Crispy tofu, veggie and rice noodle stir fry

There’s a meat shortage I hear out there due to Covid-19. In January my husband I tried our hand at eating vegan and that we stuck to it until late February. We don’t eat meat on a regular basis, once or twice a week, but I noticed a difference in how I feel and wonder about trying a vegan diet again to see if these things resolve themself. It’s an experiment sometimes finding what works for your body. We are only eating animal protein a few times a week, maybe twice or so. Which is a HUGE difference from say last November where we ate vegetarian/vegan maybe once or twice a week.

Ok I’ll end that and get into the meat….or crispy tofu of todays post. I am learning a lot about cooking tofu and really loving everything I try so far. My favorite way to eat tofu is hands down a dry baked version out of the Thug Kitchen cookbook. I’ve pan fried it in little blocks with great success. For this recipe you crumble and fry it. It really did come out crispy and my husband said it was really good and he felt it had a great texture that made him not miss eating meat. Win!

The key thing I have learned about cooking tofu is this, press it. Get all that moisture out. I don’t have a fancy tofu press nor do I plan to invest in one but I do have some nice heavy cast iron skillets. I wrap a block of extra firm tofu in paper towels or a dish towel and place it on a plate and put my heaviest cast iron skillet on it and go find something to do, leaving it for at least 30 mins but often longer as I forget I am doing this. I have frozen my tofu with luck. I just cut the package, drain and stick in the freezer. I still found I needed to press it. So it didn’t save much time. Don’t skip this step. It really is necessary as the tofu is like a sponge and holds a lot of liquid which will prevent it from getting a nice crisp or bite to it. Mushy tofu is just gross.

In the following recipe use whatever veggies you want. This would be a great recipe to clean out your fridge before a shopping trip.

Crispy Tofu, Veggie & Rice Noodle Stir Fry

Ingredients

One 16-ounce block extra-firm tofu

2 tablespoons of white miso

4 tablespoons soy sauce

3 tablespoons chili garlic sauce

1 1/2 tablespoon fish sauce

1 teaspoon granulated sugar

1 block of extra firm tofu, drained and pressed.

2 tablespoons cornstarch, plus more as needed

Sesame oil/avocado oil

1 cup of shredded red cabbage

1/2 cup of edamame, shelled and steamed

1 bell pepper, thinly sliced

Chili oil and/or chili flakes, to taste

Sesame seeds, to top

Cilantro, chopped, to top

Directions:

1. Have all your veggies cut and ready to go as it will make life easier when doing a stirfry. Crumble your drained and pressed tofu into a large bowl, sprinkle the cornstarch over and mix to coat all of the tofu with the cornstarch.

2. In another bowl , mix together Miso, soy sauce, fish sauce, chili sauce and sugar. Set aside.

3. Cook your rice noodles according to the package, rinse in cold water and set aside . I like to mix them with a little bit of sesame oil to coat so they don’t stick.

4. Heat a skillet up over medium high heat and add a few teaspoons of sesame oil or avocado oil (or both like I did) and when hot and shiny , add your tofu and fry until crispy and golden. Remove from skillet and set aside.

5. If needed , add more oil to the skillet. Add your veggies and cook until they are bright in color and just tender. I like my veggies more crispy but cook to how you like them.

6. Toss the tofu back in the skillet to join the veggies and add the noddles, edamame and the sauce. Stir (I used tongs here) until everything is coated with the sauce.

7. Serve with chopped cilantro and sesame seeds and lime wedges.

Pork+leeks+apples= Delish!

I remember visiting my grandma and she would make just about the best pork chops I have ever had on the planet. She always served them with a side of mashed potatoes, corn and applesauce.  It was one of my favorite meals that she would make. When my kids were growing up I would make the same dish and even serve them on the Currier & Ives dishes like my grandmother did. That was the true meaning of comfort food for me.

My kids are grown and while I still love the comfort menu mentioned above there are times I want something a bit more grown up but still a bit of that comfort food. The following recipe does just that.

