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CHAPTER 1
FIRE
To make veggie broth, just cheat and use veggie bouillon and water. Increase the amount of bouillon cubes by 50% over what they recommend. Then it tastes like something!
BLAZING TOFU
1 lb. pre-fired tofu cubes or triangles
Quick method — Heat all of the ingredients in a pot and simmer for 20 minutes. Stirring occasionally. Keep the lid on for about half of the cooking time. Adjust seasonings to taste and serve with seasoned rice.
Traditional method — Sauté the onion, garlic, ginger and spices in the oil briefly with some lime juice first before adding everything else. Thicken the sauce with cornstarch if you want to.
For the Seasoned Rice — use long grain basmati, cooking the rice with salt, garlic, onion, cumin seed, saffron, black sesame seeds, mustard seeds, chili powder, and cinnamon to taste.
SALT CUCUMBER
3 cucumbers (cut into strips)
Toss all together in a bowl. Cover and allow to marinate for an hour, stirring occasionally. Serve as the salty side to Blazing Tofu and Seasoned Rice.
CURRIED PINEAPPLE "CREAM CHEESE"
8oz. vegan cream cheese
Mix all together and chill. Adjust to taste and serve as the cool, raita-like accompaniment to Blazing Tofu and Salt Cucumber.
"CHICKEN" YASSA
1 lb. vegan "chicken" (shredded)
Heat oil in a large skillet. Sauté onion and garlic briefly. Add "chicken", curry powder, ginger, chilies, chili powder, saffron, coriander, and a bit of lemon juice. Continue stirring and add a few splashes of soy sauce. Cook for a few more minutes, until "chicken" begins to brown. Add the rest of the ingredients and cook, stirring and adjusting the seasonings until done to your liking. About 8 minutes. Serve with rice, seasoned with lemon and tossed with margarine. Garnish with minced chives and chopped roasted and salted peanuts.
LEMON-LIME AVOCADO SALAD
2 or 3 avocados
Mash avocados with half of the lemon and lime juice. Add salt, black pepper, olive oil, and chili flakes (to taste), along with ½ tsp. chili powder, and minced red chili. Set aside.
Mix black-eyed peas with minced green chili, red bell pepper, white onion, half of the parsley and cilantro, some lemon juice, ginger, rest of the chili powder, salt, and black pepper to taste with some hot sauce and olive oil. Set this aside.
Marinate the shredded lettuce in rice vinegar, salt, and black pepper to taste. Lay a bed of this down on a plate. Follow with a layer of the sliced tomatoes, sprinkled with salt and black pepper. Next some red onion sprinkled with lime juice. Add a scoop each of guacamole and black-eyed pea mixture. Sprinkle with parsley and cilantro, drizzle with lemon or lime juice and chili oil.
FIRE "BEEF"
First, toast ¼ cup sesame seeds and mix with salt to taste; grind into a powder.
For Shish Kebabs — Mix all ingredients in a large bowl and let sit for about 30 minutes or more. Place the "beef", onion, and bell peppers on skewers and grill. Turning and basting with leftover sauce until cooked with grill marks. (Broiling works also, remember to turn them.)
For Stir-Fry — Fry all ingredients together in wok or other large, preferable non-stick pan. Serve over rice, hot mustard, fruit chili sauce, and lemon wedges.
GIANT CRÊPE WITH SPICY DICED VEGGIES AND CASHEW TEMPEH
Crêpe
Mix together dry ingredients in large mixing bowl. Add wet ingredients. Gently incorporate with a whisk to form a batter. Spread ½ cup of batter on a large, greased skillet or flat pan to make a thin 12" to 18" circle over medium heat. Flip once with a large spatula when the bottom side has cooked to a light brown color and cook the other side accordingly. Once crêpes are cooked and cooled slightly, fill with tempeh filling, top with veggie sauce.
Cashew Tempeh
Fry all ingredients in some oil until browned, adding more seasonings as needed.
SPICY DICED VEGETABLE
1 eggplant (diced)
Fry veggies, chilies, salt, and black pepper in oil until soft, about 3-5 minutes, stirring often. Add seasonings, orange juice, coconut milk, basil, and cilantro. Cook for 5 minutes.
If prepared without the intention of using in the crêpe — Top with toasted coconut, mung bean sprouts, chopped peeled cucumber, and chili sauce. Garnish with lime wedges and orange slices.
GREEN PLANTAIN CHIPS
4 unripe plantains salt, black pepper, lime juice, and chili powder (to taste)
Peel and thinly slice the plantains. Soak them in salted water for at least 1 hour. Drain and pat dry. Fry in hot oil until tender. Remove from oil, drain and pat flat. Season with a bit of salt and black pepper and fry again until crispy. Sprinkle with lime juice and dust with chili powder and more salt and black pepper to taste.
