A mouthful to pronounce, but relatively simple to make, this lemon achiote grilled tofu recipe is a favorite of mine this time of year - meaning the time of year we pretend there's a real grilling season in San Francisco. All I need is a jacket (or a ten minute break in the wind and fog), and we're in business. I'll be back from South America in a few days, and wrote this up before I left, the beautiful brick-colored hue you see on the tofu comes from using achiote powder in the marinade. It gives the tofu a deep, rich, earthy flavor profile, making it a crowd-pleaser with vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike. I'll grill up a bunch of this tofu and use it as a component in rice bowls or grain salads, thinly sliced in sandwiches, or even cubed into "croutons" in soup. The marinade gets a nice tangy backbone from cayenne-spiked, freshly squeezed lemon juice, and is
rounded out with a bit of brown sugar.

Pronounced ah-chee-oh-tay, our title ingredient is available as a powder (or paste) made from ground annatto seeds. It seems like many in-the-know cooks who tire of chipotle, graduate to achiote. I use achiote powder and not the achiote paste. Two of the pastes I've found use red dye and preservatives (interesting because annatto is often used as a coloring agent). The pastes are also made with other ingredients like vinegar, and garlic, whereas the powder is simply ground annatto. Let me know if you know a brand of paste that you like that is all-natural, I haven't seen one - but to be fair, I haven't tried very hard.

Lemon Achiote Grilled Tofu Recipe

Look for achiote powder in Mexican markets.

2 tablespoons achiote powder

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon raw cane sugar (or brown sugar)
3 medium cloves garlic, peeled
2 big pinches of salt
1/3 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
12 ounce package of extra firm tofu, cut into 4 slabs

Whisk together achiote powder, cayenne pepper and sugar. Sprinkle the salt over the garlic, smash it with your knife, and mince it into a paste. Add this to the achiote mixture along with the lemon juice. Whisk until combined.

Place the tofu into an 8x8 baking dish and pour the achiote marinade over the tofu - flip it, flop it....make sure you get coverage on all sides. I rub the marinade into the tofu a bit. Place in the refrigerator for at least one hour, if I remember I'll flip the tofu once or twice along the way.

Place the tofu on a medium hot grill. Brush the top of each piece of tofu with some of the leftover achiote marinade, grill until the tofu is golden on the bottom with nice grill marks (rotate the tofu 90 degrees halfway through the grilling of each side to get those nice marks). Flip, cook the other side, brush the side facing up with more leftover marinade, and cook until the bottom is golden as well. Remove and serve over a salad, on a bun with all the fixings, or any other way you can think of .

At this point in time, no other sandwich I make is more requested. Instead of a classic BLT sandwich, I make a TLT - tempeh, lettuce, and tomato. Not an original concept, but my secret is this...every component needs to be over-the-top flavorful. My version features chipotle-marinated tempeh alongside oven-roasted cherry tomatoes, a bit of shredded lettuce and a generous slather of avocado on a thin slice (or two) of great bread. For anyone looking for a hearty, substantial, satisfying, nutritious, and meatless lunch - it's hard to beat .

You'll need to plan ahead a bit to marinate the tempeh and roast the tomatoes, but I promise it's well worth the effort, and if you make extra you'll have sandwiches for the week. Tempeh is easy to find in most Whole Foods Markets or
natural food stores - here's a link to another favorite tempeh recipe in case you are interested in other ways of using it.

I enjoy this sandwich on a big, ultra-thin slice of whole wheat walnut bread - toasted until crisp. Now I'm thinking that miniature versions of these might be great bite-sized party food?


