Mashed Potatoes & Gravy, Steamed Peas, Baked Glazed Tofu

Do you ever have those days when you really need to go to the grocery store, but for whatever reason, you can't?  I'm having one of those weeks!  Since moving back to Michigan, Hubbs and I have had to buy a car to get around, which has definitely been an investment (but such a freeing one!), so we have only been able to afford one for the time being.  It has worked very well for us, especially since both of my parents and my younger brother work within a couple miles of each other downtown, so it's easy to get a ride.  For one reason or another this week, it has not worked out that I am able to take the car and go shopping.  Hubbs has never liked grocery shopping, so I always go.  Which is totally fine since I always have fun shopping.  Needless to say, since we haven't been shopping in a couple weeks (just getting a couple random ingredients from the coop here and there), we just have a couple fresh ingredients, though lots of pantry and frozen items.  That is how this meal came about.  I baked a package of firm tofu, boiled some potatoes, made a nutritional yeast gravy, tossed the baked tofu in some spicy bbq sauce and served it with some steamed frozen peas.  It was simple and tasty.  Now we basically just have a half of a head of green and red cabbage and a couple other random fresh ingredients.  I think I'll make a tasty stir-fry with edamame (frozen) and some black sesame seeds.  Yum!

 

 

 

Simple tasty dinner!

 

 

Enjoy!

 

 

Koko

Millet with Kale, Mushroom Gravy and Beet Salad

I love the website Oh She Glows.  I follow it quite religiously and am always so impressed how Angela Liddon makes all of the food just look so amazing and healthy.  Pretty much every picture I see, I say to myself "I am so going to make this!"  The reality, of course is that I have so many recipes that I just have to make, and trying as of this point to keep to a budget, but still eat healthfully, is challenging, and I can't make every dish if I don't have the ingredients at home.  I think most of the ingredients in this dish people with a well stocked fridge and pantry should pretty much have on hand at all times.  This is one that seemed pretty easy to make, healthy, but also very much a "comfort food" item.  Sometimes the hubby can be finicky about creamy sauces and gravies, but I thought this would be great.  He ended up loving it, but didn't want to take it to lunch the next day, because in his words it was too light for a hardworking, strong man like him.  Insert good-humerdly crossing of the eyes here.  It ended up being a bonus for me because I ended up taking it for my lunch and was very satisfied!  Try making it and go over and take a look at what Angela ended up doing for the same dish over at Oh She Glows.  I didn't follow her recipe exactly, but used it as a guideline to make my own dish.

Super Comfort-Foody and Delicious!

Gravy:

Yields: 2 1/2 cups

2 tablespoons canola oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, small diced
4 oz. criminis, small diced
4 tablespoons unbleached flour
2 cups filtered water
1/2 teaspoons sea salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed with the fingers
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon tamari
1/4 teaspoon unchicken boullion

Garlic Kale:
12 cups kale, blanched
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
sea salt and black pepper

Millet:
1 1/2 cups millet, rinsed
1 teaspoon olive oil
3 cups filtered water
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1.  Cook the millet in the oil until toasted and most of the water has evaporated.  Add the filtered water and sea salt.  Bring the millet to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and cook till the water has absorbed and the millet is fluffy,
2.  Prepare the gravy:Add the oil over medium heat.  Once it is hot, add the onion, criminis and garlic, stirring frequently until they begin to color.  Add the unbleached flour and stir well to coat. 
3.  Allow the flour to cook for a couple minutes so that the raw flour taste goes away.  Add the water all at once, whisking immediately so the gravy does not clump.
4.  Add the remaining in gredients to the gravy: the sea salt, black pepper, thyme, nutritional yeast, tamari and unchicken boullion.  Whisk well to combine all the ingredients.  Continue cooking till the gravy has thickened to your liking.  Season to taste.
5.  Prepare the garlic kale:  blanch the kale just until it turns a bright green color - about 30 seconds.  Drain.
6.  In a small pan over medium heat, cook the garlic in the olive oil until it becomes golden and cooked through.  Season to taste with sea salt and black pepper.
7.  To serve, place a mound of the millet on the plate, followed by a generous serving of kale, then top it all off with gravy.  Healthy comfort food at its best!

The millet mixed with the garlic kale.



