Tahini Rice Noodles Revisited

Remember how I made Tahini Rice Noodles the other day? Well, after an awesome session at Springboard Pilates and a brusque walk home, I felt like a big plate of veggies, rice noodles, and tahini again! I took a picture this time so you can actually see what it looks like. Made a few changes such as adding zucchini, carrot, and white turnip and not using bell pepper. I also included a few shakes of dulse granules on top for some seaweed-goodness. And again, it's delicious.

Let me just mention that the kale, red cabbage, white turnip, zucchini, carrot, yellow beans, and radish are all from our farm share through Snell Family Farm. It's incredible how amazing it feels to eat food that was picked a few days ago and didn't need to travel from California or New Mexico to get to your plate. Farm share = do it. You will thank me.

Also, I'm seriously love tahini, you guys. I might need an intervention; I almost added it to my oatmeal this morning.

Tahini Rice Noodles

Tahini Rice Noodles
8 oz wide rice noodles
1/2 to 3/4 cup red cabbage
1 kale stem with leaves removed
1/4 cup orange bell pepper, sliced
1 crimini mushrooms, diced
1 large radish, thinly sliced
4-5 yellow string beans
1-2 Tbsp light tahini paste
1/2 tsp Braggs
1/2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp flax seed oil
Pinch of cayenne pepper

Cook rice noodles as indicated on package. Drain and rinse with cold water. Return to pot and toss with flax seed oil. Let sit.

In a small skillet, heat olive oil. Add radish and bell pepper and cook through (I like them to get a little blackened). Add in mushrooms and string beans. Cook through. Add Braggs and then add cabbage and kale and cook only until the kale's bright green. Remove from heat.

Toss room temp rice noodles with tahini. Add veggies and toss. Sprinkle with cayenne pepper.

Serves 2.


The majority of this dish was made using produce from our farm share with Snell Family Farm!

Favorite Detox Breakfast to date!

Yum! So have you ever tried black quinoa? I did not even know such a thing existed until we reached week 4 of the detox diet. Black quinoa is not sold in the bulk aisle at our Whole Foods and since we rarely <never> buy grains that aren't in bulk, we never even noticed it sitting there on the shelf. So what's the difference? Well, it's similar in nutrition to red quinoa, but it's much more fragrant and it doesn't have that crunchiness to it. Which is why it made for a wonderful breakfast!

On Sunday night we cooked up a big batch of the black quinoa and for breakfast we have about 2/3 of a cup with 1/4 almond milk, 1/2 Tbsp of honey (yes, we're vegan and we're okay with honey...it's a debatable topic and we only buy local), 1 Tbsp of slivered almonds, and a couple thin slivers of avocado. It is an awesome way to start the day!

Although black quinoa is more expensive (it was $7.99 for a small bag...but remember - quinoa expands to 4x its size when cooked. A little goes a long way!), I think we'll continue buying it once in a while because we are liking the taste and texture much more than red. Have you tried all of the different types yet? Let me know what you think!

Top 10 Money Saving Tips for Going Vegan

At the request of my friend Liz and because I hear it so damn often, this will be a post about how to be vegan and save money. So often I hear people telling me, "Oh, I'd go vegan/vegetarian if it didn't cost so much, but it's so expensive I just can't do it." I want to laugh when I hear this. Are you kidding me? Switching to veganism is WAY cheaper than consuming meat, but only if you are a smart and conscious shopper. Sure, you can go to Whole Foods and purchase pre-made seitan, wheat balls, veggie burgers, polenta, etc. And yes, your shopping bill will be high. No doubt about it. But if you follow these few tips, you'll find you'll be saving money in no time!

Christi's Top 10 Tips for Saving $$ on a Vegan Diet:

1. Avoid fancy specialty items. They're packaging is enticing and their easy to use but they will jack your bill up, so be prepared. We do purchase Tofurkey deli slices on a regular basis and we'll often buy Field Roast. But we know they're more expensive and we can afford it right now. These aren't vital items to be a good vegan cook and you can totally make amazingly delicious food WITHOUT them. I promise :) You can also find recipes that tell you how to make them. Homemade seitan is far more cost-effective than pre-made store bought seitan. Homemade veggie burgers are way cheaper and you don't have to worry about egg whites being included.

2. Plan your meals in advance. Every Saturday I sit down with our cookbooks and pick out 4-5 meals for the week. I write out my shopping list based on these meals and I write down the meals, cookbooks, and page numbers and stick it to the fridge for the week. You're thinking, "I see how this would save time, but money?" But it does! By creating a shopping list around the things you plan to eat for the week, you won't be tempted or even need to purchase things that are not on your list (ALWAYS food shop with a list). You'll also find that you're buying the appropriate quantity of food for you and your family and you aren't wasting food by letting it go bad. If you find that food is still going bad, make smaller shopping trips.

3. The bulk aisle is your best friend (most of the time). For the most part, items in the bulk section will cost less than buying that fancy Bob's Red Mill's bag of polenta (we don't buy his products anymore and you shouldn't either!). Your bulk aisle will likely include polenta, flour, sugar, beans, spices, nuts, and many grains. But make sure that the cost is less. Last week, I wanted to buy a good amount of cranberries to use in my baking. I checked out the price per pound in the Whole Foods bulk section. In the same aisle they sell packaged bulk items, and the packaged cranberries cost less per pound. So goo thing I checked!

4. Beans, Beans, Beans. I know it's a pain in the ass to buy dry beans, but MAN do they cost less than canned. Seriously! So here's what you do...you buy your beans on the weekend and on Sunday afternoon, soak a big batch, boil them, drain them, and put them in tupperware and stick them in the freezer. You're set for a while if you do a good amount and a variety. Beans are an awesome source of protein and numerous vitamins - so eat 'em up!

5. Shop Local. Farmers Markets, road stands, local orchards are a fantastic way to save money. Check out some of my earlier posts with shots of all the food I've gotten for $10. It's incredible and it's fresh and local and so much better for you. Think about how far some of our food travels to get to us, how it's banged around, gets dirty....local food at the Farmers Market traveled up to an hour on the back of a truck and the person who grew that tomato is handing it to you. Fantastic! I don't know why you wouldn't shop there :)

6. Use substitutions in fancy recipes. So your mushroom risotto recipe uses morels which are like $5.99 for a small bag. Substitute! You don't have to use morels. The amazing thing about veggies is how versatile they are. You should use recipes as a guide and not feel tied to them. If your recipe calls for expensive mushrooms, substitute with criminis or white mushrooms and you'll save $3. You have a recipe that tells you to deglaze the pan with red wine but you don't have red wine or can't afford it, use veggie stock or water instead.

