STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

these are all vegan, but i'm sure you can substitute for items. ie., regular milk for soymilk, butter for margarine, etc.

tofu "fried chicken" and gravy
enough olive oil to cover bottom of skillet
2 to 3 tbs sesame seeds
1 lb firm tofu, drained and sliced
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
2 tbs tamari

heat oil in a skillet. add the sesame seeds. while these are heating, dredge each slice of tofu in nutritional yeast until both sides are generously coated. when the seeds start to sizzle, arrange tofu in the skillet. drizzle the tamari over the top. turn the slices and fry on both sides until crispy and brown. this can take anywhere from 15 minutes to 1 hour depending on how you like it.

gravy
2 tbs soy margarine
1/3 c flour
any leftover nutritional yeast from above
1 to 2 cups soymilk
salt, pepper, and tamari to taste

leave the skillet as is from making the tofu. add the margarine and let it melt. stir in the flour and yeast until mixed, and let brown a little (but not burn) on med low heat. add your liquid and continue stirring until thickened. add salt, pepper and tamari to taste.

**i fried my tofu for about 20 minutes. in retrospect, the thinner slices tasted better than the thicker ones. next time i might try using toasted sesame oil instead of olive oil and sesames because the gravy that is made from the leftovers of this is kind of creepy with sesames seeds in it.
**i think next time i will use water instead of soymilk because the gravy was too thick.

sunday - for a "board game" party.

guacasalsa
mince the ingredients first so they are ready to be mixed with the avocados as soon as they are cut. this keeps in the fridge for up to a day.

2 scallions, thinly sliced on the diagonal
1 jalapeno, stem and seeds removed, minced
1 med cucumber, peeled, seeded and cut into 1/4 inch cubes (1 cup)
1/2 cup minced red onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 ripe avocados
2 tbs fresh lime juice
salt

combine all ingredients except salt, lime juice and avocados in a medium bowl.

cut the avocados in half and remove the pits. holding each avocado half in one hand, make 1/4 inch crosshatch cuts through the flesh with a table knife, cutting down to the skin. separate the diced flesh from the skin by gently scooping out the avocado cubes with a spoon. add these to the bowl with the lime juice and mix gently. season with salt to taste.

raspberry crystal light cocktail
1 packet raspberry crystal light mix from those tubs.
1/2 cup vodka
2 cups water
2 cups cranberry juice
2 cups club soda, mixed in at the end

this drink is pretty mild, so you might want to add more vodka depending on your tastes.