Baked Spinach and Artichoke Spread

Thanksgiving dinner was great, but nothing was especially blog-worthy. I haven’t even made anything from the leftovers yet, as we immediately put everything in the freezer and high-tailed it to Austin and San Antonio for the rest of the holiday. I did recently make a blog-worthy spinach and artichoke spread, though. This would be perfect for a holiday party.

Spinach and artichoke spread should be about the vegetables, not the gloppy white stuff they’re mixed with. This has just enough Vegenaise to hold it all together, without overwhelming the main ingredients. Three cloves of garlic may seem like a lot, but the flavor mellows when you bake the spread.

We each took one bite of this and declared it Spinach Crack.

Baked Spinach and Artichoke Spread

1/4 cup raw cashew nuts

3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

10 ounce package chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

1 cup artichoke hearts, canned or frozen and thawed, roughly chopped

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon thyme

1/4 teaspoon white pepper

1/8 teaspoon allspice

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

3 tablespoons Vegenaise or other mayonnaise (a.k.a. gloppy white stuff)

Preheat oven to 350.

In a food processor, grind cashew nuts to a powder. Transfer to a medium bowl.

Add the garlic slices to food processor and pulse to chop, stopping to scrape down the side sides of the processor once or twice. Add spinach and pulse a few times to combine with the garlic. Transfer to the bowl with the ground cashews.

Stir in the artichokes, salt, thyme, white pepper, allspice and balsamic vinegar. Add Vegenaise and mix well.

Transfer to a small, oiled casserole dish. Bake for 25 minutes.

Mission San José in San Antonio.

Sushi with Avocado, Tofu Omelet, and Pickled Mustard Seeds

I’ve been reading a sandwich cookbook this week and was inspired to make a tofu omelet in a cake pan to have on sandwiches. Another recipe in the cookbook called for pickled mustard seeds, and since I have a giant jar of brown mustard seeds in the pantry, I had to give them a try. I was already planning on sushi this weekend, and putting these recipes all together resulting in sushi that was a lot more interesting (and prettier!) than the plain avocado rolls I’ve made before.

Sushi with Avocado, Tofu Omelet, and Pickled Mustard Seeds

Pickled mustard seeds:

I only made half of this recipe, from ‘wichcraft, by Tom Colicchio and Sisha Ortuzar. These will keep up to 2 weeks. The seeds only have a faint mustard taste, but their texture is wonderful. They pop in your mouth.

1 cup white vinegar (I used rice vinegar)

1 cup water

1 cup sugar

1 tablespoon dry mustard

1/2 cup mustard seeds

In a small saucepan, bring vinegar, water, sugar and dry mustard to a boil. Add mustard seeds and simmer for 5 minutes, or until the seeds nearly double in size. Store in the refrigerator in with their liquid. Makes about 1 cup.

Tofu Omelet:

You only need 1/4 of this for the sushi, but the remainder makes great sandwiches.

12 ounces firm, water-pack tofu, drained

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon mirin or water

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon turmeric

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Combine tofu, olive oil and mirin or water in a food processor until creamy. Transfer to a small bowl and stir in remaining ingredients. Spread batter into a well-oiled 8 x 8 inch pan. Bake for 25 minutes or until firm and golden.

Omelet will puff up in the oven, then fall as it cools.

Cut into 4 squares.

Sushi rice:

If you don’t see anything labeled Sushi Rice at the store, look for Calrose Medium Grain Rice.

1 1/2 cups sushi rice

water

3 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 1/2 teaspoons sugar (2 heaping teaspoons)

pinch of salt

Cook rice according to package directions.

Or, add rice to a small pan with a tight-fitting lid, along with 2 cups of water. Bring to a low boil, reduce to a simmer, and cover. Cook without stirring for 15 minutes, or until water is absorbed.

Stir together vinegar, sugar and salt.

Transfer rice to a medium bowl and sprinkle with the vinegar mixture. Stir rice well, cover bowl, and allow rice to cool. (You can cool it just enough to be able to handle it, or all the way to room temperature.)