7. Choose your proteins wisely. Many people, when they first become vegetarian or vegan, feel that they need to buy meat substitutes to replace the protein they were getting from animal foods. Not true! There are many, many, MANY other sources of protein that, at times, have more protein than the meat subs. Here are some examples of protein content from plant food from Vegan for Life:

• 3 ounces of seitan = 22.5 grams 
• 1/3 cup of soy protein powder = 23 grams
• 1/2 cup of soy beans (edamame, if you will) = 14.3 grams
• 1/4 cup of peanuts = 8.6 grams
• 1/2 cup of firm tofu = 20 grams (firm has a higher protein content than soft)
• 1 cup of soy milk = 10 grams
• 1/2 cup of quinoa = 4 grams
• 1/2 cup of frozen spinach = 3.8 grams
• 2 Tbsp peanut butter = 8 grams

You don't need soy meat alternatives if you learn about nutrition and make smart choices throughout your day. If you understand the nutrition behind it, you'll save a great deal of money! I can't stress that enough - you really need to learn nutrition and make sure you're doing vegan right - you'll save money and ensure your health. Don't be a junk food vegan (french fries and Oreos). 

8. Waste not - make stock. We're getting back into soup season and I cannot stress enough how silly it is to buy veggie stock. Seriously - don't make me come over there to give you a swift kick in the pants. Here's the trick - as you're cooking throughout the week, keep a large tupperware container in your fridge and add any veggie odds and ends - carrot peels, onion ends, avocado skins, kale stems  - you name it, if it's veg, throw it in! Then, at the end of the week, throw all the ends into a big pot with a little olive oil and saute them. Once the veggies are warmed and smelling good, add water, a bay leaf, some fresh ground pepper and 1-2 tsp of soy sauce or Braggs. Cover the pot; bring it up to a boil and then simmer for a few hours. After you turn it off, allow it to cool so you can work with it and strain the liquid into a pitcher or large container you can store in the fridge. Squeeze the veggies to get excess liquid out (it's crazy how much liquid they hold). And now you've got stock for the week to make soups, cook rice and other grains, use in sautés, etc. If you have a composter, throw the veg in. Sadly, we don't have one, but at least we're getting as much food as we can out of the veggies we buy. 

9. Make your own snacks. Snack foods are so tempting to buy. If you're dieting right, you know you need a snack or two throughout your day, but snack foods like granola bars, veg chips, trail mix, etc. can get really pricey. So make your own! Make a nice big batch of granola bars - there are tons of great recipes on VegWeb and there's a great one on The Vegan Stoner. Make your own trail mix by purchasing a some nuts, seeds and raisins or cranberries in the bulk section and then just mix them together. Ta-da! Trail mix. Make your own veg chips - you've got an oven! If you buy kale chips, I will smack you. They are SO much cheaper to make at home and you can do fun things like add a good amount of cayenne pepper and sea salt or coconut...Google kale chip recipes and you'll find tons of combinations. 

10. Set a take-out/dine-out limit. This rule applies to all diets but it's easier when you're vegan because there are less dining options to begin with! Set a rule for your household limiting the number of times you eat out or order take out. Our rule is 2 times per month and we seriously save a good chunk of change. It's hard to stick to this rule when you've got a lot of friends pulling you in all different directions, wanting to dine with you. Don't fret - just suggest small dinner parties at your houses. The setting is more intimate, you can actually hear what people are saying, and there is something so satisfying about cooking for the people you love. In other cities, there are a lot more dining-out options for vegans than in Portland, Maine, but you should still limit your meals out. Think about it, often times the bill for a dinner for 2 is equal to your week's food shopping trip. And you only get one meal out of it. If you don't believe that it will help you save money, start tracking how much you spend, not only on eating out, but record every time you purchase a latte and how much it cost you. It's so easy to drop a few bucks here and there, but then when you track it and look back at your months expenses, you'll be shocked to discover that you've spent maybe $50 on coffee. $50?! That's a food shopping trip providing food for a week! 

So all of these tips are awesome, but maybe they don't answer the question at large - is veganism cheaper than being an omnivore? Well, let's look at the cost of ground beef, pork chops, and chicken.

Average cost of ground beef, per pound, in August 2011 = $3.21
Pork chops, bone in per pound, in August 2011 = $3.65
Chicken, boneless per pound, in August 2011 = $3.25
Tofu, with a price that rarely fluctuates, 14 ounces = $1.69 (365 extra firm tofu)

Ok so, a pound is 16 ounces, so the beef is 20 cents an ounce, the pork is 23 cents, and chicken is 20 cents.  Tofu is 12 cents an ounce. Maybe you don't think that's very much, but it all adds up! And these prices on meat are averages, the region you live in and store you're shopping at can cause major fluctuations. As I noted above, the price of tofu very rarely fluctuates and so we always know how much we're going to spend.

Here's some additional reading if you want more info:

MSN: Go vegetarian to save money
20 Something Finance: Frugality through Vegetarianism - How to Save $2-$3K per Year & the Planet by Moving Away from a Meat - Based Diet
Vegan on the Cheap by Robin Robertson

A Farmers Market Dinner

It's Wednesday which means it's Farmers Market day! Wooo! My goodies, for $10, included a bag of basil, 2 yellow tomatoes, 2 lemon cucumbers, 1 other kind of yellow cucumber I didn't catch the name of, rainbow chard, 1 summer squash and 2 purple bell peppers. Seriously people, you can get a lot of food for just $10 when you shop local - so shop smart!

So we winged dinner and made up our own little stir-fry creation using a bunch of this week and last week's Farmers Market findings and the result was a delicious sweet and spicy Thai-style stir-fry. I just gotta say, since going vegan this past January, I have realized that vegan cooking is SUPER easy. I'm amazed that so many people think it's harder to cook vegan. Our meals generally take less time to cook, are lower in cost, and there's never any fear of getting sick from not cooking something or eating something bad (it's pretty easy to tell when veggies have gone bad!).

I know many of you reading this blog are not vegan, and hey, that's totally ok! But I hope that you'll at the very least try out some of my recipes and the recipes that I try and start thinking about how the cooking part of going vegan is not the difficult part at all (at first it's really just the cheese cravings, but they go away, I promise. Especially after you take the time to learn more about the dairy industry).

