a tofu recipe

I've been letting reality come between food and the blogosphere. So just because I don't blog frequently doesn't mean I'm not cooking. Also, due to lack of feeling great, I'm reinstating my "wellness" life stlye. Here was a quick tofu dish to get things started.

MY Wellness: diet of whole grains (nothing too refined/processed), fruit, vegetables, beans, nuts, and more tofu than usual to supplement fatty meats. No high fructose corn syrup (this has been surprisingly easy for me...thanks Trader Joe's). More yogurt and less bacon for breakfast. Menus created, not ordered from.



TOFU WITH SPICY GARLIC WHITE WINE SAUCE
::extra firm tofu
::sliced mushrooms
::olive oil
::chili oil (can be skipped for less heat)
::1 clove garlic
::1/2 chopped habeñero pepper (really spicy=can be skipped)
::white wine
::cream
*proportions of these ingredients don't matter too much. Just mix and match to hunger.
- Sauté tofu and mushrooms in oils over medium-high heat until starting to brown.
- Add habeñero and garlic (maybe some shallots or onions would be nice too)
- Splash of white wine and cook for a minute.
- Add a little cream and stir before serving.
- Season with salt/pepper (and consider topping with fresh basil and tomato)

This was awesome. It's so easy to get stuck in a rut with tofu. Soy, ginger, basil, and sesame are good after all, but this Italian spin carried a much deeper flavor. It's a really quick dish, and can be expanded so easily for friends. And remember: WHITE WINE is one of the best ingredients to have in your pantry to effortlessly boost meal appeal. It's fragrant, it's delicious; just great. And maybe you don't have cream on hand, so consider a little butter and some milk to supplement. And don't go crazy with spices. Just because Italian is on your mind, don't go adding dried basil, thyme, oregano, garlic, and onion powder. Cook with a few, fresh ingredient. Be able to taste the dish, as well as individual ingredients, and you will appreciate both more.

a tofu dinner

It's important to be able to whip up a quick meal with on-hand ingredients. Tofu is great, easily stored, versatile, high in protein, and requires little (if any) cooking. YOU DON'T NEED TO BE VEGETARIAN TO ENJOY TOFU!

I went for an oriental flavor. Having a number of pre-made sauces is also an essential for rich flavors on a short notice.

- Fry 1/3 block extra-firm tofu in 2 T vegetable oil, some soy sauce, a little sesame oil (a kitchen essential), rice wine vinegar.
- Add 1 clove minced garlic, 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger about a minute before clearing out the pan.
- Add 1 medium chopped onion with a tablespoon of Sweet and Spicy Mandarin Orange cooking sauce (from Trader Joe).

Maybe add chopped green onion, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, tempeh, peas, baby corn, what-have-you.
Serve with chili pepper mix, brown rice, steamed broccoli, pan fried udon/ramen noodles.

a dinner

Made this dinner a few nights ago for my roommate and I.

- Roast 1 orange pepper (could be red/yellow as well) and chop to varying shapes/sizes.
- Sauté tofu and onion in sesame oil until crisped around the edges.
- Sauté bamboo shoots and garlic with Chinese 5 spice blend. Add ginger toward end.
- Mix together prior three steps, add soy sauce, top with fresh basil.

Serve with brown rice.

The fresh basil and roasted pepper really highlight this meal. Most people don't think of adding basil to Chinese food, but it's great with soy sauce and garlic.



Oh, and for those who don't know how to roast a pepper (in the oven)
- Clean and quarter a pepper.
- I cut off the curled in ends so they stay on the baking sheet and also so there aren't unexposed/uncooked areas.
- Place on a foil lined baking sheet (for easy cleanup) and drizzle with oil (for this recipe, I used sesame)
- Turn oven to broil and place sheet near top.
- Take out sheet when peppers are charred.
- Seal peppers in a plastic bag and allow to sit for at least 5 minutes (the steam in the bag loosens the skin)
- Peal, eat.

last Wednsday

Before driving up north for BlissFest, I decided to use my remaining zucchini to make a soup/stew similar to the one below (July 6th).

- Drizzle half Large zucchini and 2 cloves garlic with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and cover until tender
- Uncover, mix in and sateé on high heat until crisped a little a handfull brown rice and 1/3 - 1/2 pound tofu, cut into small, thin squares
- Add chicken bouillon and hot water and cover for a while.
- After taking off the heat, mix in a little cream and a couple chopped cherry tomatoes.

**It's been nearly a week since I made this, so I don't quite remember the seasoning. be creative, but selective with herbs/spices. Don't hessitate to use lots of flavors, but don't get carried away and throw in the entire spice cabinet.



Rich and filling!

a quick lunch

A bunch of local, fresh yellow wax beans from the farmer's market.

Used half for a quick lunch, the other half I'm saving for dinner...

- yellow wax beans
- 1/3 pound tofu
- garlic
- butter
- fresh thyme
- salt/pepper/red-pepper flakes

Sautéed the beans and tofu in the butter, seasoned, added garlic toward the end.
Sprinkled with chopped thyme before enjoying.



The long, crunchy beans and the smooth tofu pair well together.
Adding other vegetables (onion, red/green pepper, squash) would also be great.