Putting it all together:

4 sheets nori

sushi rice

about 3 teaspoons pickled mustard seeds

1/4 piece of tofu omelet, cut into 8 strips

1 small hass avocado, sliced

1 green onion, green parts only, sliced lengthwise into thin strips

you will also need:

a bamboo sushi mat

a small bowl with 1/4 cup rice vinegar and 1/4 cup water

a very sharp knife

and to serve:

prepared wasabi

pickled ginger slices

soy sauce

Lay a sheet of nori on the bamboo mat. Place a cup of rice in the nori, and spread to the right, left and front edge, leaving about an inch, maybe a little more, at the back. Layer on three slices of avocado, two strips of omelet, a strip or two of green onion and 3/4 teaspoon of mustard seeds.

Dip your fingers in the vinegar and water mixture as you work, to keep the rice from sticking to your hands. Also, wet your knife with the mixture frequently.

Roll up the bamboo mat while using your fingers to guide the roll into a cylinder. Press firmly on the mat as you work. Move the roll to a cutting board and slice.

Makes 4 rolls.

Here’s a video from about.com if you want to watch someone make a roll. She makes it look a lot easier than I can!

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Finally, here’s a goof on myself. I have a reputation In Real Life for being very organized. My sister once opened a cabinet and sighed “everything in its place and a place for everything.” Recently at the grocery store, after I unloaded about 50 things onto the conveyor belt from a little cart like this, the cashier said “I just don’t know how you got all that in there. I’d like to follow you home and see if your house was that organized.” Well, I’m exactly as organized as I need to be.

Soup is the Secret

I experiment in the kitchen a lot. Some of the experiments aren't what I was hoping for, but I serve them anyway. So why is my husband always happy to come to the dinner table? He loves soup. And, the riskier the experiment, the more likely I am to make soup to go with.

Soup is also great to round out a menu when you're not sure what else to have. You know those recipes that are too simple to be a main dish, but complex enough to be more than a side? They're perfect with soup. You can find or invent a soup recipe for just about any cuisine, with just about any main ingredient. The only thing I haven't served soup with is more soup. Yet.

A couple of weeks ago, I wasn't too sure about the butternut squash gratin, so I dug around in my cookbooks for a new soup recipe to make with it. It's autumn, so I pulled out The Vegetarian Times Complete Thanksgiving Cookbook from Vegetarian Times. Since I'm more experienced with cooking spicy food than traditional North American cooking, this cookbook has been a great reference for me. I chose Potato-Mushroom Soup with Apple because it was simple and I thought the flavors would complement the gratin. We loved it! I had some left over so I put it up in the freezer. We just had this again with some whole-wheat bread.

I used oyster mushrooms in this, but creminis or button mushrooms would be good, too.

Potato-Mushroom Soup with Apple

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small yellow onion, minced
3 cups thinly sliced potatoes (I used Yukon gold potatoes, unpeeled)
1-1/2 cups thinly sliced mushrooms
4-6 green onions, sliced
6 cups vegetable broth
1 or 2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons Italian parsley, chopped
1 crisp apple, cored, peeled, and diced (I used a cameo apple, white the recipe calls for a Rome)

In a large pot, heat olive oil. Saute onion until tender, about 3 minutes. Add potatoes and mushrooms and sauté for another 5 minutes. Add green onions, broth, soy sauce, thyme and pepper. Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.

Stir in parsley and apple just before serving.

Makes 5 servings

Eggplant in Black Bean Sauce

A month ago, I made this Vietnamese Vegetarian Crispy Chow Mein recipe for a blog event. However, we were so hungry by the time it was ready, that I skipped taking pictures of it and never submitted it to the event.

I thought it was really tasty, but my son didn’t like the vegetables in it, picky vegetarian kid that he is. So, I decided to make the sauce again, but serve it with eggplant. He likes eggplant thanks to the influence of his girlfriend. (Hi, J.!) She got to sample some, too.

I learned the steam-fry technique from a dumpling recipe. When eggplant is cooked this way, it doesn’t absorb too much oil, and results in meltingly tender slices.

This goes out to It’s A Vegan World: Chinese, hosted by Vaishali of Holy Cow!

