Dinner

Meh.

Thank you all SO very very much for all your kind comments/prayers and thoughts concerning my family. We are all still hoping for a miracle and my mom caught an emergency flight up to Milwaukee this morning to be with our family up there. I know she checks the blog too though and is very touched by all your comments as well. They really mean a lot!

So my sandwich. Meh. It was okay. Next time I would make a dressing with the tahini or use Goddess dressing and I think it would be better. Straight tahini and raw veggies is a little, um well, dry. I wasn’t starving all afternoon or anything (my lunch had about 12 grams of protein in it and the tahini had healthy fat) but when I got home from work, my hunger kicked into overdrive and I suddenly felt famished!!

I made my favorite meal tonight: chickpea cutlets from Veganomicon. Who hasn’t tried this recipe yet? I know I’ve made it about 4 times in the last couple months.  I made some dijon/agave sauce to go on top of the cutlets and had couscous and broccoli along side. After I ate I was still hungry so I had an orange. I’m also bringing another super charge me cookie from ED&BV with me for later on.

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I believe we are making petit eclairs tonight. It’s funny how one thing can take sooo long to do. We have to make by hand the pate a choux, the pastry cream, the chocolate ganache……and put it all together. It takes about 2 hours to do! And the eclairs are SO tiny!!!

Have a wonderful evening, y’all. I’m off to the kitchens!

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  • erica
    April 16, 2008 at 9:30 pm

    Hey Jenna!
    I’m making the chickpea cutlets tomorrow; should I bake them or pan fry them?

  • jenna
    April 16, 2008 at 9:34 pm

    Erica,

    i’ve never fried mine so I don’t know how that would turn out! I’ve always baked for about 25 min. at 375.

  • bikergurl
    April 16, 2008 at 9:43 pm

    I just made the chickpea cutlets yesterday – YUM! I also baked them and would like to hear from someone who’s tried both cooking methods to know how they compare.

  • erica
    April 16, 2008 at 9:49 pm

    Thanks jenna, thats what I was leaning towards. 🙂

  • BethT
    April 16, 2008 at 9:53 pm

    I wondered about that tahini…I always hate when they put straight tahini on falafel, etc. At least you know now!

  • babycakes
    April 16, 2008 at 9:56 pm

    awww Jenna, you know you are permanently in our good thoughts and your grandfather is definitely in our prayers. He has SO many people rooting for him!

    I actually have not tried the chickpea cutlets yet! (which makes me a very bad vegan, especially since I LOVE chickpeas so much! – I eat them plain all the time and adore home-made hummus) I must give these a try once I actually have time to cook – school has overtaken my life these days 🙁

    Your dinner looks so healthy and delicious.

    Have fun in class tonight and give Dexter an extra pat for me!

  • babycakes
    April 16, 2008 at 9:58 pm

    ps – your broccoli looks so good! I actually crave it so much that I have to eat it every single day. Is that weird? … Lightly steamed so it’s still a bit crunchy! Yum! 🙂

  • Romina
    April 16, 2008 at 10:05 pm

    I don’t know when I’m NOT craving chickpea cutlets!! I make them a few times a month too. =D

  • VeggieGirl
    April 16, 2008 at 10:11 pm

    Jenna, hang in there!! I’m still praying for a miracle!!

    Chickpea cutlets = HEAVENLY.

    Oooh, petit eclairs!! Can’t wait to see photographs :0)

  • ANON
    April 16, 2008 at 10:22 pm

    Jenna, try yogurt with tahini next time. It improves the taste and is not so dry.

  • ann
    April 16, 2008 at 10:51 pm

    I have fried the chickpea cutlets and they turned out very well! I did it mainly because I thought it would be quicker. I wouldn’t necessarily say they were “fried” but more pan cooked in a bit of olive oil. They were not oily and did not burn or cook too quickly. Just make sure the bottom of the pan is covered in a light layer of oil and don’t flip them too soon…make sure they firm up on the bottom or it will fall apart. But overall, good, and much quicker. Hope this helps!

    Jenna and Mom, I’m keeping your family in my prayers.

