Rhymes With Vegan

roasted tomatillo salsa

i fancy myself some green salsa now and then, and this recipe is is so fast and easy.  its light, smoky flavor is great on enchiladas, nachos or with your very own homemade corn chips.

roasted tomatillo salsa

5 medium tomatillos

3 cloves garlic

½ large yellow onion

¼ bunch fresh cilantro

2 jalapeno peppers

1 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp cayenne

canola oil

salt and pepper

pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees. 

remove tomatillos from the shell.  with a small pairing knife, remove the stem from the tomatillos and discard.  remove the ends of the jalapenos and chop into 1 inch pieces.

chop the yellow onion into 1 inch pieces as well.

toss the tomatillos, onions, garlic cloves and jalapenos with a little canola oil until covered.  sprinkle with salt and pepper and put into oven to roast for approximately 30 minutes (depending upon your oven).

once roasted, remove from oven, put into food processor with cilantro, cumin and cayenne.  Blend together until well mixed, but still with some lumps.

transfer to a bowl and refrigerate for 1 hour.

serve with home made corn chips and a glass of crisp white wine.

enjoy!

creamy tofu and basil phyllo wraps w/ crushed garlic tomato sauce

i'm back!

yes, i took a bit of a hiatus but i am back and ready to do some serious cooking...again!  this past weekend was a perfect opportunity to throw some ideas together that had been rolling around in my head..so stay tuned.

this little number came to me, of all places, at the gym...i was thinking about silken tofu and how wonderfully creamy it is.  I tossed around ideas of something interesting to do with it and this is what i came up with.

this would be a perfect appetizer for a nice dinner party OR perhaps for an Oscar party this weekend if you are attending one...be sure to serve right away while the flavors are melting together.

 

creamy tofu and basil phyllo wraps w/ crushed garlic and tomato sauce

 

1 package silken tofu

16 sheets phyllo

fresh basil leaves

1 ½ bulbs garlic

½ yellow onion - chopped

1 can crushed tomatoes

¼ cup red wine

1 tbsp sugar

¾ cup canola oil

olive oil

1 tbsp crushed red pepper flakes

salt and pepper

 

in a 400 degree cover 1 bulb of garlic with olive oil. and a dash of salt.  roast until golden brown, approximately 20-25 minutes.  remove from oven and let cool.

slice your tofu into ½ in thick slices.  Lay a slice onto 2 phyllo sheets laying back to back.  sprinkle with some red pepper flakes.

in a medium saucepan add your crushed tomatoes, 2 cloves of garlic, onion, red pepper flakes, red wine, sugar and salt and pepper.  bring to boil then let simmer for 20 minutes stirring frequently.

once the garlic has cooled, push each bulb out and mix into a small bowl with a dash of salt and pepper.  add a tsp of the roasted garlic  on top of each tofu slice and then lay 2 leaves of fresh basil on top.  drizzle with a bit of olive oil and wrap up, sides first then the long portion.  it should be sealed on each end.

do the same for each tofu slice.

heat your canola oil in a small skillet.  add your wraps one at a time until lightly browned on each side.  remove and set onto a paper towel.  ladle ¼ cup red sauce and a sprig of fresh basil right away.

serve with red wine.

enjoy!