TLT Sandwich Recipe
I buy the Lightlife organic flax tempeh or the grain version. A bit of crumbled goat cheese might be good too.
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup shoyu sauce (or soy sauce)
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar (or maple syrup)
3 tablespoons adobo sauce from a can of chipotle peppers
8 ounces of tempeh, cut into 1/3-inch thick strips
1 small basket of cherry tomatoes (2 cups)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil olive oil
1 tablespoon brown sugar (or maple syrup)
scant 1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 small head of romaine lettuce, cored, then cut into 1/4-inch ribbons
1-2 large avocados, mashed with a pinch of salt just before assembling
4 or 8 extra-thin slices of hearty whole grain bread, well toasted
Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
Whisk together the 3 tablespoons of olive oil, shoyu, balsamic vinegar, brown sugar and adobo sauce. Pour 1/3 of the tempeh marinade into an 8x8 baking dish (or something comparable) - you want a dish that is just big enough to hold the tempeh in a single layer - this way it will be fully enveloped by the marinade. Pour the remaining marinade over the top of the tempeh, cover and keep in the refrigerator for a couple hours, overnight or until ready to use.
While the tempeh is marinating, go ahead and roast the tomatoes. Cut each tomato in half and arrange them in a large oven-proof baking dish. Mix together the olive oil, sugar, and salt and pour this over the tomatoes. Gently toss them a bit, making sure they all get coated, finishing with each tomato facing cut-side up. Place in the oven and bake for 45 minutes or so, until the tomatoes are shrunken and sweet.
When the tempeh is done marinating heat a large pan over medium-high heat and cook the tempeh slices for a few minutes on each side. You may need to do this in batches if you don't have a big enough pan. Set the tempeh slices aside until you are ready to assemble the sandwiches.
To assemble each sandwich take one slice of bread and slather a generous layer of mashed avocado. Place a small helping of the shredded lettuce on top of the avocado, a few tomatoes, then a few slices of the tempeh, and more tomatoes. Enjoy either open faced or topped with another avocado-slathered bread slice.
Makes four sandwiches.

This recipe is an odd bird of sorts, but it was so well received that I thought I'd share it with you. Heather, my sister was on her way over for lunch. Wanting to avoid a trip to the store, I committed myself to throwing lunch together using whatever I had on hand. Now, I rarely combine tofu with Italian-style sauces, but this (and a few other questionable culinary moves) came into play as I reached for ingredients from both fridge and freezer. Working toward a nutritious, somewhat balanced, in-the-realm-of-healthy main course here's where I ended up. In a sentence - a skillet of quinoa, corn, chopped lacinato kale and pan-toasted tofu tossed with a big dollop of pesto and finished off with a few roasted cherry tomatoes.
I'd make it again, and I might even make it again swapping in paneer cheese for all or part of the tofu. I happened to use quinoa here, but really, you can use just about any grain you have on hand. Wayne brought home a packet of ready-to-eat brown rice from Trader Joe's the other day which would have easily worked in place of the quinoa here. You could remix this a hundred different ways depending on what grains, vegetables, and nut/seeds you have on hand. Maybe I should have titled it A Quinoa Recipe for Heather, but I think I'll make it for her again (hopefully often), so from here on out I'll think of it as Heather's Quinoa.
Safe travels home Heather, miss you. -h

Heather's Quinoa Recipe
If you don't have the time or inclination to roast cherry tomatoes, substitute some chopped, moist, sun-dried tomatoes. Also, a delicious alternative to the tofu in this recipe might be paneer cheese which can stand up to the heat without losing its form.
a splash of extra-virgin olive oil
a pinch of fine grain sea salt
1 shallot, minced
3 cups cooked quinoa* (or brown rice, or other grain)
1 cup corn, fresh or frozen
1 1/2 cups kale, spinach or other hearty green, finely chopped
2 cups extra-firm nigari tofu, browned in a skillet a bit
1/3 cup pesto
1/3 cup pumpkin seeds, toasted
1/4 cup roasted cherry tomatoes** (or chopped sun-dried tomatoes)
In a big skillet or pot heat the olive oil and salt over medium-high heat. Stir in the shallot and cook for a minute or two. Stir in the quinoa and corn and cook until hot and sizzling. Stir in the kale and then the tofu, cooking until tofu is heated through. Remove the skillet from heat and stir in the pesto and pumpkin seeds. Mix well so the pesto is spread throughout. Turn everything out onto a platter and top with the cherry tomatoes.
Serves 4 - 6.
*Rinse about 2 cups quinoa in a fine-meshed strainer. In a medium saucepan heat the quinoa and 4 cups water until boiling. Reduce heat and simmer until water is absorbed and quinoa fluffs up, about 15 minutes. Quinoa is done when you can see the curlique in each grain, and it is tender with a bit of pop to each bite. Drain any extra water and set aside.
** To roast cherry tomatoes: Heat oven to 350F degrees. Cut each tomato in half and arrange in a large oven-proof baking dish. Mix together a big splash of olive oil, a spoonful of brown sugar, and a few pinches of salt - pour this over the tomatoes. Gently toss them a bit, making sure they all get coated, finishing with each tomato facing cut-side up. Place in the oven and bake for 45 mintutes or so, until the tomatoes are shrunken and sweet.

