Sunday, February 24, 2013

Comfort Food for the Long Stretch

I apologize for the hiatus.  Work, grad school and life in general has been kickin' my butt!  But~ I had a wonderful food revelation and I needed to share it, so I finally found time to write up another post.  :)
It was any typical Friday evening.  I was hungry and tired, having skipped out on exercising to run errands and got home late.  I have been cutting out most of my carbs of late (with a few indulgences here and there) and I needed to fulfill my 50 grams of protein quota more than have more sugar in my veins.  But I didn't want rabbit food.  Nope, I wanted edible comfort, it being cold and everything.  Then, it hit me.  SMOTHERED FRIES!!!!
For anyone living in Buffalo, NY you would have heard at least once somewhere about Amy's Place on Main St. near UB's South campus.  A college student staple, it is also one of the few vegan-friendly restaurants in town, offering seitan/tofu options to most every dish.  It is truly a gem, and one the items on their menu that I've heard raves about is their Veggie Wet Shoes Fries, curly fries doused in lentils, veggies and cheesy goodness.  So, I thought I'd try my take on it (though I've never had it before).

Here's what I did:
*Tofu Fries (the base)
*curried broccoli, baked
*raw red peppers (or lightly sauteed if you like)
*vegan velveeta cheese sauce!!!!

and the end result:


Here are the recipes:

**TOFU FRIES (baked)
-extra firm tofu (preferably pressed further to pull extra water out), cut into fry sticks
-oil spray
-salt and favorite seasoning (I like garlic powder)

1.  put oven on broil OR 400 degrees.  place parchment paper on baking sheet.
2.  coat tofu fry sticks in a bowl with oil, salt & seasoning, very well.  place on sheet and bake.
if BROIL:  for 20 minutes.  if 400:  12 minutes each side.

**CURRIED BROCCOLI
-half a head of broccoli, size of handsbreath
-1 tsp curry powder
-1/4 cumin powder
-1/4 coriander powder
-garlic powder
-salt
-oil spray

1.  cut broccoli into pieces (i like 1 inch chunks with the stems and halves of the florets).
2.  in a bowl, spray broccoli with oil, then sprinkle in the spices and salt, mix well.
3.  i like to bake them on the same tray as the tofu fries, but you need to put them in for just half the baking time, otherwise they burn.  (so just for the second half of baking time)

**RED PEPPERS
-1/4-1/2 red bell pepper (depending on how much you like peppers), cut into 1 inch chunks.

1.  you can sautee them in a skillet, but I liked them raw.  it added a sweetness to the overall dish, and fresh crunch.

**VEGAN VELVEETA CHEESE SAUCE
I found this recipe at Plant Powered Kitchen

THE ASSEMBLY

1.  In a bowl (or a plate if you don't mind spreading mess), layer tofu fries on the inside of the bowl, not stacking them in a heap but laying them out, like a blanket.  
2.  Then dump in your veggies in the center of the well, and douse with the cheese sauce.  

I found that the flavor comes out better when I sprinkle with a bit of salt after everything's assembled (maybe sauce needs more salt?) but that's based on your preferences, so please do as you like.  
Anyway, enjoy!


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