  • Heather
    April 16, 2008 at 10:53 pm

    Jenna-
    Please know that you and your family are in my prayers. I hope everything goes well for you all.
    P.S. Can’t ever go wrong with chickpea cutlets!

  • Ashliqua
    April 16, 2008 at 10:57 pm

    I looooove the chickpea cutlets, and everything else I’ve cooked out of Veganomicon as a matter of fact! I have never baked them so I will have to give that a try. The pan frying definitely turns them out yummy and chewy (even my mom ate them and that is saying something as she usually acts like “vegan” is a bad word or something. I thought the words “vital wheat gluten” would send her running but luckily she didn’t ask til after she ate it haha)!

  • Alyssa
    April 17, 2008 at 1:11 am

    I’m in MN, so I’m sending my love on over to WI! Try and stay strong, we’re here for you!

  • Nadia
    April 17, 2008 at 2:00 am

    i think i’m one of the few who haven’t tried the chickpea cutlet recipe…idk why i feel like it’s a lot of work…i also always forget to buy wheat gluten when i’m at whole foods. have to write it down next time. can’t wait to try it out!

  • Becca A
    April 17, 2008 at 2:10 am

    🙂 I took a french pastry class at the local culinary school last weekend and we learned how to make eclairs (and a few other things). I had such a blast doing it, even though it was a lot of work. Have fun tonight!

  • Meghan
    April 17, 2008 at 3:01 am

    OK it’s official, this weekend i will no longer be a chickpea cutlet virgin. I MUST MAKE THEM. Sorry if that was too raunchy.

  • Alyssa
    April 17, 2008 at 3:10 am

    I asked this on Kath’s blog too, but what does tofu taste like? I want to try it, but want to know what to expect!

  • nicole r
    April 17, 2008 at 3:45 am

    tofu is a difficult taste to describe because when you eat it just plain, it doesn’t taste like anything, really. maybe very lightly tangy sort of like plain yogurt that tasted only about 1/10 as flavorful as usual. i actually REALLY like just plain, uncooked, silken tofu. its really smooth and great. when you cook it, it picks up ALL the flavor of whatever you cook it with, which is why it’s so awesome to marinate/stir fry/bake…etc, etc. i think most people have issues with the texture rather than the flavor, since it doesn’t have a powerful flavor on its own at all. try it! it’s delicious!

  • babycakes
    April 17, 2008 at 3:54 am

    nicole, I just wrote on Kath’s blog how I love plain, raw tofu (uncooked) straight from the package. I know it’s sounds weird but I love it this way! And here I thought I was the only one… it really is great though Alyssa – give it a try! (there are SO many ways to make it)

  • Cara
    April 17, 2008 at 4:42 am

    I am still sending healthy thoughts to your Grandpa and thinking encouraging thoughts for your family (including you!).

    I hope the eclairs work out well. Next time I have one I will make sure to focus in on every single detail!

  • Alice (in Veganland)
    April 17, 2008 at 5:53 am

    ANON says try tahini with yogurt. I would tell you to add lemon juice too! My old roomie was from Cyprus, and it’s the way he used it. It tastes amazing!

  • Alyssa
    April 17, 2008 at 11:14 am

    Are there any brands/types of tofu people recommend? Or are all pretty much the same?

  • nicole r.
    April 17, 2008 at 12:23 pm

    babycakes, that’s so funny!! everyone thinks i’m so weird for liking it that way, but i just like tofu i guess haha

    i usually get the nasoya kind, or if im at whole foods then their 365 brand because it’s cheaper. nasoya makes a “light” version which is nice for if you’re going to use it in something that uses oil or other fats. if you are grossed out by the idea of it being soft (i prefer it this way, but some people find it squishy/slimy), they make them in gradations of firmness up to extra firm.

  • JPSC
    April 17, 2008 at 5:23 pm

    I’ve fried and baked the chickpea cutlets, and I like them both ways. They’re a little chewier when baked, and obviously a little less oily, but otherwise, the taste is the same. When I fried them, I used a small amount of safflower oil instead of olive oil since it supposedly handles higher temperatures better than olive oil, and I cooked them in my cast iron skillet–delicious! What an easy and tasty recipe!