastry cutter, and cut the dough into rectangles because I'm lazy, and it's the easy way out of a lot of cutting. But I made pigs and flowers out of the scraps left over from straightening the dough. I may be lazy, but I like a certain amount of variety. :)


© 2009 Andrea's easy vegan cooking

For the main course my husband prepared Sweet Chili Lime Tofu With Wok Steamed Collards, and Quinoa from Vegan Yum Yum. This has become one of our favorite dishes. We used a combination of collards and kale for the vegetable, and a combination of red and regular quinoa for the grain. I've already blogged about this dish in the past so I didn't photograph it. Here's a photo from the old post, just so you can see how attractive it is:



I also made a simple salad of sliced, fresh tomatoes, cucumbers and green onions drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.


© 2009 Andrea's easy vegan cooking

For dessert I made two selections from Ricki's cookbook, "Sweet Freedom." I'd been eyeing the butterscotch blondies forever, and finally got all the ingredients together to make a batch. She warned me in the recipe not to over-bake them, and I tried really hard not to, but without a working timer in the kitchen, and so much going on, I probably did over-bake them a little bit. (Sorry, Ricki, I'm not used to the oven in this house, yet.) But, they were still fantastic! Everyone loved them, and now I have a really good excuse to make them again.


© 2009 Andrea's easy vegan cooking

The blondies probably would have been enough, but I had two over-ripe bananas on the counter, and there was a recipe in "Sweet Freedom" for Banana Oat Bars that called for two very ripe bananas, so I made those, too. I subbed chopped prunes for the raisins or cranberries, and ground almonds for the coconut. I wanted to use coconut but we didn't have any, but they turned out great anyway. Guess I'll have to make these again, too, so I can try them with coconut and cranberries. (I also topped them with chocolate chips because I have a weakness for bananas and chocolate.)


© 2009 Andrea's easy vegan cooking

The next day, I used the leftover quinoa and greens (the tofu was all gone, tsk) as the base for a lunch salad. I added tomato, cucumber and avocado, with olive oil and lemon for the dressing.

Now go make all this stuff! You won't be sorry.

Dinner treat from Vegan Yum Yum

© 2009 Andrea's easy vegan cooking

Three of my husband's graduate students hosted us for dinner recently, with Katie doing most of the cooking. She was the one brave enough to tackle a vegan dinner, and she did a fabulous job. The food was so wonderful I asked her where she got the recipe. She answered that she had gotten it on a vegan blog - Vegan Yum Yum - had I heard of that? Well, let's just say I own mini-doughnut pans (used) and a gnocchi board (still unused) as a result of knowing that blog.


© 2009 Andrea's easy vegan cooking

The recipe is called Sweet Chili Lime Tofu With Wok Steamed Collards and Quinoa. Katie used half regular and half red quinoa for a particularly attractive look and a great taste. We were unable to get red quinoa, so the dish in the photo doesn't contain any. If you're looking for a delicious way to get some vitamin packed greens, healthful quinoa and tasty tofu on the table, go here.

My husband has become so enamored of this recipe he makes it again and again, improving a little each time. The last time he made it (not pictured here) he got the tofu nice and crispy, and it was really great. For some reason, though, the quinoa comes out wet instead of dry, and I prefer it dry.

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Tweet tweet

It seems like just yesterday my son was declaring twitter to be stupid and a waste of time. Now suddenly, he's tweeting, and telling me I need to be on twitter. He says if I have a blog, I should be tweeting about it. What? I declined, but he was emphatic and set up my account. "But I don't have anything to tweet about," I protested, "all I do is sort and pack." "Then just tweet when you post something," says he. "But who will read it?," I asked? So here I am with a twitter account and I'm tweeting.. For now. I'm still not sure what I'm supposed to say or why, but I'm going to try it out for a while. If you want to follow me, and I understand perfectly if you don't, you can click here.

What's cooking? Udon, veggies, Vietnamese soup

It's been a stressful week as we're trying to find a place to live in the city where two of our our kids and their families live, nearly 2,000 miles away from where we live now. We've got our kids helping by visiting in person the places we find online, but it's still confusing to know what to do. We found what seemed like a perfect house to rent, but the kids think it might be a little too urban and not "neighborly" enough, and also too far from one of their homes. They looked at another one tonight they think would be good, but it's only for one year, which means we'd have to move again in a year. One minute I'm excited to be moving near the kids, and the next I'm upset about leaving our home and friends, and freaked out over how complicated the whole thing is. Not much of my energy has been going towards creative cooking, but that doesn't mean we haven't been eating well. We've been depending on old (and newer) favorites that we don't have to think about. I'm posting a meal my son made (he doesn't use recipes, and I walked in to late to see what he did) and a great soup we've been eating ever since I saw it on Vegan Feast Kitchen. Bryanna has graciously allowed me to reprint her recipe, and I've noted the changes we made to suit our tastes.


