Vegan Bahn Mi

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This is a special VB creation (with semi-helpful suggestions from me). Making a good sandwich is an art and he's the resident sandwich specialist. Since I didn't make it, this recipe will be a bit vague. But I think it will be simple enough. OR. You can just go to Lee's Sandwiches. But what's the fun in that?

For this vegan bahn mi, you'll need:

• 1 French baguette
• 2 medium carrots, shredded
• 1 small daikon radish, shredded
• 1 16-ounce container of extra firm tofu, sliced into half inch pieces
• 2 portabella mushrooms, sliced into 1 inch pieces
• 1 small cucumber, sliced thin
• 1 tablespoon grated ginger
• 1 tablespoon grated garlic
• 2 Thai chilies, minced
• 2 jalapeno peppers, sliced thinly length-wise
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon white vinegar or rice wine vinegar, divided
• 2 teaspoons sugar (omit if you're using rice wine vinegar)
• 2 tablespoon soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons vegannaise
• salt to taste
• cilantro (with stems) for garnish

Begin by marinating tofu and mushrooms with soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of vinegar, grated ginger, grated garlic and minced Thai chilies. Season with salt if desired. Set aside for at least 2 hours.

Mix together 1/4 cup vinegar, sugar (if using), shredded daikon, shredded carrots, and a pinch of salt. Mix well and set aside for at least 30 minutes.

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Place tofu and mushrooms into separate oven-proof containers that are lightly greased with olive oil or canola oil. Be sure to squeeze out any excess liquid. The tofu will take approximately 45 minutes until the edges become crispy and browned. Mushrooms will take about 20 minutes to become cooked. So be sure to place tofu in the oven first before putting the mushrooms in. Check midway through and flip if necessary.

When you're ready to assemble sandwich, slice baguette length-wise in half but leave one end attached. Scoop out excess bread inside. Spread vegannaise on one side. Layer in baked tofu, mushrooms, then sliced cucumbers, carrot/daikon slaw, sliced jalapenos and cilantro.

Hemp Burger

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When I started this blog, my only goal was to make good vegetarian food that I want to eat. That means, making satisfying and soulful real food that happen to be vegetarian -- none of the bird/hippie food that carnivores associate with vegetarian/vegan meals. For the most part, I've avoided ingredients that you can only buy at health food stores and stuck with vegetables that can be found at any supermarket.

Now, that said, I took a big step away from what I usually make with this hemp burger. We bought a big bag of hulled hemp seeds at Costco and I made some patties by mixing the seeds with some tofu. It was a little weird working with hemp seeds. Maybe I've gone crazy, but the patty mixture totally tasted and smelled like egg yolks. That led me to think that the mixture would make good egg-less quiches -- but that's another experiment for another day. This hemp burger had good substance and texture -- super hearty when sandwiched between two slices of whole grain bread. The addition of pepitas made the burger more substantive and added a bit of crunch. Aside from tasting like egg yolks (again, maybe it's just me), the burger is pretty flavor neutral, which means you can add a ton of toppings and condiments.

For this hippie-dippie hemp burger, you'll need:

• 1 cup hulled hemp seeds (I used Bob's Red Mill Hulled Hemp Seed)
• 1 block (14 ounces) firm tofu
• 1 cup cooked white rice (preferably day old, but if you don't have that handy, bread crumbs will do)
• 1/4 cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds), toasted
• 1/4 cup (about 2 stalks) green onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoon soy sauce
• 2 tablespoon nutritional yeast

To make the burgers, you will need:

• burger buns or bread
• toppings (I used tomatoes and spinach, but the possibilities are endless)
• condiments (I really like whole grain mustard with this)

Mush everything together. Make sure that tofu is totally broken down and well integrated. Refrigerate for 30 minutes so the mixture can set up.

Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees. Line a baking pan or cookie sheet with parchment paper. Form about 6 patties and place them on the parchment paper. Spray the top of the patties with canola or olive oil spray (optional for better browning). Bake for 30 minutes. Turn the heat to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 10 minutes. The top should be golden brown. Assemble your sandwich and consume.

