Teriyaki Romanesco & Beet Bowl

Oh, hi there. Sorry...I haven't abandoned you. You are much too precious. I will say, however, that things might be a teensy bit on the quiet side for a little while. I hope that's okay? If you're feeling lonely, I'll still be quite active on social media. Check Produce On Parade out on Facebook, Instagram, and/or Twitter for food, fun, and Alaskany goodness. 

“We cannot change anything unless we accept it.”

— Carl Jung

Romanesco is a queen amongst vegetables. I brought this one home from our local grocery store and Todd exclaimed, "What is that thing? It looks like a seashell!" Closer to cauliflower than broccoli, (which is contrary to what people initially perceive) it can easily be substituted with either if the stunning romanesco remains elusive to you. It seems every now and again I just can't resist picking one up if I spot it.

In case you hadn't noticed, I am in love with my reusable produce bags (as seen above). No more clear plastic bags to put my produce in! I was gifted these reusable ones some time ago from a friend and I'm so happy to have them.  If you're looking to snag some of your own and ditch the plastic here are some great bags. 

This recipe came about out of, you guessed it...desperation. I needed to use the romanesco and a bunch of golden beets I had before my next CSA box came. A craving for teriyaki had been pestering me all week and I had a bag of cooked red rice in the freezer. And voila! This recipe was born. You might spot some quinoa in my rice. That's because I buy red quinoa and a while back I accidentally added it to my large jar of red rice. Whoops! I wasn't able to get all the quinoa out and so alas, I'm stuck with quinoa-rice...but I kind of like it! 

In this wonderful dish, roasted romanesco and sweet beets perch atop a bed of rice, drizzled with a scrumptious teriyaki glaze. It's sweet and salty, and done in a pinch!

Teriyaki Romanesco & Beet Bowl

Roasted romanesco and sweet beets perch atop a bed of rice, drizzled with a delicious teriyaki glaze. It's sweet and salty, and done in a pinch.

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

• - Vegetables-
• 1 medium head of romanesco, florets only and chopped (or broccoli or cauliflower)
• 6 small beets, stems removed and quartered (peeled or unpeeled)
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• -Teriyaki Glaze-
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 2 tbsp mirin (or 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar with 1 tbsp sugar)
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1/4 cup vegan granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, very finely minced
• 3 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 cup cold water
• 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
• ------------
• 2 cups cooked rice (or quinoa, millet, etc.)

Cooking Directions

1. For the vegetables:
2. Preheat oven to 400 F. Scrub clean the romanesco and beets and chop them accordingly. Arrange the vegetables on a parchment lined baking sheet and drizzle with the oil. Bake for 35 minutes, or until the beets are tender.
3. While the vegetables cook, prepare the rice.
4. For the glaze:
5. Whisk all the ingredients together in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, excluding the water and cornstarch. When all the sugar is dissolved and the sauce is hot, whisk together the cold water and cornstarch in a small bowl.
6. Next, slowly whisk the cornstarch water into the sauce. Continue to whisk, simmered, until the glaze thickens.
7. To serve, place 1/2 cup of the cooked rice in a bowl, topped with a 1/4 of the roasted vegetables and 1/4 cup of the glaze.

Dutch Word of The Day

Quiet (noun) --> stilte (still-teh)

Story of The Day 

It's articles like this that warm my heart! A San Francisco sushi chef is creating beautiful and outstanding vegan rolls. "...with issues like overfishing, bycatch and high mercury levels gaining traction with consumers, it may only be a matter of time before demand kickstarts a faux-fish movement on the heels of the plant-based protein revolution already underway." Read all about his unique sushi in an NPR article here. Faux fish for the win!

From The Viet Vegan - Grilled Tofu Soba Noodle Bowl with Greens

Greetings from Ohio! Yep, I'm a stateside little elf during this holiday season and having such a blast. Due to said fun, I'm pretty busy and I thought I'd invite over a dear friend of mine to keep you little snowflakes entertained. 

Lisa, from the Viet Vegan is such a treat. She's incredibly talented, with stunning photos and deliciously Asian-inspired vegan recipes. Her writing will keep you giggling all day until your co-workers give you the dreaded stink eye. So, I'll quit hogging my bloggin' BFF. Everyone, meet Lisa!

