Sesame Tofu with Soy-Lemon Dipping Sauce

I'm not trying to brag, but I'm pretty good at making rice.  Some people like to use rice steamers, but I prefer the old fashion sauce-pot way.  I've only ever messed it up once, for which I blame myself, iChat, and a good friend who lives in L.A..  I also tend to make brown rice more often; it's great because it takes an hour to simmer, during which you will have enough time to make the rest of this meal. 

The Sesame Tofu recipe is from The Moosewood Restaurant Simple Suppers cookbook, which holds a dear place in my heart because it was my first all-vegetarian recipe book.  They use spinach as their recommended vegetable, but one of the great things about this dish is that you can use anything you have on hand that you think would taste good stir-fried in the sesame seeds and oil left over in the pan from cooking the tofu. 

I do have a few recommendations: Go crazy when you're coating the tofu in the sesame seeds! The recipe says to press both sides in a 1/4 cup, but I think it's better here to use 

your gut, pour some seeds on a plate, and roll all the sides. 

While the tofu is cooking, or after your have added your vegetables to the pan and are sauteing them, it's pretty easy to multitask and make this simple, elegant dipping sauce courtesy of the one, the only, Martha Stewart. 

Last Night's Dinner

The Meal: Faux "Chicken" and "J-lo's Fried Chicken" from Vegan a Go-GO! Also, mashed potatoes, roasted brussels sprouts, and some gravy made from the seitan broth.

Here's a shout-out to you, Ashley. I tried to recreate the magic of the meal we made a few weeks ago, but it wasn't quite the same... It still tasted good, but the seitan failed to triple in size, as it had the first time we made it... Perhaps because I cooked it in a large dutch oven instead of a smaller pot?

However, it was still pretty tasty.

Challah French Toast

I won't lie to you people, I have serious challah connection. That means pretty much every Friday I end up with a delicious "water challah" which is a challah made without eggs, and is coincidentally vegan. I could tell you why I have such a serious hook up with, but then I'd have to kill you. J/K. Kind of.

Anyhoo, this challah makes amazing french toast. For those of you who aren't lucky enough to easily get water challah, you could make your own, or use another vegan bread of your choice.

There are a lot of vegan french toast recipes out there, some using silken tofu or nutritional yeast, but I keep mine pretty simple. Below is my recipe, which I have been told by meat eaters is better than the egg-drenched kind. Enjoy!

What you need:

5-8 slices challah (or whatever bread you are using)
1.5 cups soy milk (I use vanilla)
3 tbs. whole wheat pastry flour
2 tbs. corn starch
pinch salt
a few shakes of cinnamon
canola oil

In a medium bowl, whisk together all ingredients except for bread (obviously) and oil until well combined. Pour mixture into a shallow baking or casserole dish.

Heat some canola oil up in a pan. Carefully dip bread in mixture, then flip and coat the other side. Cook one or two slices at a time in oil until lightly browned on both sides, and then throw in a 200 degree oven to keep warm until all your slices are done.


Serve warm with earth balance and real maple syrup- YUM!

p.s. If you have leftover, wrap in foil and keep in the fridge to reheat in the microwave, it will keep and still be delish after one or two days.

Chocolate-Orange Cupcakes

Thanks to Lindsey, these cupcakes got chocolate frosting.  And I learned how to make vegan cupcakes.  

hello.

hello. my name is lindsey. i enjoy making and eating vegan baked goods, as well as other yummy vegan food. here are some pictures of things i have baked in the past. hopefully i will get it together soon and make something else and post about it. to you, ashley!