Roasted Corn & Grilled Peaches

I don't have regular access to an outdoor grill. My life is so hard. However, I do have an oven and a grill pan so I can still make tasty summer produce  treats like roasted corn on the cob and grilled peaches. Observe!

Roasted corn on the cob:

Preheat your oven to 350 and then put your ears of corn (husks still on) on the middle rack. Roast for 40 minutes. Leaving the husks on acts like natures tin foil! As an added bonus, roasting makes it super easy to get all of the corn silk off before serving. Add a little salt, pepper and butter and eat.

Grilled peaches:

Heat your grill pan or grill to medium high. Slice peach or peaches into quarters and brush lightly with canola oil or butter. Sprinkle peaches with cinnamon and then grill about 5 minutes per side. I served mine with blueberry Greek yogurt and it was pretty, pretty, pretty good.

Veggiewich

I made the best veggie sandwich for lunch the other day and again for dinner tonight. I want to eat one everyday forever. I used those weird sandwich thins for bread because I wanted something between a bagel and regular bread, but a pita would work too. And then you wouldn't have to have bought something called "sandwich thins" which kind of makes me feel like the bread people punk'd me. Anyway, I roasted a couple red pepper slices while I was getting my other fixings together and it is totally worth it. Just brush a couple of pepper sections with olive oil and broil 'em in your toaster oven. Spread mustard on one side of your bread and hummus on the other so they become a delicious glue that holds the other ingredients in place. Pile on cucumber slices, pickles, sliced tomato, and cheddar cheese. Slice your sandwich in half and admire it's artistry. Eat like Mr. Fox having french toast, or chew at a normal, relaxed, human pace. Your choice.

Seitan tacos and artistic purgatory

Just like it is easier to order take out than make your own dinner, I’ve found it’s much easier to NOT do creative things than to do them. Making things, whether it’s a meal or a painting, takes time and effort. I often will put off something creative in favor of something far more laborious and unrewarding just so I don’t have to stare at a blank piece of paper. You know, because who wants to draw when you can clean your bathroom or watch Bunheads? Do I realize that sounds completely insane? Yes, yes I do. That’s the worst part-I know that avoiding creativity makes me a crazy person, but I still feel the need to relearn that lesson at least once a month. That’s a lot of unnecessary existential flotsam floating around in a brain. I am convinced that there is a way to be both a productive, creative artist and a responsible, functioning adult. I’d like to be consistently making work, entertain a satisfying social and romantic life, exercise my body and my brain regularly and excel in my career. Whether or not this is possible remains to be seen. In the meantime, I make dinner. And you know what makes dinner better? Taco Tuesdays with seitan and homemade tortillas.

Homemade tortillas (adapted from Dinner: A Love Story)

You’ll need: 

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (plus more for flouring your work surface)
1/4 cup vegetable oil (I used canola ‘cuz that’s what I had on hand)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup warm water

Mix together the flour and salt. Add the oil and mix lightly. Add the warm water and stir with a wooden spoon until it forms dough. Cut into equal pieces of 6-8 balls. Brush with a little vegetable oil and cover with a dish towel and let rest for 15 minutes. Using a rolling pin, roll each ball on a floured surface. You can also stretch out the tortillas by hand. Whatever is easier. Preheat an ungreased griddle or cast iron pan. Add tortilla and cook until it begins to puff with a few browning spots on the bottom. Flip and press down to release the air pockets. Cook for about 1 minute. I made these with all-purpose flour the first time and they were delicious and soft. I made them with whole-wheat flour a second time and they were much stiffer and-sigh-less tasty.

For the fixins: 

Spinach
Salsa 

Guacamole
Goat cheese 

Seitan

If I have planned ahead, I use 1 loaf of homemade white seitan from Terry Hope Romero’sViva Vegan!, or if I haven’t I use about 2/3 of a box of prepackaged Westsoy seitan strips. 

If you’re using homemade seitan, slice your loaf into strips and cover with a mix of 1 tbsp bbq sauce, 1 tbsp soy sauce and 1 tbsp lime juice. Let the seitan marinade while you make the tortillas. If you’re using premade, just empty some into the pan when you’re ready to roll. Heat the seitan in a skillet over medium high, stirring occasionally until slightly browned (about 5-6 minutes). Fill each tortilla with seitan, guac, cheese, spinach, salsa and anything else your little heart desires. YUM.