Braised Seitan My Way

Pin It As I mentioned in my last post, our earlier batch of braised seitan didn't come out the way we wanted. Seitan is actually a very easily manipulable protein -- it takes on flavors easily and it's impossible to overcook it. I think the previous batch didn't come out right because the recipe we used didn't use enough flavors or the right flavors, resulting in a bland, overly sweet product. Well, I'm not making that mistake again. For this braised seitan recipe, I'm adding lots of aromatics, herbs and spices. The result is anything but bland.

For this braised seitan recipe, you will need:

• 18 ounces of cooked seitan (store bought or you can make my seitan recipe but be sure to shape the dough into palm sized chops)
• 2 yellow onions, medium diced
• 3 carrots, medium chopped
• 3 celery stalks, medium chopped
• 5 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary
• 2 Bay leaves
• 3/4 bottle of red wine (I used Trader Joe's Cabernet Sauvignon)
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon granulated garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon dried onion powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place seitan, onions, carrots, celery, thyme, rosemary, Bay leaves into a oven proof baking dish. Make sure there's enough room for liquid. Combine red wine, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic powder and onion powder. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Pour mixture over seitan. Cover with aluminum foil and braise for 30 minutes.

Remove and flip the seitan. Cover and braise for another 30 minutes. Remove. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Return dish to the oven, uncovered, and roast for 20 minutes. Flip the seitan and roast for another 20 minutes. Check occasionally to see that there's enough liquid in the dish. You don't want to clean up a burnt-on mess.

Remove seitan. By now, the seitan should look deep brown and developed a little bit of a crust. It's virtually impossible to get the burned crusty bits on seitan like you can with real meat, so don't expect it to have quite the same crust. You now have braised seitan!

One serving suggestion is to slice this up and make a cheesesteak sandwich by sauteing seitan with some onions and then jam it into toasted French bread with some Cheez Whiz. Mmmm... Cheez Whiz (the spelling suggests industrial strength orange deliciousness). OR. You can use some vegan soy cheddar instead. But, as far as I know, you only live once -- so bring on the Cheez Whiz! FRFR3MD7WGCU

Vegan 'Meat'ball Sub

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VB's love of "turd dogs" is well documented. Despite the resemblance to poop, they are very delicious and full of herbs and spices. I made it again recently and thought to myself: why not make some meatballs for a change? To make these meatballs, I tweaked the original turd dog recipe to improve upon the texture so they are firmer and 'meatier." I'm quite pleased with the result! I think it will be a favorite around here. Of course, these do not resemble poop. Whether that's good or bad really depends on your personal feelings about poop on plate -- hilarious or gross?

For this meatball sub recipe (adapted from turd dogs from Yeah, That Vegan Shit), you will need:

• 1 French baguette, sliced open and scooped inside
• slices of mozzarella or provolone (in this case, I used soy mozzarella)
• 1 portion marinara sauce, recipe below
• 1 portion meatball mix, recipe below

For the meatballs, you'll need

• 1 15-ounce can pinto beans, drained, rinsed and mashed
• 4 ounces firm bean curd or extra firm tofu, finely crumbled
• 1 cup cold vegetable broth
• 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for greasing
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 garlic cloves, minced or grated
• 1 1/4 cups wheat gluten
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fennel seeds, crushed
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon dried oragano

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Begin by combining all the ingredients. Mix well. Knead mixture by hand until it has some elasticity, about 5 to 10 minutes. Roll mixture into balls about 1.5 to 2 inches in diameter. Place balls in an oven-proof pan greased with olive oil. Roast in oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour, turn the meatballs over once at the half way mark. Meatballs are done when browned and slightly crusty on the outside.

