I’ve been experimenting with refrigerator lemon pickles for a couple of years now. Tonight I wanted to work with lemon and other Japanese flavors, but didn’t have any preserved lemons in the fridge. Rather than put off using up some fresh shiso I had on hand, I decided to experiment with using other methods to infuse lemon flavors, plus make a garnish of the fresh lemon as well.

First I sliced up a large lemon in very thin slices. You might want a mandoline to get very thin slices, but it can be done with a very sharp knife (I used my nakiri). I layered the slices onto a plate then layered thick slices of extra-firm, water-packed tofu I’d pressed for 40 minutes, on top of the lemons. I sprinkled on a little Alaea salt and black sesame seeds. I let this sit for 15 minutes.

I heated up a cast iron skillet on medium-low heat and added a few tablespoons of avocado oil and let it heat up. I put the tofu sesame-side down into the hot oil and then layered the sliced lemons over the top of the tofu. It seared in a covered pan for 12 minutes before removing the lemon slices (reserve), spraying the tofu with oil, and flipping the slices over. Lemon slices where placed back onto the tofu slices and pan covered to let tofu sear for another 12 minutes.

I removed the lemon slices and set aside. Into the pan I poured half of a mix of rice wine vinegar, tamari, red miso, and mirin over the tofu and let the liquid reduce in the pan. Once all liquid had reduced I removed tofu from the pan and added back in the lemon slices. These were spread out in the bottom of the pan to sear lightly for a couple of minutes before turning to sear on the other side. Once both sides had seared I added the rest of the sauce I’d mixed and let it reduce with the lemons.

The whole thing was presented with the hot lemon relish topping the seared sesame tofu and a chiffonade of fresh shiso.

There was also some summer squash chips made with thin slices of patty-pan squash tossed with dried cilantro, avocado oil, and Alaea salt. These roasted on a pan in the oven on convection setting, 235 degrees.

All this was accompanied with brown rice tossed with lemon zest and shiso.

We ate all of it. It was amazing. There will be recipes.

** Update May 25, 2012 **

Wow! I’m blown away that this recipe won the Lunch/Dinner category for the So Much to Love Givaway from So Delicious Dairy Free! I’m being treated to a BIG shopping spree as my prize – there’s sure to be a blog post about my purchases later.

The last of my recipes for the So Much to Love Givaway from So Delicious Dairy Free this May! A This recipe is a soy and gluten-free take on a good comfort food.

Since the cheezy sauce for this dish is already soy and gluten-free, choosing a brown rice pasta just continues the theme. While I’m fortunate not have an intolerance or allergy to either soy or gluten, I like to have some recipes to rely upon to make for others. I also really enjoy brown rice pasta, so I use it in most of my pasta dishes.

The richness of the sauce comes from blending raw cashews that have soaked in hot water. I think of this as something of a special occasion dish, but when it is paired with a big pile of veggies it makes for just the kind of hearty, rich meal I want on a cold winter’s night. Sometimes I like to make a little extra of the tasty sauce and add a bunch of steamed broccoli in when the pasta gets mixed in and make a casserole.

The Stuff

• 1/2 c raw cashews soaked in 1/2 c hot water
• 1 c almond milk
• 2 T cornstarch
• 1/2 c fine flake nutritional yeast
• 1/2 t granulated garlic
• 1/4 t turmeric
• 1 t dried marjoram
• 1/8 t mustard powder (a nice pinch)
• freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 8 oz brown rice pasta (elbows, penne, rigatoni, etc.)
• 1 t chickpea miso (soy free)

The Making

Start cashews soaking in the half cup of hot water in your blender jar. Cashews need to soak for at least 10 minutes.

Preheat oven to 325 Fahrenheit.

Bring water in a larger saucepan to a boil. Add pasta and cook according to the directions on the packaging. Once pasta has finished cooking, drain and rinse in cold water to stop it cooking. Retain 2 tablespoons of the pasta water in the saucepan.

In the blender jar add almond milk, miso, and spices. Begin blending on a medium speed until the cashews are incorporated with the almond milk and water in a smooth mixture. About 3-5 minutes depending upon the type of blender you have.

With the blender still processing, remove the center cap of the lid and add in the cornstarch. Once the cornstarch has incorporated add the nutritional yeast in a slow pour. Continue to process for at another minute longer.

