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What to call these savory tofu morsels… Tartlets? Quichelets? Neither, for lack of crust (or egg for that matter)?
Mysteries abound when it comes to silken tofu. Why does it come in a box? Why is it so gelatinous? What the hell do I do with it besides intend to make “dips and spreads” as the box suggests but instead hide it behind tinned tomatoes until it comes time to move?
Today, the silken tofu is out of the cupboard.
My first silken tofu dish is adapted from this Mini Crustless Tofu Quiche recipe by Susan at the Fat Free Vegan Kitchen, a blog that fails only in its title (I understand what she’s is getting at, but come on Susan - fat free is not healthy).
Whoa, guess what: these tofu babies are goooood — MMmm! The strangest but, surprisingly, most important ingredient is tahini (sesame paste). Combined with pine nuts, tahini adds a pleasant richness that enhances the aroma of the rosemary and the green goodness of the broccoli. Unfortunately, the flavour of the button mushrooms is lost in this mixture. Next time I’ll try a more flavorful fungus, like shitake or oyster. I may also add more veggies, as these were a bit heavy on the tofu, making the mini-quiches a bit on the jiggly side.
That is the beauty of this recipe - the tofu “egg” mixture lends itself well to experimentation, and I’ve got a fresh box o’ tofu on stand-by, and a tart pan on the way. That’s right, Silken Tofu Experiment #2 will have crust!
Vegan Mushroom & Broccoli Pseudo-Quiche
Veggies:
olive oil
1 clove minced garlic
1/2 cup, broccoli, roughly chopped
6 mushrooms, roughly chopped
1/2 onion, chopped finely
1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
black pepper
crushed red pepper flakes
Non-eggs:
1 12-ounce package Mori-Nu Silken Firm Tofu, drained of water
1/4 cup plain soymilk
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon tahini
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon Bragg’s Liquid Aminos (or more to taste)
Yummy:
pine nuts
Preheat the oven to 180 C (~350 F).
Spray 8 regular-sized muffin cups well with non-stick spray.
Prepare the veggies: Heat up some olive oil in a skillet. Saute the onion, garlic, and mushrooms. When the mushrooms are almost done, add the brocolli. Cook for about a minute, then take off the heat and stir in the rosemary and peppers.
Make the non-eggs: Place the tofu, soymilk, cornstarch, tahini, turmeric, and Bragg’s into a blender. Process until completely smooth and silky. Have a taste and make sure its salted to your liking (no eggs here, so it’s safe to do this!).
Combine the tofu mixture with the vegetables and stir.
Spoon equally into the 8 muffin cups. Top each “muffin” with a sprinkle of pine nuts.Put the muffin pan into the oven. Bake until the tops are golden and a knife inserted into the middle comes out clean–about 25-35 minutes depending on your oven and muffin cups. Remove from the oven and allow them to cool for about 10 minutes. To remove, I recommend running a knife around each muffin, then turning them over onto a plate or cutting board (put the plate on top of the muffin first, then flip the whole thing over).
…and you still inspire me with your ensalada tibia, a salad of mixed greens, stir-fried champiñones (mushrooms), balsamic vinegar, and queso parmesano. Try as I might, I’ve never been able to reproduce this simple yet wonderful dish that I enjoyed (twice!) at Paprika, that little cafe we kept going back to during our long weekend in Granada.
So why do I bring it up again? Two reasons:
1. I am tickled paprika-red to discover that Paprika includes spacekadet.org and my flickr stream among its website’s enlaces (hyperlinks!).
2. Next time I go to Paprika, I will be able to communicate with the friendly staff in their native language. Yes, I’m starting Spanish Level 1 in a month! I am lucky enough to work right next door to the Bishopsgate Institute, which hosts lunchtime Spanish courses, among other things like yoga and creative writing and salsa (but I’m not quite ready for dancing just yet). I’ve tried learning languages in the past, but as my Latin can attest, I have never been very successful. But then again, I never really wanted it. Now that I’ve been to Spain and lived in Austin, TX (where I always kicked myself for not learning the language of the ~207 million hispanics who live in the area), I feel more driven than ever. Plus, it will allow me to get in on the secret conversations between my dad and sister, who learn languages way better than I.
Because I can use my lunch hour to take a stroll to The Monument, climb its 311 spiraling steps, and catch a beautiful view of the City and beyond.
It’s a pity: we grow up and trade our overalls for a tie, our jumprope for a gym, and our lunch box for a sandwich at Pret. How quickly we grow out of all the good things about being a kid. Have we so-called adults become so accustomed to fast-food lunches that the concept of a lunch box is reserved only for children?
In the City of London, I seem to be one of a rare breed of workers who pack a lunch to work. Lately, I’ve been disenchanted with my usual lunch transportation device: tupperware and a plastic bag. The lot gets jammed into my bicycle pannier along with shoes and clothes, and doesn’t always arrive quite as nicely as it left my flat. If only for the sake of my bruised bananas, I need a lunch box.
