Christmas in the Kitchen

I have been a busy, busy bee in the kitchen this Christmas season. From brunch to dinner to dessert, I have whipped up a variety of delicious vegan dishes, and I cannot wait to share my creations with all of you!



I was particularly blessed this Christmas to receive not one, but TWO copies of Vegan With a Vengeance! My mother and one of my aunts both bought it for me, but I thought it was quite humorous because this cookbook was at the top of my Christmas list! (I'm going to return one copy and purchase My Sweet Vegan or Simple Treats from amazon.com instead - a win/win situation, in my opinion!) My first brunch from this book was a twist on Scrambled Tofu; I quartered the recipe and substituted one-third package of tempeh for tofu to create Scrambled Tempeh.



I sliced the tempeh into itty bitty microcubes, omitted nooch, and used white button mushrooms instead of cremini mushrooms. The result? A wildly different, fantastic breakfast that is appealing for any meal of the day! I suggest each and every one of you try this tempeh brunch dish - I've had scrambled tofu before, but the small cubes of tempeh contribute a special nuttiness and a wonderful texture to the scramble. I also must give Isa credit for her spice combination. The main "course" was highlighted by fresh, sweet blueberries (my uncle managed to locate great, non-bitter ones at the store) and some dry Ezekiel 100% Whole Grain toast.

Thankfully, the scrumptiousness didn't end with brunch. Earlier this week, I was lucky enough to gobble down Crispy Tofu with Barbecue Sauce and Steamed Broccoli. I drained and pressed some extra-firm tofu, coated it with flour (whole wheat pastry, but I would have used cornstarch if I had some), and fried it in a little bit of extra-virgin olive oil. While the explanation sounds simple, somehow the splattering, hot droplets of oil soaring everywhere during the cooking makes this tofu a little more complicated to prepare than it first appears. I simply served the crispy tofu with some bottled gourmet barbecue sauce for an excellent lunch. I don't have barbecue sauce very often, so it was definitely a treat; I love its complex flavor, which instantly packs a punch to any dish. Unfortunately, most barbecue sauces make weird things go on with my tummy. Does anyone else have this problem?



Look, the kitty is at it again!



This kitty refuses to sit still, but I had to get a picture when I found him in the sink. My uncle was snapping his fingers above my head to try to get the cat to stop moving and look at the camera.

My uncle also assisted my cooking efforts one night this week. Together we recreated Spicy Tempeh, Cauliflower, and Zucchini with Rotini, based on Isa and Terry's recipe from Veganomicon with broccoli rabe and rotelle pasta. I was very impressed with the tempeh, and it was the star of this dish.



While my job at my university's sustainable, nutritionally-conscious cafe has taught me plenty about working with a variety of vegetables, my relatives were able to help me learn additional tips about cooking this week. I've learned to work with onions and garlic cloves, which were things that always scared me in the past when browsing through recipes. I'm glad I had the extra help, or I may have been too intimidated to cook so far beyond my comfort level this week - I'm used to just baking sweets in my dorm room! But I highly recommend the spicy tempeh. Even if you don't feel like a pasta dish, the tempeh is great alone with Isa and Terry's spicy sauce, and if you have access to broccoli rabe, try that too! I have yet to spot broccolini or broccoli rabe in the grocery stores I frequent. Cauliflower made a great substitution, because personally, I love its soft texture and how it melts in my mouth. The zucchini also brightened to a luminous green color in the pan; oh how I love vegetables!

I was very nervous about making dishes for my family dinner on Christmas eve. I knew I would have nothing to eat if I didn't prepare a few dishes myself, and I love sharing food I've made with other people. I was very ambitious, and I planned and grocery-shopped as if I was going to make five dishes. Unfortunately, I did my "planning" the day before Christmas eve, which turned out not to be early enough. I had time to prepare three out of the five dishes, which was a stressful feat in itself because I am not used to multitasking in the kitchen.



Mushroom Gravy from Veganomicon is the first component of my Christmas dinner, which would be nothing without...



The famed Chickpea Cutlets from Veganomicon! This was my first time making and consuming them, and I was very pleased with the flavor. My only problem? I didn't know the best way to reheat the cutlets once I brought them to the Christmas party! I baked them right before I left for the dinner, and toasted them and microwaved them 20 seconds when it was time to feast, but to no avail. They wouldn't warm up to my liking. I made six mini-cutlets instead of four so that others could try them at dinner, but the others were scared of vegan "hippie" food, I suppose, and I was the only one who ate the cutlets and gravy. I admit that I am not yet a cutlet-forming expert (as you can see in my picture), but I loved the cutlets. Those silly omnis didn't know what they were missing! I still have a few cutlets left over, so if anyone has some good reheating tips, I'm willing to listen!



I really appreciate that my grandma attempted to accommodate my dietary preferences. She reserved a side of her salad dish without cheese just for me. The salad consisted of lettuce, chopped pecans (she left off the butter for mine), diced strawberries, and a store-bought strawberry vinaigrette that turned out to be accidentally vegan and quite delicious. Sorry for the bad picture. My Christmas dinner plate, above, may look a little empty, but thankfully I filled my tummy with some indulgent vegan dessert!



These are the Maple-Pecan Sticky Blondies from Eat, Drink, & Be Vegan. They are so moist and delicious, and they could not have turned out better! I reduced the sugar by one-half cup to make them a little healthier. Let me assure you, the taste did not suffer one bit. I took these blondies to two parties and the batch disappeared between the two occasions. I've made them before, and I find that the results are best when the blondies are fully cooled in the fridge before cutting into squares and consuming. (They also taste better when eaten with your hands - drop the forks for this one!) They remind me of cookie cake, yum! My sister and my maw-maw were hesitant to try them because they are picky girls (they claimed they "don't like" pecans), so I picked off the pecans for my sister and my maw-maw ended up eating her blondie with the nuts. Surprise surprise, they both loved it! The blondies were definitely a success.



I have two more dishes to share with you, as well as a couple things I will announce that will make you severely and utterly jealous of me. However, you will have to wait until my next post to find out! Thanks for journeying along with me in my holiday cooking adventures; I'm very excited to be back behind the computer screen so that I can see what all of you have been up to as well!