Uncooked Vegan Meatballs

For the marinara sauce, you'll need:

• 2 medium shallots, finely diced
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 sprigs thyme, minced
• 1 sprig oregano, minced
• 1 sprig rosemary, minced
• 1 26-ounce can skinless whole tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• salt and pepper to taste

Begin by sweating shallots and red pepper flakes in olive oil until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, thyme, oregano and rosemary. Cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add canned tomatoes, sugar, salt and pepper. Reduce to simmer and cook for 30 minutes to an hour. Break up chunks of tomatoes throughout the cooking process with spoon or spatula.

To assemble, place slices of mozzarella or provolone at the bottom of the sliced baguette, add meatballs and top with marinara sauce.

Flat Bread with Roasted Garbanzo Bean Puree

Pin It I feel like I'm stuck in a bit of cooking rut. Even when I crack open a cookbook, I'm not excited by any recipes. When I get stuck in a rut, I go to my local market and see if anything inspires me. I found these fresh garbanzo beans and felt that maybe I can make something delicious out of them.

These garbanzo beans came with their shells, which are tough and takes a bit of time to remove. But once you crack open those shells, you'll see gorgeous pale green garbanzo beans. I quickly blanched them and then tossed them in a hot pan with some olive oil, whole peeled garlic, salt and some cayenne pepper. I then roasted them for 25 to 30 minutes in a 425-degree oven. The roasted garbanzo beans and garlic are then processed into a puree with some water, olive oil, and lemon juice.

I also made some simple Indian flat bread (chapati), smeared some garbanzo bean puree on top and added sliced tomatoes and fresh arugula. Just a bit of cracked black pepper and you've got a nutritious hand roll/sandwich thingy. Fresh garbanzo beans taste more green than dried beans, which are nice and creamy but sometimes can be a bit flavorless. The young beans taste a bit like fresh peas -- crunchy and juicy. So, next time, try some fresh garbanzo beans if you see them at your local market!

We're Back! + French Bread... Pizza?

Pin It Call off the rescue team! I haven't fallen into a hole for 2 weeks with no food or drinks. In fact, quite the opposite. We traveled to Taiwan and had lots and LOTS of vegetarian buffet. For about a week straight, we ate at a buffet everyday. It has been an exciting and wonderful trip, but I can't wait to spend some time in the kitchen and cook some dishes inspired by what we've eaten on this trip.

But in the meantime, here's a VB classic -- something that he enjoyed as a bachelor short on time but long on pizza craving. It's a baguette sliced in half, smeared with marinara sauce and stuffed with mozzarella, chopped spinach, sliced mushrooms and artichoke hearts. The sandwich is then wrapped tightly in aluminum foil and baked in 400 degree oven for 15 minutes. The result? A delicious, hot, melt-y, chess-y sandwich that tastes like a pizza but handles like a sandwich. I guess that is what you call best of both worlds.

Falafel and Tabbouleh

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If there is anything that you won't catch me doing (besides eating cauliflower without coercion or threat), it is deep fat frying. I'm not exactly sure where I got this hang-up, but I think that small scar on my wrist from oil splatter when I was a sous chef for my mom's fried pork chops may have something to do with it. In any event, deep fat frying isn't something that I'm likely to do at home. What if oil spills! Think of the clean up! I have to use a tub of oil just to fry 3 things! What if I start a grease fire?! Is that possible?! There are so many reasons not to. So I leave it to the experts at KFC.

That is a a somewhat long winded explanation as to why these falafels look more like pucks than balls.  These falafels were shallow pan fried in a non-stick skillet with a little bit of oil instead of deep fried like you'd see from a restaurant. But these fava beans falafels are very delicious and moist (probably because I didn't deep fry all the moisture out of them). These are stuffed into pitas with some store bought roasted red bell pepper hummus. Just for kicks, we also stuffed some tabbouleh in there with it. Totally delicious.

You can find the recipe for spiced fava bean falafel here and tabbouleh here at Eau de Spice.

Mystery Produce of the Week: Red Corn

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Festive corn just in time for the holiday season! Seriously though, I don't know why this corn is red. It has no purpose being red. But it is. In addition to the attractive magenta/mauve/severe sunburn color that the kernels take on, the husk also has a faint red hue.

