I'm going to a friend's house for dinner tonight and the meal will most definitely not be vegan. I offered, as I always do, to bring something, so tonight I've decided to bring some roasted vegetables.
I've already made up my mind to pick up some brussel sprouts and leeks, and am thinking about tossing in some onions or shallots too. A little olive oil, some fresh herbs, a drizzle of balsamic...but maybe some acorn squash? Parsnip? Rutebega? Pumpkin? Crumbled, toasted pecans and thyme sprinkled onto the finished dish? Oh! Maybe I'll throw in some tempeh!The thing about tempeh and seitan in other people's homes is, if they're not vegan, they're not usually adventurous enough to try it. My other thought was to do something with these gorgeous beans. I soaked them for 24 hours to start the rehydration process. The other night, with some vegetable stock and water, I boiled 2 cups of them over a medium flame, adding more liquid as needed, until they softened into an al dente texture. Of course, you could buy beans that are ready to be eaten, but I had found this blend at the store and wanted to do something different. After all, that's The Trendy Vegan way!
As they were cooking, I sauteed some onions in a touch of olive oil and then, when the beans were nearing the right texture, I added the onions to the stock pot, rather than doing the reverse and sauteeing it all. To season, rather than adding more salt, I just kept adding teaspoons of of a well-aged balsamic vinegar and the result was just wonderful. Truth be told, I had the leftovers for breakfast this morning with my coffee!
OK...I'm getting hungry and now I need to workout and hit the market!
