People's Choice - THE MENU

I'd first like to apologize to everyone who came out last week and didn't get served. We literally sold out of our tofu skewers with mac & cheese and collard greens within an hour and a half! But we're doing our best this week to double our efforts and our quantities to feed the masses, so please come on down for Aaron and my last Sunday Night Supper until mid August.

So this week was suppose to be people's choice, but since few of you actually got it together and voted, we're keeping with the theme of last week which was to combine some of your favorites with some of ours. Plus, in honor of my sister visiting and my Brenna returning, I'm going to feature part of what they both voted for - spicy peanut ginger stew. To that I'm adding the polenta back from our first supper (!!) but grilled this time and served with mixed greens topped with those fried tortilla strips you all seem to love so much.

So for the record, here it is...

SUNDAY JULY 1, 2007 (VEGAN BY NATURE, NOT BY DESIGN) Spicy peanut ginger stew over grilled polenta served with mixed greens topped with crispy fried tortillas, fresh cilantro and orange sesame dressing.

Hope to see you all on Sunday!!

Tomorrow's Menu

We swore we'd do the BBQ tofu skewers again soon and a lot of you complained about missing the macaroni and cheese back in the beginning so...

June 24, 2007
SUNDAY NIGHT SUPPERS WITH LAUREN
THE MENU
Back by popular demand...sweet and spicy BBQ tofu skewers served on a bed of mixed greens with a side of macaroni and cheese. (This time Aaron is making the mac & cheese so let us know whose you liked better.)

As always, supper starts at 6pm and goes till the food runs out.
See you at the Brillobox!

People's Choice - Cathy's Vote

It was really tough for me to just pick one. Each week, we're thoroughly surprised and extremely pleased with everything you serve and we just want more and more and more.But, if I have to pick one meal, I think I'd have to go with the BBQ tofu skewers, horseradish potato salad, and fresh baked corn bread meal. Incredible, just incredible. I was still thinking about it this past weekend, on Sunday, at 6:00pm, when I knew I wouldn't make it to your dinner. For some reason, I just started describing it instead to the folks I was with. Didn't help any really... I still missed it.I just checked with my husband and he's also going with the tofu skewers also. I must admit - the veggie burritos and the meal with the smashed potatoes and roasted sprouts were right up there for me. But in the end, it has to be the tofu skewers.We'll miss your meals but I hope you have some great time off!

Portabello Burgers with Garlic Dill Mayonaise

Ah the portabello burger. To a vegetarian, this is often a refuge on a menu of meat, but I am frequently disappointed by sandwiches that are either dripping with balsamic vinegar or are completely flavorless. Aaron and I were sure we could do better.

Our version was lightly marinated, grilled and topped with provolone cheese, tomato, red onion, mixed greens and garlic dill mayonnaise on a hearty whole grain kaiser roll to round out the flavor. It was served with a pasta salad combining peas, feta, toasted walnuts in a simple dressing of lemon and fresh basil.

When grilling your mushrooms, be careful not to char them. A few of mine suffered before I finally turned down the gas to a nice hot but low flame. Aaron taught me to grill presentation side down until almost completely cooked, then drain off the liquid into a pan to reserve for basting. As for the garlic dill mayonnaise - those are the three ingredients - blend together to taste - add fresh pepper and maybe a dash of salt. Delicious!

We're still working on this coming Sunday's menu. I'm thinking about vegan sushi but Aaron might not speak to me any more... At any rate, supper is on as usual so come on down.

Also, don't forget to weigh in with your favorite meal for People's Choice on July 1st. We'll be cooking up the winner in honor of our 6 week hiatus.

PS: HAPPY FATHER'S DAY TO ALL THE DAD'S OUT THERE!

Grilled Vegetable Quesadillas / Curried Cauliflower and Pooris

I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I know I completely flaked out and neglected the blog last week, but Leigh, my little sister, and her boyfriend Jae are spending the summer with me and Nona in my little row house and they just moved in 2 weeks ago! We've been having a blast and Leigh has even been helping in the kitchen.

Two Sundays ago we made one of Leigh and my favorite summertime meals, grilled vegetable quesadillas with fresh salsa. Aaron added Spanish rice with pigeon peas and fried plantains which really took it to a new level. I don't think anyone needed a second helping of this meal, frankly we really should have served it with an extra plate.

This past Sunday I made a lovely cauliflower curry which we served over Aaron's homemade wholewheat pooris (fried flat bread) with a side of tabbouleh and mixed greens. Nutty, sweet, and tangy...crispy, creamy and crunchy it was a well balanced meal representing Thai, Indian and Middle Eastern flavors on the same plate.

FYI...July 1st will be Aaron and my last night in the kitchen for about a month and a half so I'd like to open it up to all you regulars to vote for your favorite meal so far and we'll remake it. Post a comment here or email me at lauren.urbschat@gmail.com. Cast your vote by June 22.

I'm taking most of the summer of because I'm literally going to be out of town for like 6 weekends in a row! I believe the Brillobox is going to continue the tradition while we are on hiatus so I'll keep you posted. As always, thanks for coming!

This week we're sticking with our summer theme and bringing you grilled portabello burgers, pasta salad with sweet peas and feta and corn on the cob.