I had thought it might taste different, like corn crossed with beets or maybe pomegranate. Instead, it tastes like... corn. Just. Corn. It's only disappointing if you were expecting some sort of super awesome delicious corn-y corn. But personally, I love corn just the way corn is. So red or not, it's all good by me.

I turned this mystery produce into a red (corn) and black (bean) burger with avocado and salsa. This particular black bean burger got rave reviews from VB, who said that it should be in the "Favorite Recipes" section... stat! (I think he may have been extra hungry that day.)

You'll need:

• 4 medium ears of corn (red or otherwise), husk removed
• 1 15-ounce can of black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 small sweet yellow onion, large diced
• 1 cup of bread crumbs plus up to an additional 1 cup (I use panko)
• 1/2 cup of corn meal
• 4 tablespoons of whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon of paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon of cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon of granulated garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon of onion powder
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• avocado slices for garnish
• pico de gallo for garnish
• hamburger buns

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add corn and boil for 8 minutes. Remove and let cool. Slice off the kernels. Mix well with black beans. Take about 3/4 of the corn black bean mixture along with diced onion, paprika, cumin, garlic powder, salt and pepper and puree in food processor until the mixture turns into a wet paste. Add the mixture to a large bowl with the remaining 1/4 of corn and black beans. Add corn meal, whole wheat flour, bread crumbs and mix together by hand. The mixture should be tacky but not wet and can be easily shaped into patties without sticking to your hands. If your mixture is too wet, add more bread crumbs. Adjust seasoning.

Lightly fry each patty on both sides in olive oil, about 3 to 5 minutes on each side or until browned. Then bake in 350 degree oven for 10 minutes. Serve on hamburger buns and garnish with avocado slices and pico de gallo.

Pita Sandwich with Tarator Sauce

Pin It VB: Do you remember what we had that day at Russian River Valley? You know, during our lunch break from canoeing.

CG: A big bowl of watermelon?

VB: We had watermelon?

CG: Yeah.

VB: I wasn't thinking about the watermelon.

CG: Oh.... Hm. That pita sandwich with that white sauce?

VB: Yeah. That was good.

CG: Okay.... Random.

Here it is, the pita sandwich with that "white sauce" from a couple of summers ago recreated. I picked this recipe for our Russian River Valley trip because it keeps well in a cooler since everything is vegan. It turned out great and apparently, it was also memorable.

For the sandwich, you'll need:

• 4 pita breads, cut in half and pocket opened
• 2 medium/large zucchini, diced
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• 2 sprigs of dill, roughly chopped
• 1 large eggplant, cut into large 1/2 inch slices
• juice from 1 lemon
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 3 medium Roma tomatoes, diced 
• salt and pepper to taste

Begin by sprinkling about a teaspoon of salt on both sides of the sliced eggplant. Set aside for 15 to 20 minutes and allow salt to draw out the moisture.

In the meantime, saute diced yellow onion in olive oil until translucent, about 5 to 8 minutes. Add diced zucchini and lemon juice. Allow the zucchini to cook for 5 minutes until it begins to soften. Add chopped dill and season with salt and pepper. Cook for another 5 minutes or so.

Pat eggplant slices dry with paper towels. Set broiler on high and place sliced eggplants in a greased pan underneath. It will take about 5 to 8 minutes on each side. Watch the eggplant closely because it can burn rather quickly. After both sides are broiled, remove and allow them to cool. When they are cool enough to handle, chop eggplant into large pieces.

The "white sauce" (a.k.a. tarator sauce) is adapted from Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone. You'll need:

• 1/2 cup of pine nuts, toasted
• 1 slice of white bread, crust removed and cubed
• 1 tablespoon of Tahini sauce
• 1 garlic clove
• juice from 1 lemon
• 1/2 cup of water
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• a dash of paprika (optional)

Soak white bread in water until softened, about 10 minutes. Combine garlic and pine nuts in a food processor until the mixture becomes granulated. Add Tahini sauce, lemon juice, white bread and soaking liquid and salt. Process until the mixture becomes a sauce. Adjust seasoning, if necessary. It will be pretty runny, but if you let it sit for 20 minutes or so, it will thicken up. Add a dash of paprika prior to serving.

