Hit in the Ribs

I found out I'm going to be on the road for work for two weeks this month on Friday, and it kind of threw my whole weekend into a funk. I'll be missing my friend and fiance's birthdays and Halloween . . . and I have to figure out how to absentee vote. It'll all be good, but I got it in my head I was going to be around and now I'm not. It will also probably change the theme of my vegan mofo blogs for the last half of October to eating vegan on the go.

But enough whining. Tonight, I threw together dinner on the fly and these are definitely recipes in progress. First, I tried Sol Cuisine organic BBQ tofu ribs for the first time. I had them frozen and defrosted them in the microwave before baking them. I wasn't satisfied with the amount of sauce, so I added some store bought BBQ (turns out quite a few are vegan.) They were good, but not great. I didn't get the "chewy" texture they advertise, but the texture was better than simply baking some extra firm tofu. I also think I'd like them better with a less sweet BBQ sauce, something with heat or vinegar.  It's squash season in Minnesota, so I served them over some simple baked spaghetti squash letting the BBQ sauce be the seasoning.

Here's the recipe that's still in the works, but tasty:

Wilted Swiss Chard w/ Celeriac, Walnuts and Raisins

1 small celeriac (celery root) - peel and dice

2 large garlic cloves

2 shallots (or half a small onion)

1/4 c walnuts

3 T raisins

1 large bunch swiss chard

2 T red wine (or water)

Heat a cast iron pan on high. Add diced celeriac and shallots/onions and let brown. Add in crushed walnuts and raisins and heat briefly. Cut the swiss chard leaves off the stems (it's okay if the smaller ones get in) and cut in bite size strips/squares. Layer the leaves on top of the cooked ingredients and stir. Turn down to medium and let the leaves wilt (they'll end up 1/3 the size they start). If the pan starts to stick, add the red wine or water and let it cook off. The wilting will take 5-7 minutes.  

We usually make wilted greens with a ton of garlic and some salt (or soy sauce) and pepper...maybe red pepper flakes or almonds. I wanted to explore the option of making something with a sweeter and homey taste. I think it's missing some brightness, maybe orange zest or balsamic vinegar? Check out these other swiss chard recipes.

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