Tempeh it forward

Tempeh is a fermented Indonesian soy patty. That might not sound good, and the black spotted picture above might not make it look good... Trust me though, tempeh deserves a chance.

Because tempeh is made by fermenting whole soy beans, it retains much more protein and a higher level fiber, vitamins, and minerals than its other popular soy sister, tofu. Phytic acid is also worth considering. Soy beans have a very high level of the stuff, and it keeps your body from absorbing certain minerals and vitamins- not only those from soy products, but from other things you eat with the soy products. This is a large part of the soy controversy. Tofu and soymilk retain almost 100% of their phytic acids when processed because unlike other beans, you can soak and soak soybeans and still not get rid of the stuff. Tempeh, however, with its fermentation process, actually loses almost half of its phytic acid. This goes for Miso and tamari as well. I'll save the other benefits of fermentation for another time... perhaps I need to make something with sauerkraut soon... I have been craving it since I skipped out on eating it at the New Year like my other Northern friends. Oh- and that black stuff? Nothing to worry about. It's totally normal. I promise. As long as your tempeh is in date and isn't green, your good. Grey and black are just fine.

I used to make a bbq tempeh sandwich all the time. I'd used Amy's Maple Orgainc BBQ Sauce and it was good. I haven't made this dish in well over a year, though, and I decided to make my own sauce this time.

I cracked open my brand new Vegan Soul Kitchen cookbook by Bryant Terry that Scott so thoughtfully gave me for Christmas. I was positive I'd find a great recipe- and I was correct. I followed Mr. Terry's advice, other than I chose not to use chipotle peppers... I like them, but just a little... to me, it can often over power and I didn't want a super strong chipotle flavor all through my sandwiches, so I opted out. I also didn't have enough cumin... MUST MUST MUST get to Penzey's this weekend... so, instead, I used Arizona Dreaming- which is a spice blend Penzey's was giving away during my last trip. It worked perfectly. It's a blend of ground ancho, onion, garlic, paprika, lemon, jalepenos, chipotle, cocoa.... it's good stuff.
I had so much confidence in the hot vegan chef that I decided to double the recipe. That, and the can of tomato sauce I bought was about twice what I needed and I didn't want to waste it. Into a sauce pan went 1/2 cup EVOO, 1/2 fresh lime juice, 1/2 cup Bragg's Aminos (it's just tamari/soy sauce basically- but healthier) 1/2 cup aqave necter, 1/2 cup of red wine vinegar (oh, I used 1/4c red, 1/4c cider b/c I didn't have enough red...), a 15oz can of tomato sauce, 1 TBSP cumin, 1 TBSP Arizona dreaming, 2 tsp thyme, 1/4 tsp cayenne, and 1 cup water. A good whisk and medium heat would lead this to a nice simmer... it needed about 30-40 minutes to reduce down to about half its size. Doubling was a good idea. It's sweet, it's got a vinegary bite, a bit of heat, the lime juice in the background... I've made a few bbq sauces before and this was the best. Last night, I cooked Quorn meatballs and sweet potato fries and drizzed the sauce over the whole plate- yum.

I sliced a couple medium onions and a large green bell pepper. EVOO, salt, and low-medium heat for 40 minutes or so, and they would be caramelized heaven.

Time to prep the tempeh. Tempeh comes in a brick. There are many brands, but I really like LightLife. Tempeh can also be combined with rice, other grains, or veggies. I like them all, and actually, I can't tell a big taste difference. Once you get the tempeh out of the packaging- never an easy feat- I always do the same thing:
I think tempeh can have a bitter odd flavor... and I found that if I boil it, it goes away. So, regardless of what I am doing with tempeh, I always start out by cutting it into 5 pieces, butterflying it, and boiling it for 10 minutes. Then, I drain it and let it cool. After that, options are endless. You can leave it as is and create little patties, you can cube it and shallow fry it, you can slice it thinner and make fajitas or stirfrys, you can crumble it to make sloppy joes or a bolognaise... you can fry, saute, bake, grill... you get the point- it's a versatile little fermented brick.

