Sweet and Sour Tofu

I have been trying different ways to work with tofu. It is such a versatile food since it absorbs anything it touches, and it can be prepared many different ways. Here, I took frozen and defrosted super firm tofu, cut it into cubes, breaded and fried it and tossed it with a homemade sweet and sour sauce recipe I found online.

Fried Panko Breaded Tofu

3 cups of peanut or canola oil

1 cup of cornstartch

2 eggs slightly beaten

2 tablespoons of water

3 cups of Panko bread crumbs

1 tablespoon of seasoning ( I use thai five spice seasoning)

Salt and Pepper

Preheat the oil in medium sauce pan to 375 degrees. To prepare the tofu: Freeze and thaw tofu ahead of time. It changes the texture pleasantly and makes it absorb more flavor (though if you haven't done it ahead of time this step isn't completely necessary, but the food will taste better if you do). Gently squeeze any remaining water from the tofu. Line up three bowls, in the first bowl put the cornstarch, in the second, mix the egg and water and in the third mix the panko bread crumbs with the seasoning and salt and pepper to taste. Cube the tofu block into 3/4 inch cubes, dredge them in cornstarch and shake off extra , dunk the cubes in the egg and then into the panko bread crumbs and finally into the hot oil. Fry until golden and drain on a paper towel lined plate.

Sweet and Sour Sauce

1/2 cup pineapple juice

1/2 cup ketchup

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup water

4 teaspoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (If you don't like spicy reduce)

1 teaspoon sesame oil

4 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 tablespoons minced ginger

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 tablespoon cornstarch

2 tablespoons dry sherry

1 red bell pepper, stemmed,seeded and cut it into squares

One carrot peeled and cut diagonally

2 cups cubed pineapple

1/4 cup green onion, for garnish <-- I used chives

cooked rice (for serving)

In a large sauce pan heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil over medium high heat. Add the ginger and garlic and saute about 30 seconds. Pour the pineapple juice mixture into the saucepan with the ginger and garlic and bring to a boil. Add the carrots and the peppers and cook until the carrots are tender Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring to dissolve the sugar, about 3 minutes. In a small bowl combine the cornstarch and the sherry, mixing well. Add the cornstarch-sherry mixture to the simmering pineapple juice mixture, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes then remove from heat. Add the pineapple chunks.

Mix with tofu and serve over rice. Garnish with chives.

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Homemade Spagetti Noodles with Pesto, Goat Cheese and Grape Tomatoes

This is the first recipe I made using my fresh homemade pasta. The pesto is just a basic pesto recipe and it's spicy garlic taste is toned down by tangy goat cheese and fresh grape tomatoes. It is the perfect recipe for a quick no cook sauce that is both tasty and fresh. Great for using up excess basil you may have lying around.

Fresh Basil Pesto Recipe

• 2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan-Reggiano or Romano cheese
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup pine nuts or walnuts
• 3 medium sized garlic cloves, minced
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
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• Combine the basil in with the pine nuts, pulse a few times in a food processor. (If you are using walnuts instead of pine nuts and they are not already chopped, pulse them a few times first, before adding the basil.) Add the garlic, pulse a few times more. Slowly add the olive oil in a constant stream while the food processor is on. Stop to scrape down the sides of the food processor with a rubber spatula. Add the grated cheese and pulse again until blended. Add a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Serve with pasta, or over baked potatoes, or spread over toasted baguette slices.

From: www.simplyrecipes.com

Mix cooked pasta with the pesto and add crumbled goat cheese to taste. (I use about 2 oz per 1/4 lb of pasta) Rinse and halve grape tomatoes and toss. Serve immediately.

Homemade Semolina Pasta

As I mentioned before, I love to use my bread machine for cutting time on preparing doughs from scratch. My bread machine has a pasta dough kneading function and I used it for the first time today to make some Semolina pasta. It only takes 14 minutes for my bread machine to mix the dough and then it needs to rest for a half hour (44 minutes that you don't even have to touch the dough. So, in this time you can make a sauce, watch an episode of your favorite show, or catch up on facebook.) In 5 minutes, I can roll and cut it with my pasta machine. Home made fresh pasta cooks in under two minutes so really making pasta from scratch isn't that much more time consuming than cooking commercial pasta, and I promise you, the work put into this is worth it! The taste of fresh pasta is not replicable! Note: You don't need to have a pasta roller/cutter rolling and cutting by hand can be done. Though it will take longer.

