grilled "fish" with lemon pine nut sauce

making sure that i get enough protein throughout the week,
i usually snack on nuts mid day. what inspired me to make this dish was experimenting with incorporating nuts into my dishes. since i've recently become a fan of pine nuts, i thought this would be a good time to play with them in my food.

vegan "fish"
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp garlic salt
kosher salt and pepper to taste
olive oil
two lemons
2 tbls vegan mayonnaise
1/2 tsp vegan butter
4-5 stalks of parsely
5 cloves of minced garlic
3 tbls of toasted pine nuts- toast raw pine nuts on medium heat for about 2-3 mins until golden brown. constantly stir pine nuts to avoid burining them.


*grilled fish*

1) in a shallow bowl, marinate "fish" for 30mins in the following ingredients-- paprika, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and lemon juice (1 whole lemon).

2) grill fish for about 3 mins each side.

*lemon pine nut sauce*

1) blend the following ingredients until it becomes a creamy consistency- parsley, mayonnaise, minced garlic, salt, pepper, 2 dashes of paprika, 2 dashes of garlic powder, toasted pine nuts , lemon juice (1 whole lemon), 2- 3 tbls of olive oil.

**shown in photo**
chinese broccoli sauteed in olive oil, minced garlic, and onions.

jufran glazed "chicken" chunks

Jufran is the filipino version of American "ketchup". It is also known as banana ketchup or banana sauce. Unlike the typical American ketchup that is made with tomatoes, Jufran is made with smashed banana, vinegar, sugar, and spices. I use this "ketchup" with all types of foods. It especially goes well with fried chicken!


Ingredients:
soy "chicken" chunks
1/4 cup jufran banana sauce
1/2 cup of pineapple juice
1 tbs cornstarch
salt and pepper to taste
garlic powder





1) season "chicken" chunks with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Pan fry and set aside when in stainer when finished.

2) in a small pot, simmer jufran sauce, pineapple juice, and cornstarch on medium low heat for about 8 minutes. wisk sauce occasionally as it simmers.

3) arrange "chicken" chunks on serving platter and pour jufran glaze over "chicken".

**shown in photo**
steamed asparagus and sliced tomatoes.

garlic mushroom fettuccine

White wine pasta sauce always makes the difference!

7 cloves of crushed garlic
6 medium sized portobello mushrooms sliced
half of a lemon
10 kalamata olives- chopped
1 vegetarian bouillon cube
2/3 cups of white wine
whole wheat fettuccine noodles (half of a package)
olive oil
red chili flakes
flat leaf parsely
1 tbs of vegan butter
olive oil
vegan parmasean cheese


1) Boil water and cook fettuccine noodles. Drain and set aside when cooked.

2) In a large skillet, saute crushed garlic and chopped olives in olive oil and butter on medium heat for 2 minutes. Next, add the portobello mushroom slices and let cook for about 1 min. Add salt, pepper, chili flakes, and lemon juice to taste. Add 2/3 cups of white wine and 1 vegetarian bouillon cube. After about 2 minutes, turn down heat to low and simmer for another 4 minutes.

3) Add cooked fettuccine noodles to sauces and cook for about 2 minutes on medium heat.

4) Garnish with whole olives, vegan parmesan cheese and flat leaf parsley.

**shown in photo**
steamed brussel sprouts.

"fish" tacos

fish tacos are bomb in san diego! the crunchiness of the beer battered fish and the crispiness of the shredded cabbage folded in a soft corn tortilla...yummmmm.

playing with leftovers is a creative, fast, and easy way to crank out a meal when you just don't have the time to cook. yesterday, i made tofu katsu for dinner. with the left over panko breaded tofu, i decided to make some san diego "fish" tacos for dinner.



fried panko breaded tofu
corn tortillas
pico de gallo
cilantro
lime

vegan tartar sauce- mix the following ingredients together
1 tbls vegan mayo
1 tbls relish
1/2 tsp mustard
salt and peper to taste
1/2 tsp lime juice

1) Place friedtofu pieces on warmed corn tortillas, add tartar sauce, a little shredded cabbage, pico de gallo, lime juice, and salt and pepper to taste. garnish with chopped cilantro

**shown in photo**
trader joes vegetarian refried beans topped with shredded soy chedder and jack cheese.

tofu katsu

tonkatsu is a breaded deep fried pork cutlet popular in japanese cuisine. here's my vegan take on this deep fried goodness...

1 package of firm silken tofu
1-2 cups of corn starch for coating
3 tbls of egg replacer
2 cups breadcrumbs (panko)
canola oil for deep frying
shredded white cabbage, for garnish
Lemon wedges, for garnish
Tonkatsu sauce

1) slice tofu 1/4 of an inch thick. you should be able to get about 10 slices from a 14oz package. lightly coat each individual tofu slice with cornstarch on both sides. dip each tofu slice into egg replacer mixture making sure that the tofu is coated thoroughly but not dripping. finally, roll each tofu slice in the panko bread crumbs.

2) heat canola oil in a large frying pan to about 350 degrees. fry the tofu pieces until they turn crisp and golden brown on both sides.


3) serve with lemon, cabbage, and tonkatsu sauce.

* *shown in photo** cabbage is shown with a creamy ginger sesame vinaigrette sauce. to make this i simply mixed 1tsp of ginger sesame vinaigrette with a 1tsp of vegan mayo (veganaise).

itallian stuffed pepper

i found this recipe in a mediterranean cookbook. this recipe calls for zucchini and mushrooms for the stuffing. since i did not have those vegetables on hand, i used what i had in my fridge... sqaush.
** recipe adapted from Mediterranean: 500 Best-Ever Recipes**
2 bell peppers sliced in half lengthways and deseeded.
1 half red onion sliced
8 oz of large diced squash
1/4 cup of tomato puree
3-4 garlic cloves (crushed)
1 medium sized tomato diced
crushed red pepper
italian flat parsley
fresh basil leaves
soy mozzarella cheese
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
vegan parmesan cheese


1) preheat oven to 350 degrees. in a sauce pan, heat 2 tsp of olive oil and saute garlic, onions, and tomatoes. add the sqaush and 1/2 cup of water. cover and cook over medium heat until squash is cooked half way. add tomato puree and parsley and let simmer on low for 8 minutes.

2) place peppers cut-side up in a shallow baking dish and fill pepper with squash vegetable mixture. top vegetable mixture with shredded soy mozzerella cheese.

3) bake with for 20 minutes and garnish with basil and vegan parmesan cheese.

**shown in photo** a simple angel hair marinara pasta.