Chow Vegan

What do you do when there’s nothing in the house to eat? You open the refrigerator door and to your horror, you realize that in your very busy week, you somehow managed to forget to go to the grocery store. The fridge is absolutely empty, devoid of anything edible, save a few jars of condiments and a carrot that’s been there for who knows how long. And now it’s too late, you’re too tired, and too lazy to go to the store. And you don’t feel like having take-out.

You get creative.

I found some dried spaghetti noodles in the cupboard. Ok, that’s something. And there’s a box of veggie burgers in the freezer – things are starting to look up. So how do I combine them into something tasty? With vegetarian oyster sauce!

Inspiration comes from my Dad, I remember him cooking up a similar dish, Chinese Spaghetti, when I was little. This is my “semi-homemade” vegan version, it’s a very quick and easy meal for those “way-too-busy-and-nothing-in-the-fridge” days.

Chinese Veggie Beef Noodles
Serves 2

4 ounces dried whole wheat spaghetti
2 veggie burger patties
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
Vegetarian oyster sauce (also known as vegetarian mushroom sauce)
2 sprigs of cilantro, chopped

Cook the spaghetti according to the package directions, drain and set aside. Heat the burger patties enough to be able to cut into bite-sized pieces.

Heat a wok until hot, add the oil, swirl to coat the sides of the wok. Add the burger pieces, stir. Add the noodles and stir, try not to let the noodles stick to the wok. Add the veggie oyster sauce to taste, about 2 tablespoons or so. Stir to combine well. Divide between two plates and garnish with the cilantro.

Recently, I found these huge king oyster mushrooms at the grocery store. They’re similar to the Trumpet Royale™ variety used in the King Oyster Mushroom Salad but humongous. Humongous! They’re not just a little bigger, they’re a lot bigger.

If you saw them in the store, you would be a little frighten. They look like mushrooms on steroids with their thick, meaty white stems and their tiny tan caps (they’re not really on steroids, that’s just how they are). But they taste oh so good.

They’re the largest species in the oyster mushroom genus, Pleurotus. When cooked, they have a texture similar to that of abalone, which is probably why they’re also known as almond abalone mushrooms. In the stir-fry, crisp snow peas provide an excellent contrast to the soft mushrooms.

I also used another ingredient you might not have heard of – salted turnips. They’re not usually served in dishes at Chinese restaurants as they’re considered more for home cooking.

Found only at the Asian grocery store, they provide additional flavor and texture to the dish. It’s a little bit crunchy and even though it’s preserved in salt, it has a sweet flavor. But if you can’t find it or if you don’t feel like putting in some weird new ingredient you’ve never seen before in your life, you can leave it out. It’s not a recipe breaker.

King Oyster Mushrooms With Snow Peas
Serves 2 as part of a meal

1 pound snow peas
1-2 large king oyster mushroom
2-3 pieces salted turnip, rinsed off
1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
Salt

Wash and trim the snow peas. Slice the salted turnip crosswise at a diagonal. Wash the mushrooms and slice into 1/8″ rounds on the diagonal.

In a wok, heat until hot and then add 1 teaspoon of the oil. Add the mushrooms and salt to taste, sauté until slightly wilted and the mushrooms have changed to a smooth texture, about 3 minutes. Remove and set aside.

Heat the wok again, add the remaining oil, salted turnips and snow peas. Stir and then cover for 30 seconds. Add salt to taste and a splash of water if the wok appears to be too dry. Cover until snow peas are cooked. They should be crisp yet tender, about 2 1/2 minutes, stirring and checking a few times. When snow peas are cooked, return the mushrooms to the wok, stirring to mix for a few seconds. Plate and serve.

I rarely go out for Mexican food. Not because I don’t like Mexican food, but because there’s usually nothing for me to eat there besides chips and salsa or rice and beans something or other. So whenever I get a hankering for Mexican, I gotta go with making it myself.

Potatoes are my favorite filling for enchiladas – I only like beans occasionally and I already eat plenty of tofu. It’s a nice change of pace. The potatoes are lightly mashed so it has a similar texture to beans but lighter. I also add soy crumbles for additional flavor, texture and protein.

The only thing I can’t quite figure out is getting the vegan cheese to really melt when I first make the enchiladas. I’ve found it melts really well when they’re reheated in the microwave. Which is fine, because the flavors develop more overnight and only gets better and better.

Green Chile Potato Enchiladas
Makes 8 enchiladas

3 large red potatoes
8 six inch corn tortillas
1 1/2 cups green chile enchilada sauce
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella soy cheese
1 small can of sliced olives
6 ounces taco soy crumbles or tempeh
Salt and pepper
1 green onion, chopped

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Peel potatoes and cut into small pieces; place in pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and gently boil until tender about 10 – 15 minutes. Drain the potatoes. When cooled enough to handle, lightly mash the potatoes with a fork and mix in half the olives, soy crumbles and about half of the cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Make two piles of 4 tortillas, wrap in foil and warm in the oven for about 5 minutes to make them easier to roll. Spread a thin layer of the enchilada sauce over the bottom of a 13″ x 10″ baking dish. To assemble, spread the enchilada sauce over the front and back of a tortilla. Place the filling at one end of the tortilla and roll up. Place in the baking dish with the seam side down. Continue with the remaining tortillas and filling, packing the enchiladas tightly next to each other.

Spoon any remaining sauce over the enchiladas, sprinkle with the remaining cheese and then olives. Bake for 15 minutes or until the enchiladas are heated through. Garnish with the green onions. Serve with sour cream or salsa if desired.

