day #9: shopping and yummy fried croquettes!

Today was a rainy day in LA, which mean i was required to be indoors anyway--so I did my MAJOR grocery shopping. Let me give a little should out first to whole foods:THEY ROCK! So, I took my entire list that I made on Monday over to the local farmers market, which was cool, but I barely found anything! This farmers market was not like I thought and it was mostly stands with food and cooked lunches and burritos with a small fresh veggie section. So, instead, i just went back to whole foods (which i didn't do in the first place because i thought there would be more variety at a farmers market!). Well, after 2 hours and some serious patience, I found almost everything on my list!! (no burdock, no lotus root. anyone know where to find these?) I was so excited that I had my groceries for the entire week and I knew exactly what I was going to cook!!

Tonight's dish: Hijiki-Tofu Croquettes

I personally love seaweed, but this is a GREAT and super yummy way to get it into your diet.

Alicia's recipe: pg 244 :)

- mash 8 ounces of extra-firm tofu in a bowl into a coarse paste.

- Let a 1/4 cup of dried hijiki sit in a bowl of water for 10 minutes to soak and expand.

- Rinse it and chop into pieces. Place in a saucepan with just enough water to cover. Season with a little soy and mirin and bring to a boil.

-Add a diced carrot (and burdock) to the pan, put on low heat and cook about 30-35 minutes. All the water will be absorbed!

- When it is done cooking. Add the 1/4 cup shelled hemp seeds and pinch of salt to create a stiff dough.

- Use your hands (yay, fun!) to shape the dough into football-shaped croquettes. 1" diameter.

- Finally heat 3 inches of safflower or sunflower oil in a deep pot on medium. When the oil is hot, increase the heat and drop 3 or 4 croquettes in the oil. They will sizzle! Cook for about 3 minutes and then use a slotted spoon to take them out and place them on wax paper.

- Keep cooking them until your batter is gone!

I served them on top of romaine leaves and with a side of fruity french lentils!! They were amazing and one of the best vegan dishes! Any non-vegan would love them too :)

It's easy to make a quick sauce to lightly pour on top before eating: 1 tablespoon ginger juice, large pinch of red-pepper flakes, 3 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp mirin, 1 tsp fresh lemon juice!