Asian Pan-seared Tofu with Soba Noodles

What is that magic ingredient that makes Asian food so amazing? I'll tell you what it is...SESAME OIL. Honestly, difference in the world.  I use it to make pan-fried noodles, stir fries, fried rice, and egg rolls. Here's a great way to turn plain tofu (which is so tasteless that it usually makes me want to die) into a salty, sweet, tangy, and spicy topping for healthy soba noodles!

Ingredients:

1 package Firm Tofu

Soba noodles

3 tbsp toasted sesame oil
The juice of one juicy lime
1/2 cup soy sauce (I use low-sodium, but you could use regular or gluten free)
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp coriander
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (adjust for desired spice level)
3 cloves of crushed garlic
2 inch piece of minced ginger

flax seeds (optional)
mixed baby greens (optional)


- Drain tofu and pat dry. Then slice in 1/2 - 3/4 inch slices.

-Prepare marinade by combining sesame oil, soy sauce, lime juice, cumin, coriander, red pepper flakes, garlic, and ginger.

-Place tofu in a bowl. Coat tofu with marinade and let sit for at least 20 minutes. (honestly, I marinate things until I'm too bored with whatever else I'm doing to wait any longer!)

 -Bring a large pot of water to a boil and drop in three portions of soba noodles. Boil for about 8 minutes.

-Drain pasta and set aside. You could easily use a different kind of asian noodle with this dish. I really love the curly egg noodles and this tofu would be great on top of pan-fried egg noodles...

-Once you're done cooking the pasta, you can use the same large pot to sear the tofu! (Hurray for fewer dishes!)

-Sear the tofu on medium high heat for about five minutes on each side. Make sure you get a little caramelization going on with the marinade on the tofu!

-Toss soba noodles in a little soy sauce and place noodles on top of some fresh baby greens.

-Place tofu on top of noodles and sprinkle with flax seeds. The seeds add a nice nutty texture that compliments the great flavor of the sesame oil!

This dish is so healthy that you'll feel great about eating it all up! Enjoy!

Dill and Leek Tortilla

Last weekend I bought a bunch of dill from the supermarket. Even after gorging myself on cucumber salads through the week, I still have way too much dill left over. So I got to thinking about how else to use the dill... the thought processes went something like this: dill - sour cream - potato chips - bacon - eggs - breakfast - breakfast for dinner - quiche - tortilla!

I'm pretty familiar with quiches. My mom makes a good quiche and always fills it with a combination or broccoli, asparagus, ham, and/or mushrooms. The egg base for a tortilla, a frittata, and a quiche are really the same. Tortillas get the added benefit of potatoes, which compensate for their lack of a crust.

While a traditional frittata or tortilla is cooked in an oven-safe frying pan, I wanted to cook mine in a springform pan. I love using springform pans because they make serving deep-dish foods very easy. 

The problem with springform pans, however, is that they don't always seal! As I poured the egg base into the pan, I saw a big puddle leak out from under the pan! I guess I'll just have to do some kitchenwares shopping next weekend..."shucks!"

So here's the tortilla I ended up making:

Ingredients:

2 medium-sized yukon gold potatoes (any waxy potato will work)

1 large leek

4 cloves garlic

handful of fresh dill

6 eggs

1 cup half and half

8 oz goats cheese

salt and pepper to taste

4 oz bacon (optional)

9-10 inch springform or pie pan (greased with olive oil or shortening)

-Heat oven to 350* F. 

POTATO AND LEEK PREP

-Slice the leek in 1/4inch-wide rounds. Rinsing them and breaking them apart under running water.

-In a large pot, sauté the leeks with a little olive oil and salt. Once the leeks are translucent, add the garlic and continue sautéing for a few minutes. 

-Wash the potatoes and slice them in thin rounds. Then chop the rounds into matchsticks.

-Add the potatoes to the sautéing leeks and continue cooking on medium-low for about ten minutes. This step is just to start the cooking process for the potatoes. Make sure you salt and pepper the potato and leek mixture. Seasoning as you go helps build flavor in several layers.

EGG BASE PREP

-In a large bowl, beat the goats cheese with a quarter-cup of the half and half. You can use a hand-held electric mixer or you can wisk this by hand if you want to give your wrists a workout. 

-Once the cheese is smooth, add the rest of the half and half, the eggs, and a handful of finely chopped dill. Mix this all together to add a little air to the mixture.

PUTTING IT TOGETHER

-Mix the potato and leek mixture with the egg mixture and pour into the prepared pan.

-If you want to add a little meaty goodness to this dish, you can crisp up some bacon in a pan and sprinkle it on top of the tortilla mixture.

-Finally, chop up a little more dill and sprinkle it over everything. 

