Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Arroz con Tofu, Lentil Pasta Sauce

When I made these dishes, it was dark and stormy, so these pictures aren’t the best. For the Arroz con Tofu I used a pre-vegan recipe for Arroz con Pollo and simply substituted some baked tofu for the chicken. I baked the tofu in an Italian style marinade, then added it to my rice and veggies. I still don’t have saffron, so this picture is deceiving under the lights on my stove top.




I served it with some spicy pintos and steamed broccoli. See, on my table it’s not really very yellow, as it should be. But what a delicious meal!



Another evening I finally made the Lentil Pasta Sauce from Vive. I’ve wanted to make this for a long time because I love lentils. Again, bad lighting.


For lentil lovers like me, it’s heavenly. I spooned it over zucchini shreds.



Here’s a clean out the fridge goulash.



When my sister was here, I took a day off to take her shopping at this fancy pants new outdoor mall (it was raining then too!). I’m talking Neiman Marcus, Barney’s, Tiffany’s, Betsy Johnson, Coach, Lucky, Cole Haan, Diesel, Michael Kors, Ralph Lauren, Louis Vuitton – tiny little tee shirts on sale were still $30 marked down from $75. I didn't know Austin could support these kind of stores.

But there is a Sur la Table, which was about all I was interested in seeing, and it was wonderful. Using great restraint, I walked out with only some disposable pastry bags, a spatula, and this mandolin. It’s double edged, so you can go back and forth over the blades with your whatever you’re slicing. I haven’t tried it out yet, but I did just buy a cucumber, so maybe tonight.



22 comments:

KleoPatra said...

Lookit all the great food and the COLOURS. Wow! It jumped out at me, all the yellows and reds and greens and purples. Very nicely done. I'm not sure what you mean by the photos not being good because of bad lighting... i guess i'm no photo maven, but i think they're wonderful! Great stuff, Diann.

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Anonymous said...

Ooops! I just posted using a different email so I deleted that.

My favorite way to use my mandoline is to slice potatoes or sweet potatoes (like you would for chips). Put them on an old towel you don't mind staining and then pat them very dry. Put on a platter, sprinkle with salt, and microwave for a few minutes. Check them and keep microwaving in small increments. As soon as you think they're almost done, keep a very close eye on them because they burn quickly. Once you've done it a few times you'll know how long your microwave will take and you won't have to watch so carefully. I can't wait to see your creations.

aTxVegn said...

Thanks Kleo and Crystal! I did slice some cucumber tonight and made some pretty ribbons. Microwave potato chips sound like a great idea!

Amey said...

Oooh I want a mandoline!
I've been thinking about it for a while now... how fun! I can't wait to see all your mandolined-goodies!
:)

Linda said...

what a feast of photos. looks amazing. that arroz con tofu.. love it!

MeloMeals said...

Looks delicious... I love the rice/tofu dish.. mmmm.. and as a lentil lover, the "pasta" dish looks wonderful.. that mandoline looks like a score.

Twisted Cinderella said...

It all looks wonderful! I love clean out your fridge goulash. I make that kind of recipe all the time!

Kati said...

All your food looks very yummy and nourishing! There is a Sur la Table very close to where I live, but I have never gone in because I didn't want to be overwhelmed with the desire to buy everything they had (I can't resist fancy kitchenware!). Your mandolin looks very cool - I like the "twice the slice" logo!

scottishvegan said...

That all looks so good! I’ve been meaning to try the lentil pasta sauce from Vive! for a while as I’m a lentil lover too! It looks really good…I must try it soon!

erica said...

Ooh I'm dying for a mandolin, but I cut my thumb on one really badly (like, from the tip down to the bone) when I worked at Dairy Queen and I'm a bit scared. I'll just have to get over it.

bazu said...

My name is Bazu, and I'm a pasta lover. That sauce looks so good! As does the clean-out-the fridge goulash. In our house, Daiku is the Mandolin user (he makes all kinds of roast sliced potato creations)- I'm a little afraid of it slicing my finger off!

Sheree' said...

Oh my the food looks good. I am so hungry right now. You did a great job. The mandoline looks super. My DH bought me a big table top one, but it is kinda of a paing to set up and use.

vko said...

Um, can we say Arroz con Yummy? Looks really good, also love the purple on the goulash- gorgeous.

Ohh, I want a mandoline, not that I need one, but we never really need most of the things we want!

Vicki's Vegan Vice said...

Neiman Marcus = Needless Mark-up!! I've been wanting a mandolin like crazy -- how'd it go with the cucumber?

Anonymous said...

I love the rice/tofu dish, i will love to have a mandolin too!

bazu said...

God, I'm such a dork. In my original response, I meant to say "I'm a LENTIL lover" not "pasta lover." Geez... I hope my comment makes more sense now! Your LENTIL sauce looks awesome!

Emmy said...

That Arroz con Tofu sounds great! It's so hard to go into any kitchen store and walk out empty handed....you have a mandolin too? I was just bemoaning on Vivacious Vegan's blog the other day because she has a mandolin and I don't. Yes, yes, I do suffer from occassional bouts of kitchen gadget envy. I can't help it :)

Judy said...

Your food looks great. I've been meaning to try that lentil pasta sauce too, but I never thought of serving it with zucchini shreds. Brilliant!

That mall sounds like a fun place to shop, even if you don't end up buying anything. Your mandolin sounds much better than my crappy Starfrit one - I'll have to get one now!

Candi said...

I've never made that lentil sauce, but seeing your photo of it makes me want to! Funny how you can see recipes in a book for so long that you just overlook them, until someone blogs about them! lol!

Your mandolin looks like a fun new toy!! Twice the slice! Lol! I'd love to see what you do with that... I may have to get one! I love new kitchen toys!

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