Here's a delicious udon, tofu and green pea stir fry created by my son.


The udon was accompanied by this red pepper, bok choy and mushroom dish, plus rice.


Vegan Vietnamese Fisherman's soup

This great recipe comes from Notes From the Vegan Feast Kitchen written by Bryanna Clark Grogan, and is reprinted with permission.

BRYANNA'S VEGAN VIETNAMESE "FISHERMAN'S SOUP"
Servings: 6
This fresh-tasting soup and, despite the long list of ingredients, is easy to put together. (If you are really in a hurry, you can use chopped garlic and ginger from jars, and already-shredded cabbage in a bag.) It is very low in calories and fat, but filling and spicy. You can use authentic Vietnamese ingredients, or substitute more common North American ones, still with good results. Bean sprouts are a must, though!

• 6 large dried shiitake (or Chinese black forest) mushrooms
• 2 cups boiling water
• 3 cups good-tasting vegetarian "chicken-style" broth
• 2 cups shredded cabbage (I use savoy)
• 1 can (19 ounces) pineapple tidbits, unsweetened, with juice
• 1 large onion, chopped or thinly sliced
• 2 medium carrots, in matchstick pieces
• 1 cup canned or fresh diced tomatoes
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 3 stalks lemon grass OR 1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
• 2 tablespoons sugar or 1 tablespoon agave nectar
• 2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped (1 teaspoon)
• 1 teaspoon Asian (fish-free) red pepper sauce (or to taste)
• freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 8 ounces medium-firm tofu OR extra-firm silken tofu, cut into small cubes (can be reduced-fat)
• OPTIONAL: 2 tablespoons dulse flakes or nori flakes OR a small piece of kombu seaweed

Last-minute additions:

• 2 tablespoons fresh chopped mint, basil, or cilantro (or 2 teaspoons dried)
• 2 tablespoons tamarind concentrate or paste OR 1/4 cup lime or lemon juice
• 2 pinches salt

Garnish: fresh bean sprouts, and chopped or slivered green onions for garnish

1. Soak the dried mushrooms for 30 minutes in the 2 cups boiling water, covered. After 30 minutes, drain them, saving the soaking broth. Trim off the tough stems, which you can discard. Slice the mushroom caps thinly. While the mushrooms soak, prepare all the other ingredients.
2. In a large pot, mix the broth, cabbage, pineapple and juice, onion, carrot, sliced mushrooms, mushroom soaking water, tomatoes, soy sauce, lemon grass or lemon peel, sugar, ginger, optional seaweed, garlic, red pepper sauce, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then turn down to medium-low and simmer, covered, just until the cabbage and carrots are crisp-tender-- about 15 minutes. Add the tofu, stirring gently, and simmer about 5 more minutes.
3. Add the herbs, tamarind concentrate or lemon or lime juice, and salt.
4. Taste for seasoning. Serve each bowl topped with fresh bean sprouts and slivered green onions.

Our changes: We used low sodium vegetable broth, bok choy instead of cabbage, only 2 tablespoons of tamari soy sauce and no extra salt. We added fine rice vermicelli and yuba. (Yuba is Chinese, not Vietnamese, but we really like it.) Sorry, Bryanna, no bean sprouts this time. You should definitely add the pineapple!

Tofu and veggies in ginger-garlic sauce

I love cookbooks, and even though I own a lot, there are always more I want. But, recently, something happened that made me ask this question: "What might make you suspect you own too many cookbooks?" We had been to the library a few weeks before, and brought home several cookbooks to try. We made a couple of dishes from them, and found one book in particular very appealing. Then, as I sat reading in the living room one evening, my husband walked into the room carrying our favorite of the borrowed cookbooks. "We own this," he said. "Huh?," I responded. "We own this cookbook. I just found it on the shelf." Yikes. I really should try to use our cookbooks more often, or at least get a grip on which ones are on the shelf.

