little red radish » appetizers

lunchbox salad with veggies, tofu and beans

admin — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 05:02:57 +0000

Another go-to lunch choice… a bulked up version of this cucumber salad with lots of protein from tofu and beans. Also very easy to throw together in a rushed morning (but, seriously, would it kill me to plan ahead?).

~ 1/2 can beans (I like cannellini), rinsed and drained
1 cucumber, peeled and chopped
1 red pepper, cored and chopped
~1/4 red onion, finely chopped (don’t over-do it)
1/2 tub extra firm tofu, drained, squeezed or patted dry, and chopped into 1/2 inch cubes

Dress with the following, stirred together:
~1-2 Tbsp dijon mustard (I like a lot of mustard. Specifically, I like Whole Foods Organic German Mustard)
~2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
~ 1 tbsp of some kind of vegan mayonnaise (optional)

seapoint farms dry roasted edamame

admin — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 05:26:54 +0000

I like a savory midmorning snack. Not necessarily out of hunger, I just want a little handful of something along with my tea. Usually some peanuts or cashews will do, but this is a nice low-fat alternative. The package reads one 1/4 cup serving has “70% less fat and 40% more protein than peanuts.” Not bad! Top that off with 8g of fiber. But…I can’t remember where I bought them! Whole Foods? Valencia Whole Foods?? Hopefully I’ll run across them again soon. I really liked the lightly salted, but there is also a wasabi flavor!

Online they can be purchased here.

Image: Seapoint Farms

kung pao baked tofu

admin — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 19:37:01 +0000

Flipping through my Jan/Feb Vegetarian Times, I stopped on user submitted Kung Pao Sliders. I’ve made this so many times now, the magazine stays open to this page. The intent here was to serve the baked tofu squares as “sliders” with the cole slaw on a small bun, but I’ve been putting it in salads or eating the tofu straight as a snack. I tried the slaw dressing that was to go with this and it just didn’t work. Possibly because I thought adding lemon would be a good idea.

Ingredients:
One tub of extra firm tofu, patted dry and cut into 16 pieces (cut legnthwise once, eight cuts across)
4 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce (I prefer Bragg’s Liquid Amino for its lower sodium content)
2 Tbsp cane sugar (or less)
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp corn starch

Directions:
Layer tofu in a shallow pan (I use two 8×8 pans). Whisk together remaining ingredients and pour evenly over the tofu. Flip tofu squares so the they are completely coated. Refrigerate for an hour, flipping tofu once or twice during that time. Preheat oven to 325. Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray. Lay tofu on sheet and bake 25 minutes. Flip the tofu and cook for another 20-25 minutes.

zucchini cakes

admin — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 19:33:19 +0000

Inspiration hit while making zucchini hash. I stirred in some hummus, added some cheese and formed it into little cakes and re-grilled them. Great with some salsa. Yum!

Ingredients:
4 medium zucchini, shredded
1 onion, finely chop
3/4 cup hummus
1/4 cup Daiya mozzarella “cheese”

Directions:
Over medium heat, cook onions for about 5 minutes, add zucchini and cook an additional 5 minutes until it starts to brown. Move this mixture into a bowl and allow to cool. Stir in hummus and cheese. Form into patties and grill in a clean pan that has been prepped with cooking spray. Re-spray between batches. Serve with salsa.

basil garlic dip

admin — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 04:44:54 +0000

Kind of like a creamy pesto dip. I’ve made this a few times, a bit different each time but always yummy! Great with fresh veggies for dipping – cucumbers, sliced red/orange peppers, carrots, or blue corn tortilla chips.

Blend the following until smoth:

The leaves of one bunch of basil – rinsed and dried
3/4 of the small container of silken tofu (8 oz)
One clove of garlic, pressed
Juice of half a lemon
1 Tablespoon vegan mayonnaise

black bean dip

admin — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 20:45:47 +0000

Delicious, even if not necessarily photogenic. Eating this right now with sliced cucumber. Aaaahhh….

Blend the following until you reach a hummus-like consistency. Serve with sliced vegetables – cucumbers, red peppers, etc.

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed or 1 1/2 cup cooked black beans
1 Tbs peanut butter
1 clove of garlic, pressed
Juice of 1 lime
a little hot water if it’s not getting to hummus consistency

spicy chipotle baked tofu

admin — Sun, 09 May 2010 23:36:36 +0000

This is my first experiment with baking tofu. It’s a nice change in texture from raw or stir frying, a bit chewy and the seasoning give it some kick. I used Penzy’s Medium Hot Chili Powder, which I love love love, and got the chipotle powder from Rainbow Grocery which has great bulk spices.

