L-B-L Brunch

On the rare spring mornings when were not up and out of the house early for a road race or an epic trail ride, we get to indulge in Cycling.tv and lots and lots of breakfast food. Here's a big breakfast we made while watching Liege-Bastogne-Liege.

We made some blueberry scones by mixing frozen blueberries into my vegan biscuit recipe and then rolling the tops of the dough in sugar. The nice thing about these scones is that you don't have to take the time rolling them out and then cutting perfect circles; drop biscuits are perfectly fine and taste just as good.



Then we made some hashbrowns. They key is to soak grated potatoes (organic yellow taters preferred here, please) in water to remove some of the starch. We used a big nonstick griddle to cook these, but a big frying pan works too, so long as you don't overload it. Some Spanish smoked paprika and good garlic powder sprinked on top does wonders.


I also made a fruit salad with a vanilla bean-key lime dressing (toss fruit in sugar, vanilla bean paste, and key lime juice.)



A gorgeous macchiato from Spencer to go with the fine words of Sean Walling.



The only thing better than this big, relaxed weekend breakfast would have been cutie-pie Andy Schleck at the table with us!

Tacos Round 2

Because those tacos Spencer made while I was out of town were so righteously delicious, we're planning on making them a whole lot this spring and summer.


I bought tomatillos for the first time ever and decided to make a salsa. I oven roasted some peeled and washed tomatillos, half a sliced onion, a quartered jalapeno, a couple cloves of garlic. I drizzled them in oil and chili powder before roasting them at 450. Grilling would be even better.


Once the tomatillos are soft (30 mins max), I blended them in a food processor, adding some salt, cilantro, and a teeny bit of lime juice and white vinegar. I also made the untraditional addition of some granny smith apple.




Then I sauted some onions and vegan steak strips. Spencer passed on those.



Besides the homemade green salsa, the best part of this taco was the fresh avocado. Yum!

Tacos — Flying Solo

As you can probably tell, the distribution of labor in our house works out like this: Kate cooks, I eat and clean. Well, that all gets thrown out the window when she's gone and I am thrown to the lions. It's not that I hate cooking, I just hate how it stresses me out. I think that happens more often when I'm cooking for other people, but I still get pretty flipped out when something goes wrong, even if I'm just cooking for myself. I enjoy the product way more than the process. That's why I usually stick to recipes, but every once in awhile, I make something up on my own, and even more infrequently, it actually works. These tacos are a rare example of one of my triumphs.

Taco filling:
1 can great northern beans (but you're probably better off with pintos)
garlic clove
mushrooms
half a small can of chile en adobo
chili powder
salt

cook for awhile in a little pot

Relish/salsa
equal portions of chopped mango and corn
chopped red onion — about a 2:1 ratio compared to the corn and mango
chopped cilantro
1/2 squeezed lime
salt

mix together thoroughly

Now here's the trick that I think makes these tacos really good: I took the soft corn tortillas (way better flavor than flour) and fried them into the classic "V" shape of hard shelled-tacos, a little trick I learned from Efrain's restaurant here in Boulder. I didn't fry them super-crispy, but you can do whatever the heck you like. I found that it was easiest to use tongs and hold each half of the "V" in the oil separately to get it to fry in the right shape. Takes a little experimentation. I was glad to have some super fresh tortillas from the farmer's market, thanks to my lovely lady.

I think this is a great flavor combo. The chile en adobo is very strong and spicy, and it pairs nicely with the crisp and tangy flavors of the relish. I'd say these are the best tacos I've ever made.


The relish... probably good enough to eat on its own.

Southwestern Tofu Steak

One of the most heated issues of vegetarian cooking is whether or not vegetarian food should replicate meat. "If you don't like meat, why do you eat fake meat then?" is a frequent question from carnivores. I've heard some people say that if it's not real meat, then it shouldn't be named after a meat product. So no "veggie hot dogs" or "vegan chicken wings" if you subscribe to that school of thought. Honestly, when the texture of veggie meat products comes too close to the real thing, I get grossed out. At the same time, it's tough to just eat slabs of marinated tempeh every night. Fake meat products add much-needed variety to the vegan's protein options. Yet, they tend to be expensive, kind of defeating that whole economical rationale for not eating meat.

Tonight, inspired by a cilantro bunch on its way out, I whipped up a beautiful vivid green cilantro sauce, which turned into a entire southwestern-flavored dish. For the protein, I experimented with breading some super soft tofu I had. I ended up creating exactly what I would call a "tofu steak." It doesn't resemble steak in the least bit (Bad or good? You decide.), but it's this deliciously giant (and cheap!) chunk of protein and fat. A big hunk of real meat (or poultry) could go just as well in this dish. It took me about 30 minutes from start to finish...the beans are a wonderfully quick starch.

Southwestern tofu steak
serves two


Tofu Steak
1 pack super soft tofu
1 cup canola oil
1 cup unsweetened soymilk
1 Tbsp Ener-G egg replacer
1/4 tsp xanthan gum
1/4 cup flour
1 cup plain panko breadcrumbs
1 tsp kosher salt

Heat oil over medium heat in a medium pot. Cut tofu into 5x5x5 cm cubes (you should be able to get two cubes out of a normal block of tofu.) Soft tofu is super delicate, so handle it carefully. Blend soymilk, egg replacer, and xantham gum until smooth, thick, and creamy. Mix flour, panko, and salt. Once oil is heated, dredge tofu in liquid and then in flour, turning carefully. Fry one cube at a time, turning once each side is brown (I had to turn six times per cube). Until the first few sides have been fried, it's easiest to brave the oil splatters and turn it with your fingers. You can use a big spatula once the cube has strengthened by cooking a bit. Drain on a paper towel.

Cilantro sauce
1 bunch cilantro
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp white vinegar
1/2 lime, juiced
1/2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp agave nectar
1 Tbsp olive oil

Blend all ingredients in a food processor until smooth.

Garlicky mashed black beans
1 Tbsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp chili powder
1 can black beans, drained
1/2 lime, juiced
1/2 cup beer
salt to taste (I used smoked salt here)

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, saute garlic and chili powder in olive oil for three minutes. Add black beans and mash coarsely. Turn heat up a bit and cook for a few minutes. Add lime, beer, and salt. Cook for about 10 more minutes, or until beans thicken.

Grilled asparagus
~15 medium asparagus stalks
1 Tbsp olive oil

Either grill asparagus or sear in hot skillet.