Vegan Yum Yum (10 page)

step 3
Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet or wok.

step 4
While the oil is heating, make the sweet-and-sour sauce. In a small saucepan, mix rice vinegar, water, sugar, tamari, ketchup, molasses, ginger powder, and salt and whisk over medium heat until the sugar and salt is dissolved. Add the cornstarch/water mixture and whisk until the sauce thickens. If you leave the sauce unattended now, it will thicken and burn, so keep an eye on it. When thick, turn off the heat and set aside.

step 5
Place the tofu in the hot oil, being careful not to burn yourself. You don't want the tofu to be crowded or the pieces will stick to each other, so fry it in batches if needed. Fry for 3 to 5 minutes until golden on the bottom, then gently turn and brown the other side. Right before you're going to take the tofu out, add the almonds. Let them fry in the oil for 30 seconds—no longer. They should barely change color to a light golden brown.

Ingredients

1 tub extra firm tofu, pressed

2 teaspoons Ener-G Egg Replacer plus 4 teaspoons water, mixed

¼ cup cornstarch

¼ cup peanut or canola oil

½ cup sliced almonds

1 to 2 cups steamed broccoli

sesame seeds for garnish
(optional)

Sweet-and-Sour Sauce

3½ tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar

¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon water

2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons sugar

2 tablespoons tamari

2 teaspoons ketchup

1 teaspoon molasses

¼ teaspoon ginger powder

½ teaspoon salt

1½ tablespoons cornstarch plus 2 tablespoons water, mixed

step 6
Drain the oil from the tofu and almonds (being very careful), and place in a large bowl.

step 7
Pour the sauce on top and gently toss to completely coat. The sauce should be thick and sticky; it shouldn't pool at the bottom of the bowl.

step 8
Serve immediately with fresh steamed broccoli, adding sesame seeds on top, if using. (Alternatively, add the broccoli in with the tofu before tossing with the sweet-and-sour sauce.)

Caramelized Leek and Spaghetti Squash Polenta with White Sauce

I
'm not a huge fan of onions. My mother would always tell me, “Try leeks, they're milder! You'll like them!” Last season I roasted some leeks, but I couldn't really get into them. I could see how other people would like them, but they were still too “oniony” for me. This summer we received more leeks in our community supported agriculture (CSA; where you pay a farmer at the beginning of the season to supply you with vegetables for the year) box and I decided to give it another shot.

Meanwhile, I had a spaghetti squash sitting on my counter, and I couldn't figure out what I wanted to do with it. Everyone says, “Treat it like pasta—just add sauce!!” but I've had that before. Why aren't there more creative recipes for spaghetti squash out there?

Thus, Caramelized Leek and Spaghetti Squash Polenta was born. It's kind of crazy, but it's good. And just so you know, I think it'd be good without the squash as well, so if you don't feel like buying one, just try Leek Polenta and see how you like it.

Caramelized Leek and Spaghetti Squash Polenta with White Sauce

Makes 4 to 6 servings

step 1
To prepare the leeks, trim off the roots and green leafy ends and discard these parts. Slice leeks in half lengthwise. Remove outermost layer and discard, then rinse leeks under cool water to remove sand and grit. Slice leeks crosswise into very thin slices. You should have 1 cup of packed sliced leeks.

step 2
Heat a cast-iron (preferable) or large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the leeks, oil, salt, and pepper. Stirring occasionally, cook leeks for at least 5 minutes or until partly caramelized (brown and soft). Leeks should taste sweet and almost buttery with a mild onion aftertaste (not raw, sharp, or bitter) when finished.

step 3
Remove to a bowl and set aside.

