Soy Curl Tacos and Simplifying Dinners

I've been feeling kinda burned out on cooking lately, you guys. Between my Urban Vegan recipe testing, the PPK Cookbook Challenge, and eagerly trying out the new cookbooks I got for my birthday and Christmas, I've been making a lot of new recipes with very few simple "filler" meals in between -- I'm talking about noodles, pizza, tacos, stuff that doesn't require a ton of prep work or leave a disheartening pile of dirty pots and pans in the sink. So, to help me lose the cooking blahs, I'm going to be doing simpler meals for awhile. Simple meals that help me use up ingredients I already have. Simple meals that only mess up one or two pans instead of a whole sinkful.

Our Valentines feast provided enough leftovers to last the rest of the week, so I'm already off to a good start. Last night we had tacos filled with leftover cole slaw, pickled onion, avocado, and I also cooked some soy curls in taco seasoning.

This was my first time cooking with soy curls. I had the good fortune to win a bag from Liz at Vegan Food Rocks, and I'm so glad I got a chance to try them, because they are pretty awesome. They're really fast and easy, for one thing. You just soak them in warm water for 10 minutes to rehydrate, then add your desired seasonings and saute them in a skillet for a few minutes. They do a wonderful job of soaking up whatever flavors you add to them.

So easy a (heavily supervised) child can do it.

The tacos were a hit. Tony and I enjoyed the chewy texture of the soy curls as a nice alternative from the TVP or lentil tacos we typically make.

What are your favorite simple meals?

Viva Valentine's

Since Tony had to work late on Monday, we celebrated our Valentine's Day on Tuesday, when he had the day off.

I don't cook from Viva Vegan that often. I think it's a fantastic resource, but many of the recipes require either advance preparation or ingredients that are not found at my supermarket. Still, Tony loves his spicy food, so I promised I would cook him a Latin feast.

Here we go!  Did I mention the advance preparation? I started making this stuff on Sunday...

Annatto-Infused Oil (looks like grape jelly, doesn't it?)

Chimichurri Sauce

Latin Tomato Sauce

Salvadorian Marinated Slaw

Pickled Red Onions

 Chorizo Seitan Sausage

 Creamy Corn-Filled Emapanadas

The plan was to serve corn empanadas with chimichurri sauce, and then chorizo-and-mushroom-stuffed pupusas topped with the slaw, pickled onions, tomato sauce, and avocado.

The empanadas turned out great. The corn filling was slightly sweet, with a nice hint of basil. They paired well with the tangy chimichurri sauce.

The pupusas were another story...

I had diligently read the section in Viva Vegan where Terry explains the difference between masa harina, which is used for pupusas, and masarepa, which is used for other stuff.  Off I went to the supermarket. In the Latin foods aisle, I found masarepa and maiz de harina. Those were my only choices and, since I knew masarepa was out of the question, I bought the maiz de harina. Sounds close enough, right? No. My pupusa "dough" looked like watery cornmeal (which it was, actually). Sadness. So we improvised, piling the pupusa fillings/toppings on top of tortilla chips. 

I'm pretty sure I've seen masa harina (it can also be labeled maseca...just not maiz de harina!) at the Wal-Mart a few towns over, so one of these days I'll drive down there and then we will have our pupusas. In the meantime, the makeshift nachos were pretty delicious. But the chorizo was my favorite out of everything.  It got nice and crispy in the saute pan without having to add any oil, and it's super spicy. I can't wait to put the leftovers in some breakfast burritos.

Have you made pupusas or anything else with masa harina? How did it go for you?

Spinach Quiche/Pie

It's Free Week in the PPK Cookbook Challenge, and I've chosen to try a few things from Robin Robertson's Vegan on the Cheap. I've enjoyed pretty much everything I've made from it so far, and this Spinach Pie was no exception.

When I saw the title of the recipe, I thought it would be a Greek spanakopita in pie form, but then I realized it's actually a quiche (Robin just calls it a spinach pie because her husband won't eat "quiche" -- sneaky!)

I've made a few quiches but I think this one is my favorite. I love the vibrant green color, and the texture was fantastic. But the best thing about it was, the longer it was around, the better it tasted! If you're a single person and you get frustrated with cookbook recipes designed to feed a family of four, I would definitely recommend this recipe. Yes, it fills an entire pie plate, but you can eat it for days. I found myself microwaving a slice for 30 seconds, just barely warm, and eating it for breakfast.

Olivia surprised me by eating a big-person sized slice, all by herself. One of my very favorite things about being a mom is watching them try all the different foods and seeing what their likes and dislikes are. And of course, the accompanying faces they make! Olivia's face lit up when I put a bite of this quiche in her mouth. We clearly have similar tastes.

Hope you had a happy Valentine's Day, if that's your thing. Tony had to work late, so it was just another day for us. But today he is off, and I am making a little feast of some of his favorite foods. I hope he likes it. He has been working so hard and I don't get to see him very much...so I guess I'll finish up this post now, so I can go hang out with him!



