tRUTH

Work day

THUNDER LOVIN' JO - IF YOU LIKE IT SPREAD THE WORD, WORD?

tURF fEINZ by yak films

These R.I.P. clips celebrate life when there is sorrow - 

 

Portobello sliders just might make Dolly proud

Dolly Parton - Gypsy, Joe, and Me

So my vegan cookout conundrum was solved when I spotted these little slider buns at the market. Grabbed some mini-bellos, vidalia onions, watercress, and tomatoes. The result was so good.

First marinate the portobellos:
couple glugs of olive oil
balsamic vinegar
handful of basil ribbons
2 cloves of chopped garlic
sea salt and fresh pepper

refrigerate for at least one hour

Grill the bellos for about 15-20 minutes depending on the heat. I also added some spring onions and asparagus to the grill.

Make a pesto aioli:

1/2 bunch of basil

2 cloves of garlic

handful of roasted pine nuts

1/2 cup of Veganaise

mix in the mini prep or blender...

Spread some sauce on the bun, top with a mini-bello, onion, watercress, and tomato. Whoo weeee!

Tofu Rancheros y La Cumbia del Mole

Lila Downs "La Cumbia del Mole", this tune will get you swaying to the beats while you cook - It's not a Mole recipe, never-the-less the song is so good.  

I'm on a mission to veganize as many of my friend/co-worker Maria's Mexican recipes as possible. One of my favorite Mexican dishes is Huevos Rancheros (without the egg of course). It's all about the sauce so here it goes:

2 or 3 chopped tomatoes
1 clove of garlic minced
Dried passilla pepper chopped up (it will soften when cooked)
Mexican oregano - rub it between your hands to break it up and release the oils
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup no-chicken broth or vegetable broth

1 package firm tofu sliced into 1/2 inch slabs
Turmeric
Salt

Tortillas
Avocado - sliced
Cilantro

Throw the first 6 ingredients into a blender and whirl. Pour the contents into a pan and simmer. While the sauce is simmering sprinkle the tofu on both sides with a little salt and turmeric then grill.

Warm the tortillas (I love Trader Joes Homestyle Corn Tortillas)

To assemble lay a tortilla onto a plate, top with tofu, salsa, and garnish with avocado and or cliantro. Serve with beans on the side. Amazing!!

Bowl vinaigrette

My friend Anne used to make a version of this that I loved and always tried to recreate but failed completely. Mine never tasted like the one she would serve. It's like someone elses PBJ that tastes better than anything in the world. So I kept trying while making small changes and tweaks until I created this version.
This is a quick vinaigrette that I make pretty much every day. I like it because it is just enough for the salad I'm making. It can be added to and changed depending on what flavors you want to work with.

2 tablespoons sunflower oil
1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon herbs de provence
pinch of garlic granules (or a clove of fresh pressed garlic if you want a more intense garlic flavor)
pinch of sea salt
couple grinds of pepper

optional: dijon mustard

Put all of the ingredients into the salad bowl and whisk them together. At this point you can add snipped chives, or another fresh herb. If I am using tomatoes in my salad I will chop them up and let them sit in the vinaigrette while I prepare all of the other salad ingredients. Layer the lettuce and other salad bits on top of the tomatoes and vinaigrette. Toss the salad just before serving.