i have a serious brain disease. please bring me a cat.
Now I know I’ve made Polenta with Lemony Asparagus and Chickpeas before, but I guess I didn’t blog about it. It’s an awesome Spring dish. I used the stove top method for the polenta, used a little oil to fry up the onions and roasted the asparagus rather than steaming it. Polenta isn’t as hard as people make it out to be. It’s pretty forgiving.
Diving back into World Vegan Feast, this time something with simpler, homier flavors, the Italian Polenta Loaf with Beans and Kale (scroll down). So, clearly that’s a big pile, kind of a patty, not really a fried up slice of loaf. The amount of polenta the recipe called for didn’t seem to envelop the rest of the ingredients well enough. It did set up pretty well in the loaf pan in the refrigerator, but when it was sliced to pan fry, it wouldn’t keep together. Not sure if the answer is to chop the greens finer, use less of them, or what.
This definitely wants a sauce or gravy, even if just a little bit. Instead of Bryanna’s recipe, I used the simpler Rich Brown Gravy from Vegan Vittles. It’s also low in fat so this turns out to be pretty healthy and satisfying.
Of course we went to Plum Bistro while we were in Seattle. The raving about the Mac & Yease could not be ignored. It seemed like it might be healthier than Soul Vegetarian’s but just as creamy and tasty. What put it over the top for me was the crusty bits.
We also got a plate of sliders, three different types, that we cut up in pieces so we could all try them. And their slider size is about normal home burger size.
My entrée was Fennel Grilled Tempeh with a polenta cake and greens.
I think Kevin had the Country Fried Seitan Steak sandwich. But I’m not sure. It looks more like that than the Crazy Jamaican.
Taylor & Kevin full of noms.
And, later that evening, the whole reason for the trip, Portishead. This was easily one of the best sounding shows I’ve ever seen. The crowd was so respectful that they held most cheering and noise for between songs. Everyone was nearly silent.
So, I’m copying people again. But hey, isn’t that what VeganMofo is all about? Well, partly about. Getting yummy new ideas from other people. I impulse bought a delicata squash and needed something to do with it, then I saw this. Perfect! Is there anything more comforting on a cool day than some lovely roasted vegetables? This recipe is pretty simple, but amazingly tasty. For the herb option, I went with rosemary and thyme. To go with it, I made polenta. Creamy polenta, roasty vegetables. Mmmm….
Also, if you haven’t tried delicata squash yet, you must. It’s a great lazy squash because the skin is fairly thin and you don’t have to peel it. See the little striped bits? Tasty!
It’s a good thing I have a few pictures banked up that I can work off of for VeganMoFo. It’s been at least two weeks since I’ve gone to the farmer’s market so it’s been a lot of eating out, quick store runs and eating down random food from my fridge and freezer. This week is going to involve a raw kale salad. I need it!
A couple of weeks ago, I posted about making Vegan Dad’s lunch meat log. These logs have seen me through many meals. Most of them looked something like this:
Yep, that’s the lunch meat nestled between two slices of whole wheat bread I made. The problem with baking your own bread is that it will sneak itself into every meal if you let it. PB&J for breakfast! Lunch meat sammich for lunch! Toasted and buttered with Earth Balance along side dinner! Well, at least it is whole wheat…
Oh, remember the polenta fries? Leftovers made a nice lunch side. Much better than potato chips!