Ok - so here's the recipe and dude, you should try it because it's delish and had us saying mmmmm every other bite. So do it. Go cook this up NOW!

Farmers Market Fresh Stir-Fry

1 block of tofu, drained and pressed to remove excess water, then cubed
olive oil or sesame oil
1 yellow onion, sliced into thin strips
2 medium carrots, chopped
2 bell peppers, we used purple
1/2 summer squash, sliced
1/2 zucchini, sliced
1 yellow tomato, sliced, seeds removed
1 red tomato, sliced, seeds removed
A handful of basil leaves
About 2 Tbsp shredded kohlrabi
salt & pepper to taste

Sauce:
2-3 Tbsp Sweet Chili Sauce
3-4 Tbsp Braggs
1 tsp Peanut Oil
1 tsp Brown Sugar
2 drops Liquid Smoke



In a non-stick skillet, dry-fry the tofu (just lay the tofu in the pan without any oil and let it simmer the water out, pressing on the tofu every once in a while to squeeze out more water). Continue to cook until all the sides are browned.

In a wok, saute onion in some oil until they are translucent. Then add veggies in the order listed in the ingredient list, sauteing each one as its added until it's fully cooked.

Meanwhile, make the sauce by combining all the sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Then add the cooked tofu and let it sit until you're finished adding veggies to the wok. Once the veggies are cooked and the flavors have melded, dump in the tofu and sauce and mix. Saute for another minute and then remove from heat and serve! You could serve it over rice if you want, but we had fresh corn on the cob and homemade kale chips so we found it wasn't needed.

Rainbow Chard, Garbanzo, Zucchini Saute

On my little lunch break, I thought I'd share last night's dinner - enjoy!

Rainbow Chard, Garbanzo, Zucchini Saute

Ingredients:
1 medium sized yellow onion, chopped roughly (doesn't have to be diced)
4-5 crinimi mushrooms, chopped
1 1/2 cups garbanzo beans (chickpeas), or as much as you want - we cooked a big container of dried ones and keep it in the freezer and just grab some when we need them
1 large zucchini, chopped
1 bunch of rainbow chard, chopped
1-2 tsp dried sage
salt & pepper to taste
olive oil

Saute onion until translucent in some olive oil. Add mushrooms. Add chickpeas next and let it cook a while, covered, so that they soften a bit. Throw in the zucchini and tomato and saute on medium for a little while (you may need to add a little more olive oil if it's dry or you can add a little veggie stock). Add the sage, salt & pepper. Add in the chard and cover, letting the flavors combine. Let it simmer for several minutes until the chard looks like cooked spinach and the veggies are cooked to your liking. Then....mangia!

Vacation Re-Cap

This past week I went on a vacation hiatus ...

Saturday, July 23rd = lots of laziness

Sunday, July 24th = lots of laziness + some errands including a trip to Borders (did you hear? they're closing down) for some discount wins: Moosewood Cookbook, Veganomicon, and Vegan for Life.

Monday, July 25th = Dentist appointment. Tested out my latest cupcake recipe, Salty Pete's Favorite Treat, a chocolate cupcake topped with homemade caramel, sea salt and vanilla no-butter cream - yum! Saw Captain American - kickass!

Tuesday, July 26th = Drove to Brunswick to visit some of my former coworkers - brought cupcakes for taste-testing and there were large grins and "mmmmm's" all around. Dinner at Justin's mom's house for his birthday where we taught her how to make vegan pizza and to her amazement, she really liked it - vegan win! She also took one bite of the cupcake and exclaimed, "These are NOT vegan!" Also taught her that most pestos are not vegan (many contain Parmesan) and that the "Lactose Free" Veggie Shreds cheese at Hannaford actually contains dairy products - yes, read the ingredients. The second one is dried skim milk protein. Ew. She was shocked but now understands the importance of reading the ingredient list and not trusting labels - hooray!

Wednesday, July 27th = Tested out Blueberry Corn Pancake recipe from Veganomicon - FAIL. They came out thin and gloppy, so much for a nice birthday breakfast at home! Walked over to Hot Suppa in town for breakfast, then walked to the Farmers Market. Goodies included 2 lbs of potatoes, a head of kale, a head of rainbow chard, and kohlrabi. Took Justin out for drinks at David's then surprised him with dinner at the Green Elephant...pretty much the only vegetarian/vegan place in town. Then surprised him with drinks and friends at our favorite bar, Local 188. Then went to the Bar of Chocolate for martinis and absinthe with more friends.  Awesome night :)

Farmers Market Goodies

Justin enjoying his birthday dinner

We splurged and got appetizers - mmm!

Thursday, July 28th = Visited Boothbay Harbor where my mom's ashes were scattered 4 years ago. Had a nice lunch on a pretty dock right on the water.

Friday, July 29th = Looked at 2 apartments, fell in LOVE with one and have applied. Currently waiting to see if the landlady picks us (pick us! pick us!). Made Blackberry Whoopie Pies for Justin's birthday.

A baker's fridge is a dangerous place...

Saturday, July 30th = Went tubing on the Saco River with 5 awesome people. Laughed, got wet, relaxed, burned like a lobster, laughed some more.

Sunday, July 31st = Thought a lot about my mom....dreaded the mountain of work waiting for me on Monday.


It was a fabulous week and although I return to work this week, it's a short week because my bestest friend in the world is going to visit me on Friday. I haven't seen her in TWO years. Way too long. But she lives in Japan, so I'll forgive it. I plan to make her a fabulous vegan brunch and show her around town. Can't wait :)

Cold Dinners For Hot Nights

Lately we haven't been making many heated dishes. We live in an un-air conditioned apartment and when we're feeling over-heated and tired from work, the last thing we want is a warm plate full of heavy foods. So on Saturday, I peered into the fridge and realized we still had two large containers of veggie stock and a bunch of containers collecting more veggie remnants to make yet more stock - what to do when you're over stocked! It's hot out; Yoga Soup is out of the question.

I remembered when I was growing up my mom used to make us vichyssoise (vee-she-swa) in the summer. Many of you are saying, "Vee-she-what-now?!" It's okay - I'll walk you through this one. Vichyssoise, as defined by Wikepedia is "a thick soup made of pureed leeks, onions, potatoes, cream, and chicken stock" and is usually served cold. Apparently there's a debate over its origins - French or American - but Julia Childs calls it an "American invention" and at the very least, this vegan version is! 

