October 09, 2009

Dinner with Aaron and Erica / veganmofo 2009

We had dinner with our son Aaron and his girl friend, Erica. Whenever we eat at their apartment, we know the food will be great, and we weren't disappointed. Aaron & Erica had eaten at The Farm Cafe in Portland, OR, and wanted to re-create the meal they had there. Lucky for us the recipe for this fabulous dinner was online, and with the link to Everyday dish TV (plant-based cuisine), you, too, can enjoy this delicious meal of Herb-Crusted Tofu with Mushrooms Marsala, and Garlic Mashed Potatoes. Yesterday I said I prefer to post recipes after I personally try making them in my kitchen, but Aaron said he followed the directions, and the recipe worked really well. He recommends watching the video because he said it differs slightly from the written instructions, particularly for making the marsala sauce. Aaron said that following the video will give you a meal that tastes just like the one at the restaurant. Our meal was accompanied by brussels sprouts and was delicious. Try it.

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Soy Curls at last
I've had Soy Curl-envy for a long time now as I've read all the rave reviews of this product and seen the photos of delicious-looking soy curl dishes. I just couldn't find them locally in Wisconsin and never got around to ordering them. I must have forgotten we moved to Seattle a few weeks ago, and all things vegan are now within my grasp. So I went to the Soy Curl Web page to discover what I already suspected - Soy Curls are sold at the Sidecar vegan grocery. My husband and I were planning a walk around Green Lake but we walked to Sidecar instead, and got some Curls, some Daiya cheese, some vegetable soup base and a lot of exercise.

My husband made Soy curls with asparagus and quinoa from Vegan Yum Yum except he used broccoli, green beans and sweet red peppers instead of asparagus. The verdict? Very tasty with a nice texture for those moments when texture is on your mind, if you know what I mean. Soy Curls are made from whole soybeans and contain no weird additives, and they're very low in salt. I see great potential here. We didn't try the Daiya, yet, but we will, soon.

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Bake sale!!!
If you're in the Seattle area this weekend and craving baked goods, stop by Sidecar for a vegan bake sale to benefit Sidecar for Pigs Peace Sanctuary. I've set aside today as a baking day for brownies, blondies and crackers, but I can't wait to buy the stuff other people make.

Where: Sidecar For Pigs Peace
5270 B University Way NE
Seattle, WA 98105

When: Saturday October 10
and Sunday October 11
1 PM to 4 PM

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Don't forget to enter the cookbook giveaway! Who wouldn't want a copy of "Love Soup" by Anna Thomas?



14 comments:

  1. I've just come over to your blog from Mitten Machen and I have to say that I really love your blog. I LOVE easy cooking style:)

    Your dinner looks fantastic and it sound so delicious. I'm a BIG fan of tofu so I'll definitely try this, thank you for the link. Soy curls dish also looks so delicious. You're so lucky that both your husband and son are very good at cooking. YUM!

    My sister lives in Seattle, I'll tell her to check out that Bake Sale, sounds like a lot of fun, thanks:)

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  2. We love soy curls.. They are the bomb! The kids love it when I soak them in some veggie broth powder mixed into the soaking water, then I coat with some cornstarch, egg replacer and sage. Then I put in a large roasting pan with a little bit of olive oil and bake. Every 10 minutes I check on them- flip them around so they all get crispy. You could do it on the stove top- for just 2 people but we have 9 so this is easier. Then I add green onions and sweet and sour sauce/chile paste. Serve over brown rice. yum!

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  3. Oraphan,
    Thanks so much - I appreciate your comments.

    Debra,
    Thanks for the Soy Curl suggestions - I have a feeling I'm headed for a Soy Curl obsession!

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  4. All of your meals look incredible! I wish I could drive up to Seattle for the bake sale, but my weekend is full of baking for a vegan benefit in Portland. Have fun and take some photos of the treats!

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  5. tahinitoo,
    Thanks! I hope to get some photos of the goods as well as sample some. I look forward to seeing the treats in Portland on your blog.

    Mihl,
    Thanks! I think they're awesome. They're cooking an anniversary dinner for my husband and me on Sunday. I can't wait!

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  6. Are soy curls really all that different than TVP? I can't find soy curls around here, but there are TVP chunks and the smaller mince...is it really all that different?

    Thanks!
    Courtney

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  7. Courtney wrote what I was thinking, too. . . never seen soy curls over here, either. They look good, though!

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  8. Courtney and Ricki,
    I'm far from an expert on these two soy products. This was my first experience with Soy Curls and I haven't used TVP in years. I think TVP is made from defatted soy flour, and Curls are made from whole soy beans. Does that matter? I don't know. Will try to do a post about this. soon.

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  9. Wow. This food looks so amazing! That herb crusted tofu has me drooling!

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  10. Interesting...thanks for your opinion/thoughts!
    You are right--TVP is fat free because it is defatted, so maybe that does make a difference?!

    Courtney

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  11. Monique,
    It has me drooling, too. I'm ready for a repeat.

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  12. Andrea, I loved the quackers! I haven't tried the blondies and brownies yet, but they are part of the stash that I bought. Thanks so much for baking for the sale. very very cool.

    PS. your farm dinner and soy curls look amazing. are you addicted to sidecar yet?

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  13. Bethany,
    Glad you liked the quackers - the recipe is from Celine at Have Cake Will Travel. The blondies (my favorite) are from "Sweet Freedon" by Ricki Heller of Diet, Dessert and Dogs. I used different a cocoa and different sugar for the brownies, and they weren't as intense as usual. We intended to go back to the bake sale to buy stuff but ended up not having time. Hope there's still some left for today!

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  14. Wow, what nice dinners! Your son and hubby done good! :-) I still have Soy Curl envy. :-( Someday though I'll get around to trying it.

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