Fake Out: General Tso's Tofu

It sure doesn't feel like Spring. It feels more like early summer. Where are the lovely, sunny 50-60 degree days where you still need a jacket because Old Man Winter left a wee bit of chill in the air?  This year, we went straight for the humidity. I feel like Spring 2012 is a fake.  

But, sometimes the fake version is even better than the real version.  Take General Tso's Tofu for example. The real version with chicken is pretty great, but it's not super healthy.

This faux version uses tofu, and while it isn't exactly the same thing, it tastes pretty close.  Toss in some veggies and put over brown rice, and you have a pretty tasty and healthier meal.  I used some red pepper and broccoli rabe (I didn't have broccoli) but you could toss in anything you have on hand.  Try it and let me know what you think...can the fake be just as good as the original?



Ingredients
1 14-16 oz container of cubed extra firm tofu
1 1/4 cup soy sauce

2 tablespoons minced garlic

1 tablespoon minced ginger
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 teaspoons rice wine
1/3 cup water, vegetable stock or chicken stock

1 TBS Thai chili paste (optional)
1 1/2 TBS and 1/2 cup cornstarch

Red pepper flakes (to taste)
1 TBS garlic  powder
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 large red bell pepper, diced
1 large head broccoli, cut into bite-sized pieces
Peanut oil (for sautéing and frying)
1 bag frozen brown rice
Sesame seeds (for garnish)

To Do:

• Drain water from tofu and marinate in 1 cup soy sauce for about 5 minutes, then drain again. Let dry on paper towels until most of the moisture is gone.
• Sauté the ginger and garlic in 1 TBS of sesame oil until tender, then set aside.
• Mix the remaining 1/4 cup soy sauce, rice wine, rice vinegar, garlic, ginger, the remaining TBS of sesame oil, the water or stock and chili paste, then whisk in about 1 1/2 TBS of cornstarch. Stir in the red pepper flakes (to taste), garlic powder and the brown sugar, then set sauce aside so flavors can meld.
• Add about 2 TBS of peanut oil to a large sauce pan, and lightly sauté the red peppers and broccoli until slightly tender, but still bright in color. Remove the veggies and set aside.  
• In the same pan, wipe away any excess oil with a paper towel and then stir in the sauce and bring to a boil until thickened, whisking often. You may need to whisk in more water/stock if it feels too thick. Add more seasoning to taste (it may need more sugar or heat, etc.).
• Meanwhile, beat the egg and toss the tofu cubes in it. Then add about a 1/2 cup of cornstarch to another bowl, and toss the egg-covered tofu in it, so each side is lightly coated.  Shake/brush off any excess starch.
• In a large pan, heat 1/2 cup of the peanut oil until smoking, then carefully add the tofu.  Stir/turn gently so all sides are browned. Lower the heat a bit if the tofu starts to stick.
• When the tofu is crisp on the outside and lightly browned, remove from the pan and drain on paper towels.
• Time to put your bag of frozen brown rice in the microwave  (5 mins to cook)
• Toss the tofu and veggies into the sauce until heated through.
• Top rice with the sauce, sprinkle with sesame seeds and enjoy!

Yum. (And that's a real "yum.")

xoxo

It's Not Chilly, Chili Bake

So, it's 70 degrees here. And of course I wanted to use the oven.

I mean, seriously. There's no chill in the air and it is only March.  How does that happen? It can't be good news for Mother Earth, right?

This mild weather is also causing a bit of mayhem in my menu for the week.  Who wants to turn on the stove or oven when it is gorgeous outside and close to being humid inside?  I wanted to roast a chicken and use up the rest of the carrots and potatoes from my organic box delivery.  But, that would  mean using the oven on high for at least an hour and a half...too hot!

So, I took a look in the freezer and pantry and pulled together this quick recipe. It didn't cause too much heat in the kitchen, and it's pretty tasty too.

Here's all you need to do:

1) Thaw/heat up 4 cups of leftover chili (I had some in the freezer) and place in the bottom of a casserole dish.

2) Top said chili with shredded cheddar cheese.

3) Take 1 box of cornbread mix (I like the one from Jiffy) and in medium-sized bowl, stir in 1 egg, 1/2 cup corn (if you use frozen, thaw first), 1/3 cup of milk or light cream, a pinch each of chili powder and garlic powder, 2 TBS shredded cheddar, and 2 TBS of salsa con queso, or nacho cheese dip. I used some from Tostitos. Their version is actually low-calorie, gluten free, and -- onion free! (Chris, are you reading this?)

4) Top the chili with the cornbread mixture, add a bit more shredded cheese to the top, and bake in preheated 400 degree oven for about 25-30 minutes or until the cornbread topper has browned and isn't runny when pricked in the center. (Top with foil for first 15 minutes to keep it from getting too brown.)

5) Scoop into shallow bowls, top with sour cream, salsa and cilantro, if you have it.

6) Enjoy.