Return saucepan and 2 tablespoons of pasta water to a medium heat. Pour in sauce from blender and stir. As the sauce heats it will begin to thicken, keep stirring at regular intervals to make sure it doesn’t stick. Once it reaches a thick consistency, about 2-3 minutes, pour back in the pasta and stir to cover. Let pasta sit in sauce on medium, for an addition 5 minutes to thicken, stirring occasionally.

Pour pasta and sauce mix into a 8×8 baking dish that’s been lightly sprayed with Canola oil. Bake casserole for 5 minutes at 325. Then flip on low broil setting and broil for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and very lightly spray top of casserole with Canola oil. Return to low broil for another 4 minutes, tuning half-way through, until golden on top. Let stand a few minutes before serving.

You can skip the last step of baking/broiling if you’re in a hurry. Just be sure the pasta and sauce are thoroughly heated through in the saucepan before serving. It really takes about the same time and the sauce thickens up very nicely in the oven. I sometimes throw 3-4 cups of steamed broccoli in along with the pasta and serve it once the sauce thickens, after about 7-10 minutes.

Serves 4

Nutritional Info

Serving Size: 1 cup
Calories: 429
Total Fat: 15 g
Saturated Fat: 2 g
Sodium: 75 mg
Carbohydrates: 63 g
Dietary Fiber: 6 g
Sugars: 5 g
Protein: 19 g

Yet another example of a stew/soup experiment that turned out so well, I had to put a recipe together!

This stew started out as a kind of “get out of my fridge” project after Thanksgiving. We get a big produce delivery every Monday and by Sunday I’m often trying to figure out a dish to use up as many veggies as possible. I also like to make a really big batch of something and we often have it as our lunches or a quick dinner during the week.

Aside from being just the kind of hearty, hot dish you want on a cold night, this stew is packed with vitamins and minerals and the French herbs pair beautifully with the veggies and navy beans. By the time the cooking is done the yams melt and the result is a thick, golden stew dotted with kale, parsley and carrots.

My favorite version is the one that is given, with lots of kale and fresh parsley. I’ve made a variation, pictured, with fresh thyme and white cabbage because that’s what I happened to have on hand that week. The cabbage & thyme variation is also really lovely, but I find it a bit sweeter.

The Stuff

• 3 cups dry navy beans
• 2 large leeks, whites only, sliced in quarter-inch rounds
• 2 medium red onions, half-inch dice
• 4 cloves garlic, diced small
• 3 large carrots, diced
• 4 large stalks celery, diced
• 4 small yams, diced
• 1 t Herbes de Provence
• 1 t dried thyme
• 2 large Bay leaves
• 8 cups water
• 1/3 c nutritional yeast
• 1 T champagne vinegar
• 1/2 c chopped, fresh parsley
• 1 large bunch of kale, stemmed and chopped up
• 2 T white miso
• freshly ground black pepper
• sea salt, to taste

The Making

Pressure Cooker Method:

Pre-cook navy beans in pressure cooker while you prep all the other ingredients. Plan to under cook the beans, only 14-15 minutes at full pressure. Let the pressure release normally. Drain and set aside.

While the beans cook prep all the vegetables.

After the pressure cooker is free, rinse out, dry and put back on stove on medium-high heat. When the pot is hot again, lightly spray bottom with canola oil and add the onions. Saute 5 minutes, until translucent, add garlic and saute another few minutes until the garlic becomes very fragrant.

Add the celery, carrots and leeks into the pot. Continue to saute in the pan for an additional five minutes. Add the yams, thyme, Herbes de Provence, and Bay leaves. Stir together well. Add in par-cooked beans and water, stir once more, and seal the pressure cooker.

Once cooker is at high heat set timer for 7 minutes. Use the release valve to reduce pressure and unlock the lid (it is also fine to just let it come down & unlock naturally).

Stir in the nutritional yeast, pepper, salt, vinegar, parsley and kale. Simmer on low heat for five minutes. Remove from heat and mix in the miso.

Stove-top Method:

The main difference is that you’ll soak the beans overnight and drain them. Once you add them back in, you’ll need to reduce the heat to low and simmer for 45 minutes, or until the beans are tender. Then follow the steps to add in the kale, fresh parsley, etc.

Serve in a big bowl and add some kind of grainy thing if you want. Rice, whole grain bread, crackers…

Makes 20 servings (freeze some, give some away!)