So when I needed something to make for dinner did I turn to one of my many cookbooks for a recipe? Nope. I found an interesting mushroom recipe in my collection that I'd clipped from Better Homes and Gardens back in 2007, but had never made. (attributed to Catherine Wilkinson) I've adapted the seasonings and expanded it from a mushroom side-dish into a main dish that includes veggies and tofu.

My son and I cooked dinner together with me doing the cutting and him doing the cooking. I precut and measured all the ingredients into little dishes, just like the TV chefs, and cooking was fast and easy, just the way I like it. What a team! The dish was wonderful, and I think it's one I'll make often.



Tofu and vegetables in ginger and garlic sauce (serves four)

• 1 tablespoon vegan margarine (Earth Balance)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup green onions, chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
• 4 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup chopped cilantro
• 1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce (tuong ot toi) or 1/4 to1/2 teaspoon Thai red curry paste* (optional)
  
• 12 ounces baby bella (cremini) mushrooms (or portabella or shiitake)
  
• 2 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce (I used low-sodium)
• 1/3 cup unsweetened coconut milk (I used light)
• 1 to 2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lime juice (I used 2)
• 2 cups broccoli, cut into narrow strips
• 1 large carrot, julienned
• 6 to 8 ounces tofu, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• cooked brown rice (I used basmati)

1. Steam the broccoli and carrots briefly in a small amount of water in a covered pot until the broccoli turns bright green and is crisp-tender. Uncover and set aside.
2. Heat the margarine and oil in a large skillet. Add the tofu, green onions, cilantro, ginger and garlic. Cook and stir for 1 minute.
   
3. Stir in the mushrooms and soy sauce and cook for 2 minutes.
4. Stir in the coconut milk and chili-garlic sauce. Add the broccoli and carrots. Bring to boiling, turn down heat and simmer, uncovered, about 5 minutes.
5. Remove from heat and stir in lime juice.
6. Serve over cooked rice.

*Thai red curry paste can be very hot so use discretion. If using this, you might want to start with 1/4 teaspoon, depending on how spicy you like your food.

Just want to mention that the weather has certainly taken a turn for the better here in southern Wisconsin. Over the weekend the thermometer soared into the 40s (: D), and combined with the sunshine, it felt like spring to us. But what do we know? We unbutton our coats when it hits 30! (Not me, of course. I admit that 30 feels pleasantly balmy, but I still require appropriate clothing. I keep my long underwear on until at least March.)

In addition to the great weather, I had another pleasant weekend experience. My friend Claire won two tickets to the operetta Candide, by being the first person to call in to a radio station, and she invited me along. (Don't you sometimes wonder who those people are that win the radio call-in contests?) We had dinner together and then attended the performance, which was wonderful and hilarious. What a great evening — and I stayed awake for the whole thing.

The best tofu cream cheese

We were supposed to go to a solstice party tonight and my husband made a big pot of chili to take along, but the weather is so nasty and we've turned into such wimps, that we've decided to stay home and watch a movie instead. I'm really disappointed about this but the thought of driving on slippery, snowy roads just doesn't appeal. By early yesterday morning we had nearly a foot of snow and stayed home from work as the schools were all closed the roads were pretty bad. I wasn't feeling that great so the day at home was welcome, but it's snowing again and we're supposed to get four to five more inches tonight. We are on track to break last year's snow record of 101 inches. In fact, we're way ahead. At least we've got that pot of chili on the stove.

We've been going to quite a few parties lately where we had to bring a dish along. It started me thinking about the good old tofu cream cheese that I used to tote to every event. I haven't made it in years, but I dug up the recipe since it's party season, and this was a dish that everyone, vegans and omnivores, all seemed to like. It never failed that at least one person (usually more) at every event would ask who made it and request the salty-tangy recipe. There were times when I was hesitant to say the word "tofu," if you know what I mean. And the ingredients are not the most common, everyday sort.

I learned to make it during the years when we were macrobiotic, and I really don't know where the recipe came from. Maybe I got it at a cooking class or lecture. I've looked for similar recipes on the Internet but haven't seen anything quite like this one.

There is one part in the recipe where you are supposed to press the tofu for 30 minutes. At first I used to do this in my pickle press, but when pinched for time I used extra firm tofu and skipped it. I think the texture is slightly better when the tofu is pressed but it's not that big a difference. Today the tofu I used seemed more watery than usual so I squeezed it between the layers of a thick waffle-weave kitchen towel. If you want to press it you can wrap it between layers of paper-or non-linty cotton towels, place it on a plate, and put something heavy on top.

