Archive for the 'Vegetarian' Category

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Nước Chấm Chay – Vegetarian Vietnamese Dipping Sauce

Published by Gastronomer on September 9, 2010 in Recipe, Sauce + Condiment, Vegan, Vegetarian, Vegetarian, Vietnamese and Vietnamese. 4 Comments

Last month when I traveled down to San Diego to visit family, my aunt sent me home with a generous tub of bi chay (a vegetarian version of a very porky dish) and verbal instructions on how to prepare its accompanying sauce (nước chấm chay). I was a little nervous about making nước chấm chay with neither my mother nor my aunt supervising, but with some peer assistance from Tam of A Little Bit Burnt, it turned out well-balanced and very delicious.

After I polished off the bi chay, I used some of the leftover sauce to saute green beans and on a different occasion, to stir fry noodles. The best pairing though was with the hobak jeon (Korean zucchini pancakes). It’s really impressive how versatile this spicy, sweet, and tangy sauce is. After such a terrific first batch, I soon whipped up another because I love the way it brightens up every dish it’s paired with.

1/2 cup soy-based seasoning sauce (like Golden Mountain)
1/4 cup white vinegar
1 1/4 cups hot water
1/2 cup sugar
2 limes, freshly squeezed
5 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 teaspoons chili paste or finely chopped fresh or dried chilies

Dilute the sugar with hot water and set aside to cool. Once it is cooled, add the vinegar, lime juice, and soy sauce. Lastly, mix in the garlic and chilies.

Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning as needed: If the sauce tastes too concentrated, dilute with a little water. If it tastes too sweet, add more lime juice or vinegar, then add soy sauce to balance. If it tastes too sour, add a little more sugar and soy sauce, and a bit of water to balance.

[For Printable Recipe Click Here]

Sage Cafe – Seattle

Published by Gastronomer on April 5, 2010 in Chain / Multiple Locations, Restaurant Review, Seattle, Vegan and Vegetarian. 14 Comments

Although it might not be apparent from the decadent morsels posted on this blog, there’s a little voice inside my head that keeps my diet in check. Whenever I’ve stuffed too many cupcakes or dumplings down my gullet, it pipes up to remind me that a little greenery wouldn’t hurt. The little voice is admittedly quieter while I’m on vacation, but it has its limits. After 36 hours of consuming little more than doughnuts, chowder, and ice cream, my body was hurting for some vegetables.

Fortunately, The Astronomer, Rosalind, and I were kickin’ it in Capitol Hill when the mood for roughage hit. The densely populated area is home to Seattle’s most happenin’ hipsters and virtuous vegetarians. A resident of the neighborhood, Rosalind led us to Sage Cafe (formerly Hillside Quickie’s Cafe), her favorite vegan sandwich shop in the city. With hearty nutrients in sight, the little voice cheered with glee.

According to the company’s website, Sage Cafe is a twenty-year-old family business that started in the back of a mini-van. From its humble roots, the local chain has become the leading Northwest company in the vegan Slow Food movement.

From the lengthy menu, I selected The Sweet Jamaican wrap ($11), which was comprised of jerk-spiced tofu in lavash bread with smoked yams, grilled sweet onions, tomatoes, coleslaw, lettuce, and vegan mayonnaise. The hefty package was neatly wrapped and bursting with freshness. The tastiest bites were the ones that paired the creamy yams with the spicy tofu. Let it be known that I am a meat eater with a soft spot for soy byproducts.

The Astronomer’s Thai Curried Gyro ($10) came with seitan, grilled onions, and heirloom tomatoes on Egyptian flat bread. The sandwich turned out to be a knife and fork affair since the oozy contents could not be contained. The wrap was pretty darn tasty with its curried innards, but sadly was a big ‘ol mess to behold and eat. Food should be a feast for the eyes and mouth.

Rosalind’s El Besito Caliente burger ($11) was a tremendous mouthful of grilled tofustrami (tofu with pastrami seasonings), avocado, cucumbers, caramelized red onions, and tomatoes. A vegan lime chipotle mayonnaise moistened the burger from top to bottom. The “spicy little kiss” packed a lot of heat and was the most delightful veggie burger I’ve ever tasted.

Sage Cafe was just what my body craved on this sunny afternoon in Seattle.

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Sage Cafe
324 15th Avenue East
Seattle, WA 98112
Phone: 206-325-6429

Frank Stitt’s Creamy Grits

Published by Gastronomer on January 7, 2010 in Recipe, Side Dish, Southern, Vegetarian and Vegetarian. 15 Comments

Trips down to Alabama always seem to inspire me to prepare Southern comfort foods upon my return. The last time I traveled to Birmingham, I came home with a killer hankering for old fashioned cornbread. This time around, I had creamy grits on the brain. Fortunately, I received a package of yellow stone-ground grits in my Christmas stocking! McEwen & Sons of Wilsonville manufacture The Astronomer’s mother’s favorite variety; their wares are available for purchase online.