From this point, it's just putting everything together. I crumbled the tempeh into the caramelized onions and green peppers, and added enough bbq sauce to give it a nice coat. The taste was on point. I gave it a bit of time to warm through all together while I toasted slices of Ezekial bread. I piled the bbq on top and drizzled a little ranch over the top. Wow... Thanks to that bbq recipe, these were, by far, the best bbq tempeh sandwiches I ever made.

If you've never had tempeh, pick up a brick next time you're at the store. You'll find it at most urban grocery stores near the produce with tofu, fake meats, non-cheese cheeses... you know where I mean. It lasts for a couple of months, so you'll have time to get your confidence up and find the perfect recipe- although I highly recommend this one.

Egg it up.

I really enjoy eggs. I always have, but I went a good long while without eating them. I'm glad I got over that. Eggs have been a very controversial topic over the years, but it seems it has settled down. Most nutritionists say one egg per day will not elevate cholesterol- if you don't follow it with loads of other high cholesterol foods and if high cholesterol isn't a problem for you. An egg has 270mg of cholesterol and we're supposed to keep it under 300mg per day.

When you just use the whites- which I do about half of the time- you get plenty of protein, but not much else. When you include the yolk, yes, you get cholesterol and fat, but you also get a ton (around 25% or more of your daily value) of Vitamin B6 and B12, folate, Riboflavin, Vitamins A and D, Selenium, and Phosphorus and quite a few others...
For more go here.

I've done my research on the purchasing of eggs and feel it more than necessary to be very picky. This also tends to mean I buy the most expensive- it's more than worth it. Not only do they taste a million times better, but it is much, much more humane. I won't go into detail about why battery cages (you know, where they are all cramped and can't move) are so horrible, I enjoy writing my blog and thinking of the research I've done and what I've learned brings tears to my eyes and I'm not even actually typing it. Spend a second looking it up- The Human Society has good information. Parts of Europe have already banned battery caging. Hopefully we will follow suit.

Cage Free isn't always cruelty free either, but it's a better bet. They can at least lay their eggs in nests and spread their wings. Know your company. I've found Organic Valley to have a very good reputation from my research. I also prefer the chickens be fed an organic vegetarian diet and I get all of that with Organic Valley. I'd eventually just like to find a farmer I can buy from directly.

So, that said, here are some ways I prepare eggs... I'm not going to go into technique, because honestly, it's just practice and every one likes their eggs a little differently anyway. Eggs are super fun to cook- I was surprised when I heard Bobby Flay say eggs were his favorite food to cook because I really just thought it was me being sort of... I don't know- fascinated with everything? :)

The top picture is a fried egg. I love fried eggs. Sometimes I just smash one up with a fork and put it on toast. But, I really love to put fried eggs over food. Here I put it on top a garden burger on Ezekiel bread. Romaine and Duke's brought it all together. Putting fried eggs over leftovers for breakfast is awesome. My favorite is any type of tomatoey pasta warmed up in the skillet so it gets a bit of crust... and then a fried egg on top... omg, tomato eggy pasta heaven. Try it on something you have leftover in the fridge right now- I promise, it will rock... I've never been let down and I have tried it on a lot of different foods.

Next is an omelet. Most of the time when I make omelets or scrambles, I use like 2 whole eggs to 1 egg white. For this particular omelet, I'd sauteed jalapenos, tomatoes, and onions. I'd also crisped up some Tofurky Italian Deli slices. My daddy taught me everything I know about making omelets. And rule #1 is that you ALWAYS cook everything you put in an omelet first. He was very persistent about this rule and after having a few in restaurants where they do not follow this procedure, I more than agree on its importance. For the cheese, I used a pepper jack. They were spicy and perfect for a morning following a few margaritas.

I will also say this about omelets. Beat the hell out of the eggs with a splash of cream or milk. You have to get some air into it and you have to have the whites and yolks come together for a nice even light yellow color. Watch some You Tube videos on the details if you are not comfortable with making omelets- they aren't hard, it's just practice and a good pan.

Up next was a soft scramble. I follow the same prep as mentioned about omelets- the cream and the whisking is also important here. I put smoked salmon and cream cheese in this scramble and topped it with fresh scallions and lots of smoked paprika. Killer.

