Saturday, April 28, 2007

Wasabi Meal, Brownies, Store Finds

I recently found some tamari with wasabi and mustard with wasabi and was anxious to try them out. Both products are rather mild, so I wasn’t able to get my food quite as spicy as I wanted, but here’s what I came up with.

Wasabi Peas and Tofu



This was inspired by a recipe for peas and tofu in Asian Vegan Cooking. I marinated the tofu overnight in a mixture of wasabi tamari, wasabi mustard, Braggs, broth, etc. Then I stirfried a bag of frozen peas with the tofu and some onion, added more wasabi tamari, and wasabi paste. I served it over rice and sprinkled some sesame seeds on top. It was a very nice stirfry, but it wasn’t spicy. I couldn’t get wasabi peas. The peas are just too sweet. A spicy wasabi tofu steak alongside some sweet peas would have been a better idea.


Potato and Red Bean Salad



I must say this potato salad was awesome. I cooked 5 or 6 new potatoes, quartered them and put them in a bowl with a can of red beans, some green onions, sesame seeds, and cilantro. I made a dressing with the wasabi tamari, rice vinegar, sesame oil, garlic, crushed red pepper, and wasabi mustard. I marinated it overnight and served it slightly warm. It was spicy good!


I anticipated needing a cold salad to cool us off, so I made slaw/salad with cucumbers, tomatoes, broccoli, and cilantro and made a peanut butter dressing using the wasabi tamari. Too bad we didn’t have to put out a fire with this, but you can’t go wrong with a fresh salad.



I made a treat too, those brownies Bazu posted about. Crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside. Perfection!




Thanks, Bazu!



On a shopping trip earlier this week, I picked up dinner and two new items. Dinner was a Thai Falafel Wrap from a local vendor. It had three huge falafel patties, carrots, and too many rice noodles, but a great spicy sauce.



I liked it okay, but I actually deconstructed it and put it on a salad.





I also found Eddie’s Spaghetti – ingredients are simply semolina, spinach, beets, red peppers, and paprika. (I may just like the name!) I haven’t used it yet, but it’s bound to make a beautiful pasta.





And I found roasted carob powder, a new item in the bulk bin. I don’t want to just put it in a smoothie. I’ll have to bake something with it. Any suggestions?






Lastly, I needed to use my yellow squash from the farmers market. If you haven’t ever roasted yellow squash, I highly recommend doing so. The insides don’t turn to mush, which for me makes them much more enjoyable. I roasted mine with some onions and green beans, and seasoned them with tarragon and dill. Mmmmmm!




It’s great to be vegan!

24 comments:

Anonymous said...

All of this wets my appetite!

urban vegan said...

I love reading your blog becuase you always seem to sniff out the coolest food products. Thai felafels. Now's that's what I call fusion.

With the carob powder, you coul dbake carob brownies.

Anonymous said...

i really dont have any recipe with the carob,(sorry) i dont have any in my town.

wow i love how the new pasta looks, so cool!

the food looks very good too.

laura k said...

Hear, hear - it IS great to be vegan!

I love the concept of a wasabi meal. I'm surprised the wasabi peas didn't work out as well as you hoped - peas are probably the first thing I would have tried. It still looks good, and I think I might be inspired now. Hee hee. And now I'm definitely going to try roasted yellow squash. The insides getting all soggy is quite a turn-off.

laura k said...

PS - I've been thinking of picking up some carob powder. In the bulk bins at the local health food store, they sell these delicious "energy chunks" with carob powder, brown rice syrup, and all kinds of seeds and nuts and good things. I don't think they're baked, just pressed into a rectangular pan so solidify and then cut into pieces. I want to try to create a homemade version of these - unless you beat me to it, so that I can steal yours! :)

Amey said...

hee hee,
What a sweet post.
It IS great to be vegan!!

Sheree' said...

Everything looks great! Bummer you didn't get the spiciness you were looking for. I have never has wasabi. My daughter said it is like horseradish, which i have never cared for. Maybe I will have to give it a try. Your potato salad sounds so good. I love potatoes.

I have to agree with you and roasted veggies. They are the best. Your look wonderful and very tasty.

Yes it is GREAT, to be a VEGAN!!!

bazu said...

Thai falafel?? SO awesome- just for that, I have to visit Austin!

And your wasabi meal looks so tasty and refreshing and cool- I'm sorry it wasn't as spicy as you were hoping, but still looks fantastic. I'm a sucker for potato salads, especially, what a new twist on that!

Yay, you liked the brownies! That recipe was such a helpful find for me.

Hope your weekend went well!

Judy said...

It's amazing how reading your blog always makes me crave vegetables. Always. I think that means you're doing a really great job!

Anonymous said...

mmm for everything, but i'm very curious about thai flafels... that sounds interesting!

Kati said...

You can use carob powder in place of cocoa powder in any baking recipe. Like UV said, you could make brownies. The possibilities are endless!

Wasabi mustard and wasabi tamari sound very intriguing...and since they're not too spicy, I may just be able to eat them. I'll keep an eye out.

Yup, it is great to be vegan!

scottishvegan said...

Yay! It is so great to be vegan! Your roasted veg look so good! I am quite in to roasted veg these days. I must try yellow squash…

erica said...

Oh I thought I commented dangit! For some reason your blog doens't like my comments.

The avocado salad looks exavtly perfect in every way (like Mary Poppins!)

I used to make a carob pudding with silken tofu, cashew butter, stevia and carob powder. Good stuff. And I love falafels, there are some in my freezer I never ate and I miss them :(

aTxVegn said...

Thanks for the carob powder ideas, everybody.

Judy, thank you so much. You made my day!'

Bazu, come on down!

Vicki's Vegan Vice said...

It is great to be vegan, and especially at your house! Can't wait to see what you do with the vegetable crokscrews - they are already pretty!

Emmy said...

The Thai Falafel sandwich sounds like something I'd love. What a neat find :)

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