Princess Tofu

Do you ever have one of those days when your keyboard types nothing but zzzzzzz? Really, it’s hard to make an entire paragraph made of the letter Z. I had to restart my laptop  twice, but then just gave up and moved to another computer- I feel like I am cheating on my macbook.

Despite the technical glitches, I’m really excited to be blogging this evening because I’ve missed writing – did I just say that? I’ve been making a lot of meals but it’s all been in the dark of the evening and I don’t take photos without natural light, i.e. I’m lazy.

Another reason why I am excited is because this is the first post of my 7 Days of Thanksgiving series. Really, there will be new things on here until Thanksgiving. One will even have two! I hope all of the recipes work out. Maybe they won’t.  In which case, I will have plenty to tell you, and we will commiserate together over the digestives I’m testing and still have a blast on Thanksgiving Day.

This is Day 1, which is a snack of sorts – Butternut Squash, Caramelized Onions, and Oyster Mushroom Quesadillas served with a crunchy jicama slaw. It’s super easy, delicious, and fast. I make it with only 1 skillet and eat them with my hands because Thanksgiving is a crazy day when your roommate starts grilling the turkey wayyyyy too late in the afternoon so no one eats anything until 8pm.

I hope you will enjoy this as I have this week (twice already). Tomorrow, I’m sharing a roasted pumpkin soup. See you soon!

Jicama Slaw (for two)

1 small jicama, julienned

1/2 lime, juiced

1/2 jalapeno, seeds removed and finely diced

1 TB olive oil

1 TB cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped

1/2 ts cumin seeds (half will be used in the slaw and the rest in the quesadillas)

Pinch of Salt

+Toast  1/2 ts. cumin seeds in your skillet until they are aromatic. Remove the seeds and use a mortar & pestle to reduce to a coarse grind. Combine 1/4 ts. of cumin with the remaining ingredients and allow to rest  while you make the quesadillas.

Butternut Squash, Caramelized Onions, and Oyster Mushroom Quesadillas (for two)

1 c butternut squash, sliced 1/4″ thick

1/2 c red onions, sliced 1/4″ thick

1 c. oyster mushrooms, sliced

8 tortillas, 8″ in diameter

1 c. grated mix of cheddar and/or monterey jack cheeses

Olive Oil for frying

+ Heat  1 TB of oil in a skillet and caramelize the onions with a pinch of salt on med-low heat until tender. I prefer mine wilted but not mushy… Some people do not eat raw onions so that’s something to consider. Next, pan fry the squash slices until slightly charred and tender to the fork. Top these with the remaining cumin seeds. Next, fry the oyster mushrooms until tender. I placed a lid over the skillet for the mushrooms as I find they tend to dry out too easily. Depending on how old/large your mushrooms are, they will take longer to cook. The stems are especially woody.

+ Turn on the oven on its lowest setting. Assemble the quesadillas by brushing the skillet with oil, place one tortilla down onto the hot skillet, liberally cover the tortilla with cheese, top with an even amount of cooked squash, onions, and mushrooms. Put more cheese over the fillings, cover with finishing tortilla, and cover with a lid. Flip your quesadilla over once it is crispy and golden brown on the bottom.  Place the finished quesadillas into the oven while you make the rest.

+Serve with sour cream, hot sauce, and jicama slaw.

I love the flavor of grilled foods, but it is difficult to create a satisfying meal of grilled vegetables. I grew up grilling a lot of meat while using the stovetop for sides and vegetables. As I matured in vegetarianism, I missed eating grilled foods and had to adapt a lot of recipes with soy substitutes. It seemed all too simple to exchange tofu for chicken or buy some of those frozen vegan patties and put them on hamburger buns. None of it was satisfying enough, but eventually I just started to experiment by putting whatever was in season on the grill. I grilled pizzas, cakes, brussel sprouts, cabbages, okras, lettuces… it was endless.

I’ve since discovered that the easiest genre of food to grill would have to be Mexican. My two months in Mexico eating street tacos and grilled quesadillas seasoned my Mexican palate with BBQ and smoke. Besides, I once watched Bobby Flay grill some quesadillas filled with apples and cheese. I think this was the episode where I fell in love with Bobby.

I live in a warehouse that hosts two grilled turkeys at Thanksgiving, but for the remainder of the year, the grills lie fallow. This makes me kind of sad. So… I finally invited some friends over for fiery fun. We started with some grilled okra and squash in a spice rub followed by grilled watermelon salad and mushroom quesadillas with corn and peach salsa. I think I nearly converted some meat eaters to vegetarianism. Or perhaps they were just being nice.

Grilled Watermelon Salad:

1 watermelon cut into a large slabs

1/2 c. finely cubed feta

2 grilled jalapenos, chopped

julienned shiso leaves  (japanese mint, you can also use regular mint)

lime olive oil (1part lime juice, 1 part olive oil)

+ Grill watermelon slabs on both sides until slightly charred. Remove from grill and cut into cubes while maintaining slab shapes. Top with lime oil combo and evenly distribute feta, shiso, jalapenos on top.

Mexican-esque Spice Rub:

1 part coriander powder

1 part garlic powder

1 part salt (you should taste the rub and salt accordingly)

1 part chili powder (cayenne if you are feeling eager)

2 parts cumin powder

Lime Sour Cream (mix well and serve):

1 lime

1/2 c. sour cream

+ Coat squash and okras in oil and liberally sprinkle spice rub onto mixture. Grill and serve with Lime Sour Cream.