Kabayaki Sauce for One

This makes about ½ a cup, so you’ll want to use it for dips, dressings, and coating your tofu.

• ¼ cup tamari or soy sauce
• ¼ cup mirin
• 2 TBLSP granulated sugar

1. Combine all ingredients in a small sauce pan.
2. Bring them to a boil and then turn down the heat. Simmer on low heat for a few minutes.
3. When it thickens a bit, take it off the heat, which should take about 20 minutes, depending on the intensity of your stove.

Use to marinate tempeh, tofu, permeable vegetables (like parsnips, celeriac, or mushrooms), or dress your sushi with it. Yummmm!  

Zucchini and Corn Fritters for One

It’s summer, and I’ve got zucchini coming out of my ears! And I’ve got ears of corn! (See what I did there?) After I’ve had my fill of it steamed and raw, it’s time to start playing with my food. Here’s the result of one such happy moment in time.

½ cup plus 2 TBLSP shredded zucchini

1 ½ TBLSP corn kernels (frozen and thawed is fine, fresh is better, canned will do)

2 ¼ TBLSP almond butter, tahini, or peanut butter

2 TBLSP flour (I use all-purpose, but any gluten-free will do just as well)

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

¼ teaspoon onion powder

Pinch sea salt

Ground black pepper to taste

Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper.

1. Place the zucchini in a strainer and put a couple of paper towels on top. Press down hard, and squeeze out the water. When it seems dry, wrap the zucchini in more paper towels and squeeze some more. You’ll be surprised how much water is in there.
2. Put the dried zucchini in a small bowl. Add the corn and nut butter, stirring to combine.
3. In another small bowl, combine the flour, garlic and onion powders, salt, and pepper, and stir until it’s well mixed.
4. Add the flour mixture to the zucchini and moosh it together until it forms a nicely homogenous glob. The result should be moist and sticky.
5. Divide the resulting glop into three or four balls and flatten them into patties, about ½-inch thick. Place on the prepared baking sheet and set them to rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

This is a good time to make the sauce. I’ve used a nice lemon and pepper sauce (recipe below) for this photo, but ranch dressing, pineapple salad dressing, pesto, or just about any savory sauce or salad dressing would be nice.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

1. Bake the patties for 20-25 minutes. Use a spatula (because these little guys are delicate still), and flip them over. Bake for another 10-15 minutes, depending on whether you want them crispy or not. They will be a lovely golden brown color.

Let them cool for a few minutes before serving to increase their sturdiness.

Creamy Lemon Sauce for One

This tangy and creamy sauce goes great with fritters, but try it on noodles or rice, as a dip for crudités, onion rings, or chips, or on a pile of steamed vegetables.

2 TBLSP raw cashews boiled in water for 20 minutes

½ TBLSP fresh lemon juice

1-2 TBLSP water, as needed

Pinch onion powder

Pinch ground black pepper

Pinch sea salt

1. Place the drained cashews in a blender or food processor, add the remaining ingredients, and whirl until it’s a smooth sauce. This will take a couple of minutes, with several pauses to scrape down the sides and such.

This sauce thickens if you put it in the refrigerator. That’s a good thing if you want your sauce thick. If you want it thinner, or to re-thin it after a refrigerator adventure, just add a little water and stir.

Pineapple Salad Dressing for One

This salad dressing is a little sweet, so when you’d really rather have dessert than a salad, you’ll find that you’ve straddled the line without breaking any rules!

¼ cup fresh pineapple chunks

3 sections of mandarin orange (clementines/tangerines)

½ TBLSP chopped fresh parsley or ½ teaspoon dried

½ TBLSP fresh lemon or lime juice

½ TBLSP agave nectar

¾ teaspoon vegetable oil (canola or something light)

Pinch salt

Pinch freshly ground black pepper 

1. Whirl the ingredients together in a blender or food processor until they’re completely pureed.

If you don’t need all of it, it saves nicely in the fridge for a day or two.

It’s especially good over spinach salad, but it would be good over fried tofu, rice, or a lone halved avocado. The salad shown here is mixed lettuces, carrots, onions, orange slices, teriyaki tofu, avocado, diced dried apricots, and pistachios. Seen below is Savory Corn Fritters, coming soon! 

