Twist on Thai

I've looked at this recipe for years with interest, but I have never made--until now. The crepes are a bit time consuming, however it's a fun and different meal to mix things up a bit. If you're in the mood to try something new, these should definitely be on your list. You may want to add some stir-fried tofu to make this a completely nutritious meal--we will next time.

Thai Vegetable Crepes with Peanut Sauce (Vegetarian Planet, Didi Emmons)

1 recipe Peanut Sauce (recipe follows)

Filling:

1 1-lb. eggplant, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1 Tbs. canola or corn oil

3 carrots, cut into 3-inch-long julienne strips

10 scallions, halved lengthwise, cut into 3-inch lengths, then cut into julienne strips

2 red bell peppers, seeded and cut into julienne strips

1 Tbs. soy sauce

2 cups cooked rice, or 4 cups chopped nappa cabbage

Crepes:

1 3/4 cups unbleached white flour

2/3 cup glutinous rice flour (available in Asian markets)

1 tsp. salt

4 eggs

1 3/4 cups water

About 1 Tbs. canola or corn oil (or some spray oil)

Garnish:

Whole chives

1. Make the filling: Preheat the oven to 375. Spread the eggplant cubes on a baking sheet that has been lightly coated with oil. Bake the eggplant for 15 minutes or until it has softened.

While the eggplant bakes, heat the 1 Tbs. oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add the carrots, scallions, and peppers. Saute them for about 8 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in the soy sauce, then the rice or nappa cabbage. Cook for 2 minutes more, stirring frequently. Take the pan off the heat, and stir in the baked eggplant.

2. Make the crepe batter: In a large bowl, mix the white flour, the rice flour, and the salt. In another bowl, combine the eggs and the water. Slowly add the liquid to the dry ingredients, whisking continuously. Whisk until the mixture is almost smooth.

3. Cook the crepes: Over medium-high heat, coat a griddle, a crepe pan, or a large skillet with oil. Ladle 1/3 cup of the batter onto the surface, and let the crepe cook for 1 minute. Flip the crepe over with a spatula, and cook it another minute. Transfer the crepe to a plate, and ladle another 1/3 cup batter onto the hot surface. Continue cooking the crepes in this fashion until you have twelve. Keep them warm by covering them with a kitchen towel.

4. Assemble the crepes: Warm the filling in the skillet. Warm the peanut sauce over low heat in another skillet. Then ladle some sauce (about 1/4 cup) onto each large dinner plate. Spoon about 3 Tbs. filling onto each crepe, roll the crepes, and plate two on each plate. Serve the crepes garnished with whole, crisscrossed chives.

Peanut Sauce

1/4 cup smooth or chunky peanut butter

1/2 cup coconut milk (you can freeze the rest of the milk in the can for later use)

1/4 cup finely chopped dry-roasted, unsalted peanuts

2 Tbs. Thai or Vietnamese fish sauce, or 1 Tbs. soy sauce

3 Tbs. rice vinegar

2 tsp. minced fresh ginger

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 Tbs. chopped cilantro (optional)

hot chile sauce to taste (optional)

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the peanut butter and the coconut milk for a minute or two, until the mixture is smooth.

2. Add the peanuts, fish or soy sauce, rice vinegar, ginger, garlic, and, if you like, cilantro. If you want some heat, add a bit of chile sauce.

Pea Burgers

We had some cabbage that we needed to use up, although cabbage lasts a surprisingly long time, so I thought we would have some sort of slaw. And what goes better with slaw than a burger? Flipping through my cookbooks with burgers in mind, I fell upon a Yellow Split-Pea Burger recipe that sounded perfect. We ended up completing our meal with a curried slaw of cabbage, mayo, raisins, curry powder, and salt and pepper along with sweet potato fries. The sweet potato fries were completely unnecessary as the burgers are quite filling, but who can resist a sweet potato fry?


Yellow Split-Pea Burgers (Vegetarian Planet, Didi Emmons)

2 Tbs. canola or corn oil
2 cups chopped onions
1 1/2 Tbs. minced fresh ginger
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin seeds
1 cup uncooked dried yellow split peas
3 1/2 cups water
2/3 cup uncooked white or brown rice
1 tsp. salt
fresh-ground black pepper to taste
1/2 medium eggplant (about 1/2 lbs.), peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
4 slices stale or toasted sandwich bread
1 red or green bell pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped

