Random Summer Meals at Cafe Drake HRV

Hopefully you already tried our earlier recipe for BBQ Tempeh Sandwiches but guess what? Tofu works beautifully given a similar treatment. Roasting the tofu in a 375 degree F. oven on a baking sheet, flipping every ten minutes and basting with BBQ sauce for about half an hour, gives the bean curd a rich smoky and sweet flavor and chewy, dense texture that's simply irresistible.

For some reason the best thing ever on BBQ tofu is a handful of sliced green onions. Don't ask us why.

BBQ Tofu with Millet, Garden Salad, Broccoli with Fresh Garden Peas and a Cashew "Cheese" Sauce.

Turns out growing peas in the garden, for the first time this year, was a really really good idea.

Sorry, we just can't even with this BBQ tofu. It's too good for words.

Odd photo? Out of place? Not at Cafe Drake HRV, where sweet fried plantains are regularly on the menu. We like them with black beans and rice, quesadillas and huevos rancheros.

Leftover millet, salad again, leftover cashew cheese sauce, toasted pita bread, fried plantains, lentils with ancho chiles and quick-pickled cucumbers and onions.

Did we mention we also like fried plantains with spicy lentils? And topped with sliced chilies.

Leftovers Deliver the Goods: lentils, pickled cukes and onions, cashew cheese sauce, quinoa and fresh peas with dill and mint. Enough about this vegan cashew "cheese" sauce, here's how to make it: soak 2 cups of raw cashew pieces overnight in a bowl of water. If you have a high-powered blender like a Vitamix, you can skip this step. Otherwise, after soaking for at least 8 hours, drain cashews and place in a blender with 2 chopped red bell peppers, 1 cup nutritional yeast, 2 T. apple cider vinegar, 1 clove of chopped garlic, 1 t. salt (or more to taste) and 3/4 t. crushed red chili flakes. Process until very smooth and then transfer to a saucepan. Stir in 1 cup vegetable broth and bring to just a simmer. Taste for salt and add more if needed. If the sauce is too thick, add a bit more broth. Too runny for your liking? Simmer gently for an additional 5-10 minutes, stirring frequently. Goes. With. Everything.

The texture of Wasabi Edamame Hummus after a whirl in the Vitamix is creamy beyond dreaming. You'll find the recipe RIGHT HERE in the Cafe Drake HRV archives.