The last picture is a rougher scramble. I used a smaller whole egg to egg white ratio b/c I was only cooking for myself, so it was one to one. I'd sauteed a bunch of veggies, reserving most for other uses, but leaving some in the pan for my current breakfast situation. I added in the egg and let it sit much longer than I would for a soft scramble. Once the egg browned a bit- I just like this consistency sometimes- I broke it all up and let it finish cooking. I ate rye toast slathered with Earth Balance alongside and it was heavenly.

Eggs are just such a great food companion. There is so much you can do with eggs. So many ways to prepare them. You can put anything in a scramble, omelet, or fritatta. You can put a fried egg on whatever you'd like or just eat it alone. Hard boiled and soft boiled just make salads more dynamic and interesting- no matter what other ingredients are along for the ride. Eggs are often called the perfect food because of their vitamin and mineral makeup and because they have all 9 amino acids, but I'm not sure that's the only reason.

Reubenesque

Yesterday was gorgeous. Scott and I met my friend Jessica at Deep Run Park and we had a great time walking, chasing each other around, and playing on the FitCore course they have there. Afterward, Scott and I went to Whole Foods to pick up a few staples and contemplated what our growling tummies might want for lunch. We looked at the hot bar, we looked at the salad bar, we looked at the deli. Nothing really seemed that appealing, so we did our shopping in the hopes that something would jump out.

Sauerkraut jumped out. The best part, was that I had a jar at home that needed finishing up. Bubbie's is the only brand I've found worth buying. The bagged stuff my parents used to use in the slow cooker, and even most jar brands are just floppy and gross. You buy Bubbie's in the refrigerated section near the deli meats. It's crispy and tender at the same time and has a magnificent flavor.

Reubens sounded fantastic. I had some of the aforementioned seitan at home which would be a great corn beef substitute, and although the apple sage variety would have been my first choice, I had Italian, so Italian is what I would use. I went over to the bakery and managed to snag the last loaf of Jewish Rye and then scoured the basket of cheese bits for a good swiss. I love that Whole Foods has cheese scraps. You can buy really great cheese without spending a ton of money, because you just buy what you need. This swiss was called Robust and it was fantastic. I could even eat it straight and I'm not a fan of doing so with the cheaper varieties. It had a great bite without that gross aftertaste I often associate with swiss cheese. And for $2.50 I got just enough for 2 sandwiches.

We headed home. I sliced the seitan and put a nice sear on each side. Next, I sliced up the swiss and made a quick Russian dressing by mixing up some Duke's, Heinz Organic, chopped dill pickles, garlic and onion powder, paprika, and a couple dashes of cayenne. I couldn't resist dipping a piece of the Rye to check for flavor- yummy.

I coated a slice of the bread heartily with Earth Balance butttery spread and placed it in a non-stick over low-medium heat. I piled the seitan, swiss, and used up my remaining sauerkraut. I topped it with another slice of rye that I also smothered with Earth Balance. I got a good browning on both sides- the key is using a bit more buttery stuff than you might consider healthy. That way, it seeps into the bread and just gives you the perfect golden crunchiness you want, while still being soft.

After they were done, I opened them up and poured on some of the Russian dressing. A few Jalepeno Kettle Chips on the side and lunch was served. I knew I was putting back in every calorie I burned at the park, but so be it. I would be working my tail off all evening and that would manage to even things out a bit. Even if it not, it was a damn good lunch.

Game Night!!! Duke: 82 Carolina: 50

The burgers are based on a recipe by Paulette Mitchel. It's from a book of vegetarian sandwiches. I never bought the book, but I looked at it a million times during my Barnes and Noble trips. It's a gorgeous book. She also wrote A Beautiful Bowl of Soup. Also a gorgeous book, one which I own and use often.

I don't make these burgers on a regular basis because they are actually pretty fattening, but when Duke is playing Carolina, good bar food is needed.