1. Heat 1 Tbs. of the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions, and saute them for 5 minutes or until they soften, stirring often. Add the ginger, garlic, and cumin, and saute 2 minutes more. Add the split peas and 1 1/2 cups water. Bring the water to a boil, cover the saucepan, and lower the heat. Simmer the split peas for 30 minutes if you will be using white rice, and 10 minutes if you will be using brown rice. Stir the peas once or twice and adding a bit of water if they become dry.
2. Add the rice, the remaining 2 cups water, and 1/2 tsp. salt to the split peas. Bring the mixture to a boil, then cover the pan, and turn the heat to low. Simmer until the rice is tender, about 25 minutes for white rice, 45 for brown. Take the pan off the heat, remove the lid, and let the mixture cool for 5 minutes.
3. While the rice cooks, preheat the oven to 400. But the eggplant cubes on a baking sheet, and bake them for 15 to 20 minutes or until the cubes are soft to the touch.
4. Break the bread into pieces, and grind them to crumbs in a food processor. Transfer the crumbs to a large bowl. Put the eggplant and bell pepper into the empty food processor, and run the machine in short spurts until the pepper is chopped fine. Transfer the mixture to the bowl of crumbs. Add to the bowl the split pea-mixture, 1/2 tsp. salt, and some black pepper, and mix well with a sturdy spoon or your hands.
5. Form the mixture into six burgers. Heat the remaining 1 Tbs. oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Pan-fry the burgers until the undersides are a deep golden brown, about 4 minutes, checking frequently so the burgers do not burn. Flip the burgers and cook them about 4 minutes more, checking frequently for burning. (If you cook the burgers in batches, keep the cooked ones in a warm oven, and add a bit more oil to the pan before cooking the second batch.) Serve the burgers hot.

Asian Sensation

Cooking Light's May "Inspired Vegetarian" column was Ming Tsai delivering a bunch of fantastic Asian recipes. We had to make something. Now, before I was a vegetarian my favorite dim sum food was the steamed pork buns. I absolutely loved them. In fact, I think right after I became a vegetarian I made an exception for those delicious buns. In this column there was a recipe for Caramelized Onion buns, and Adam and I knew we had to make them. We started off our meal with homemade egg rolls and then continued the food fest with the steamed buns and hot and sour soup. The soup left a little to be desired, but all in all the meal was a success!


Vegetarian Egg Rolls

I have to admit that I don't know any portions, because we just threw the ingredients together. Add as much or as little of everything as you like. I don't think you can mess these up. Just make sure not to add too much hoisin, otherwise the filling will be too liquidy.

tofu, cut into strips
garlic
carrots, julienned
napa cabbage, chopped
green onions, sliced thinly
hoisin sauce
egg roll wrappers

1. In a medium-sized skillet, heat a bit of oil over medium heat. Add tofu and brown slightly. Add garlic and carrots,; saute until slighlty softened. Add cabbage and continue to saute until the cabbage wilts slightly. Stir in green onions and hoisin sauce. Take off the heat and let cool slightly.
2. Working with one egg roll wrapper at a time, place filling in the center of wrapper. Fold in the bottom, the two sides, and then roll the wrapper over the filling. Place seam side down on a baking sheet.
3. Heat a bit of canola oil in a skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Pan fry the egg rolls until crispy. Serve with hot chile sauce and duck sauce.


Caramelized Onion Bao (Cooking Light, May 2009)

These took a LONG time to make and are absolutely only for the weekends or special occasions, but you will definitely be proud when you bite into the sweet bread and tangy filling.

Filling
1 1/2 tsp. canola oil
6 cups sliced red onion (about 2 medium)
3/4 cup sliced green onions (about 1 bunch)
1/8 tsp. kosher salt
2 Tbs. Chinese black vinegar [we used 1 Tbs. each of balsamic and rice wine vinegars]
2 Tbs. naturally brewed low-sodium soy sauce
1 Tbs. honey
1/4 tsp. five-spice powder
1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Dough
2 Tbs. sugar
1 package dry yeast (about 2 1/4 tsp.)
3/4 cup plus 2 Tbs. warm water (100 to 110 degrees)
1 tsp. sesame oil
12.4 oz. all-purpose flour, divided (about 2 3/4 cups)
cooking spray

