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!

Noodles with Chicken Breast and Soy Sauce

Ingredients: noodles, 1 chicken breast, salt, pepper, ginger powder, 250 grams mushrooms, 3 spring onions, dash white wine, 50 ml water, 1 tablespoon honey, 3 tablespoons soy sauce,

Number of people: 2

Cook the noodles according pack instructions. Bake in hot oil 1 diced chicken breast, season with salt, pepper and ginger powder. Bake the diced chicken breast golden brown. Add 250 grams sliced mushrooms and stir until the mushrooms have softened. Add 3 chopped spring onions and stir fry about a 1 minute. Pour a dash of white wine and let the alcohol evaporate. Add 50 ml water, 1 tablespoon honey and 3 tablespoons soy sauce. Bring it briefly to the boil and let it reduce by half. Serve the chicken breast with mushrooms with the noodles. Enjoy!

Soy Almond Waffles

A nice Sunday brunch, these waffles are super light and fluffy. This is a nice twist on the traditional – the almond extract gives these a wonderful flavor. Plus it’s dairy free, substituting soy milk for the standard milk in waffle recipes.

Recipe based on the Basic Waffles recipe that came with the waffle maker. For an extra delicious touch, top with chopped almonds and fresh fruit.

Soy Almond Waffles

INGREDIENTS
2 cups all-purpose or whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups soy milk
6 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1/2 cup chopped almonds
1 teaspoon almond extract

DIRECTIONS
Place ingredients in large mixing bowl and combine until well blended and smooth. Let batter rest for 5 minutes before using. Preheat waffle iron.

Pour 1/3 cup batter onto the center of iron. Close cook until indicator light comes on. Remove waffle and repeat with remaining batter. Serve immediately, or keep waffles warm in a 200 degree F oven. Serve with warm syrup and top with fresh fruit and more chopped almonds.

Soy Sake Shrimp with Ginger Aioli

The flavor in this dish was incredible. The marinade really does wonders for the shrimp. The aioli is good, but the shrimp would still be fabulous without it.

Soy Sake Shrimp with Ginger Aioli

Recipe from Epicurious. Makes 4 servings.

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 green onions, chopped
6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
2 tablespoons sake or dry Sherry
1 tablespoon golden brown sugar
3 garlic cloves, chopped
24 deveined peeled uncooked large shrimp (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon chopped peeled fresh ginger
Cooked white rice

DIRECTIONS
Combine soy sauce, green onions, 4 tablespoons oil, vinegar, sake, brown sugar, and garlic in 13×9x2-inch glass baking dish; whisk marinade to blend. Add shrimp and toss to coat. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour, turning shrimp occasionally.

Blend mayonnaise and ginger in food processor until smooth. Transfer ginger aioli to small bowl and refrigerate.

Drain marinade from shrimp into small saucepan; bring to boil. Whisk 2 tablespoons boiled marinade into ginger aioli; reserve remaining boiled marinade.

Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shrimp; sauté until just opaque in center, about 4 minutes. Mound rice in center of plates. Arrange shrimp around rice; drizzle with ginger aioli. Serve, passing reserved boiled marinade.

Stir Fry Veggies and Noodles with Soy Lime Dipping Sauce

This is a pretty involved recipe, but the results are well worth it. The cookbook we used for this had each part of the recipe in a different area of the book, so flipping back and forth probably made it seem more difficult than it really was. I’ve combined it all into one place to make it easier for you!

The dish has a delicious, earthy flavor, mainly due to the shiitake mushrooms. I wouldn’t recommend substituting any other mushrooms in their place, as this flavor is so distinct and so delicious. I’m sure either dried or fresh ones would work just fine! We used the dried, which honestly are amazing, how they just come back to life in minutes.

Vermicelli rice noodles are one of the hardest things to cook. This was really the first time we did it right. The key, we think, is not to overcook them at all. Even leave them undercooked if you need to. It’s better than the goopy, sticky mess they become when cooked to long.

