More Backyard Grilling.

We enjoyed another day of grilling in the backyard. I can't wait until summer when we get some really good produce. I want to grill some corn on the cob and fresh peaches in butterscotch sauce. Today I used what was available.

Eggplant, marinated tofu, baked potatoes, red onions, red peppers and a tomato! I marinated the tofu overnight in a delicious marinade of olive oil, lemon juice, crushed garlic, hot chili flakes and cilantro. For the potatoes, I cooked them in the microwave whole (poke holes in them first) then I split them, brushed with olive oil and grilled til brown and crisp. So delicious.


The ingredients were perfect for this gigantic sandwich!


Now try to sink your teeth into that! It was hard but so worth it.


For dessert I had this idea I got from one of Linda McCartney's books where she splits open a banana, stuffs it with praline, wraps it tightly in foil and cooks it over hot coals. I used chocolate pieces instead. Really yummy.

Serious About Sandwiches.

I've been on a sandwich kick lately. I don't think it'll end anytime soon. The fun part is deciding on ingredients and going shopping for them because there are also a zillion different combinations that make a damn good sandwich.


This one is Yves veggie "ham", vegan american slices, tomato, red onion, sauerkraut, Vegenaise on german sunflower seed rye. I've made this about three times this week.


This one is a special sandwich for the weekend. We don't have a bbq grill anymore so we went out and got one of those tiny ones at CVS that is perfect for the two of us. Fits on our patio table and grills enough hot dogs (for him) and veggies (for me). This sandwich was an inspiration I had on Friday that I finally go to carry out today. Grilled portobello mushroom that was brushed with olive oil and crushed garlic, grilled red onions and grilled red bell pepper with Vegenaise mixed with Dill n' Garlic Miso Mayo on a kaiser roll. This was so damn good, I can't even put it into words. Non-vegan restaurants take note! Vegans would like sandwiches like this on your menu.

Taco Night.

This is what happened when I was desperately hungry while staring at the food in my pantry. Grabbed a can each of black beans, diced tomatoes and a bottle of Tapatio. Combined those ingredients with tofu and potatoes and they made the perfect taco filling.

Recipe Black Bean, Potato and Tofu Taco Filling

2 TB olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 clove garlic, minced
1/2 block of firm tofu, cubed
1 can black beans, drained
1 can diced tomatoes
2 large potatoes cooked in the microwave until soft, cubed
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp oregano
2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
Saute onion, garlic in olive oil. Add tofu and cook for a few minutes. Add remaining ingredients and simmer until heated through. Season with salt, pepper and more spices if you prefer.

Soup and Sandwich Sunday.

Krautsuppe, a german cabbage soup recipe from Olive Trees and Honey. This is so good and hearty. It's got cabbage, onions, carrots, potatoes in a tomato based broth flavored with caraway seeds.

Baked tofu sandwich on Ezekiel sprouted grain bread, Vegenaise, Nathan's coney island mustartd, lettuce and tomato.

Moujadara and Broiled Vegetables

A very good meal to have on weeknights. While the moujadara (lentils and rice) was cooking on the stove, the vegetables went into the broiler and in about 20 minutes, dinner was served.

Broiled Vegetables in Charmoula Marinade and Couscous

I have this really beautiful little book called The Vegetarian Table: North Africa and there a so many exotic dishes that I've been wanting to try. I love broiling vegetables because it only takes 10 minutes or so. The couscous took 5 minutes. Very easy and very delicious. The marinade is Moroccan in origin and has beautiful flavors of olive oil, lemon juice, cumin, paprika, ginger, cilantro and marjoram.


This was lunch.


This was dinner. I made a sauce from Vegenaise, lemon juice and Sriracha sauce. Yum!

Yummy salad.

Sauteed tofu, dried cranberries, spiced cashews on greens and red cabbage with creamy sesame dressing.

Creamy Sesame Dressing

1/2 cup Vegenaise
5 TB rice vinegar
1 TB soy sauce
2 TB sesame oil
1 TB sugar
1/4 tsp garlic powder

Lentils and Rice: Quintessential Vegetarian Food.

I think a lot of us veggies enjoy eating this basic meal of lentils and rice. They offer a low-fat, nutritious source of complete protein, fiber, iron and other minerals. Switch out the white rice for brown rice and you've got whole grains in your favor. It's very easy to prepare and is helpful when you're short on time and uses ingredients from your pantry. I made this today out of sheer laziness. While the red lentil dal was cooking, I threw some rice, a handful of frozen peas and a pinch of turmeric in the rice cooker. In about 20-30 mintues, lunch was ready. I added some tomato salsa (which works great as a chutney) on top.

Red Lentil Dal

1 cup red lentils
5 cups water
2 TB olive oil
1 TB minced ginger
1 clove garlic, minced
1 jalapeno chile pepper, minced
1/2 tsp each: cumin, turmeric, coriander powder, garam masala
salt to taste
1 TB tomato paste

2 TB olive oil
1 tsp black mustard seeds
a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
a pinch of asafetida
Chopped cilantro
Lemon wedge

Heat 2 TB of olive oil in a soup pot over medium high heat. Saute ginger, garlic and chile for a few minutes. Add water and lentils. Bring to a boil. Add spices, salt and tomato paste. Lower heat to medium low and simmer for about 20-30 minutes.
In a small pot or pan, heat the other 2 TB of oil. When hot, add mustard seeds, red pepper flakes, asafetida. When mustard seeds begin to pop, pour the whole mixture into the pot of lentils. Cover lentils with a lid immediately and turn off heat. Let sit for five minutes. Stir in cilantro, lemon juice and season with more salt if needed.