Baked BBQ Tofu

Here’s another BBQ Tofu recipe. The tofu part is easy, it’s the sauce that takes a little time. But it’s mostly cooking time. In the sauce recipe, I didn’t have red pepper flakes so I added cayenne pepper instead. This was really good. Toby went back for seconds and now I have no leftovers. I served this with mashed potatoes, some jazzed up green beans (soy sauce, honey, garlic powder, walnuts), and yeast rolls. I had NOTHING left over for tomorrow’s lunch.

rating: 8

Baked BBQ Tofu
(from the cookbook “Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook” by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero)

1 recipe Backyard BBQ Sauce or Apricot BBQ Sauce
1 lb tofu, drained and pressed, cut widthwise into eighths
2 tbsp peanut oil
1 tbsp soy sauce

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a 9×18″ (preferably glass or ceramic) baking pan, dredge the tofu in the peanut oil and tamari to coat on both sides. Bake for 15 minutes, then flip the slices and bake for 15 more minutes. Meanwhile, prepare whichever sauce you are using.

When the tofu is done baking, pour the sauce over it, smothering it all over. Return to the oven and bake for 15 more minutes. Remove from the oven and serve.

Backyard BBQ Sauce
(from the same cookbook)

1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 medium-size yellow onion, chopped as finely as you can
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1/3 cup molasses
1/3 cup white vinegar
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp prepared yellow mustard (Dijon is fine, too)
2 tsp liquid smoke

Preheat a saucepan over medium heat. Place the onions in the pan and saute in oil until browned (about 7 minutes). Add the garlic and saute for another minute. Add all the other ingredients except the mustard and liquid smoke, and cook for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour, uncovered, stirring occasionally. Lower the heat if the sauce begins to splatter everywhere. Add the mustard and liquid smoke, and taste for sweetness/sourness. Adjust the flavors if you think it’s necessary, and cook for 5 more minutes. If you like a smooth BBQ sauce then puree it, but that’s not entirely necessary.

The best Mac-N-Cheese ever!

I made this mac-n-cheese once before, and it was heaven! It’s the sort of dish where, as you eat it, you can hear stuff clogging up your arteries, but it’s just so damn good you can’t stop eating it, so you put your hands over your ears? Yeah, that good. This time I used a fat-free half-n-half (hey, ever little bit helps). It was still creamy and delicious. Of course Toby put hot sauce in his. I only used 1 egg, and I put some bread crumbs on the top.

rating: 9.5

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Four-Cheese-Macaroni/Detail.aspx

Faux Crab cakes AGAIN

I guess this whole week we are revisiting some old favorites. Last night was one of my favorite recipes, the Faux crab cakes made with zucchini. Toby hates zucchini and loves these, that’s how good they are! I think the secret is that you grate the zucchini- it’s all about the texture. I serve these with some tartar sauce (of course!), a good cole-slaw, and some kind of potato (last night we had some Tater Tot “Crowns”). I always double the recipe too, so that I can have a couple of these the next day for lunch. Again, what’s up with my blurry pics?! Is it my camera or me?

rating: 9

I-Can’t-Believe-It’s-Not-Crab Crab Cakes

Adapted from John Shields, chef/owner, Gertrude’s (in Baltimore), as part of Cooking Fresh from the Mid-Atlantic, edited by Fran McManus and Wendy Rickard

2 cups coarsely grated zucchini

Salt

1 cup breadcrumbs

One egg, beaten

1 1/2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon mayonnaise

or plain yogurt

Juice of half a lemon

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Vegetable oil for frying

Place grated zucchini in a colander; sprinkle lightly with salt. Let zucchini sit for about 30 minutes, allowing it to drain. Squeeze to remove additional liquid — zucchini should be fairly dry.

Place zucchini and breadcrumbs in a large bowl and mix together.

In a smaller bowl, combine egg, Old Bay, Dijon, mayo, lemon juice and parsley, mixing well.

Pour egg mixture into zucchini-breadcrumb mixture and mix gently yet thoroughly. Form into eight patties and chill for about 15 minutes.

Heat a small amount of oil in a sauté pan and cook patties on both sides, browning well, about 5 minutes on each side.

Serve with tartar sauce, chopped capers, fresh basil, lemon wedges or halved Sungold tomatoes.