Complicated or not, if you’re up for it, this dish is well worth it! The photo does not do the flavor justice.

Stir Fry Veggies and Noodles with Soy Lime Dipping Sauce

Makes 4 servings. Recipe from Pleasures of the Vietnamese Table.

INGREDIENTS
Noodles:
2/3 lb. small dried rice vermicelli
2 cups shredded red- or green-leaf lettuce
1 1/2 cups bean sprouts
1/3 cucumber, seeded and cut into matchsticks
1/3 cup fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped
1/3 cup Asian basil leaves, roughly chopped

Stir Fry:
6 ounces tofu
1 carrot, peeled and cut into matchsticks

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 yellow onion, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
8 dried Chinese black (shiitake) mushrooms, soaked in warm water for 30 minutes, then drained, stemmed, and sliced.
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoon sugar
3 tablespoons unsweetened coconut milk
1/2 cup chopped roasted peanuts

Dipping Sauce:
1 clove garlic
2 fresh Thai bird chilies
2 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice with pulp
1/4 cup water, or to taste

DIRECTIONS
Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add the vermicelli and stir gently to loosen them. Cook until the noodles are whit and soft but still slightly resilient, about 4 minutes. Do not overcook! Drain and rinse under cold running water. Gently fluff the noodles and set them aside for at least 30 minutes. Noodles should be dry before servings.

Gently toss together lettuce, bean sprouts, cucumbers, mint, and basil. Divide the salad mixture among 4 bowls. Top each with 1/4 of the rice noodles.

Cut the tofu slab into 3 or 4 manageable pieces and press with a dish towel to remove excess water. Heat 2-3 tablespoons oil in a nonstick pan over moderate heat. Add tofu in one layer and cook, turning once, until golden, about 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels, and then cut into 1/4 inch thick strips.

Blanch carrots in boiling water for 1 minute. Rinse and set aside.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large pan over high heat. Add the onion and garlic and stir for 30 seconds. Add the mushrooms, soy sauce, sugar, and coconut milk. Stir, then reduce the heat slightly and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the tofu and carrot and cook until all the ingredients are hot, 2-3 minutes. Add a little water if the pan gets too dry.

To make dipping sauce, place garlic, chilies, and sugar in a mortar and pound into a paste. Alternatively, you may chop the garlic and chilies by hand as finely as possible. Transfer to a small bowl and add the soy sauce, lime juice, and water. Stir until well blended.

Divide the vegetable topping among the 4 bowls of noodles. Garnish each with chopped peanuts and drizzle with soy-lime dipping sauce.

Salmon with Soy-Honey Glaze and Wasabi

This was a decent salmon recipe, not the best, but easy and flavorful. I don’t think we let our soy sauce reduce enough, it may have been a little ’stickier’ had we done so, but the combination of honey and the soy sauce was quite delightful. If you taste it on its own it seems overly sweet/sour/salty (yes, all at once!) but paired with the salmon it’s just right.

You also might want to triple the sauce recipe… it really doesn’t make nearly enough!

Salmon with Soy-Honey Glaze and Wasabi

Makes 4 servings. Recipe from Epicurious.

INGREDIENTS
For salmon
1/2 cup mirin (Japanese sweet rice wine)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 cup rice vinegar (not seasoned)
1 tablespoon finely grated peeled fresh ginger
4 (6-oz) pieces salmon fillet

For sauces
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 cup honey
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons wasabi powder
1 tablespoon water

DIRECTIONS
Marinate salmon:, Stir together mirin, soy sauce, vinegar, and ginger in a shallow dish. Add fish, skin sides up, and marinate, covered, at room temperature 10 minutes.

Preheat broiler.

Make sauces: Boil soy sauce, honey, and lime juice in a small saucepan, stirring frequently, until thickened, about 4 minutes.

Stir together wasabi powder and water in a small bowl.

Broil fish, skin sides down, on oiled rack of a broiler pan 5 to 7 inches from heat until fish is just cooked through, about 6 minutes.

Serve salmon drizzled with sauces.