Recent Vegan Adventures: Mac & Cheese Fail, Amazing Grilled Tofu, and Delicious Aloo Chole

My favorite omni-food was Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. I especially loved any character-shaped form of the boxed treat. So, naturally, I've been trying to make my own mac and uncheese. I read a few recipes, including this one that consisted of raw cashews, pine nuts, sunflower seeds, nooch, and some spices. I won' t link the recipe, because it was an Epic fail. Dry, dull, and just... bleh. I think I'm still attached to the salty, buttery, fatty taste of my old standby.

Mac Fail

There is currently a box of mac and chreeze in my cabinet just waiting for perfect mac cooking conditions (like when I am in the corner of the apartment with my headphones on pounding out a 24 page short story for Lee K. Abbott and B. has to do the cooking). We'll see.

On a happier note, I was able to whip out a really an amazing meal (and fast!) before my horribly long night class on Monday. It took maybe 15 minutes. The result was grilled tofu, grilled flat bread, and grilled zucchini with balsamic & EVOO.

Grilled Tofu, flat bread, and Zucchini

An approximation of the recipe (serves 2):

• One block firm or extra firm regular tofu
• Two pieces of your favorite pre-made whole grain flat bread
• Two small zucchinis (or one large one)
• Grill seasoning
• EVOO
• Balsamic Vinegar
  
  

1. Press the tofu. Cut into two halves (like a bagel). Cut each half into 4 pieces.
2. Drizzle tofu with EVOO and shake a generous helping of grill seasoning on 'em.
3. Heat up your grill pan and throw the tofu strips on.
4. Chop up some zucchini and put that on the grill pan too.
5. Get your bread, and guess what? Put it on the pan too (I have a really big grill pan).
6. Squish those tofu strips and hear them sizzle and squeal against the hot hot pain.
7. Turn the tofu a few times so it gets hot all the way through and so you get those cool grill lines.
8. Turn your zucchs and your bread.
9. Drizzle your zucchs with balsamic vinegar and EVOO.
10. Plate it, eat it, head for class.

And finally, the Delicious Aloo Chole.

Although I've been addicted to it since I was a senior in high school and worked at Gateway to India, I've never made my own Indian food. This was my first try and B. made me promise to make it once a week from now on. I'm cool with that because it was way easier than I thought it would be. And, let's face it, potatoes and dried chickpeas are friggen cheap. I made it with lame minute rice because I forgot I wanted rice until I was almost done. I guess it's okay, I've got to get rid of my old cheap, gross, bleached, processed goods somehow. Oh, and yeah, I didn't soak my chickpeas overnight. I soaked them for a couple hours. It would have been way better if they would have been softer.

Aloo Chole

And, my recipe (planned for two, but we wound up with leftovers for lunch tomorrow):

• 2 big Yukon potatoes, cut up into small pieces. I left the skin on.
• 1 cup chickpeas (either a can, or a cup of dried, soaked overnight)
  
• 1 small yellow onion, rough chop
  
• 1 glove garlic, rough chop
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 cup non-dairy milk of choice
• 2 or 3 tbsp oil (EVOO, Earthblend, whatev)
• 1 tbsp of garam masala
• 1 tbsp curry powder
• 1/2 tbsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tbsp cayenne pepper
• 3 tbsp ketchup (the secret ingredient, but I'll tell you, because I love you)
• Salt, Pepper
• Water if you want it thinner, which I did.
  

1. Cover potatoes in water, boil, let cook until soft.
2. Saute onion and garlic in oil until slightly brown and soft
3. Add your spices. Add more oil or water if needed.
4. Add soy milk, stir it up nice and smooth.
5. Squirt in your ketchup.
   
6. Drop in tomatoes, stir some more.
7. Add chickpeas and potatoes.
8. Taste and add spices, oil, milk, or water, as needed.
9. Serve over rice and/or with hot flat bread.
10. Scarf it down and listen to boyfriend sing your praises.