You will need about a cup of ground toasted walnuts. I buy the pieces, pulse them several times in the food processor, then toast them in a dry pan. I've read that walnuts should always be toasted before eating. From what I understand, they can harbor some sort of worm. I also recommend buying walnuts in bulk. Try one first. I learned this lesson today. We needed to hit up the ABC store, and Ucrops is in the same shopping center, so that is where I did my grocery shopping. I did not try the walnuts. I got home, and ew. They were rancid. So, back to Ucrops to return them, and off to Whole Foods to buy some more. The ones that are sold in the bags are always gross and never worth buying in my opinion.
Throw those in a bowl and add about 1/2 cup bread crumbs. I make my own bread crumbs much of the time, but I use store bought whole wheat bread crumbs for burgers. I think the fine course is best for patties. Two garlic cloves and about 2 tablespoons of onion- both finely minced- go in next. Chop up a tiny handful of fresh Italian parsley, then, add that along with the tiniest palm full of dried thyme (maybe like 1/2 tsp), a pinch of salt, few grinds of black pepper, and a few shakes of hot pepper flake. I'm currently obsessed with Penzey's Extra Hot Red Pepper Flakes.
In a separate tiny bowl, lightly beat an egg and add about a tablespoon of tamari or soy sauce. Add that to the dry mixture along with 1/2 cup of cottage cheese.

Cottage cheese. Sorry, I have to divert from my recipe talk for a moment. I don't buy cottage cheese often. Actually, outside of needing it for these burgers, I'm not sure I ever buy it. I should once in awhile. It's damn good. As soon as I got home from the store today, I pulled out a small ramekin filled it with the curds of goodness and ground on some black pepper. One bite, and I was sitting at Grandma Phoebe's kitchen table. She'd have a paper towel folded in half, a small bowl of cottage cheese, a few saltine crackers, and a small bowl of peaches. Almost every day, this was her lunch. I could smell the house, see her there in her chair. She was beautiful, my grandmother. You could take one look at her and see her absolute strength. I love how food transports you... I love how close it can make me feel to my family.

Now, it's time to mix it all up. I use a spoon to pull it together most of the way, but your hands really are the best tool, so you just gotta get in there and get it combined. I score it in 4, and build the patties. I put them on a plate and put them in the fridge until I'm ready for them.

Time for aioli. Now, I don't make my own mayonnaise. I'd like to try one day, but when I can buy absolute perfection, I see no reason. I scoop out about a cup of Dukes into a small bowl, I add about a tablespoon of fresh lemon juice- maybe a bit less? You can always add more... along with a few good grinds of black pepper. Next, I break down a garlic clove with salt. You just smash the clove with your knife, add a pinch of salt and go between mincing and smashing until it's almost a paste. The salt helps bring out the liquid of the garlic and then it breaks down... add about half of it to the mayo, stir it up and sample. If you need more garlic or lemon or pepper to balance, add. This is the only way Dukes could be improved upon.

When I'm ready for the patties, I heat up a hefty tablespoon of canola oil in a non stick skillet. You could use peanut also, but don't use evoo. Medium heat will do. Make sure it's hot (I usually put a crumb of a patty in and wait for it to sizzle.) and add the patties. They will need about 5 minutes on each side and should be golden brown. If you're stove top runs hot, like the one at my apartment, you'll need to go a bit under medium. You know your stoves. They are funny things.

That's it. I brown the bread in the pan after I remove the patties- just a tiny tiny tiny bit of butter on them to help them along. Smear a generous amount of the aioli on top and that's it. I like romaine leaves for a bit of crunch, but put whatever you like on them.

On the side- French Fries of course... what else would you eat with a burger at a bar when watching the biggest rivalry in college basketball? I won't go into great detail since I certainly did with the burgers, but here are my french fry tips.
Buy red potatoes or another type of waxy potato if you bake your fries like I do. You'll get crunchy outsides but creamy insides and in my opinion, this makes for one incredible fry. I keep the skin on. Cut them into fry shape and dry them well with a tea towel. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, dump on the potatoes and add enough evoo to coat them well. In a 400 degree oven they go. I started these way before the burgers. They need around 40 minutes. You don't need to even peek at them for 20 minutes, then, you might want to turn them- each one by hand- if you use a spatula they will break!!!
That's it. When they are golden on both sides, they are done. I put them on paper towels to get off excess oil, season with salt and ground pepper and they are ready! Of course, I ate them with ketchup AND the aioli. It's a special occasion.

