2 posts from May 2009

Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

We're ripping apart our bathroom today to finish the renovation, so I have to make this quick (as always, right? SORRY!). Anyway, the other night I had this insane craving for Chinese food. The problem is . . . whenever we go out for Chinese, I inevitably find some piece of meat floating around in the sauce. Or just taste that the meal was prepared in a pan that had previously had meat in it. Ick.

And this happens pretty much at ever place we go. So, I'm not so keen on take-out these days.

But, again, I was craving it intensely. I decided there must be a way to create convincing Chinese food at home. Enter a quick Google search for "sweet and sour tofu" . . . and this tasty recipe (courtesy of About.com) pops up and rocks my world. The most impressive part of the whole thing is the texture. It's exactly like the sauces you experience with the real deal.



Sweet and Sour Tofu (with vegetables)

What you'll need . . .

• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 3/4 cup vegetable broth
• 3 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp ketchup
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil (I used canola)
  
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 carrots, sliced (I omitted this part)
  
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1 14 oz package of firm or extra firm tofu, drained and cut into 1 inch cubes

Method . . .

1. In a large bowl, mix together the cornstarch and vegetable broth, then add the vinegar, sugar, ketchup, soy sauce, ginger and cayenne pepper until well mixed. Set aside.
2. In a large skillet or wok, stir-fry the garlic, onion, (and carrots) in oil about 5 minutes.
3. Here's where I deviate from the original recipe. We fried our tofu. So, heat a splash or so of oil until hot in a pan . . . and then drop in your cubes of tofu. Keep stirring well to fry all sides while you continue the next steps.
   
4. Add the pepper and mushrooms and stir-fry for another 2 to 3 minutes.
5. Add the sauce mix to the veggies and cook until mixture thickens, approx 5 to 7 minutes.
   
6. Add tofu and allow to cook at least 5 more minutes. 

Thanks to Jolinda Hackett at About.com for giving this recipe to the internet world.

Hey, everyone! Our race went very well -- my husband came in 8th overall . . . and I landed somewhere in the 950s out of about 4,000 runners at our half marathon a little over a week ago. Now we're gearing up for the full marathon in the fall . . . and I've decided to run the Boilermaker in July! Best race ever, I'd say.

Trying to eat better these days. Actually got inspired by Becca over at Project Raw to start my day (each and every day) with a green smoothie. This morning's had three heaping handfuls of spinach, 1 cup fresh pineapple, a large mango, 1/2 banana, and some super food powder in it. Tomorrow: kale.

Yum!

But part of all of this means more adventures in my baking. So, I've decided to start this trend with agave nectar, which is very much like honey except that it's a liquid-y sweetener derived from a plant. The result of my experimentation was great -- the cookies turned out very well . . . and not TOO sweet, which is just how we like 'em here at the house. Anyway, that's really all I have time for today, but enjoy this super chocolate chip cookie recipe!

AGAVE-SWEETENED CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

What you'll need . . .

• 1/2 cup agave nectar (you can find it in the organic foods section of most grocery stores)
• 1/4 cup Sugar in the Raw
• 1 cup canola oil
• 1/4 cup milk substitute of your choice (and I bet water works, too -- and, mmm, maybe coconut milk!)
• 1 tablespoon corn starch
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1-3/4 cups wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 cup hazelnut flour
• 1/2 cup instant oats
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Vegan chocolate chips (or carob)
• Sliced almonds

Method . . .

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Either grease two baking sheets -- or line them with parchment.
2. Combine the agave nectar, sugar, oil, milk sub., and corn starch in the bowl of an electric mixer . . . speed on medium for two minutes. This part is important -- you want to fully combine these ingredients because they ensure the integrity of the cookie -- how it holds together.
3. Stir in the vanilla.
4. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt -- mix until well combined.
5. Fold in the chocolate chips and almond slices.
6. Spoon 1-inch balls onto baking sheets and bake for between 7-10 minutes. Cookies are done when the edges are JUST browned, like in the photo above.

Happy baking! I'm off to eat dinner.