Freedom is still sweet. I’ve had a chance to finally play around with shooting manual on my new camera (there’s so much to learn! I need some lessons from my dad), enjoy the sunshine, get a much needed pedicure, and eat whatever random things I want. It’s so nice to not be rushing around for every meal or avoiding foods because they take too long to prepare. Eating breakfast in the car and dinner in a break room is not my idea of fun. I appreciate my food in a whole different way now.
I still have homemade apple butter from our fall trip to the orchard! I think I actually have enough jars to last until this next fall, which was my plan. And I’ve MISSED OATMEAL so much! Haven’t had time to make it in forever.
Afternoon Snack: caramel frappuccino
Starbucks is doing half off frappuccinos in the afternoons! I got a caramel one for myself and a mocha one for Jason, and it was under $4 total! I’m a sucker for promotional deals. Plus I’m trying to become a Gold member.
Linner: tempeh fricase, fried plantains, rice and red beans
My day got off to a pretty late start (freedom=sleeping in embarrassingly late) so I decided to just skip “lunch” and go straight to an early dinner. You guys might remember this Pollo en Fricase that I made a long time ago–it’s probably my favorite blog recipe of all time.
Well, being a vegetarian and all now, I needed a veggie version of this very badly! So tonight I tried it with tempeh. It was awesome. I think I would like it even more with tofu (I’m not crazy about tempeh because of the bitter aftertaste, even when I try the steaming method) but it definitely works as a meat-free meal.
It’s really the latin sauces (sofrito and recaito) that make this so delicious. The rich flavor of the cilantro and garlic and tomatoes are just incredible. I need to remember to use these sauces more often.
I abbreviated and adjusted the sofrito and recaito recipes from Daisy Martinez to make the recipe easier to make. As Guy would say, this is a one-way ticket to Flavortown.
Vegetarian Fricase
by
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Keywords: entree vegetarian tomatoes Spanish Caribbean
Ingredients (serves 2)
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 onion
- 10 cloves garlic
- 1 c. cilantro, packed
- 1 tomato
- 1/2 c. tomato sauce
- 1/4 c. vegetable stock
- 8 oz. of tempeh or tofu
- Adobo seasoning
- 1 T. olive oil
- 1 T. butter
Instructions
In a food processor or blender, blend together the bell pepper, onion, garlic, tomato, and cilantro until it’s a smooth puree with no large chunks.
Set the puree aside.
Cut the tempeh/tofu into small triangles and season generously with Adobo seasoning.
Heat the butter and half of the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.
Brown the tempeh or tofu until golden brown on both sides. Remove to a plate.
Pour the puree and tomato sauce into the hot pan (be careful, it will splatter), stir and reduce the heat to low.
Add the tempeh/tofu back to the pan, spooning the sauce on top so that all the pieces are covered.
Add a couple tablespoons of the vegetable stock, then cover the pan and let it simmer on low for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding more vegetable stock if the liquid evaporates away.
Drizzle with remaining olive oil before serving.
Dessert: chocolate almonds
Delayed Lunch?: tropical fruit salad, cheese and crackers
Of course since I didn’t have lunch, I got hungry a few hours after dinner. Fruit and cheese to the rescue! I bought a fresh papaya for the first time a few days ago and have been dying to try it.
I cubed up some of it along with pineapple and mango for a delicious fruit salad. I also had some crackers and caved aged cheddar (it’s this month’s spotlight cheese at Trader Joe’s!) with it.
Time for bed! I have a long day of packing ahead of me tomorrow.
-Lauren
7 Responses
Lee
I don’t like tempeh that much either. I want to like it, but I definitely prefer tofu. This looks delicious though.
Lauren
I want to like it, too! It’s so good for you. But tofu is so much better!
Monique
I can’t wait to make the vegetarian fricase! I’m picking up cilantro this weekend. Thanks!
Lauren
I hope you love it, Monique! The cilantro is the best part. 😉
Cait
I took a class on how to take manual photos and still could not understand all that went into it! I guess practice is best!
Lauren
I actually really like tempeh but I buy tofu more often. Which is weird because Joey really tempeh so I should probably use it more! Frappaccino Happy Hour has been tempting me all week but I figure a bunch of blended dairy isn’t the best idea if you’re really trying to get over a cold. I might break down this weekend though 😛
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