I have crossed the penultimate vegetarian frontier: I like tofu.  It’s been a slow process to say the least; two years in I finally order tofu dishes at vegetarian restaurants.  (The final frontier, of course, is tempeh, which is a soy product that is fermented and… yeah.  I haven’t even tried this one.)  It has been a textural issue for me.  Tofu doesn’t taste like much on its own, but somehow manages to have a commanding presence in a dish due to its obnoxiously obvious tofuness.  It can be sort of squishy, you know?  And pasty, a bit.  Well, now I’m digging the tofuness.

Last night Husband and I checked out a vegan restaurant on the west side.  As much as I wanted to love the place, I just kind of didn’t.  The first thing we got was smoothies, and there’s no way around it, I make better ones.  You have to include ice for coldness and crispness, otherwise the drink just feels slimy.  Apparently no one told the restaurant however, because theirs was just fruit and no crisp.  What is life without crispness?

The next thing I got was a red coconut curry bowl, and while the veggies and tofu were grilled very well, the sauce was sort of bland.  I make a wicked red curry that just bursts with flavour and deliciousness, and which totally outdoes the unremarkable one at the restaurant.  It is surprising and frustrating to find my home cooking superior to the stuff we bought because what are we supposed to do now when we want a treat?  Shove me into the kitchen, apparently! 

Anyway, the experience reinvigorated me to do some cooking this week.  Tonight for dinner we will be having beef-less beef noodle soup (pho) that I will make using faux beef broth simmered with the traditional pho broth ingredients (anise, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, sugar, onion…). Served of course with bean sprouts, basil, green onions, hoisin, and hot chili paste sauce.  I’ll use thin sliced mushrooms in place of the usual rare beef.  Tomorrow I’ll make a simple lentil soup to devour with crusty rolls and a nice salad.  Thursday will be a smoky chipotle corn and black bean stewlike affair, and finally, on Friday we’ll have chickpea ratatouille.  Lunches will be leftovers, though I kick off today’s lunch with my basil spaghetti.

All I eat for breakfast is toast.  A person can only hand so much amazing food in a single day.