The plate before adding the gravy.  Yum!

Enjoy!

Koko

Mashed Potatoes with Corn Gravy, Mustard Sage Seitan, Steamed Broccoli, Simple Salad

I made this meal after browsing through the seemingly millions of cookbooks I have, and landing on Horizon Cafe's cookbook.  I looked through everything in the book and went with this recipe because I had the majority of the ingredients on hand and it seemed easy enough to make.  I was really curious about the corn gravy, thinking that there was no way I would really like it, but what the heck, as I keep telling myself, it is my impossible goal to make almost all of the recipes in the cookbooks I have, so another recipe down!  While I was making it, I was looking suspiciously at the corn simmering in the liquid and trying to imagine it as a gravy, but couldn't.  Same thing with the seitan.  I tried the marinade before it was cooked and was a little turned off - it was pretty strong.  But, I have learned that whenever you have a marinade that you whisk together and pour over a protein, and it includes an oil that has to be emulsified, the sauce will become nice and thick, which in and of itself makes a damn good sauce! 

When I placed the plate of food before both the Hubby and I, I was debating about telling him the names of the foods.  I was thinking I should just say, here's some baked seitan and potatoes and gravy and get on with it.  He wouldn't ask any questions and would dig right in, saying his usual "It's delicious honey, thank you".  But, of course I never learn to do that, so I told him I made Mustard Sage Baked Seitan and Mashed Potatoes with a Corn Gravy.  After looking at me a little strangely, then looking at the plate strangely, and giving everything a not-so-delicate sniff, he started eating.  After taking a bite of each the seitan and the gravy, he looked at me, surprised.  Then, after quickly skimming off and eating all the gravy from his potatoes, he holds up his plate and asks for more gravy.  He has never done that before with gravy.  Never!  So I knew it had to be ridiculously tasty, and was it!   Yum!  He ended up getting another serving of the potatoes and dousing it with the gravy.  Good choice of recipes to test!  I will definitely make both of these again!  So tasty!

 

 

Mashed Potatoes with Corn Gravy, Mustard Sage Seitan, Steamed Broccoli:

Serves 4

Corn Gravy:

1 medium onion, chopped, about 1 cup

3 garlic cloves, chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 cups corn, thawed if frozen

4 ounces white wine

1 1/2 cups water

1 tablespoon vegetable boullion powder

1 teaspoon dried sage

1 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed with your fingers

1 teaspoon paprika

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Steamed Broccoli:

1 head broccoli, cut into florets, thick part of stem removed, peeled and diced

1 tablespoon olive oil

Sea salt and black pepper to taste

pinch garlic powder

 

 

1.  While the seitan was cooking, I prepared the corn gravy.  In a large pot, add the olive oil over medium heat and allow it to become hot.  Once it is hot, add the onion and saute for about 5 minutes, or until golden and softened.  Add the garlic and saute for 1-2 minutes, or until fragrant.  Add the corn and saute for an additional 5 minutes, or until the corn has browned.  Add the wine to deglaze the pan and allow it to reduce by half.  Add the water, boullion powder, sage, thyme, paprika and black pepper.  Allow this mixture to simmer for about 5 minutes.

2. Working in two batches, blend the mixture for several minutes, or until completely smooth.  Pour the gravy back into the pan with a mesh strainer on top, stirring until all of the gravy goes through.  The fiber from the corn is all that will be left in the strainer.  Discard and repeat with the remaining gravy.  Season to taste (it should taste amazing!) Cover the pot with a lid and keep warm.

3.  Prepare the broccoli.  Place a steamer basket in a medium sized pot over high heat, filling the bottom with water. Cover the pot and allow the water to come to a boil.  Once the water is boiling, add the prepared broccoli, covering the pot again.  Allow the broccoli to steam for a minute or so, checking its doneness by poking with a fork.  Cook to desired tender-crispness.  Place in a serving bowl and toss to coat with the olive oil, sea salt, black pepper and pinch of garlic powder.  Season to taste.

4.  To serve, place a portion of the mashed potatoes on the plate, creating a well in the center where the gravy will go.  Place a portion of the  gravy on the mashed potatoes (believe me, you will be back for more!).  Arrange a portion of the seitan, steamed broccoli and simple salad on the plate as well.

Enjoy!

Koko