People keep asking me for "that recipe...the yellow one with crunchy seeds." This particular medley made it's debut as a pre-party snack, around noon, the day of Heather's baby shower a few months back. It wasn't something I thought up ahead of time, in fact, this was something I tossed together using components that would eventually make their way out onto the baby shower spread - a scoop of this, dollop of that. It turned out to be just the sort of sun-colored goodness that can brighten up any table, particularly now, as summer has faded into fall. Made from a simple combination of yellow split peas, toasted pepitas, and cilantro pesto, it's also hard to beat as an afternoon snack.

Now, split yellow peas are a current darling of my pantry - I can't get enough of them. Healthy, filling, lovely to look at, they're great all the way around. That being said, if you don’t have the time or inclination to cook the split yellow peas from scratch (or if you are having a hard time finding them), canned white beans (or even chickpeas), well rinsed, can take their place with nice results.


Pepita Salad Recipe
You can serve the lettuce mixed in, or under the split peas depending on how you want to serve this.
1 cup pepitas, toasted (divided)
1 cup cilantro leaves and stems, well washed and lightly packed
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
3 medium cloves garlic, peeled
juice of 1 medium lemon
1 serrano chile pepper, minced
2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 cups cooked yellow split peas*
2 handfuls lettuce, torn into bite-sized pieces
Make the cilantro pesto by blending 1/3 cup of the toasted pepitas, the cilantro, Parmesan cheese, garlic, lemon juice, and chile pepper with a hand blender (food processor or standard blender) until smooth. Continue blending as you gradually drizzle in the olive oil until the pesto comes together into a vibrant green sauce. Taste and add a pinch or two or salt if needed.
In a large bowl toss the yellow split peas and remaining pepitas with the pesto until everything is coated. Add the salad greens and gently toss again.
Serves 6 or so.
*To cook the dried yellow split peas bring 6 cups of water to a boil in a large saucepan, add 2 cups (rinsed) dried split yellow peas and cook for 20 -30 minutes, or until tender. Drain, salt to taste and set aside.

I bought a three-foot stretch of brussels sprouts the other morning at the farmers' market. For those of you who've never encountered the spectacle of brussels sprouts still on the stalk, it is something to behold. A thick, stick-straight center stalk is punctuated by tight, green brussels sprout pom-poms. It looks fantastically prehistoric. And while it doesn't fit very nicely in my market basket, once I get it home the sprouts will keep nicely this way - seemingly longer than off the stalk. I buy sprouts on the stalk whenever I can, and typically get three or four sprout-centric meals out of each, breaking off the buds as needed. In this case I combined shredded brussels sprout ribbons, apples, garlic, pine nuts, (and tofu if you like) in a skillet with a hint of maple syrup.

I know not all are brussels sprout fans, but based on some of the emails you've passed along to me, this golden-crusted brussels sprout recipe (posted last year) seems to be a well-received gateway recipe for people who thought they didn't like brussels sprouts, but really do. You could start there, and then make the jump to this recipe if you're at all apprehensive ;)...

Shredded Brussels Sprouts & Apples
Feel free to leave out the tofu if you like - I add it to make this a one skillet meal.
I used the Wildwood Organics baked savory tofu here, it browns up nicely and holds its shape - though any extra-firm tofu will work. If you don't feel like shredding the brussels sprouts, you could do a version of this recipes cutting them into quarters instead - a bit quicker as far as prepping the ingredients goes.
1 large, crisp apple, cut into bite-sized wedges
1 lemon, juice only
4 ounces extra-firm tofu cut into tiny-inch cubes (see photo)
a couple pinches of fine-grain sea salt
a couple splashes of olive oil
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
a scant tablespoon of maple syrup
1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted and chopped
12 ounces (3/4 pound). brussels sprouts, washed and cut into 1/8-inch wide ribbons
Soak the apples in a bowl filled with water and the juice of one lemon.
Cook the tofu in large hot skillet with a bit of salt and a splash of oil. Saute until golden, about 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic, wait a few seconds, now stir in the maple syrup, and cook another 30 seconds or so. Drain the apples, and add them to the skillet, cooking for another minute. Scrape the apple and tofu mixture out onto a plate and set aside while you cook the brussels sprouts.
In the same pan (no need to wash), add a touch more oil, another pinch of salt, and dial the heat up to medium-high. When the pan is nice and hot stir in the shredded brussels sprouts. Cook for 2 - 3 minutes, stirring a couple times (but not too often) until you get some golden bits, and the rest of the sprouts are bright and delicious.
Stir the apple mixture back into the skillet alongside the brussels sprouts 1/2 of the pine nuts - gently stir to combine. Remove from heat and enjoy immediately sprinkled with the remaining pine nuts. This isn't a dish you want sitting around, the flavors change dramatically after ten minutes or so, and I think that is part of the reason brussels sprouts get a bad rap. Even I don't like them after they've been sitting around.