Semolina Pasta

(From The bread Lover's Bread Machine Cookbook by Beth Hensperger)

7/8 cup warm water

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 cups unbleached all purpose or bread flour

1 cup semolina pasta flour

1 teaspoon salt

Place all the ingredients in the bread pan according to the order in the manufacturer's instructions (I just put them in according to whatever mood I am in. I am not sure it makes a difference maybe it does... but I couldn't tell you) Program for the Dough or the Pasta Dough Cycle; Press Start. Set a kitchen timer for 7 minutes. When the timer rings, check the dough ball that has collected on the blade. It should be firm but pliable. If it is too dry, add a couple drops of water while the machine is kneading. if it is too moist, sprinkle in some all -purpose flour, a teaspoon at a time. Reset the time for 3 more minutes. When the timer rings, press stop to cancel the cycle. (I have actually just left it to go the full 14 minutes and haven't had any problems). Remove the dough from the machine, wrap in plastic wrap, and let sit for 30 minutes.

Click here to watch how to roll pasta by machine This guy uses a mixer attatchment roller, I have a hand crank. To roll by hand, you need a lightly floured surface and rolling pin. Basically you mimic the steps as done with a machine but with your rolling pin. Roll out to the desired thickness... Here is an interesting site that shows how to cut various pasta shapes by hand.

You can use homemade pasta in place of commercial pasta in any recipe.

Grilled Vegetable Frittata

I like to grill veggies in bulk. They can be used in lots of recipes. One of my favorite ways to incorporate grilled veggies into a hearty breakfast is by mixing it with eggs and stale bread in a frittata.

Frittatas are what I like to call garbage dishes, because you can put whatever you want or have on hand into them: veggies, pasta, meats, cheese, stale bread, etc. The only thing that is necessary for a frittata is egg, and you will need an oven safe frying pan or skillet. So try it with whatever you like! Enjoy!

Grilled vegetable Frittata

1 tablespoon of butter

1/2 cup Any mixture of grilled veggies (for this particular frittata I had grilled grape tomatoes, asparagus, zucchini, mushrooms, red and yellow bell peppers, and red onions)

1/2 cup Stale ciabatta (or any kind of bread you have) cut into cubes

3 eggs slightly beaten

1 teaspoon heavy cream (or milk, or half and half)

1/4 cup of shredded cheese (any kind you want, I used a quattro formaggio mix from trader joes)

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. In a medium sized OVEN SAFE frying pan or skillet (I think I used my 8 inch), melt the butter over medium heat. Add the bread to toast slightly, and then the vegetables, season with a little bit of salt and pepper. Stir until the veggies are warmed through and arrange everything evenly over the bottom of the skillet. Mix the beaten eggs with the cream and cheese, and slowly pour the mixture over the arranged veggies and bread. Immediately put the skillet onto the middle rack of the oven and cook for about 15 minutes or until the eggs are fluffy and cooked through. Remove from the oven, let cool in the pan for about 5 minutes and turn out onto a large plate. Serve warm or at room temperature. (This is even tasty as leftovers, cold from the fridge)

Barbecue Tofu

For the past couple times I have bought tofu, I will put the block directly in the freezer. It changes the texture and the tofu will soak up flavors more. Click here to read about freezing tofu.

Tofu is like a sponge, it soaks up anything you marinade it in. My mother in law makes this yummy barbecue tofu, which this recipe is adapted from. She makes her own barbecue sauce, which I don't know the ingredients of except for one: Peanut butter. I know it sounds weird but adding a couple tablespoons of creamy peanut butter adds a nice complexity to the barbecue sauce without overpowering it. You can use a bottled bbq sauce if you like. The sweet ones seem to work for this application (honey barbecue) and seem to take the flavor of the peanut butter well. Making your own bbq sauce is simple enough if you don't have any on hand. I used this recipe as a base and started adding my own touch (see my notes in red). This is also great to snack on the next day right out of the refrigerator, of course if you are patient you could reheat it.

