Sous Style Hearts Bacon Fu

At home style site Sous Style did a sweet feature on me, your author, making a fresh batch of Bacon Fu in my kitchen! Give it a look and leave a comment if you like what you see!

Beet Greens

A friendly reminder to hold on to your beet greens! Beet greens resemble red chard in both looks and taste. Don't let them wilt in your fridge! Once home from shopping, cut the greens loose leaving about an inch of stem still attached to the beets. You may store the greens in a plastic bag with a folded paper towel for several days if they are in good shape.

Beets cooked with their greens are a wonderful combination. The sweetness of the beets play off the peppery bitter notes in the leaves creating a wonderfully balanced side dish that needs minimal seasoning. 

Here's a quick way to cook them inspired by my Grandma: Saute thinly sliced beets in a little olive oil and garlic for 3 minutes over medium heat. Slice or tear your greens into pieces, wash, and add wet greens to the pan with a twist of sea salt. Cover and cook for 5 minutes until wilted.

1 bunch beets with greens serves 3-6

Bacon-Fu

That's right. Bacon-fu. Bacon-fu started as a joke and the idea of bacon flavored tofu is still one I can't take seriously which is exactly why I gave it such a stupid name. Nevertheless, this is one addictive recipe. Believe me. Anyone will eat this tofu including your boy friend. Baking it fills the whole house with a irresistible sweet smokey smell. Pop it in before your lunch guests arrive and you are sure to win them over.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 Tbl nutritional yeast
• 1 Tbl brown sugar
• 1 Tbl olive oil
• 1 tsp cider vinegar
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp liquid smoke
• 1 16 oz package tofu

1. Preheat oven to 375. Slice your tofu lengthwise into 1/4 inch thick strips. Drain if needed.

2. Lay tofu in rows onto a large non stick pan.

3. Mix all ingredients in a food processor until blended. If you've never tried liquid smoke before, this is a great introductory recipe. It comes in small bottles and really packs a punch so use it very sparsely.

4. Using a pastry brush, paint thick layers of marinade onto each tofu slice. Turn the slices over and paint the other side. Try to use up all the marinade letting it pool up on top of the tofu slices.

5. Bake the tofu for 10 to 15 minutes on each side. The sugars in the marinade will burn easy so keep watch on it as it bakes.

Pile bacon-fu in a sandwich, crumble into a salad, or simply enjoy hot out of the oven! Enjoy your bacon flavored tofu: crispy bacon-fu!

How to: Prep Leeks

Leeks are an essential ingredient to hearty soups and stews but a simple rinse under a faucet doest cut it because they are often grown in a mixture of soil and sand. The sand falls down through the tops of the leeks and gets stuck between the folds which means you'll need to take extra care to wash it out. But it's not as hard as it seems. 

Chop your leeks into rounds like so. You may also slice the leeks lengthwise down the middle before chopping to produce half moons depending on your liking.

Fill a large bowl with warm water, add your leeks and use your hands to separate the layers while swishing clean water through them. The sand will fall to the bottom of the bowl and the leeks will float.

Remove the leeks using a strainer and place in a colander to drain for 5 minutes. Now you're ready to cook!!

Tomato, Fennel, and White Bean Stew

Here is an incredible stew that is delicious any time of the year!

The original recipe came from a canadian cookbook handed down to me by my Grandfather. It become a bit tweaked over time and I've been known to swap ingredients in it to suit what I have in my fridge but here it is in a more or less pure state.

The versatility of this stew is in the ingredients. In the summer I make it from fresh tomatoes while in the winter I stick to canned. In the summer I top it with fresh basil whereas this time of the year I garnish with fennel fronds. For lunch I eat it with a slice of crusty bread. For dinner I serve it atop pearl barley for a more filling dish. Plus if your looking for a good way to use up extra cranberry beans, you're in luck here.

Ingredients (Adapted from The Essential Vegetarian Cookbook): 

• 5 tomatoes, diced OR one 32 oz can whole tomatoes, diced
• 1 large fennel bulb washed and thinly sliced
• 2 leeks, washed and sliced
• 2 medium red skin desiree potatoes cubed
• 1 1/2 cups prepared white beans of any variety
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tsp thyme
• 1 tsp fennel seed
• 1 cup vegetable stock
• 3/4 cup white wine
• 3 TBL olive oil
• salt and pepper
• fresh basil or fennel fronds for garnish

1. Saute the diced leeks in olive oil for 7 minutes over medium heat until soft.

2. Toss in the minced garlic and saute 1 minute until fragrant.

3. Season the softened leeks with the thyme and fennel seed and about a tsp of salt.

4. Stir in the sliced fennel, potatoes, beans, and tomatoes (plus juice if using canned). Pour in your vegetable stock and mix well.

5. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer partially covered for 20 minutes until potatoes begin to soften. The tomatoes will release their juices and the stew will turn a vibrant red orange.

6. Uncover and stir in the white wine. Taste the stew and add salt and pepper to taste. Continue to simmer uncovered for 10 minutes.

The beauty of stew is that it sits somewhere between a soup and a saute. The result of this stew will be a hearty vibrant mix of protein, starch, and wonderful flavors in a bright oily savory broth. Garnish with basil or fennel fronds and enjoy on a rainy afternoon or a chilly evening.

This stew also freezes wonderfully. Allow it to cool completely before freezing it in marked containers for next weeks lunch.

Serves 4-6

Try me: Cranberry Beans

I came across these amazing beans at the Chinese produce shop around the corner from me the other day. You know how much I love a Chinese run grocery. The prices can't be beat!

Cranberry beans (also referred to as Borlotti beans)are shelling beans meaning the tough pods are inedible, but so pretty to look at! They are in season throughout the fall but we've all been having such a warm winter that I am still finding them in various stores. The beans are popular in Italian, French, and Mediterranean cuisine but they're mild flavor makes them extremely versatile. Use them in place of other varieties of white beans or build a dish around them. The thing I found remarkable about cranberry beans is that they are so widely available fresh. Have you ever had a fresh bean? I honestly hadn't until I tried these. They take less time to cook and their finish is much firmer and heartier than a dried or canned bean. 

To prepare fresh cranberry beans, shell them by pressing along the spine of the firm pod. The pod will spring open easily revealing a row of large vibrant beans inside which should loosen and fall out with little effort.

 The beans themselves should be firm and smooth with varied spotting and a slight green hue indicating rawness. To give you an idea of how many beans a package of pods will yield, I purchased about 2/3 of a pound which gave me approximately 3/4 of a cup of beans. You can also consider that each pod holds between 3 and 5 beans.

Discard the tough shells or, rinse them in a colander and add them to your stock bag.

Add beans to a large pot of salted water. You may add a bay leaf or some sprigs of sage for depth. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 30 or so minutes until beans are cooked through. 

At this point you may drain them (don't rinse) and add them to your favorite recipe or simply saute them with a little garlic and oil before tossing them with a simple salad to showcase the mild nutty flavor.

Try a cranberry bean today!

A New Spin On Pasta

I've been reading this wonderful book that I recommend everyone check out called Eat Good Food put out by San Francisco's Bi Rite Market. It's basically a food bible that walks you through how to properly buy, store, prepare, and eat a myriad of different household staples.

One of the many things that caught my eye in the book was an interesting technique of cooking pasta that involves finishing the  still firm noodles in the tomato which allows for a heartier and more flavorful finish. After reading about it I decided to give it a shot with some left over marinara I had cooked up a few days earlier. Wow! Was it ever good! My sauce was richer, my noodles were chewier, and the ingredients seemed to marry in ways I never considered before. I thought I would walk you through the process so you can try it during your next boring old pasta night.

You will need:

• A package of your favorite pasta
• A quantity of pre made tomato sauce
• A measuring cup

1. Bring a large salted pot of water to a boil. Add pasta, stirring to separate noodles and let boil over hight heat.

2. Let pasta boil about two minutes less than the package instructs. You want your noodles to still be slightly stiff. Lift a few from the pot to check them. Take a bite if you're not sure. The center should still be hard.

3. Before draining your pasta, dip a measuring cup into the pot and reserve about 1/4 cup (or more depending)of the starchy salty cooking water. Set aside and drain pasta as usual.

4. Turn the stove to medium high, add the sauce to the pot and heat thoroughly. Then, add the undercooked noodles and about a third of the reserved water. Stir to coat noodles and let the sauce and water mix and boil rapidly. Gradually add more water as the liquid thickens.

The idea is that the pasta absorbs a bit of the saucy liquid during its last moments of cooking. The starchy water thickens the sauce while the well rounded saltiness adds to the dish.

5. The finished product should be thick and hearty perfect for a cozy december night in. A simple technique for amping up a familiar dish. Bon appetite!

Mac N' Yeas' for Everyone!

Vegan Macaroni and Cheese is a tricky thing. The big idea behind most vegan mac is a nutritional yeast based "cheese" sauce that is then mixed with the macaroni. I've seen "cheese" sauces made with everything from oats to tahini but none go without the addition of nutritional yeast which you can find in the bulk section of most health food shops. It has a naturally cheesy flavor and it adds a creamy texture when mixed with liquids. Unfortunately, the problem that I encounter with most with vegan macaroni and cheese is that many recipes tend to go a little heavy on the nutritional yeast. I find that yeast in excess, lends an almost bitter metallic flavor to foods. It can also dry out your sauce if you use to much. Your final result may be edible but probably only to you...

