All comments before August 2009 were lost during a blog move, so I’m copying the older comments here:
Mary Frances said…
And I really thought cast iron was indestructible…huh. The salad looks yummy. I think I have everything except the asparagus and the miso.
Do you have any recommendations on purchasing miso? We bought some miso soup packets a few months ago and ended up throwing them away because it tasted so bad.
10:52 PM, May 11, 2008
—————-
Lydia (The Perfect Pantry) said…
I love grilled asparagus, too. I throw them completely unadorned onto the grill (usually outside), cook them on very high heat until a bit charred on the outside, and eat them like candy. (and p.s., I hope your grill is going right back to the store — no way it should crack, even after 4000 batches of asparagus).
5:27 AM, May 12, 2008
——————————–
Carrie said…
That asparagus looks absolutely delicious!!!
7:51 AM, May 12, 2008
——————————–
Mary R said…
Cast iron actually has a fairly brittle structure for a metal, and an especially brittle one when compared to alloys like stainless steel. It may look indestructible, but it can crack if it is heated too quickly or if a significant amount of cold liquid is poured into a hot pan. Sometimes you can get away with preheating it on medium high/high it if there’s a very large roast in the pan/on the grill to ‘absorb’ some of that heat…but that’s not likely to be the case in vegan applications. My grandmother was practically religious in preheating her cast iron on low before cranking up the heat to no more than slightly above a medium, and I know that Le Creuset advocates using “low to medium heat for best results.”
That being said…new reader here! Though I currently eat meat, I had been a vegetarian for about five years and am now looking for more ways to reduce my animal consumption. Your blog has gone a tremendous way in bringing me around to vegan cooking and your writing style has kept be reading. Thanks for continuing such a wonderful project!
8:52 AM, May 12, 2008
——————————–
Anonymous said…
What brand griddle was this? I just bought a new Nordicware griddle with extremely deep ridges. I’m having a tough time cleaning it.
1:27 PM, May 12, 2008
——————————–
Lily Girl said…
I have Lodge cast iron and I’m really happy with it. I have their double burner griddle/grill pan and I’ve done veggie fajitas over at least medium-high heat with no problem. I’ve also preheated my skillets in the oven before pouring in my corn bread batter with no problem.
Mary Francis – I love miso! I get mine at my local health food store. You should look for unpasteurized, organic miso in the refrigerated section, in tubs or bags. Pasteurization kills the good-for-you active cultures in miso and conventional soybeans are one of the most genetically modified and pesticide laden crops. Also, the only ingredients should be soybeans, salt, and usually a grain such as rice or barley. Miso soup is fairly simple to make yourself, and I’ve never tried a dried packet that I like. Miso that is shelf-stable is almost always pasteuruized and so you loose many of the health benefits. Hope this helps!
2:27 PM, May 12, 2008
——————————-
kotzebue said…
Awesome! I actually have every single ingredient for this in my house at this very moment. Yahoo! Dinner is going to be so good.
I am completely enamored with smoked paprika.
3:05 PM, May 12, 2008
———————————–
Anonymous said…
I just made your salad for dinner. WOW it was delicious!!! Thank you! thank you! Another keeper like all of your recipes. (((HUGS)))
5:48 PM, May 12, 2008
——————————-
Kate said…
What a great blog! I have not made the conversion completely to vegan, but your recipes and stories have made me more aware of what goes into my food. I was a vegetarian for many years in college. I try to incorporate as many veggie based dishes as I can to my meat and potatoes family. And your lasagna recipe is a favorite!
Thanks again for your continued energy and obvious love for this project!
6:09 PM, May 12, 2008
——————————–
Kate said…
I just read your previous post and wanted to extend a congratulations! I live in Napa, just about 45 min over the hills to Santa Rosa. I’m going to do my best to attend. How very cool for you! Great job!
6:12 PM, May 12, 2008
———————————-
shellyfish said…
This sounds scrumptious! Thrilled that today is market day- going to go buy some fresh spinich & asparagus, and sorry about your grill!
If I weren’t on another continent I would love to go see you- I don’t always comment, but I always read your blog, and love it. I’m waiting for *your* cookbook to appear…
1:14 AM, May 13, 2008
———————————-
moonwatcher said…
This looks fantastic!!
11:45 AM, May 14, 2008
———————————
Diane said…
I made this tonight, and it was great. I made a couple of modifications — I didn’t realize we were out of lemons, so I used lime juice and my husband is allergic to walnuts, but I had some pine nuts in the freezer. Very good!
10:44 PM, May 15, 2008
————————————
Aly said…
Aha! I was looking for the perfect recipe for the bundle of asparagus in my fridge, and I think I have found it! It looks amazing…
4:45 PM, May 24, 2008
——————————–
Amanda said…
I made this for my lunch today–and it was delicious! You’re right, I often get bored with my big ETL salads, so this was a welcome change. I added some leftover navy beans to make it more filling, and I made the dressing without the nayonaise/tofu (because I was out–I was out of silken tofu! shocking) and it still worked just fine. Without the tofu, it was more of a vinaigrette, but it was still delicious! I’m going to try the dressing again with the tofu, and whichever one I prefer, I’m going to make a big batch and keep it in the fridge–I liked it that much. Your blog is such a great resource!
2:14 PM, May 29, 2008