Spring is coming!

xoxoxo

Meatloaf for Chicks

When I think of meatloaf, I think of a chest-thumping, stick-to-your-ribs, manly meal.

I mean, it's basically ground meat formed into a loaf, baked and then cut into thick slices and slathered in sauce or gravy, right?   But, I also think of leftover meatloaf sandwiches with mustard...mmmm. I'm a sucker for formed meat sandwiches.

I made a lovely Roasted Garlic and Vegetable version not too long ago, but then again, who can eat all that meat? (Meatloaf mix is usually part veal, part pork and part beef.) So, I decided to take a softer approach, and my Meatloaf for Chicks recipe was born.

I took a package of ground turkey and a package of ground chicken breast and added to a mixture of 1 lightly beaten egg, 1 TBS of fresh chopped parsley, 1 cup of crushed Saltines, 1/2 cup of diced mozzarella, 1TBS garlic powder, 2 tsps of kosher salt, 3 turns of the pepper mill and 1 1/2 cups of a mixture of sautéed onion, garlic, carrot, broccoli rabe (or regular broccoli would be fine) and tomato that I ran through the food processor until finely chopped (see picture below).  I gently mixed this all together with my hands, but didn't squeeze or pack it together too tightly. That's the secret to good meatloaf and good meatballs -- don't make them too compact.

Then, I greased a loaf pan and gently transferred the meat mixture, loosely forming it into a loaf, before topping with a simmered sauce made of 2 parts ketchup, one part spicy BBQ sauce, one part four cheese tomato sauce, and a TBS of garlic powder.  I tented lightly with foil, then baked in the oven for 80 minutes at 375 degrees, removing the foil at the last 15 minutes so the sauce could get all gooey and lightly browned.

After letting the meatloaf rest for about 10 mins, I sliced into thick pieces,  topped with a bit more sauce and served with mashed potatoes, braised kale with bacon and leeks, and carrot soufflé.

And, there were just enough leftovers for sandwiches, too.

Mmmm. Girls rule.
xoxoxo

Grape Focaccia

This recipe is really grape!

I mean, "great!"

I was cleaning out the freezer (making room for more goodies) and came across two bags of seedless red grapes from an organic box of the past.

I think they were left over from the Soup Cleanse days, although for a while, I also tried to eat frozen grapes as a low-calorie alternative to ice cream -- but you can image how long that lasted.  So, the poor grapes languished in the freezer until I came across this great recipe from the New York Times: Grape Focaccia that was folded up in my "Cookery Ideas" binder.

Not only does the recipe give you a really easy focaccia base you can use again and again, it transforms this boring, lunchbox fruit into something worthy of your next wine and cheese party. And, did I mention it's really easy?

All you need is about 2 hours (1 for rising, the rest for assembly/baking) extra virgin olive oil, active dry yeast, all-purpose flour, cornmeal, rosemary leaves (fresh or dried), sugar, salt, seedless grapes, pine nuts and sea salt. Follow the recipe, and you're set. You could even make two batches at a time!

Your efforts will earn you a lovely, dense dough and a perfectly balanced mix of salt and sweet on top.

I will be making this one again soon, and I might also try my hand at a few other variations, such as a version with olives, one with bacon and shallots, or perhaps pecans and raisins, or maybe a lovely hard cheese...

Delish!
xoxoxo

Cranberry, Apple and Pecan Crumble

I have to admit it. I have a gift. Some people are beautiful singers. Some can draw amazing works of art. Some are good at sports, others are great with numbers. But me?

I am able to take your average, everyday fruits and turn them into fantastic desserts. I don't know how it happens, it just does.  Take for instance these beautiful, but often overlooked, organic cranberries. These came in my Thanksgiving box and I threw them in the freezer without another thought. Until now.

There were probably about 4 cups of them. I grabbed them out of the freezer, rinsed in water and then placed in a soup pot with a TBS of sugar and just enough water to barely cover the bottom of the pan.  I covered the pot and simmered on medium-low for about 15-20 minutes, or until they looked like this:

In the meantime, I cored and peeled about 4 medium-sized apples (any crisp/slightly tart kind will do -- no Red Delicious) and stirred them into the cranberries with brown sugar to taste. I found that about 1 TBS did the trick -- I didn't want the fruit to be overly sweet, but I wanted to tame the tartness of the cranberries. 

This was all well and good, but I wanted something more, so I added a couple handfuls of these awesome Pecan Pie Pecans, too.

I placed the fruit/nut mixture in a baking dish and then topped with a simple crumb topping of 1/2 cup wheat flour, 1/4 cup almond flour, 1 tsp of cinnamon, 1/4 cup brown sugar and 4 TBS softened butter. I could have used more flour and butter in the crumble, but I didn't want the crumb topping to be the star of the dish, so I used it sparingly.

I popped in the 400 degree oven along with Daniel Boulud's Lasagna with Chicken, Wild Mushrooms, and Fontina Cheese and baked until golden and bubbly, about 25-30 mins.

