Millet and Spinach Polenta with Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto

This recipe is from Vegan With a Vengeance. It was perfect for a Monday dinner, because you have to make the polenta - just boil millet and add some shredded spinach at the end, basically - and then refrigerate it for at least 2 hours. So I put it and the pesto together on Sunday and it was ready to go when I got home from work. Then all I had to do for dinner was roast some asparagus and fry up the polenta.

It was really good - the millet has a very familiar flavor but I couldn't place it. It's kind of nutty, heartier than corn polenta. I'm going to try to start cooking with it more often.

Italian Tofu, Israeli Couscous, and Roasted Vegetables

I made a dinner! I baked some tofu forever in an italian marinade and meanwhile roasted some eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash, red pepper, and garlic. The couscous is a Veganomicon recipe (Israeli Couscous with Apricots and Pistachios) I hadn't tried before and it really tied the meal together.

Everything seemed vaguely Mediterranean and it all went together very nicely.

Salad.

This is the only halfway interesting thing I made all last week. It's the salad we ate alongside empanadas from the freezer.

I took a picture because it was so pretty and colorful.

I bought a cast iron skillet today - yay! and am back on board with real meal planning for at least a few nights this week.

Asian Noodle Salad

This is the Pioneer Woman's Favorite Salad Ever Ever Ever and it really is pretty great. It makes a massive amount of food, so I always halve the noodles and some of the vegetables (and also the dressing) and it still barely fits in my biggest bowl. I added some edamame this time to give us some protein. I've also added cubed baked tofu when I've made it in the past.

I forgot the sugar in the dressing this time! It was still good, though.

Abyssinia Ethiopian Restaurant

The only reason we don't go to this restaurant more is that it's a pain in the ass to get to from our house. But it is so, so good. True to form for authentic ethnic places, the service and decor are terrible, but that only makes the experience better.

We always get the Vegetarian Sampler, which is a huge round of injera topped with collards and lentils and split peas and salad and cabbage. We took my mom here last night and she couldn't finish hers but Ben and I sure did. And then we were full until 11:30 p.m.



Love!!

Trader Joe's Mandarin Orange Non-Chicken

Hey, a new fake meat thing at Trader Joe's! I'm not usually a big fan of vegan convenience food items, but I like to try new things.

And they were pretty good! Ben pan-fried them until crispy and then we served them with the orange sauce over brown rice with steamed broccoli. The sauce had a slightly weird chemically taste, but overall not bad for a ten minute dinner.

Spicy Eggplant-Peanut Soup

This doesn't look like much, but it was so fantastic I'm posting it anyway.

This is a Veganomicon stew of eggplant, tomatoes, tons of caramelized shallots, and green beans in a thick peanut butter/tomato broth, served over white rice. It's multi-step and took at least an hour to put together but it was 100% worth it. We're having leftovers for dinner tonight in lieu of whatever was supposed to be on the schedule, because it is just that good.

"B"LT with Avocado and Broccoli Picnic Salad

OK, this isn't really a February-type meal. When I was dishing it all up Ben said, "Is it summer?" Hmph. I wanted to try the smoky soy curls from Vegan Diner! I couldn't help it!

So, what you do with soy curls is rehydrate them in hot water + seasonings for ten minutes, and then you cook them however you want. In this recipe, you add soy sauce and liquid smoke to the rehydration water, then squeeze the liquid out, add more liquid smoke and soy sauce, and saute them for 5-10 minutes, until they're as browned as you like. Then add some agave for sweetness and saute another minute or so. Whoo boy, they are DELICIOUS. Soy curls are by far the meatiest thing I've eaten since I quit eating meat - the texture is actually chewy, like actual meat would be. It's sort of disconcerting, really.

Anyway, here is the sandwich I made with them. Soy curls, lettuce, tomato, avocado, and Vegenaise.

It was STELLAR.

I also made a broccoli salad on the side, based on a recipe from American Vegan Kitchen. I thought the dressing (Vegenaise/agave/apple cider vinegar) was a little thin and I will probably use a higher Vegenaise ratio next time, even though that makes it less healthy.

The soy curls are living up to their reputation. They are GOOD. We had some leftovers that I ate cold from the fridge the next day and I had to stop myself from eating the whole batch in one go. I hope they're available in stores around here sometime soon!

Upside-Down Lentil Shepherd's Pie

This is an Appetite for Reduction recipe I've made before but not posted. It's shepherd's pie filling - lentils, shiitake mushrooms, zucchini, carrots, etc. - served on top of mashed potatoes rather than baked under a mashed potato crust. Much faster and still delicious.

I added some chopped seitan left over from Sunday's gyros, too. Nice and hearty!

Gnocchi with White Beans & Kale

This Eating Well recipe was one of my favorite things before I quit cheese. There really isn't that much cheese in it, though, so I decided to try it last night without the dairy. Verdict: Still delicious.

I added some Daiya to replace the cheese, but it really wasn't necessary. The flavors are great on their own.

Gyros!

Is there anything that says "Super Bowl Sunday" more than veganized Greek food?? Just kidding. But gosh, these were delicious. The recipe (seitan, tzatziki sauce, and all) is from American Vegan Kitchen.

I made some yellow garlic rice on the side, which is more Latin than Greek but it tastes good and that's the main thing.

I HAVE SOY CURLS

Soy curls are the Hot New Vegan Item but sadly they are not yet available in North Carolina. I kept trying to be patient but one day last week I just decided to go for it and order some online (from Butler Foods). I got a personal email from the owner thanking me for my order! They are nice over there at Butler Foods.

So yesterday they arrived.

!!!!

I sort of didn't realize quite how much six bags would be. It is a lot.

I'm going to make my first soy curls item this weekend, a Smoky Curls recipe from Vegan Diner that everyone says is like bacon. What if it's like bacon??? That will be super exciting. Stay tuned.