Neely's Barbecue Sauce

1 medium onion roughly chopped sauteed in 1 tablespoon olive oil until soft and golden

2 cups ketchup

• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 5 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 5 tablespoons sugar <--I used smoked muscavado brown sugar instead
• 1/2 tablespoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1/2 tablespoon onion powder<-- I used garlic powder instead
• 1/2 tablespoon ground mustard
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce <-- Annie's brand makes a vegetarian Worchestershire
• 2 tablespoons of honey
• 2 teaspoons of Chipotle tabasco sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon Ancho Chili Powder
• 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
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• In a medium saucepan, combine all ingredients. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat to simmer. Cook uncovered, stirring frequently, for 1 hour 15 minutes.

From: www.foodnetwork.com

To assemble the Tofu:

Thaw frozen tofu (make sure it's extra firm and not silken) completely and gently squeeze out excess liquid (I put the block of tofu between two cutting boards and add a little pressure.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut tofu block into rib-like pieces. Spread a layer of barbecue sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish (some times I layer sliced onion on the bottom). Arrange the tofu cut size down (this will help it soak up the barbecue sauce) and spoon more barbecue sauce on top of each of the pieces. Bake for 20 minutes or until the barbecue is bubbling and the tofu looks a little caramelized, turning the pieces over halfway through the baking process.

Lemon Glazed Blueberry Scones

Have I mentioned that I love coffee? Well, one of my favorite breakfast pastries to go along with a nice cup of coffee is a scone. I was first introduced to scones by my grandmother. She had a surgery to remove her cancerous pancreas and was rendered a diabetic. She made some scones from her sugar free cook book made with raisins. I don't remember her liking them too much, but I thought they were tasty.

Then I began to work for Starbucks. I know their scones were not the best in the world, but that didn't stop me from eating them. From then on, I prefer a scone to a muffin any day. When I eat one, I always think about my grandma.

We had fresh blueberries from the farmers market sitting around for about a week. Im surprised they didn't go bad quick as produce seems to do when purchased from the farmers market. This past Saturday I decided to cook with them to put them to use. I found this recipe online from Food Network's Tyler Florence. It is pretty tasty, see my notes for things I would change about this recipe.

Blueberry Scones:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cut in chunks
• 1 cup heavy cream, plus more for brushing the scones
• 1 cup fresh blueberries

Lemon Glaze: <--I would halve this recipe. It was way too much for the number of scones I was left with.

• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
• 1 lemon, zest finely grated
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter <-- I would use shortening, it will cool to be a soft shell, using butter will make the drizzle runny.

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Sift together the dry ingredients; the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Using 2 forks or a pastry blender, cut in the butter to coat the pieces with the flour. The mixture should look like coarse crumbs. Make a well in the center and pour in the heavy cream. Fold everything together just to incorporate; do not overwork the dough. Fold the blueberries into the batter. Take care not to mash or bruise the blueberries because their strong color will bleed into the dough. (stir in the blueberries with the dry ingredients before adding the cream. The wet dough will be too hard to try and stir the blueberries in without crushing them and you are at a higher risk of overmixing)

Press the dough out on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle about 12 by 3 by 1 1/4 inches. Cut the rectangle in 1/2 then cut the pieces in 1/2 again, giving you 4 (3-inch) squares. Cut the squares in 1/2 on a diagonal to give you the classic triangle shape. Place the scones on an ungreased cookie sheet and brush the tops with a little heavy cream. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until beautiful and brown. Let the scones cool a bit before you apply the glaze.

Technically you should make this simple lemon glaze in a double boiler (i.e. over a pot of simmering water with a heatproof bowl set on top) but it's even simpler to zap it in the microwave. Mix the lemon juice and confectioners' sugar together in a microwave-safe bowl. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Add the lemon zest and butter (shortening). Nuke it for 30 seconds on high. Whisk the glaze to smooth out any lumps, then drizzle the glaze over the top of the scones. Let it set a minute before serving.