Ingredients:
1/2 block firm tofu
1 teaspoon chipotle powder, or to taste
1/8 teaspoon medium chili powder, or to taste

Directions:
Cube tofu into about half inch squares, toss with spices. Taste and add more seasoning if you like. Cook at 400 for 40 minutes tossing every 10 minutes or so.

“turkey” “cream cheese”…”rolls”

admin — Sun, 09 May 2010 22:55:51 +0000

Fake meat….can be hit or miss. I struggle with vegan “turkey” slices, but with some vegan “cream cheese” and dijon mustard, this can be quite a nice little treat. And it’s cute in that 50′s appetizer kind of way.

Ingredients:
vegan turkey slices
vegan cream cheese
dijon mustard

Directions:
Spread each turkey slice with cream cheese. Squeeze dijon mustard in a line down the middle of each slice. Roll up the slices and pin together with a toothpick. Enjoy!

roasted radishes with cauliflower and chickpeas

admin — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 22:07:51 +0000

I’ve been curious about roasting radishes, and noticing a little traffic coming to LRR via radish recipe searches, thought some experimentation might be in order. Since I had luck broiling chickpeas (and having just soaked/cooked some the day before), I thought it would be interesting to throw some radishes on the cookie sheet as well. I also added some cauliflower.

Ingredients:

1 9 oz bunch radishes
1/4 head cauliflower
chick peas – about a cup
olive oil
salt
garlic powder
juice of half a lemon

Directions:

Prep a cookie sheet with cooking spray. Trim ends of radishes, scrub and quarter. Toss with a quarter teaspoon olive oil. Place on cookie sheet. Cut cauliflower into florets, toss with a quarter teaspoon olive oil and add to cookie sheet. Toss chickpeas with minimal olive oil and add to cookie sheet as well. Broil for 10 minutes, stirring midway through. Lightly salt and combine in a bowl. Toss with garlic powder and lemon juice.

Lunch!

Note: I also wanted to experiment with roasting some in the toaster oven, found this recipe on Recipezaar, and started off another bunch, prepped much the same way as above (minimal oil, cooking spray on aluminum foil). But then…I got sort of curious about what they would taste like really browned (how I like my other roasted vegetables – potatoes, onions, etc.). So I cooked them at 400 for 25 minutes then broiled until brown – about another 5 minutes. I have to say I preferred the batch above, which had minimal browing. Somehow the nutty roasted flavor competed with the simple sweetness of the non-browned batch (or how they probably turn out if I’d followed Recipezaar’s idea to the letter!)

roasted chickpeas

admin — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 22:48:59 +0000

These little guys are flavorful and hearty. Easy to prepare, and cute to boot. There are many, many recipes that vary on this theme (see here, and this is hilarious from Cheap Healthy Good) and vary widely in both time and oven temperature. I experimented with cooking them at different lengths of time and temp – at 400 for 50 minutes worked well. Then I found this recipe in Glamour which suggests broiling them. They turned out great, and if there is a faster way, I’m all for it. I’ll be broiling from here out.

ingredients

1 15 oz can chickpeas

1 teaspoon olive oil

salt

chili powder

Directions:

Drain and dry chickpeas well. Toss with oil and spread peas onto a cookie sheet in one even layer. Put under the broiler for 10 minutes. Keep a close eye on them as burning can happen fast with a broiler. Allow to cool on the sheet so you don’t burn yourself when you pour them into a small bowl. Add salt to taste and chili powder to your preferred level of spiciness.

Note about spices: For the chili powder, I used Penzy’s Regular and Medium Chili Powders. I was new to these powders and found them SO much more flavorful than the normal grocery chili powder I’d had in my cabinet. The smell alone of these Penzy’s powders is mouthwatering and the flavor is really rich. I sprinkled in a little of Regular and then Medium and then Regular again until I found a good level of flavor and spiciness.

Experimentation: These would be great to have on hand for throwing into a salad, or to use as part of a trail mix. I snacked on them with a cup of tea. There are endless possibilities for mixing up the flavors – curry powder, cumin, garam masala, just salt and black pepper, and on and on. I also made this using dried beans (soaking overnight and then boiling for about 40 minutes) instead of canned and they did have a slightly better texture if you are willing to invest the time for a few extra steps.