I followed the VegWeb Hot Pepper Vichyssoise recipe posted by queen-o-hearts. After roasting the potatoes, leeks, pablano, jalapeno, garlic, and spices, I could have just eaten a bowl of the veggies. They were deliciously spiced and honestly, who doesn't love roasted veggies?! They'd taste great chilled and served over greens.

Roasted veggies

The soup was easy to make and tasted delicious warm and cold. Despite the heaviness of some of the ingredients - potatoes...soy milk - it was actually light and refreshing and had a slight after-kick. As I was making the soup, our furbaby Bob was trying very hard to distract me....

A cat's life is rough, man.

To accompany the soup, I made Spicy Tempeh with Asparagus, Ginger, and Chile from a new blog discovery, A Profound Hatred of Meat. I'm so glad I stumbled across this blog because blogger Carly Sitner has got some fabulous recipes - check it out! I modified the recipe a little using Lalibela Farm's Black Bean Tempeh, ground ginger (sad face, we were out of fresh), and chili flakes because we didn't have any fresh chiles. It came out pretty good, but Justin thinks we should use less rice wine vinegar when marinating the tempeh because it seemed to really take on the vinegary taste. I'll either cut that in half or eliminate it next time I try the recipe. 

Hot Pepper Vichyssoise, Tempeh & Asparagus, and Quinoa/Flax Seed Bread from Whole Foods

All in all it was a great dinner that was not too hot and heavy - perfect for a mid-summer's night! These two recipes are keepers, folks.

14,800 animals saved...but Paula Deen goes on kicking

200 animals a year. We save an average of 200 animal lives per year by going vegan. So, if I live a long and healthy life and make it to 100 years of age, I will have saved 14,800 animals. This fact is beautifully satisfying.

I thought about this statistic last night as Justin and I watched a DVR'd episode of Next Food Network Star. Three things really irked me about this week's episode - well, three major things, I'm sure I was disgruntled by other things too: 1) Paula Dean 2) Tofu bashing 3) Standard vegetarian meals.

Let's go backwards -

The contestants were asked to prepare meals for cast, crew, writers, etc. of the show Cougar Town starring Courtney Cox. They were put into pairs and asked to cook a certain style of food depending on the group they were cooking for. One group was assigned the stylists/hairdressers/make-up artists, etc and they were told that normally these people are vegetarian. First of all, anyone can be vegetarian and by restricting this dietary assignment to this group, the show was perpetuating a stupid stereotype (I'm not saying I don't think they should cook vegetarian meals; I'm just offended that it was assumed that only the stylists would require this type of meal). So the two contestants, of course, felt a bit lost. The male in the team says, "I'm going to think outside the box and make them something really good because they're always getting jipped." What does he make? PASTA with veggies and cheese. Yes, a pat on the back, very creative. The female contestant makes a salad with roasted pumpkin seeds and other various accouterments. Nice, but pretty boring.

Next, this team of two men is asked to prepare food for the writers. It needs to be classy and organized, because apparently this is what writers want....I'll leave that one alone. One of the contestants can't find ground chicken or beef at the store, so he buys tofu. And then he proceeds to BITCH the entire time about how hard tofu is to cook, how no one likes it, how he's crazy for using it. Paula Deen, a guest judge, and Bobby Flay approached his table as he was cooking and both turned their noses up at the dish (lettuce leaves stuffed with a tofu mixture), saying that he made a bad choice by choosing to tofu as a main ingredient. Here comes a rant - brace yourselves - tofu is one of the easiest ingredients to cook. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! It takes on the flavor of anything you pair it with; you can serve it with multiple textures and consistencies, and it's incredibly healthy for you (lower in cholesterol and fat than meat products). This guy is supposed to be a good chef, yet he had no clue how to work with tofu. And I feel like this is standard. Justin and I make some amazing tofu dishes and we are not professionals. I was originally rooting for this contestant - now he's at the bottom of my list.

And finally, Paula Deen. Is there anyone in the world more anti-veg than she? As she paraded around the various food tables she made comments about vegetable dishes saying, "You need to throw a stick of butter on there" and scoffing at the tofu, "If I made tofu for my husband, he would say get the tofu-outta-here." The comical part is that, when she tasted the tofu dish, she acutally liked it! Go figure...apparently tofu can taste good. In summary, that woman is an abomination.

Okay. I'm done.

On a lighter note, before becoming absolutely disgusted by the show, I made a delicious dinner for Justin and I and surprised him by having it all set up in our back yard when he got home. It was composed of Farmers Market goodies and some awesome finds at the Portland Public Market House. Sometimes we're so cute it hurts.

Kale, strawberries, black bean tempeh, portebello cap, tomatoes, avocado, and our favorite CabSav, Pine & Post

Dinner waiting for Justin in our backyard: Pasta with portebello, tomato, kale, garlic, and herbs and an herb salad with cucumber, carrot and strawberries. And of course, some Pine & Post. And yes, I made the easy vegan pasta dish - but in my defense, we don't make pasta often and our cubbards are going bare so there weren't many other choices!

Making do with an emptying fridge

Last night, after finishing my last baking order for the week, I peered into the fridge for dinner ideas. A lone cucumber, bag of carrots, and emptying jar of salsa stared back at me, daring me to make my move. As I uttered comments of discontent, Justin yelled in and said, "Let's just order out." I thought about it, but then I thought, No way! We need to save money because we may be moving in a month or two and we've eaten out too much lately (our original goal of one eat out pass per month has fallen by the wayside recently). I mustered up courage, flung the fridge back open, and rolled up my sleeves.

Our pantry is always well stocked with grains, so I pulled out the rice cooker and started a batch of brown rice. Then I heated a skillet with some olive oil and added the rest of an onion - less than a 1/4 cup, but hey, at least it didn't get wasted. After the onion was cooked, chopped up 3 carrots and threw those in. I followed with beans and some spices, and ended up with a really nice Mexican rice and beans dish. Ta-da! My man even went back for seconds. Here's my recipe:

Odds & Ends Mexican Rice & Beans
2 cups brown rice
olive oil
onion, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
1 tomato, diced
1/2ish veggie stock
1 can garbanzo beans, drained & rinsed
1 can black beans, drained & rinsed
1/3-1/2 cup TVP
Mild - hot salsa
salt & pepper
chili flakes
chili powder
cayenne pepper

Heat the onion in olive oil over medium heat. Once onions are translucent, add carrots and cook until they are tender. Add veggie stock, beans, and TVP and cover. Let the mixture simmer covered for a while, allowing the beans to soften, stirring occasionally. You may need to add more veggie stock or water as it gets soaked up pretty fast by the TVP and beans. After 10 mins or so, add in the tomato (I did it here because I didn't want them soggy, but you could add them earlier) and salsa and mix. Add spices - I didn't measure, so just be mindful of how spicy you want it to be.

