Looks Good But Tasted Bad

 I had an extremely busy day and my only option was takeout. I ordered General Crispy Tofu at a local Chinese restaurant and while it looked like it should have tasted very good it was really bland and greasy.  This restaurant has a vegetarian section on their menu and I have ordered from them in the past but this was the first time I was disappointed.

Kennett Square Mushroom Festival

I don't like mushrooms but I love food festivals.  I have been going to the Kennett Square Mushroom Festival for a few years and always learn something new about mushrooms.   I just wanted to post some pictures from the festival this year and also show some of the vegetarian options available at this festival.  

  

Mushrooms for sale

Kennett Square is the mushroom capital of the world

The white dots are baby button mushrooms

All grown up!--Adult button mushrooms

There were many different varieties of mushrooms

Chili and Chips

Just decided to have a quick snack so I defrosted some chili I had in the freezer which I made a few months ago.  I  put tortilla chips covered in shredded cheese in the oven and 10 minutes later it was ready

Veggie Pad Thai with Tofu Triangles

After coming back from NYC late and tired I decided to make a quick dish of Pad Thai and Tofu Triangles.  This is not an authentic Pad Thai but I like it.  I pressed the tofu then coated with a mixture of flour and cornstarch then browned in a cast iron skillet until brown.  I like to eat the tofu with a sweet and spicy sauce from Trader Joes.   The rice noodles were cooked until tender and then added to a wok which had the veggies and sauce.  For the sauce I just combined a few of the soy based sauces I had in the refrigerator and some tamarind paste.

Vegetarian Travel: Harlem NYC

I'm back New York City this weekend and headed to Harlem. My friends and I went to an Italian restaurant called Lido on 117th Street and Frederick Douglass boulevard. I ordered the Gnocchi with Truffle Butter, Pecorino, and Sage. They made the dish vegetarian for me by removing the Guanciale and chicken stock. This was a good dish and hit the spot. The portions are small and I was looking forward to dig into a big meal but I filled up on the bread they served and all was well.

Marinated Artichoke and Capers- in a light pasta sauce

This is a really savory dish that uses both marinated artichokes and capers and canned diced tomatoes.  The addition of several dried seasonings helps to round out the flavor.  In addition to the ingredients pictured I added a vegetable bouillon cube, and fresh garlic, a medium onion and a yellow pepper. 

Leftover Magic

It's really not magic but sometimes I just want a really quick meal without a lot of preparation.  I want to just "throw" a meal together in under 20 minutes. For this leftover meal I used the potatoes gratin from a few days ago and just added a few slices of Trader Joes Eggplant Parmesan Slices with barbecue sauce and sautéed shredded brussels sprouts.

Challah French Toast

Challah bread is one of my favorite breads to make.  It is great right out of the oven and several days later.  It also freezes really well.  Any basic Challah bread recipe works well but I used the challah bread recipe from the Williams-Sonoma baking cookbook.  

Add flour, salt eggs, yeast, and water to mixer

Let rise until doubled in size

Divide dough into 4 long "ropes" and do a 4 strand braid

Let rise again until doubled in size

Brush with lightly beaten egg sprinkle with poppy seeds and bake until golden brown

For the French toast: Mix 2 eggs beaten, any dairy or dairy substitute, cinnamon, nutmeg, and a dash of maple syrup
Dip bread in mixture and be sure to coat each side then fry in a pan with any oil you prefer.

Serve with maple syrup and whipped cream 

Top with powdered sugar if you like

Veggie Pancakes

 This is a take on traditional potato pancakes/latkes but I add shredded zucchini and carrot to the shredded potato.


 I never use a recipe for this but add a lightly beaten egg to shredded veggies (4 russet potatoes, 1 medium onion, 1 zucchini, and 1or 2 carrots).  Salt and pepper to taste.  Add flour if needed.

Fry in canola oil until brown. Flip and fry other side until brown.

Place on paper towel to absorb some of the oil

A little ketchup 

Simple Applesauce

My friend who works at an apple orchid surprised me with about 60 apples.  I love to bake and plan on making a few apple pies, apple crisps and apple coffee cakes but I was really craving applesauce.  It is so easy to make and cooks very quickly.

This is just a small fraction of the apples

Slice the apples into chunks put in a pot and add a few cinnamon sticks

Done and ready to eat in 20 minutes

A refreshing lunch

I decided to use my last batch of basil to make a caprese salad with a salad on the side.  I really like this combination and try to have it at least once a week in the summer.

Restaurant Spotlight: P.F. Chang's

I usually avoid chain restaurants because sometimes the quality if the food as well and the vegetarian options are poor.  P.F. Chang's is a chinese restaurant with many locations all over America.  Fortunately the vegetarian options are listed separately on the menu and the variety of options is excellent for a chain restaurant.  I ordered the Ma Po Tofu with snap peas which was excellent.  The sauce was a perfect balance of sweet and savory and it had a kick of spice but it was not overwhelming.  I also ordered the Vegetarian Fried Rice which was tasty but the rice was a little over cooked.

Ma Po Tofu

Potatoes Au Gratin

This is one of my favorite dishes for the fall.  It is really strait forward and with the help of a food processor with a slicing attachment, the potatoes can be sliced perfectly within seconds.

Sautee a small onion in butter until soft then add 1tablespoon of fresh thyme and 2 cloves of garlic

Add 2 pounds of sliced potatoes and one cup of heavy cream and cook until potatoes are tender

Add 2 cups of shredded cheese and pour mixture in a casserole dish

Bake at 400 degrees until golden brown

Serve with sauteed kale and steamed carrots

Veggie Selections at Whole Foods

Whole Foods has a great selection of prepared vegetarian options and while I was there yesterday I noticed two dishes that I would like to recreate. The first is Balsamic Roasted Tofu which has tofu, spinach, roasted red peppers, and a balsamic vinaigrette. And the second dish is a Brazilian Rice and Bean Salad with rice, black beans, tomato, peppers, onion, cilantro, and seasonings.  I plan to experiment with making these soon.