Necessity, Female Parent of Invention

I wanted to make a tofu and cauliflower marinade that used Thai red curry paste as it's base. NONE LEFT! So R suggested that I use the organic tomato paste we had.

Well, whaddaya know: the tomato past gave this dish a fiery gold glow! Much better than intended.

Ingredients for the marinade: 3 Tbsps. olive oil, a splash of rice vinegar, juice of half a lemon, a tea spoon of maple syrup, a pinch or two of salt, 1 Tsp.  curry powder,  1 pinch of cayenne pepper,  and a shake each of cardamon powder, Garam Masala and turmeric. Toss in one cake of cubed tofu. Fold in half a sliced sweet onion and one whole cauliflower cut into very small florets.  Bake on yer good old sheetpan (actually, it's a jelly roll pan)  for 25 mins @ 400.

The tahinni sauce is basic. 1/3 cup tahinni, 2 teaspoons of ume plum vinegar, an inch cube of finely shredded ginger and 2 cloves of finely shredded garlic. Mix with 1/4 cup water (more or less) till desired thickness.

Steamed green beans and you're good to go! Sauce goes on everything. Yeah.

Easy Roasted Greenmarket Bounty

   Again, very basic marinade. For the zucchini just olive oil, salt, black pepper and dried rosemary. For the grape tomatoes - olive oil, salt, balsamic vinegar, dried oregano. Bake both separately @ 400 for 20 mins. If you quarter the zucchini small enough they cook surprisingly fast. Might want to check them after 15 mins.

The tomatoes can go longer if you like that crusty reduction. 

On a Roasting Roll

Sorry if are posting t too many roasting dishes. We are in an apartment that finally has a decent oven. We positioned a powerful exhaust fan in the window that keeps the kitchen bearable even in the summer. So this was a savory idea that came to mind while walking past the mushrooms at Whole Foods. Using a basic marinade of cold pressed extra virgin olive oil, sea salt and white pepper.

Use about 3 Tablespoons of oil, and the rest - you have to do it to taste. Throw all that in the biggest bowl you've got.

 Toss in 15 sliced Shiitake mushrooms, shoestring or Julienne strips (thin ones - I used a knife, not a mandoline or machine)  of 5 golden potatoes, 1 sliced sweet onion and a handful of chopped parsley.

Take a big spoon and swirl all the veggies around until they're coated. Mound it up and bake it on a sheetpan @ 400 for 20 mins. More if you like it toasty.

Serve and impress.

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We'll be back with reviews and photos of our vegetarian adventures.

Weeknight Vegan Dinner