Serve the mixture hot over the brown rice, or mix it all together and then serve.
Makes 4-5 servings.

And of course after dinner, there were cookies left over from the 3 orders I had this week, so dessert was a cinch :)

Vegan Linzer Tarts

Photo by Justin Lewis, filmaperture Photography

So I took some leftovers for lunch, and also brought some cucumber salad. Cucumber salad is SO easy to make and so refreshing when it's hot outside. Pick up some fresh dill and cukes at your local farmers market and just chop them up, throw them in a container with some white wine vinegar, salt and pepper, and let it sit in the fridge for a day or so. Yum!

Lunch: Mexican beans without the rice, cucumber salad, grapes, and a small salad with radish and hummus.

Today's lesson: Even when you think there's nothing in your kitchen, try to make it work and you might surprise yourself with a new recipe. You just need to think outside the box and let the ingredients you have on-hand inspire you!

Lemon and Ginger Tofu with Beautiful Sauce

On Thursday night we tried a VegWeb recipe posted by "carltelefunk" from the UK - Lemon and Ginger Tofu with Beautiful Sauce. The results - fantastico! But we made a few changes.

First - I don't know about you, but I don't have time to think about marinating my tofu for several hours before I cook. It's just not happening with my busy schedule. So first, I started by cutting my tofu block into 8 rectangles and towel drying them (wrap them in paper towels and press). Then I cut each rectangle in half, and then in half again, but at an angle so that I had triangles. Next, I heated up a non-stick skillet (MUST be non-stick!!) and threw in the tofu pieces, allowing them to sizzle. I took a spatula and pressed on the pieces, which allows more water to release and sizzle in the pan. Then I flipped the pieces and let them brown on the other side.

After I had the tofu ready, I removed it from the pan and put the marinade from the recipe into the same pan. I allowed the sauce to come up to a simmer and then stirred in the 6 Tbsp of coconut milk. Then, rather than using composing the plate and pouring the sauce on top as the recipe suggests, I tossed in the tofu and allowed it to simmer for a while. I added in veggies - baby bok choy from the Portland Farmer's Market, yellow bell pepper, and broccoli - and allowed it to cook a while longer so that the flavors combined. Then I served the mix on top of jasmine rice.

It was really really yummy and if I make it again, I'm definitely doing it this way instead of the way the recipe instructs. The only big change I'd make to the sauce is to swap out lemon juice for lime juice. Although it was really good, I feel like lime juice tends to be a little less harsh and will blend in more.

I took leftovers for lunch the other day, in addition to a salad with some local Ariel's hummus and some cantaloupe.

And by the way, friends, you'll notice something new beneath my blog posts - a reaction section. Please take a sec to give me some feedback about my posts! As always, thanks for reading!

From Bagels to Tacos and Oatmeal to VLTs

Four recent discoveries on the streets of Portland, Maine:

1. Local Sprouts Cooperative - If you're in town and looking for a consistently good vegan lunch, look no further. Local Sprouts Cooperative has got more than one option for you - yes! more than one! My favorite sandwich is the VLT, their vegan take on a BLT. It's made on the most fabulous thick slabs of hearty wheat bread with strips of Lalibela Farm's tempeh, tomato and lettuce and the most wonderful veganaise I have ever had in my life. Seriously. I need their recipe. The consistency is more like that of a soft cheese and it has a nutty, sweet flavor. Mmmm! The sandwich comes with a little side of their daily salad - sometimes a slaw, sometimes pasta, sometimes just greens. All for $7, which seems pricey, but seriously, it's worth it!

2. I am a very open minded person and like to try new things. So when I heard there was a new restaurant in town called Gogi serving Korean tacos and that they had vegan options, of course I wanted to check it out. No brainer. Justin and I went for lunch last Friday and well, it's easier for me to just show you the review I posted on Urbanspoon:

"My fiance and I went for lunch. The restaurant was totally empty except for the owner and his children who stared at us the whole time we were there (the owner didn't bother saying hello). The interior really needs some TLC - it's a cross between country, Asian, Victorian and modern decorating. We ordered seaweed "tacos" and potato fries. The fries were ok....very soggy though. The "tacos" were a disaster. It was basically 4 sheets of nori wtih some tofu, cabbage, cilantro and lime thrown in the middle - and by some I mean 2 tablespoons, if that. You can't bite through 4 sheets of nori unless your teeth are serrated so the whole thing was a mess to eat and just totally unpractical. Needless to say, they did not make a good first impression at all and we will not be going back any time soon."


Beware of Gogi....at least until they get their act together. And seriously, I hope they do because Portland could use some more reasonably priced eateries with vegan options.

3. A quick breakfast out is so hard to find. I'm surrounded by coffee shops when I get to work, yet none of their baked goods - muffins, croissants, scones - are even close to vegan. My only option lately has been a toasted multi-grain bagel from Starbucks, plain with nothing on it. When I asked if they had jelly, the girl just blinked. When I asked if they had margarine or a non-dairy spread she blushed and apologized. Oh well. Dry bagels it is. Until I discovered that Starbucks offers oatmeal and they make it with water. Perrrrfect! Next time I need a quick breakfast (which doesn't happen often because I'm really good about making it at home) I'll try out CBD to see if they make their oatmeal with water too because I'd rather support local.

4. Speaking of bagels, Justin and I were at the Old Port Festival this past Sunday which was filled with booths of food food food and all we could smell was cooking meat. It made me a bit nauseous. On our way home, we stopped in at The Works Bakery Cafe for a snack. Now I had never been to The Works so I had no idea what I was going to find, and boy was I surprised. Guess what, friends? They have Tofutti! I had a sesame seed bagel with veggie Tofutti and it was fantastic. I had never tried the veggie kind and it was really smooth and creamy and actually had small bits of REAL vegetables in it. Mmmm, yummy!

Have you made any vegan discoveries in your town recently? Do share!

Vegan Sweets & Treats

Anyone who knows me knows that I have a sweet tooth. My dream is to open a vegan bakery someday and I currently run a humble little baking service out of my apartment kitchen. I recently went through the process of re-naming said service, though I haven't revealed the new name and brand because I have yet to find someone to help me do a logo and re-design of the website....soon though, I hope!

