Sweet n' Hot Pineapple Sauce

Nothing went right for tonight's meal except this sauce (which is why it's the only thing I am posting). Not even the picture turned out. Curses! I experimented again with a new seitan, but it did not work out well. I also envisioned a dish with red pepper and cashews but ended up having neither in the fridge/pantry. The sauce, however, is exactly what I was going for--sweet with a citrus undertone and a spicy bite.

INGREDIENTS
- 1 medium pineapple, peeled and cored, cut into chunks
- juice of 1 lime
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup chili garlic sauce (or more, depending how hot you want it)
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- salt to taste

METHOD
1. Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. Place in a saucepan and bring to bubbling. Lower heat to medium and cook for 5 mins, until thickened and smooth.
2. Use right away in a dish, or store in a bottle in the fridge for later.

Brunch Skewers

Inspiration hit today as I was rummaging through the cupboards for something to make for lunch. When I saw the skewers from the chickenless wings, the now stale crusty French rolls, the pineapple, and the leftover breakfast sausages, the clouds opened and a light shone down upon me from heaven. A voice said, simply, "ye shall make brunch skewers, and they shall be tasty." I only wish that some strawberries had magically appeared in the fridge because they would have made this dish absolutely perfect. I also tried baking the french toast--success! If you have ever made vegan French toast you know it is a real pain (unless you have a brand new no-stick pan) because the batter sticks to the pan like glue. Baking french toast is easy and hassle free and is definitely the way I am making all my French toast from now on. The french toast batter recipe is adapted from this month's issue of VegNews and has a banana-y flavour which I totally love when combined with maple syrup.

INGREDIENTS

Makes 6 skewers

- 3 to 4 stale crusty French rolls (or French bread) cut into 18 chunks

- 1 ripe banana, sliced

- 1 cup soy milk

- 1 tbsp ground flax seed

- 1 tsp cornstarch

- 1/2 tsp cinnamon

- pinch of nutmeg

- pinch tumeric

- 6 mini bamboo skewers

- 1 tsp oil

- 2 large breakfast sausages (i.e. make 6 sausages instead of the mini ones the recipe calls for), cut into 6 thick slices each

- 12 pineapple chunks

- 12 thick strawberry slices (not pictured)

- maple syrup for dipping

METHOD

Preheat oven to 425

1. In a food processor, or with an immersion blender, blend together banana slices, soy milk, flax seed, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, and tumeric. Pour into a shallow dish and add in bread chunks. Toss bread in batter and leave for a few mins to soak in, turning once or twice.

2. While bread is soaking, wet the back of a piece of parchment paper and line a baking sheet. Spray parchment lightly with oil. Shake excess batter off bread chunks and place on baking sheet. Spray lightly with oil.

3. Bake bread for 5-7 mins per side, until it starts to turn golden brown. You can broil them at the very end for a min or so of you want to.

4. While bread is baking, heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Fry sausage slices for a few mins, until heated through and a little crispy on the outside. Remove from pan, increase heat to med-hi, and add pineapple chucnks. Fry for 5 mins, stirring regularly, until beginning to brown. Remove from heat.

5. Assemble the skewers in the following order: french toast, pineapple, sausage, strawberry, french toast, pineapple, sausage strawberry, french toast. Serve with warmed maple syrup for dipping.

I also made the chocolate chocolate chip cookies from Veganomicon for a clean up/work night at the boys' school. I am totally making these for the upcoming bake sale and wanted try out a method that would consistently yield cookies as big as my head. So, I measured out 1/3 cup of cookie dough and pressed it into a 3 1/2 inch metal ring. I then baked for 11 mins--6 cookies per baking sheet (yes, they are huge!). They came out perfectly!

Sweet n' Sour Skewers

This is really just a variation on this recipe, but with a fancier presentation sure to wow your guests at the next BBQ (or, cookout, for you Americans). The pineapple provides the sweet, the citrus provides the sour, and the grilling just enhances the tastiness.

INGREDIENTS

Amounts will vary on how many skewers you want to make.

- red pepper

- green pepper

- onion, quartered

- firm tofu, pressed and cubed

- pineapple

- 1 tbsp olive oil

- juice of 2 limes

- juice of 1 lemon

- juice of 1 orange

- splash of tequila (optional)

- 1-2 tsp chili powder

- 1 tsp cinnamon

- salt and pepper to taste

METHOD

1. Cut veggies into large chunks and toss in oil, juices, and spices. Let marinate if you have the time.

2. Stick veggies tightly on skewers, and grill on a well-oiled grill over med-hi heat for about 15 mins (until veggies are done). Make sure to rotate the skewers to get the veggies cooked evenly, and to brush the veggies with the extra marinade at least twice.

Grilled Citrus Tofu and Pineapple

Spring is coming to the frozen north! Today was sunny and warm and the snow and ice was melting away like mad. All the snow is now gone from the back porch, so BBQ was the only way to go for tonight's meal. If you have not had grilled pineapple you must try it. I am not the biggest pineapple fan, but this was fantastic. Grilling really brings out the pineapple's sweetness. And, inspired by the Happy Herbivore's quest to "put the veg back in vegan," I supplemented the tofu and pineapple with steamed carrots, kale, corn, roasted red potatoes, and mesclun salad with tomatoes and cucumbers.

INGREDIENTS

- 1 pkg firm tofu, pressed and cut into 8 pieces

- 1/2 can frozen orange juice, thawed

- juice 1/2 lemon

- juice 1 lime

- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

- 1 tbsp oil

- salt and pepper

METHOD

1. Mix together juices, vinegar, oil, and salt and pepper. Marinate tofu slices for an hour or so.

2. Grill on a lightly oiled BBQ over med-hi heat, basting with marinade, for 10-15 mins.

Grilled Pineapple: Brush fresh pineapple slices with some of the marinade and grill for about 10 mins. Make sure pineapple browns but does not burn.