This buttermilk milkshake recipe was inspired by a recent trip to Napa. My friend Pam regularly invites me on fun excursions that find me heading north from the city, across the Golden Gate, and north-east towards wine country. I won't go into too much detail about the amazing Oaxacan feast she hosted (with partner Carl) at their home/winery on a perfect day late last summer - because you will just be flat-out jealous, but I will tell you that the homemade black bean tapenade seasoned with Mexican avocado leaves (grown in Napa) being served, was one of the best bean recipes to ever pass my lips. A real treat.
Pam invited me to lunch with a couple of her amazing friends a couple weeks back at the Wine Garden in Yountville. It used to be a classic diner and has recently gone through a complete overhaul and remodel. Julie Nord, the new owner, treated us (8 total) to a delicious tasting menu. I was thrilled that they didn't even flinch when it was revealed that I was the lone vegetarian at the table - it is one thing to go to a restaurant and order a vegetarian entree, it is a whole other thing to expect a vegetarian tasting menu. Anyways, they couldn't have been more accommodating. Here is a sampling of the delicious dishes I got to try:

-a contemporary Waldorf salad - a pretty mix of greens, nuts, apples, and a slightly sweet dressing.
-Macaroni Gratin - a grown-up version of the classic, served in the cutest teeny-tiny copper pot
-Sugar Pie Pumpkin Tortelloni - tastes as good as it sounds
-String Beans with Almonds and Crispy Shallots - buttery, bright green, and perfectly cooked
-Caramelized Brussels Sprouts - best brussels sprouts I've ever had - golden, browned, crunchy where they were in contact with the pan. Yum.
-house made celery root chips
-Black Forest Cake of some sort with cocoa nibs around the edges
-and to top it all off - as if the great company, and good food weren't enough - they sent out the grand finale. The Ode to the old Diner.
We were each served a tiny buttermilk milkshake served in a small soda fountain glass. There were two flavors to choose from: vanilla with a huckleberry swirl or vanilla with an apple-cinnamon swirl. After taking a sip I was convinced that a better milkshake was not possible. The buttermilk added a bit of tang to the sweetness of the vanilla ice cream. I had the huckleberry flavor, and the way the tartness of the berries, the sweetness of the cream, and the tang of the buttermilk came together was delicious. Delicious but rich. A sip or two (or three) is really all you need to feel satisfied - drink a whole glass and it will put you right over the edge.
So of course I got home and wanted to make buttermilk shakes for everyone. We actually picked up a chrome milkshake maker at a yard sale last spring, and so, as of this afternoon, we were in business. I sent an email to Julie after our lunch, I was hoping she would ask the chef for the recipe for me - but I bounced the email (maybe a typo or something), and decided to give my own concoction a shot. I think I actually came pretty close.
You don't need a milkshake machine to make these. You can use an immersion blender, or just let your ice-cream soften up on the counter for a bit before stirring in the buttermilk. I think shot-glass sized glasses (or a tad bigger) make the perfect serving size for these (see pic). And from start to finish they only take about 5 minutes to make. A tasty, no-fuss dessert.
On a side note, another dear friend of mine (from my publishing days) who writes restaurant reviews in the Napa area wrote a nice review of the Wine Garden for the North Bay Bohemian a while back, check it out for a more non-veg take on the restaurant.


Mini Buttermilk Berry Milkshake Recipe
3 big scoops of top shelf vanilla ice cream
1/3c.-1/2c. buttermilk
A cup or so of berries
A splash of Creme de Cassis
Let me start off this recipe by saying that you can make the swirl out of just about anything. We always have berries in the freezer because Wayne loves to make smoothies every morning. Just use what ever you've got around.
Let your vanilla ice cream soften up a bit before scooping three XL scoops into a big sized glass or cup. Mix in the buttermilk using a milkshake machine, an immersion blender, or by hand. I like my milkshakes extra thick, so I don't like to over mix them or thin them out with too much liquid. If your milkshake gets too thin, just add another scoop or two of ice cream.
Make the berry puree:
Puree berries with an immersion or regular blender. Incorporate a small splash of creme de cassis.
Spoon or pour a bit of the vanilla milkshake into each serving glass, add a bit of the berry puree, more of the milkshake, more puree, and so on. Give the milkshakes a bit of a swirl with a spoon and serve immediately.
Makes enough for about 4-6, depending on serving glass size.