In the mean time, I've been doing some research in my home town. Currently, there are no fully-operating vegan bakery store fronts. This is a major-league bummer! There are several bakeries providing a few vegan treats here and there, but for the most part, they severely miss the mark. There are a couple home-kitchen operations making their name out there, the most successful of which seems to be 13th Cookie. Most recently I've tried two treats worth mention: one, because it was incredibly delicious, the other, because it gives vegan baking a bad rap.

Let's start with the good: Sometimes at work I need something sweet. Does it happen to you? You hit this point in the afternoon when the dream of a good cookie and a cup of coffee or tea lure you to the streets. I typically head to Coffee by Design, a local coffee shop gaining reputation for it's wonderfully diverse selections and local baked goods. I was so pleased to recently discover that they are selling 13th Cookie baked goods. So far I've tried the Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie. Although it was a bit greasy (likely due to the almond butter), it was chewy and chocolatey, and almost brownie-like. And I loved that it wasn't one of those giant cookies most places sell - it was just a normal-sized cookie and was the perfect amount to quench my craving. Bravo, 13th Cookie & CBD! Finally, there is a vegan sweet in town that actually tastes good! 

About a year ago, a restaurant opened up in town called Local Sprouts Cooperative. They serve a wide array of food and their menu includes several vegan dishes (hooray!). Connected to the co-op is the Bomb Diggity Bakery. They offer a variety of baked goods, including several vegan offerings, though they are not a fully vegan kitchen. The concept is really cool - check out their website for details - but in short, they provide services for individuals with intellectual disabilities. I really wanted to like their baked goods, really I did. I want to support them so badly...but...so far Justin and I have tried two things from them and man, were they a let down.

The first was a chocolate-chai cupcake sampled at the Portland Public Market. The cupcake was hard as a rock, overly cinnamony (we're talking mouth-full-of-cinnamon cinnamony), and incredibly dry. The icing was flat and sickeningly sweet. Major bummer.

Then we tried a chocolate cookie. First off, it was a "big" cookie and I just object to those in general. I think Americans have gotten far too used to large portion sizes and cookies should be sized to fit in the palm of your hand. The cookie looked very chocolatey at first glance. It was dark in color and lumpy with nuts and other various surprises. It was extremely greasy, so much so that it was all over my hands. On first bite, I wasn't sure what I was tasting - a cross between a granola bar and bird suet, perhaps? Needless to say, the cookie was guiltily chucked in a trash can on the street. I say guiltily because I feel bad - I desperately want their baked goods to taste good, but alas, they just aren't.

I'm happy to say that everyone who's sampled my baked goods has been delightfully surprised that it's vegan. They say, "This doesn't even taste vegan!" Well - I don't think vegan has a taste, it just is! Baked goods are baked goods. They're meant to be indulgent, they're meant to be yummy and I'm certainly glad that mine are. Let me know if you're interested in trying some - I'm always looking for testers :)

Rejuvinate!

I don't know if it's the warm weather - but I've been feeling so creative lately, and it feels spectacular. I've been coming up with new flavor ideas for my vegan baking, envisioning a new website (if only I had the skills to make what's in my head!), gathering ideas for starting a monthly book group, and resurrecting my knitting habit. Once I have a little extra cash I'm going to get my violin bows repaired and get back to making music again too! Phew - I just hope I can keep this up!

Justin and I have been talking lately about how much we're starting to dislike the television. I find myself exhausted after walking home, doing dishes, picking up the house a bit, and making dinner - sometimes it's just way too easy to slide onto the couch and sit like a lump until it's time for bed. The other night we played a friendly game of Scrabble and it was so refreshing to actually interact with each other. I'm still finding myself "night eating" and I'm hoping that less time in front of the t.v. will help to quench this.

I want to start paying more attention to the foods I eat. Maybe you just did a double-take and thought, "Um, this is a food blog and from what I read, she's eating pretty healthy!" This is true. However, I'm not going to lie, I have the occasional "cheat." I'll eat a cheese sample at Whole Foods or have some ice-cream with friends or a baked good at the local coffee shop. These little "oh it's just a little thing; it doesn't matter" moments need to end. That's not to say that I should deprive myself of everything, but I want to continue to lose weight and feel healthy and I think that's a good place to start.

Three times in the last 2 days someone has told me I look thinner and I've felt thrilled. I attribute the majority of my weight loss to becoming vegan because it's not only been healthier, but it's given me more energy to go go go! I am this close to fitting in my "skinny" jeans and need that extra little push to get me there. I can do it - and so can you!

Vegan Lunch Time!

Spicy Bean Burger, Sauteed Fiddleheads from the Portland Farmers Market, Mom's Mango Chutney, and Kosher Dill Spears



Lunchtime WIN!

Granola bars, Quinoa Salad, and Edamame Pesto!

It's only Tuesday and already we've tried out four different AWESOME recipes. Here we go:

1. On Sunday I made up Vegan Stoner's Granola Bars. First off, these babies are SO easy to whip up (as are all of VS' recipes). They're sweet and crunchy and nutty - mmmm! We used trail mix from Whole Foods bulk aisle so that we only had to pay for a cup of it and we could pick from a bunch of different types. We went with a locally made trail mix that boasted a high level of antioxidants and didn't include candy pieces like many of the other options. I will make these again, but my one critique is that they are very crumbly. Next time I think I'll add a little more peanut butter or agave to help them stick together more and I'll bake them a bit longer. I still recommend trying them out though! So far this week, they've helped quench my afternoon cravings and I have not made any mid-afternoon CBD trips! Victory!

2. Monday night my fiance made veggie chili burgers using left over chili and some frozen veggie burgers and I made up Vegan Stoner's Mango Quinoa Salad. This salad is AWESOME! The next time we go on a picnic, I am totally bringing this salad. It's crisp and refreshing with sweet mangoes paired with tart strawberries and crunchy celery and red onion. Make it!

3. On Tuesday I decided to try out Post Punk Kitchen's Spinach Linguine with Edamame Pesto. We didn't have any spinach linguine (sadly), so I made it with regular. The only complaint I had with it, and it had NOTHING to do with the recipe itself, was the fact that we had to make the pesto in a blender instead of a food processor. The next kitchen upgrade on my list is a food processor - no more lumpy pestos! The recipe was awesome though and it's included in her list of low-fat recipes, so yay to sticking to the diet!