The most important thing is to buy extra-firm water-packed tofu. It just doesn't work to use the pasteurized tofu in the box. (like Mori-nu) My favorite is Whitewave organic vacuum packed extra-firm tofu.



Tofu Cream cheese

• one pound extra-firm water-packed or vacuum-packed tofu (NOT Mori-nu)
• 1-1/2 level tablespoons umeboshi paste
• three tablespoons tahini (three VERY LEVEL tablespoons. Don't be generous.)
• three or four green onions, white and green parts

1. Place the tofu in a pot and cover with water. Bring the water to a boil and simmer the tofu for two or three minutes.
2. Drain then press the tofu for 30 minutes. Or just drain it. (see story above)
3. Place the tofu, umeboshi and tahini in a food processor and process until creamy and smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary.
4. Finely slice the green onions and add to the processor. Pulse a few times to distribute them evenly but don't purée the onions.
5. Place in a bowl and sprinkle with paprika or a garnish of your choice.
6. Chill in refrigerator for at least one hour.
7. Serve as a spread for crackers or bagels or stuff into celery or cherry tomatoes.

This is a spread and is quite stiff. It has a consistency similar to cream cheese, but can be thinned to use as a dip.

Wedding weekend

Well I've been totally wiped out after a packed four-day weekend trip to Philadelphia to attend a niece's wedding extravaganza. Haven't even READ any blog posts since before we left on our trip, let alone write one. I prescheduled something to post last Saturday and even completely forgot I had done that but, after two intense days back at work that just added to the exhaustion, I'm home today and starting to feel somewhat normal again. So, here's the "condensed" version of the weekend.

Last Friday, I dressed at 6:30 a.m. (in Wisconsin) in the outfit I planned to wear at the rehearsal dinner some 12 hours later in Pennsylvania. And I discovered that if you wear a long skirt for air travel, you will get patted down at security. Good thing I didn't tape a soy yogurt to my leg. We changed planes in Minneapolis and headed to our favorite pit stop, French Meadow Bakery Café, for an early lunch. I've posted about this before and it's still a great airport find. I had a bowl of vegan chili that was too much to finish. It was a bit too heavy on tomatoes and light on beans but still tasty and filling. It came with two slices of sourdough bread. Ken ordered a grilled tempeh reuben. After 20 minutes he went to check on it, and twenty minutes later went to cancel it and get his money back. This was an airport—we had a plane to catch. This brought the manager out and she got the sandwich, packaged it to go and gave him a refund! (French Meadow has two airport locations. The main, full-service restaurant (packaged food also available) is at the end of the main shopping area just before entering concourse C. There is also a small satellite shop with packaged food and beverages at a different location.)


Tempeh reuben from French Meadow Bakery

When we arrived in Philadelphia, we picked up the most garish red rental car I've ever seen and headed to Lai Lai Garden restaurant in Blue Bell. An indication of the festivities to come, the rehearsal dinner had 90 guests! I first want to say I had plenty to eat—was, in fact, obscenely stuffed and loved my dinner—but since I'm writing about vegan stuff here, there are a few things I'd like to point out. When the appetizers came, the non-vegetarians (NVs) received plates with a large egg roll, a large spare rib and a third thing. It may have been a fried shrimp—can't really remember. We vegans (Vs) received a plate with three small steamed dumplings. Okay, ours was probably much healthier, but theirs was much BIGGER. Quality and quantity are different things altogether, but still. They had three DIFFERENT things. Why didn't they get a dumpling? Why didn't we get some other interesting vegetable thing to go with our dumplings?


Our single plate

We Vs were then given a choice of three entrées. We could have tofu and veggies, string beans or a third thing that I can't remember. (I do seem to have a problem with third things.) We all chose the tofu. Then the NV entrées started coming. There was a giant lazy susan in the middle of our very large table and it was soon filled with meat, chicken and seafood dishes. More and more kept coming until the turntable was packed to capacity. And still more dishes came. The Vs were each brought a plate with tofu and veggies. It was really good, and I couldn't finish it, but it's the principle of the thing I'm pointing out. Is it assumed that NVs should be provided with an extreme assortment of food and Vs are limited to only one thing? I also wonder why NVs are unable to have vegetarian dishes along with their meat.


Their food (only some of it!)

