potato medley!

If you have known me for a grip, you know that there are two things I (and most of the Hub/Cone) were addicted to from Trader Joe's. I work at Whole Foods, and so do most of my friends. We shop there, and budget it well. (Don't even start the Whole Paycheck ish, you get what you pay for, or you aren't doing it right.) BUT, there were two amazing items that lead me back to TJ's again and again, and both have been discontinued within the last year or so. The first, which we will address here, is potato medley, the second (which would take a miracle to produce) were the veggie gyoza. There were many nights when our sustenance depended on these items, late nights, early mornings, bonding moments sharing recipes. In truth, some of the best times of my life.

So fuck you TJ's for letting these items go by the wayside; but I understand. If something is too popular with your customers, the factory HAS to produce it instead of giving you leftovers, and that makes the price go up for you, lessening your profit. Just raise the price and bring them back, I will buy cases, seriously. CASES!

Ingredients:

1 lb red potatoes, cut in 1/4" slices

1 onion, 1/4" slices

2 carrots. Julienned

3 peppers, Julienned

1 head broccoli, roughly chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tsp garlic powder
olive oil, for cooking

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Get a pot of salted water on the stove to boil. Slice potatoes and onions. Spray 2 baking sheets with oil and layer the potatoes and onions on them, seasoning with salt and pepper, and adding a layer of sprayed oil on the top. Place in oven for 35 minutes. Remove and let cool to room temperature.

Blanch all other veggies. Carrots 4 mins. Peppers 3 mins. Broccoli 1/2 a minute. And let them cool with the potato/onion mixture. Sprinkle with garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste. Let cool, and store in the fridge. This should last 6-7 days, if you can wait that long. I have already eaten twice with this as an ingredient, and I am not near done!

whole garden pasta salad

My best friend is visiting this weekend, which means lots of dining out! We wanted to make something to use up as many veggies as possible from the CSA so that nothing went bad while we were enjoying our weekend away from the kitchen. So we made a super easy pasta using 6 ingredients from the box!


Ingredients:
1 bunch chard, leaves roughly ripped
3 heads broccoli, florets only
3 peppers, julienned
1 bunch carrots, thinly sliced
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
10 leaves basil, chiffonade
3 Tbsp olive oil
salt, pepper & balsamic vinegar to taste
1 lb whole wheat fusilli

Get a pot of water boiling and add in the pasta. Add the olive oil to a large pan, and saute the garlic and onions for 2-4 minutes. The order for the veggies goes like this: broccoli & carrots first, until carrots are tender and broccoli is bright green, then add in the chard and peppers and stir until the chard is wilted. The pasta should be done by now, so strain and return to the large pot. Dump in all the veggies, toss and season how you like. Top with basil. Serves 6.

bok choy slaw

We wanted to use the bok choy in it's raw form because well, sometimes the texture of cooked bok choy is a turn off. Especially when you eat a lot of it because you get it delivered to your door for a few weeks in a row. Kenny was still haunted by the memory of too-much-bok choy 2k8, but the raw preparation worked out really well. Crunchy and satisfying!


Ingredients:
Slaw:
1 head of broccoli, florets chopped and stem peeled and shredded
5 heads baby bok choy, finely julienned
3 small Nantes carrots, shredded (or 1 large carrot)
1/2 a red onion, finely sliced

Peanut dressing:
3 Tbsp peanut butter (we used chunky, feel free to use smooth. However, Parker's peanut butter is the freakin' bomb, buy it!)
1 Tbsp honey
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tsp red pepper flakes
2 tsp ginger

This recipe is simple, and ridiculously tasty. Cut all the vegetables, shake the dressing together in your dressing shaker (or whisk it in a bowl) and add to the veggies. We ate it with honey sesame tofu from Soy Deli that we pan seared and covered in the sauce. DEEEEEELICIOUS! Ate it again the next day. Totally amazing!

grilled chipotle lime tofu and "Caesar-ish" veggie salad

Ingredients:
chipotle lime tofu:
1 block extra firm tofu, sliced width-wise into 8 equal rectangles
3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp lime juice
3 cloves of peeled garlic
2 roasted red peppers
pinch of salt

Combine chipotles, lime juice, garlic, red peppers olive oil, and salt in a food processor and run until smooth. Apply to tofu and marinate overnight.