4. For dessert on Tuesday, I decided to try my hand at Vegan Stoner's Strawberry Soup. This was my first time using vegan sour cream (I used Tofutti's) and I actually enjoyed the taste of it and foresee using it in some of my baking endeavors and Mexican dishes. The soup was...different. My fiance liked it better than I, and finished his whole bowl. But we both agreed that there was a strange aftertaste - possibly attributed to the strawberry seeds. We saved my portion and incorporated it into our breakfast shake and I thought it tasted wonderful. I'm not sure that we'll be trying that one out again any time soon though.

Today I picked up fiddleheads at the Portland Maine Farmers Market an I'm wicked excited to figure out how to prepare them. I can't wait for the Farmers Market to expand as more and more produce becomes available. It's a bit sparse right now, but I was able to find the fiddleheads and pick up a bunch of scallions. I also found, maybe, the largest carrot I have every seen in person!

Left-over Veggie Syndrome

I looked into the fridge this afternoon and noticed that we've got all these odds and ends and a shit-ton of veggie stock. I also noted that we have 4 containers of veggie ends waiting to be made into stock for next week. Eep! Stock overload!

I figured the easiest way to use up a quart or two of stock would be to just make some soup, but like I said, most of what was lurking in the fridge was sort of random. And so, voila, Random Soup was born! Honestly, 9 times out of 10 you do not need to hit up the food store when your pantry's getting low, you just need to switch on some creativity!

I wanted to serve a salad with my Random Soup so I started by roughly chopping up an onion, 3 carrots, 2 russet potatoes, some left over eggplant, garlic, and some Portland Winter Farmers Market goodies - a turnip, golden turnip, and rutabaga. I tossed them all into a roasting pan with some olive oil, salt, pepper, rosemary, and thyme and let them roast for about 1.5 hours, stirring every once in a while.

 Portland Farmers Market goodies: Olivia's Garden Greens, Turnip, Golden Turnip, Rutabaga, & some kind of potato that looks like a large version of fingerlings

After the soup was completed, I served it with the cooled root vegetables on top of Olivia's Garden greens, also from the Farmers Market. You could use some dressing if you want, but I think the flavors of the roasted veggies against the crisp salad greens are glorious and that a dressing would just cloud the flavors. 

Here's the soup recipe, but I didn't measure things so the measurements are just guestimates. I recommend you try making soup from the random odds and ends in your fridge too - it's pretty fun :o) 

Random Soup

1 onion, diced

1 carrot, sliced

1/2 eggplant, cubed

1 can black beans

1 can white beans

1-2 cups of kale, chopped

salt & pepper

cumin

turmeric

cayenne 

3/4 cup wild rice

Lots of veggie stock 

In a large pot, saute onion in olive oil until soft. Add carrot and cook until softened. Then add beans and eggplant - cook 1-2 minutes. Add kale last and cook until it turns dark green and has softened a little. Add spices to the saute mix and saute for a while until the flavors combine. Then add veggie stock followed by rice. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook for 30-60 minutes until rice has softened and flavors are combined. Add spices if needed. 

Caldo Verde

My boyfriend is away for the next two nights and I was home sick today so I thought it would be a good night to make nice comforting meal - soup of course! So I cooked up some Caldo Verde from Vegan on the Cheap, and it certainly did the trick.

The soup included Vegan on the Cheap's Smoky Tempeh Bits, though I didn't liquid smoke in my pantry to make it as the recipe calls for. I did, however, have a fresh package of Lalibella Farm's homemade tempeh in my fridge. So I modified the recipe. I'm not 100% happy with the results, mainly because I used the amount of soy sauce in the recipe without remembering to halve it (for some reason, all of the recipes in this book use an absorbent amount of soy sauce). 

So take the recipe and modifications and make your own changes and let me know what you come up with! Enjoy!

Caldo Verde - modified from Vegan on the Cheap by Robin Robertson

1 large onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1.5 lbs potatoes (the recipe calls for russet, but I used a mixed bag of gourmet which included red, purple, and yukon potatoes - and I must say make the soup look more colorful!)

8 cups veggie stock or water (make your own stock!)

1 tsp dried marjoram

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

Salt to taste

1.5 cups cooked or 1 15.5 oz. can white beans, drained & rinsed

6 cups finely chopped kale

1/4 cup dry white wine

Pepper

1/2 cup Smoky Tempeh Bits (see recipe below)

In a large pot, heat olive oil over med. heat. Add the onion, and cook until softened, about 5 mins. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute longer. Add the potatoes, stock, marjoram, crushed red pepper, and about 1 tsp of salt, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 20 minutes. 

Stir in the beans. Taste and adjust the seasonings, if necessary. (You might need to add more salt if you used water instead of stock.) Keep the soup at a low simmer. 

In a large skillet, heat olive oil. Add the kale and the wine, if using. Season with black pepper to taste. Add 1/4 cup of the stock from the soup. Cook, stirring until the kale is wilted, about 5 minutes. Stir the kale mixture into the soup and simmer for 10 to 12 minutes or until the vegetables are tender and the flavors are well blended. 

When ready to serve, stir the tempeh bits into the soup. Serve hot. 

Smoky Tempeh Bits

8 oz. tempeh

3 Tbsp soy sauce

3 Tbsp water

1 1/2 tsp liquid smoke

1 Tbsp olive oil

In a medium saucepan of simmering water, cook the tempeh over medium heat for 20 minutes. Drain and pat dry. Crumble or chop the tempeh into small bits and set aside. In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, water, and liquid smoke (I didn't have liquid smoke so I used the soy sauce, water and added some Dijon mustard. I liked the mustardy flavor but the soy sauce was very over-powering, so I'll need to play with this next time I make it!). Set aside. 

In a med skillet, heat oil over med-high heat. Add the tempeh and cook, stirring until nicely browned, about 5 minutes. Add the soy sauce mixture, stirring to coat the tempeh. Continue cooking until the liquid is absorbed and the tempeh is evenly coated. Remove from heat.

Cover and refrigerate or freeze what you don't use, until needed. Properly stored, it will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days or in the freezer 3-4 weeks

Satisfaction!

