This week on the show, we revisit our sausage sandwiches and talk tater tot Nicoise. We'll also try the vegan menu from Southern Belle and Gardein Asian Style Chick'n Fried Rice.
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And if you like hearing two people try to figure out how to stop a quiet, rattling sound in the house, you're going to love this episode. And don't miss our hack for keeping paintings straight with double sided tape. You know, food podcast stuff.
Gardein Chick'n Fried Rice review
This skillet meal was new to me, but Dave likes to keep them on hand for nights that I'm not around to make dinner. Not that we have any nights like that lately, but you get me.
This fried rice has edamame, Gardein chick'n strips, rice, and veggies all mixed up for you in one freezer bag. It also comes with a sauce that you add toward the end of cooking.
You prepare it on the stovetop, and it is as easy to make as advertised.
One issue that Dave mentioned was that when he's prepared these skillet meals, they tend to stick to the pan. I didn't have that big a sticking problem, and we think that's because I sprayed the bottom of our pan liberally with oil, rather than pouring on a dollop of oil as directed.
For what these are -- a quick, no-fuss weeknight meal -- Dave and I agree that they are a solid choice. Gardein chick'n is always top notch, and it's definitely the star of this show.
Dave was also impressed with the quality of the frozen veggies. I was sort of meh about them, but this is a frozen meal, so frozen vegetables are naturally going to be part of it.
The sauce was sort of a soy-garlic-ginger situation that worked really well in this dish. It didn't have an overpowering flavor, which makes it very family-friendly. Dave and I amped our meals up with hot sauce, and the kid ate his as-is.
Because one bag serves two people, but there are three of us, I made some quick air fryer tofu and broccoli to go with:
- Air fry marinated tofu for 12 minutes at 370F.
- Add broccoli to the air fryer, spritz with oil and sprinkle on garlic powder.
- Air fry for another 3-4 minutes at 370F.
For a quick, medium-healthy meal when you don't feel like cooking, this was definitely a hit. We definitely want to try more of their skillet meals, and I'm sure we'll get this one again, too.
Sausage sandwiches
We've talked about our epic sausage sandwiches before on the pod, and this week we had to revisit, because our game is falling apart.
The main problem is that the kid and I just don't love bread. We both prefer our sausage in a grit bowl. I can't speak for the kiddo, but for me, bread just blands up all of those flavorful ingredients.
I don't hate bread by any means! Dipping bread in olive oil or attacking some garlic bread is a whole other experience. But in most sandwich situations, I feel like bread just dampens the flavor.
Dave is a hard disagree on this one. He feels like the bread/bagel/English muffin adds to the experience. While I don't totally agree, he did make one really good point: bread is a carrier for condiments that you may not work on a bowl.
What about you? Are you a crust king like Dave? A condiment queen like me? Tweet us @talkintofu.
Tater tot "Nicoise"
Y'all, this salad was a total hit! My friend Beth from Simply Without does a Vegan Twitter Supper Club, where every week she chooses a country, and we all cook and share pics of our food from that country's cuisine.
This was my first time participating, and the country she chose was France. I was craving salad and decided to make a salade Nicoise.
Instead of fish and egg, I did an eggy, dilly tofu adapted from Minimalist Baker's Nicoise. I used her chickpea seasoning on tofu instead.
It was after setting the tofu to marinate and prepping the lettuce and tomato that I realized that we were out of a crucial Nicoise ingredient: potatoes.
But what we did have was tater tots. So, hello, tater tot Nicoise!
Y'all, I know. This is not a salade Nicoise. Dave fully busted me already, and he was right. What this salad was, though, was delicious.
Let's call it a Nicoise-inspired salad. That my child devoured and has asked if we can have again.
Takeout corner
This week's takeout adventure was from Southern Belle. We got the Yes VeGan, which is a three course menu for two:
- Thai Corn Fritters with Sweet Chili Sauce
- Crispy Tofu with Creamy Coconut Ginger Sauce
- Blistered Shishito Peppers and Green Beans
- Potato Salad*
- Sticky Toffee Pudding with Biscoff Cream
The corn fritters and the tofu were very rich and very delicious. Dave especially loved the tofu, because he was a big fan of the coconut ginger sauce.
The peppers and green beans and the potato salads were a great contrast to all of that richness. I put an asterisk by the potato salad, because it was more of a slaw with a few pieces of potato in it than a potato salad. Though after that Nicoise ordeal, who am I to argue semantics?
The potato salad was actually my favorite part of the meal! I loved the crisp, vinegary vegetables with a little bit of heartiness from the steamed potato pieces. What a treat!
The pudding was actually a spice cake with sticky toffee sauce. The Biscoff cream came on the side, so the cake wouldn't get soggy.
I actually really enjoyed eating the Biscoff cream on its own, like a pudding. It got me thinking about a Biscoff banana pudding that I'm going to develop. Recipe to come!
Where to listen
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