This recipe is pretty spicy, so if you don't like it quite so hot, but do love the flavor of chipotles, you can use only 1 chipotle, and substitute an extra red pepper. It will still be super tasty, and have just a little kick!

Katie went a little photo crazy last night. Check out the grill action!!!

Coat one side of the tofu and grill over hot coals. Turn 45 degrees to get nice grill marks.

Flip onto the other side to cook on the cooler side of the grill.

Spoon remaining marinade over the tofu. Cover the grill and allow to cook for 15-20 minutes.

Nothing says summer to me (Kenny) like Caesar salad. Ask anyone who knows me, and I just cannot get enough of them. I love the tang of the dressing, the nuttiness of Parmesan cheese, and the crisp texture of the lettuce and croutons. But sometimes you want other veggies, not just lettuce, so I decided to try to give my Caesar addiction a little spin, and it turned out awesome! I substituted mustard for the eggs in the dressing as an emulsifier, and used a little extra salt instead of stinking up the kitchen with anchovies. You could also use vegan parm on this to make it vegan, and it wouldn't miss a beat.

"Caesar-ish" veggie salad:
2 heads broccoli, cut into bit sized florets
about 6 to 8 small carrots, chopped into 1/2" pieces
1 bunch snap peas, trimmed
2 lbs fingerling potatoes, cut into 1/2" pieces
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 cup olive oil
1 Tbsp grain mustard
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Steam the potatoes for 12-14 minutes until fork tender. Meanwhile, prep your other veggies. Add the snap peas to the steamer just for a minute before your potatoes are done. Drain and allow potatoes and snap peas to cool. In a glass jar, shake together the olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, and salt and pepper to taste. Combine all veggies in a large bowl and pour dressing over top. Toss to coat then sprinkle on the cheese. This refreshing, slightly-acidic dish serves as the perfect accompaniment to the spicy tofu!

asian fusion cold noodles

Everyone has their typical go-to order from their favorite take out joint. When ordering Chinese, ours is General Tso's tofu and two orders of veggie lo mein. For Vietnamese, we get a vegetarian vermicelli bowl and lemongrass tofu. This dish is kind of a bastardized white person fusion of the two noodle dishes we love most.

We picked up some fresh lo mein noodles from the Richmond New May Wah Asian grocer on Clement. They have a really awesome selection of vegetarian food, and fresh noodles.


Ingredients:
1 package lo mein noodles
1 head broccoli, cut into bite sized florets
1 cucumber, 1/4" sliced on the bias
4 carrots, shredded
2 to 3 inch piece daikon, shredded
2 tsp. canola oil
1 cup sweet chili sauce
4 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp. minced ginger
juice from 1/2 a lemon

Combine the chili sauce, apple cider vinegar, ginger, lemon juice, and 3 Tbsp. of soy sauce and marinate the shredded daikon and carrot for 30 minutes. Blanch and shock broccoli in salted water and set aside in refrigerator. Cook lo mein noodles according to package directions, shock in cold water, toss with canola oil and remaining tablespoon of soy sauce to coat. Mix noodles, broccoli, cucumbers, and the carrot/daikon mixture together and chow down!

glazed tofu with broccoli and carrots

This recipe is from VeganYumYum. I made a few minor changes to compensate for lacking some of the ingredients and also added red onion. Because what's better than a red onion that's soaked in soy sauce? Nothing. This made enough for two plus some leftovers. I shredded three carrots but the recipe only really needs one. But if you're gonna get your food processor dirty, you might as well make it count right?

Ingredients:
1 block extra firm tofu, cut into 1/2" strips
1 Tbsp canola oil
4 tsp soy sauce
1 red onion, sliced
2 heads broccoli, cut into bite sized florets and steamed
3 carrots, shredded
peanuts, for garnish
3 cups cooked brown rice

Peanut Dressing:
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup water
1 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tsp red pepper flakes

Prep by cooking the rice, chopping and steaming the broccoli, and shredding the carrots. Mix peanut dressing ingredients until smooth (be patient, it’ll look like hell at first*) and set aside. [*Katie's note: It really did look like hell!]

Pan fry tofu in the canola oil over high heat in a non-stick skillet until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes per side. Turn off the heat and pour soy sauce over the tofu. It will bubble up and form a light glaze. Add the red onion and return pan to medium heat and cook, covered, about 6 to 8 minutes until the onion softens.

