Tangy Mustard Coleslaw: Revs 3, Sporting KC 2

 
Finally, a week filled with excitement and anticipation for Revs fans! Between the addition of USMNT player/heartthrob Benny Feilhaber through the MLS allocation process and the unveiling of a new jersey sponsor, the parking lot (and the internet) were buzzing in the lead-up to this game.


To cap off the week, we were treated to a big win at home. And, miracle of miracles, the rain held off long enough for us to savor the win. This may be coming from the swooning teenage girl inside of me, but I'd say that both Benny Feilhaber and Rajko Lekic made an instant positive impact on the Revs' offensive energy. Considering both were involved in scoring plays, my impish giddiness can't be totally misguided. 


Expecting heavy rain and a generally uncomfortable parking lot experience, Asphalt Kitchen brought it's pregame tailgate indoors. On the menu: Tangy Mustard Coleslaw (recipe below) and Ruined Homemade Veggie Burgers. The burgers were part of a test-run for Asphalt Kitchen's first large-scale catering job at the upcoming American Outlaws Tailgate for the US v. Spain game on June 4th. Stay posted for more on these as the big day draws near. And be sure to come taste them at the tailgate in June! For now:

Tangy Mustard Coleslaw
Adapted from Cooking Light, June 2008


Ingredients
  1/2 head green cabbage, finely shredded
  1/2 medium-sized red onion, thinly vertically sliced
  2 carrots, grated
  1/4 cup white wine vinegar
  2 tablespoons sugar
  2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard
  2 tablespoons mayonnaise
  1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
  salt and black pepper to taste


Preparation
  1. In a large bowl, whisk together vinegar, sugar, mustard, mayonnaise, and spices.
  2. Add cabbage, onion, and carrots. Toss well to coat.
  3. Cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes. Stir immediately prior to serving.


This 'slaw was easy to make and had just the right amount of kick for me. It tasted excellent served alongside Ruined Homemade Veggie Burgers...even if we had to cook them in a frying pan and eat them while seated at a proper dining table.

On the plus side, since our carload of fans ate at home prior to arriving at the tailgate, we were left with plenty of time for trash can soccer and general parking lot tomfoolery. 

Grilled Lemon-Basil Tofu Burgers: Revs 0, RSL 2

I am not typically a fan of dishes that feature tofu as centerpiece. In fact, for someone with a pseudo-vegetarian diet, I am not a big fan of tofu altogether. It's a texture thing. Unless it's fried and masked by delightful other flavors (as in Pad Thai), tofu often seems mushy, spongy, and sort of flavorless to me. So I was skeptical about grilling a "burger" made entirely of tofu.

But in the spirit of trying new things, I gave grilled lemon-basil tofu burgers a shot for this Saturday's match vs. Real Salt Lake. To my delight, the result was both crispy and flavorful. Dousing the tofu slices in garlicky, basily, lemony marinade certainly helped. Slathering the bun with a roasted garlic mayonnaise and tomato slices also helped. But I credit the grilling method for much of this dish's success. The direct heat of the grill allowed for a nicely browned exterior and chewy interior.

Note: Do make sure to really drain the tofu prior to slicing and marinating it. This is important if you desire firm, chewy tofu as opposed to squishy tofu. To do this, I place a layer of paper towels on a plate, lay the tofu on top, cover it with another layer of paper towels, and top the whole thing with something flat and heavy (such as a plate with a book on top).

Try it!

Grilled Lemon-Basil Tofu Burgers
Adapted from Cooking Light, August 2006

Ingredients
   1/3 cup (a handful) finely chopped basil
   2 tablespoons dijon mustard
   2 tablespoons honey
   Freshly grated rind of one lemon
   Juice of one lemon (or about 1/4 cup)
   1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
   1/2 teaspoon salt
   1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
   4 garlic cloves minced
   1 lb extra firm tofu
   6 good quality sandwich rolls or hamburger buns
   Optional toppings: arugula, tomato slices, and roasted garlic mayonnaise

Preparation
   1. Drain and press tofu to remove excess liquid. Slice into 6 equal slices (about 1/2 inch thick). Lay slices in a jelly roll pan or tupperware container.
   2. Combine first 9 ingredients in a small bowl and whisk together. Brush both sides of tofu slices with mixture; reserve remaining mixture. Let tofu stand for 1 hour.
   3. Prepare grill.
   4. Place tofu slices on grill rack and grill until golden brown outside (about 3-4 minutes per side). Brush tofu with reserved lemon-basil mixture.
   5. Spread a tablespoon of roasted garlic mayonnaise (or condiment of your choice) on the bottom half of a hamburger bun. Top with one or two tofu slices, a tomato slice, and a handful of arugula.

