Quick Dinner with Sushi Rice
What with all the excitement of having Smucky here, I haven’t had a chance to post anything, which is okay because I haven’t really cooked anything spectacular. I figured I’d pop in and say hi this evening, though I still haven’t cooked anything spectacular, so you don’t forget about me. Food-wise, I am still recovering from the party last weekend. For example, I ate so many leftover chips with salsa as a snack late this afternoon that it wasn’t until 9:30 tonight that I even bothered asking Mark what he wanted for dinner. He told me not to worry about dinner, but I offered to make him some rice, his favorite food. He expected me to throw some sushi rice in the rice cooker and call it a meal – and he’d have been perfectly happy with that – but I simply can not serve a meal that consists entirely of rice. I am compelled to at least serve something on the side and include more than one vegetable. So here’s what I did:
I made the sushi rice as normal: sprinkling it with salt and sushi vinegar when it was done cooking, then mixing them in. Then I slivered about a cup of the yellow baby carrots I had leftover the party, as well as about 2/3 of an orange bell pepper. These I sauteed together with about half a cup cooked frozen edamame. Then I tossed the veggies with a sauce that consisted of 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 2 tablespoons mirin, 2 teaspoons chili garlic paste, 3 drops stevia, and a splash of rice vinegar, thickened with a pinch of xantham gum.
I had much of a head of iceberg lettuce leftover, purchased to alleviate a party guest’s falafel craving, so I threw together a very simple salad of lettuce, carrot, cucumber, and celery. For the dressing I combined 3 tablespoons olive oil, a 1-inch piece of ginger, grated, 1 tablespoon mirin, salt and freshly ground pepper, and 3 tablespoons of a batch of kombucha tea that had turned to vinegar. The latter is a very mild, sweet vinegar which I wouldn’t expect anyone to have (it’s a mistake I even have it); to substitute for it, use 1 to 2 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar (or sushi vinegar).
Mark entered the kitchen, perplexed. “I thought you were just making rice. There’s an awful lot of food here for ‘just making rice’.” I know. I can’t make anything easy. Sue me. Or eat the delicious results and shut up! Not counting the rice, which was just made in the rice cooker anyway, this meal took about 10 minutes to throw together.
Yesterday Mark and I drove up to Baltimore to go to Artscape, at the beckoning of Fortinbras. Despite the fact that I for years lived about a mile and a half from the area Artscape is held, I never managed to attend it while I lived in Baltimore. I discovered why yesterday. It’s full of people. Which isn’t to say Artscape isn’t cool or anything – it is – but it was very, very crowded and I just do not like crowds.
I was absolutely famished when we arrived, and I get very cranky when I’m hungry, so the first thing we needed to do was find food. Fortunately this was easy, and there was even a vegetarian food stand at the first food court we encountered. I was carrying a huge camera bag containing several lenses, the camera itself slung around my neck, as well as the lemonade I purchased to go with my meal, and the two “veggie chicken” kabobs I bought, yet I still managed to get a picture of the kabobs for you. Mark asked me what the heck I was doing, as he thought I was crazy. It was a bit crazy to stand in the middle of an extremely crowded festival wearing a heavy camera bag, holding a lemonade, and take a picture of two kabobs I was holding in one hand. Please enjoy the results of my insanity:
The kabobs were very good, but not filling enough. I had to return ten minutes later and get a veggie wrap. Then we started exploring the festival and trying to find our friends: in addition to Fortinbras, we were looking for our friends Brad and April. The Charles Street bridge near the Jones Falls Expressway was festooned in streamers and various sideshow booths. It was extremely crowded. You can see Penn Station in the background of this photo:
There are several art cars in Baltimore, many of which were at Artscape. Here’s my favorite, although I couldn’t get far enough away from it to show that there is actually a car under all those hands.
I noticed that what I had previously taken to be a bizarre but exclusively Northern Virginia phenomenon – teeth whitening and dental services at street festivals and county fairs – has migrated to Baltimore. Here’s an inflatable dental spa, because nothing says “I like art” like a dental spa:
Artscape is a free event. It encompasses three days, several square city blocks, and offers performances by nationally known bands such as Cake. I think Etta James performed a few years ago. But all of this is free, and you just sort of wander around and immerse yourself in the wackiness that can be Baltimore (wackiness is what I love about Baltimore). So I found this interesting:
Instead of actually walking around looking at the displays, listening to the music, and participating in the games, you can pay $25 to stand on the top of a parking garage and look at the tops of peoples’ heads. Um, no thanks? The crowds did get to us, though, so Mark and I sought refuge at our favorite bar, then skipped over to The Yabba Pot for dinner.
