food fight

actually it's a different game. i got tagged by anne, so i'm playing the game. i'll try to do as she suggested and make mine about food.

I am: not hungry (yet).
I know: that sirracha and braggs add a kick of flavor to anything.
I want: my new pans!
I wish: i wasn't out of braggs and soy milk.
I hate: too much cilantro or ginger.
I miss: having a mixer that works.
I fear: using a spatula.
I feel: heat in my fingertips when i'm using them instead of a spatula.
I hear: a mini fridge whirring.
I smell: residual onion from lunch.
I crave: brownies.
I search: for recipes often.
I regret: produce gone bad.
I love: my new camera.
I ache: in the stomach from too much or too little food.
I care: about how my ingredients look on the shelf.
I always: add red wine to my tomato sauces.
I am not: going to remember to get flour unless i write it down.
I believe: tangelos are the new orange.
I dance: occasionally, but not often about food.
I sing: if i'm listening to music in the kitchen.
I cry: when i cut an onion with a serrated blade.
I fight: hunger.
I write: recipes on my typewriter.
I win: friends with my sweets.
I lose: water from my tofu.
I never: eat meat eggs and dairy.
I confuse: my jars of baking powder and baking soda.
I am scared: of opening the oven early when baking.
I need: a whisk.
I am happy about: the farmers market.
I hope: my herbs grow.

now that i made it through that list, i'm going to tag karis because she hasn't posted in a while.

cause & effect

cause: new camera purchased with graduation gifts and tax refunds

effect: many more food pictures under the excuse of "practicing"

rotini and asparagus pasta salad

chickpea cutlets waiting to become sandwiches

asparagus, orange tomato, green onion, and red pepper for a salad

tofu and broccoli to toss with peanut sauce

early summer eating

after a long bike ride, a refreshing "vern ehlers" hits the spot

it gets even better when you pair it with a chickpea sandwich with rotini and asparagus salad

peanut sauce with tofu and broccoli

nothing new

it's been a slow food week.  well actually two weeks.  that doesn't mean that it hasn't been enjoyable.  i've been preparing things that have already been blogged about, like chickpea cutlets and black bean burgers on the grill.  hopefully i'll find some time soon to find some new recipes to try out, but for now, here's some pictures of some great stir-frys that i haven't shown yet.

ginger soy stir-fry with jasmine rice and hand-rolled veggie spring rolls.

soy and teriyaki stir-fry with jasmine rice and sweet and sour tempeh.

simple tofu

even before i was vegetarian, joe and i learned that cooking tofu isn't necessarily easy.  in fact, our first attempt was quite gross.  in order to start enjoying tofu, vegan with a vengeance has a recipe that is sure to work.

pressing the tofu takes out some of its moisture, improving its texture a bit.  to do so, place your slices of tofu between kitchen towels or paper towels and set some flat heavy things on it (i do a 9x13 pyrex loaded with anything with some heft).  press it for a while...an hour is great but 20-30 minutes will surely do the trick.  then proceed with your recipe making.  you could even press the tofu the previous day to save time when cooking.

try your baked tofu alongside some potatoes and a salad, or have it cold on a sandwich piled with veggies.  for breakfast, i warmed some up for a tofu mcmuffin with spinach.

ethiopian night

wash your hands in the rose petal water.

grab some injera.

dig into some ethiopian food.

(disclaimer: it helps if you've got people like juan, laura, joe, and karis manning/womanning the kitchens, so maybe you should locate them before you try to enjoy this delicious food.)