Remaining Ingredients
2 tsp. canola oil, divided
2 cups water, divided

1. To prepare filling, heat 1 1/2 tsp. canola oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add red onion, green onions, and salt to pan; saute 12 minutes or until tender and browned, stirring often. Add vinegar, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Add soy sauce, honey, five-spice powder, and pepper; cook 2 minutes or until liquid evaporates. Cool to room temperature. Transfer to a bowl; chill 30 minutes.
2. To prepare dough, dissolve sugar and yeast in 3/4 cup plus 2 Tbs. warm water in a medium bowl; let stand 5 minutes. Stir in sesame oil. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Add 11.25 oz. (about 2 1/2 cups) flour to yeast mixture; stir until a soft dough forms. Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic (about 10 minutes); add enough of remaining flour, 1 Tbs. at a time, to prevent dough from sticking to hands (dough will feel sticky). Lightly spray surface of dough with cooking spray; cover and let rest 10 minutes.
3. Divide dough into 8 equal portions, shaping each into a ball. Cover dough balls loosely with plastic wrap, and let rest 5 minutes. Working with one portion at a time (cover remaining portions to prevent drying), flatten dough with hand into a 3-inch circle. Place about 2 1/2 Tbs. onion mixture in center of circle. Bring up sides to cover filling; twist top of dough, and pinch to seal (bun will be very full). Carefully place bun, seam side down, on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Repeat procedure with remaining dough balls and onion mixture.
4. Cover buns with plastic wrap; refrigerate, and let rise 2 hours or until slightly puffed (buns will not double in size).
5. Heat 1 tsp. canola oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Arrange 4 buns in a single layer, evenly spaced in pan; cook 2 minutes or until bottoms are crisp and golden brown. Pour 1 cup water into pan, and cover; steam 8 minutes or just until water evaporates. Transfer buns to a plate; cover and keep warm. Wipe pan with paper towels. Repeat with remaining 1 tsp. canola oil, remaining 4 buns, and remaining 1 cup water. Serve warm.


Hot and Sour Soup (The New Moosewood Cookbook, Mollie Katzen)

This wasn't quite as flavorful as I would have hoped a hot and sour soup would have been. I have to say that it did gain flavor as the leftovers continued. We did alter the recipe a little, which may have affected the taste. For instance, we did not use dried Chinese black mushrooms; instead we used shittake mushrooms and vegetable broth. We also added bamboo shoots and some chopped Napa cabbage for crunch. Next time I would definitely try to find the dried mushrooms, hopefully intensifying the flavor at the same time.

1 oz. dried Chinese black mushrooms
8 cups water
3 Tbs. dry sherry or Chinese rice wine
1/4 to 1/3 cup cider vinegar (to taste)
2 Tbs. soy sauce
1 3/4 tsp. salt
1 cake (1/4 lb.) firm tofu, in thin strips
2 Tbs. cornstarch
2 beaten eggs (yolks may be omitted)
6 minced scallions (whites and greens)
1/4 tsp. white pepper (to taste)
Chinese sesame oil (optional)

1. Place the dried mushrooms in a small bowl. Heat 2 (of the 8) cups of water to boiling; pour over the mushrooms. Cover with a plate, and let stand at least 30 minutes. (You can assemble the other ingredients in the meantime.) Drain the mushrooms, squeezing out and saving all the liquid. Slice the mushrooms, removing and discarding the stems.
2. In a kettle or Dutch oven, combine the remaining 6 cups of water, the reserved mushroom-soaking liquid, and the sliced mushrooms. Heat to a gentle boil.
3. Add sherry, vinegar, soy sauce, salt, and tofu. Lower the heat, and let simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes.
4. Place the cornstarch in a small bowl. Measure out about 3/4 cup of the hot soup, and whisk it into the cornstarch. When the cornstarch is dissolved, stir this mixture back into the soup.
5. Drizzle the beaten eggs into the simmering soup, stirring constantly. Add scallions and white pepper. Cook only a few minutes more. Top each serving with a few drops of sesame oil, if desired.

Fantastic Veggie Burgers

My parents just sent me my favorite vegetarian cookbook in the whole wide world: Vegetarian Planet. I had to make something from it for Sunday night dinner; I literally looked through the whole book on Sunday morning, so there was no other choice. After hemming and hawing, we decided to make Curried Carrot-Walnut Burgers with a side of Toasted Sesame Slaw. The burgers have a meaty consistency from the ground nuts and beans that really boost up the powerful flavor from the curry, coriander, and fennel. The slaw couldn't be an easier way to add punch to any barbecue meal.