Plate rice, add broccoli, tofu and onions, carrots, and peanuts. Drizzle with peanut dressing and serve.

hot and sour soup

Ingredients:
1 celery heart, bias cut
4 heads baby bok choy, roughly chopped
2 heads of broccoli, florets only
1 8 oz. package of prepared udon noodles
1 lb tofu, (We used Sunergia's More Than Tofu: Peanut & Ginger flavor)
4 cups vegetable stock
3 cups water
1 Tbsp sriracha
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp lime juice
2 Tbsp canola oil
soy sauce, to taste

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Cut the tofu into 1 inch cubes, place on an oiled sheet pan and bake for 25 minutes. Add canola oil to your favorite soup or stock pot over medium heat and saute the onions and celery until the onions are translucent. Add garlic and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Next add the stock and water and bring to a simmer. Add broccoli and bok choy and let simmer until cooked, about 4-5 minutes. Just before the soup will be served, add the udon noodles and stir to separate. Toss in your tofu from the oven, and stir in the sriracha and lime juice. Season with some soy sauce, if you would like a little more salt.

loaded baked poatoes

Tonight we made baked potatoes loaded with bacon, cheese and broccoli! Are you drooling yet?

We made these baked potatoes extra special with a trip to the farmer's market at The Ferry Building on Saturday. There we picked up a triple-cream cheese called Mt. Tam from Cowgirl Creamery and bacon from The Fatted Calf. It's the best bacon in the world!

sweet potato soup

Ingredients:
5 sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1/2" cubes
2 Tbsp canola oil
2 Tbsp Smart Balance
3 leeks, white and pale green parts only, sliced lengthwise then chopped into 1/2" slices
3 cloves garlic, minced
6 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup broccoli florets
1 cup collard greens, chopped into bite sized pieces
1 tsp cayenne pepper
salt & pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Toss the sweet potatoes with the oil, salt and pepper. Spread sweet potatoes onto a baking sheet lined with tin foil. Roast the potatoes in the oven for 30 minutes.

Melt the butter in a large pot and add the leeks. Stir over medium heat until leeks are softened, about 5 minutes. Remove the potatoes from the oven and add them into the soup pot, along with the garlic. Add 4 cups of vegetable broth and simmer, covered, for at least 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.

Puree the soup in a blender until smooth. Return the soup to the stove, add the remaining 2 cups of broth and the green veggies. Simmer for 5 minutes and serve with crusty french bread.

broccoli and leek stir fry

Ingredients:
1 block extra firm tofu, 1/2 inch cubed
2 heads of broccoli, chopped into bite size pieces
3 leeks, white & light green parts only, sliced length wise then chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
3 Tbsp sesame oil
1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
1 package garlic udon noodles

Heat the oil in a wok and pan fry the tofu, then the leeks. Boil a pot of water and blanch the broccoli for 1 minute and add to the wok. Add the teriyaki sauce to the wok. Add the udon noodles to the boiling water and cook the udon noodles until they are heated through, just a minute or two. Fast and simple!

six layer udon noodle salad

Don't be intimidated by the name of this recipe. Yes, there's a lot of ingredients but it's really very easy to make and totally worth it.

Salad:
Ingredients:
1/2 block of super firm tofu, cubed
3 Tbsp soy sauce
1 package udon noodles (We used garlic flavored udon noodles which were awesome!)
1 bunch dinosaur kale, de-stemmed and roughly chopped into bite sized pieces
2 heads of broccoli, cut into bite sized florets
1/2 head of napa cabbage, chopped
1/4 cup chopped peanuts

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Arrange the tofu on a baking sheet, sprayed with olive oil. Drizzle tofu with soy sauce and bake for 25 minutes. Meanwhile, prep the veggies and bring a pot of water to boil. Blanch the kale and broccoli, separately for 1 minute each. Cook the udon noodles until heated through. The cabbage and peanuts will remain raw, to give the salad crunch. Put all the salad ingredients (including the tofu) in the fridge to cool.

Ginger miso dressing:
Ingredients:
3 Tbsp canola oil
1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp ginger, minced
1 Tbsp red pepper flakes
2 Tbsp miso paste
2 cloves garlic, minced

Shake all ingredients together in a jar to emulsify the dressing. Toss dressing with cooled salad ingredients.