Vegetarian Pho

Basically, this recipe. With just a regular homemade vegetable broth (with the spices, and some extra onion), and un-charred ginger. And udon noodles, because I couldn't find rice noodles.

Naked veggies.

I was really excited and bought new bowls for today, since I figured I'd make this again and it's good to have some nicer bowls around (technically they are serving bowls).

With the works.

I fried some tofu, steamed some broccoli, and sauteed some mushrooms. We decided not to use sliced raw onions, but plenty of green onions. I might have added mint, but I went to four stores and there must be a national mint shortage. Or not. I used lots of Sriracha because I admit it, I have an addiction. 

There are a lot of moving parts in this recipe, but it only took me an hour to prep- and I only almost forgot the mushrooms! A fair amount of clean up, but so worth it!

Party foods: scones and more

I had parties both nights this weekend, leading to some great food and good times with friends. First I went to an Alice in Wonderland themed girls' night, so I wanted to make a dessert that was somewhat whimsical. But I was biking over, so something fragile like cupcakes was out of the question. I always love scones and they are so easy to make, so I made raspberry and ricotta scones (source: Smitten Kitchen). I used the exact recipe, except that I grated some lemon zest into the dough as well, and I made smaller, more bite-sized scones. They were a hit! And I'm going to use the leftover ricotta for lasagna again!

Last night we had a fall-themed housewarming party, so I knew it was time to break out the apple-cheddar scones again (Smitten Kitchen). I shell out for really nice aged cheddar cheese, which I think makes a huge difference. I didn't peel my apples, but they skins were tart and delicious. Again, a hit! I also make spiked hot apple cider, similar to this recipe (I didn't add any extra sugar), and put it in a crock-pot.

My friends made some fabulous dishes and I got some ideas for more savory party treats in the future: 1) Spinach frittata-like egg bake in a casserole dish, cut into squares with toothpicks for easy eating. 2) Pastry dough rounds with cardamom-carrot topping (like mini pizzas). 3) Black bean dip (pureed black beans, onion, tomato, and spices) with tortilla chips and cilantro.

Spicy Thai soup

I've been sick the past few weeks, which naturally led to my soup-phase 2011. I have been eating more soup this month than all year, likely, both at restaurants and at home. After a week of travelling I wanted to make a spicy, tasty, veggie-laden Thai soup, and I'm pretty happy with it!

I didn't take a photo, but this is close enough. I started by sauteing a diced onion, julienned carrots and red pepper, and garlic in a large stockpot. Then I added slices of red-skinned potato and chunks of cauliflower, along with a ton of grated ginger. I added water and a can of coconut milk (I'm on the fence about whether I should have added more coconut, or whether it was unnecessary for this recipe), a veggie bouillon cube, slices of ginger, and some cubes of tofu, simmered until the potato was tender, then added spices. These included (to taste) Thai green curry paste, lemongrass sauce, chili powder, and a handful of brown sugar. Because the bouillon pastes already have salt, I didn't add any extra salt. I topped it off with some Thai basil leaves, and it would be great with a wedge of lime and some rice on the side.

The best part? Tons of soup (stuck some in the freezer) and only one pot to clean! And loads of tasty, spicy veggies in my stomach.

BBQ tofu pizza

I've been a vegetarian for half my life now, so there are many meat-based foods that I've never even tried. BBQ chicken pizza is one of those foods. But late last summer I had the urge to make BBQ tofu pizza, and it turned out great! I've been experimenting with different iterations of fried tofu, because I like the completely different texture that it takes on.

I started with a whole wheat pizza crust, similar to this one by my friend Brandi. Pizza crust doesn't take too long to make, and I've heard you can start it in the morning, stick it in the fridge, and then it's almost ready by dinner. I think I accidentally used twice as much dough as I should have for this crust, so it ended up pretty thick. Also, my secret to pizza crust is when the dough is still in a ball, plop it on a pile of cornmeal so that as it rolls out, it won't stick to the pan.

While the dough was still rising, I fried up some strips of tofu and then let it marinade in BBQ sauce. I wish I had gotten a more fancy sauce, but I just used the cheapest kind. I also sauteed up some red onions and broccoli, then drizzled on some balsamic vinegar for good measure. When the dough was ready and rolled out, I spread some olive oil and minced garlic on the crust, loaded it with shredded mozzarella cheese, and then laid out all the toppings. I baked it at 400 degrees until the cheese and crust began to brown, but I wish I had broiled it a bit to get the cheese really done.

Altogether, this makes a great stand-alone meal. Clean up was a bit harsh because I used two bowls for the dough plus the large pizza pan, but I did use the same pan to fry the tofu and veggies. But who can argue with homemade pizza?

[UPDATE] This is what happens after broiling on low for just a few minutes. I'm definitely doing this from now on! I made the same recipe, only this time used the right amount of crust, I spread some BBQ sauce onto the crust first, I used Jack cheese instead of mozz., and I used raw onions instead of cooked. I liked the texture of the onions better this way, and caramelized onions would have been a bit too sweet altogether.