From: www.foodnetwork.com

Grilled Pineapple and Homemade French Vanilla Ice Cream

It seems that you can grill just about anything that wont fall through the grate. Pineapple is so delicious cooked on a grill. This was my second time grilling pineapple and it left me wondering why I don't do it every time I buy the fruit.

Topped with vanilla bean ice cream, this makes a simple yet amazing summer dessert.

Grilled Pineapple

1 Pineapple

2 tablespoons of butter

Some brown sugar ( here I used ginger coconut palm sugar, a random sugar my husband picked up from who knows where)

Preheat grill. Peel and slice the pineapple into 1/2 inch slices. Remove the tough core from the middle of each slice ( you can use a 1 inch diameter round cookie cutter, but I used my fruit corer tool) brush both sides of each slice with the melted butter and sprinkle on the sugar.

Grill for about 3 minutes a side, or until it caramelizes. Top with ice cream and serve immediately.

French Vanilla Ice Cream

• 2 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk (separated into 1 cup and 1/2 cup)
• 2 vanilla beans, halved lengthwise
• 8 large egg yolks
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Special equipment needed

An ice cream maker, or a KitchenAid mixer with an ice cream attachment

1 In a medium bowl, beat together the yolks and half of the sugar. You can beat by hand using a whisk or using a hand mixer or egg beater. Beat until thoroughly smooth and creamy. (A couple of minutes by hand.)

2 Put cream, 1 cup of the milk, the remaining half of the sugar, and the salt into a medium saucepan over medium heat. Scrape vanilla seeds from beans with the tip of a small knife into pan; add beans. Heat the mixture until just before it starts to simmer (do not let simmer). Remove mixture from heat and let stand 10 minutes.

3 While the mixture is standing, prepare an ice water bath in a bowl large enough to set another bowl easily inside of it. Set aside.

4 Whisk in 1 cup of the cream mixture in a slow stream into the yolk mixture to temper it. Add another cup of the cream mixture; continue to whisk. Transfer the egg yolk mixture back to the saucepan with the remaining cream, milk and vanilla. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until it is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon and an instant-read thermometer registers 180°, 5 to 7 minutes. (You can run your finger in a line over the back of the coated spoon. If the mixture doesn't run, but stays in place on the spoon, it should be thick enough.) Remove from heat and mix in the remaining 1/2 cup of milk to stop the mixture from overcooking.

5 Pour custard through a medium-mesh sieve into a stainless steel bowl set in the ice-water bath. Let cool completely, stirring until completely chilled.

6 Freeze custard in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions. (Take care not to over churn the ice cream or it will get a grainy texture.) If you serve the ice cream immediately, it will probably be pretty soft. Freeze it for at least an hour in an airtight plastic container to have a firmer texture. If it has been frozen for more than a day, you may need to let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes to soften before serving it.

Makes 1 1/2 quarts.

Recipe from: http://simplyrecipes.com

Ginger Mint Lemonade

Every fourth of July, my husband's family and I usually go up to a lakeside cottage in Wisconsin, though, this year we didn't make it up there since I have summer school. My husband's cousin and his wife are expecting their first baby early next month and they didn't go either. So I invited them over for dinner.

With a pregnant lady in mind, I served Ginger Mint lemonade in glasses dressed with ginger coconut palm sugar. It is very refreshing on a hot day and ginger has been known to be a pleasant flavor for pregnant women.

Ginger Mint Lemonade

1/2 cup (packed) chopped fresh mint leaves

1/3 cup chopped fresh ginger

1/3 cup honey

2 cups boiling water

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

1 1/2 cups (about) cold water

• Ice cubes
• Fresh mint leaves
• Lemon slices

Combine chopped mint, ginger, and honey in medium bowl. Add boiling water. Let steep 30 minutes. Strain into 4-cup glass measuring cup, pressing on solids to extract liquid. Add lemon juice and enough cold water to measure 4 cups total. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

Fill glasses with ice cubes. Add lemonade. Garnish with mint leaves and lemon slices and serve.

Recipe from www.epicurious.com

Grilled Portobello Sandwich, Grilled Lemongrass Beets, and Creamed Beet Greens

When it's hot out, I prefer not to cook in the house. I try to cook on the grill as frequently as I can in the summer. Grilling adds a certain kind of flavor that is impossible to replicate on a stove.

