Chef Sadie attempts Asian Food

As much as Chad and I eat out, you might think it is because of some sort of deficiency that I have in the cooking department. Not so. I've been making an effort to cook us nutritious meals that also satisfy a marathoner's appetite, that also are able to satisfy a vegan and an omnivore in the same cooking session. The result?...Two yummy Asian inspired dishes!

Dish 1 - I've blogged about this one before. It is our Spicy Soba Noodle dish. It is modified from the Lake Austin Spa Cookbook, and is served warm instead of cold. I've also had the leftovers cold, and it is delicious that way, too. Here is a picture of my vegan version where I have grilled tofu. I prepare marinated chicken for Chad in his version. Basic ingredients - Buckwheat Soba Noodles, stir-fried mixed veggies, green onions, cilantro, and a yummy sauce that is sweet, sour, and fiery all at the same time.

Dish 2 - This was new to us last night. I finally received my copy of Eat Drink and Be Vegan from Amazon.com due to an error on their part. I subscribe to Dreena Burton's blog, so I've been itching to try some of the recipes. I attempted the Orange Sesame Tofu on page 136, and modified it for Chad to make it with salmon. I made just a touch extra of the marinating liquid and turned it into a delightful sauce for the rice by heating it in a small pot on the stove just until it began to thicken. I'm finally learning how to handle arrowroot powder so that it doesn't thicken too much...yay! The basic ingredients for this one...Orange juice, tamari, garlic, tofu, sesame seeds, with a few other ingredients to add delicious flavor and thickening of the sauce.

I also made a side of Lemon-Broiled Green Beans from page 160, but since my oven was already on 400 for the tofu/salmon, I just baked the beans instead of broiling them. They still turned out lovely.

Here's a picture of our two versions of the dish and below is the tofu version. I served them over basmati rice. It was a big hit!!