saturday brunch with the damsma family

i will not take credit for the food displayed here. i will, however, give thanks to lynne (definitely not vegan) who investigated and prepared delicious vegan brunch options.

grand prize: "bacon", potato, and green onion frittata (background, green casserole dish)

1/4 cup olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

4-5 green onions, chopped with green and white parts separated

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 medium potatoes, shredded

2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

2 lbs firm tofu

2-3 tbsp soy sauce

2-3 tbsp faux bacon (bacos are, in fact, vegan) definitely not healthy but completely vegan

saute garlic, onion, and white part of green onions in olive oil.

increase heat and add potatoes, salt, and pepper.

cook for 15 minutes.

blend tofu, soy sauce in food processor until creamy (lynne chose this option. i would've just mixed with a fork)
fold in bacos, green part of green onions, and potato/onion mixture.

pour into casserole dish.

bake 30-40 minutes @ 350.

runner up: crumb cake (foreground)

1 cup soy milk

1 tbsp vinegar

1/3 cup soft tofu

2 1/4 cups flour

1 1/4 cups brown sugar

3 tsp cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup vegetable oil

3/4 cup chopped walnuts

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

blend soy milk, vinegar, and tofu until smooth.

in a separate bowl mix flour, brown sugar, 2 1/2 tsp cinnamon, ginger, salt, and oil.

combine 1 1/4 cups of this mixture with walnuts and remaining cinnamon.

combine remainder of the flour mixture with baking soda, baking powder, and blended tofu mixture.

spread this into 9x13 pan and pour the walnut mixture over it.

bake 30-35 minutes @ 350.

sassy joes continued

for those who are interested and enjoy recipes (as i do):

creamy vegan coleslaw dressing:
2/3 cup vegan mayonnaise
2 tbsp white vinegar
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 1/2 tbsp sugar
salt to taste (just a little)

sassy joe details:
almost a pound of tofu
brown in a tablespoon of molasses
add a 6 oz can of tomato paste
add sauteed vegetables
let simmer
add water as needed for consistency

i added ketchup, horseradish mustard, oregano, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper to flavor it while it simmered

i also added rice vinegar.... too much of it. so L suggested i add sugar to conteract it. it worked. so if you add vinegar be careful.

make sure you keep stirring it from the beginning so it doesn't burn and stick

~A aka the sassy chef

sassy joes

at work all day friday. ten hours.

i walk in the door and am greeted with a kiss and a beer...and, about 30 minutes later, a delicious meal. it was supposed to be a surprise.

a peek in the kitchen:
the cutting board was covered with diced vegetables: tomatoes, mushrooms, onions, and peppers (green and jalapeno).
since everything we eat contains vegetables, this did not really reveal much.
there was also a bowl of tofu - mashed with a fork.
again, nothing too revealing.
bottles of ingredients filled the counters and i spotted a package of whole wheat buns.
ideas were starting to form.

as i sat on the the couch smoking a cigarette, watching chopped, and drinking a beer, i could smell said diced vegetables being sauteed.


a trip to the fridge to grab another beer revealed a delicious coleslaw prepared with shredded broccoli, carrots, and red cabbage and coated with a mixture that involved white wine vinegar, sugar, and veganaise.

more couch sitting, cigarette smoking, tv watching, and beer drinking. in the kitchen, tofu was being browned with molasses.


the sauteed vegetables were added to the tofu along with spices, vinegar, ketchup, sugar, horseradish mustard, a can of tomato paste (there may have been other ingredients, but i was watching tv so i'm not quite certain).

essentially, the contents of the pan were placed on the whole wheat bun and we ended up with sassy joes - i call them sassy because the chef was sassy. said sassy joes were served alongside the delicious coleslaw to produce a meal reminiscent of childhood. it was delicious.
~L

Sushi!

text messages:

A: Now on to food - what should we make thursday? Did u have an idea?

L: I have not even considered our menu. Generally I leave the planning up to you, but I'll investigate possibilities tomorrow.

A: or i can either way. I feel like it should be pretty - like colorful for our first picture event.

L: Yes ma'am. My thoughts exactly.

the following day:

A: i was thinking of something with wasabi for dinner tomorrow.

L: i like wasabi and i love you.

So sushi was the choice.

We had the sushi mat, rice vinegar and sushi rice so all that was needed was nori and veggie fillings. We just wandered around the produce department and picked things out.

We decided on:

asparagus (quickly blanched)

avocado

cucumber

shitake mushrooms (marinated in soy sauce and sesame oil)

tofu (pressed)

carrots (painstakingly matchsticked)

the sushi rice was easy and delicious.

cook it.

cool (original instructions recommend using a fan to help the cooling process - we passed on that) and toss in 1/3 cup rice vinegar, 3 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp salt.

make the rolls with any combination of the fillings.

(rolling them is simple and there are helpful picture directions on the nori package)

slice.

serve with soy sauce, wasabi, and pickled ginger. the end.

the chronicle of our adventures in cooking and eating

we are geeks.
we eat.
we are geeks who eat.