Balsamic Tofu Steak

Tofu is something we vegetarians eat an awful lot of, but sadly it is often discounted by meat eaters.  It is low in fat, a good source of protein and goes with an endless variety of dishes, both sweet and savory.  Tofu is a great meat alternative, and though it is a processed food, it is far healthier than all the highly processed meat substitutes you can find in the freezer section.  If you buy organic tofu you can avoid those heavy chemicals sprayed all over the soy beans.

I did two versions of this recipe, one with a breaded/asiago crust and one without (pictured above).  Both were delicious, it all depends on if you want to do the extra step of breading the tofu. 

Awesome Halloween Ideas - A Great Playlist and Great Crafts!

We interrupt this food blog to bring you....

HALLOWEEN!

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays.  It's one of the few holidays that really inspires my creativity and that I have always loved.  Even though most trick-or-treating nights throughout my childhood entailed wearing a winter coat over my costume or begging my mom to let me be the Little Mermaid but instead having her dress me up as a clown, I still have fond memories of Halloween.  Perhaps this is because Hocus Pocus is one of my favorite movies, or maybe all the sugar induced comas I put myself in after eating half a pillowcase worth of candy helped block out any bad memories.  Either way, I freaking love Halloween.  Since I enjoy Halloween so much I decided bring you a mega-sized post dedicated to Halloween themed ideas.

To get started, turn on this Halloween playlist: (please note that some of these songs might not be suitable for children)

Autumn Minestrone

This soup was inspired by a lovely recipe I found in Alice Waters' book, the Art of Simple Food. This is turning into a really great book to own. The hard cover and illustrations give the book a timeless feel, and the content ranges from practical recipes of all genres, to specific cooking techniques and recommendations for utensils and pantry staples. After owning the book for only a few weeks I find myself referencing it almost daily. Her recipes often give you the "bare bones" to make something simple and tasty (be it ice cream, crepes, a gratin or soup) followed by a few ideas to add variation. The following recipe is a riff on her minestrone soup. You want to cook the beans and the pasta separately, adding the beans toward the end (so they wont be overcooked). Waters also emphasizes the need to allow the flavors to fully develop between the addition of each ingredient. You will definitely want to taste along the way!

Southwest Style Tofu Taco Salad

I've never met anyone who didn't love a good taco salad.  I stumbled upon a recipe for Chipotle Ranch from My Veggie Kitchen and it inspired me to create a taco salad of my own.  This particular Chipotle Ranch recipe is vegan friendly and calls for Veganaise, but I suspect that Greek yogurt could easily be substituted if so desired and would be quite tasty.

The tofu in the recipe is simple to prepare but is time consuming due to the draining and baking required.  I recommend getting the tofu started before preparing the rest of the ingredients.  Also, any black, pinto or similar type of bean can be substituted in this recipe.  If you have time, starting with dry beans soaked over night would be a great way to go!

I prepared this for dinner but you could certainly make a miniaturized version for a lunch.  I also served this as a buffet style instead of mixing it all together.  I prepared all the ingredients, mixed up the lettuce and taco shell with the dressing, then we built our own salads.  It worked wonderfully.

Perfect Apple Pie for the Perfect Fall Day

It's fall here in Michigan and I have to admit, Fall has not historically been one of my favorite seasons. Mainly because it signals the end of my favorite season, Summer, and also means that my least favorite season, Winter, is right around the corner.  This year, however, I decided to try and embrace Fall a little bit more.

Fall in Michigan really does have its upsides (as long as you can overlook the dreary rainy days).  The leaves turn gorgeous shades of red and yellow, apple cider becomes abundant everywhere you turn, root vegetables are bountiful at the farmer's markets and orchards are available for all your apple and pumpkin picking needs.  Oh and let's not forget Halloween, pumpkin ales, pumpkin lattes, apple pie...the list goes on and on.

Last weekend I traveled to the distant land of Kalamazoo, MI (ok it was only 2 hours away), to partake in a day that Anne Marie and I cleverly titled "Fall Day."  Fall Day entailed drinking apple cider, visiting an apple orchard, picking apples, and taking adorable photos with pumpkins (which you might have noticed over on our About aV page).  Upon my return home, I realized I had more apples than I knew what to do with.  Seemed like the perfect excuse to make apple pie!