Onion rings are delicious. So much so that we don't mind paying that extra dollar to upgrade at the restaurant or a few bucks for a serving or two from the frozen section of the supermarket. Turns out they are super easy to make, way cheaper, and a thousand times more delicious when made fresh in your own kitchen.
Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking powder (Don't add too much or it will make your batter bitter.)
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg (I'm working on finding a substitution to make this vegan... I'll get back to you.)
1/2 bottle Fat Tire Ale (I suppose you could substitute any beer here, but Fat Tire is the best.)
Pepper
2 yellow onions, sliced to desired thickness (I like using Walla Walla Sweets here and slicing them pretty thick, about 3/4 of an inch.)
Vegetable oil for frying
Directions:
1. Heat the oven to 200 degrees and place a cookie sheet covered with paper towels in the oven.
2. Whisk all batter ingredients together in a bowl.
3. Slice your onions. Separate out the individual rings.
4. Heat at least an inch of oil in a deep pan on medium high. You want the oil hot, but not so hot it will splatter all over the place when you put the onions in.
5. Dip the onions in the batter and make sure they are coated. Put them in the oil and fry them until golden, a few minutes. Turn the rings over and fry the other side.
6. Place the finished rings on the paper towel-lined pan in the oven to keep warm until all the rings are finished.
Our favorite dipping sauces are easy peasy Magic O-Ring Sauce and Karam's Garlic Sauce (find it at PCC, try it, and thank me later), but the possibilities are endless!
Magic O-Ring Sauce:
Mix equal parts ketchup and Veganaise together. Enjoy!
This batter can also be used for tofu (or fish) or for delicious tempura-style veggies. Make these and just try to tell me these aren't the best damn onion rings you've ever had!
Bon appetit!
Showing posts with label vegetarian. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vegetarian. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Sunday, June 23, 2013
recipe: the best damn tofu marinade ever.
If you don't cook it often, tofu on its own can be a hard one to tackle. Making something spectacular boils down to two essentials: the quality of your ingredients and your marinade.
This recipe is my mom's famous salmon marinade. She has made people cry her salmon is so good. Her secret? Fresh Copper River salmon (wild Alaskan salmon for those of you not from the PNW) and this marinade.
It magically transforms tofu into something even the pickiest eaters will love; they will probably even beg for more.
Ingredients:
1/4 cup soy sauce (I use Bragg's Liquid Aminos.)
1/4 cup honey or agave or maple syrup (I am one of the vegans who eats honey and that's my preference here. Each type of sweetener adds its own flavor.)
1/4 cup sesame oil
3-6 cloves garlic*, minced
A thumb-sized chunk of fresh ginger*, grated or minced
3 green onions, thinly sliced
Sesame seeds
Pepper to taste
*The garlic and ginger can be replaced by powdered versions of each in a pinch, though it pains me to even make that suggestion. Just like you can buy cheapy tofu or farmed salmon, it will not be as orgasmically delicious if the ingredients aren't fresh.
To make the marinade, mix everything together so that the oil is well incorporated.
Press your tofu to expel all the liquid. The more liquid you press out, the more marinade will be absorbed and the more flavorful your tofu will be.
Cut your tofu however you please, usually based on how you plan to cook it. Cubed or crumbled is good for sauteing. Sliced into rectangles or triangles is great for baking or broiling or barbequing. In general, the thicker the pieces, the longer they will need to marinate and cook.
Put your tofu in a container and cover with the marinade. Leave in the fridge for at least an hour, turning the tofu once to make sure both sides get equal marinade love.
My favorite way of cooking it up is on the grill; the barbecue adds an extra smoky flavor that works really well with this marinade. A close second is broiling. Line your broiler pan with some aluminum foil and dump it all in. Baste every few minutes and cook until the tofu's slightly browned and it smells so good you can't stand it anymore, 10-20 minutes depending on thickness.
I guarantee you will ask for seconds.
Bon appetit!
This recipe is my mom's famous salmon marinade. She has made people cry her salmon is so good. Her secret? Fresh Copper River salmon (wild Alaskan salmon for those of you not from the PNW) and this marinade.
It magically transforms tofu into something even the pickiest eaters will love; they will probably even beg for more.