While there is a little bit of chopping this is fast enough to do on a weeknight after work. I personally love leeks and tend to crave them in the spring time. They naturally help you detox the wonderful foods of winter. Though if your just about anywhere in America right now winter feels as if it will never end. I know here on the coast of Connecticut  we feel like we live in Alaska at the moment.

If your feeling cold and just want a dinner that will smell the house up with a warm and home scent  this will do the trick for that too.

Pork Chops w/Leeks & Apples

Serves 6

6 Medium pork chops (I used boneless)

6 cloves

1/2 cup or so of white wine

5 celery stalks, chopped (save the celery leaves to the side)

2 tbsp of butter

3 large leeks, sliced and washed

3 granny smith apples , corded and sliced

1 1/12 tablespoon of brown sugar

salt and pepper to taste

3 slices of swiss cheese.

*Preheat your oven to 375 and butter a baking dish to cook the pork chops in*

1. Press clove into each chop and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place in your buttered dish. Add the  white wine, chop the celery leaves a little (don’t make a fuss) and add to the dish and put the pan in the oven and bake for 30 mins.

2. While the chops are happy in the oven, in a saute pan melt the butter. Add leeks and celery and cook for about 5 mins. Next add the apples and sprinkle with brown sugar and cook over very low heat for about 10 – 12 mins or until the apples are tender but now mushy.

3. Pull your chops from the oven and remove the celery leaves and  place half a slice of swiss cheese on each chop. Place under the broiler for just a few mins so that the cheese is melted and golden.

4. To serve, place a chop on a plate, spoon the leek and apples on top of the chop and some of the pan juices and enjoy!

 

Bookstore inspiration- Simple pepper pasta dish

My youngest son and I have been spending a lot of time at a local bookstore. I usually pick him up from school. As per his request, I have his favorite tunes pumping and my car parked where his friends can see him. I usually top this off with having my “whip” freshly washed, tires shined , sunroof open and my coolest shades on. I don’t look like mom so it works.  He gets an instant smile when he sees me. Hard thing to get from a 14-year-old who’s had big changes this year as he went from homeschooling to public school.

Once down the road the tunes get turned down a notch or two and we start talking and laughing about his day. We arrive at the bookstore, get a tasty beverage and start walking around looking at what we might find and remembering books we read when he was younger.

One trip he found a magazine filled with bands he loves and took his drink and sat in the large comfy couches and got to reading. Happily it was right next to the cookbook section so I started pulling books and thumbing through them.  I was thinking it has been awhile since I brought home a new cookbook, then the guilt of not working through Dori’s My French Kitchen hits me. Eh, who knew how much life would change. I’ve got lots of time ahead of me to cook my way through every recipe in that book.

I want to say it was a Mark Bittman book that inspired me to dig into my purse and grab my notebook and pen I keep in there and start jotting down ideas for dinners. It was like a cooking muse had been on my shoulder whispering ideas.  Now if only I could find the page I wrote it all down on I’d be thrilled.

The one idea that stuck in my mind was doing a pasta dish with peppers. Something simple, fast but tasty. The following is what I came up with. Play with it and make it yours. I think next time I am going to add a can of anchovies to the pan first and cook those down.  If you have time to roast your own peppers I say go for it!!  I didn’t and thus I used the tasty things from Trader Joe’s to create this dish. Nice thing, if you keep this in your pantry you have a dinner on hand for those nights you’re in a rush to get dinner on the table.

Simple Pepper & Capers Pasta

1 lb of pasta

1 jar of fire roasted peppers (drained and chopped)

1 jar of yellow and red peppers (drained and chopped)

1/3 a jar of capers (use more or less, rinse before use)

2- 3 garlic bulbs, minced

oregano, basil, pepper to taste

Olive Oil , about 2 tablespoons

Set a pot of water to boil and cook pasta in boiling water according to instructions. Drain and drizzle with olive oil if you wish.

In a hot saute pan, add olive oil and garlic, cook for 2 mins. Add peppers and stir and cook untill heated through. Add capers and spices, cooking untill heated through.

Add pepper mixture to pasta, top with your favorite cheese or nutritional yeast and enjoy!