Friday, October 17, 2008

Vegan MoFo Day 17: When your superpowers are running low (a.k.a. Thursday night)...


Even vegan superpowers sometimes run down. When you've worked all day, early-voted, walked the dog in the rain, and have bills to pay and laundry to do.... well, your display might be showing only one bar of power. I've noted quite a few MoFoers posting quick weeknight meals, and this is ours, tonight:

Sweet Potato Oven Fries: I don't have to tell you how, do I? (Chop, olive oil and salt, 400 til done)

Crispy Tempeh Bits: After the manner of Mark Bittman in How To Cook Everything Vegetarian, but upgraded with some amazing Oregon-made chili-garlic sauce, which I scored in a trade with Julie. Crumble the tempeh in a hot skillet with some oil, salt, and pepper, cook till crispy, season to taste.
Greens and Noodles: After the manner of Joanne Stepaniak in Vegan Vittles, but simplified, and with the protein cut out as we had the tempeh. Chop the greens (in this case, a mix of tatsoi, kale, and turnip greens) and boil until soft (15 minutes or so). Add a big handful of udon noodles and cook until done (12-13 minutes). Drain and then toss with some olive oil, soy sauce, and ume plum vinegar. I added some liquid smoke, too. Check out Joanne's book for a more complex (and delicious) version, and a number of variations.

I did all of the above while emptying and reloading the dishwasher, paying bills, cleaning up after myself, and playing with the dog. A healthy, fast dinner, made from stuff we had on hand!
(PS - Ume plum vinegar is the best thing ever in greens. All homage to Gabrielle Mittelstaedt former head chef of the much-missed Peaceful Planet restaurant in Nashville for pointing this out to me.)

3 comments:

julie hasson said...

Hey John!

Glad you like the chili oil. That stuff can blast away a cold in seconds! I'll have to try that recipe from Vegan Vittles.

I also LOVE ume vinegar on my greens! So, so good.

KitteeBee said...

I had ume vinegar last night too,but mine was on brown rice. I hope things are more relaxed for you to today. I like Vegan Vittles a lot, I'll have to look for the recipe you are referring to, it doesn't strike a chord off-hand.

xo
kittee

Anonymous said...

I love dinners that are made while doing 5 other things at the same time. I could live off of any meal build around a big pile of green. Definitely up with the ume vinegar...it's magic on short grain brown rice and sesame seeds too.