herb-roasted winter veggies

This is from the January '09 issue. Now, I would normally not make something so boring-looking from a recipe, but it's the middle of this crazy random-snowstorm winter, and I have been eating too much junk. Sometimes I have to eat a big pile of straight veggies to feel better again, so I made this. It is SO delicious!! It must be the lemon juice, which I accidentally added before I roasted it instead of after. Maybe it was better that way; I don't know. The lemon juice did what salt normally does-it made the veggies taste more like themselves. Even Mark liked it-what more is there to say?
Check out the recipe here.
BVTRE!
This is a terrible picture, please don't let it prevent you from making this!

spicy tofu lettuce wraps

I'm so into lettuce wraps lately, so I had to give these a try. This was in the January 2009 issue. They tasted good enough, but I don't know why you have to cook so much of the filling. Aren't lettuce wraps usually like a cool fresh salad? Anyway, if you look at the recipe, all of the ingredients (onion, tofu, water chestnuts, etc) are cooked into a brown glop, which you stuff into lettuce leaves, then top with a few fresh garnishes. I made a 1/2 recipe and ended up throwing out the leftover glop the next day. I mean, it tasted okay, but not in a lettuce wrap. I bet you could turn it into an amazing veggie burger, and instead of adding shoyu, hoisin, and sriracha sauce to the glop, make it into burger topping.
Leaving this recipe uncooked (minus the onion) would make really great lettuce wraps or spring rolls, which I already make all the time anyway. And too, you'll save having to wash a pot.
And by the way, I put on a lot of the garnishes to hide the brown glop and make the picture look nicer. Here's the recipe.

super-fast fondue with steamed veggies

Well, hello out there! Did you think I forgot about you, my devoted follower(s)? I suppose the season distracted me for a while, but I am ready to start the new year with optimism and enthusiasm! Let the countdown to January 20th begin!
OK, so getting back on topic...I had a last-minute new year's eve party here, and had to throw together a few things in a jiffy. The easiest thing for that kind of situation is stuff with dip. I made my old standby, broccoli with wonderful dipping sauce, which all four of my guests loved. I found this recipe for fondue on VT's website, so I gave it a try. Now, I have never made fondue before, so I was pretty happy when this turned out so delicious. So perfectly cheesy and good, even though the texture was more chewy than melty and gooey. However, after it cooled off the first time, the cheese and liquid separated and could not be brought together again. The cheese was too tough for dipping, plus it was sitting in watery broth. There was simply nothing I could do to bring it back. Steph suggested heating it, which I did again and again to no avail. I also added wine, more broth, more flour, but nothing. So my lesson for next time would be to make it in 2 or 3 smaller batches at a time and eat it fast. But I think I will just get a fondue pot and learn how to make it the right way. Sorry I didn't take a picture-it was just too depressing to see all that expensive gruyere go in the garbage all soggy and lumpy. I would like to stress as a final note, though, that the fondue was really fantastically delicious before it died. It really was.