Portland, Part 1 of 248

We’re going to Portland!  After months of politely fielding my nagging while he sorted out his work schedule, Preston gave me the green light to book two tickets to Oregon for July.  I’m so excited!  Portland is the city of roses! hipsters! vegetarians! indie rock! public transportation! and microbeers galore!  While I’m sure there will be a few other posts dedicated to what exactly I want to do once arriving in this beautiful mecca for me, I’ll keep this one relatively straightforward.

My interest in going to Portland was piqued after watching Food Network’s “Best Thing I Ever Ate – Burgers”  Now, my former self’s most favorite meal was a juicy medium rare cheeseburger, so I watched this show thinking it would be a bit nostalgic.  Well, not only did Denver’s famous Cherry Cricket make the cut, a place called The Farm Cafe in Portland did as well.  Now, here’s the catch – The Farm Cafe does a VEGGIE BURGER!  Yes, one of the meat eating chefs at Food Network actually chose a veggie burger as their favorite burger ever.  From that moment I knew – I had to have this burger!

But in the meantime, I visited their website and was happy to see that they had a few recipes posted.  One was for the famous Veggie Burger (made with eggplant!) and the other for Herb Crusted Tofu Marsala, which I decided to make immediately.  Now, I certainly recommend watching their video for full instructions, but here’s what you’ll need:

1 lb tofu

Marsala Wine (Dry Cooking Sherry)

Soy Sauce

Breadcrumbs

Fresh Thyme

Canola or Olive Oil

Silk Creamer

Crimini Mushrooms

Sweet Yellow Onion

Herbs de Provence with Lavender

This recipe was actually really simple to make.  I marinated the Pressed Tofu in 1 c. Marsala, 1 c. Soy Sauce and 1.c Water, then rolled it in the breadcrumbs and fresh thyme mixture and pan fried.  While that was cooking, I worked on the onions and mushrooms with the creamy marsala in the other pan.  Again, check out the video for the important details!

Yum, vegan comfort food!  Although my finished dish didn’t look ready to be served at a restaurant, it was really tasty. I served the tofu and marsala sauce over mashed potatoes with rosemary and garlic, and a side of grilled asparagus.

Gratuitous shot of the cook & her creation:

So obviously I’ll be trying my hand at the veggie burger sometime soon.  Until then, enjoy your Sunday!

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