Here is a recipe worthy of a comfort food craving. It is creamy, flavorful, and surprisingly light on the yeast! This recipe wont truly shine until it's baked making it a strictly casserole mac but, if you ask me, thats really the best way to enjoy any mac and yeas (or cheese for that matter).

Growing up, macaroni and cheese casserole was a staple at dinner. I'm proud to say that not only do I think this recipe tastes nearly identical to my mothers, my mom agrees! She even asked for it on Mothers day!

Do yourself a favor. Make this dish. Then, thank me in the comments below for sharing one of the best recipes in my collection with you.

Recipe adapted from here.

 Mac N Yeas' 

• 1/4 Cup Margerine
• 1/4 cup Nutritional Yeast
• 2 cups plain Soy Milk
• 1/4 Cup plus 1 tbl White Flour
• 1/4 cup Corn Starch
• 1 cup Water
• 1/2 tsp Dijon Mustard
• 1 tsp Paprika
• 1/2 cup Bread Crumbs
• 1 tsp Salt plus more to taste
• Black Pepper
• 3/4 cup diced Yellow Onion 
• 2 1/2 cups dry Macaroni pasta   

1. Boil macaroni in a pot of salted water. Drain and set aside.

2. While pasta is cooking, combine the nutritional yeast, flour, cornstarch, paprika, and salt in a bowl and whisk until blended. Dice the onion and set aside.

3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

4. Heat soymilk on the stove over medium high heat. Add in water, margerine, and Dijon, and bring to a boil.

5. Once liquid begins to boil quickly reduce the heat to medium (otherwise soy milk will boil over) and stir in your dry mixture a little at a time, blending as you go. Mixture will become very thick and start bubbling.

6. Reduce heat to low. Stir in the macaroni noodles and diced onion making sure all noodles are coated thoroughly in sauce.

7. Pour noodle mixture into a 10" casserole dish and sprinkle with breadcrumbs and a generous amount of black pepper. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes or until top begins to brown.

8. The result is a crispy on top creamy casserole with a mild cheesy flavor complimented by sweet crunchy onions throughout. The great thing about this recipe is that it's also versatile-

Tip: Try mixing in 1/4 cup vegan bacon bits before pouring into the pan. Not in the mood? Swap that for 1/4 cup minced sundried tomatoes and serve topped with fresh basil. Try it with a couple minced cloves of roasted garlic mixed in or sprinkle it with minced red and green peppers before baking like my friend Blake does. The options are endless!

 

Ofcourse, if you choose to serve it straight up make sure you add a couiple colorful side dishes like sauteed kale and yam fries for an all around American meal! Happy Comfort!

serves 4

Why You Should Be Shopping In: Chinatown

Or as it's called here in Seattle, The International District.

These areas are popular tourist traps but looking beyond the gift shops or americanized asian megaplex stores you'll find these areas are littered with small chain groceries and family run businesses that carry not only culture specific food items, but familiar ones as well, most often at prices less than half of what you'll find in your own neighborhood grocery.

Once a month I take a trip down to Seattle's International District to hit up the Vietnamese grocery stores. There are nearly 10 stores of varying size within a 3 block radius and all of them hold equally amazing deals. If you are shopping on EBT you should know that Viet Wah off 12th and Jackson is the only store that accepts it. 

Grocery shopping in your local China Town has many perks. You'll be saving money while supporting a smaller business. 

Here are some pro's about International District shopping:

• Shopping in stores culturally different than your own will inspire you to try new foods. A few of my favorite discoveries have been lychee fruit, seasoned nori snacks, champagne mangos, and fruit flavored jelly candies.
• Often you will be supporting a smaller family business which is something to feel good about.

• Unbeatable prices especially on produce and canned goods. $2.99 is the cost of 1 bell pepper at the QFC grocery by my house. I bought 3 at Viet Wa for the same price!
• If you are a fan of asian cooking, you will find everything you need at these stores. Birds eye chili's, thai basil, kombu, fresh noodles, and more! Chances are, your favorite local stir fry restaurant does a fair bit of their shopping in the area as well.

There are, however, some cons to shopping in the area. Some of them are:

• Often "Chinatown" is a far distance away. Don't plan a large shopping trip unless you are driving or have a fairly direct bus route with minimal walking. Bags are heavy.
• I find the tanks of live "seafood" extremely depressing but it is difficult to avoid running into them in shops. I do not find confinement and slaughter to be appetizing.