Nutrition Details

Serving Size: 1 cup
Calories: 188
Total Fat: 1.2g
Sodium: 146 mg
Carbohydrates: 36g
Dietary Fiber: 11g
Sugars: 3g
Protein: 11g

Also filed under the category of “Too Simple for a Recipe” is a very basic miso and citrus glaze I use a lot. Well, in interest of not assuming that this stuff is obvious to everyone, here’s a very quick recipe.

The Stuff

• 1/3 c. freshly squeezed citrus juice (lemon, orange, lime, grapefruit…)
• 2 T miso
• freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 1/2 t freshly ground ginger, optional
• drizzle of sesame oil, optional

The Making

Whisk together all ingredients in a small dish. Use as a glaze for grilling or a sauce for stir-fries. Also makes a nice dipping sauce.

Yep, that’s as hard as it gets. Get whisking!

A note about miso… red miso will give this a darker, savory note. White or chickpea miso will make this very light, salty and slightly sweet. Go crazy, experiment!

Honestly, I really don’t like mushrooms. I may be willing to use some shitakes in making my dashi, but generally I don’t have much like for them. That said, the endless list of mushroom based gravies haven’t exactly inspired me. I like gravy, but I don’t really want mushroomy stuff. This past autumn, in time for all the mashed potato goodness of Thanksgiving I came up with the following gravy. Finally, here is the recipe (didn’t realize I hadn’t posted it yet).

The Stuff

• 1 good sized shallot, minced
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 3 Tablespoons whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 cup soy milk
• 2 Tablespoons white or red miso
• Fresh pepper

The Making

Heat a sauce pan over medium-high heat and add olive oil. When oil is hot add minced shallot and fry in oil until well caramelized. In a small dish combine soy milk and flour, whisk well to make sure they are combined. Pour slowly into oil and caramelized shallots, reduce heat to medium-low and whisk to incorporate. Add in miso, whisking it in well, and freshly ground pepper. Let continue to simmer, whisking occasionally, until the gravy is a desired thickness.

A nice variation is to add in 1/4 cup of chopped up, fresh parsley at the end. This is wonderfully tasty.

Too thick? Add a little more soy milk, slowly.

Too thin? Sprinkle in more flour, a little at a time, and whisk well until it it the desired thickness.

**Update as of September 22, 2010**

I have made this using brown rice flour in place of wheat as well as rice milk in place of soy – making this gravy both gluten and soy free.

I’ve also tried this using only a little spray canola oil to saute the scallions and no additional oil. This has worked just perfectly as well and makes for a almost fat-free gravy!

I really file this one under the category of “Too Easy to Need a Recipe”, however, I’ve been reminded repeatedly that to people who don’t cook as often and/or do not have the level of experience & confidence that I do in the kitchen, this dish does not appear easy. In light of that, here’s my favorite stir-fry with a few variations.

This does require some Asian ingredients. These can often be found at your “regular” market, however, if you have an Asian community it is worth the trek to an Asian market for these ingredients so that you have them on hand. They will be far less expensive and you’ll also have the chance to shop for lovely things like steamed rice buns stuffed with mustard greens (or pumpkin, tofu & celery, etc.), delicious Asian veggies & fresh herbs including bamboo shoots in water (as opposed to canned/pickled), dried tofu skin, and other great things you won’t find in an American market.

The Shopping List

• Hoisin Sauce (often mistakenly referred to as “plum sauce”, this is a must-have)
• Mushroom Sauce (a.k.a. “vegetarian oyster sauce”)
• Sweet Chili Sauce
• Mirin (a sweet cooking wine)
• White Miso
• Rice Vinegar
• Seasoned Rice Vinegar (a.k.a. “Sushi Vinegar”)
• Sriracha (a.k.a. “Rooster Sauce”)
• Peanut Oil
• Tomato Paste in a Tube

The Stuff

This is where you can truly be creative. Stir-fries and soup are the best way to use up the veggies you have on hand. Some work better than others, but if you just choose an assortment of what you have on hand and know you enjoy, the dish will be delicious.

Plan on having 3 or more cups of vegetables sliced or diced into relatively small, bite-size pieces. If you are using a kind of green that will cook down you will want to use at least 3 cups of the fresh greens cleaned that have been shredded/tore roughly. Consider using some of the following:

• carrots
• celery
• beets (roots & greens)
• chard (stems removed, diced and sauteed ahead of the greens)
• kale
• spinach
• broccoli (crowns & stems)
• rapini
• rabe (broccoli, Brussel sprouts, etc.)
• snow peas with pods
• green beans
• cauliflower
• bell peppers
• daikon
• winter squash
• summer squash
• bok choi
• …getting the idea here?

