Casual kelp noodles

How is it that I never posted about the Asian Noodle Bowl with Kelp Noodles in Thrive? Next time I make it I’ll have to fix that because it is awesome. Anyway, that came to mind because I was going to refer to it since I’m bringing up kelp noodles again.

So kelp noodles, also called sea tangle, aren’t the easiest to find, but it is getting easier. In Atlanta, I know three places that carry them: Sevananda (on shelf, not refrigerated), Return to Eden (in refrigerated case at back of store) and Buford Highway Farmer’s Market (last aisle in the back, far left.) They’re at least half the price at BHFM, so if it’s convenient, that’s the place to get them. They seem to keep about forever in the fridge. Oh, and pick up some of their house made tofu while you’re there.

Kelp noodles have a nice crunch and don’t taste like much of anything. So it’s all about whatever sauce or dressing you use. I had some about and wanted to add some interesting texture to my salad, so added them on in. So this is spinach, carrots, cucumber, bell peppers and kelp noodles in peanut dressing with peanuts and gomashio sprinkled on top. Worked out nicely! Hmm, I tucked some cilantro pesto into the freezer. I bet kelp noodles would be great tossed with that and some veggies.

Game of Thrones potluck

For the season opener of Game of Thrones, the Gunns kindly hosted a watching party. And Jeff made his famous lasagna. Delicious! So we didn’t have to feel too bad about it, I brought roasted broccoli. Why haven’t I roasted broccoli before? It’s amazing. Oh, and chocolate chip cookies. Because, cookies. Look, we had salad too and nommy garlic bread. There may have been adult beverages too.

Almost tofu jerky

Is a Tofu Xpress totally necessary for pressing tofu? No. But it does make the job easier. And you don’t risk cans falling off your counter when the tofu doesn’t press evenly, which always happens to me.

So I pressed some tofu, and marinated it with one of the recipes in Vegan Vittles. Except instead of orange juice, I used a packet of True Orange that Dr. Joe Esposito gave me at the office.  And it worked pretty well. I’ve also successfully used it in salad dressing.

So, when I baked the tofu, I got distracted, probably by the internet, and forgot about it. When I caught it, it was well on its way to becoming tofu jerky. But it didn’t burn and wasn’t too chewy. It actually turned out to be just fine, and an excellent salad topper. Maybe next time I’ll cook it a little long on purpose.

Falafel salad, out

The falafel salad I made a while back with the Trader Joe’s frozen falafel balls was totally inspired by the falafel salad you can get at Ali Baba’s in Little Five Points. Greens, tabouli and more covered in chopped up falafel balls, tahini sauce (ask for it instead of yogurt to make it vegan) and hot sauce. If you get the platter, you can choose a side. This time I got dolmas.

Falafel and kale slaw

Falafel isn’t that hard to make, but when I saw frozen bags of falafel balls at Trader Joe’s and they were vegan I decided to try them out. These were really good. No complaints at all. I whipped up a quick tahini sauce to drizzle on top. It was tahini, hot water, garlic and lemon juice, I think.

The Kale Slaw with Red Cabbage and Carrot is another recipe from the Whole Living Kick Start Cleanse. And another winner. Of course you pretty much can’t go wrong with kale. And this is another one that sticks to mostly seasonal produce. Also, it’s pretty!