Lemon Rosemary Risotto, Roasted Glazed Beets, and Beefless Tips in a Garlic and Thyme White Wine Sauce

This past week I had the luxury and ever-so beautiful blessing that comes with having your very own kitchen to work in. I know, it sounds a little weird, right? But when you think about food and creating recipes as much as I do, having your own kitchen–meaning one in which there will be no interruptions (save for the occasional dog begging for scraps) and one that’s always clean and thus, always ready to use–is the equivalent of an artist having their own studio in which to paint, or play music, or write. Now that I live with three other folks, the tranquility required for the process isn’t always there and so, in these moments when it is, I take on “projects,” otherwise known as “outrageously awesome whole meals that take more than 30 minutes to put together.”  So, today, I come to you with not one, not two, but three recipes! Each recipe can be made separately if you have limited time to devote to the whole meal or want to pair them with different entrees/sides, or you can combine them to create this exact marriage of tart, sweet, and savory!

I visited my mother recently and she, like I, doesn’t like to send anyone out her door without food. Especially her children. She gave me beets and she gave me Gardein Beefless Tips. The Arborio rice was on sale at the grocery store. So, this meal was serendipitous, really.  I’ll be brief about it because the pictures speak for themselves. The risotto is wonderfully creamy, lemony, and savory. I wanted to make something that tasted “clean” and savory all at once. A pairing of lemon and rosemary seemed fitting. I suggest using only as much lemon zest (grated lemon peel) as you can handle. I originally used 1 tablespoon and realized it needed to be taken back so, I’ve made a correction here for a suggested amount. The roasted beets are to die for, that is, if you like beets. They took the longest to cook so, I got started on those first and saved the glaze for last.

The beefless tips were utterly delicious. They came about from the memory of this meal, using white wine and mushrooms and the rest was improvised on cobwebbed memories of how to cook meat. I was so amazed at how well they took to the wine sauce, how savory they were, and how well they stood up to my memory of steak tips. In fact, they did this so well that, if you’re a vegan who simply never liked the taste of meat or who is easily put off by things that taste a lot like meat, I would forgo making these. But, if you want something incredibly delicious and something with which to impress non-vegans who swear on their lives that they “could ‘never’ be vegan because they like meat too much,” here’s your rebuttal. You’re welcome.

Buon appetito!

Sun-dried Tomato & Lemon Mayo-free Potato Salad

Normally, I would make potato salad with Vegenaise or Mindful Mayo, but I decided to make this one mayo-free for two reasons: first, I have a friend who really hates mayo (vegan and not) and for whom I wanted to provide a simple, delicious, light, mayo-free recipe and secondly, I didn’t want to rely on a processed product to make a great vegan dish. The result is a really savory, beautiful, summery potato salad that can be eaten as a stand alone meal or served as a side dish at your next vegan barbecue.

It so happens that the friend for whom this was intended hates potato salad — even the mayo-free kind. Shucks. Sorry, Jessie! Well, I guess this doesn’t change anything except that she won’t be eating it. That doesn’t stop anyone else, though!

I love this recipe for it’s freshness and ease. By the time I was done chopping the veggies, the potatoes were done. And I love how much all the flavors stood out, but especially the lemon and tomato. I enjoyed this for lunch for several days and it was very filling. Next time, I will remember to share it with others around me and not just eat it all myself!

Baked Lemon Herb Tofu

Here’s a recipe inspired by my nearly vegan friend’s inquiry about it being possible to marinade tofu. Yes, you can marinade tofu. The result is wonderful! Tofu, like tempeh, is a blank canvas which you can basically use to exploit any flavor you want. The longer you marinade tofu, the better it will take up the flavor of your marinade and the stronger that flavor will be. I marinaded these tofu “steaks” overnight, but a few hours will also do the trick. I served these with a mixture of brown rice spinach spaghetti and whole wheat spaghetti tossed with my Mint Basil Pesto and some blanched asparagus. It was delicious and very summer-y. In fact, one of the reasons I’m typing this up now and sharing it with you is because I’ve been asked for the recipe. I bet this would also go well with roasted or mashed potatoes, or even on a nice summer salad. However you eat it, I hope you like it!

Lemon Blueberry Bread

I am and have been completely enthralled by lemons and blueberries lately. It seems that I want to put them in everything. Perhaps it’s the brightness of the lemon rind, or the wonderful color a melted blueberry brings to a dish. I know this combination may sound odd to some, but to those who naysay without trying: I beg you to consider the wonders that came of mixing strawberries and rhubarb, lemons and poppy seeds, or bananas and walnuts. Lemons and blueberries were destined for a civil union! Especially with summer coming on.

This bread isn’t really “bread,” in case you were wondering. This is as much “bread” as a muffin is a cupcake. It’s a lot like banana bread, meaning that it’s basically cake. That being said, it’s moist (even days later), sugary, and delicious and yet, I’m sure you can convince yourself, like I have, that because it’s not technically cake, that it’s wholesome enough to eat for breakfast. Three chins later, you’ll still be glad you did it.