SPICY EMPANADAS
1 lb. vegan ground "beef" or shredded "chicken"
Sauté "beef" or "chicken" in oil with onions, garlic, and a bit of soy sauce. Add other ingredients, but using only half of the herbs. Cook until the "meat" is browned. Set aside to cool to room temperature. Make dough.
Dough
Sift dry ingredients together, cut in margarine. Add cold water and form into dough. Allow to sit in fridge for a little while. Form into desired number of balls. Roll out ¼" think (thinner if you can) circles on a floured board. Stuff each with a couple Tbsp. filling, fold over and crimp the edges, deep fry until browned. Drain on absorbent paper and dust with chili powder. Serve with Spicy Herb Sauce.
Spicy Herb Sauce
Puree all until smooth. Add a bit of liquid if necessary. Serve with Empanadas.
MIXED SALAD A LITTLE BENT
1 head of boston lettuce (cut into strips)
Marinate the onion slices in some balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, olive oil, and salt (or tamari) for a little while. Set aside.
Peel and pit the avocados and mash them in a bowl with some lemon juice, salt, red pepper flakes, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar to taste. Stir in the vegan mayonnaise and mix well. Set aside.
Toss all of your greens in a salad bowl with a little salt. Add the mango and grapes and a bit of sugar if you wish. Pour in most of the dressing and toss, coating evenly. Place the pepper rings on top and pour the rest of the dressing over this. With a slotted spoon, lay the marinated onion slices on top. Sprinkle with freshly cracked black pepper to taste and sunflower seeds.
VERY HORSEY LATKES
These high-impact latkes with their strong bite are accompanied by a playful and cool tasting sauce, with a bit of garlic and clove added to liven up its personality.
2 potatoes (peeled and grated)
Mix the ingredients together and let stand for several minutes. A bit of baking powder may be added if you wish. Adjust the seasonings to taste.
Fry ¼ cup lumps of batter in oil and in a skillet over medium heat, flatting with a spatula and turning once. Cook until browned on both sides. Serve with sauce. The potatoes may be parboiled first if you like, be sure they are cooled before you grate them in this case. Makes around 16.
PEAR-DILL SAUCE
1lb. soft silken tofu
Puree tofu with lemon juice, water, dill, garlic, half of the olive oil, onion, and salt, pepper, paprika, and sugar (if necessary). Adjust flavors to taste and set aside to flavor up a bit.
Heat the rest of the oil in a saucepan and cook the pears with a bit of wine, salt, pepper, sugar, paprika, and ground cloves with the lid on, stirring occasionally, until soft. Add the pears to tofu mixture and adjust seasonings to taste. Serve with latkes.
SQUASH LATKES
These healthful delights are coupled with an exciting soul-inspired salsa that will allow you to have some fun in the kitchen. 3 cup julienne squash (crook neck, pattipan, zucchini or other with edible skin)
½ cup onion (grated)
Mix the ingredients together and let stand for several minutes. Adjust seasonings.
As before, you may add some baking powder if you wish. Fry ¼ cup or 1/3 cup lumps of batter in oil over medium heat. Flatten with a spatula, turning once, and cook until browned and done on both sides. Serve with sauce.
Grated orange and chopped nuts may be added. Shredded carrots, cauliflower, or broccoli are also good additions. Makes 12-16 (or so)
CHERRY PECAN SALSA
1 cup toasted pecans (chopped)
Mix ingredients together and allow flavors to steep for half an hour before serving. Adjust seasonings to taste.
VEGAN "CHICKEN" AND ZUCCHINI-GARLIC SOUP WITH FRIED SHOESTRING POTATOES AND MUNG BEAN SPROUTS
8 cups water
Bring to boil in a large pot the ingredients from water to bay leaves, reduce to a simmer and keep at this speed for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, fry the zucchini and onion in some olive oil, adding salt and pepper to taste until lightly browned. Add to soup at the 20 minute mark and cook for another 10 minutes.
Whilst this is happening, fry the seasoned "chicken" in some olive oil until browned — season this however you wish, being sure to add turmeric and chili powder. Set aside.
Cut the potato into shoestrings and pat off some of the moisture with paper towels. Fry in oil in a hot/medium temp. skillet (or a deep fryer!) and salt liberally. When brown and crispy, remove from oil and set on a plate with absorbent paper to take off some of the grease.
Stir the friend "chicken" into the soup and serve, garnish with the fried shoestring potatoes and mung bean sprouts. Add sambal or chili sauce to taste.
(Continues…)
Excerpted from "Fire and Ice"
by .
Copyright © 2014 Joshua Ploeg.
Excerpted by permission of Microcosm Publishing.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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