-Bake the tortilla for 40 to 50 minutes. You'll know it's done when it starts to brown on top and doesn't jiggle when you move the dish. It's a good idea to place a cookie sheet under the dish so that if any egg mixture spills over the sides of the dish, you won't have an entire oven to clean!

You'll find that this tortilla is perfect for breakfast (with a little hot sauce, perhaps?), lunch, or dinner (with a green salad tossed in a light vinaigrette)!

I'll be eating this tortilla all through the week. There's no chance of these leftovers going to waste!

Easy Chicken Bake with Pesto Rice and Quinoa

Midway through the week, once the leftovers of the weekend cooking adventures have been eaten, I find that it's time to cook again. Unfortunately, stopping at the grocery store after work puts me in the middle of traffic, so I arrive home and realize I don't have anything planned for dinner. Uh oh...

Thankfully, with a few items from the freezer and pantry, I can make up a very healthy, one dish meal. If, like me, you forget to take your chicken out of the freezer to thaw during the day, you can boil the chicken for 10 to 15 minutes before continuing with this recipe.

Here's what you'll need for 3 to 4 portions of this chicken and rice baked dish:

4 chicken tenderloins 

1/4 cup basil pesto

1 to 1 1/2 cups any mixture of rice (white, brown, jasmine, or basmati) and quinoa (white, or red)

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup frozen green beans (I prefer the slender, whole, french style green beans)

2 cloves crushed garlic

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup sliced almonds (optional)

-Preheat oven to 400* F. Grease the sides and bottom of a small casserole dish with olive oil.

-Mix broth, garlic, and pesto together in the dish.

-Add rice mixture and almonds to the broth mixture. 

-Top with frozen green beans.

-Coat chicken tenderloins in a little extra pesto and place them on top of the green beans. (the chicken might sink a bit into the liquid, but that's okay.)

-Cover dish with tin foil.

-Bake for twenty minutes covered, then uncover and continue to bake until the rice has absorbed all the broth.

This dish can be modified in so many ways. Instead of basil pesto, you could flavor the chicken and rice with an olive tapenade or chimichurri sauce. you could also cook the rice in a plain chicken broth and flavor the chicken with a spicy and sweet barbecue rub.

Mushroom Mutter

Here's a North Indian mushroom and green pea curry sure to warm you on cold winter days. You can serve this with some cardamom-scented basmati rice or fresh naan.

Because this dish has a few steps, I've listed the ingredients in the order that you'll need them.

Ingredients:

2 medium yellow onions
4+ cloves of garlic
Fresh ginger - about a 2 inch piece
1 TBSP butter - the real stuff, not margarine

Spices (no set proportions...just go with your gut. I usually use about twice as much garam masala and curry powder as coriander and cumin)
Garam Masala
Curry Powder
Coriander Cumin
1 Serrano chili pepper (optional)

1 large can (about 14 oz) crushed tomatoes (you could used diced fresh tomatoes as well)
A large handful of fresh cilantro, chopped finely

Two pints of baby portobello mushrooms (halved or quartered into 1 inch pieces)
1-2 cups of frozen green peas

1 cup cashews (optional)
1/2 cup heavy cream (optional)

 - Dice the onions and sauté them on medium heat with the butter and a little salt. Once onions are translucent, add the diced (or crushed) garlic and ginger. Let cook on medium/low for a few minutes.

-Add spices to onion mixture, stir constantly for two to three minutes. (Adding the spices at this stage allows them to really cook and develop a nutty flavor.)

-Pour in crushed tomatoes and add chopped cilantro. Bring to a simmer and cook for five minutes. -Using either a handheld immersion blender or a stand-up full-size blender, purée the tomato onion mixture until smooth.

-Add mushrooms, peas, and cashews to purée and bring up to low simmer. Cook for twenty to thirty minutes, stirring occasionally. NOTE: As mushrooms cook, they will release a bit of water, so don't worry if the mixture seems too think when you first add the mushrooms and peas. You can add a bit of vegetable or chicken stock later if it's still too thick.

-Before serving, add a bit of heavy cream to give the dish a decadent mouth-feel. Salt to taste. Garnish with a leaf of cilantro.

 Enjoy!

The Starting Line

Cooking has always been a passion of mine. Whether I'm creating dishes for myself, for my family, for a holiday meal, or for a snazzy dinner party, I am all about exploring new flavors! In this blog I hope to share with you some of my daily adventures in the world of food. When I'm not baking, or working from a family recipe, I do not measure my ingredients. I add items by feel. In the recipes I post on this blog, I will estimate conventional measurements to give you an idea of how much of something to use. I see cooking as the best part of a meal. I snack as I cook, taste as I go, and adjust the dish constantly. There is no science to my kind of cooking. I hope you enjoy these "recipes" and have a blast experimenting in the kitchen!