Tonight, I made Asian Tofu Cakes and greens for supper. I had to use my package of extra firm tofu because it had already been sliced and drained and I didn't want it to go to waste. Also, I was home at 5 p.m., which meant I had some time to do something creative. I really think there are two key factors involved in the what-is-for-dinner-decision. #1 is time and #2 is availability (i.e. what is in the fridge and the pantry). So, I went on the vegetarian times website, put 'tofu' in the search field, and started hunting for recipes that I had the ingredients for. About 2 pages in I saw Asian Tofu Cakes. Now, one thing you should know about my honey is that she loves all food Asian. Vietnamese, Thai, Chinese, Indian, Japanese... really, you can't go wrong. Therefor, being the wonderful partner that I am, I clicked on that recipe to check it out, knowing it would probably be something that she would enjoy. Low and behold, it looked like I had most everything that was necessary... except for one thing... the sesame oil. Now we would see just how much my honey wanted those Asian Tofu Cakes... would it be worth an extra little trip to the grocery? Well, it just took me asking the question (with a little guilt trip thrown in for flavor), and off she went! It was a fairly easy recipe, although there was some shredding-of-ginger-and-carrots involved and I ended up putting in a bit of my skin for good measure...
As a side, I chose greens. Now, being a vegetarian, I am not used to partaking in greens very often. In Virginia, they are usually made with bacon or ham or fat-back or something equally distasteful (to me). However, my good friend (and the most amazing vegan chef I know), Quillin, shared a recipe with me that involves garlic and soy sauce and cooking the hell out of a bunch of kale. Honey and I fell in love with the greens the first time we tried them the way that Quillin cooks them. Tonight was the second time I have made them on my own and my logic was that the Cakes had soy sauce, as did the greens, so maybe it would work together. I'm not sure how sound that reasoning was, but it ended up working out okay.
I had a revelation as I spent a little over an hour preparing dinner. There really aren't many things that make me feel more at peace than spending a couple hours in my kitchen, making a new or much loved recipe, and listening to NPR. It's been while since I have had an opportunity to feel that peace... what a blessing it is that I had the opportunity this evening.
As a side, I chose greens. Now, being a vegetarian, I am not used to partaking in greens very often. In Virginia, they are usually made with bacon or ham or fat-back or something equally distasteful (to me). However, my good friend (and the most amazing vegan chef I know), Quillin, shared a recipe with me that involves garlic and soy sauce and cooking the hell out of a bunch of kale. Honey and I fell in love with the greens the first time we tried them the way that Quillin cooks them. Tonight was the second time I have made them on my own and my logic was that the Cakes had soy sauce, as did the greens, so maybe it would work together. I'm not sure how sound that reasoning was, but it ended up working out okay.
I had a revelation as I spent a little over an hour preparing dinner. There really aren't many things that make me feel more at peace than spending a couple hours in my kitchen, making a new or much loved recipe, and listening to NPR. It's been while since I have had an opportunity to feel that peace... what a blessing it is that I had the opportunity this evening.
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