• Add some aromatics:
  
  • onion
  • leek
  • garlic
  • shallot
  • ginger
  • Thai basil (e.g., Siam Queen basil)
  • Shiso leaves
  • Kefir lime leaves (for a very Thai flavor)
  • fresh coriander (cilantro)
  • fresh chilies

• Then pick one of the following:
  
  • 8 oz firm or extra firm tofu, cubed
  • 8 oz tempeh, cubed
  • 8 oz aduki beans, chick peas or other legume

The Making

Several variations here for you to experiment with. All, variations start by heating a tablespoon each of canola and peanut oils in a wok on medium high (use all canola if you have a peanut allergy). When oil is hot and forms ribbons on the bottom of the wok add in the onions. As the onions start to soften, about 3 minutes, add in garlic and/or shallot. If you are using leeks instead of onions saute the garlic and/or shallots first and add leeks when the garlic starts to soften. If you want to use fresh ginger, add it a minute after the garlic/shallot. If you are using tofu or tempeh, add it in next and stir-fry until some of the sides turn slightly golden.

Add in vegetables to onions and stir-fry at medium high for a few minutes. Reduce heat to medium low, add 2 tablespoons of water, and cover with lid. If you are using greens, do not add these in yet. Let the vegetables cook for 5 minutes, remove lid and stir. If they have brightened and have started to soften any greens can be added in next. If you are using legumes like aduki or chick peas, add them in too. Toss well and then add one of the sauce variations below:

Basic Stir-fry

Add 2 tablespoons each of hoisin and mushroom sauces and a dash of vinegar. Toss well with vegetables, cover and let cook on low for 5 more minutes. Nice served with Thai basil or fresh coriander as a garnish.

This variation reminds me a little of the basic brown sauce seen in some Vietnamese dishes, particularly if I caramelize the onions & garlic a bit first.

Sweet & Sour

Whisk together a tablespoon each of hoisin, mirin, vinegar, sweet chili sauce, water and tomato paste, add to vegetables, toss well, and cook on medium-low heat for 5 additional minutes. Toss vegetables in sauce often to help reduce liquid in sauce.

This has a more distinctly SE Asian flavor than a standard American/Chinese dish.

Thai-Style

*Kefir lime leaves should be added to the stir-fry when the vegetables are first added to any onion or garlic. Once the vegetables are tender, add 2 tablespoons each hoisin and mushroom sauces, a tablespoon sweet chili sauce, and the juice from half a lime. Toss well with vegetables, cover and let cook on low for 5 more minutes. Remove lime leaves before serving with Thai basil as garnish.

If you want to go extra crazy, chop up a stalk of lemongrass, smash with side of knife and add that in at the beginning as well. Remove chunks when the lime leaves come out.

Japanese Style

Whisk together a tablespoon each of tamari, mirin and white miso. Toss well with vegetables, cover and let cook on low for 5 more minutes. Garnish lightly with shiso leaves cut into very fine ribbons and furikake.

Kind of a sweet stir-fry as well. Also nice with a very small dash of sesame oil.

Serve stir-fry with brown rice, quinoa, steamed buns, rice noodles or just by itself. For 3-4 people.

The Stuff

• 1 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 medium shallot, diced fine
• 1 carrot, cut on bias in thin slices
• 1 medium head of broccoli, stem removed (and saved for later) and cut into small florets
• A few pieces of wakame, snipped into small pieces
• 3 cups vegan dashi
• 1 cup water
• 1/3 cup red miso
• 8 oz fresh udon noodles
• 4 oz age tofu, sliced very thinly

The Making

In one soup pot bring water to boil and add udon noodles. Simmer udon noodles for time indicated on package. Noodles should still be quite firm. We have often use rice udon, obtained fresh from a SE Asian market, and like them a lot. When noodles are cooked, drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process. Drain well and put into bottom of soup bowls.

Saute shallot on medium-high heat in another soup pot with canola oil until softened and slightly browned, about 5 minutes or less. Add in dashi, water, carrots, broccoli florets, and wakame. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until vegetables are just tender, about 8 minutes. Reduce heat to low and add miso. Stir well to incorporate miso fully. Do not boil!

