Thursday, October 11, 2007

Appetizers Take 3

Way "too vegan" to serve to regular folks. But man, sure was tasty. I guess I'll just go with the phyllo cups and mini lemon cupcakes. Thanks for all of your feedback!

Ginger Soy marinated and grilled Tofu skewers with Thai peanut dipping sauce:
Ginger Soy Marinade:
1/3 cup soysauce or tamari
1/3 cup rice vinegar
1/3 cup water
1 tsp ground ginger

Mix it all up and use as a marinade. Tofu should only marinate for about 30 minutes or it gets too salty.
I just took one block of extra firm tofu, drained and pressed, and sliced it into 6 pieces, and then cut those six peces in half. (See the diagram.) I then marinated the slices for 30 minutes and placed them on the skewers. Then on an indoor grill (a bbq would be fine too) I grilled each side of the skewer for about 1-2 minutes and then flipped it over to the next side. 4 turns total.



Simple Thai Peanut Sauce:
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup peanut oil
1/3 cup chopped green onions
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp dried red pepper flakes

Put it all in the blender and puree until smooth.


Curry Couscous stuffed mushrooms:


Curry Couscous Stuffed Mushrooms:
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup couscous
8 oz mushrooms
1 medium yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp yellow curry powder
1 tbsp parsley flakes
1 tsp garam masala
Sea Salt & Fresh Cracked Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350. Carefully remove the stems from the mushrooms. Reserve stems, chop and saute in the olive oil in a pan along with the onions and garlic until fragrant, about 7-10 minutes. Bring water to boil. Add couscous, reduce heat and stir until all water is absorbed. Add in the sauteed mixture, curry, garam masala, salt and pepper. Mix together well. Stuff into the hollowed out mushrooms and bake for about 15 minutes. Eat the leftover couscous mixture for dinner!

9 comments:

radioactivegan said...

just two words: yuh-mee. Okay, that was corny, but those appetizers look delicious. All of your offerings have looked amazing. I wish I could enjoy them.

mustardseed said...

Hi Joni! Tofu on sticks look good..but how do you prepare the tofu? From the raw block to the perfect skewers. Oh and is it a big problem if I can't find the dried red pepper flakes?

Joni Marie Newman said...

mustardseed,
I just took one block of extra firm tofu, drained and pressed, and sliced it into 6 pieces, and then cut those six peces in half. (See the diagram I added to the post.) I then marinated the slices for 30 minutes and placed them on the skewers. Then on an indoor grill (a bbq would be fine too) I grilled each side of the skewer for about 1-2 minutes and then flipped it over to the next side. 4 turns total.

If you don't have red pepper flakes...no big deal. The sauce just won't be as spicy.

mustardseed said...

Thanks for the diagrams! Oh the meat version of the tofu skewers with peanut sauce is called "satay" in Singapore, the Malay traditional dish is made up of chicken, beef or mutton pieces on skewer stick thingies with a huge bowl of peanut sauce and plain rice cakes wrapped in banana leaves. Thanks again for the recipe, I never thought I'll get to enjoy satay again!

(And the tofu skewers look so cute with all the dark brown streaks across them...)

mustardseed said...

I don't mean to sound like a health freak, but is it possible to use water instead of peanut oil? I kinda thought there's enough oil in the peanut butter already.

Joni Marie Newman said...

Mustard...true, there is a lot of oil in peanut butter. Try it with water, I can't guarantee your outcome to be much tastier than watery peanut butter, though... What if you reduce the oil by half and use veggie stock or even plain soy milk instead? It is certainly a high fat and very rich sauce, but keep in mind, it's just an appetizer, and you would really only eat maybe a couple of tablespoons of sauce.

Melisser; the Urban Housewife said...

YUM! I need to make those tofu skewers.

mustardseed said...

Ooh soymilk sounds good. I'll try one with water and one with half soymilk half oil and the other with veggie stock?

mustardseed said...

Okay I just made mine about hald an hour ago. They turned out great in my microwave oven grill setting, and though the grill marks weren't as distinct, at least they were there. I'm gonna try eating this with tahini sauce that I made on monday...I'm not sure if tahini will go well with the tofu though.

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All recipes written by me, Joni Marie Newman, unless otherwise noted. Please feel free to refer to or link back to any of my recipes, but please ask for permission, and remember to give credit when reprinting recipes in their entirety. I do provide links to affiliate programs (such as Amazon) in which I receive a small commission for items purchased. I do not provide paid reviews. All reviews done on products or books are of my own unsolicited opinion. On occasion I may receive a book or product to review. I will note when this is the case, but rest assured, it will not affect the authenticity of my review. Thanks!--Joni