Chow Vegan

I was down south in the Central Coast area last week, and picked up a half flat of farm fresh strawberries from Okui’s Strawberry Stand in Grover Beach. They’re locally grown, actually in the field right there behind the stand. Can’t get any fresher or sweeter than that.

A half flat of strawberries contains 6 pints – that’s a lot of strawberries. I’ve been eating them plain as a snack. I’ve been eating them with cereal for breakfast. I’ve been drinking them in smoothies. I even convinced my Mom to try some in her salad. She thought I was kidding but it really is tasty in green salads.

But there’s still a lot left, I’ll have to think of something else to do with them strawberries. Any suggestions? Oh, I think I hear the freezer calling their name.

Once upon a time, there was a Japanese restaurant in downtown Palo Alto, California. It was one of my favorite restaurants and I think one of the first East-West fusion restaurants around. They were very innovative yet the food was very simple. They had some of the best vegan dishes. So sad when they closed down. This recipe is inspired by their Asian salad. Now if I could just remember what was in their vegetable roll, I’ll be golden.

Cold Soba Noodle Salad
Serves 2

6 ounces buckwheat soba noodles
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 hearts of palm
2 small ripe tomatoes

In a large bowl, mix the rice vinegar, soy sauce and olive oil; set aside.

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add the noodles and cook for about one minute or according to the package directions. Drain the noodles and rinse briefly under cold water. Add the noodles to the dressing and mix to coat well. Cover and chill for an hour or until cold.

Divide the noodles between two shallow bowls, drizzle a little bit of the dressing on top of the noodles. Quarter the hearts of palm lengthwise and slice the tomatoes, place on top of the noodles and serve.

Could you eat a whole pound of tofu in one day?

I can!

Well, I almost did. When it comes to Crispy Baked Tofu, I actually have to stop myself from pigging out on it. The story is – I have a few when they first come out of the oven, because they’re so nice and crispy. Yum. Later on, I need a snack and have a few more. Yum again. Over half is gone already, I could have some more for dinner but probably best to save the rest for tomorrow. Future yum. See? I could if I really wanted to, eat a whole pound of tofu in one day.

Crispy Baked Tofu
Makes 10 to 12 slices

1 pound firm or extra firm tofu, drained and water pressed out
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Olive oil

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut the tofu into 1/4″ thick slices. In a shallow bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, nutritional yeast, onion powder, garlic powder and salt, mix well.

Brush a baking sheet with olive oil. Take one tofu slice and brush the sides and edges with olive oil, place in the breadcrumbs and coat well. Then place onto the baking sheet. Repeat until all the slices are coated.

Bake tofu slices for about 20 – 30 minutes until light golden brown and crispy, turning them over halfway through. Serve with your dipping sauce of choice – ketchup, bbq sauce, or ranch dressing.

After my fun-filled trip to the French bistro Bouchon, I feel like a quiche. I couldn’t have their quiche but I sure can make one myself. It’s actually a fairly easy recipe. For one thing, I used a pre-made crust. Because let’s face it, I’m not a baker. I can’t bake to save my life. I think it’s the exact measurement thing that gets me every time. But I do have a secret ingredient that makes up for it – fresh tofu.

Fresh tofu is nothing like the store bought variety. Besides great taste, it hardly has any water in it. You know how you have to press and squeeze out a ton of water from tofu before using it? You do that to fresh tofu and all it does is make the paper towel damp. No excess water means no runny quiche, instead it’ll set up nicely when it bakes and hold its shape the next day and the day after that. Excellent for a make-ahead dish for breakfast or an Easter brunch or even dinner.

Leek and Mushroom Quiche
Makes one pie

1 pre-made whole wheat pie crust
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium-sized leek, white and pale green parts only, coarsely chopped
5 ounces crimini mushrooms, thinly sliced
1/2 pound Bloomsdale spinach, or other fresh small leaf spinach
1 pound firm fresh tofu, water pressed out
1/2 cup soy milk
Salt and pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 tablespoon dried thyme
1/2 tablespoon dried parsley
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
Olive oil

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Precook the pie crust according to the package directions if necessary.

Heat a skillet until hot, lightly drizzle with olive oil and saute garlic and leeks until done, season with salt to taste while cooking. Transfer to a dish and set aside. Heat skillet again and saute and season the mushrooms until cooked, drain any water and set aside. Saute and season the spinach until just wilted. Set aside until cool enough to handle. Squeeze out any water and coarsely chop.

In a food processor or blender, combine the tofu, soy milk, salt and pepper to taste, nutmeg, thyme, parsley and nutritional yeast, process until smooth. Transfer to a large bowl, add the vegetables, mix well and scoop into the pie crust, spreading the filling evenly. Bake for about 35 minutes, let the quiche cool for 10 minutes before slicing.

Fun and Food is hosting a monthly weekend breakfast blogging event; this month’s theme is Balanced Breakfast Meals. I’m submitting the quiche as I can’t think of anything more balanced than that. Its got fresh vegetables, whole grains and soy protein – a delicious way to start off any day.

A couple of weeks ago my siblings and I were in Las Vegas to surprise our Mom for her 70th birthday. Mom and Dad love going to Vegas; it’s like Disneyland to them.

For the celebratory birthday dinner, we had a reservation at Thomas Keller’s French bistro Bouchon. Now, traditional French country cuisine is not exactly known for vegan fare, so I was a little apprehensive about the whole thing. So much so that I had packed a Clif Bar in my backpack just in case I needed something else to eat as I was flying home right after dinner.

To ensure that everyone enjoyed their meal on this happy occasion, my sister must have told the Bouchon people at least three times that there will be a vegan in our party. I thought I would have to remind them again but after we were seated, our waiter beat me to the punch and asked who was the vegan? And then proceeded to ask what I could and could not eat.

The meal started off with warm, crusty, French bread shaped to look like a wheat stalk and sparkling or flat Evian bottled water. I won’t bore you with the details of what the rest of my family ate. I had a beet salad without the cheese. Normally I don’t like beets but I figured it’s the world-renowned Thomas Keller, of all the times to really try beets, this would be it. The beets were delicious and that’s saying a lot from a former beet hater.

My main course was whatever the chef was willing to put together for me; it’s pictured above. A plate of vegetables exquisitely arranged, it was very tasty. But the portion seemed a little on the small side for just being vegetables. Hello, just because I’m a vegan doesn’t mean I’m on a diet. Oh sure, I see you piling on the pommes frites (french fries) with the steak entree like there’s no tomorrow. But you’re stingy with the veggies? And it’s not just Bouchon, other fine dining restaurants are the same – delicious, expertly cooked vegetables, just not very much of it and not exactly cheap.

For dessert, everyone else had the birthday dessert plate – an assortment of miniature cakes, ice cream and cookies with a candle. I asked about the sorbet but the waiter said it had a little cream in it but he offered a bowl of fresh berries instead. Good enough for me.

Overall, a great experience for everyone – the decor was beautiful, the ambience was relaxed and the service was impeccable. It may sound like I’m complaining a little but I’m not. I’m happy and grateful that I was able to enjoy a nice dinner with my family at a famous restaurant. As it turned out, between the bread, salad, vegetables and berries, it was just the right amount of food. I didn’t even eat the peanuts on the flight home and that Clif Bar is still in the backpack.