FoodFash

Adventure Begins in the Kitchen

I <3 Sammies

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Don’t you love when you re-discover an old favorite?  I used to buy these rolls often when I lived in Dallas and they kind of got lost in my gluten-eliminating shuffle.  Now that I’m merely gluten cautious, I’m happy to welcome back the most convenient sandwich rolls ever!

More sammie ideas here and here.

I had planned on making this sandwich, but they only had the gynormo containers of basil at the market and I knew it would go to waste.  I decided to make a few other modifications as well.

I sprayed a small portobello mushroom cap, seed-gutted tomato halves, and whole garlic cloves with olive oil and then baked them on the top shelf of a 450 degree oven for 20 minutes.  While the veggies were baking, I mixed 1/2 cup of chopped spinach leaves, 1 tablespoon of Vegenaise, and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice together.  When the veggies were ready, I smooshed the garlic on the rolls and topped with the veggies and spinach mix.

I might have a new obsession with roasted garlic.  And if I were to do this sandwich over again?  I’d do the basil mayo from my old recipe and the whole garlic cloves from this recipe.

So I want to modify my first question to…

Don’t you love when you re-discover and old favorite and make it even better??

Soup Season

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I suppose that the end of daylight savings time is an appropriate start for soup season.  And my first soup of this season?  Kale and White Bean.  Yum.

I modified this Whole Foods recipe into something more fresh, more me. Their directions apply whether you make their quicker version or my fresher version.

FoodFash Kale & White Bean Soup

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

4 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 – 32 ounce box of vegetable broth

4 cups of chopped kale

2 large tomatoes, chopped

1 cup of sliced carrots

1 teaspoon garlic salt

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon sugar

2 – 14.5 ounce cans of white beans

White beans in soup eliminate the need for noodles, which means I’m a really big fan of white beans.  Mix noodle-less soup with hearty kale and carrots and, well…  you’ve got yourself a complete little dinner.

I was extra hungry after completing Week 4, Day 3 of my running app, but two bowls of soup and a Tofutti chocolate covered flowers pop filled me up quite nicely.  Looks like I’m bag on the health wagon!

Friend Finds

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One of the best things about blogging is the frequency in which my friends and family suggest new recipes.  It happens almost daily and I enjoy it, well, almost daily.

Earlier this week, Lex told me that she found the best, most perfected tofu recipe ever.  Naturally, I wanted to try it.  And when I read through it, I realized how closely it resembled my favorite tofu dish at Urban Thai.

Since I used a tofu press rather than the paper towel method, my tofu was much less moist than I imagine the recipe intended.  I didn’t get as much sizzle as I had expected while reading.

And before I get to the good stuff, my only beef with this recipe is that it didn’t tell you how long it should take for the tofu to brown.  It seemed like it was taking forever, I grew impatient to the power of ten, and gave up with barely browned tofu.

But onto the good stuff, I’m confident that once I grow a little more patient and find the perfect marinade, this technique will be my go-to tofu recipe.  Dry fried is where it’s at!

Have you ever dry fried tofu?  Favorite marinade recipe??

Fried That!

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Remember that chicken fried tempeh that was on the menu at Jackson 20? Well…. I tried my best to recreate it.

And although I don’t have anything to compare it to because I didn’t actually taste it, I’m fairly certain I succeeded.

Because my version was A-mazing!

FoodFash Chicken Fried Tempeh

(yields 2-3 servings)

1 cup all purpose flour

2 tablespoons pepper

3 tablespoons garlic salt
2 eggs
2 tablespoons hot sauce (I used Crystal)
1 – 8 ounce package of tempeh
1/4 cup sunflower oil

Mix flour, salt and pepper in a small bowl.  In another small bowl, mix eggs and hot sauce.  Heat sunflower oil in a cast iron pot over medium heat.  Cut tempeh into 1-inch slices, dip in egg mix, then flour mix, and set into heated oil.  Watch carefully and flip when browned.  When both sides are crispy, place the fried tempeh on a paper towel and let cool for a few minutes.

It’s been a loooooong time since I’ve had fried chicken.  But I do remember fried that tasted so good that I couldn’t help but eat all the spare fried pieces I could find.  This combo of hot sauce, pepper, and garlic salt turned my fried into exactly that.

I don’t plan on making this often, but it’s good to know that I’m capable of turning a southern staple into something sinfully veggielicious!

Have you successfully fried anything lately?