Veganomicon Cornmeal Tofu

Fresh out of ideas, I flipped through Isa's Veganomicon and came across this recipe for Cornmeal Tofu. Skeptical about the ability of cornmeal to stick onto slippery tofu, I did a quick search online and found several success stories that allayed my fears. After pressing out the tofu, I drenched it in a cornmeal and spice mixture and pan fried it. Topped with some simple guacamole, it was very delicious, crispy and my hubby wolfed down all of it! My hopes to use it as a sandwich patty disappeared as he smacked his lips clean of the crumbs..... 

The recipe for cornmeal tofu is available online but buy the book if you can. I've not encountered one recipe that I don't like! 

Stewed Cannelloni Beans

I had a bag of cannelloni beans in freezer and decided to make something with it. There was no recipe for this. Just cook the beans in water, saute some vegetablesin olive oil, mix in the cooked beans and season with favourite spices. It makes a very filling meal and I think when we are busy, this makes for a quick and easy dish.

Quinoa with Cannelloni Beans

I didn't want rice, I was tired of noodles. I knew I had some quinoa left in my fridge and after rummaging around I managed to find half a packet of quinoa. I have a difficult relationship with quinoa. I keep feeling that it is not my favorite grain but every time I cook it, I love it very much. In fact, my picky hubby has no problems with quinoa. I know quinoa is really good and I need to eat it often, maybe I'll start substituting it for rice (though it is much much more expensive than rice).

But, this time round, I just didn't want quinoa. I had some white beans so I decided to make a quinoa and white beans dish. A quick search on the internet showed that that I was not the only person with that idea and seeing that it worked for others, I decided to go for it. I served it with the sweet and sour broccoli and cashew stir fry.

Quinoa with Cannelloni Beans

1 cup dried cannelloni beans, soaked for an hour

1 cup quinoa, soaked for an hour

1 3/4 cup of water

1/4 teaspoon thyme

1/4 teaspoon oregano

1/2 teaspoon basil

salt to taste

1/2 tablespoon olive oil

1 small red onion, cut into rings

2 cloves garlic, minced

coriander for garnishing

Method:

1) Boil the cannelloni beans until soft (Alternatively a pressure cooker works too but just be sure not to make it into a mush).

2) Wash the quinoa and boil it in 1 and 3/4 cup of water. Add the basil, oregano and thyme and some salt together with the quinoa. If the water is absorbed but quinoa is still uncooked, drizzle in some water and slowly let it cook until done.

3) In a wok, add the oil and saute the onion and garlic/

4) Add the cooked quinoa and beans and salt to taste. Stir fry until it is well incorporated.

5) Remove from heat and sprinkle some coriander.