And finally, I just wanted to share this extremely cute picture of Smucky and Brachtune playing Uno:
I’ll have a real post for you this week, I promise!
Lou Said,
July 20, 2009 @ 4:29 am
Congrats on the Kabob pic. Also, if you blur your eyes a little it turns into a silly face complete with confused eyebrows and a little sad-clown mouth. Well worth the effort I think.
Josiane Said,
July 20, 2009 @ 10:11 am
I’m amazed that you even attempted to take the kabob picture under those conditions! Also, I love that Lou saw something more in those kabobs.
You’re the queen of the fabulous quick dinners! I’m such a slow cook, I really can’t imagine being able to throw together a complete meal that looks so delicious in a mere 10 minutes. Though I must say I have tried your Hot and Sour Braised Tempeh last night, and it came together pretty quickly. I’ll certainly play with the recipe a little, but the basic idea stands as a valuable addition to my repertoire. Thanks!
Courtney Said,
July 20, 2009 @ 4:54 pm
I love any post from you–quick and easy dinners included 🙂 I have never heard of using xantham gum as a thickener in that way…can you use it as a replacement for corn starch or arrowroot? I actually do have some around for gluten-free baking, but never thought of using it for anything else! Can you use it in equal amounts in recipes that call for corn starch?
Thanks!
Courtney
renae Said,
July 20, 2009 @ 10:42 pm
Lou, Haha, I didn’t see the face in the kabobs, but you’re right!
Josiane, I’m usually pretty slow too, but I can whip things up quickly if I’m hungry enough! I’m glad you liked the tempeh, although I agree the recipe needs some work in order to be great. It’s a good concept though.
Courtney, xantham gum does work as a thickener, and unlike arrowroot it doesn’t need to be heated to work. I’m not sure what the ratio would be to replace cornstarch with it, but I do think it would be much less xantham gum than cornstarch. I’ve never used more than maybe 1/4 tsp at a time. Generally if I’m trying to thicken a cup of sauce, I’d use maybe 1/8 tsp: just whisk it in and let it sit for a few minutes and it will thicken. It’s definitely more “potent” than cornstarch.
Courtney Said,
July 20, 2009 @ 4:54 pm
I love any post from you–quick and easy dinners included 🙂 I have never heard of using xantham gum as a thickener in that way…can you use it as a replacement for corn starch or arrowroot? I actually do have some around for gluten-free baking, but never thought of using it for anything else! Can you use it in equal amounts in recipes that call for corn starch?
Thanks!
Courtney
Lou Said,
July 21, 2009 @ 10:35 am
Renae, potentially stoopid question, but I’m always on the hunt for some way to make tofu mayo thick (no veganaise in Ireland m’fraid and everything else out there is frankly horrilbe so I make my own), would Xantham work, or would there be a gritty feel. It’s rare for something powdery to thicken without heat…what do you think, would it be yuck? I’m going for springy Hellmans texture you see.
renae Said,
July 21, 2009 @ 10:48 am
Not at all a stupid question, Lou! As long as you mix it in thoroughly – and it does take some stirring – xantham gum would definitely not be at all gritty. In fact, it gets a bit gooey/slimy (like eggs, now that I think of it!). I don’t use it that often – I bought it for an ice cream recipe – so I can’t really guess how well it would work for tofu mayo, but I think it would be worth a try. Unfortunately, it’s rather expensive, at least in the US. A little goes a long way, so it’s not a bad buy, but it might be a large investment for an experiment that may or may not turn out. Actually, if you have a recipe or idea of ingredients you’d use, I’d be willing to whip it up for you and see how it works with xantham gum. I have plenty of it and like I said don’t use it much.
Lou Said,
July 21, 2009 @ 10:35 am
Renae, potentially stoopid question, but I’m always on the hunt for some way to make tofu mayo thick (no veganaise in Ireland m’fraid and everything else out there is frankly horrilbe so I make my own), would Xantham work, or would there be a gritty feel. It’s rare for something powdery to thicken without heat…what do you think, would it be yuck? I’m going for springy Hellmans texture you see.