Hello Produce on Paraders! Paraders? Readers. Let’s go with readers.

Hello Katie’s lovely readers! My name is Lisa and I’m the over-sharing, feminist nerd behind The Viet Vegan (formerly known as Je suis alimentageuse). I’ve been an admirer of Katie’s food blog for a while now, her photography is awesome, her recipes look absolutely delicious, and she makes living vegan look so easy. I even bought Bogs ever since she did her winter gear post because they’re warm, not too shabby-looking, and vegan-friendly. Oh and since they’re made with stretchy material, they fit my calves! (which is a rare and momentous occasion).

I’ve got a soba noodle bowl for you today. It’s quick and easy, and only needs a minimal amount of prep the night before. I find noodle bowls so easy and comforting. They remind me of my childhood bi-monthly trips to Toronto’s Chinatown with my parents since we lived in a small town that mainly was all about meat and potatoes. After two hours of driving through sleet and snow (because Canada) and before we’d do groceries, we’d go for a big bowl of phỏ.

It was oddly comforting to be around the hustle and bustle of people who looked like me, slurping soup with chopsticks and Asian soup spoons. My hometown was super WASP-y and there were only two other Vietnamese families, and we all went to different schools. We all knew what hoisin sauce was, sriracha, and rice noodles and those fresh spring roll wraps that nobody had ever seen before. We’d come home with a big haul of things we couldn’t buy at home: banh mi sandwiches, bean sprouts, tamarind paste, and tofu.  

Glorious, glorious tofu.

Tofu has a bad reputation. People think it’s a tasteless block of whiteness. But only if you let it be that way! Tofu is like a big sponge, so in order for it to be able to soak up all the delicious marinade, it needs to be squeezed as dry as possible so that there’s room for marinade. If I knew more about physics, I’d say it has something to do with a saturation point. But I don’t know much about physics. So press your tofu so it can soak up as much flavour as possible.

Then you can eat it as it is, pan-fry, stir-fry, add to soup, sandwiches, but I love to grill it.

With a little sugar in the marinade, tofu gets a caramelized coating with beautiful charred marks that remind my taste buds that summer is coming closer day by day, even if dreary winter season is here. Adding frozen peas and fresh spinach adds a pop of colour to the soba noodle bowl, but you can always add in your favourite veggies. Red cabbage, carrots, bean sprouts, cucumber… Add whatever you want.

Just don’t forget the tofu.

Grilled Tofu Soba Noodle Bowl with Greens

Serves 4

Ingredients:

For the Marinated Tofu

• 1 block extra firm tofu (I used Organic Soyarie 350 g)
• ½ cup tamari
• 1 cup filtered water
• 1 tsp grated ginger
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ·1 tbsp agave nectar or maple syrup

For the Dressing:

• 1 ½ tsp grated ginger
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
• 3 tbsp lemon juice (juice of 1 lemon)
•  1 tbsp tamari

For the Bowl: 

•  4 servings of buckwheat soba noodles
• 1 cup frozen peas or edamame
• 3 cups fresh spinach, packed
•  sesame seeds to garnish

Directions:

To prepare the tofu the day before:

1.      Wrap the tofu in a clean and dry tea towel, paper towel, or dishcloth. Press between two flat surfaces (say two cutting boards) and place a heavy object on top, such as a couple cans of beans. Allow the tofu to be pressed for at least half an hour to get as much liquid out as possible.

2.      Prepare the marinade in a container that’s at least 2 inches deep.

3.      Cut the tofu into triangles (first in half, then cut those two halves diagonally to get the triangle shape. Slice each triangle until about 1/3 inch thick. Layer the tofu into the marinade and chill overnight for at least 8 hours.

To prepare the bowl:

4.      Combine all ingredients for dressing and whisk well. Set aside.

5.      Preheat a grill pan (or BBQ). Add adequate oil to the grill. Place marinated tofu on the grill. Flip once char marks appear. Continue cooking until both sides are well done. Remove from grill.

6.      Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add soba noodles. Cook for about 5 minutes, until almost cooked.

