Orange-Scented Broccoli

Orange-Scented Broccoli (page 100)
with Apple-Miso Tofu (page 151) and sticky brown rice

This broccoli made a lovely accompaniment to the Apple-Miso Tofu. One of the things I really appreciate about Appetite for Reduction is how darn easy almost every single recipe is. This one is no exception. Once I had the rice cooking on the stove and the Apple-Miso Tofu tucked away in the oven, all that was left to complete an easy, healthy rounded meal was to make the broccoli. It was a simple recipe.

As a bonus, SweetPea liked it, too! It's been challenge getting her to appreciate broccoli, and today she declared the Orange-Scented Broccoli is one of her top three favorite ways to eat the little green trees (the other two being either raw dipped in hummus, or in lard na). So, it's a win!

Curried Cabbage & Peas

Curried Cabbage & Peas (page 111)
(substituting baby yellow squash for carrot)

Tonight was kind of a disorganized dinner-making experience. Still, dinner made it to the table, and that's what's important, right?

First of all, I didn't get home until nearly 6:00 pm, and I really wasn't in the mood to cook dinner as soon as I walked in the door. I was really quite tempted to just pick up some Chinese take-out on the way home, but I told myself, no, we have food at home, and Chinese take-out is way too greasy, anyway.

I had originally planned to make the Braised Cabbage with Seitan (page 97), but my week didn't go exactly as planned, and I didn't have any prepared seitan for the recipe. But, I still had the cabbage. Amy commented here on yesterday's post that she recently enjoyed the Curried Cabbage & Peas; I thought, hey, I've got peas! I'll make that! Along with the 40-Clove Chickpeas & Broccoli, since I've also got a big pot of chickpeas and some broccoli hanging out in the refrigerator. OK, a plan was in place.

I quickly got the chickpeas, broccoli, and garlic (and quartered small red potatoes) in the oven to roast, then I started slicing up an onion and the cabbage. Then I discovered, oops, no fresh ginger root. I figured this qualified for one of those "in a pinch" situations, so I subbed dried ginger. Then I realized, darn, no carrots! Well, might as well use up those baby yellow squash that have been languishing in the crisper drawer.

The resulting Curried Cabbage & Peas turned out okay, but not great. I'm sure the missing fresh ginger root would have made a big difference. And the carrots certainly would have made it more colorful. But all-in-all, it wasn't bad, especially considering the last-minute ingredient substitutions that were made.

I'm always trying to think of ways to make these veggie "side dishes" into a more satisfying complete meal. I bet this would be great served over brown rice with the addition of some cubed tofu or chickpeas.

Shaved Brussels Sprouts

Shaved Brussles Sprouts (page 92)
served with BBQ tofu, mashed potatoes and gravy, and El Hombre's everything-but-the-kitchen-sink salad

These Brussels sprouts were really simple, but tasty. I especially liked how garlicky it turned out, with plenty of thinly sliced garlic cloves. Sometimes simple is the best - this recipe is really only three ingredients (onion, garlic, and Brussels sprouts), plus salt and pepper to taste.

There were jokes aplenty at the dinner table, because of the name of the recipe. We all giggled at the thought of hairy Brussels sprouts (i.e., un-shaved).

El Hombre made an awesome salad to go with our dinner. I think he used just about every single vegetable we had in the house: mixed greens, tomatoes, yellow squash, cucumber, carrot, green onion, roasted eggplant, cilantro, mushrooms... I'm sure there was something else in there that I'm not thinking of right now.

Broiled Blackened Tofu and Pineapple Collards

Broiled Blackened Tofu, page 147, and Pineapple Collards, page 93

This tofu was coated in a Cajun spice mixture and then broiled at high heat. The collards were sauteed with a combination of sesame oil, garlic, ginger, and pineapple. Both dishes turned out tasty and complemented each other nicely.

The tofu recipe made only enough spice mixture to coat about half of my tofu; I had to mix up another batch to finish the remaining slices. I also regularly have to cook my tofu longer than Isa's recipes call for to achieve the desired result when using the oven, and tonight was no exception.

El Hombre and I both really enjoyed the greens with pineapple. It was a nice flavor profile, and I can see us making this recipe again. The kids also seemed to approve of these greens.

Sanctuary Chef Salad

Sanctuary Chef Salad, page 28

I have been simultaneously looking forward to and avoiding making this salad. It sounded so good, but the prospect of preparing all the individual components seemed like a lot of hassle. I wondered, would it be worth it?