Enter Laptop Lunches, a little company in California specializing in “bento-ware for everywhere”, cute little plastic lunch boxes equipped with food containers and cutlery that fit inside of a laptop-style insulated case. I discovered it via the “Laptop Lunch” photo pool on Flickr, which thus led me to The Vegan Lunchbox blog, where a stay-at-home vegan mom blogs about the tasty lunches she packs for her vegan kids. I know, my hippy shields are up, too. But her blog is so popular that she published a book of her lunch menus. And what can I say, I’m a sucker for hippies, and food, and Flickr, so I added the book to my Laptop Lunchbox order.
The Laptop Lunchbox
It pained me a bit to throw down £19.99 (plus shipping!) on a lunch box. Granted, it came with an insulated carrying case, a water bottle, utensils, and a “User’s Guide”, but still - when Underground Ernie’s Insuluated Lunch Bag is going for £7.99, I have to wonder if I’m getting scammed. Turns out, most of the set is made in California. Okay, fine, I’ll pay a premium on a product that wasn’t made by slave labour, but it better be quality.
My first reaction to the lunchbox was that of relief. As pictured on the website, with its bright colors and “tray like presentation to put the fun back into packed lunches”, the lunchbox is clearly designed for kids. While its capacity would probably be grossly insufficient for a 6′2 bodybuilder who doesn’t want to live on peanut butter alone, the containers are sufficient for me and my 5 feet of stoked internal fire.
My first lunch of tofu, dipping sauce, rocket salad, carrot-hiziki medley, and pearl barley fit comfortably into the little box (see photo at top). As it was an unusually sunny day in London, I decided to have a picnic. It’s true, the tray-like system is fun and makes for comfortable eating on the steps of Exchange Square. The containers are pleasant enough to eat from and the utensils are grown-up sized. I was the only person out there eating a lunch that wasn’t store-bought, and you can bet that I felt pretty damn good about it (even if I did look like a bit of a weirdo).
So what’s not to like? Only two of the five containers ship with a lid - what’s the deal with that? The website cites a national survey which found that the number one frustration experienced by parents who pack lunches in reusable containers is the search for lids and containers that match. Okay, fine, but don’t limit my options because a few moms went crazy buying tupperware at IKEA. In fact, since each container is a different color, it should be easy to find their lids. Oh well. The lid of the box itself does a fair job of containing food, but anything wet would be a nightmare. The solution is to use cling wrap or foil, but this adds to the waste problem that we’re trying to avoid in the first place. Ho hum. At least the two containers that do have lids don’t leak.
Vegan Lunchbox by Jennifer McCann
Anyone who defines themselves as “vegan” and declares their self-imposed label to the world is, by default, a little preachy. And someone who raises their kids vegan? Well, it may not be for most parents, but you have to applaud Jennifer McCann’s passion for healthy lunches. Sh is about as unimposing as a vegan can be, sticking to the food rather than the ethics behind them. Her prose may not be the most eloquent in the world, but neither is lunch. In fact, her simple, conversational style adds sincerity to her passion. It’s almost cute.
Vegan Lunchbox is not without that annoying vegan tendency to substitute animal products with processed fake meat alternatives, like soy lunch meat and vegan chicken nuggets. These may be quick and easy, but are surely less nutritious than organic free-range eggs or a pot of enzyme-happy natural yoghurt. Fortunately, the bulk of the book’s menus are whole foods. And this is where I feel like I really shouldn’t be writing about a cookbook before actually trying one of the recipes. But in leafing through the options, I was warmed by her propensity for southern-style dishes like Red Rice & Black Beans and Tennessee Corn Pone Muffins. First, I’ll give the Quinoa Amaranth Timbales a try, but will probably skip the Nut Butter & Jelly Cut-Outs.
Like the Laptop Lunchbox, the book caters to kids. So when will their parents catch on that this lunchbox thing is a good idea? That £19.99 may seem expensive, but in the long run its cheaper, healthier, tastier, and more environmentally friendly than anything you’ll get at Subway.
Links to…
Laptop Lunchbox
Vegan Lunchbox blog, where you can find pictures of every menu found in the book
Laptop Lunchbox Flickr group
Product page for Vegan Lunchbox, the book
Recipes from Vegan Lunchbox
Thermos.com - these things are amazing
Well, it’s St. Patrick’s Day. To celebrate, Londoners are starting their drinking just a little earlier than usual (9am instead of 11am?), which means an extra hour of the usual debauchery, and an extra helping of curious half-digested food piles on the city sidewalks. There was even a drunk person at the library today. Attention fixed on the sparse selection of DVDs, the drunkard would have escaped attention were it not for his unmistakable acrid stink of alcohol. But I must admit, there’s a wonderful energy on the streets. It’s one of the few days of the year that the alcoholics are socially allowed to feel a sense of pride in their passion. The carouser who usually looks dead-faced as he swallows his tall boy at the bus stop today seems suddenly present, lifting a Guinness in celebration.
