Tofu and Vegetable Pho

One of the great cooking milestones that I had never attempted before today was making broth from scratch. I just could not grasp the concept of turning water into delicious broth by merely boiling vegetables or chicken in it. However, when watching one of my favorite Food Network shows this weekend, Diners Drive-Ins and Dives, I got inspired to give it a try. Guy Fieri, who is quite possibly one of my least favorite/least desirable people on earth, visited a random shmo diner that apparently had the best pho in the world (sidenote: my hatred of Guy Fieri does not in any way take away from my love of the show somehow). I love pho, and have yet to try a vegan version, and it just so happens that this random diner somewhere in the midwest made completely vegan pho. I took careful mental notes, and was shocked by how easy it looked to make it. That gave me the final push I needed to try making my own broth once and for all. There were serious ups and downs, and moments when I doubted if it would turn out, but in the end it was truly excellent, and stacks up against most other bowls of pho I have had. Though time consuming, the recipe is overall very easy and I promise you that it is delicious. I will never go back to store bought broth again (...that's a lie, but I will definitely be making my own broth much more often)!

Indonesian Rice Noodles

I am usually someone who just throws things together and hopes for the best when cooking, but sometimes I find blogs and cookbooks that are just so good that I have to follow their recipes word for word. One of the best vegetarian/vegan cookbooks I have gotten was gifted to me by Andrew's family, and it is called Quick Fix Vegetarian. The recipes are simple and healthy and use delicious and unusual ingredients. I have made multiple recipes from this book, but my favorite is definitely Indonesian noodles. I have made them for multiple dinner parties and received rave reviews, so I have made them a part of my regular rotation. However, when I made them last night I decided to mix it up a little bit and make the recipe healthier by excluding the oil. I also used rice noodles instead of linguine, which the original recipe calls for. One extra touch I added was "do it yourself" toppings, which just makes it so much more fun. For this part I just crushed some peanuts, chopped parsley, and sliced limes. It really added so much flavor to the dish, and, I can't lie, I am just a sucker for any DIY topping situation. I officially have a new staple in my vegan cooking routine!

the best part--toppings!

Chickpea Burgers

One of the greatest benefits of living in such an international city as DC is the access to wonderful foods from all around the world. My favorite of which has to be Middle Eastern. In my pre-vegan days I loved some tender shwarma in a pita or lamb kebabs with rice. These favorites were some of the foods that I was most reluctant to give up, but I have now discovered a new Middle Eastern love--falafel. I always used to opt for meat dishes because I found them to be more tender and flavorful, but I have had some incredible falafel in the past few months, most of which was made at home. This delicious chickpea burger is like a giant falafel, and it is so moist and flavorful. I was half inspired by a recipe from one of my favorite blogs and half inspired by Andrew's amazing falafel dinner that he made for me on Valentine's Day. I had the burgers on a lettuce bun and topped them with pickles, tomato, onion, hummus, and harissa (spicy red pepper spread). I must say that it turned out fantastic, and I think I did the Middle East proud.

It looks kind of like a clam!

Kale and Chickpea Stew

Kale has quickly become one of my favorite vegetables, but when I first tried it I vowed to never eat it again. Before becoming a vegan I made a pasta dish with kale and tomatoes, and it tasted like I was chewing on sand. For some reason it was extremely gritty, and I thought that just how kale was. I later realized that I probably just didn't wash the kale properly, and now kale is a staple in my vegan diet. It is so full of nutrients and I love the slightly peppery flavor. It is the perfect addition to this hearty stew, which is a great weeknight meal. I definitely learned my lesson though--double wash the kale.

Pasta Puttanesca

I fell in love with pasta puttanesca at one of my favorite hometown Italian spots, Michaelangelo's. I could not believe that little tiny capers provided so much delicious flavor. Imagine my joy when I discovered that puttanesca sauce is literally one of the easiest things to make. I have been making pasta puttanesca in many variations for a long time, and tonight I made it for the first time since being a vegan. I also made it with no oil at all, and it was still so flavorful. I used some spinach fusili but you could really use any type of pasta. This is a great low fat dish with so much incredible flavor. I think I did my hometown favorite proud!

Stuffed Grape Leaves

Hands down one of my favorite foods on this earth is grape leaves. They are definitely a love 'em or hate 'em type food, and haters always ask me what it is I love so much about them. The answer is: I have no idea, but I could eat them all day and all night. And not to toot my own horn, but these grape leaves are among the best I've had. The idea came to be when I discovered canned grape leaves at Whole Foods. Though I was initially skeptical, they turned out to be incredible, and I went through 3 cans in 2 days (that's when I decided to stop stocking my house with them). Next to the stuffed grape leaves I saw a jar of plain ol' unstuffed grape leaves, and I thought that I could pretty easily make a both low fat and vegan version of my own. It is very rare that the vision in my head is what comes out on the plate, but I must say that this time I nailed it! I even converted Andrew, a former hater, to the ways of the leaf. Here is how to make these delicious morsels for yourself:

Look at them skills!

Fried Quinoa

This dish came to be when I was t-20 minutes away from hosting a dinner party, and I had a mild panic attack that there wasn't going to be enough food (my biggest dinner party fear). I decided to throw some leftover quinoa together with some peas and carrots, added some soy sauce, and I was amazed by the result. It really tasted like a less greasy version of fried rice, and my guests couldn't get enough. Of course there ended up being plenty of food, but I was really glad that I made this dish. It has now become a staple in my vegan cooking, and you should make it one too!