The wedding the next night was very beautiful and very big. There were 270 guests, making this the biggest wedding I've ever attended. The bride was beautiful and the groom dashing. Everything was in good taste, especially the food. After the ceremony, we had a cocktail hour with lots of interesting dishes. I'm sorry to say I was so involved in eating that I completely forgot to photograph anything so a description will have to suffice. I visited the pasta bar first and received a plate of perfectly cooked pasta on which I chose to add a chunky tomato sauce. There was all sorts of non-veg stuff to add for the so- inclined, but I was happy to find a bottomless bowl of black olives and another of a finely chopped kohlrabi salad. After that I headed to the bruschetta station where all sorts of spreads (including hummus) were stacked up. There was a vat of artichoke salad, a gorgeous roasted red pepper salad and who knows what else. Roaming the room, the Vs found plenty of delicious food to eat, as did the NVs. A cosmo from the bar, artichokes and olives and I was happy.

When we finally started dinner around 10:30, I wasn't all that hungry, but managed to eat my baby greens and a good portion of my —guess what?—tofu and vegetables. Good thing I never get tired of tofu and veggies. It was delicious. I wish I had some now.



The great band stopped playing at 12:30 a.m. and we made our way back to the hotel room (we stayed at the wedding hotel for the night of the wedding.) by about 1 a.m., and crashed.


Pumpernickel bagel, roasted asparagus, marinated mushrooms, salad.

The next morning we attended a brunch at the hotel. You wouldn't think we could eat any more, but we did. The brunch was a revelation. I never got past the salad with ginger vinaigrette, marinated mushrooms, balsamic roasted asparagus, bagels and fruit, but the room was laden with every imaginable breakfast food an NV could dream about. And Vs could find plenty to be happy about, too, unless they were looking for protein! I wish I had photographed the long table filled with gorgeous NV pastries.


Bagel, salad, hash browns, fruit.

We are originally from Philadelphia, and still have family and friends in the area, so in between wedding events we visited with relatives and friends, trying to make the most of the short amount of time. It was wonderful to be with my family, my husband's family and old friends. I wish it could be like this all the time. It was exhausting but worth it. Oh, and did I mention that our oldest son, daughter-in-law and their fabulously amazing baby were there from Seattle?

Tofu squash curry with swiss chard

My son and daughter-in-law have a large garden in their back yard and one of their most successful crops is swiss chard. You know, anyone who plants swiss chard in their garden is bound to have success. It's hard to fail with this prolific leafy green. Growing it is good for your gardening self-esteem, but when you have a lot of it, you should eat it. Swiss chard has been off my list of favorite vegetables for a long time — maybe this has something to do with my past success at growing it, and eating it and eating it and eating it...But after having this fabulous curry, I'm thinking of growing it again. My kids all tend to cook "free-hand," but I've been forcing them to pay attention to ingredients and quantities so they can share their creations with me, and I can post them on this blog. My son made this dish, and he said in the summer he uses summer squash and zucchini, but his favorite way to prepare it is with winter squash. He said he peels and bakes butternut squash in the oven until it's soft, and then uses it in this recipe. We used to have a Thai food cart on campus that used both summer and winter squash in their squash curry all year. I like the idea of cooking with the seasons, so this recipe will be presented with summer squash.


Tofu squash curry
• 1 pound block extra firm tofu, cut into 1" cubes
• oil for browning tofu
• tamari or soy sauce
• 1 can light coconut milk
• small can bamboo shoots, cut into strips
• 1 to 2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste (Thai Kitchen is a good one)
• 1 tablespoon Sucanot or similar organic unprocessed sugar
• 1/4 cup basil (Thai basil if you can get it)
• 3 small summer squash, cut into chunks (or 1 butternut squash peeled and baked until soft)
• large bunch of swiss chard, washed well and roughly chopped, tough stems removed
• cooked (brown) rice

1. Lightly brown the tofu in a small amount of oil in a dutch oven. Sprinkle it with tamari as it cooks. (about 1 to 2 tablespoons) Remove tofu to a bowl.
   
2. Dissolve the curry paste in 1/3 of the coconut milk. (Curry paste varies in spiciness and some are really hot. Use more or less depending on how hot you want the dish to be. Use caution if you are unfamiliar with red curry paste.) Place in the dutch oven and simmer for five minutes.
3. Add sugar, tofu, squash and remaining coconut milk. Cook until squash is almost done.
4. Add chard and cover. Steam for several minutes. Remove lid and mix.
5. Add basil and cook a couple of minutes longer until flavors are blended and vegetables are cooked.
6. Serve over rice.