Korean Food, Modern Love, Brave Robot, & PARTY FOOD!

I've been a little obsessed with Cheap Lazy Vegan e-books lately, mostly because the recipes are super-simple and don't call for too many ingredients. But also because there are a lot of Korean dishes in the book, and I LOVE Korean food. I recently made the Spicy Korean Udon Stir-fry, and it was so tasty. It has a base of udon noodles, which I love because they're so fat and chewy. The tofu is baked plain with no marinade, but you add it to the stir-fried veggies (bell pepper, baby corn, broccoli) and sauce (with a base of gochujang and garlic!), and you can't even tell the tofu was ever plain.

I also made the Savory Korean Scallion Pancakes for dinner one night because I got a ton of scallions in my CSA. These have a gochujang-based dipping sauce that I could drink on its own. And eating with chopsticks is fun!

I've also been loving the Modern Love Cookzine, which I ordered at the start of the pandemic as a fundraiser to help Isa's Modern Love restaurants stay afloat in tough times. I recently made the Noochy Tofu, Mac & Shews, and the Garlicky Broccoli in Tomato Vinaigrette. 

Mac & Shews (as in cashews) is what Modern Love is probably best-known for. I've never been, but the Brooklyn location is on my bucket list! This isn't the exact recipe from the restaurant, but Isa says it's an easy make-at-home version. It has a cashew and roasted red pepper base. The tofu is just coated with tamari and nooch before baking, and the broccoli is seared and covered in a really yummy fresh tomato/garlic vinaigrette. I've been using the leftover vinaigrette on salads.

Have y'all tried Brave Robot yet? I read about it in VegNews and then found it on sale at Kroger. It's a new vegan ice cream that's made with a base of non-animal whey protein (basically, lab-grown milk protein). They create the protein in a way that doesn't even require an animal! They just insert "a cow’s DNA sequence as a blueprint into yeast-based microflora," according to VegNews. WHOA! I love science food, so I was excited to try this! 

My thoughts: It's good. It's creamy. It reminds me of dairy ice cream, which I haven't had in 17 years, so I really don't remember it that well. But honestly, I think I prefer the taste and texture of oatmilk ice cream. I'd buy this again, but oat is my fave. Note: This is not appropriate for lactose-intolerant people because the synthetic milk protein contains lactose.

And finally, look at this party food! Parties are back! My friend Jen celebrated her birthday last weekend with a small outdoor gathering, and she made lots of snacks. My friends and I gathered outdoors a few times during the pandemic, but now that we're all vaccinated, this felt so much safer! Jen's Mexican Layer Dip and Onion Dip were my faves!