A delicious vegan Panang Curry

This is soooo good, almost as good as my Thai restaurant but definitely vegan and so quick and easy to prepare. What more needs to be said.

Panang (Beef- not!) Curry with Peanuts and Fresh Basil
heavily adapted from The Curry Book by Nancie McDermott

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 tablespoons red curry paste, divided
I 14-oz pkg firm tofu, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
4 tablespoons mushroom flavored dark soy sauce, divided
1tablespoon soy sauce
1 14-oz can unsweetened coconut milk
1 tablespoon brown sugar
pinch salt
1/4 cup dry roasted unsalted peanuts, finely chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, sliced into long, thin strips
fresh Thai basil leaves, sliced

Combine 2 1/2 tablespoons red curry paste, 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce, and 1 tablespoon soy sauce in a small bowl. Place the tofu cubes in a medium bowl and spoon the curry paste-soy sauce mixture over the tofu. Let sit for about 15 minutes or so.

In a large frying pan over medium heat, combine the oil and remaining 2 1/2 tablespoons curry paste. Cook 3-4 minutes, adjusting the heat to keep the paste sizzling gently without popping and splashing,mashing and scraping the paste to soften and warm it. Add the tofu and cook 2-3 minutes, separating the pieces to coat them with the paste.

Stir the coconut milk well and add 1 cup to the frying pan. Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat and cook for about 10 minutes, adjusting the heat to keep it simmering gently.

Add the remaining coconut milk, remaining dark soy sauce, sugar, salt, and peanuts. Cook gently about 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the red pepper strips and stir them into the curry. Taste and adjust the seasonings, adding salt or sugar as needed.

Transfer to a small, shallow bowl and gently mix in some of the chopped basil. Garnish with a basil spring if desired. Serve hot or warm.

I added some shiitake mushrooms and served mine over greens. YUM!!!
The thai basil makes all the difference in this dish.

Menu

sat
homemade pizza- mine had kalamata olives, sauteed mushrooms broccoli and sweet red peppers, hot pepper flakes

sun
sandwiches- avocado, spicy sprouts, tomatoes, hummus
DH is having nachos

mon
Mu Shu in Moments- Happy Chinese New Year!
steamed greens

tue
black beans and rice- homemade black beans this week
steamed kale

wed
working late on report cards- will order chinese

thur
pad thai
salad

Primanti Brothers sandwich

The homemade Primanti Brothers sandwiches were a hit! I loved mine!

My sandwich was layered with

Italian bread

on the bottom slice of bread- spread some diced cherry peppers

half of an avocado lightly sprinkled with salt
French fries
Cole slaw- recipe below adapted from epicurious.com

a few slices of thinly sliced onion
Sliced tomatoes lightly sprinkled with salt and pepper

Serve with a dill pickle on the side

If Whole Foods starts to carry Field Roast again, then I would add a few slices of it inbetween the bottom slice of bread and the cherry pepper spread. I considered adding some fakin' bacon but loved this sandwich as prepared.

Carolina Cole Slaw

adapted from Bon Appétit March 1996
Caroline Belk: Richmond, Virginia

1/2 cup distilled white vinegar

6 tablespoons sugar- I used a heavy 3

6 tablespoons vegetable oil- I u sed 3 as suggested in the notes

2 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard

1 teaspoon celery seeds

1 medium cabbage (about 1 1/4 pounds)

Combine vinegar, sugar, oil, mustard and celery seeds in non-aluminum medium saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves and dressing comes to boil. Remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper. Cool completely.
Combine cabbage and dressing; toss to coat. Cover; refrigerate until cold, tossing occasionally, at least 2 hours. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; keep refrigerated.)
Yield: Serves 8

menu for the week of Jan 18

sun
homemade Primanti Brothers sandwiches- go Steelers!
dill pickle
roasted brussels sprouts

mon
out for lunch
leftovers for dinner

tues
samosa quesadillas- cl
apple or cherry pie- Whole Foods make delicious vegan pies
the first dish represents the multicultural/fusion aspect of America, what needs to be said about apple pie :) , cherry pie and the story of George Washington chopping down the cherry tree, maybe some Knob Creek bourbon for cocktail hour- named for Lincoln's birthplace or margaritas- DH's recipe came from Rick Bayless' website- the Obamas are reported to love his restaurant (as did we!)

wed
black beans and rice
salad
steamed kale

thurs
fettucini with finger licking peanut sauce- cl
salad
leftover steamed kale

Menu for the week of Jan 11

I made a menu and then when making my grocery list realized that it was a bit heavy on tomatoes. Must be craving them! So I made a few changes and think this will do.

Sat
chili- Hard Times Chili- vegetarian mix
Zuni bread- The Bread Lover's Bread Machine Cookbook
steamed kale, elbow mac

Mon
leftover chili- I made a taco salad, DH has nachos

Tues
freezer dinner- DH- bocca burgers and fries,
streamed broccoli
nice veggie salad for me
some of the Zuni bread

Wed
Spicy Vegetable Ragout Over Polenta-cl
salad

Thurs
either Border Pealla from Rebar or Salsa del Sol- cl
salad

Tea

I tried two more teas yesterday and fell in love with one and really enjoyed the other. My new love is oolong. I read an article in the Washington Post a few months ago about oolongs- it said that they are the champagne of teas (now that caught my attention) but that it takes a bit of effort to brew. Yes they are right. The tea is really very delicious and there is an extra step in brewing. I found 100% organic Wuyi oolong from Rishi Tea at Whole Foods and, thanks to the TeaChat boards, brewed a great cup. I rinsed two cups with the hot water then poured about 1/2 of hot water (just off the boil) over the tea leaves, swirling to make sure that all of the leaves were wet. After about 5 -10 seconds, I lifted the infuser and placed it in the second cup, added more hot water and brewed for about 3-4 minutes. Not so hard, just a quick additional step. I made a second cup from the same leaves, steeping for closer to 4 1/2 minutes. This cup was equally delicious but seemed more mellow. I am an oolong fan!

I also tried sencha for the first time. I found an organic tin from Rishi at Whole Foods. I read that this tea can be tricky to brew but felt I was ready to give it a go. Sencha is a green tea from Japan that can be described as vegetal. When brewed right, there is a balance of sweetness with the astringency. I am finding that I enjoy greeny green teas and thought that my cup yesterday had a bit of sweetness. It was really good- and I kept thinking of that tea after I had finished. uummm- must play around with this tea some more. I might stop at Teaism today after bookclub and try a cup there.

Menu for Jan 3-8

I don't usually make two different dinners for DH and I, but I really want to try the tofu. He's not feeling well and may not even eat the burgers. I also would love to make the black-eyed pea curry and have the leftover beans. Fortunately, this is a good time of year to cook, the weather is way to cold for me to enjoy being outside.

Sat
Pan Glazed Tofu with Thai Red Curry Sauce- AYIAVK
with steamed gingered kale and brown rice for me
Bocca burgers and fries for DH

Sun
homemade pizza- I use the recipe from Argentine Black Bean Flatbread with Chimichurri Drizzle for DH's dough and Eating Well's whole wheat dough for me
and my first attempt at homemade sprout bread- recipe from sproutpeople.com

Mon
Curried Black-Eyed Peas with Eggplant- The Curry Book- for me
Baked Ziti Goes Southwest for DH

Tues
??

Wed
spaghetti- Salsa del Sol for the sauce- cl
salad

Thur
tacos

and now I'm back to planning lunches- I think that I'll have salads with lots of veggies this week and hopefully some sprout bread! DH likes leftovers and he should be set this week with all the separate dinners.