I'm happy to report: it is SO worth it. By the time we sat down to dinner, I was kind of tired and irritable about all the dirty dishes, and skeptical about the pay out for all the hassle. But with the very first bite, my taste buds said, "Oh, yeah!" and each bite after that got even better.

So let me break it down for you here. First, I whipped up the Sanctuary Dressing (you know, because "ranches are not nice places for cows"):

Sanctuary Dressing, page 29

Very tasty. The kids liked it, too, even though they never really liked regular ranch dressing. El Hombre asked, "How did you do that?" I only had soft silken tofu on hand in the pantry, so I used that instead of the extra-firm. It was fine.

Then we have the Eggplant Bacon:

Eggplant Bacon, page 42

You can see that a few pieces got a little burnt, but it was all good. Man, I love that stuff.

Here we have the Basic Baked Tofu...

Basic Baked Tofu, page 144

... which is perfect for a salad like this. Then there is the Herb-Roasted Cauliflower:

Herb-Roasted Cauliflower, page 108

The cauliflower was really, really tasty. SweetPotato especially enjoyed it. I did notice an error in the recipe, however... the instructions said to "drizzle in the oil" and mix it into the breadcrumb and herb mixture, but there is no oil listed in the ingredients. I went ahead and made it without any oil, which is what I would have done anyway, and it turned out great.

And finally, all the other salad veggies:

Chopped Romaine, tomatoes, red onions, carrots, radishes, and bean sprouts

I couldn't find sunflower sprouts at my grocery store, and alfalfa sprouts didn't strike my fancy this week, so I went with bean sprouts. They were nice and crunchy.

Delicious. And filling. And definitely worth the hassle. Bless El Hombre... he did all the dishes.

Jerk Asparagus

Jerk Asparagus, pg. 91
served with simple black beans and brown rice

El Hombre guest-posts!

Today is Wednesday and the beginning of my appearance as your Wednesday guest chef. Maybe chef is a stretch, but I can definitely cook up some good food for the family. The oldest has dance practice on Wednesdays, so it’s up to me to have dinner ready when everyone gets home.

On the menu tonight was Jerk Asparagus with black beans and rice. So, the first comment from SweetPotato upon entering the house was, “What’s that funny smell?" SweetPea just had a puzzled look on her face. Fortunately, Jules’ first comment was, “It smells amazing!" I guess jerk seasoning just has that type of effect on people. I also thought it smelled amazing. Overall, a very simple and quick recipe to fix. The key is definitely the jerk spices, bold and in-your-face with goodness. The foundation consists of ginger and garlic, with a good mix of spices to add heat and sweetness. The squeeze of a lime wedge to finish it off was the perfect touch to bring it all together. Combine that with my special refried (no oil, just water) black beans and some good sticky brown rice, and there you have it.

Definitely a hit with the adults, while the girls had to ease into such a robust spice pallet. The asparagus was sautéed in the jerk spices long enough to achieve a good tenderness without losing its crispiness. I usually like my rice spiced up as well, but the plain brown rice served as a good balance to the wonderfully intense asparagus. I love the jerk seasonings, and I'm already thinking of incorporating them in future dishes.

Garlicky Mushrooms & Kale

Garlicky Mushrooms and Kale - page 89
with vegan frittata and mixed romaine salad

Let me be upfront: I am not a fan of mushrooms. But El Hombre is! And I made this tonight to show him some mushroom-y love. He would eat them every day for every meal if I would just cook the darn things. I've tried to like them, I really have. I wish I did. I think it would make my life a little easier, especially as a vegan.

But back to the Garlicky Mushrooms & Kale! El Hombre thought it was great. Kale, garlic, mushrooms... in his eyes, what's not to love? Especially when it's finished off with a hearty drizzle of Sriracha sauce.

In the spirit of being open-minded, I tried a few bites with the mushrooms. And it wasn't bad. The garlic and kale had enough flavor on their own to mask the flavor of the mushrooms for me. But the texture of the mushrooms.... again, not a fan. I ended up giving away my share of the mushrooms to El Hombre, who happily took them off my hands. He's happy, I'm happy, it's a win-win.

We eat cooked greens a lot. I've cooked them like this before, but maybe not with quite so much garlic. But it was delicious, and heck, next time, I'll probably use even more garlic.