The Empty Month

Due to medical reasons too boring to get into on this blog (don't worry, I'm not dying or anything) I have been put on a very... interesting diet for the month of January. I have become a walking caricature: no dairy, no soy, no gluten, no corn (might as well start crossfit while I'm at it). Also, a whole host of other non-trendy things to avoid - of particular interest to regular blog readers, no red kidney beans or lentils.

Needless to say, this is a bit of a shock. Any one of the above would be a big change, but all combined just seem a bit ridiculous. Basically all my conventional protein sources are gone, along with essentially all fake meats (But what about Daiya you say. It has pea powder in it. Peas are also on the verboten list because why not). Beer and scotch, my alcohol favourites, are offline.

Most restaurants are no-go, as there's corn syrup, butter or soy sauce (depending on the restaurant) in so many things. Even at home, there are going to be big changes in what I eat. Of the six meals on this blog's front page, all are vegan yet all would run afoul of the new regulations.

However, things aren't that bad (and not just because this is a very trivial problem in the grand scheme of things). I'm not completely vegan because I can eat eggs, so that's a protein source right there. Same with nuts. Chickpeas are still in the green list and there are all sorts of other high-protein beans I can try. Like Mung Beans! That's a thing.

And even though all the recipes on the front page were offside, they can be reigned in. In some cases, it's as simple as not adding soy sauce.

Moreover, it's a good opportunity to try new things and really think about what I'm eating. Like this noodle soup that I whipped up.

I'm not going to blog the recipe because it was very spur of the moment, but the broth was veggie stock with mushrooms, red wine and cayenne pepper. It tasted good and fit all the new criteria.

I was going to blog about recipes under the label "The Empty Month". But after thinking about it, "The Experimental Month" is much more apt (and optimistic).

Kimchi Fried Rice

Fried rice. It sounds unhealthy. And yet unlike other fried foods which evoke some seedy diner, fried rice is quick and wholesome. It's not particularly fried.

One of the nice things about fried rice is that it's a great use for leftover rice, rice that's had a chance to sit is an even better ingredient. While you can often just throw veggies that were in your fridge the below recipe relies on a hit of kimchi for a hit of extra flavour.

Kimchi Fried Rice

1 cup rice
1 head broccoli or cauliflower
1 block tofu
1 small bell pepper, diced
2 eggs

1.5 cups wine
1/4 cup soy sauce
pepper
4 cloves garlic
2 cups kimchi
Drizzle of sriracha

Put the rice on in the rice cooker or stove (despite what I said above about using leftover rice, I've given the amount for the dry rice). As the rice is on, cook the broccoli/cauliflower and pepper on low heat, stirring occasionally. Add the tofu a little afterwards.

During this time, you can make the sauce (just whisk the wine, soy sauce, pressed garlic and pepper together). Once the rice is done, add a little oil to another pan and sautee the rice in it on medium-high. After a minute or so, create a little "pocket" in the middle of the rice and crack the eggs into it. Then stir the eggs and rice together.

Next, add the tofu/veggies and the sauce to the rice and stir together. Finally, add the kimchi and cook together until the kimchi's warmed up.

Drizzle sriracha over it and serve.

Serves 5

The kimchi is Daebak brand Kimchi, which is vegan and - I assume - fair trade.

Scalloped Potatoes

Scalloped potatoes have always been a 'comfort food' dish from my childhood, but I don't really get an opportunity to make them (I don't usually have both cheese and milk in the house at the same time). Luckily, I was over at my friend Megan's for dinner tonight and they were on the menu. I was feeling like having dairy (some readers may be able to guess why) and, serendipitously, I got my wish. We started by having an omelet with orange peppers and onions (inspired by this video, albeit not in form) as the scalloped potatoes baked.

Scalloped Potatoes

6 potatoes

1 onion

Cheese

1 cup milk

Preheat the oven to 375°. Slice the potatoes into ovals (cut the bottom first so it doesn't slide on the cutting the board), ring the onions and grate the cheese. In a casorolle dish, add a layer of potatoes, a layer of onions and a layer of cheese until you reach the top. The top layer should be cheese, but before you put it on, add the milk. Cover in tinfoil and bake for an hour, then remove the tinfoil and bake for 45 minutes.

Serves 3 (or 2 for hungry folk)

"Asian-Style" Frittata

I'm not a huge fan of the term "Asian-style" (and its older, thankfully mostly disappeared, brother "Oriental-style"). I mean, it makes as much sense as talking about Euro-South-North-Amero-Afrostralian cuisine because there are more people in Asia than those places and just as diverse (you could throw in an extra North America and Europe and Asia would still be larger). This is a rather lengthy way of mentioning that I made the Moosewood's Asian-Style frittata. I was back in Toronto for the weekend and wasn't sure what to make as there was lots and lots of food. Ironically though, I have a lot more (quote/unquote) "Asian" condiments and sauces which really could have helped out this meal.
Asian-Style Frittata

1/2 red onion

1 cup sliced mushrooms

1/2 cup snow peas

3 bok choy leaves

2 cloves garlic

1 teaspoon ginger

2 eggs

1 teaspoon soy sauce
Sauce

1 dried chili

1/4 cup water/stock

1 teaspoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

1/8 teaspoon sesame oil

1 teaspoon cornstarch dissolved in 1 teaspoon cool water
The vegetables sound eclectic, but its pretty much just any 2 cups of vegetables per egg. Sauté the onion on medium heat for 3-4 minutes. Add the mushrooms, snow peas, ginger and bok choy leaves (or the slower cooking veggies you use) and sauté for a few minuets. As you're doing that, whisk the eggs with the ginger and soy sauce. Add the garlic and the boy choy greens (or the faster cooking veggies) and cook for a minute. Poor the eggs in, cover and cook on low heat for about 6 minutes. Bring the sauce ingredients to a boil and then add the dissolved cornstarch. Pour the sauce over the frittata and serve.

Serves 1.

You may be wondering why I had balsamic vinegar in an "Asian-themed" fritatta. Well, as I mentioned above my parents didn't seem to have any mirin etc. Also, once again, cornstarch thwarted me by clumping up forcing me to spoon out half of it. The meal was okay, but I wish I'd used the greens and such for a stir fry and soft-boiled the eggs for breakfast [That's your wish?! Not world peace or something? Geez --ed].

"Thy head is as full of quarrels as an egg is full of meat"

I've always compared vegetarianism to Judaism, we look down on those less observant but think those more observant than us are crazy (I guess I'd proably be a equivalent of Conservative; the vegans are Lubavitchers). Yet veganism does have a compelling intellectual draw for vegetarians. If its wrong to eat a chicken, then why is it right to eat its eggs produced as they are by a killing of male chicks and locking the female ones up in a tiny cage where they are treated horribly? I don't have a particularly good answer for that, though I guess I can say I'd never, for example, murder a Congolese child but I did buy a cellphone that is produced, in part, by the death and exploitation of people in the Congo. There are actually long periods of time I am effectively vegan, I don't eat out that often and I don't usually use a lot of animal products in my house. Now is not one of those times though, I took the advice of my co-workers and bought some eggs. While you can use eggs for many things, I'd like to sing the praises of the softboiled egg. Many people don't particularly care for egg yolks, but they are glorious here: like silky delicious lava.

Soft-Boiled Eggs

Egg

Boil water in a small pot. Place the egg in the pot with a spoon and set it to a simmer. Cook for about 4 minutes and extract the egg.

Serves 1.