Spicy Ketchupy Tofu with Cauliflower Rice

Spicy Ketchupy Tofu
1 package extra firm tofu
flour for dredging
1.5 cups ketchup
0.5 cups oil (like peanut or canola)
cayenne pepper
1 garlic clove minced
lemon juice to taste
salt & pepper

This is from Mark Bittman's "How to Cook Everything Vegetarian." Because he gushed about it, I overcame my fear of the ketchup sauce. It turned out to be very General Tso's Chickeny and awesome.

• Slice or crumble tofu
• Dredge in flour
  
• Sprinkle with salt & pepper & fry in 1/3 cup oil over medium high heat until browned (at least 6 mins)
  
• Remove tofu from skillet
• Add remaining oil to skillet
• Add garlic and cook for about a minute
• Add ketchup
• Add cayenne pepper to taste
  
• Cook for about 5 minutes until sauce thickens and gets all sticky/caramelized
• Return tofu to skillet and cover with sauce
• Add some lemon juice to taste
  

Cauliflower Rice
Chop up cauliflower in food processor until about the size of rice (it sort of resembles couscous). Microwave in covered dish for about 5 minutes until soft with no added water. Voila, a yummy rice substitute that goes well with lots of stuff. (You can also make awesome fried rice out of this. There are loads of recipes online.)

turkey meatloaf

i make this at home more than any other meat dish, cuz its so easy and so yummy

preheat oven to 350

mix these ingredients in a large bowl:

1 lb ground turkey
1/2 cup chopped onion (yellow, red, or whatever)
1/2 cup corn flakes
1/2 cup to 3/4 cup red sauce (i usually use something like newman's own)
1 egg
salt and pepper to taste

optional - 1 tablespoon mustard
optional - 1/8 cup chopped parsley

pat into a greased or no-stick loaf pan, or mound into a loaf on a greased shallow baking pan and bake for one hour

is really good with sweet potato fries.

Kimchi Raw Ramen

This is sorta a salad and soup combined. Good for lunch or dinner. It's gets your raw in there as well as the warming soup.

Serving one person:
brown rice udon noodles (i know it's not ramen but hea, it's healthy)
kimchi plus about a 1/4 to 1/3 cup of it's brine (or veg stock if you don't have enough brine)
tamari
sesame oil
chili flakes or tabasco
1/2 carrot very thinly sliced
some zucchini very thinly sliced
1 spring onion
about a tblsp of chopped coriander
a few fresh mushrooms chopped (i didn't have any this time!)

Cook your noodles. Put aside and then add some of the kimchi brine to the pan and heat it up. Throw a few splashes of tamari in and then add your noodles back in. Add some water if you want more broth. Take off the heat and put it in a bowl. Add all your veggies, a heaping amount of kimchi, add a bit of chili on top, coriander and a few splashes of sesame oil. My favorite kitchen utensil for thin slicing is pictured above. Works great for carrots and zucchini!

Tempura At Home

You know how you are tempted to order tempura when you have Japanese take out or delivery and it's always soggy by the time you eat it and sort of a bummer? Well for real, just make it yourself. It's INCREDIBLY EASY and so satisfying.

For the vegetables, pre-cook them by steaming them or blanching and shocking them so they're not raw when you dip them in the batter and fry them, this will make them soft and delicious when you crisp them up.

From what I've read, the key is to getting the batter really cold and dipping your veggies right before you fry them. Double dip if you like extra coating. Classic tempura isn't fried long enough to brown, but us Americans might like it that way.

Tempura Batter

1 cup AP flour (AP whole wheat would work, I am pretty sure rice flour or another gluten free flour would work too)
1 cup seltzer
2 t. salt

In a quart container, add all ingredients, shake them up and store overnight in fridge.
When you're ready, heat oil to frying temp in a deep pan or wok so there is room for the veggies to swim.
When oil is hot, dip veggies in batter and drop in hot oil, frying until just golden. Remove from oil and drain on newspaper or paper towels. Sprinkle a bit more salt over the veggies and serve quickly with a nice ginger soy or ponzu sauce.

Notes to myself after my first run:
make sure oil is HOT.
make sure the oil is not crowded.
make sure you are hungry.

Enjoy!

Apple Empanadas

These are fun to make and supergreat for a fall mexican food party. And I think Dresch-approved? (derived from this and this.)

Apple Empanadas

4 baking apples
1 1/3 cups sugar
about 1 tablespoon of cinnamon
a pinch of nutmeg
1/2 cup butter (softened)
3 oz of cream cheese
1 cup flour

Make the dough the night before:

Mix butter and cream cheese and then mix in flour. Roll into a ball. Leave over night in the fridge.

The next day:

Take dough out of fridge 1/2 hour before making. Mine was still hard after this, so I softened it in the food processor with a little warm water.

Making the filling:

1. Peel, core and chop apples into little pieces.
2. Mix with one cup sugar and a tsp. of cinnamon and dash of nutmeg.
3. Cook over medium heat for about 15 minutes or until soft. Cool.

Making the empanadas:

1. Roll out dough on floured surfaces and cut into little 3-4 inch discs. I didn't have a cookie cutter so used the bottom of a 28 ounce can of tomatoes.

2. Add a small spoonful of filling to the center of each and moisten the dough around the filling with a little water. Seal together into mini pie.

3. Bake for about 15 minutes.

4. Roll warm empanadas in cinnamon sugar and done!

Hi Pro Glow Granola

I don't know how many granola recipes I read before I finally made some on my own. It's so bonehead easy and such a good deal, I really can't imagine going back unless it's some special granola "varietal". What's great about making it home is you control the fat and sweeteners. This one is very easy and yummy.

Hi Pro Glow Granola

Yields about 2 Quarts

1/2 pound whole oats
1/4 pound chopped walnuts
1/4 pound sunflower seeds
1/4 pound pumpkin seeds
2 t. Chinese 5 Spice Powder
1/3 C grapeseed oil
1/2 C grade B maple syrup
1/4 pound dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 350
In large bowl, combine all dry ingredients except cranberries. In a liquid measuring cup, combine liquids and pour into bowl, stirring to combine all ingredients. Spread mixture on a baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes. Stir and return to oven for another 7-10 minutes or until crispy, but be careful not to burn.

Let cool, add dried cranberries and store in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.

Roasted Ratatouille

This is a super easy recipe for your end of summer vegetable bounty. Because many of the vegetables here fall into the nightshade category of vegetables which are thought to increase inflamation and acid reflux in some people. Traditionally cuisines heavy in nightshades such as those in Italy and India serve them with dairy which seems to balance these issues. Anyway, I love to eat ratatouille as a side dish to any meal or instead of potatoes with my eggs. It's equally delicious room temperature as it is warm, so it's a perfect picnic dish.

Roasted Ratatouille

About 4 servings

1 medium eggplant medium dice
5 plum tomatoes medium dice
1 zucchini medium dice
1 yellow squash medium dice
1 large or 2 small red peppers, medium dice
1 large or 2 small onions, cut in whole or half slices
4 cloves garlic, rough chop
2 t. salt
1/3 C. olive oil
cracked black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 450
In a bowl, toss all vegetables with salt, oil and pepper. Spread evenly on a baking sheet, and let roast for 15 minutes, stir vegetables, return to oven for another 15 minutes or until soft and well roasted.

Serve warm or at room temperature