Toasted Sesame Slaw (Vegetarian Planet, Didi Emmons)

1/2 small green cabbage head, cored and sliced as thin as possible
1/2 medium red onion, sliced thin
1 large carrot, grated or cut into thin julienne strips
1 1/2 Tbs. dark sesame oil
1/3 cup rice vinegar
1 Tbs. sugar
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. salt
3 Tbs. sesame seeds
3 Tbs. dry-roasted, unsalted peanuts

1. Put the cabbage into a bowl with the red onion, and fluff the cabbage and onion with your hands to separate the pieces. Add the carrot, and mix well.
2. In a small bowl, combine the sesame oil, vinegar, sugar, mustard, and salt. Add the dressing to the cabbage and onion, and mix well. Refrigerate the slaw for at least 1 hour so the cabbage can soften.
3. Toast the sesame seeds to bring out their flavor: Place a heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the seeds, let them sit for 30 seconds, then begin to shake the pan periodically. If you are using white seeds, toast them until they are uniformly browned; if you have black seeds, toast them until they taste nutty and toasted. Transfer the seeds to a small plate, and let them cool.
4. Just before serving, add the sesame seeds and peanuts to the slaw, and toss well.

Curried Carrot-Walnut Burgers (Vegetarian Planet, Didi Emmons)

Make sure you use a soft roll with your burger. We tried to use a crunchy-crusted roll, and the burgers were too soft to hold together with the tougher outside.

2 Tbs. canola or corn oil, or a bit more
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tsp. ground coriander seeds
1 tsp. curry powder
1 tsp. fennel seeds
1 1/2 cups (about 4 oz.) sliced white button mushrooms
1 1/2 cups cooked and drained chickpeas (garbanzo beans; canned ones are fine)
4 medium carrots, grated
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
3 Tbs. chopped cilantro
1/2 tsp. salt
fresh-ground black pepper to taste
unbleached white flour (for dredging and forming the burgers)
5 to 6 slices cheddar cheese (optional)

1. In a large saucepan, heat 1 Tbs. of the oil over medium heat. Add the onion, and saute it, stirring, for about 2 minutes. Add the spices, and continue cooking, stirring often, for 3 minutes more. Add the mushrooms, and saute 5 minutes more, stirring frequently. Take the pan off the heat.
2. Transfer the contents of the pan to a food processor. Add the chickpeas. Run the machine in 1-second spurts until the mushrooms and chickpeas are well chopped (do not puree them).
3. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl, and mix in the carrots, walnuts, cilantro, salt, and pepper. Form the mixture into five patties, using plenty of flour to dust your hands and to prevent the patties from getting sticky.
4. In a large skillet (not non-stick), heat the remaining oil over medium heat. Cook the burgers without crowding them, until the undersides are a deep golden brown, about 4 minutes. Flip the burgers, and cook them about 4 minutes more. (If you need to do this in two batches, add a bit more oil once the first batch of burgers is done.) If you want to make cheeseburgers, place a slice of cheese over each burger after flipping it, and let the cheese melt while the burgers finish cooking. Serve the burgers hot.

Ragin' Cajun

My dad absolutely loves Cajun cooking. So, when I saw that Vegetarian Times had a "Fat Tuesday Feast" with a whole bunch of vegetarian Cajun recipes, I knew we had to make some of them while my parents were here. And what could be better after a trip to wine country than a hearty meal when you come home?


Smothered Cajun-spiced Squash (Vegetarian Times, February 2009)

This recipe is fantastic! Really flavorful and wonderful over grits. If you love Cajun food, this is definitely a recipe to try.

1/4 cup plus 1 Tbs. olive oil, divided
1 clove garlic, minced (1 tsp.)
2 butternut squash, quartered and seeded, each quarter halved
2 Tbs. plus 8 tsp. Cajun seasoning, or more to taste, divided
4 large onions, halved and sliced (8 cups)
4 medium red or green bell peppers, quartered and sliced (2 cups)
8 large celery ribs, sliced on the bias (2 cups)
5 Tbs. flour
1 1/2 Tbs. cider vinegar

1. Preheat oven to 350. Combine 1 Tbs. oil and garlic in small bowl. Brush garlic-oil mixture over butternut squash pieces, and place on baking sheet. Sprinkle each squash piece with 1/2 tsp. Cajun seasoning, and season with salt and pepper, if desired. Bake 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until squash pieces are tender enough to easily pierce with fork.
2. Meanwhile, heat remaining 1/4 cup oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add onions, bell peppers, and celery, and cook 20 to 25 minutes, or until vegetables are soft and beginning to brown, stirring occasionally.
3. Stir flour into onion mixture, and cook 1 minute, or until flour begins to brown, stirring constantly. Stir in vinegar, remaining 2 Tbs. Cajun seasoning, and 6 cups water [we only used 4 cups]. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 20 minutes, or until sauce has thickened, stirring occasionally.
4. To serve: Place 2 squash pieces on plate. "Smother" with 1 cup onion mixture.


Deep South Slaw (Vegetarian Times, February 2009)

I have to say that this was not my favorite slaw. But, I decided to give you the recipe anyway to make your own decision.

