vegan buffalo ranch salad :: by radish*rose

vegan buffalo ranch salad with tempeh and garlic croutons

One of our favorite restaurants, Sweet Grass Grill in Tarrytown, New York, serves buffalo tempeh “wings” as an appetizer. THEY ARE SO GOOD. Each time we order them, our server reminds us that they don’t contain chicken. We don’t care! We love them! Give us more! So imagine my intense curiosity when I saw this buffalo ranch salad recipe featuring buffalo-ized tempeh or tofu in Salad Samurai: 100 Cutting-Edge, Ultra-Hearty, Easy-to-Make Salads You Don’t Have to Be Vegan to Love. You know, sometimes I just like to try things to see if they work. This works! It totally delivers the spicy, vinegary buffalo flavor, as well as a creamy pesto ranch dressing, without any animal products. And there’s the question of that creamy pesto ranch dressing. How is this achieved without dairy, you ask? Raw cashews soaked until soft and blended with all kinds of good stuff. That’s how. I know, it’s crazy. But in fact it’s a fairly common practice to use cashews for creamy stuff in the vegan world (which I only dabble in). OK with me! Continue reading

shirataki noodle coconut curry soup :: by radish*rose

low carb shirataki noodle coconut curry soup

Here’s a zingy, bright low-carb coconut curry noodle soup for a grey and cold winter day (we’ve been having a lot of those lately in New York!). Shirataki noodles are something of a miracle, aren’t they? Somehow they have no carbs and very few calories. You can find them in the refrigerated section of your supermarket – usually they are by the egg roll wrappers and tofu. I find they lend themselves very well to Asian-inspired dishes, but I’d avoid trying them with Italian – they have a slight oceanic tang. I’ve used tofu for protein in this version, but you could use anything you like – shrimp, chicken, thinly sliced beef, or fish. Just make sure it is already cooked. Continue reading

vegan palak paneer :: by radish*rose

vegan palak paneer

Do you love curry spinach with cheese cubes at Indian restaurants (palak paneer) but wonder just a little about the amount of butter and cheese involved, given its obvious deliciousness? Me too. Or maybe you avoid animal products. Either way, isn’t it great that Mark Bittman has our backs? Here’s a healthy version of palak “paneer” using tofu, with only a little oil. You will not miss the butter and cheese! Continue reading