Eggplant in Black Bean Sauce

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 cup water

2 tablespoons black bean sauce

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 green onion, white and green parts, sliced

1 large globe eggplant or 1 pound Chinese or Japanese eggplant

½ red bell pepper

2 to 3 tablespoons oil

In a small saucepan, stir together the cornstarch and a couple of tablespoons of water to make a paste. Add the remaining water, black bean sauce and soy sauce. Heat over medium until sauce thickens. Stir in green onion and set aside.

Slice eggplant into rounds ½ to ¾ inch thick. If your slices are large, cut them into half circles. Cut red bell pepper into short, thin strips. In a skillet with a close-fitting lid, heat a tablespoon of oil to medium-hot. Add about half the pepper and eggplant in a single layer. Flip over the eggplant immediately to evenly distribute the oil to both sides. Add a tablespoon of water to the pan and cover. Steam for 3 minutes, turn the slices over, cover, and steam for another 3 minutes. Repeat with remaining eggplant slices.

Add sauce to eggplant and peppers, heat and serve.

Serves 4.

Potatoes in the Pantry

I laugh whenever experts tell me that to preserve my potatoes, I should store them in a cool, dry place. What, you want I should drive my potatoes up to northern New Mexico? How far is it from Houston to Santa Fe, anyway?

My favorite potatoes are Yukon golds, which only come in a five pound bag here. I have to work to use them up quickly, so I usually make double what I need for dinner that night. Last night I ended up with leftover baked potatoes. Since we were having tacos for dinner tonight, I made some Tex-Mex home fries to go with them.

Tex-Mex Home Fries

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 pound baked potatoes, diced

1-2 cloves garlic, minced

1 small red onion, minced (about 1 cup)

½ red bell pepper, minced (about ½ cup)

pickled jalapeños to taste, minced (I used about 3 tablespoons)

salt to taste

½ teaspoon chili powder

¼ teaspoon smoked Spanish paprika

juice of ½ a lime (about 1 tablespoon)

2 tablespoons minced cilantro (optional)

Heat oil in a skillet. Sauté potatoes, garlic, onion and red bell pepper over medium heat until potatoes begin to brown, about 10 minutes. Add jalapeños and salt to taste. Add chili powder and paprika and cook about 2 minutes. Stir in lime juice and cilantro and serve.

Serves 4

Tempura Nori

I grabbed a bag of these at the Asian market this afternoon and they were so addictive, we ate them all before we had been through two traffic lights. I made more as soon as I came home. Sometimes nothing hits the spot like empty calories. I couldn't find a recipe, so I winged it, and since I had just bought a bottle of Sweet Chili Garlic Sauce, I added some to the batter. If you don't have any, you can replace it with water and sugar or other sweetener. A few drops of Sriracha sauce would be good, too. Make sure your batter is on the runny side and your oil is quite hot.

Tempura Nori


4 sheets of toasted nori
1/4 cup corn starch
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons Sweet Chili Garlic Sauce (or 2 tablespoons water and 1/2 teaspoon sugar)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2/3 cup water
canola oil for frying

Stack nori sheets on top of one another. Cut stack in half, and then cut each half into three strips. Cut the strips in half and separate them. Whisk together remaining ingredients to form a thin batter.

Heat an inch of canola oil in a frying pan. Test for hotness by adding a single drop of water; the oil should sizzle and pop. Dip one side of a nori strip in the batter and add to the pan. Continue until you've filled the pan. (I got about 12 strips in a 10-inch pan.) Fry until golden-brown and crispy, about 4 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Repeat with remaining strips.

Makes 48 pieces

Planning Thanksgiving Dinner and Seitan Bourguignon

While I've never really missed Thanksgiving turkey, I do miss all of the dishes made from the leftovers. So, before every Thanksgiving, I make a trip to the Asian market to buy several pounds of mock meats, which I slice and heat up. With all of the other dishes, there will be plenty left over for pot pies, tetrazzini, and enchiladas later.