I turned to Frank Stitt’s Southern Table for a proper grits recipe. The grits served at his temple of haute Southern cuisine, Highlands Bar & Grill, are creamy, impeccably seasoned, and pair well everything from shrimp to venison. For me, a sprinkling of freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano was all that was required for some serious satisfaction.

4 cups water, preferably spring water
1 1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt
1 cup yellow stone-ground grits
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, or a little more if desired, at room temperature
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Grana Padano cheese, plus more if desired
Kosher salt and freshly ground white pepper
Hot sauce, such as Tabasco or Cholula

In a medium saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Add the salt, then whisk in the grits in a slow, steady stream, whisking constantly to prevent clumps and thoroughly mix in the grits. Bring to a boil whisking, then turn the heat down to low and summer for 45 minutes to 1 hour, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon until the grits are thickened and tender.

Add the butter and Parmigiano, stirring to combine, and add the salt, white pepper, and hot sauce to taste. Taste and add more butter, cheese, and/or salt if desired. Serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings.

[For Printable Recipe Click Here]

Roasted Beets

Published by Gastronomer on October 20, 2009 in Recipe, Side Dish, Vegan, Vegetarian and Vegetarian. 14 Comments

Ever since tasting my first beet at Greens Restaurant in San Francisco during the summer of 2005, I’ve ordered them time and again whenever they appeared on a restaurant’s menu. Beets are so naturally sweet and appealing that most places prepare them very simply, with rich crumbles of goat cheese and a light vinaigrette. Every time I dug into one of these minimally fussed salads, I thought of how easy it would be to replicate the dish at home. I finally tried my hand at preparing beets in my own kitchen last week, and not only was it gloriously easy, but my hands weren’t the least bit stained.

This recipe for roasted beets comes from the most popular cookbook in my home, the America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook. When buying beets, look for bunches of uniformly sized beets so that they will roast for the same amount of time. If the beets are different sizes, remove the smaller ones from the oven as they become tender. Use this basic recipe as a starting point; the variations (Think: cheeses, herbs, nuts, vinegars) are deliciously endless.

4 medium beets (1 pound), greens discarded and scrubbed
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt
Pepper

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 400 degrees. Wrap the beets individually in foil (photo 2) and place them on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast until a skewer can be inserted easily into a beet, 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Remove the beets from the oven, open the foil packets, and allow to cool for 10 minutes. To peel, cradle a roasted beet in several layers of paper towels in your hands and gently rub off the skin (photos 3 and 4).

Slice the beets 1/4 inch thick, then toss with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve warm or at room temperature.

Serves 4.

Tarragon Egg Salad

Published by Gastronomer on September 3, 2009 in Recipe, Sandwich, Vegetarian and Vegetarian. 11 Comments

For the past two weeks, our little apartment has been burning up. The Astronomer and I have been taking turns sitting in front of the Vornado to cool down because air conditioning is a luxury our home was built without. When the weather is this unforgiving, the stove should be left firmly off.

I found this delightful recipe for egg salad while searching Epicurious for tarragon uses. It requires minimal stove time, and the results really hit the ‘I want something light, but substantial’ spot. Drawing inspiration from my favorite egg salad sandwich at Pasadena’s Euro Pane Bakery, I kept the yolks slightly runny and the whites just under firm. The egg salad tasted fabulous mounded atop a nest of baby spinach and a thick slice La Brea Bakery bread. File this one under: Deliciously easy things to cook when your house feels like an oven.

8 large eggs
1/2 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons finely chopped shallots (optional)
1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh tarragon, or to taste
2 teaspoons white-wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
Thick slices of crusty bread
Greens (i.e. baby spinach, mesclun, pea shoots, etc.)

Cover eggs with cold water in a heavy saucepan and bring to a rolling boil. Turn off the stove as soon as the water begins to boil and leave the eggs undisturbed for three minutes. Place a lid on the saucepan and leave the eggs for an additional two minutes. Transfer eggs with a slotted spoon to a bowl of ice cold water and let stand for five minutes to cool. Peel eggs and finely chop.

Stir together eggs and remaining salad ingredients in a bowl with a fork. Egg salad can be made one day ahead and chilled, covered. To assemble, spread some mayonnaise or mustard (if using) on bread, then add the greens, and lastly the egg salad. Eating an open-face egg salad sandwich in a lady-like manner is nearly impossible, so please, just dig on in.

Makes 6 sandwiches.

Adapted from Gourmet, April 2003