Cauliflower, ramen and bibimbap
Buenos días, happy Wednesday and welcome to all new subscribers!
I'm just back from a trip to Mexico City, where I'm happy to report plant-based eating is trending possibly just as strongly as it is here. It's not that I'd had trouble finding veg food there on previous visits, but this time, menus at several restaurants were marked up with handy leaf icons or "vegano" tags. (I also confess to sipping a golden latte made with coconut milk at one coffee shop we visited after caffeine o'clock.)
At Azul Histórico, for instance, they were serving a special Yucatán menu that included sikil pak, a Mayan dip made of pumpkin seeds that I'd never tried before.
This is on my to-make list, perhaps based on this recipe, or this one from Food & Wine (though the one in the restaurant had a much thinner consistency). One catch is that the pumpkin seeds there are the long fat kind, not the little flat ones I always find in Canada, and the flavour is milder, perhaps sweeter and with less bitterness? Does anyone know where to find them in Toronto?
The not-a-recipe
It was around the time of #caulifloweristhenewkale that I tried this Bon Appétit recipe for Parmesan-Roasted Cauliflower and it became a staple, though the truth is it devolved into a much simpler (read: lazier) version: cauliflower florets tossed in olive oil, salt and pepper then roasted at 425-ish (my oven is unreliable) until done, usually between 30 and 45 minutes. I do not use a full 3 tbsp of olive oil, probably more like 1/2 tbsp.
To make this more than a side dish, I like to serve it in a sort of Middle Eastern inspired way: brown rice + chickpeas + cauliflower + a simple lemon-tahini sauce. (That's fresh lemon juice, tahini, water and salt stirred together until smooth, maybe with some minced garlic.) When I have them, I'll toast some pine nuts and sprinkle on top. And of course, one vegetable for dinner isn't enough: a green salad or some raw veg like red pepper and carrot sticks will round it out.
The Korean-ish at home
I love bibimbap, but I don't love the proportions it tends to be served in at restaurants. (Not enough vegetables, tons of white rice and way too much oil.) Then I discovered how easy it is to make at home (minus, alas, the stone bowl). We went by this recipe the first time and now kind of wing it based on what vegetables and grains we have in the house, though I do adore the kale and shiitake combo. Baked tofu cubes are a nice addition or a substitution for the eggs. (Based on a recipe from the Rebar cookbook, I toss them with soy sauce and sesame oil and bake at 350 for 15 minutes.)
Gochujang, a spicy and flavourful Korean sauce, is the essential ingredient. It's easy to find in a place like Toronto where there are Korean grocers everywhere, and I'm sure you can order it online if you're not in a multicultural metropolis, but if you need to fake it, Tavanberg developed this DIY recipe for Sobeys a couple of years ago. And don't forget the kimchi!
The zero-waste breakfast
I can't keep cereal in my house because I will eat it for every meal until it's gone. But when I have house guests, I've gotten into making this stovetop muesli from the blog Zero Waste Chef. It's easily adaptable based on what you have in your cupboards, way easier to make than an oven granola (and with far less sugar and fat), but tastier than a plain muesli.
The endorsement
Do people still ask if you can get enough protein on a plant-based diet? Because of course you can. That said, it's also easy and far too common to make vegetarian and especially vegan meals that are not high enough in protein. If you've ever been forced to have nothing but pasta primavera for dinner and been starving an hour later, you know what I mean. Canadians on average eat plenty of protein, far more than we need. But for a meal to be satiating, it needs a good balance of protein, carbs and fat.
Societies that have a history of eating this way tend to rely on legumes (think tofu, tempeh, lentils, chickpeas and peanuts) or eggs and dairy. And I try to do the same, for the most part. But I also keep my freezer stocked with some fake meat products for those times when I need a quick option. They're processed foods, so I don't think we should depend on them, but they're handy to have around.
Unfortunately, a lot of fake meat products are kind of awful. But there are two staples I rely on for three reasons: 1. They have a good protein-to-calorie ratio; 2. They have a neutral flavour (no gross sugary sauces) so they go with just about everything; and 3. They have good taste and texture. One is the Yves Veggie Meatballs (the frozen ones, not refrigerated), which I am linking to via Walmart because for some reason they aren't on the Yves site. The other is the Gardein Crispy Tenders. Serve with a dipping sauce and some vegetables and you've got a quick and easy meal.
Behind the paywall
I was an early subscriber to Milk Street Magazine and I've had consistently good results with their recipes, though for selfish reasons I do wish fewer of them contained meat. (TBH I find the writing not that great, unfortunately, though at least the culturally appropriative tone of early issues seems to have disappeared.) I appreciate their ad-free business model and they put a lot of work into their content, so it's more than worth paying for. (I do see the magazine on newsstands a lot as well as special issues if you want to sample before you commit.)
One recipe of theirs I've made again and again is this Yellow Split Pea Curry, which is actually based on a dish at Vij's in Vancouver.
The dinner date
The best veg ramen I've ever had was in Tokyo, at T's Tantan.
The second best, so far, is at Isshin here in Toronto. My go-to is the spicy red miso, though I haven't tried the roasted garlic yet.
The request
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