A Taste of Yellow is a blogging event in support of LiveSTRONG Day on May 13th. Hosted by Barbara of Winos and Foodies, she invites food and wine bloggers to make yellow food to show their support.

LiveSTRONG Day is the Lance Armstrong Foundation’s one-day grassroots initiative to raise awareness and funds for the fight against cancer. A worthy cause indeed.

My contribution to the event is the Yellow Tomato Brushchetta. It’s got beautiful colors, tasty flavors, simple and fresh ingredients. It’s a quick and easy recipe for sharing with a group of friends or family. Food has always brought people together to celebrate, mourn or support life’s events, great and small. A Taste of Yellow is a great one.

Yellow Tomato Bruschetta
Makes 16 pieces

4 ripe medium sized yellow tomatoes, diced
1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 French bread baguette

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, combine the tomatoes, garlic, basil, oil and vinegar. Add salt and pepper to taste, set aside.

Slice the bread into 16 pieces about a 1/4 inch thick and place on a baking sheet. Toast the bread in the oven for about 2 minutes on each side. Top with the tomato mixture. Or serve family style with the tomatoes in one bowl and the bread in another and everyone can just help themselves.

I first tried oyster mushrooms at Millennium Restaurant in San Francisco. They were amazing and a real eye-opener. Up to that point, I’ve just been cooking with the usual portobellos, shiitakes and white button mushrooms.

Years later, I spot a package of king oyster mushrooms at the grocery store. They look sorta like oyster mushrooms only super sized and figured they must kinda taste like oyster mushrooms too. I’ve been hooked ever since. And no, they’re not “magic mushrooms”, they just taste great.

King oyster mushrooms, Pleurotus eryngii also know as king trumpet mushrooms have a firm, meaty texture and a nutty flavor. Unlike so many other mushrooms, the stem is cooked and has the same flavor and texture as the cap. Wonderful when sliced and sautéed until the edges are golden and browned – my favorite way to prepare the mushrooms. Its texture becomes smooth, slightly chewy with a little crunch at the end.

King Oyster Mushroom Salad
Serves 2 as a first course

3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 small shallot, minced
6 ounces slender green beans
2 small Belgian endive heads
4 ounces king oyster mushrooms such as Trumpet Royale™
Salt

Wash and dry the endive then thinly slice on the diagonal. Combine the vinegar, olive oil and shallots in a small bowl. In another bowl, combine 2 tablespoons of the dressing and the endive and toss, let stand for 15 minutes. Wash and trim the green beans and cook until tender crisp. Set aside to cool.

Wash the mushrooms and slice into 1/8″ rounds on the diagonal, for the smaller mushrooms, slice the whole mushroom vertically. In a wok or pan, heat until hot and add just enough olive oil to coat. Add the mushrooms and salt to taste, sauté until soft, slightly wilted and golden around the edges.

To plate, pile the endive mixture in the middle of each plate. Add the green beans next and drizzle a little of the dressing over the green beans, top with the mushrooms. Serve immediately.

No Croutons Required is a monthly food blogging event hosted by Lisa’s Kitchen and Tinned Tomatoes. Each month bloggers are invited to submit a vegetarian soup or salad recipe; this month’s theme is mushroom soup or salad. I’m submitting the King Oyster Mushroom Salad. Its got a fancy and elegant look about it but it’s actually easy to make and impressive looking to serve.

Yuba? You betcha!

Yuba is made from the skin that forms on top when soymilk is heated. It’s also known as bean curd skin or tofu skin. It’s usually sold dried or frozen at the Asian grocery store. I’m fortunate enough to be able to get fresh yuba at the local farmer’s market. Fresh yuba. Fresh tofu. Handmade and totally organic. Yes, I’m very spoiled here in the Bay Area.

I made the yuba rolls using the recipe for Homemade Vegetarian Noodle Prawn from The Modern Vegetarian with a few minor changes. As I didn’t have the white radish called for in the recipe, I substituted cooked bamboo shoots instead. And the shape of mine are more like spring rolls (I didn’t do the twist on the end for a tail), then baked in a 350 degree oven for ten minutes on each side or until golden with a lacquered look.

And voilà! You got yourself delicious yuba rolls, way healthier and tastier than the pan-fried version wheeling around on those dim sum carts in Chinese restaurants. They’re also surprisingly easy to make as well. It’s a great, high protein, low carb starter for any Asian meal.

With my overabundance of luscious strawberries, I wanted to try something new, something spectacular, something worthy of such fresh and sweet strawberries.

I made a salad.

But not your ordinary run-of-the-mill salad, I made a Thai salad with a little spicy kick to it. It’s got the tasty flavors associated with Thai food, but with the addition of strawberries, it’s entirely new and refreshingly different.

Thai Salad with Strawberries
Serves 4

1 pint strawberries
1/2 pound Bloomsdale spinach or other fresh small leaf variety
1/4 cup pine nuts
2 tablespoons lime juice, about one lime
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon chili garlic sauce
2 small green onions, minced
A few sprigs of fresh cilantro, minced

Wash and hull the strawberries, cut into 3/8″ cubes and set aside. Toast the pine nuts in a dry skillet over medium heat, stirring often until light golden or in an 350 degree oven on a baking sheet for about 10 minutes, shaking halfway through.

Combine the lime juice, soy sauce, sugar, chili garlic sauce, green onions and cilantro in a bowl and whisk together. Divide the spinach between the plates. Add the strawberries to the bowl of dressing and toss, then spoon on top of the spinach. Sprinkle with the pine nuts and serve immediately.