My husband and son love mashed potatoes, so we always have those with our favorite gravy. Cornbread dressing was one of my favorite things on the Thanksgiving table growing up, but I'm the only person who eats it, so I've been seeking something better. I usually make pumpkin pie, although lately I've experimented a bit with desserts. Our basic menu for Thanksgiving looks like this:

Veggie chicken, including "drumsticks" and smoked duck.
Mashed potatoes
Gravy
Something Green
Something Orange
Cornbread Dressing or a stand-in
Pumpkin Pie or similar

The last few dinners have included a sweet potato casserole for the Something Orange, but right now I have leftover Butternut Squash Gratin in the freezer, so we'll have that. The Something Green is often Green Bean Casserole (here's a good one), but this year, I'm thinking of making a quick stir-fry of shredded Brussels sprouts, with lemon, walnuts, salt and pepper. Instead of Cornbread Dressing, I'm going to make Mushroom Biryani with Brown Rice, but replace the peppercorns and cloves with ground spices. It reminds me of a dish that my stepmom always made at the holidays, so I think it will fit. Finally, something new for dessert: I'm going to make a pumpkin spice cake (probably this one) and top it with the filling from the pecan bars I made recently. So, now the menu looks like this:

Veggie chicken, including "drumsticks" and smoked duck.
Mashed potatoes
Gravy
Stir-fried Brussels sprouts with walnuts and lemon
Butternut Squash Gratin with garam masala
Mushroom Biryani with Brown Rice

Pumpkin Spice Cake with Praline Topping

I'll do my best to get pictures of everything and report on what works. What are y'all planning to make?

I've often thought that Seitan Bourguignon would make a great Thanksgiving main dish, and one that I would make if I weren't counting on the mock-meat leftovers. I made the bourguignon this weekend, using some of the seitan I made earlier and had stashed in the freezer. I found this recipe in Vegetarian Times a few years ago, but I have simplified it.

Seitan Bourguignon

Marinade
1 teaspoon yellow miso
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup dry red wine (such as Cabernet Sauvignon)
1/4 cup mirin
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

8 ounces seitan, diced in 1 inch pieces
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, diced into half inch slices
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
6 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced

½ ounce mixed dried mushrooms, (or ¼ ounce porcinis)

1 cup dry red wine
1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 bayleaf
pinch cayenne pepper
1/2 cup frozen edamame or peas

Whisk together marinade ingredients. In a large glass or ceramic bowl, layer seitan and mushrooms, then garlic, red bell pepper, and onion. (If it doesn’t all fit, set aside the bell pepper and onion, as they don’t really don’t need to marinate.) Pour marinade over the top and set aside for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375. Remove seitan and vegetables from bowl with a slotted spatula, reserving marinade, and spread in a single layer on a large baking pan. Roast for 25-35 minutes, stirring at least once.

Place dried mushrooms in a small bowl and pour boiling water over to cover. Let stand at least 20 minutes. Strain soaking water in a coffee filter placed in a strainer, and reserve. Chop mushrooms.

Put 1 cup of wine in a pot. Bring to a low boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook until liquid is reduced by about one-third, about 8 minutes. Add roasted seitan and vegetables, 3 tablespoons reserved marinade, soaked mushrooms and their reserved water, tomatoes and tomato paste, bayleaf, and cayenne pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and add edamame or peas. Cook until edamame or peas are heated through. Remove bayleaf and serve.

Serves 4 - 5

Baked Risotto for Two

When I saw this recipe for baked risotto on Once Upon a Plate, I had to give the technique a try. I didn't feel like dealing with leftovers, so I just made a tiny bit. The texture was identical to risotto I've laboriously stirred on the stovetop. I would not have known it was baked if I hadn't made it myself.

Baked Risotto for Two

1 tablespoon fruity olive oil
1/4 cup minced onion
1/2 cup arborio rice
2-3 tablespoons dry white wine (I used Pinot Grigio)
1 1/2 cups rich-tasting, salty vegetable broth
1 tablespoon Earth Balance margarine
1/2 teaspoon mild miso

Preheat oven to 350 F. In a small dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid, heat olive oil on stove over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until tender, about 3 minutes. Stir in rice and cook 1 minute. Add wine and cook, stirring, until absorbed. Stir in vegetable broth, cover, and place in the oven. Bake for about 40-45 minutes, stirring two or three times while the rice cooks. When the broth has been absorbed, remove the pot from the oven and stir in margarine and miso.

Note: I made this in a 2-quart Dutch oven. The cooking time is going to be shorter in a bigger pan, or longer if you make more risotto in the same size pan.