Served on its own with a few slices of Cranberry-chunk cheese or a scoop of vanilla ice cream, this is a winner.

What can I say? I never was a huge fan of sports anyway.

;)

xoxoxo

Late To the Plate: Guest Blogger Jessica Schein Takes on Bittman's Basics

Stir-Fried Spicy Beef with Basil

When I was a little kid there was a popular commercial running with the tagline, “Beef. It’s what’s for dinner.” For whatever reason I thought it was a pretty funny sentiment even though in my home it wasn’t true. If my mom was going to be in the kitchen you better believe she’d be standing over some part of a chicken, not a cow.

Every now and again she would broil a filet mignon, although this was mostly to appease our dog who sometimes refused his own food in favor of the real stuff. Other than these crisped slabs of meat though, we never did eat much beef, and when we did it certainly wasn’t mixed with vegetables and soy sauce.

Yet for years friends and co-workers have been telling me that stir-fries are great weeknight meals because they’re easy and quick. I’ve been skeptical because, well, I’m me, but recently I decided to give it a go because if there’s one thing I can never have enough of it’s go-to meals for busy days.

So I went back to Bittman, as I often do, and attempted his recipe for Stir-Fried Spicy Beef with Basil.

Stir-Fried Spicy Beef with Basil

Makes: 4 to 6 servings

Bittman’s Time Estimate: 15 minutes plus one hour to marinate the meat * (I somehow missed the instruction to marinate the steak. More on that later)

The Ingredients:
1.5 lbs of flank or sirloin steak
½ cup of loosely packed fresh basil leaves
1 tablespoon of peanut oil plus 1 teaspoon for marinating
1.5 tablespoons minced garlic
¼ teaspoon hot red pepper flakes to taste
1 tablespoon soy sauce of nam pla (thai fish sauce)
Juice of ½ lime
Rice (optional)

Prep Time:
Steak: I ended up buying 4 small petite sirloin steaks. Bittman suggests slicing the steak across the grain. I had no idea what that meant so I just sliced it into thin bite-sized pieces: 12 minutes.

Basil: Wash and loosely chop basil leaves: 1 min.
Garlic: I’m a horrible mincer so assuming you don’t accidentally mince off part of your fingertip like I almost always nearly do: 7 minutes.

Measuring out the peanut oil, pepper flakes, soy sauce, and slicing/squeezing the lime: Under 2 minutes.

Total Prep Time: 22 minutes


Cooking:

1. First and foremost, put the steak, 1 teaspoon of peanut oil, and the basil into a bowl that is then covered and put away into the fridge for 1 hour.
2. About 30 minutes later start the rice. Check out the package your using for instructions on how to cook your grains. Personally I like my rice to be on the softer side so for the basmati type I cooked I boiled two cups of water for one cup of rice. The water took 7 minutes to boil and another 15 for the rice to fluff. So overall it took about 22 minutes in total.
3. While the rice begins to cook start prepping the ingredients. This includes:
• Slicing the beef across the grain as thinly as you can into bite-sized pieces. Bittman suggests freezing the steak for 15 to 30 minutes beforehand to make this part a little easier (I didn’t do this but will the next time)
•   Washing and drying the basil. If the leaves are big coarsely chop them
•   Chopping the garlic
4. Lay out all of the ingredients nearby as the cooking will happen fast!
5. Heat a wide skillet over high until it smokes (3 to 4 mins).
6.  Lower the heat to medium and add 1 tablespoon of peanut oil to the pan. Add the garlic and stir once or twice.
7. The garlic will color quickly, in 15 seconds or less, at which point you should return the heat to high and add in the beef and basil mixture.
8. Stir quickly and throw in the pepper.
9. Continue to regularly stir the meat until it loses its red color (about 3 to 4 minutes).
10. Add soy sauce and lime juice and stir once or twice.
11.  Serve over the rice and voila! Stir fry is done.

Total cooking with w/o marinating (w/ rice): About 1 hour, 50 minutes

Total cooking + prep time w/o marinating (w/ rice): About 50 minutes

The Verdict:

First off, I highly suggest marinating the steak. As I mentioned earlier I totally missed that instruction and my meal ended up coming out on the bland side. Additionally, and this is probably mostly because I’m a basil freak, I’d increase the amount of basil to ¾ cup. Lastly, I used reduced sodium soy sauce and I think the steak, especially, could have benefited from the salt of regular soy sauce.

The meal ended yielding closer to 4 pleasant servings, not 6.

All this to say I’d call this a good starter stir fry. Next time, I will marinate the meat to make sure this dish ends up with the flavor it deserves.

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Jessica Schein is a semi-novice cook & writer living in Seattle, WA. When not combing through cookbooks she can be found reading young adult fiction, wishing that Friday Night Lights would return for a sixth season, or running. You can follow her on Twitter or Tumblr.