While eating, Scott and I commented that our food made us feel like we were at Grey's in Greensboro- which, by the way, does indeed have the best bar food I've ever eaten. After Scott proposed to me almost a year ago, we actually sat at Grey's Tavern, had a few celebratory drinks- and watched Duke beat Carolina.

"That was one of the best games we've played all year," Krzyzewski said. "The three veterans on the perimeter really set the stage in the first half with how they passed and moved with one another. ... I think we would have been tough to beat by anybody tonight."

But, it just happened to be Carolina!!!

Sardines aren't gross. Well, sort of.

Alton Brown is my favorite. He's funny, interesting, and he knows a ridiculous amount about food. I hang on his every word.

A couple years ago he had a series called Feasting on Asphalt. I was really getting worried about him. He'd gained a lot of weight and wasn't looking so healthy. To top it all off, he was riding his motorcycle around the country and eating things like pastrami stuffed hot dogs. That might be an exaggeration, but it was something like that in every episode. I was horrifically worried that my favorite Food Network cook might not make it back to Georgia to tape Good Eats ever again.

I started relaxing some when he seemed to slimming down a bit on newer episodes of Iron Chef America... but, when The New Iron Chef premiered to choose the next Iron Chef (Go Garcias!!!), I was down right relieved. He looked amazing. Not only did it seem he'd lost all the weight he'd gained, but he looked better than I'd ever seen him! Glowing, healthy, trim!!! Yay, Alton!!!

When the latest season of Good Eats began, Alton did an episode entitled, "Live and Let Diet." He called himself out on his once unhealthy habits and discussed a little about his new lifestyle. Good fats, nuts, beans, legumes, fruits, veggies, animal proteins in moderation- right up my alley and I couldn't wait to see what he was going to make!

He made ginger flavored almonds, a smoothie to die for, and... Sardine toast.

He talked in detail (of course) about sardines- how amazing they are for you- Omega 3's galore, protein, tons of calcium... but, I was skeptical. They're sardines. Gross.

I'm open minded though and I love to try to new things and really... could they be that bad? I do, after all, love fish. They are just fish. And they are so super good for you. Maybe it was worth a try... so, onto the computer to print out the recipe and off to Whole Foods I went.

Apparently, saying sardines on the can can mean they could be one of like 5 different varieties of fish, so Alton says to buy the can that actually says, "Brisling Sardines." He says they taste the best. I believe him. You can also buy sardines with other flavorings, such as mustard, but I did what Alton said and bought Brisling Sardines in Extra Virgin Olive Oil. I also got the few other ingredients I needed and figured that I had a Kashi frozen pizza at home if all else failed.

I will tell you this first. It rocks. It is amazing actually. Sardines ARE yummy and after making this a second time, I think I might actually try to expand my sardine repertoire in the very near future.

I pretty much followed the recipe, but my ratios and a couple other details are different...


Here's exactly what I did:

One can of sardines- ok- here's the gross part. They still look like little fish, so I run away like a little girl and make Scott mash them up until they look like tuna fish from the can. I know, silly right? But, they look absolutely disgusting and I don't want to see the truth. I can't handle it.

I put in a good glug of sherry vinegar- about twice what he calls for since I'm only using one can of sardines. I also zest a lemon and am generous with freshly ground black pepper. I also hit it with a pinch of salt and some crushed hot pepper flake. Then let it alone for 30 minutes or so.
The first time I made it, I used 4 slices of a whole wheat sour dough boule and it was absolutely perfect. Today, I had the rest of my St. Germine baguette in the freezer to use up, so I used that. I dug out the extra innards of the bread and brushed it with EVOO. Still worked great, but the sourdough was better. I put it under the broiler just for a few minutes, then distribute the sardine mixture evenly. Only thing left to do is cut open an avocado, mash it up in the skin and distribute it on top of the sardines. Alton talks about how avocado evens out the fishy taste. Their vast nutritional value is merely a bonus in this recipe. Lastly, a pinch of salt and a little lemon juice. Dinner is served.

Last time, we drank a nice smoky petite syrah along with our toast. It was heaven. Today, I had to go to work, so that would be another reason why they were probably better last time.