Top noodles with the thinly sliced age. Ladle hot miso broth and veggies over the noodles and tofu. Garnish your favorite type of Furikake, sesame seeds, and shredded shiso leaves, if you like, and serve immediately.

Hotpot stews, like gomamiso-yosenabe, are a type of winter dish popular in Japan. I’d had one of Napa cabbage, glass noodles and dumplings when I ate at Cha Ya in San Francisco in 2008 and loved it. With the bounty of this year’s winter squash harvest (thanks to Christie’s insistence on growing it) I wanted to go a different direction with the squash stews I’d been making and thought it would be fun & tasty to use red miso and sesame to make a rich, Japanese inspired hearty dish.

The Stuff

• 2 Tablespoons canola or olive oil
• 1 medium red onion, diced
• 2 large cloves garlic, minced
• 4 carrots, cut into thick rounds
• 2 large stalks celery, diced
• 4 cups winter squash cut into 1-2″ cubes
• 1 28oz can Muir Glen fire-roasted, diced tomatoes
• 1/2 cup red miso
• 1 Tablespoon black sesame seeds (white is fine, black is more dramatic)
• 4 cups cooked Aduki beans
• 1 medium head Savoy-style cabbage chopped into large pieces
• 2 Tablespoons toasted sesame oil
• 2 Tablespoons brown rice vinegar
• 8 cups water or broth

The Making

Saute onions on medium-high heat in a large metal pot with canola oil until the onions begin to go translucent (about 5 minutes), then add garlic. Continue to saute the garlic and onions until they begin to brown (about 5 more minutes) then add in carrots, celery and winter squash. Saute all veggies together for 5 minutes, add sesame seeds, and 8 cups of water or broth. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer together until squash is tender (20 – 40 minutes depending upon type of squash used).

Once the winter squash is tender add into the pot, remove a cup or two of the broth and mix with miso, then pour in and stir. Add the cooked Aduki beans, chopped cabbage, the Muir Glen diced tomatoes, rice vinegar, and sesame oil. Cover pot and simmer for 15 additional minutes to allow beans to absorb flavor and for cabbage to cook completely.

Serve stew with a steamed grain (brown rice or barley) or some crusty, whole-grain bread.

**I make this with great success in the pressure cooker. Instead of reducing heat to simmer, put lid on and bring up to pressure, then reduce heat & set timer. Using Delicata squash it takes 7 minutes. Hubbard squash take more like 9 minutes on full pressure. After that step I add the pressure cooked veggies into another pot containing the cabbage, beans and sesame oil. The intense heat of the pressure cooked veggies pretty much cooks the cabbage immediately.

We’d received a nice eggplant from Oragnics to You, but since I’m really alone in my appreciation for eggplant, so this became my lunch one Monday afternoon.

Although I used eggplant in this dish you can use any vegetable to accompany the tofu.

The Stuff

• 1 small eggplant, sliced into 1/2″ thick slices
• 8 1/3″ slices of extra firm tofu, patted dry
• Nutritional yeast
• Garlic pepper
• Maple, miso sesame glaze
• Canola oil (spray works best)

The Making

Heat cast-iron grill pan at medium heat and set oven to low broil. When cast-iron is hot, reduce heat to medium-low

Lightly sprinkle one side of the tofu and eggplant slices with nutritional yeast and garlic pepper. Spray sprinkled sides with canola oil and transfer, oiled side down, to heated grill pan. When ready to flip, sprinkle top sides with more nutritional yeast, garlic pepper, and spray with canola oil first.

Transfer the grilled tofu and eggplant a broiling pan. Liberally coat the top sides with the maple, miso, sesame glaze and put in oven to broil for 5-7 minutes. Tops should be browned as the glaze caramelizes under the broiler.

Pair with brown rice or other hearty grain. Serves 4.

I like to add this glaze to grilled veggies, tofu & tempeh. I apply liberally on top then throw into the broiler for 5-7 minutes until it all caramelizes up nicely.

The Stuff

• 3 T. white miso
• 2 T. maple syrup
• 1/2 t. canola oil
• 1/2 – 1 t. sesame seeds
• 2 t. hot water

The Making

Whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl and either brush or spoon onto veggies, tofu, tempeh, etc. Use glaze as either a sauce for grilling or apply and broil food on low for about 5-7 minutes until glaze caramelizes and thickens further.