"What is this, grilling for bunnies?"

Despite grimacing through a two-nil defeat at the hands of RSL's second string (and losing our two starting central midfielders for next Sunday's game in Houston), my parking lot companions kept in good spirits post-match with a rousing game of trash can soccer.

photo credit: Joe Butler

Julia's Moosewood Chili: Revs 1, Timbers 1

I don't have much to say about last night's game. I guess at least we didn't lose? Aside from rookie Stephen McCarthy netting his first career goal for the Revs, the game was decidedly unremarkable. Attendance at Gillette was an abysmal 7,144. Giving up two points at home against an expansion team was kind of a bummer.

But hey, it was great to see some of my favorite familiar faces in the lot! Our new tailgate location will take some getting used to (supporters groups were moved this year), but I quite enjoyed myself. And I stayed warm, thanks to a little mulled wine...

I mulled the wine at home on my stovetop and brought it to the game in a thermos. To my delight, it was still piping hot after a trafficky ride down 93.

Since I wanted to spend as little time preparing food in the cold as possible, I also cooked veggie chili at home in the afternoon and simply reheated it on the grill at the tailgate. I used a recipe shared with me by renowned formerly-local chef Julia Hawes. Julia was the founder of a weekly potluck held at my friends' apartment (which was, until a few months ago, also my apartment). As I am reprinting Julia's recipe word-for-word, I should probably explain that "TITS" is an acronym for "Thursday is The Shit", which is the name of the potluck.

Vegetarian Chili
Adapted by Julia Hawes from The Moosewood Cookbook

Serves: 6 (full-size portions, not TITS portions...one batch of this is plenty at potluck)
Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients
   3 tablespoons olive oil
   1 onion, chopped
   4 garlic cloves, minced (double what the original recipe called for, as I am of the mind that you can never have too much garlic)
   1 tablespoon ground cumin (I often double this as well, because cumin is fookin' delish)
   1 tablespoon ground coriander
   2 teaspoons chili powder
   1 medium zucchini or summer squash, diced (or both! The more the merrier, just like at that surprise 50th birthday party that Cher threw her dad in "Clueless")
   1 large red or green pepper, stemmed, seeded & chopped
   1 cake tofu, drained and ground, or 12-14 oz. of textured vegetable protein (TVP) (I recommend extra-firm tofu as this kind holds its shape w/o getting too mushy and gross like a lot of tofu. If you go TVP, any ground sausage substitute works well)
   3 cups diced tomatoes with juice (28 oz. can)
   2 cups cooked pinto beans with juice (15 oz. can)
   2 cups cooked kidney beans with juice (15 oz. can)
   2/3 cups tomato paste (6 oz. can)
   2 Tablespoons minced fresh parsley
   Hot sauce to taste
   Salt to taste
   Optional toppings: shredded cheddar/Monterey jack cheese, sour cream, and/or avocado. It would also go nicely with Chris's moldy cornbread

Preparation
   1. Heat oil in nonstick skilled over medium-high heat.
   2. Add garlic and onions and saute until soft.
   3. Ad cumin, coriander and chili powder and stir well.
   4. Mix in diced squash/zucchini and peppers, cover, and cook for 3 minutes.
   5. Stir in ground tofu (a food processor works best) or TVP (doesn't need to be ground, just break it up with a spoon) and cook until heated through.
   6. Meanwhile, heat diced tomatoes, the pinto and kidney beans in a separate pot. Add the tomato paste, and then add the entire tomato mixture to the veggies and tofu (Note: you could probably just add all of that to the veggies pot, not sure the separate heating and subsequent extra dirty pan is necessary)
   7. Make sure the chili is nice and hot. Add salt, parsley, and hot sauce.
   8. Serve in bowls/mugs and top with SC, avo or cheese, the crown jewel ingredient of TITS

My Notes:
-One pot worked fine for me. No need to dirty an extra. Just throw the tomato mixture in with the rest.
-I prefer ground tofu to TVP, but that's a personal preference.
-If you'd like to learn more about Chris's moldy cornbread, please send recipe requests to christophercamille@gmail.com. I should also mention that Chris made delicious quesadillas to go along with the chili.