My first sushi!

Why have I not made sushi before? It is so super duper easy! A few weekends ago the Radical Cheerleaders for AR had a fundraiser party, and one of the squad members made a ton of sushi for it. I was inspired when I heard how cheap it was!

A few pointers:

Rice Vinegar is a must. Just cook your sushi rice in a rice cooker, then mix in about 2 T. of the vinegar. Voila!
Use some Tofutti Cream Cheese. I forgot I had it in the fridge until I was on my 2nd roll!
Don't buy wasabi in a tube. It's weird. The powdered kind is actually good, just mix it with water to make a paste.
Have a little container of water nearby when rolling to rinse the sticky rice off your fingers. It will also help to seal up the end.
Play around with the arrangement of rice and veggies. I never figured out how to get the veggies in the middle instead of on the side, but I will! Have fun!

Ready to roll!

My first couple rolls

So cute! Except for the weird wasabi! haha

Don't forget dessert! Strawberries and bananas with leftover ganache from VWAV Raspberry Blackout Cake. And a boozy concoction of coffee liquor, vodka, and chocolate almond milk :)

A couple nights later, Jesse made some fancy sushi that put mine to shame! haha Behold:

So pretty! That's baked tofu and marinated tempeh on the nigiri, and miso soup on the side :)

Nigiri close up

Have a great week, everyone! xoxo Chelsea

Tofu memories

I tend to think about random things in the shower, and today what should pop into my head but the first time I ate tofu! I was 13, a fairly new vegetarian, and lived off of salad with ranch dressing, cheese pizza, and jo-joes. To make a long story short, my home was not a happy place, and I usually used babysitting money to buy my own food or ate meals at friend's houses. One of my newer friends, Alicia, had been raised vegetarian and I always got a good meal at her house!
One evening I was over and they decided to go out to dinner and invited me along. I was surprised to learn that we were going to a Chinese Restaurant because I thought that all Chinese food had meat in it. Luckily, Alicia's mom ordered the food because I didn't know what any of it was, and when it came there were all these plates of weird vegetables and a few plates with these big chunks of whitish stuff that I didn't recognize. I remember being a little embarrassed and wanting to just eat plain rice, but they told me it was just made out of beans and tasted like the sauce so I tried it.
And just like that, I was converted into a tofu lover! I didn't eat it often until I was in college and had my own kitchen to cook in (there weren't veg restaurants around Portland when I was in high school), and it's been a staple in my diet ever since. I really need one of those shirts that says "I &hearts tofu!"



P.S. Alicia's still one of my best friends. Awww!
That's us in May at the Sasquatch Festival :)

Baked tofu, mashed potatoes, and kale

Holy jeepers Batman, I think this was one of the best meals I've ever made! I am never buying pre-baked tofu again! I had no idea it's so easy to make! Wowza! Alright, I think I can calm down...

At the Farmers Market on Saturday, one of the larger veggie vendors was cooking up some yummy veggies, and one of the delicious things I sampled was kale and shallots, sauteed in olive oil with a little balsamic thrown in at the end. I'm a chard girl, but I couldn't resist!

The mashed potatoes are my basic recipe of boiled potatoes mashed with Earth Balance, Tofutti Sour Supreme, and garlic. I also had a little pesto left over from the market, so I threw that in, too.

On to the best part of the meal - that beautiful tofu! I looked at a bunch of recipes on vegweb, and settled on the tried and true Simple Baked Tofu. I had all the ingredients on hand, except I ran out of balsamic so I substituted some sesame oil for the 1 T. that I was short and I omitted the salt. This was such an easy recipe, and just turned out so delicious! I used foil on a cookie sheet, and flipped the tofu halfway into baking. If you don't already have a favorite marinade for baking tofu, try this one out! You won't regret it! :)

My plating was inspired by The Farm Cafe and their tofu marsala. Aren't I a fancy pants with my square plates? haha Jesse got them for me last Christmas and I was all pissed because I wanted him to get me a cool antique ring (we didn't do wedding rings, so he kinda owes me), but I got fucking dishes! I really love them, though. Don't tell! haha

Another delicious angle...

Yum yum yummy!

Friends with cars - gotta love 'em!

Yesterday I went out to dim sum with two of my good friends. I had never been before, but they assured me there would be something vegan. I think I was the only person in the crowded banquet hall of Legin not eating chicken feet, but I was quite happy with my turnip cakes and spinach and water chestnut dumplings! Afterward, we stopped at Boo Han Korean Market so that my friend could do a little comparison shopping (she owns an Asian grocery store in Hillsboro) and I had lots of fun shopping around. Here is all the stuff I got (for $22.33!):


2 cans of coconut milk, 2 packages of tofu, a huge package of fresh soba noodles, sesame oil, beans sprouts, bok choy, 2 packages of soft tofu (buy one get one free!), panfried tofu (18 large chunks), and nori furikake, a blend of sesame seeds, seaweed, salt, and sugar that you can sprinkle on anything and everything. I read ingredients on about 15 similar bottles before I finally found one that did not have fish sauce or anchovies in it, but it does exist! Woohoo, gimme more vitamin B12!

I have never seen soft tofu packaged this way:
You cut off the tip, and then squeeze out the amount of tofu you need. What a good idea! I plan on using this for smoothies and maybe some chocolate pudding. And who's that taking a bath in the background? Why, it's Zoey, my spoiled kitty cat! I know you want to see her taking a bath up close, right?


Sorry, I couldn't resist! Back to food...

Here's what I had for dinner last night:

It was a very simple meal - I just cooked some soba, tossed it with bean sprouts, sesame oil, a little soy sauce, and topped with the panfried tofu. I had it for lunch today, too! Oh, and berries, of course. :)