7.      Add frozen peas and cook until bright green. Quickly add the spinach, stir, and turn off the heat. Wait about 30 seconds until the spinach turns bright green and drain. Run cold water to shock and halt the cooking process so the greens stay bright.

8.       Divide soba and greens between four bowls and add the dressing on top.

9.      Sprinkle sesame seeds to garnish.

10.  Enjoy!

Lisa Le is the blogger behind The Viet Vegan. She’s a self-proclaimed feminist, vegan, and nerd who loves Star Trek and food in bowls. To see more of her recipes and reading about her life, visit her at The Viet Vegan. 

Thank you, Lisa, for visiting and for such a fantastic recipe. Long live the tofu soba noodle bowl!

Sweet Potato & Blueberry Forest Bowl

I can hear my father-in-law laughing right now. Fanciful titles aren't his thing. Dishes should have one word really (spaghetti), two if need be (jelly sandwiches), and only in extreme cases do they ever need three (chicken noodle soup). But definitely not five.

However, I like descriptive recipe titles. 

Whimsical descriptives inject wonder into dishes. I could have titled this dish, Sweet Potato, Blueberry & Kale Bowl...erm...not as fun (and still long). There's greens, nuts, seeds, berries...sounds like a forest forage to me! And so it is. The playful titles stay.

“A man’s mind stretched by a new idea can never go back to its original dimensions.”

— Oliver Wendell Holmes

This is such a refreshing and wholesome meal. I had whipped up a blueberry vinaigrette in a frenzy several days ago for a surprise dinner and I knew I needed to make something to use it up. Our fridge is practically empty, no greens to speak of except for a few stalks of kale so a green salad was out to the question. That's when my idea for this forest bowl popped into my mind! Perfect!

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Sweet Potato & Blueberry Forest Bowl

by Katie @ Produce on Parade August-29-2014

An easy and incredibly healthy dinner. Nuts, seeds, and dried berries adorn sweet potato, quinoa, and kale that's drizzled with a homemade blueberry vinaigrette. NOTES: Feel free to use your favorite greens, nuts, and berries for this. If you don't feel like making the dressing, any fruity vinaigrette will do.

Ingredients

• 1 cup quinoa, dry
• 2 cups water
• 2 large sweet potatoes, diced
• 4 large kale leaves, de-stemmed and torn
• ¼ cup dried blueberries
• 2 Tbsp. hazelnuts, chopped
• 2 Tbsp. pumpkin seeds
• drizzle of homemade (recipe below) or store-bought blueberry vinaigrette
• dash of kosher salt
• dash of ground black pepper

Instructions

In a medium saucepan, bring the quinoa and water to a boil over high heat. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 15-20 minutes. Drain any excess water with the lid and continue to heat over low until all the water has been absorbed. Meanwhile, steam the diced sweet potatoes for about 15 minutes, until fork tender.In a microwave safe bowl, microwave the torn kale for about 1-3 minutes. It should be wilted, but develop a bright green color and still have a bit of chew to it. To serve, divide the warm ingredients evenly into four bowls. Start with a serving of quinoa into a shallow bowl and add a side of a sweet potatoes and kale. Sprinkle with 1 Tbsp. dried blueberries, and 1/2 Tbsp. hazelnuts and pumpkin seeds. Drizzle with the vinaigrette and sprinkle with a dash of salt and pepper.

Details

Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 20 mins Total time: 30 mins Yield: 4

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Wild Blueberry Vinaigrette

by Katie @ Produce on Parade August-29-2014

A sweet and tart wild blueberry vinaigrette, the perfect compliment to a big green salad.

Ingredients

• ½ cup fresh or frozen wild blueberries
• ½ lemon, juiced
• ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 Tbsp. agave nectar or maple syrup
• pinch of kosher salt

Instructions

Combine everything in a blender and blend on high for several minutes. Serve over green salad and store in fridge

Details

Prep time: 5 mins Cook time: Total time: 5 mins Yield: about 3/4 cup

German Word of The Day

Forest --> Wald (vald)

Good Deed of The Day

Read this article from The Huffington Post, Grilling For Labor Day? Don't Burn The Planet.