The Smiling Onion

Vegetarian and Gluten-free Cooking

Subscribe

Archives for July 2016

Asian Tofu Salad

By Leave a Comment

If you’ve ever taken any sort of culinary or food science class, you may know that there are two types of cooking methods: dry-heat cooking and moist-heat cooking. Dry-heat is where your sautéing, roasting, baking, and frying lie. And moist heat is your boil, steam, simmer, and stew! (That’s by no means an exhaustive list of all moist/dry heat cooking methods, but it gives you a general idea.)

Anyway, it turns out I’m a dry-heat girl by nature. My go-to cooking methods are sautéing, roasting, baking, and pan-frying. Sure, I steam and boil on occasion (fried pasta would be pretty gross and I do like to blanch my greens and boil potatoes for mash now and then) but on the whole, my cooking routine generally begins with a skillet, some oil, and an onion.

In this heat, however, standing by a hot skillet babysitting a stir-fry is just not appealing. So when the craving for some tofu hit, I decided to boil it. Now if you’re like me, and you’ve spent your entire tofu-eating life baking, frying, or sautéing it, you may have some doubts about whether boiling is even possible. I know I did. But guess what?! It is! And it’s quite delicious and refreshing when seasoned well, chilled, and made into an Asian tofu salad like this one. In fact, taking foods I’m used to cooking one way and giving them a completely different treatment is definitely something I’d like to do more of. It helps me stay inspired, be creative, and not get stuck in any cooking ruts (which 90 degree weather can definitely precipitate!)

[Read more…]

Lemony Chive and Spinach Pesto (Vegan/Dairy-Free Option)

By Leave a Comment

Sometimes you gotta change it up a bit. Basil pesto is great – no argument here. But we’ve now reached the part of summer where it is HOT. And that means I need something a bit zingier – something with more freshness, more brightness. Because I’m sure as hell not going to find that in the swampland that is NYC right now.

Are you with me? Good. You should be. Because this pesto is yumtastic. Or yumtacular. Or whatever your favorite made-up compound superlative conveying deliciousness happens to be. Bright and grassy, it has a complexity of flavor that you don’t often get with a standard pesto, where everything hits you all at once. Taste  a spoonful of this, and your first impression will be fresh, lemony, and zingy – then the flavor will begin to evolve, giving way to something much fuller, richer, and creamier. If you are used to using raw garlic in your pestos, you’ll notice that the sautéed chives lend a flavor that is deeper, subtler, less abrasive, and more complex. Those delicious chives will begin to strut their stuff, and you’ll marvel at how such a small stalk  – when given the proper treatment – can bloom and blossom into a full-on umami symphony.

Or  – since not everyone is as food-obsessed as I am (you guys, I just typed the phrase “umami symphony”), you’ll just be like: “Mmm, this is yummy. I should put it on pasta.”

And indeed you should.

[Read more…]

Buckwheat Kati Rolls

By 1 Comment

I could have called these Indian buckwheat crepes, Indian buckwheat tacos, or Indian burritos. Depending on how large, thick, or thin you make the buckwheat wrappers, and the way you choose to roll/fold them, they could be the base for all manner of delicious meals! But the filling screamed kati roll to me. And I loved the idea of a nutty, protein-packed buckwheat wrapper in place of the traditional paratha. So kati rolls they are.

For those of you who don’t know what I’m talking about, a kati roll is comprised of some deliciously spiced filling (either meat-based or vegetarian) wrapped in a buttery Indian flatbread (the aforementioned paratha). Kati rolls are sometimes made with other types of flatbread – hence my justification for making buckwheat ones!  If you live in the New York area, I recommend checking out Desi Galli – they have some really yummy filling choices and make a very nice chickpea flour wrap.

So enough about other kati rolls, let’s get to this one. Golden fried paneer, spicy chickpeas, and a bright carrot slaw that will knock your socks off all rolled up in a delicious nutty buckwheat wrapper. Highly recommended with my Mint Chutney or a nice raita. And if you don’t feel like making a batter, you can always turn this into a bowl and serve the fillings over your favorite grain. You can also make the wrappers in advance and store them wrapped in foil in the fridge or the freezer – just reheat them in a lightly oiled cast iron pan like you would a tortilla. (They are arguably even better this way because the outside will crisp up slightly when you reheat them, but they’ll still remain tender on the inside and flexible for rolling/folding.)

So what are you waiting for? Let’s make some kati rolls!

[Read more…]

Mascarpone and Berry Parfait with Balsamic, Basil, and Mint (4th of July, Here We Come!)

By 1 Comment

My brother and I have always been very attached to traditions. Most people have to do something at least twice for it to be considered a “tradition” that should be repeated; for us, it only takes once. As soon as we do something to commemorate a special occasion or event, if it goes well, it’s a tradition. And we better repeat it, or face the consequences!

My parents were frequently frustrated with us growing up – “But mom, we can’t celebrate Rosh Hashanah on the day itself – we ALWAYS celebrate it one day early!” – or “Dad, we HAVE to go to the store right now and get chocolate covered espresso beans to put in the cookies – it’s a tradition!” I’ve cut vacations short just so that I could be home for a certain occasion I’m always home for and I once took a “birthday walk” in the pouring rain (complete with thunder and lightening) because … well… it was the birthday walk. Tradition! You can’t mess with it.

Anyway, I have two 4th of July traditions that I try to repeat every year. I’m not going to tell you about the first one, because it will probably make me sound even crazier than I already do. But I will tell you about the second: vanilla ice-cream with strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries. Red-white-and-blue deliciousness.

So, for my 4th of July blog post, I wanted to create something in the spirit of that tradition. I definitely did not want to make ice-cream this week (I’m a little ice-creamed out from the Ben and Jerry’s fiasco I wrote about last week) but berries and cream … this I could do. And boy could I eat it! Because this parfait is a mascarpone cream interspersed with balsamic-basil strawberries, blueberries infused with mint and red wine, and salted-maple raspberries. Need I say more? At the risk of sounding super cheesy, it’s fireworks in your mouth.

[Read more…]