Ingredients

1 cup thinly sliced leeks
(2 leeks; see photos)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 pinch salt

1 pinch pepper

½ spaghetti squash, de-seeded

3 cups water

1 vegetable bouillon cube

1 cup cornmeal

cooked leeks, from above

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

¼ teaspoon salt

black pepper, to taste

White Sauce (or make the sauce recipe given in the Hurry Up Alfredo recipe on page 196)

¼ cup margarine

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon tahini

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon stone-ground mustard

(optional)

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

1 cup soy milk

½ teaspoon salt

black or white pepper, to taste

Squash Preparation Options:

To prepare the squash, you may microwave, boil, or bake it (instructions follow below for all methods. You will be cooking the squash while preparing the polenta).

If microwaving the squash (the fastest method):

step 1
Halve the squash widthwise. This is a winter squash and it's hard enough to cut as it is—most sources will tell you to cut the squash lengthwise, but widthwise is easier (and therefore safer since you don't need your knife slipping when exerting a lot of pressure on it), and it will fit into your microwave better. Remove seeds from squash and discard them.

step 2
Place the squash in a bowl, cut side down, and fill with water until 1 inch of the bottom of the squash is covered. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and microwave for 12 minutes on high, letting it stand for another 5 minutes in the microwave before removing.

step 3
Carefully
remove the squash, dump the water, and cut the squash into quarters (this shortens the strings so the polenta will be easier to stir and cut).

step 4
When cool enough to handle, use a fork to scrape the spaghetti-like strands into a bowl and set aside. You should have 2 cups squash, packed. If the squash seems wet, roll it in a paper towel and then in a tea/terry cloth towel and squeeze it to dry it out, as you don't want to add a lot of moisture to the polenta.

If boiling the squash (the easiest method):

step 1
Prick the squash with a fork several times, put it into a very large pot, fill with water, and begin heating on the stove. Boil the squash for 20 minutes until just tender; it doesn't need to be super soft. Drain, cut the squash in half, and remove the seeds.

step 2
Cut one of the halves into quarters (this shortens the strings so the polenta will be easier to stir and cut), then scrape the strands out with a fork. You should have 2 cups squash, packed. If the squash seems wet, roll it in a paper towel and then in a tea/terry cloth towel and squeeze it to dry it out, as you don't want to add a lot of moisture to the polenta.

If baking the squash:

step 1
Preheat the oven to 375 ºF.

step 2
Cut the squash in half and scrape out the seeds. Place cut side down on a baking sheet covered with oiled tinfoil. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until tender.

step 3
Cut one of the halves into quarters (this shortens the strings so the polenta will be easier to stir and cut), then scrape the strands out with a fork. You should have 2 cups of squash, packed. If the squash seems wet, roll it in a paper towel and then in a tea/terry cloth towel and squeeze it to dry it out, as you don't want to add a lot of moisture to the polenta.

Preparing the Polenta:

step 1
While the squash is cooking, add the bouillon cube to 3 cups of water and bring to a boil.

step 2
Add the cornmeal in a steady stream, whisking thoroughly. Continue to whisk.

step 3
Add leeks, pepper flakes, salt, and pepper and cook over medium-low heat for 20 minutes or so.

step 4
When the squash is ready, add it to the polenta (you might want to switch to a wooden spoon to stir, since the whisk is probably more trouble than it's worth due to the thickness of the polenta). Mix well and cook for an additional 5 minutes, being careful not to burn.

step 5
Scrape out the polenta into an oiled 8-x-8-inch brownie pan (or something of similar size), cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour until set.

step 6
To make the white sauce, whisk the margarine in a saucepan over medium-low heat until melted. Add the flour and whisk into a paste. Add the tahini, lemon juice, mustard, and yeast and whisk well. Slowly add soy milk, whisking well to make a smooth sauce.

Add salt and pepper and whisk over medium-high heat until mixture is thickened; it should coat the back of a spoon thickly.

step 7
To serve the polenta, you may grill, sauté, or broil it as desired. If you choose to sauté it (the photo above shows sautéed polenta), make sure your pan is quite hot, otherwise the oil will seep into your polenta and make it taste gross. Serve with the white sauce on top.

Creamy Broccoli Mushroom Bake