To assemble the sandwich, stuff diced broiled eggplant, sauteed zucchini and diced tomatoes into the pita pocket. Drizzle tarator sauce over the top and serve.

Mini Farm House Veggie Burger

Pin It Recently I ran into a college friend while riding the train. It was surreal since we haven't seen each other in close to ten years and we've not managed to meet up even though we have both lived in the Bay Area for years. It was great to see her. It turns out she likes food competition shows as much as I do and hates Sandra Lee as much as I do.

I wonder how she feels about the new show "The Best Thing I Ever Ate." In some ways, it's just a vehicle to showcase Food Network regulars' best (fake?) food-gasm faces with all that wooing, ahhing, sighing and gasping. I mean, really, the food can't be that good.

Or can it?

I made this farm house burger featured in the Burgers episode. I have to admit, it looks pretty darn tasty. The patty is made of eggplant, bread crumbs, soy cheddar, scallions, parsley and garlic. Then I topped it with a slice of soy cheddar, tomato and baby greens.

I do have to say it's pretty delicious. But is it so awesome that I close my eyes, lick my lips, and drool a little just thinking about it? Probably not. I thought the patty was dry and a bit crumbly.

It's dinner worthy, but not food-gasm worthy. I'm not even going to bother faking it.

You can find the recipe here.

Potato and Chickpea 'Burger' with Cilantro Pesto

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Those with cilantro aversion should probably look away right now, because I've made cilantro pesto. I got the idea from the New York Times article on cilantro haters. I've witnessed cilantro haters in action all my life; my mother spends a significant amount of time picking cilantro out of her food whenever we dine out. I happen to find cilantro inoffensive. I have even grown to appreciate it after years of eating Chinese and Mexico food. Cilantro pesto, as it turns out, does have a milder taste. The combination of cilantro and pistachios is a good one; the earthy nutty sweetness of pistachios makes cilantro taste less sharp and soapy.

You'll need:

• 2 lightly packed cups of cilantro
• 1 cup of toasted pistachios
• 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
  
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled
• 2 medium Russet potatoes, peeled, boiled and mashed
• 1 15-ounce can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup of bread crumbs
  
• 1 onion, minced
• 2 celery ribs, minced

Start by processing cilantro, pistachios, garlic and 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil into a thick, smooth paste. Puree canned chickpeas into a paste. Sweat onion and celery in the remaining tablespoon of olive oil until softened, about 8 to 10 minutes. Combine onion, celery, cilantro pesto, mashed potatoes, bread crumbs and chickpeas. You definitely don't need an egg in this mixture because it will be thick.

Form patties and pan fry over medium high heat in a non-stick skillet for 4 minutes each side. The serving options are pretty much endless. I think this would be good with some salsa and avocado slices. Here, I made an open faced sandwich with a slice of tomato, some baby greens and a three-and-a-half minute poached egg. We got this awesome raisin and walnut bread from Andrae's Bakery in Amador City, where we spent a wonderful weekend wine tasting. The sweetness of the bread really complements the creamy and nutty patties.

Muffuletta Panini

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The first time VB said he wanted to make muffuletta sandwiches, I said, mofo-what-the-H-E-double-hockey-sticks-are-you-talking-about? Muffuletta sandwiches are Italian sandwiches generally consist of various deli meats and cheeses smothered in olive salad. We made it once on a prior occasion and... it wasn't very good. The main problem was that the olive salad, which is a pureed paste of brined or marinated vegetables, has a lot of moisture that made the bread soggy. Also, we added feta cheese, which unfortunately has a vomit-like taste when mixed with olives. Anyways, I'm going to spare everyone of more cringe-inducing descriptions and leave it at that.