10 oz. green cabbage, thinly sliced (4 cups)
2 medium carrots, grated
1 medium red bell pepper, thinly sliced (1 cup)
3 Tbs. vegan mayonnaise
2 Tbs. whole-grain mustard
1 Tbs. cider vinegar
1 Tbs. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 cup parsley, chopped

1. Combine cabbage, carrots, and bell pepper in large bowl. Whisk together mayonnaise, mustard, cider vinegar, sugar, salt, and cayenne pepper in small bowl. Pour mayonnaise mixture over cabbage mixture, and toss to coat. Chill well. Sprinkle with parsley before serving.

Spicy Slaw

Here's a great way to use red cabbage in a not-so-ordinary slaw. We quartered and grilled the cabbage, then mixed it with a grilled jalapeno and some light mayo. Voila! A spicy, unique slaw that will have everyone asking for more. We made this the other night with grilled chicken/veggie burger and a simple tomato salad. We bought the most fantastic tomatoes at the Farmers' Market on Saturday. They were picked-from-the-garden fresh. We just quartered them and drizzled them with olive oil and salt. Absolutely delicious! The grilled jalapeno and cabbage slaw goes well with any grilled meal--burgers, chicken, tofu, whatever you want.


Grilled Jalapeno and Cabbage Slaw

1/4 head of cabbage, sliced in two
olive oil
1 jalapeno
1/4 cup mayonnaise, or to taste
freshly ground black pepper

1. Spread the a light layer of olive oil onto the cabbage sections. Grill the cabbage and jalapeno over medium heat. When the jalapeno has blackened and the cabbage has grill-marks, chop both into small pieces. Add the mayonnaise and black pepper and stir until well combined.

Flavor Explosion!

Monday night for dinner, we had an absolutely fantastic meal. It was spicy and tangy; it was soft and crunchy. It had all of the components you could want in a meal. Pork/Tofu Tacos with Slaw and Spicy Pepitas will be a regular on our dinner table from now on. These tacos, with a rub and a quick lime marinade, have an immense amount of flavor that can't be beat. Although the recipe has a bunch of components, it really doesn't take that long to make. The only part of the recipe that takes much time at all is allowing the pork to sit in the rub for an hour. I'm sure that if this part of the recipe lasted longer the pork flavor would only get better, and if you didn't have time to let it sit for that length of time the spices would still shine through. It turned out that my tofu actually had more flavor than the pork. I used the same rub, but I think I got more of it than Adam. Only those who aren't shy with spices and flavor should try this knockout.


Pork Tacos with Slaw and Spicy Pepitas (Cooking Light, October 2008)

We, obviously, substituted some of the pork for tofu. In addition, we used red cabbage instead of the pre-packaged coleslaw mix, flour tortillas instead of the corn, and fat-free Greek yogurt instead of the light sour cream.

1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. ground ancho or chipotle chile pepper
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 lbs. boneless center-cut loin pork chops (about 1/2-inch thick)
cooking spray
1/4 cup fresh lime juice, divided
1/2 cup sliced red bell pepper
2 Tbs. thinly sliced green onions
1 Tbs. minced jalapeno pepper
1/2 (16-oz) package coleslaw (about 3 cups)
12 (6-inch) white or yellow corn tortillas
6 Tbs. light sour cream
6 Tbs. Spicy Pepitas

1. Combine first 6 ingredients in a small bowl. Lightly coat pork with cooking spray; rub spice mixture over both sides of pork. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour.
2. Preheat grill.
3. Place pork on a grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 1 minute on each side or until done. Cut pork into 1/4-inch slices. Combine pork and 2 Tbs. juice in a medium bowl, tossing to coat.
4. Combine the remaining 2 Tbs. juice, bell pepper, onions, jalapeno, and coleslaw in a large bowl, tossing well.
5. Heat a nonstick griddle over medium heat. Coat griddle with cooking spray. Arrange 6 tortillas in a single layer; cook 1 minute on each side or until lightly browned. Repeat procedure with cooking spray and remaining 6 tortillas. Divide pork mixture evenly among tortillas; top each tortilla with 2 Tbs. coleslaw mixture, 1 1/2 tsp. sour cream, and 1 1/2 tsp. Spicy Pepitas.

Spicy Pepitas

1 cup unsalted pumpkinseed kernels
1 Tbs. canola oil
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. ground ancho or chipotle chile pepper
1/4 tsp. black pepper

1. Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Heat a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add kernels to pan; cook 10 minutes or until browned, stirring frequently. Remove from pan; cool completely.