• The waste is a problem. Often items are pre-wrapped in plastic and sometimes packaged in styrofoam. Try to recycle as much of this as your city permits.
• Stores can often appear dirty or messy. Some shops keep produce on display outside which can attract pigeons and other animals. Wash your food well before use.
• Sometimes food is not the best quality. You will find bruised and sometimes rotten vegetables hiding among the others. Check the date and condition of your items to avoid wasting your money.

Now, I don't just shop in the International District. I actually have a few stores throughout the city which I enjoy visiting for specific items. That being said, there are a great deal of items and bargains in this are that keep me coming back. Here are my favorite finds in Chinatown groceries.

• Shiitake mushrooms. I never liked mushrooms until I tried these but at a whopping $7.00 a lb at most stores they are often out of my price range. Here they are for less than $4.00! You can also find them dried for even less.
• Coconut milk. I've found it as low as 50 cents a can. I like to stock up for future curries, soups, and even smoothies!

• Fresh tofu. Here in Seattle there are several "tofu stores" near the I.D. where you can purchase freshly made tofu cakes. Fresh tofu is not packed in water which means you do not need to drain it before use. It is available deep fried as well and also in 2 flavors: onion or lemongrass. It comes pre-sliced, pre-cubed, or in whole cakes like the fried variety above. Try it and you'll never go back to the (more expensive) water packed kind again!

• Where there is fresh tofu there is fresh soy milk. FRESH soy milk! I only just bought one of these for the first time and am very eager to taste it. Occasionally you can also find flavored varieties of soy milk. I was buying coconut Vita Soy every other week for a while and boy was it ever good!
• Thai basil. They try to mark this stuff up in most stores like it's something ultra rare and exotic but you can buy giant bunches of it down here for only a couple bucks. You can't make decent Thai food without it but you can also swap it in to italian recipes for a slightly different herb flavor.

• Noodles. Fresh and dried. Yakisoba, udon, chow mein, bean thread, soba, wide rice, etc. Buy shelf stable dry noodles or find fresh noodles like the ones above that have been shrink wrapped. I usually buy several packages of the shrink wrapped noodles and freeze them. Each of those packages makes about 4 servings. I like the noodles labeled as "stir fry noodles" the best. 

• Mock meats. Yep, that's right, certain regions of Asia are CRAZY about mock meats! If you are tired of blowing $$ on soy and wheat based items out of the "natural" section at your grocery store then this is the place to go. Most of the larger vietnamese groceries have a special frozen area specifically for mock meats. Unfortunately, many of them contain whey but they have everything from "mock lamb" to "mock fish", from fake chicken shaped like a whole chicken to my favorite fake meat product ever- "Veggie Mini Chicken Ham". I am not making that name up. Some of the frozen "meats" can be a bit pricier than what you may have hoped but they often provide enough for several meals. Though it may seem strange, do not pass up the canned mock meats usually located near the canned vegetables. I've found canned "pork", "abalone", and "chicken" but the canned "peking duck" is definitely the best one. These flavored gluten's come canned in a savory stock which I usually mix with sugar, spices, and cornstarch to create a sauce for whatever stir fry I used the "meat" in. at $1.39 a can these are a shelf stable steal!
• The sauce isle. Keeping a bottled stir fry sauce in the fridge is a great crutch for lazy evenings. A good sauce isle will give you several hundred options for such a thing. You will also find items like sesame oil and rice vinegar for increasingly low prices.

• And finally, no chinatown trip would be complete without a haul of ridiculous mystery snacks! I like jelly straws, wasabi peas, sesame candy, and daifuku. What do you like?

My final note on Shopping these stores is that many pre package their produce. I've seen people tear open the bags and remove what they want but I'm not sure if it's frowned upon. If you are shopping at one of these stores only buy produce that you know you are going to use up. Having half a pound of bokchoy go yellow because you didn't eat it in time is a waste. This is where freezing comes in handy like I did for my green beans.

$50.00 later I return home with more food than I can fit on my counter. Broken down that comes out to:

3 ears of corn, 1 package "stir fry noodles", 3 lemons, 6 yams, 4 kiwi's, 1 bunch parsley, 1 bunch cilantro, 1 package fresh roll wrappers, 1 can coconut milk, 1 can coconut soda, 1 giant bottle of %100 pomegranate juice, 1 giant package rice vermicelli noodles, 2 avocados, 1 bunch bananas, 4 crowns of broccoli, 1 mega package of cherries, 2 fresh tofu cakes, 1 red onion, 1 bag yellow onions, 4 heads of garlic, 10 red plums, 2 champagne mangos, 1 9" piece of ginger, 1 lime, 1 huge package of snow peas, 3 red bell peppers, 2 green bell peppers, 1 bunch scallions, 1 bunch thai basil, 1 box seasoned nori snacks, and a bag of green beans larger than my head.

How's that for bargain shopping?

All food from Viet Wah.