quick cassoulet

What makes a cassoulet a cassoulet? White beans. The rest is preference. Tomato sauce, sausage, duck - or any animal - carrots, etc. Traditionally cassoulets take hours to bake, but it is summer time and there is no room in this house for hours of heat!

I used some Tofurkey for my cassoulet, but had I seen the zucchini lurking in the back of the crisper drawer, it would have usurped the sausage for sure. Other vegetables, especially harder ones like winter squash, turnip, parsnip, cabbage or cauliflower would also have been a fine addition in lieu of the soy.

I topped the cassoulet with breadcrumbs sauteed in a pan with garlic, spring onions and parsley.

It was ready fast and tasted lovely. In the winter I will make a true cassoulet, but for today the Summer Cassoulet was just right.

Cost Breakdown

beans: $4
carrot, onion, garlic: $2
tomatoes: $3
panko: $1
Total to feed a family of 5:
$10.00

kung pao tofu

Asian Night

Kung Pao Tofu was Mikel's favorite dish from Whole Foods when we veganized. At about $10 a container it was something we had to make at home.

Whole Foods did this really neat thing - they put the ingredients on the label. All I had to do was figure out the how much and how to cook it. Easy enough since Kung Pao Tofu is tofu with a sauce and peanuts.

They used brown rice syrup for the sweetener and brown rice vinegar for the acid. Please note that this is an Americanized version of Kung Pao, which originally is not so very sweet; there is a hint of sweetness but it is the vinegar that is the accented flavor in the sauce.

I wrapped my tofu to extract the water and make it absorb the homemade teriyaki sauce as well as hold together when I saute it on my enameled griddle. I love this griddle because tofu does not stick to it - like a nonstick, but safer.

This meal is a great rendition of Kung Pao, even if it is the American version.

Cost Breakdown:

tofu: $4
rice syrup: $1.50
vinegar, tamari, spices: $2
peppers, garlic, scallions: $3
rice: $1
peanuts: $1
Total to feed a family of 5:
$12.50

KUNG PAO TOFU PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE

SEE THE FASTER AND EASIER VERSION HERE