Sometimes I wonder why I live in this city. Is this a “if you can’t beat them, join em’” situation? I confess, as I snuck past the Auld Shillelagh, our neighborhood Irish pub, I was suddenly compelled to dive into my own pint of Guinness. What is it? The camaraderie? The lack of inhibition? The idea of a beer in the sun?
There was a time in my life when I could relax with a beer (okay, lots of beers) with absolutely zero worry about the consequences of my actions. In many ways, it was a time when I was truly able to live in the moment. And in many ways, I was a lot happier.
Or was I?
Then, I was in complete denial of how my food and drink affected my body; now I’m hyper aware of the situation. Is this growing up? Or growing jaded? Perhaps I’m just growing confused.
I do know that worrying about it can’t possibly be good for my health. It’s St. Patrick’s Day, and I am Irish, after all. I hope the Auld Shillelagh has room for one more boozer…
A little update on the Hipster Tourist front…
Spreadshirt.com lets non-premium (i.e. cheap) users like myself upload 3 vector designs for free; after that I need to sell 5 t-shirts before I can upload anymore. Well, I’ve just uploaded my third design, and as much as I’m dying to dive back into illustrator, it’s time to get busy selling. My immediate goal is to generate traffic to Hipster Tourist. When I figure out exactly how this is done, I’ll let you know…
For now, here’s a sample of my creations. I think the tote bag has real potential; people in these parts use totes to carry their groceries, thus proclaiming to the world: “hey, I’ve been to the farmer’s market!”
In my previous life as an e-learning developer, I wrote a Whole Foods training course on DSHEA, a U.S. act which regulates labeling on dietary supplements. In a nutshell, makers of supplements can’t claim that a supplement cures any diseases. That’s why your bottle of Vitamin C says “boosts immune system” rather than “eases the symptoms of the common cold.” The same law applies to foods.
Since this brush with the law, I’m more apt to notice the often erroneous claims that so-called health gurus make about food. So when Dragana Brown said “olive oil is more stable than any other oil”, I had to spend an hour on the internet verifying the validity of her statement (see previous post about Dragana’s cooking class for context).
Turns out there’s some science behind her statement, but it took a little digging to get there.
Oxidation and antioxidants (in layman’s terms)
Flashback to high school chem class: atoms are made up of protons, neutrons and electrons. Atoms like an equal balance of positively-charged protons and negatively-charged electrons.
Add or take away an electron, and the atom becomes woefully unstable. This process of gaining or losing an electron is called oxidation.
Cue free radicals: these are the unstable bad boys that form during oxidation and therefore carry a charge. Once a free radical is formed, it loots the body for susceptible atoms from which it takes or gives
away extra electrons. In the body, free radicals can turn once healthy and stable cells into damaged goods. Take a blood cell, for example. Blood cells contain cholesterol which can become oxidized by free radicals. The so-called “bad” LDL cholesterol that you hear about is bad because it does scary things when it becomes oxidized. To retrieve its precious neutrality, oxidized LDL binds to “microphage” cells in the blood vessel wall. A build-up of these LDL-microphage combos causes a build up of nasty foam in the cell well, which can lead to blocked arteries and heart attacks.
So what do antioxidants do? These atoms get between free radicals and healthy cells, providing free radicals with their electron fix. When antioxidants neutralize free radicals, they become oxidized themselves. That’s why we must constantly replenish our supply of antioxidants.
Take a moment to marvel at this cycle of life!
Antioxidants in olive oil
Surprise: olive oil contains loads of antioxidants, particularly “flavenoid polyphenols”. These guys prevent LDL oxidation, and therefore, damage to blood vessels. That’s why you always hear about olive oil being good for the heart; the better your arteries, the less work the heart has to do to pump blood through them, the less likely the heart is to spazz out and stop working.
Olive oil, antioxidants, and hot hot heat
Flash back to high school chem lab: heat is a catalyst for molecular change. Apply enough heat to oil, any oil, and its constituent molecules change. In particular, heating oil can decrease its antioxidants and create a slew of new nasty chemicals (such as trans fatty acids, the stuff found in hydrogenated oil which is created by bubbling hydrogen through super-heated vegetable oil).
Finally, we’re back to where we started. Some scientists in Turkey studied the effect of heating olive oil, sunflower oil and soy oil to 180 degrees C. While all oils suffered reduced antioxidant potential, olive oil retained the most antioxidants [Durak et. al, 2004].
The reason seems to do with the monounsaturated-ness of olive oil. But this is getting into some hairy chemistry and now it’s time to make dinner. We’re having a Sunday roast, and you can guess what we’re tossing the vegetables in. Now, pass the polyphenols, please.
Further reading:
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