Ingredients:
1/4 cup soy sauce (I use Bragg's Liquid Aminos.)
1/4 cup honey or agave or maple syrup (I am one of the vegans who eats honey and that's my preference here. Each type of sweetener adds its own flavor.)
1/4 cup sesame oil
3-6 cloves garlic*, minced
A thumb-sized chunk of fresh ginger*, grated or minced
3 green onions, thinly sliced
Sesame seeds
Pepper to taste
*The garlic and ginger can be replaced by powdered versions of each in a pinch, though it pains me to even make that suggestion. Just like you can buy cheapy tofu or farmed salmon, it will not be as orgasmically delicious if the ingredients aren't fresh.
To make the marinade, mix everything together so that the oil is well incorporated.
Press your tofu to expel all the liquid. The more liquid you press out, the more marinade will be absorbed and the more flavorful your tofu will be.
Cut your tofu however you please, usually based on how you plan to cook it. Cubed or crumbled is good for sauteing. Sliced into rectangles or triangles is great for baking or broiling or barbequing. In general, the thicker the pieces, the longer they will need to marinate and cook.
Put your tofu in a container and cover with the marinade. Leave in the fridge for at least an hour, turning the tofu once to make sure both sides get equal marinade love.
My favorite way of cooking it up is on the grill; the barbecue adds an extra smoky flavor that works really well with this marinade. A close second is broiling. Line your broiler pan with some aluminum foil and dump it all in. Baste every few minutes and cook until the tofu's slightly browned and it smells so good you can't stand it anymore, 10-20 minutes depending on thickness.
I guarantee you will ask for seconds.
Bon appetit!
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
quick meal: mac n' joe.
Ideally I recommend eating a diet that consists entirely of whole organic foods, preferably locally sourced and in season, prepared simply.
Sometimes when you are a new mom of twins, that is impossible.
This is a super quick meal, originally thrown together when trying to find something quick with a bit of protein. It's pasta & sloppy joe mix. Instead of mac n' cheese, it's mac n' joe.
Ingredients:
Directions:
Et voila. Quick, easy, comfort food. This isn't a meal to eat if you want to feel uber healthy. It's a meal to eat if you haven't eaten much all day, only have 5 minutes to make it and/or it's a blustery rainy day in spring. (Wait, it's already mid-May?! When did that happen??!)
It is also extremely easy to individualize this one. Throw whatever extras you want on a plate next to the stove and have people add whatever they fancy. Have some non-vegans in the house? Grate up some sharp cheddar. Kids or kids at heart? Black olives. Stinkers like me? Onions and garlic. Want a touch of something healthy? How about some spinach or mushrooms or roasted kale? The possibilities are endless.
This has become a staple in our house since the boys were born, and I'm sure as they get older it will become one of the cop out easy meals they grow to love, too.
Bon Appetit!
(I promise that not all recipes will be like this one; I can't, however, promise that this will be the only one of its kind!)
Sometimes when you are a new mom of twins, that is impossible.
This is a super quick meal, originally thrown together when trying to find something quick with a bit of protein. It's pasta & sloppy joe mix. Instead of mac n' cheese, it's mac n' joe.
Ingredients:
- Pasta
- Sloppy Joe Mix
- Tomato Paste
- Olive Oil
Directions:
- Make the pasta according to the package.
- Make the sloppy joe mix according to the package.
- Mix it all together.
Et voila. Quick, easy, comfort food. This isn't a meal to eat if you want to feel uber healthy. It's a meal to eat if you haven't eaten much all day, only have 5 minutes to make it and/or it's a blustery rainy day in spring. (Wait, it's already mid-May?! When did that happen??!)
It is also extremely easy to individualize this one. Throw whatever extras you want on a plate next to the stove and have people add whatever they fancy. Have some non-vegans in the house? Grate up some sharp cheddar. Kids or kids at heart? Black olives. Stinkers like me? Onions and garlic. Want a touch of something healthy? How about some spinach or mushrooms or roasted kale? The possibilities are endless.
This has become a staple in our house since the boys were born, and I'm sure as they get older it will become one of the cop out easy meals they grow to love, too.
Bon Appetit!
(I promise that not all recipes will be like this one; I can't, however, promise that this will be the only one of its kind!)
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