Fried Green Tomatoes with Soy-Garlic Aioli

Well, the last of my garden’s tomatoes were taken from their vines. It had to be done. They were no longer growing and the short days of Fall had made it impossible for them to turn red. I gathered about 12 of them in all and although this event was a bit sad, I also found it exciting that I was about to make a southern fried treat- Fried Green Tomatoes.

Fried Green Tomatoes is one of the South’s trademark dishes. The recipe varies the farther south you go, but here I have taken it to the vegan arena. Typically dipped in milk, I used soy milk and the aioli I made as a dipping sauce was created with. You can create any number of seasoned flours to dredge them in as well, say for instance a smoky thyme infused breading, which is what I did.

Straight from the vine, these guys were a little smaller than tennis balls.

I made 1/2 inch thick slices.

Set them aside.

I combined 1/2 cup of soy flour, 1/2 cup of cornmeal and a teaspoon each of the other spices.

I used soy milk creamer.

Heat the oil before you begin coating the tomatoes, but watch the heat. You don’t want it smoking hot or your coating will burn.

Coat the tomatoes in the soy milk first….

Then dredge the tomatoes in the flour mixture until thoroughly coated.

Carefully place them in the hot oil, browning each side about 1 minute each.

Place them on a paper towel to drain the excess oil.

Make an aioli of soy sour cream, garlic, lemon zest and chives and enjoy ya’ll!

Eggplant Panini with Rosemary Aioli

So, we bought a panini maker. Yes we did. And we’re storing it in the living room because we really don’t have space for something like that. But man, does it make a good sandwich. Don’t have a panini maker? I’ve heard a brick wrapped in tin foil works just as well. :)

Eggplant Panini with Rosemary Aioli

This is a great “leftovers” recipe. Take all the random veggie scraps left in your fridge at the end of the week, sauté them up, smother them in aioli, and grill. Mmmm. My favorite part of this sandwich is the aioli, which gives the sandwiches a rich, creamy texture that feels like cheese (I can’t have cheese on my sandwich, unfortunately, so this is the next best thing! Better even!)
Makes 2 sandwiches.

INGREDIENTS
Focaccia bread
1 eggplant, thinly sliced
1/2 onion
1 can marinated artichoke hearts, chopped
roasted red pepper (the canned stuff works great), chopped
few slices prosciutto (optional)
fresh basil, roughly chopped
provolone cheese (optional)
olive oil

For Aioli:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 lemon, juiced (or to taste)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp dried rosemary or 1/2 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp honey mustard
salt and pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS
To make aioli, combine mayo, lemon juice, garlic, rosemary, vinegar, mustard, and salt and pepper. Stir well to combine.

Cut focaccia bread into two pieces, then slice each piece in half. Note that if your bread has a “curved” top, you might want to gently slice it so the top is flat. Your sandwich will grill better this way.

Heat about a tablespoon of olive oil in skillet. Add eggplant and onion, sauté for about 5 minutes, until tender. Add artichoke hearts and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes.

To assemble sandwiches, generously spread 1/4 of the aioli on the inner side of each bread slice. Spread a few pieces of proscuitto onto two pieces, then sprinkle with basil and roasted red pepper pieces. Carefully spread eggplant filling onto bread halves. Top with cheese (optional) and other half of bread, and brush both sides with olive oil.

Grill sandwiches in panini maker or in skillet with a foil-wrapped brick until golden and filling is hot and bubbling, applying pressure to flatten sandwiches. Slice in half and serve warm.

Gourmet BLTs With Green Garlic Aioli

Commence the week of Green Garlic (I mentioned Fresh Garlic in last weeks recipes… what we’re using is actually called green garlic. It looks a lot like green onions). To start we made these yummy BLTs with a gourmet twist. Quite good. The Brioche bread is fabulous, and definitely makes the sandwiches that much better. Worth it if you can find it.

Gourmet BLTs With Green Garlic Aioli

Makes 6 sandwiches. Recipe from Epicurious. If you can’t find green garlic, just use a regular clove of dried garlic and blanch it to take away some of the bite (to blanch, put the peeled clove in boiling water for 1-2 minutes).

INGREDIENTS
Aioli:
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped green garlic or 1 regular garlic clove, blanched
1/4 teaspoon fleur de sel or coarse kosher salt
3/4 cup mayonnaise, divided
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Sandwiches:
2 (3-ounce) packages thinly sliced pancetta (Italian bacon; about 30 slices)
12 (1/2-inch-thick) slices brioche or egg bread, lightly toasted
1 large bunch mizuna or arugula, torn into 2-inch pieces
3 beefsteak tomatoes, cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds

DIRECTIONS
For aioli: Blend olive oil, garlic, and 1/4 teaspoon fleur de sel in processor until garlic is minced. Add 2 tablespoons mayonnaise and blend well. Transfer to small bowl; whisk in remaining mayonnaise and lemon juice. Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill.

For sandwiches: Preheat oven to 450°F. Arrange pancetta slices in single layer on 2 large rimmed baking sheets. Bake until crisp, about 10 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain.

Place toast on work surface. Spread with aioli. Divide mizuna among 6 toast slices; top with tomatoes, then pancetta, dividing equally. Top with remaining 6 toast slices, aioli side down. Cut each sandwich in half and serve.

Baked Panko Chicken Tenders with Basil Aioli

Call it a random desire to make chicken strips, paired with my gut’s disgust of fried foods, and you get an easy baked variation on a childhood favorite. Crunchy. Flavorful. Delicious. So good, in fact, that chicken just might be making a more regular appearance in our kitchen, but only as panko-crusted tenders.

If you can’t find or don’t want to spend the extra $3 a pound on pre-cut chicken tenders, simply take a whole chicken breast, put it between two layers of plastic wrap, and pound it until it is an even thickness (maybe 1/2″ or so). Then, slice into strips. Voila. It’ll save you a few dollars too – go buy yourself some chocolate or something. :)

This recipe is a guesstimate, as I didn’t really ‘measure’ anything as I worked. I grabbed a few random spices out of our spice drawer, tossed them with some panko breadcrumbs, and repeated a few of the same spices in the aioli. Use any spices you choose, really. Unless you go caking these in dill weed, I can’t see them tasting badly. They would also be delicious served with a honey-mustard dipping sauce, or without any sauce at all (they’re that good).

Best of all, no oil is needed to make these, just a light coating of cooking spray to keep them from sticking.

Baked Panko Chicken Tenders with Basil Aioli

Makes 3-4 servings (ish).

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts or breast tenders
1 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs
2 teaspoons dried basil
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 eggs
1/2 cup flour
Cooking spray

For aioli:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
salt and pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350?F. Prepare a baking sheet by covering it with foil and lightly spraying with cooking spray. Set aside.

In a small bowl or shallow dish, season the flour with salt and black pepper, and lightly beat the eggs in another shallow dish. In a third shallow dish, combine panko breadcrumbs with basil, garlic, paprika, cayenne, salt, and pepper.

If using chicken breasts, prepare by putting one breast in between two layers of plastic wrap. Pound to an even thickness of approximately 1/2″. Remove plastic and slice into strips.

Dredge tenders in the flour to coat, shaking off any excess flour. Dip the floured chicken tenders into the egg and then coat the chicken tenders with the breadcrumb mixture. Arrange on baking sheet. Repeat with remaining strips.

Bake chicken tenders for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown, flipping once part way through the cook time.

To prepare aioli, combine all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.