Tonight’s dinner comes from a cookbook I admire, but rarely cook from: Vegan Soul Kitchen by Bryant Terry. It’s just *cool* – but I find the recipes overly complicated for my style, and the instructions a bit dense. You really have to read all the way through or you’ll miss details. Certainly that means there’s something in there for me to learn, but I’ll admit I’m not always too eager to do so.
Admittedly, even here, I took a few shortcuts. I used a pre-mixed Cajun spice blend; I did not toss everything in a damn paper bag (all my paper bags are leftover from grocery shopping so they probably have bits of mushroom stuck in there). I halved the grits themselves and skipped the cashew cream in favor of a little extra almond milk (I know, OK? I know how to make cashew cream, I just wasn’t in the mood). I did take the extra steps with the tempeh itself as far as cooking it in broth, though I opted to use just enough broth that it would be all get absorbed rather than having leftovers to store. It resulted in a really nice, tender tempeh, which works really well here. This might be a good method for someone who isn’t super keen on the natural bitterness or texture of tempeh.
The broccoli salad was really easy: slice broccoli (I used a 4mm food processor slicer blade); blanch; marinate in a dressing made of lime, lemon, and orange juices; enjoy chilled. It was a nice, bright side for the rich and creamy grits. I’d probably double or triple the recipe for a summer picnic.