Sunday tea for 2

My friend J. invited me to a Saturday tea for 2 a couple of years ago.  It was high time for me to reciprocate and invite her to tea too.

J. is a fellow yogi so I folded these lotus napkins just for her!  Instructions for the lotus napkin fold as well as other lovely folds can be found on the Fab Art DIY website.

Lotus napkin

J. and I also share a similar tastes and philosophy about food.  Though we both eat meat and seafood occasionally, we also have a great appreciation for all things tofu and vegan/vegetarian.  It is not uncommon for us to wax lyrical about tofu, matcha, unusual veggies and fruits, mochi, and things like pickled french fries. 🙂

Chicken salad croissant sandwiches and open faced tofu “egg” salad on multigrain bread by Henni

Tofu “egg” salad
(adapted from various recipes online and in cookbooks)

1 pkg. 14 oz. extra firm tofu
1 celery stalk, very finely chopped
2 Tbsp. eggless mayo (optional) or silken tofu
2 Tbsp. nutritional yeast
1 Tbsp. dried minced onion or 1/4 c. finely chopped white, red, or green onion
1 tsp. Dijon or whole grain mustard
1 tsp. dried dill or 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh dill
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. kala namak (black salt)
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

Press and dry the tofu.  Using a fork, coarsely mash the tofu with all other ingredients in a large bowl.  Serve cold or at room temperature as you would egg salad.  Refrigerate any leftovers.

Salmon salad sandwiches with arugula and lemon by J.

Salmon sandwiches

1 can salmon
Chopped onion
Chopped celery
Lemon juice
Yogurt and/or mayo (just enough to keep everything together)
Chopped arugula (or other greens)

Mix all ingredients together with a fork.  Use as a sandwich filling.  Garnish sandwiches with fresh herbs, sliced radishes, lemon slices, etc.

Raisin scones from Shakespeare’s Corner Shoppe

J. had mentioned that the Shakespeare’s Corner Shoppe had really good scones. In fact, so good that she got up early this morning to buy some of their fresh scones. I have to admit they were the best scones I’ve ever had, anywhere. They were a treat indeed.

Best scone I’ve ever had!

Vegan chocolate chip cookies and D.’s famous oatmeal chocolate chip cookies

My favorite (vegan) chocolate chip cookies
(adapted from various recipes online)
(Yield: 16-20 cookies)

1 cup flour (your choice)
1/4 cup unrefined sugar (turbinado or sugar in the raw)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup oil (canola, vegetable, grapeseed, etc.)
1/4 teaspoon molasses
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir until there are no dry spots and the dough comes together.

Using a cookie scoop, place rounded spoonfuls onto a lined cookie sheet and flatten the tops a bit using your finger. Bake for 11 minutes at 350 degrees. Let rest on cookie sheet 1 minute before transferring to cooling rack.

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Thank you J. for having tea with me on a Sunday morning!  I enjoyed the tea offerings very much and the company even more!

“A woman is like a tea bag – you can’t tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water.”

–Eleanor Roosevelt, First Lady of the United States (1933-1945)