Pear Pie with Streusel and Caramel Sauce for One

My neighbor gave me some pears. Now, pears are very good on their own, and they’re pretty good if you poach them in wine with a couple of cloves and some cinnamon. But if you really want to indulge in the truly sensuous nature of a pear, you need to make this pie. Right now. Just stop what you’re doing and make it!

For the Crust:

½ cup all-purpose flour

1 pinch salt

2 TBLSP shortening or vegan butter

1 ½ TBLSP ice water (or half vodka)

For the Pears:

1 ½ TBLSP all-purpose flour, divided

1 TBLSP granulated sugar

Sprinkle of ground cinnamon

Sprinkle of ground ginger

Sprinkle of salt

¾ teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1 to 1 1/2  medium-firm pears, peeled, cored, and cut lengthwise into ½-inch wedges (or just chop it up. It’s up to you.) (about 1 cup of chopped fruit)

¾ TBLSP brown sugar

¾ teaspoon chilled butter, cut into pieces

For the Sauce:

¾ teaspoon brown sugar

1 TBLSP non-dairy creamer (use regular milk if you don’t have the thick stuff, and add a sprinkle of cornstarch or arrowroot to thicken it a bit)

1 teaspoon vegan butter, softened

Tiny splash of water

Make the Crust:

1. In a small bowl, combine flour and salt.
2. Cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Then add the water/vodka and mix until it holds together in a very soft dough. (Vodka is a pie-maker’s trick. If you use it the crust will be a little lighter. In such small quantities, though, you may not notice the difference. The alcohol burns off, so you don’t taste it, but, like the water, it evaporates and leaves little fluffy openings in the dough.)
3. Form the dough into a ball. Be careful not to overwork the dough. Just squish it together until it holds.
4. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a 7- or 8-inch circle or square.
5. Put the dough, still flat, in the refrigerator for an hour or two (overnight is fine). I use the same waxed paper that I roll it on (speeds clean-up), slide it onto a plate, and cover with another sheet of waxed paper. You might prefer plastic wrap if you have a lot of stinky things in your fridge.

Macerate the Pears:

1. Combine ¾ TBLSP flour, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and salt in a small bowl. Add the lemon juice and pears and toss gently, to coat.

Make the Streusel:

1. Combine the remaining 1 ½ TBLSP of flour and the brown sugar in a small bowl. Add the chilled butter and cut with a pastry blender or a fork until the mixture resembles coarse meal.

Assemble the Pie:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Use cooking spray or vegan butter to grease a 5-inch diameter pie pan.

1. Place the rested dough in your pie pan, roll the edges under (which may require trimming to make it tidy), and flute the edges.
2. Arrange the pear mixture in an even layer on top of the crust.
3. Sprinkle the streusel over the pears.
4. Bake for 50 minutes to an hour, or until lightly browned and the filling is bubbly.
5. Let cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes.

Prepare the Sauce:

1. Combine the brown sugar, cream (or milk and arrowroot), and the butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring it to a boil, and let it boil for 1 minute, until thickened.
2. Remove from heat and stir in the splash of water.
3. Drizzle the sauce over individual slices of pie, or just douse the whole thing in it. Yummmmmmm.

Carrot and Rice Sauce for One

I wanted something more substantial, with more protein, and a little creamier than the salad dressing recipe from which this recipe sprang, so I added in some boiled almonds and some rice, and whoosh! This thing has body and holds up to hearty fare with its zingy little flavor.

1 carrot, chopped into ½-inch pieces

1 TBLSP raw almonds

1/3 cup cooked brown rice

1 teaspoon minced ginger

2 TBLSP vinegar (red wine is nice, or try rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar)

2 TBLSP water

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 small clove garlic, minced

2 teaspoons sesame oil (peanut oil works nicely too, or it can all be olive oil)

½ teaspoon brown rice syrup (or maple syrup)

¾ teaspoon soy sauce

1. In a small saucepan, boil the carrot and almonds until the carrots are easily pierced with a fork. Drain and heave them into a blender or food processor.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients into the blender or food processor and whirl until it’s all smooth and silky.

If you like it thinner, add more water or vinegar, depending on your tartness quotient.

Good over faux burgers or noodles, as a dip for veggies, as a salad dressing, or as a sushi dip or interior ingredient. The zucchini and corn burger you see above is here: http://melaniespiller.blogspot.com/2015/06/zucchini-and-corn-burger-for-one.html