Couple's Cooking #6, Butternut Sandwiches, and Much Lusciousness

Perhaps it was because we saw the sun for the first time in what felt like weeks or because we just wanted a meal that evoked warmer days, but for Couple's Cooking night this weekend, the hub and I made grilled sandwiches and french fries.  Although you may think that such a meal (vegan or otherwise) is easily found in any grocery's freezer section, let's be honest -- homemade is ALWAYS better.

 Smoky Tempeh on Caramelized Onion Rolls with Two-Potato Fries

Let's start with the buns.

I actually considered putting these on the Treatery blog, because I truly feel bread is a treat to be savored and these are in no way good for you.  I warn you in advance -- do NOT be starving when these come out of the oven...or when they are still around your house.  I very willingly could have become a caramelized onion roll for all of the rolls I wanted to eat at one sitting.  Beware -- plan dispensation accordingly or accept temporary transition into a baked good.

Caramelized Onion Rolls  (slight modification from Onion Herb Rolls as posted on vegweb.com)

We followed the ingredients and instructions exactly, except for the following:

*  Before beginning the recipe, we caramelized 1 medium yellow onion (heat 1 T olive oil to med. heat, saute thinly sliced onion (pieces the size of your choice) for about 20 min. until browned; takes a bit of onion stalking in order to avoid burning); then, after they cooled, we added them when directed to add onion.
* We shaped 8 bun-sized rolls (approx. 3-4" wide) instead of dough "plopping".
* We followed one of reviewer's suggestion to let the rolls rise an additional 15-20 minutes on baking sheet once they were formed into rolls.

Note: we have made this recipe before with raw onion; they are still good, but the caramelizing adds flavor intensity and a luscious sweetness that the raw did not.  The caramelizing does take a bit more work, but I promise you -- it is worth the effort!


Tempeh Bacon (from Vegan with a Vengeance) and romaine leaves

M's French Fries
Here is a basic recipe which is no doubt similar to any french fry recipe you may have seen but is now right at your disposal.

Makes enough for  2 hearty servings/ 4 small side servings.

1 large sweet potato/2-3 small sweet potatoes
2 medium white potatoes (I think we used Russet)
1 T. Olive oil (to lightly coat saute pan)
salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line baking tray with parchment paper.
2. Peel and cut potato into french fry slices (potato length and approximately 1/2" wide).
3. Heat oil in large saute pan over med. high heat, add fries and salt and pepper, and saute fries for 10-15 minutes, until starting to brown.  Then, transfer fries to baking tray and bake for 30-40 minutes until fries test to your preferred crispness.

Butternut Squash Steak Sandwiches with Sauteed Mushrooms and Four-Greens Spread

"Uhm...that looks like cheese" -- so said the hub when he came into the kitchen to pick up this lunch.  Although it does have an element of creamy lusciousness, that is actually squash.  I had conceived of a thicker steak for this dish, but even the "shaved steak," if you will, was a lovely filling.  Quite simply, toasted onion rolls from the previous meals are topped here with blended steamed green paste (I'd add some garlic next time, but just a touch as I only used enough greens for two servings of spread), butternut squash steaks marinated in maple syrup and cumin, and olive oil, salt, and pepper sauteed mushrooms.  No condiments or other additions needed -- this is simply a vegi-luscious sandwich.

To conclude, a semantic aside or...fun with dictionaries:

Grandma once asked me why plant-based food/dishes are often called by "animal-product based" terms?  Since that conversation, I'm always thinking about this question, and, of course, was thinking about it here in my choice of "steak" in naming this dish.  Embracing nerdom as I do, I turned to my beloved Oxford Dictionary.  Here's what happened:  According to the Oxford Dictionary (American Edition, 1996, Oxford UP), steak derives from the "Old Norse words steik/steikja [which mean] 'to roast on a spit'[, and] stikna 'be roasted'" (1491).  One presumes that meat was most frequently roasted on a spit and thus the association of steak with "meat on stake over fire."  Thus, by connotation, the animal-based products have tried to commandeer the word, but really no dietary lifestyle can claim it (A la this milk shenanigan that the dairy industry has been up to).  Equal rights for "steak" use -- It comes from roasting -- and roast the squash I did!