Archive for February, 2009

Lunch Project: Asparagus Soup

Tuesday, February 24th, 2009

This is so completely amazing. I got it from Woof! Board, an online Boston terrier community. Many of us who love our BT’s also love to cook and eat, so there is an ongoing recipe swap. It has the consistency of a cream soup, but it’s not, and if you omit butter, it’s totally vegan.

Saute once chopped onion and three chopped stalks of celery in 1/4 cup olive oil (you can also use margarine or butter. I added a tablespoon of butter for flavour). When it’s soft, add 3 tbsp flour and cook for a minute. Add one cup broth and 3 bouillon cubes (I used a couple teaspoons of Better Than Bouillon veggie stock), stirring so the flour doesn’t get clumpy. Add 3 potatoes (peeled and diced) and just the stems of one pound of asparagus, chopped– don’t add the tips quite yet. Bring to a boil, cook for about 20 minutes. Whiz through a blender, add one tablespoon of soy sauce, a grating of pepper and a dash of sage. Return to heat, add tips and cook for a couple minutes. Then serve! It’s brilliant. I’ll post a picture when my Bluetooth stops being a whiny baby.

Dinner Project: Ma-po Tofu

Friday, February 13th, 2009

I think this is originally a Szechuan dish, but it’s also considered a comfort food in Japan. It’s meaty and saucy with a little heat. Perfect for a cold snap!

Start by mincing one garlic clove and a chunk of ginger about 3 cm. Saute in a little oil, then add a half pound of ground pork– using veggie ground makes this vegan. Then add the cooking sauce: 2 tbsp soy sauce, a teaspoon of sugar, a couple teaspoons of sake or mirin, 1/2 tsp of salt and a couple spoons of toban jan, which is a chili bean sauce. I used rooster sauce, which works fine. Cook a bit, then add one cup chicken/veggie broth, cubed tofu (use regular rather than soft kind), and some chopped green onion. Mix a couple teaspoons of corn starch in a little water, add it and let it cook til it thickens, then put in a dash of sesame oil.

Serve over rice! Super-yum!0213091844.jpg

Dinner Project: Omu-rice, made with quinoa

Sunday, February 1st, 2009

It’s lazy dinner night for a couple of reasons. First, Paul has two back-to-back hockey games, so I’m dining alone. Second, my sister is coming home for a visit tomorrow and we’re having a massive Mikado dinner to look forward to. So, I’m going to one of the old stand-bys, Omu-rice.

It’s a Japanese snack that’s a favourite of kids. Basically, it’s a rice omelet flavoured with ketchup. And before you tell me how gross it sounds, let me tell you that I’d happily eat it any time. It’s fast and tasty and not too bad for you. Tonight, I made it with red quinoa since I didn’t feel like cooking a whole pot of rice. Usually I have leftover rice in the freezer, but I ate the last batch and hadn’t made new rice since.

Quinoa is an interesting grain, and it’s supposed to have a lower glycemic index than white rice. So that would make up for the fact that the best omu-rice is made with a good chunk of butter. Fry the rice/quinoa for a bit, then add some ketchup. Set filling aside while you cook the omelet part. I just made a one-egg omelet then laid it on top of the filling. Too lazy to fill and fold, sorry. I finished it with a flourish of ketchup on top. Yay!

Oh, and just so you know, I did manage to eat some vegetable. I snacked on some raw snap peas in chip dip while I was cooking. And I plan on having some apple sauce for dessert, so there.Photo 38.jpg