Some favorite things

This past week has been really busy. I usually take time to cook even when I have a lot going on--indeed, it's how I relax when others might watch TV, etc. But this week, my eating was not very impressive. Nevertheless, I have several things to share. (Let the real cooking resume!)

Thing one: Dough! I made the weirdest pizza the other day. Just make a little bit of dough, let it rise a few hours, put it in a 8- or 9-in pie pan lined with cornmeal, and go crazy... I used hummus and mustard instead of sauce, strips of collard greens which became both crispy and tender, and sundried tomatoes (I know it sounds awful--that's why I'm not posting a recipe--but it was actually quite tasty). I read somewhere that pizza originally didn't have cheese on it anyway...but this might just be vegan propaganda. Anyway, bake on the top rack at a very high temp until the crust is baked through and starting to brown.


Thing two: Trader Joe's tofu veggie burgers. In most circumstances I'm wholly opposed to veggie burgers: they're very processed, and the only vegan ones resemble meat-flavored rubber. They also imply a sort of vegetarian lack: why would you eat a gross imitation of "the real thing"? BUT this burger is different: it's made out of tofu instead of TVP, and it has very few ingredients--just tofu, kale, carrots, some spices. In other words, it's not so processed that I couldn't reproduce it myself. It's then fried, and it comes in inexpensive packages of two. And it's absolutely delicious.


Thing three: Broccoli in stir fries.

Spicy Greens and Chickpea Stirfry over Whole Wheat Noodles

Ingredients
1 TB canola oil (or similar)
2 cloves garlic
1 TB minced ginger
several servings collard greens, broccoli (or similar), cut into bite-sized pieces
tamari to taste
1 TB peanut butter
1 TB garlic-chili paste
1 can chickpeas, canned or cooked

Instructions

Steam green vegetables until bright green and slightly tender (10 min or less). Heat oil over high-medium heat in a skillet or wok, then add garlic and cook several minutes. Add ginger and greens and cook well, deglazing with tamari and water as needed. Thin peanut butter with a little water and add it and garlic-chili paste into skillet. Reduce heat to medium and add chickpeas, cooking several minutes longer to mix flavors.