Courtney Said,
July 21, 2009 @ 4:53 pm
Wow–thanks so much! How cool is that?! I love learning new cooking things :o) I can’t wait to try using it as a thickener! Like you said, a little goes a long way, and I have quite a bit and it was expensive, so I would hate for it to go to waste!
Courtney
Lou Said,
July 21, 2009 @ 6:05 pm
Renae, you’re a little sweetie 🙂 That’s a very kind offer, and one way or the other I’d be delighted to see what you can do with it, having more experience than me in the first place.
I derived my recipe from Bryanna’s: http://www.bryannaclarkgrogan.com/page/page/661699.htm#bryanna%27stofumayonnaise
I use white vinegar as well as the cider vinegar, also I use Dijon and yellow mustard (the hotdog kind), rapeseed oil instead of extra virgin olive oil and even a pinch of nutritional yeast…I don’t know that there’s much point in telling you exactly what the quantities of the flavourings I use are, I’m trying to recreate the specific taste of Hellman’s low fat mayo as sold in Ireland, which might be completely minging to your tastebuds!
So, basically, follow her directions and use what you think might make a mayo that tastes nice to you (you can try white wine vinegar, white balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, white pepper…whatever will make it taste like what you’re used to/in the mood of. I do recommend the rapeseed or possibly sunflower oil though, and only a small amount, approx 2tblsp for one pack of Mori Nu Firm – mild works better for this, to me).
I also don’t throw it all in at the same time, I drizzle the oil in after the blender has had it’s wicked whippy way with the tofu et al. It seems to create a nicer texture (seems).
I can of course send the exact measurements and I might as well have with the amount of flaming typing I’m after doing.
Thanks again 🙂 Sorry for the novel!
Lou Said,
July 21, 2009 @ 6:05 pm
Renae, you’re a little sweetie 🙂 That’s a very kind offer, and one way or the other I’d be delighted to see what you can do with it, having more experience than me in the first place.
I derived my recipe from Bryanna’s: http://www.bryannaclarkgrogan.com/page/page/661699.htm#bryanna%27stofumayonnaise
I use white vinegar as well as the cider vinegar, also I use Dijon and yellow mustard (the hotdog kind), rapeseed oil instead of extra virgin olive oil and even a pinch of nutritional yeast…I don’t know that there’s much point in telling you exactly what the quantities of the flavourings I use are, I’m trying to recreate the specific taste of Hellman’s low fat mayo as sold in Ireland, which might be completely minging to your tastebuds!
So, basically, follow her directions and use what you think might make a mayo that tastes nice to you (you can try white wine vinegar, white balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, white pepper…whatever will make it taste like what you’re used to/in the mood of. I do recommend the rapeseed or possibly sunflower oil though, and only a small amount, approx 2tblsp for one pack of Mori Nu Firm – mild works better for this, to me).
I also don’t throw it all in at the same time, I drizzle the oil in after the blender has had it’s wicked whippy way with the tofu et al. It seems to create a nicer texture (seems).
I can of course send the exact measurements and I might as well have with the amount of flaming typing I’m after doing.
Thanks again 🙂 Sorry for the novel!
mark Said,
July 21, 2009 @ 11:40 pm
the top half of that kabob is missing because I ate it. Renae didn’t notice and said “is this it??”
renae Said,
July 22, 2009 @ 11:40 am
I’ll play around with the mayo recipe this weekend, Lou. I’m not sure I’ve ever even had low-fat mayo (or if Hellman’s uses same formula in Ireland as they do here), so I may not get the taste right, but I’ll at least be able to tell you if the xantham gum produced a desirable texture. I think Vegenaise is great, but it’s not particularly healthy (or cheap), so I’ve been meaning to work on a mayo recipe anyway.
trinity Said,
July 22, 2009 @ 12:45 pm
love the uno! and the gorgeous food. thanks for writing such a great blog!
trinity Said,
July 22, 2009 @ 12:45 pm
love the uno! and the gorgeous food. thanks for writing such a great blog!
Lou Said,
July 22, 2009 @ 6:18 pm
Thanks again Renae, looking forward to it 🙂