One thing that is often seen on our grill is a portabella mushroom. It's large and meaty enough to be a perfect substitute to the traditional hamburger patty, and since mushrooms have the ability to soak up virtually any flavor, you have endless possibilities. Just marinate the mushroom with whatever you feel like tasting that day.

As I have said in an earlier post, I love beets. In this meal we have golden and red beets that I purchased from our local farmers market that day. The color combination is amazing! If you get beets with fresh crisp greens, don't just through them away they are packed full of vitamins and make a comparable substitution in any recipe involving a cooking green. Here I substituted the beet greens in place of spinach in the creamed spinach recipe I have previously posted. Though, I could taste a difference between the beet greens and the spinach, it wasn't unpleasant.

Grilled Portobello Mushroom Sandwich

(I never measure out my ingredients for the marinade. Just add ingredients to your taste)

• Olive Oil
• Vinegar (use whichever you like, sometimes I use balsamic, sometimes red wine, sometimes cider)
• Spices: Onion powder, garlic powder, basil, oregano, crushed red pepper, salt freshly ground black pepper (again use anything you like. You can use bbq spice mixes if you'd like, or even something like your favorite Mrs. Dash seasoning)
• Lemon Juice (This is actually the first time I added this ingredient, but it gave the mushroom a lovely bright taste)
• Ciabatta bread loaf

Preheat your grill. Marinade the mushroom in the oil, vinegar, lemon juice and spices. The longer the better, but at least for 10 minutes. Cut the bread loaf in portions big enough to hold a mushroom. Halve the sections and drizzle the cut face with some olive oil (we have a Misto oil spray from bed bath and beyond that I use for things like this) and season with salt and pepper.

Place the marinaded mushrooms on the hottest part of the grill. Cook for about 5 minutes a side. Place the ciabatta slices on the coolest part of the grill and grill until lightly toasted. After removing the mushrooms from the grill, let them sit for a couple minutes before serving. The mushrooms can be eaten plain on the bread, but you can top with whatever toppings you'd like, Guacamole, salsa, goat cheese, or barbecue sauce. Sometimes we spread chipotle mayonnaise on the bread, but this time I had purchased some garlic scape hand rolled butter from our farmers market that I spread on the bread.

Grilled Lemongrass Beets

• 6 (total) Peeled raw golden and red beets, cubed
• Olive oil (about a table spoon)
• Salt
• Pepper
• Some tender blades of lemongrass

Toss cubed beets in a bowl with the olive oil, and season with salt and pepper, cut the lemongrass into 1 inch blades add to the bowl and toss. Let sit for a few minutes for the lemongrass flavor to penetrate. Grill in a grill basket until the beets are tender, the lemongrass will have mostly been burned away, but if any of it remains, pick it out, do not eat the lemongrass (it is pretty tough).

Creamed Beet greens

Prepare the same recipe for creamed spinach but substituting in beet greens instead of the spinach.

Pineapple Sage Lemonade

This year, my husband signed us up to be members of our neighborhood conservatory so that we could get first dibs on the plant sale. I'm always on the lookout for fun and unique herbs and plants. I found something that I had never heard of before at the sale: Pineapple Sage, so I HAD to get it! But, of course now that I had bought it I had no idea what to make with it.

I found a recipe online for Pineapple Sage Iced tea. It involved freezing pineapple juice in ice cube trays, which I don't have the patience for tonight. So, I decided to try sprucing up a traditional summertime favorite: Lemonade.

This is a basic lemonade recipe with a little something extra, you can really upgrade your lemonade whichever way you like. Try substituting any kind of mint for the sage here.

Pineapple Sage Lemonade

(for 1 quart)

Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice from 2-3 lemons, depending on the size of your lemons you may need more or less

2 cups of ice

cold water (for sparkling lemonade, use carbonated water, such as San Pellegrino)

honey (to taste)

8-10 Pineapple Sage Leaves roughly chopped

Pour the lemon juice and ice in a pitcher, add water until it is just under a quart. Add honey to taste. Add sage leaves and stir until the honey has completely dissolved. Immediately serve over fresh ice. Enjoy!