Although you may need assistance in getting the sardines open, into the bowl, and looking like tuna fish- they are, in fact, delicious. I worked all night after having this for dinner and didn't even think about being hungry. I felt nourished, energetic, and completely satisfied.

The next time you're grocery shopping, take a look at sardines. Yes, they are sort of gross. But, you'll get over most of it after you eat sardine toast, I promise!

Ooooo... It's 11:00 pm!! Good Eats is on!!!

Enjoy It Because You Will Never Eat It Again.

I heard that from my dad a lot growing up. At least once a week. My father was the cook of the house. This worked out because he got home from work before my mom, so he would have dinner waiting for her every night. Pretty sweet deal for Mom.

As soon as I was old enough, I helped. It was my time with my dad. My father was extremely talented, and his favorite hobbies were woodworking and working on cars- interests I never adopted. Thankfully, he also loved to cook. My dad taught me that you don't leave the kitchen while you're cooking, so we'd hang out, passing each other to turn or to stir between the stove and griddle or the grill outside on the patio, and the whole time, we'd talk. He'd tell me stories, jokes, and probably worked a little harder than I remember trying to get me to share what was going on in my life. My dad and I were very close- I was a Daddy's girl for sure- but, he was my father, the man of the house. I saw him in that light almost the entire time that I knew him. The summer before he got sick- the summer before my senior year in college- was when something changed and we started becoming friends. A small change from just a father/daughter relationship- we started talking like adults talk to one another, you know? It makes me sad that we had so little time to work on that aspect of our relationship, but I am happy I got to see its start.

Many nights were simple- hamburgers with mac and cheese, french toast and sausage, grilled chicken and boiled potatoes (which we would smash on our plates with forks and load up with butter and sometimes creamed corn... wow, that sounds so good right now.) Other nights were slightly more labor intensive. A few of those meals I remember most are venison back straps coated in flour and crushed saltines and shallow fried- we fought over these. We would actually count them out to make sure we all had a fair share. Tomato and meat sauce from scratch, chili, steaks on the grill with these grilled half potato things my dad came up with... all good stuff.

But, about once a week we'd clear out the leftovers and my dad would turn them into something so delicious and perfect... and it was bitter sweet, because like he would say, you'd never eat it again. This was the good stuff... where he taught me to be creative and to take risks and to think about marrying different flavors together. He'd grab a couple pantry items, add it to whatever was hanging out in the fridge leftover, and suddenly we had a new dinner. I don't remember it ever being bad.

My father is a huge part of why I love to cook, and I find myself copying him on the leftover thing quite a bit. Much of the time when I am cooking something I am thinking about what I could turn it into the next day. Other times, my inspiration just comes when I open the fridge and just start taking stuff out.

This particular day, I'd had a really intense workout at the gym in the morning and had to be at work at 11:00 AM, so I wanted something hearty to stay with me throughout the day. A sandwich was in order. I had the onions from the other day, so I knew they would play a part. I also had some leftover seitan from fajitas I made a couple days prior. If you're not familiar with seitan, it's really just wheat gluten and makes a fantastic meat substitute. I buy Field Roast brand sausages a lot and my leftovers were of the Italian variety. I'm not saying it tastes like meat, it really doesn't, but you can use it like you would use meat.
I got out a slice of Ezekial bread, the seitan, and the onions, and threw it all in a dry non stick to heat up... now I needed the rest. Ah! A hard boiled egg! I always make a few extra when I need one and I made tuna salad last week. Good thinking. I also had Laughing Cow garlic and herb cheese triangles. Done. Simple and hearty, this was going to kick ass.

I sliced the egg, spread the cheese on the bread when it was bit toasty and piled everything on top. Scott came over from his computer to ask where his was. Oops. I hadn't offered. My leftovers were only serving one. I gave him a bite of seitan with onions and hoped it would suffice. I also allowed him a bite of my masterpiece- it was the least I could do.

It was SO very good, I mean, really. The flavors just were perfect together. The cheese was creamy and egg sort of melded right into it. The seitan and onions had gotten a bit crisp when I warmed them up providing a nice mix of textures. This was a sandwich I will remember and I'm glad I enjoyed it, because I will probably never have it again.