Recurring Francophilia

There's a promising chance that for Spring 2011, I'll be carrying out my studies in Paris. Though my as-yet-undetermined date of departure isn't for another seven months, I think practically every day about what it will be like to live in France/have Europe at my fingertips for four months! David Lebovitz is a culinarily gigantic American ex-pat currently living and blogging in Paris, whose surprisingly numerous vegetarian recipes I have found to be reliably delicious, so whenever I feel like pretending I'm making dinner in a charming apartment with a view of the Eiffel Tower, I know who to turn to.

Pictured is my rendition of David's classic French warm lentil salad, which I paired with some cornmeal-encrusted tempeh and roasted haricots verts (fancy French word for green beans, hehe!). The only adjustment I made was to add an extra tablespoon of red wine vinegar. The flavor is light, but the salad is sooo satisfying! Next time, I'll probably be using some variation of Get Sconed's recently blogged breading on the tempeh. Mm mm, bon!

Vegan seafood strikes again!

My family had this tradition back in the day of eating brunch for Easter each year at Charlie's Crab, this fancyfancy place on Palm Beach island down south. For both my Mimi and me, the crab cakes were always the first thing we went for at the huge buffet - along with handfuls of the Easter-y candies decorating the table. So when I discovered a recipe for faux cakes from the infallible PPK, I HAD to make 'em. Now that Easter's drawing near again, knowing I won't be at home to have brunch with family, I decided this was the yummiest way to honor our tradition.



Tempeh Crab Cakes
a doubled adaptation of Isa Moscovitz's recipe, makes around 15 cakes

1 pound tempeh
2 cup water
2 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoon olive oil
2 bay leaves
6 tablespoons Veganaise
3 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons hot sauce
1 small red onion, diced
2 tablespoons capers, drained
1 sheet crumbled nori
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
fresh black pepper
1 1/2 c panko breadcrumbs, plus extra for dredging

For the cakes, here is Isa's method: crumble the tempeh into a small pan. Add the water, soy sauce, oil and bay leaf. The tempeh won’t be fully submerged, but that’s fine. Cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, let boil for 12 to 15 minutes, until most of the water has evaporated. Stir once during boiling.

Transfer contents to a mixing bowl, remove bay leaf, and mash with a fork. Let cool for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to hasten the cooling process.

Once cooled, mix well with the remaining ingredients, then begin to heat some oil in a large skillet while you form the mixture into cakes. Fry until golden brown on both sides, transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to soak up the excess oil, and serve with...

Remoulade
should make enough to cover yr cakes

6 tablespoons Veganaise
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons hot sauce
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup chopped green onions

Combine in a food processor and ladle over top. SO GOOD!

Happy February!

January went by so slowly for me...certainly in a good way, I just can't believe I've only been posting on this thing for one month! But onto month TWO, y'all.

I thought I was having a bit of chef's block, as our pantry is rather bare at the moment. But after taking a thorough inventory, I realized I had almost everything I needed to make the incredible Open-Faced BBQ Tempeh Sandwich with coleslaw from Vegan Soul Kitchen! Here is my coleslaw recipe and a variation on the BBQ tempeh.



Open-Faced BBQ Tempeh Sandwich with Creamy Coleslaw
serves 5

[Coleslaw]
1/2 a medium head of cabbage, chopped
1 big carrot, shredded
5 radishes, chopped
4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
5 heaping tablespoons Veganaise
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

[BBQ Tempeh]
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
1/2 cup Bragg's Liquid Aminos
1/4 water
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 large chipotle chile in adobo sauce, chopped with some sauce
3 tablespoons canola oil
2 packets powdered Stevia
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 pound tempeh cut into 1/2-inch fingers

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Whisk all ingredients except tempeh in a large baking dish. Add the tempeh and coat it with the marinade. Let sit for around 15 minutes, then cover with foil and bake for 15-17 minutes.