How to Cook a Vegetable: Roasting

One of the things that makes Veganomicon so great and so Joy of Cooking-ish is the section entitled "How to Cook a Vegetable." Unlike Joy of Cooking however, or The Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book, the cooking tome of choice at my house growing up, nowhere does it suggest that boiling a vegetable to mush and then covering it with butter, cheese or cream is an acceptable way to treat our Plantae friends. So if you are like my roommate, who still harbors nightmares of flavorless zucchini disks that she and her sister turned into mini UFO's zooming over the balcony when their mother wasn't looking, have no fear! Properly cooked vegetables are like a whole new food group.

I was fortunate enough to grow up with a mother who could actually boil a vegetable in a way such that it was still recognizable and tasted great, with perhaps a dash of salt and a pat of margarine to spruce it up. She single-handedly cured my father's fear of broccoli. However, since most people do not possess my mother talent, I agree whole-heartedly with Isa and Terry's mandate that you never, EVER boil a vegetable.

My new favorite method of cooking vegetables, especially during the winter, is roasting. Roasting! Who knew something so simple could yield such delicious results? Roasting has the added advantage of freeing up stove space when you are cooking meals that require more than one pot/skillet/pan.

So dinner tonight was roasted cauliflower and a tofu scramble of my own creation. Although Veganomicon suggests rubbing cauliflower with oil before roasting it, I've had great results with just a spritz of cooking spray and some sea salt if you're looking for ways to cut down on the oil in your cooking. As an added bonus, here's my quick and delicious scramble recipe. I've converted tofu-haters with the recipe. Enjoy!

Scrambled Tofu Ranchero for two

Ingredients:
-1/2 small onion, diced
-6-8 chopped mushrooms
-1/2 block of extra firm tofu, drained (for this recipe you can just press out the extra water by squeezing it between your hands, or by putting it on a plate and using a paper towel to press down on it)
-soy sauce or Bragg's liquid aminos
-cumin
-chili powder
-garlic powder
-oregano
-paprika
-cayenne pepper
-salsa
-handful chopped spinach
-sliced avocado

Saute the onions and mushroom in a little bit of olive oil or in a non-stick skillet sprayed with Pam. When the onions are soft, crumble the tofu into the skillet. Add a splash of soy sauce/Bragg's, then a dash of each of the spices (I tend to use a lot of cumin and chile powder and less of the other spices, but whatever floats your boat is fine.) Scramble the tofu and vegetables, mixing in the soy sauce and spices. Add about ¼ cup of salsa, continue cooking. After about 3-5 minutes, or when most liquid has evaporated, add the spinach. Saute 1-2 minutes more until the spinach is wilted. Remove from heat. Garnish with sliced avocado and serve!

This is really good served inside a baked sweet potato, or in a tortilla.

Extra tofu can be stored in the fridge in a Tupperware container, covered with water, for several days. If you change the water daily it should last at least a week.

Variation: Black bean fajitas

Saute the onions and mushrooms as above (you may want to add more mushrooms). When onions begin to soften, add one diced zucchini. Saute 3-5 minutes, until zucchini begins to soften. Instead of the tofu, add one can drained black beans. Add soy sauce, spices and salsa as above (increase salsa to ½ cup). Continue cooking until vegetables are desired tenderness and flavors have melded. Serve with tortillas or over rice, garnish with “cheese”/avocado/"sour cream”/salsa as desired.