I just spent the morning playing with our Wii Fit -- yes, it does make exercising fun for those of us who hate, hate, hate it. I'll admit I haven't been using it every day as I had planned, but I am using it at least 2-3 times a week, which justifies the purchase :) I am happy to report that when I stepped on the board today, I discovered that I've lost 8.5 pounds since starting to use it on the 3rd, the day we switched to vegan eating. I haven't been doing a lot of exercise because I have a herniated disk that has decided to be unruly again, but I have shoveled a few times and again I've been using the Wii Fit on and off....I think though, I need to credit the loss with being vegan! My goal is to lose 20 pounds within 6 months- which I've done before in much less time- but the goal is to not think of it like a diet, but as a way of life.

It feels so gratifying to know what's going into my food; to know that the ingredients I'm cooking with are fresh and the majority of them unprocessed. I'm feeling healthier, more alert, more active- and it feels good! I'm still at the point where I'm craving cheese and desserts, but I think if I just continue to avoid cheese for a few months it will become a thing of the past and as for desserts, I'm learning not to deprive myself, but to concoct healthier alternatives like fruit salad or a mug of hot chocolate.

Last night I was starting having only eaten a muffin I grabbed on the go (which was not vegan, but I was in a rush and unfortunately most places don't have vegan options) and an apple all day. My boyfriend suggested we us our second "out to dinner" pass (we get 2 a month- a decision made to save money and to make eating out a special thing rather than a habit). He passed out on the couch and I wandered into the kitchen to search through the cabinets for inspirations.

We had a butternut squash left over from the Portland Winter Farmer's Market and a recipe in Vegan on the Cheap for Linguine with Lentils and Roasted Butternut Squash. I bit my lip and wondered if I should risk making it. My boyfriend is NOT a fan of lentils, though I prepared a lentil soup for him last winter that he loved and said was the first time he'd had them and liked them. Looking around our empty fridge and cupboard, it looked like this was my only option.

I'm glad I took the risk! He loved it and so did I. It's a great recipe though it does take quite a while to prepare which isn't optimal when you're as hungry as I was! Nevertheless, here's the recipe with a few modifications (the writer of this book LOVES garlic, and I'm Italian too but I don't need to ward of vampires for a month!). Enjoy!

Linguine with Lentils and Roasted Butternut Squash adapted from Vegan on the Cheap


1/2 cup green lentils
1 med. butternut squash, peeled, halved, and seeded (this takes forever and I'd suggest just buying on that's already dismantled at the food store)
Salt & pepper
Olive oil
1/2 cup minced yellow onion
1 garlic clove, minced (she uses 4...I used 1, try what you'd like!)
2 tsp crumbled dried sage (I'm going to try using fresh next time as I think the flavor will be...well fresher!)
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 cup veggie stock (make it yourself!)
12 oz linguine

Bring a pot of salted water to boil over high heat. Add lentils, return to boil and then reduce to low. Cover & cook until tender, about 45 mins. Drain & set aside.

Preheat the oven to 400 & lightly oil a 9x13in baking pan. Cut the squash into 1/2-in dice and spread in the pan in a single layer. Drizzle with some more oil and season with salt & pepper. Roast until tender, turning once halfway through, about 30 mins. Set aside.

In a large skillet, heat some oil. Add onion, cover and cook about 5 mins. Add garlic and cook about 30 secs. Stir in the sage, tomatoes, and cooked lentils. Stir in the stock and season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer to blend the flavors, about 5 minutes. Stir in the squash and keep warm over low heat, adding more stock if needed for a saucelike texture.

In a large pot, boil salted water and cook the linguine over med-high, stirring, until al dente about 10 minutes. Drain the pasta and return to the pot. Add the lentil-squash mixture and toss gently to combine. Serve hot.

I know where my cabbage came from, what about you?

I am a huge advocate of the Portland Winter Farmer's Market. If you have access to local produce- USE IT! I took a little trip over last Saturday and, although it's mostly root veggies (and unfortunately a whole lotta animal products), I was still able to snag a few goodies. I ended up coming home with a delicious package of Lilibela Farm's black bean tempeh (which I used on Sunday in my Tropic of Tempeh dish), Hollis Honey, a GORGEOUS head of purple cabbage, butternut squash, 2 yellow carrots, & 2 purple carrots. The timing of the market is perfect because I create our weekly menus on Sundays, so of course I was able to incorporate almost everything I got into our menus so NOTHING goes to waste!

Last night my boyfriend and I made Korean Cabbage Salad with Tofu, a recipe from Vegan on the Cheap (yes, you're picking up on a theme, and yes, you should purchase Vegan on the Cheap!). We used the gorgeously vibrant purple cabbage which had an beautiful maze like pattern when cut in half and I marvelled over how something from nature can look so beautiful- like a piece of modern art. We also used the 2 yellow carrots and after shredding both the cabbage and carrots into a large bowl, the colors were just incredible, I had to stand back and admire it! I've actually learned to take the time to admire the beauty of food, which makes you really appreciate what you're consuming and the effort it took to not only prepare it, but for the farmers to grow it.

Needless to say, the meal was a winner and we will definitely be making it again. I hope you'll try this one out! It's crisp and tangy and very refreshing. Try it and let me know what you think!

Korean Cabbage Salad with Tofu from Vegan on the Cheap, with my modifications included
Makes 4 serves (or more depending on how you're using it)

1 lb. extra-firm tofu, drained & patted dry
1/2 cup soy sauce (I'd use a little less in the sauce next time)
5 cups shredded cabbage (she doesn't specify type- but purple looked beautiful and tasted great so I'd recommend using that. We just used the whole head and didn't measure)
2 medium carrots, shredded (We used 2 yellow carrots and one orange)
3 green onions, minced (I still can't find these at WF so I used 1/4 of a yellow onion, diced)
2 garlic cloves, minced (I used 1 and it was potent enough!)
1 Tbsp minced fresh ginger
1 Tbsp light brown sugar
1 tsp Asian chili paste
1/4 cup rice vinegar
3 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
3 Tbsp water

Preheat oven to 375 & lightly oil a baking sheet. Cut the tofu into 1/2 inch slabs and press to remove excess water (this is really important b/c it will crumble and just fall apart if you don't). Cut the slabs into 1/2 inch cubes and toss with 1/4 of the soy sauce. Arrange the tofu on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 30 mins. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

In a large bowl, combine the cabbage, carrots, and onions. Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine garlic, ginger, sugar, chili paste, remaining soy sauce (I'd use a little less than a 1/4 cup), vinegar, oil, and water.

Pour dressing over the cabbage mix and toss to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings, if necessary. Let the salad sit for 15-20 minutes to allow flavors to develop. Serve topped with tofu.