recipes Archives - Susie Meserve

Vegetarian Dinners That Don’t Suck Part Three: Tofu Two Ways

by Susie Meserve | Jun 6, 2019 | Motherhood, Recipes

Meal planning, let alone cooking delicious vegetarian dinners, has been the last thing on my mind. In these parts, we’ve been eating a lot of toast.

It’s been a minor doozy of a few weeks. I finally got rid of my two-week cold only to throw my back out, only to receive word, early last week, that one of the kids from Sammy’s daycare had likely brought in Norovirus. One of the caregivers went home sick, daycare closed for two days, and then Sam had it. Even though he never slowed down for one minute, him waking up covered in vomit on Sunday morning kiiiind of seemed like an indicator that our house was a big virusy mess.

Ensue Papa Bear in bed for two days with nausea and aches and Sammy home indefinitely until, well, his poop firmed up. Me? I had some vague nausea that, fingers crossed, seems to have passed, and yesterday I finally sent Sammy back to school?only to get a call later asking me to pick him up.

It’s been a week of hot-water-washes, incessant hand washing, bleached everything, and the sensation that this thing just won’t release its grip on us. Norovirus, if that’s what this is, seems to impact everyone differently, but its main claim to fame is just how very contagious it is.

Anyway, this morning, in addition to a bolstering bleach-wash of every Lego Sammy has ever touched, plus some more laundry, I’m turning again to thinking about great vegetarian dinners.

Don't let my talk of vomit and diarrhea turn you off, friends! It's time for tofu! Click To Tweet

Tofu makes a healthy, delicious vegetarian dinner that even diehard meat lovers will eat.

I know, I know: if you’re a real diehard meat fan, you don’t think you can get behind tofu, that bland white block of meh. That’s the thing, though. Most people don’t know that tofu is spectacularly tasty when you do it right. As a friend of Leo’s said once, when she stayed for dinner, “I LOVE tofood!” Me too. It feels nourishing and satisfying in a way that even meat-lovers should be able to get behind. In fact, tofu truly makes a vegetarian dinner that doesn’t suck.

Tofu Two Ways

1-2 blocks extra firm tofu (we now make 3 in our house, with a slim chance of some leftovers for the next day! #growingkids)

Lots of soy sauce or Bragg?s Liquid Aminos
Freshly grated ginger
Coconut oil, sesame oil, or both
Neutral oil for frying (see below)
Garlic, minced
Nutritional yeast

Whichever method you choose, you need to get excess water out of your already extra-firm tofu so as to be sure it?s firm, firm, firm. You can either wrap it in paper towels to blot the excess moisture or stick your tofu between two plates and stack several heavy cookbooks on top for 20 minutes or so. Drain off the excess liquid, and chop it into bite-sized cubes or rectangles.

Method One: Stovetop

This is Ben?s method, which was actually passed down from his dad. (We might even call it Eichentofu.) Basically, in a hot frying pan, you heat some neutral oil and saut? 2-5 minced garlic cloves?how many is up to you, but Ben likes to do more than seems right for polite company.

Add your tofu, and allow it to cook on one side until it develops a crust, much like searing meat (in other words: don?t flip it too early!). Once it?s getting crunchy, browned, and awesome, you can flip it gently, then add soy sauce and nutritional yeast to taste. Cook those cubes for a while in that salty, yeasty mixture?maybe 20 minutes. Taste occasionally to be sure you?ve got the right saltiness (add a splash of water if you?ve overdone it on the soy). The tofu pieces should become almost caramelized, crunchy on the outside, chewy inside, with the most umami spectacular deliciousness ever.

Method Two: Oven

Arguably less awesome, but requiring almost no babysitting, is baked tofu, which has become my go-to because most nights I need a quick and easy protein to do its thing while I ignore it. Heat your oven to 400. In a large lasagna-type pan, melt a couple of tablespoons of coconut oil (stick it in the oven for a minute and take it out) and then swirl it around to coat the pan. Meanwhile, toss your firm tofu cubes in a bowl with freshly grated ginger, sesame oil, and soy or liquid Aminos. You?ll need quite a bit of flavoring for baked tofu, so use a heavy hand. The grated ginger is delicious and arguably makes it more digestible, too. Bake for 20-30 minutes, tossing once or twice, until browned and awesome, tasting occasionally to be sure you?ve got the right saltiness and intensity.

