idioteque-nique asked: i can't seem to find your photography blog.

http://moontyonthego.tumblr.com. Ta-da!

vxxcenothing asked: favorite veg quick, cheap and easy dish?

Fried rice! If you don’t want to get fresh veggies and chop them up you can find them frozen easily. It’s also remarkably easy to just make a little extra rice and store it for a quick fried rice meal. The flexibility of vegetable choice makes this one of my go-to meals on my own.

NOTE: These aren’t particularly vegan, as they’ve got honey from the candy corn. Keep that in mind if it’s a concern for you.

NOTE, again: The original recipe called for candy coating, but as it was awfully hard to find dairy-free, we replaced it with chocolate chips.

• 16 oz. candy corn
• 16 oz. dairy-free semisweet chocolate chips
• 16 oz. peanut butter

In the microwave, on medium-low power (it’ll burn if you’re not careful — so you can use high power, but do pay attention, will you?) melt candy corn. You’ll want to check it every 15–30 seconds to ensure that you’re not burning the candy.

Once the candy corn is basically melted, add the peanut butter, then melt all of that together. Now, trying not to eat all of it, scrape all of that into a pan lined with parchment paper. I think I used an 8x8 pan, but the dimensions aren’t too pressing. Let that mixture cool in a refrigerator for an hour or tow, then start the next part of the process.

Remove the cool mixture from the refrigerator, then cut into candy bar-sized sections, unless you want huge pieces, then do that. It doesn’t really matter, this is all up to you.

Melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler pot. When it’s all melted, you’ll want to dip each piece of candy in the chocolate, then set on a plate with parchment paper. Let all of them cool in the fridge (again!), and when they’re cool, eat them. They’re goddamn delicious.

Oh, and here’s some nutritional (er…) information for you from the indomitable Ashlie. I’d retype it, but, you know.

I made this chili for a cook-off before Real Salt Lake’s final home match of the season. It’s very spicy, so if that’s a concern, omit chile peppers until the desired level of heat is achieved.

In a crockpot, prepare the following:

• One bulb garlic, chopped finely
• Two bulbs garlic, roasted, chopped finely
• One white onion, chopped finely
• (5) Vine tomatoes, crushed
• 1/3 cup Cumin, ground
• Ten serrano chiles, finely chopped
• Five jalapeño chiles, finely chopped
• Two naga jolokia chiles, finely chopped
• Five habanero chiles, finely chopped

Simmer the above for around 30 minutes — ideally, you can prepare the other vegetables while this is simmering.

• Three large yellow chiles, chopped
• Three anaheim chiles, sliced
• Two poblano chiles, sliced
• Two red bell peppers, sliced
• One green bell pepper, diced
• Ten habanero chiles, sliced
• Four jalapeños, sliced
• One white onion, sliced
• One large can tomato sauce
• One can black beans
• One can red beans
• One can white beans
• One can corn kernels
• Ground tellicherry black pepper
• Salt

Let simmer for as long as desired. The onions should be clear, and the peppers can be soft or firm depending on your chili preferences.

This dish came out of my strange imagination earlier today and made its way to my stomach tonight.

Mexican-style Spaghetti

• One 15 oz can tomato sauce
• One 8 oz can Mexican hot-style tomato sauce
• One 4 oz can diced green chiles
• One large onion, diced
• Garlic, 2-4 tbsp crushed or diced

Fry garlic and onion in 1-2 tbsp oil (I used extra virgin olive oil) for about three minutes, then add onion and cover. After about two minutes, season this with cumin, ground coriander, black pepper, and ground chile de arbol. After another five minutes, add the can of diced green chiles and cover on medium high heat. Wait another five minutes, then add the Mexican hot-style sauce, and after another three, add the tomato sauce. Let cook for 30-40 minutes, covered, stirringly occasionally.

You’ll want to cook some spaghetti here: Today, I used rice spaghetti-style pasta, but you can use whatever you like.

• 2 mini sweet bell peppers or 1 bell pepper, sliced
• 2 yellow chili pepper, sliced
• 2 jalapeño pepper, sliced
• 1/2 large onion, sliced

Fry vegetables for about 5 minutes in 1 tbsp oil. In another pan, fry (without oil) small corn tortillas, one-by-one. You’ll probably want six or seven, but you may want to make them as you make the meal so you can have them hot.

Serve spaghetti with sauce, top with a small amount of fresh cilantro and serve with vegetables and tortillas on the side. I ate some spaghetti inside the tortilla as a make-shift taco and it was delicious, but I also ate the spaghetti with a fork, too. Don’t be afraid to adventure.

Here’s a quick, delicious dish I made for breakfast this morning.

Tostadas with Chili Peppers and Tofu Cutlet

• Baked tostadas
• 1/3 onion, sliced
• 1/2 red bell pepper, sliced
• 2 fresno peppers, sliced
• 1 jalapeño pepper, sliced
• 1/2 block (2.5oz) tofu cutlet (atsuage), cut into 1/8” thick strips

Pan fry onion, peppers, and tofu. Add spices as desired. I used black pepper, salt, about two tablespoons of soy sauce, tumeric, and coriander. I bet this would be even better with some fresh cilantro. 

Dan and I made this for enchiladas, which turned out really well — I’ll detail them sometime in another post.

For this recipe, you’ll need to use some sort of marinade, and here’s what we concocted:

No-Beef Marinade

• 3 tbsp vegetable bouillon (Better than Bouillon’s No Beef)
• 2 tbsp soy sauce (La Choy)
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1 tbsp ground black pepper
• 2 tbsp raw sugar
• 2 tsp ground red pepper
• 3 tbsp garlic
• 1/4 c dehydrated onion

Combine all ingredients, starting with bouillion, in four cups of boiling water. Adjust as needed for flavor.

Marinate 1.5 pounds medium-firm tofu overnight, then drain and crumble into hot pan. Prepare in dish as needed.

Inspired by some web searching, I decided to make a vegan pesto with medium firm tofu. I’m a fan — but you be the judge. The tofu and lemon juice gives this a cheesy texture and taste, but it’s not overpowering.

• 3 c fresh basil (loosely packed)
• 2 tbsp garlic
• 1/2 lb. medium firm tofu, drained
• 1/4 c pine nuts
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Black pepper to taste
• Salt to taste

Use a food processor to mash everything together, then give it a try. It may need a little more salt, and I like to add plenty of garlic. Two tablespoons is probably less than I used, but I cook everything with copious amounts of garlic.

If you’re a fan of spicier foods, add some of my seven pepper spicy salsa. I went with about two teaspoons, but if you’re feeling adventuresome, throw a few tablespoons in there. I ate this over penne, and it was stupendous. Who’d think that someone with a dairy allergy and (probably) celiac disease could have pesto?

This very spicy, very tasty salsa is certain to get your blood boiling. Combine the following in a food processor with a little oil and prepare to let your mouth burn. Makes about a pint of salsa.

• 4 habanero
• 10 manzano
• 4 jalapeno
• 1 pablano
• 1 anaheim
• 8 serrano
• 1 medium bunch cilantro
• 1/2 c dried japones
• 2 tomatoes
• Salt to taste
• Black pepper to taste
• 2 tbsp garlic