Cass Cafe: Go now!

I'm always looking for new restaurants and last Saturday, D continued the "making Kirsten's dreams come true" birthday tour by taking me to Cass Cafe for the first time, before we hit up Awesome Fest at the Magic Stick.

My stomach was feeling a little off so I didn't want much to eat, but what I had was GOOD.

D and I split the hummus plate appetizer, which came with some tapenade that I think involved sun-dried tomatoes, olives and some other stuff. D stayed away from it, but I loved it.

I DID feel well enough to enjoy their $3 margarita special. It was great! So often margaritas are too much mix and you can't taste any tequila. It was reminiscent of the margaritas at El Azteco in Lansing, which is a HUGE compliment.

D got the lentil burger with honey mustard and loved it. I used some of his fries to test out the honey mustard, which led to a conversation about why restaurant honey mustard is SO much better than you ever could buy at the store.

I even dipped my vegetarian egg rolls in it, even though they didn't need anything -- it was just that good. The egg rolls were super good. Shouldn't have gotten something fried, since my stomach already was upset, but they were really good.

Even though it's not a veg-only restaurant, it was great to eat somewhere that had more vegetarian and vegan items than meat items on the menu! Everything sounded so good -- I can't wait to go back and try the following from the menu:

• Roasted Curry Lentil Soup
• Vegetarian Mediterranean Pasta Salad
• "Love Basket" -- fries and onion rings!
• Black bean and cheese quesadilla
• Open-Faced Artichoke-Pesto Melt
• Campus Vegetarian Wrap
• The lentil burger -- it looked so good
• Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Cheese Tortellini
• Vegetarian Lasagna (Although I make a mean one myself, I have to say)
• DESSERTS!

There are all kinds of good beers available in pitchers even, and a full bar. Great place to take meat-eaters, too, as there's a variety of fresh seafood items, salads with steak, seafood or chicken, burgers -- you name it!

To top it all off there's great art on the walls, a cool NY-loft-like industrial feel, and the waitstaff couldn't have been nicer.

I can't wait to go back!

Vegan pancakes

I just made the most amazing vegan pancakes for my nephews, one of whom was just found to have an egg white allergy.

Feel free to use regular milk if you're not vegan -- just as yummy!

These took about 3 minutes to make too -- great if you're in a hurry and just want something simple.

Mix together (I find a whisk works great):

1 c. flour
1 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/8 (or a good pinch) of salt
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 c. milk (soy/regular/rice, etc.)

Mix up and cook on a griddle heated at medium for a couple of minutes a side. Enjoy!

Cheesy Garlicky Biscuits (a la Red Lobster)

These are the easiest, most delicious biscuits ever! I haven't been to Red Lobster in over a decade, but who can forget these biscuits. Now I never have to go back. :)




Ingredients:

1/2 c. shredded cheese*
2 c. Bisquick
2/3 c. milk*
1/2 c (or less) melted butter
1/4 tsp. garlic salt

Preheat oven to 450.

Mix, by hand, the Bisquick, milk and cheese (I used a little extra cheese. Couldn't help it).

Drop spoonfuls of the sticky batter onto a cookie sheet (I sprayed with Pam, but I think it was unnecessary). For me, it made about 10 good-sized biscuits. Bake for 8-10 minutes.

While they are baking, melt butter and mix in the garlic salt (I, of course, added extra garlic powder and would probably try fresh garlic next time -- this was an impulse bake, so I was unprepared!)

As soon as you take them out of the oven, brush biscuits with melted garlic butter. I put it on pretty generously and still had some leftover, so I'll probably melt less butter next time.

They melt in your mouth and I'm pretty sure they go right to your hips, but who cares. Enjoy!

* I'm going to go ahead and guess that these would work out just as well with soy cheese and soy or rice milk. Worth a shot!

Eat Your Greens

Here's a picture of my new little man, Nolis, the handsome son of L & C, just begging me to come back to Chicago to meet him.

He's sporting the onesie I sent him as a "welcome to the world" gift. Just thought I would share!

Sweet and Sour Tofu

For three years I've heard from D, "I don't like Chinese food."

In fact, the only thing I've ever made that D didn't even try (when I attempted and failed my friend's chutney) was because it smelled like Chinese food.