Either kind of tofu is best devoured with a giant pot of rice (white or brown) and a green side, like saut?ed greens or roasted broccoli (so easy! So good! Just adjust your tofu temp up or your broccoli temp down to do them at the same time) or even a steamed artichoke from the garden. Make sure the table is liberally set with condiments like more soy, Aminos, nutritional yeast, and hot sauce, even if it would make your proper mother cringe.

Or you can serve it like we did in the photo: with a quinoa salad and slaw.
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NOTE: While I really do adore tofu, I DON’T adore the plastic it comes in. It’s also, compared to beans, a relatively processed food that uses a decent amount of energy (on par with eggs and chicken, I think). Seek out bulk tofu where and when you can, and make it a once-weekly treat.

P.S. You might also like:

Vegetarian Dinners That Don’t Suck

Vegetarian Dinners That Don’t Suck Part Two

What the Fork is for Dinner?

Vegetarian Dinners That Don’t Suck Part Two: Indian Feast

by Susie Meserve | May 31, 2019 | Motherhood, Recipes

I love me some Indian food.

While the Indian food we white people make at home isn’t quite as spectacular as what we get from Vik’s or Udupi Palace in Berkeley, nonetheless we make a respectable Indian meal in these parts. The foundation? Dal. It’s delicious, it’s easy, it’s cheap, and even the kids will eat it, especially if you allow them to tailor their own with condiments. This dal recipe doubles beautifully, which makes it a great candidate to freeze for another meal.

Indian food is so vegetarian-friendly! Here’s an easy recipe for dal, which is a vital part of a kid-friendly, vegetarian Indian feast.

DAL
Very slightly adapted from Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant

1 1/2 cups of red lentils (you can choose a different kind if you like, but these are readily available and cheap, and they cook quickly)**
4 cups of water
? teaspoon of turmeric
Salt to taste
? teaspoon cumin seeds
2 T ghee, vegetable oil, or plain old butter
1 cup chopped onions
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger (you know about freezing your ginger, right, for long-term keeping? Just grate it with a microplane for this recipe and others)
1 teaspoon garam masala
Fresh lemon juice to taste
Spinach or other greens, or tomatoes, or a can of coconut milk
Chopped cilantro, to serve

**My mom just reported that the mobile version made “1 point 5” look like 15. One and a half cups, people!**

Rinse your lentils and add them to a pot with the water, turmeric, and about ? teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil, quickly reduce the heat (lentils love to foam all over your stove), and simmer, stirring often, for about 20 minutes until soft.

Meanwhile, melt your butter or oil (I wonder whether coconut oil would be good in this?likely), add the cumin seeds, and stir for 15 seconds or so until they?re fragrant. Add the onions and cook until they are soft and beginning to brown, 10-15 minutes. When the lentils are soft and the onions are done, stir the onions and all the deliciousness from the frying pan into the lentils along with the garam masala and the greens or tomatoes. Cook until the greens are wilted, salt to taste (I find I need a generous pinch, and that the lentils go from meh to amazing with the right seasoning), then brighten the pot with lemon juice to taste. Garnish with chopped cilantro.

Notes: If you want to add some coconut milk, add it just at the end and lightly warm it so it doesn?t curdle. Probably skip the lemon juice. I always add greens to this. My kids like these served with basmati or jasmine rice, with yogurt on the table. My husband adds all kinds of spicy pickles we get at Vik?s. We also buy papadums at Vik?s, and on a good night, fry them up to go with. They’re greasy, salty, and perfect with some mango chutney.

If you want to make it a feast, try this recipe for Saag Paneer with tofu, but food process your spinach to make it incredibly creamy.

And message me for my amazing chicken tikka masala recipe (which isn’t authentically Indian, or, duh, vegetarian, but goes beautifully with all of this for a weekend feast)

Want an even easier red lentil soup recipe with a more middle Eastern flavor? Try this delicious Ottolenghi recipe for Curried Red Lentil, Tomato, and Coconut Soup.?

p.s. You might also like:

Vegetarian Dinners That Don’t Suck (Part One)

What the Fork is For Dinner?