Butternut Squash Linguine

Robin Robertson's Vegan on the Cheap is my favorite new cookbook of the past year, so naturally I chose it for Free Week of the PPK Cookbook Challenge.  Last night I made the Linguine with Roasted Butternut Squash and Lentils.

The babies are really keeping me on my toes these days. Olivia's standing on her own, and has taken a few tentative little steps. So I spend a lot of time walking her in laps around the apartment, letting her hold onto my thumbs with her wee hands. I don't have a lot of time to spend making dinner, so it's a good thing I've learned to divide time-consuming recipes such as this one into smaller, more manageable parts. I cooked some lentils the day before so that they would be ready to use. Then, in the morning, I peeled and roasted the butternut squash. At dinnertime, I cooked the linguine and made the tomato sauce.

Look at those deep earthy colors. Reminds me of autumn leaves. Tasted pretty good, too. Butternut squash isn't something I'm accustomed to eating with pasta and tomato sauce, but the combination was not bad.

Jackson ate a big bowlful, and Olivia ate some buttered pasta and squash pieces.

I guess they really liked it, since they were begging at Tony's knee when he ate his pasta later on.

Off to run some errands! Olivia needs some shoes that will actually stay on her feet. She just loves to be barefoot and always pulls her socks and shoes off. It's a nice day for a change...let's hope groundhog Phil was right, and spring is right around the corner!

Urban Vegan Tester #18 - Earl Grey Cookies

I couldn't wait to try the latest Urban Vegan tester, Earl Grey Cookies, for two reasons.  First, I drink Earl Grey tea practically every day. Second, these are shortbread cookies, and Tony loves shortbread. Sure enough, we both loved these small, elegant cookes, speckled with pretty flecks of tea and flavored with that citrusy bergamot Earl Grey flavor. As Tony popped the last one in his mouth, he requested that I make more because they are the best cookies I've ever made. Unknown to him, I made a double batch of cookie dough and stored half in the freezer for another time, so he'll have more cookies waiting for him tonight. Just consider it an early Valentine, baby! Haha.

How's your weekend going? Yesterday we did all our errands and ate some Indian food. Today, Tony is working a 12-hour shift. I'm so ready for him to go back to his normal 9-5 schedule in a couple weeks! I'm glad I have my little buddies to keep me company all day today.

An Assortment of Appetite for Reduction Recipes

I don't own Eat, Drink and Be Vegan, so for this week's PPK Cookbook Challenge, I turned to a recent acquisition in my cookbook library -- Appetite for Reduction.

Early in the week, I did a bit of prep work. I made the Basic Baked Tofu and the Sweet and Salty Baby Maple Carrots, and I also cooked some quinoa and bulgur.

(Let's just pretend those little feet in the corner aren't there, and I'm not the mom who lets her son sit barefoot on the dining room table.)

I hoped that the carrots would be a good snack for Jackson, but he wanted nothing to do with them.  Fortunately, Tony and I liked them and they did not go to waste.

So, the first meal we had was the Caesar Salad with Eggplant Bacon. Eggplant bacon, you say? Yep.

Tony the eggplant-hater recoiled in horror. More for me! Although the eggplant didn't really crisp up like bacon, the smoky flavor reminded me of baba ganoush made from grilled, charred eggplants, and I appreciated the extra note of flavor that the "bacon" added to my salad.

I made a double batch of the Caesar Chavez dressing so I could use it the next day on Mediterranean Bowls.

The dressing made a nice sauce over the bulgur, roasted cauliflower, baked tofu, and chickpeas.

Finally, another bowl -- the Supergreen Bowl, with Green Goddess Garlic Dressing.

Chock full of quinoa, edamame, and steamed broccoli. I love using the entire broccoli. If your broccoli stalks seem tough, just peel off the tough outer layer with a vegetable peeler. Then, thinly slice the stalks, and they will steam to tender perfection along with your florets.

My verdict on the bowls was...hmm, I don't know if bowls are for me. The grains seem to soak up the dressing and dilute its flavor. But I loved both the Caesar Chavez and Goddess dressings, and will use them on salads in the future.

Next week is free choice week on the Cookbook Challenge, and I'll be cooking from Robin Robertson's Vegan on the Cheap.

Yesterday I received something in the mail...

Soy curls! Liz at Vegan Food Rocks did a giveaway, and I won these. Soy curls are not sold locally, so I am really excited to have this opportunity to try them out! Thanks, Liz! I think I'm going to make tacos. Have you tried soy curls? Any suggestions on what else to make with them?

Urban Vegan Testers #16-17

Here are my latest test runs for the Urban Vegan's new cookbook.

Double Corn Bread -- Why double corn? Because, in addition to cornmeal, this slightly sweet bread is studded with corn kernels, which gives it a great texture.

Baked Apples -- If, like me, you don't own an apple corer, don't let that deter you from making baked stuffed apples. A 1/2 tsp. measuring spoon works fine for getting the seeds out.

Be careful, however, to keep an eye on your apple when it's baking...if you walk away for too long, like I did, you get an exploded fruit whose innards have turned to applesauce!

It actually still tasted fine...but my second go was much more successful.