This second attempt, I simplified the olive salad mix and added more fresh vegetables. For the olive salad, I processed 1/2 cup of black olives, 1/2 cup of green olives, 4 marinated artichoke hearts, and 1 cup of Gardiniera (a mixture Italian marinated vegetables), plus juice from half a lemon into a thick paste. To assemble the sandwich, I split ciabatta bread in half, layered in provolone cheese, roasted red bell peppers, broiled eggplant slices, lightly roasted tomato slices, olive salad and a handful of arugula on top. I wrap the assembled sandwich in aluminum foil and turn the oven to 500 degrees with a pizza stone and a cast iron skillet inside. I put the sandwich on top of pizza stone and weigh it down with the cast iron skillet for 10 to 15 minutes. The result is a delicious sandwich with crispy, not soggy, bread.

I really like how these flavors work together -- the salty olive salad, the sweet roasted bell peppers, the bitter arugula and the creamy provolone make this a harmonious and well-balanced sandwich.

Classic Reuben Sandwich

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I think I'm generally pretty open-minded about food. I'd happily give almost any food a try. But certain things should remain in obscurity. Tempeh has to be one of them. It's really dense, smelly, weird looking, and totally flavorless. So I was less than enthusiastic when VB wanted to try to make a classic Reuben sandwich with tempeh. As predicted, it was like chewing a brick of dehydrated space food covered in Thousand Island dressing. But I like Reuben sandwiches enough that I wanted replace the tempeh with seitan and give it another shot.

Seitan has a meaty and chewy texture that is superior to tempeh. It tastes better too! After fully cooking the seitan, I removed it from the pot and pan seared it on all sides. Then I sliced it thin, returned the slices back into the hot pan and tossed them until golden brown. Layer in some sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, Thousand Island dressing in between slices of rye bread and we have classic Reuben sandwiches. Of course, they are not the real deal. But for a vegetarian Reuben sandwich, it's pretty good.

As for tempeh, I don't think I'll be putting it onto my dinner plate again any time soon.

Mini Lentil Burger

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I haven't made a veggie burger for a while, mostly because it's such a messy and time-consuming process. I don't like getting my hands in all the goop and spend time forming each individual patty. It's such a pain in the butt. I also find it hard to transport formed patties into the pan since vegan patties are delicate and have a tendency to fall apart. This time, I finally realized that it doesn't have to be a mess.

You'll need:

• 2/3 cup of dried lentils, rinsed and soaked for at least 1 hour
• 1 Bay leaf
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 celery stalks, diced
• 1 teaspoon of red chili pepper flakes
  
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
  
• 1 tablespoon of soy sauce
• 1/3 cup of bread crumbs (I use Panko)
• 1/3 cup of quick oats
• 1 cup of cooked medium grain white rice
• buns
• toppings (I have tomato slices and simple cabbage slaw with lemon mustard vinaigrette)

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Season with salt. Add Bay leaf and lentils. Cook until lentils start to peel and fall apart, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Remove Bay leaf. Drain and set aside.

In a large skillet, sweat onion and celery stalks until softened, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add red chili pepper flakes and soy sauce. Stir and cook for another minute. Add cooked lentils and cooked rice. Mix well. Remove from heat.

Add quick oats into the food processor. Pulse 5 to 10 times until oats turn into powder. Add lentil mixture and bread crumbs. Process until the mixture has a wet dough consistency. Adjust seasoning, if necessary. Remove from the food processor and set aside.

On a large work surface, lay down 2 pieces of plastic wrap and spray one side of each with canola oil. With an ice cream scooper or a spoon, scoop golf-ball sized dollops of the patty mix onto one plastic wrap. Make sure that there's space between each dollop. Place the other plastic wrap, greased side down, on top. Press gently to form patties. At this point, you can freeze the patties if you want.

Spray a shallow skillet with canola oil and place over medium-high heat. When the skillet is hot and ready, peel back the top plastic wrap. Lift the bottom plastic wrap to flip the patty onto a spatula. Flip the patty onto the skillet. Cook, undisturbed, for 2 minutes. Flip and cook for 2 more minutes. Place the patty into a bun and top with lettuce, tomatoes and whatnot.