ANYWAY, I'm a nanny, which also includes cooking for the family. A family favorite of theirs is mother-in-law's sweet and sour pork/chicken. I've made it several times, eventually perfecting it for the family after about five tries. Each time dying to snatch a taste because it smells so, so good.

SO, casually the other day, I said, "How does sweet and sour tofu sound for tonight," and got no argument. ("Maybe he doesn't realize it's Chinese food," I thought.)

I slightly changed the recipe, since there was no need to boil the tofu like you do the meat, but I still needed the leftover clove-infused water. For some reason, taking the meat out of the equation, made the recipe that much easier to prepare.

I managed to whip it up in about a half hour, got it on the table with chopsticks and even fortune cookies. Then came the moment of truth...

"This is delicious. Every time you make something it's my new favorite thing."

Score!

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:
6-8 whole cloves
2 c. water
5 T. cornstarch (separated)
1 stick butter/margarine/similar
Olive oil
1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. low sodium soy sauce + 2 T.
1/4 c. red wine vinegar
1/4 tsp. ginger
2 peppers (green, red, orange, yellow)
1 medium onion
1 pkg. tofu
1 small can pineapple chunks

1. Boil the water with the cloves. Just boil for a couple of minutes to infuse the water with the cloves.*

2. Drain pineapple juice into some type of measuring cup (hopefully a 2 c. one). Fill up to 1 1/2 c. line with the clove water. (Remove cloves!)

3. Drain tofu and cut into cubes. Whisk together 2 T. each of cornstarch and soy sauce, then toss with tofu.

4. Fry in some of the butter and oil (it's not a science here -- whatever works, add more if you need more so your tofu gets all nice and crispy and doesn't stick to the pan).

5. Meanwhile, in a large skillet cook chunked up peppers, onions and the pineapple in a bit of the butter and/or oil.

6. Once all that's cooking and on its way (remember to keep tossing the tofu so it gets crispy all over!) it's time to make the sauce!

In small saucepan:

• Melt 1/4 c. butter
• Whisk in 3 T cornstarch

Add

• 1/2 c. sugar
• 1/4 c. red wine vinegar
• 1/4 c. soy sauce
• 1/4 tsp. ginger
• the 1 1/2 c. liquid (clove water/pineapple juice)

Stir constantly until thick.

7. Add the crispy tofu to the peppers, onion and pineapple.



8. Pour sauce into the pan and mix it all up.

9. Serve over brown rice (or your preferred rice).

10. Enjoy!


* If you're cooking with meat, boil cubes of chosen meat in the clove water, remove cloves, drain (and reserve per recipe) and let meat cool before tossing in soy-cornstarch mixture and frying. Set aside, cook veggies in same pan, add tofu back to pan to heat through before adding sauce.

New favorite dressing!

Here is a new dressing I've fallen in love with! It's supposed to be good on cooked veggies (warm or cooled) and I've had 3 salads in the last 24 hours with it.

Below are the amounts for a single serving (or for 1-2 lbs. cooked veggies) and if you want some to keep in the refrigerator for multiple uses (those amounts in parentheses).

I'll have to test out some variations, but I would guess this would be really good with some lemon in it, garlic (maybe even whole cloves for flavor), or even a little honey. Seems like it would be a really good mayo alternative for some potato salad and would probably be really good with some fresh herbs.

Enjoy!

2 T. (1/2 c.) olive oil

1T (1/4 c.) white wine vinegar

1 tsp. (4 tsp.) Dijon mustard

dash or two each (1/2 tsp. each) salt and pepper

Patel's Indian Cuisine

Always on the lookout for something good to eat in a pinch, the other day I picked up a couple of packages Patel's Cuisine meals.

First up today was Aloo Mutter -- a spicy bowl of potato and green peas in a red curry sauce. Two minutes in the microwave and it was ready to go -- hot and spicy, spicy. Slightly TOO spicy, for my taste, but still with great flavor. I just wish I had some jasmine rice to pour it over.


Besides the obvious drawback of the pile of sodium that always accompanies these types of meals, this is one of the best like it that I've had. All natural, no preservatives, only a handful of ingredients and, of course, vegetarian.