Mar

Sesame-crusted Stirfry

What a great long weekend we had with Matt’s brother, his wife and our awesome 5 year old nephew!
Along with Matt’s Dallas aunt, she hosted a day of fun at the Dallas World Aquarium. She hired a driver to take us in style and, after seeing the crazy St Patty’s Day traffic in our neighborhood, I am so glad I didn’t have to drive in that! Many thanks to her.
We spent a ton of time together, and we are so glad they came to Texas for a few days.
Here is a quick meal that was too easy and too tasty not to share with you:

Sesame-crusted Tofu Stirfry
(30 min cooking and prep time!)

12 oz package of tofu, rinsed and patted dry
1/2 cucumber, sliced into small bites
16 oz package of frozen stirfry veggie mix
1 TB sesame oil
2 TB olive oil
3 TB sesame seeds
Dash each of: salt, ginger, red pepper flakes
1/4 soy sauce
1/4 cup cornmeal or breadcrumbs

1: cut tofu into 12 small triangles. In a nonstick skillet/wok on med-high, drizzle in the 2 oils and 1 TB soy sauce. Place the tofu in the pan as one layer. Sprinkle 1/2 of the sesame seeds in and 2 TB of cornmeal and let cook for 4 min.

2: in a pot, add 1/4 cup of water and the cucumber pieces. Let cook for a few minutes, then add the frozen stirfry mix. Add a dash of salt, ginger, and red pepper flakes (optional). Cover and let cook on med high for 5-7 minutes or until fully heated and bright in color.

3: in the meantime, flip the tofu triangles and add the remaining sesame seeds and cornmeal. Let cook for 4 more minutes or until crust forms around the edges.

4: stir the soy sauce into the veggies and serve over rice (optional). Add a dash of dried fennel for a tasty twist to the veggies.

Eat!

~Laurel~

14 years ago Short URL

cucumber/fennel/sesame/stirfry/tofu

Sep

Dinners

Wow, it’s been a while! School and work have been so time-consuming, and I missed being here.

Let’s get right down to it with a little food, shall we? While I have been away from my blogging desk, I have NOT been away from the kitchen. Matt (and I) have whipped up some tasty things these last few weeks. Let’s start with dinner.

Stir fry. You love it. I love it. Healthy for your body, especially your heart.

i heart stir fry

*6 servings*
1 bag frozen or fresh stir fry mix (16 oz of chopped red pepper, edimame, water chestnuts, green beans)
1 cup chopped mushrooms
2 cups broccoli, bite-sized
16 oz extra firm tofu (I ate tofu, Matt chopped up 4 oz lean boneless porkchop)
Handful (about 1/3 cup) raw cashews or your favorite (peanuts, etc.)
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
2 TB sesame oil
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 teaspoon sesame seeds
salt to taste + crushed red pepper (optional)
3-4 cups rice

TOOLS:
1 wok, 1 wooden spoon, 1 basting brush, 1 tiny bowl
1 rice cooker (or pot with lid), cookie sheet with parchment paper/foil
*you’ll need 2 woks or 2 pans if you’re cooking “meat” separately from veggies

1) COOK THAT MEAT! Press the tofu with a few paper towels to remove all excess moisture. Cut into reasonable slices (I did strips this time, about 1/4 inch thick). Lay down on parchment paper or non-stick sprayed foil. In the tiny bowl, mix 1 TB of sesame oil, 1/2 of soy sauce and orange juice (optional). Stir ingredients together with brush and brush generously onto the tofu pieces. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Start cooking your rice, in whichever way you like.

If you’re cooking pork or chicken, put meat into a wok or pan and pour the “tiny bowl” ingredients into the pan. Stir and watch carefully. Cook until no longer raw, between 5–10 minutes. Set aside.

2) CRISP THOSE VEGGIES! Adding 1/3 cup of water to the pan, cook the veggies thoroughly, adding 1 TB of sesame oil once the veggies are lukewarm and the water has mostly evaporated. Allow the veggies to soak up the oil. Add in the rest of the soy sauce, cashews and 1/8 t. of crushed red pepper (optional). Cover and cook for a few minutes, until veggie are hot but not soggy.

3) STIR FRY! Uncover and stir the veggies. Combine the meat and stir, if you like, or serve separately. Add salt or more red pepper flakes to taste. Eat!

Tofu is awesome,
Tofu is yummy,
Tofu’s sure to make
A happy, full tummy!

~Laurel~

15 years ago Short URL

broccoli/mushrooms/sesame oil/stirfry/tofu

Mar

Don’t be scared, it’s just Tofu!

WHO LOVES TOFU???

I do! But here’s what my dear loved ones think:

Mom–Doesn’t it look and taste like cardboard?
Dad–The hippie era ended like 25 years ago, Laurel, youknow, when Tears for Fears shook the world…
Hubby–I like tofu, but it’s best with a little steak mixed in.

I don’t cook much with tofu, mostly I leave slicing and grilling it up to Thai restaurant professionals. But I thought I’d give this a try…

Hella Easy Tofu
1 lb firm tofu
1/3 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
Any other spices you like (crushed red pepper, peanut butter, etc)

1. Mix soy sauce and any other spices in a bowl or coffee cup.
2. Slice tofu into 1/4 inch slices (long or square, whateva) and place on foil-lined cookie sheet. Spray with non-stick spray.

3. Brush soy sauce mixture on both sides of each piece of tofu. Let marinate/sit for 10+ minutes. Bake at 375 for 25–30 minutes, or until brown and crisp on the edges. Inside will be soft and tender.

Baked tofu in a pool of soy sauce. Mmm

The flavor is mild and soy sauce-y, but not too salty. It’s really good and too easy!! The best part of tofu is that

1) it’s healthy.

2) tofu molds to whatever sauce/flavors you add to it. Example: if you add soy sauce and ground ginger sauce, the tofu will taste like the sauce. Make sure your sauce has lots of flavor.

Uses:

*same as you would chicken cutlets/nuggets that you can top with gravy or any sauce or dip

*slice into bite-sized pieces for a soup, stir fry, pasta, casserole

*serve on a bun with french fries for a healthy alternative

*any other way you like!! so versatile.

We made a stirfry…

Tofu, sweet peas, celery, broccoli, pineapple, mushrooms on a bed of rice.