The burgers look very similar to regular hamburgers. They also have a great meaty texture. The tomatoes and cabbage slaw really add some crispy freshness to them. Most importantly, it is simple and quick.

Mozzarella,Tapenade, and Roasted Bell Peppers On Foccacia

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I baked Foccacia for the first time. It was actually not as difficult as advertised. I followed the rosemary Foccacia recipe from Jack Bishop's The Complete Italian Vegetarian Cookbook. It was simple, delicious and didn't require a ton of work.

To complete the sandwich, I add roasted bell peppers, tapenade, mozzarella, and tomato slices. Then, I put the sandwich in a 275 degree oven on top of a pizza stone for 10 minutes. The low heat barely melts the cheese while the pizza stone keeps the bread crispy. The salty tapenade, creamy mozzarella, sweet roasted bell peppers and refreshing tomato slices are excellent together. Pair this sandwich with a simple side salad for a flavorful meal.

Chickpeas and Lentils Tomato Soup

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Chickpeas are so versatile. In fact, yesterday we ate at Chick-O-Pea's, a Berkeley restaurant devoted to this great ingredient. Is there anything chickpeas can't do? They are great in salads, soups and as falafels and hummus. I find myself stocking up on cans of chickpeas all the time. Today, VB made this great middle eastern flavored chickpeas and lentils tomato soup. The cumin seeds make it warm and smoky and the other spices contribute to the complex flavors. We also had a side of grilled cheese sandwiches again. I can't get enough of grilled cheese sandwiches. Maybe we should start having them everyday.

The recipe for the soup can be found here.

Minestrone

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All that cooking yesterday pooped me out. Thankfully, VB stepped in and made dinner so we don't end up at the neighborhood Indian buffet for the third time in five days. He made an earthy and flavorful minestrone with a side of classic grilled cheese sandwich. The minestrone recipe is courtesy of Sara Moulton of Gourmet magazine. The grilled cheese is a classic VB original with perfectly melted sharp white cheddar and thick slices of tomato. It's such a hearty and delicious dinner. I think I have to relinquish cooking duties more often from now on.

Meatloaf Sandwich

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There's nothing I "miss" from my omnivorous years, but there are things that I remember fondly. One of these items is the Meat Loaf Monster Extreme Carver from Boston Market. (But don't all run out at once: Unfortunately the current sandwich menu doesn't include Extreme Carvers.)

Today I made a sandwich using the following:

• 1 slice, meatloaf
• 2 slices, Acme Bread Italian Batard
• 2 slices, Morningstar Farms Veggie Bacon Strips (cooked crispy)
  
• sliced soy cheddar cheese

I put the above under the broiler for a couple of minutes, open-faced, and then topped with the below:

• barbecue sauce
• sliced avocado (not part of the Extreme Carver inspiration)

It was a great way to eat the leftover meatloaf, and is how I'll be finishing the rest.

Grown-Up Grilled Cheese Sandwich

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Do you remember when you were a kid, your mom made you a grilled cheese sandwich after a crummy day at school? If you do, good for you. I sure don't. My mom has never made a grilled cheese sandwich in her life. I've never made one before myself. It's just not a part of my family's culinary tradition. But when it's cold, windy and Tax Day, I too crave a hearty grilled cheese sandwich.

To give this classic a grown-up makeover, I ditch the Kraft singles in favor of Fontina cheese. I also put a couple of tomato slices and a few tarragon leaves on top. To round out the flavors, I drizzle some honey over the melted Fontina cheese as well. The result is a combination of flavors that is sophisticated and surprising at the same time. For me, it really hits the spot.

Eggplant Parmesan Sandwich

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Eggplant Parmesan sandwich with soy mozzarella, with a side of snow peas and fries. I'm surprised that I like soy mozzarella. Normally I much prefer the real dairy cheeses. But soy mozzarella isn't bad. We also saw soy blue cheese that looked like a block of purple cream cheese. Ew. I'm sticking with real blue cheese.