Mile-High Tortilla Pie AGAIN

We haven’t had this in awhile, and it’s just so GOOD! I had a craving for it. How can something so simple turn out to be so tasty?! The recipe actually calls for chicken and cilantro, but I leave those out. Here’s what you do:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a bowl, mix together a can of black beans (that have been rinsed and drained), a can of corn with peppers (that has been drained- this is sometimes called “Fiesta Corn”), and a jar of salsa. In a baking dish, spray some Pam or whatever you have on hand. Put down one flour tortilla, then spoon on some of the corn/bean/salsa mixture, then sprinkle on some shredded Monterey jack cheese. Keep doing this until this gets to be just a little taller than the pan (I think I used 6 tortillas). You end it with a tortilla. Bake this in the oven for about 20 minutes or so. The top will get a little brown. That’s it! Believe me, this is really good. We had big ol’ wedges of this with a green salad (we had a ranch dressing that Toby threw a little hot sauce in- ole!). I’ve included a pic. Not sure why I can’t get a clear picture of this dish.

rating: 9

Tomato-Rice Soup with Roasted Garlic & Navy Beans

So this is the dinner I was supposed to make Wed. night, but I forgot about the roasting garlic thing. So last night I started roasting the garlic at 3:30! Roasted garlic makes the whole house smell really good, by the way. This soup was easy to make. The most time-intensive part was the garlic roasting, and that is just waiting for it to be done. To roast the garlic, you just cut off about half an inch of the top of the bulb, drizzle olive oil over it, wrap it in tin foil, then put it in the oven. When it’s done and has cooled, you just squeeze it and all the garlicky goodness comes oozing out. The rest of the recipe is just adding ingredients and letting it simmer. Toby said he thought it needed some “kick”. I disagree. He said that is was ok, but that I had made other stuff so much better, he would rather have other recipes again instead of this one. And now I have 2 vats of it in my freezer to eat all by myself (this recipe makes ALOT). I served this with yeast rolls and a green salad.

rating: 6

Tomato-Rice Soup with Roasted Garlic & Navy Beans
(from the cookbook “Veganomicon- the Ultimate Vegan Cookbook” by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero)

2 bulbs garlic
1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium-sized yellow onion, diced as small as possible
1 cup long-grain brown rice
2 bay leaves
2 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried marjoram
2 tsp salt
several pinches of freshly ground black pepper
2 (28-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
1 (15-ounce) can navy beans, drained and rinsed (about 1.5 cups)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Roast the garlic for about 45 minutes, until soft. You should be able to feel if it’s soft by pressing with a knife or your finger. Preheat a soup pot over medium heat. Saute the onions in the olive oil for 5-7 minutes, until translucent. Add the rice, bay leaves, thyme, marjoram, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring, for about 2 minutes. Add the crushed tomatoes, then fill up the can with water twice and add the water (so that’s 56 ounces of water). Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for about 45 minutes. Remove the garlic from the oven. When it is cool enough to handle, squeeze the roasted garlic out of its skin and into a small bowl. Use a fork to mash the garlic to a relatively smooth consistency, then add to the soup once the rice is nearly tender. When the rice is completely cooked, add the beans and heat through. Then it’s ready to serve- just remove the bay leaves beforehand.

Stuffed Shells

Ok, this wasn’t the dinner I was planning on making last night. Toby took Liam down to the playground so I could get dinner started, so I got out Veganomicon to start preparing it, and I totally forgot that I had to roast some garlic beforehand! And that takes about 45 minutes. So, plan B. Stuffed shells! I always have frozen pasta, garlic bread, and pasta sauce on hand for moments like this. So we had stuffed shells with vodka sauce, garlic texas toast, and a green salad with a new dressing I bought, honey balsamic. I liked the dressing, Toby said it tasted like every balsamic he’s ever had. So- no new recipe.  Note to self: ROAST SOME GARLIC TODAY.

Asparagus Popover

Oh my. I made this last night for dinner and it was WONDERFUL! I am so proud of myself! It was easy and actually looked kind of fancy! It looks like something you would spend alot of time making, but actually didn’t. We both liked this one alot, and thought about ways to modify it. You could substitute mushrooms, green onions, throw in some jalapenos for some kick…there’s alot you could do to vary the ingredients. Note that I used Silk soymilk in place of the milk, and I did use Swiss cheese, but it was so tangy, I mixed it with a little shredded monterey jack cheese. I served this with a green salad. Try this one!

rating: 9.5

Asparagus Popover
(from the magazine “Everyday with Rachael Ray”)

1 lb. asparagus
2 tbsp butter
1/2 cup milk (I used Silk soymilk)
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup flour
salt and pepper
pinch sugar
3 ounces gruyere or Swiss cheese, shredded (1 cup loosely packed)

1. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 425 degrees. In a medium saucepan, add enough salted water to reach a depth of 2 inches; bring to a boil. Add the asparagus and cook until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water, then pat dry with paper towels.
2. In a medium cast-iron skillet, add the butter. Place the skillet in the oven to melt the butter.
3. In a medium bowl, microwave the milk on high for 30 seconds. Whisk in the eggs, then the flour, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper and the sugar.
4. Add the asparagus pieces to the hot cast-iron skillet and pour the batter on top. Sprinkle with half of the cheese and bake until puffed and golden-brown, 18-20 minutes. Top with the remaining cheese.

BBQ Tofu sandwiches

I had a craving for a BBQ sandwich, so I found a recipe on www.allrecipes.com. I took the first reviewers advice and treated the tofu a little differently. She said to press all the water out of it (with paper towels and a weight), then to cut it into triangles and freeze it for an hour. I was worried that it was too frozen, but it turned out ok. I think next time I will use a different BBQ sauce (I used a Heinz bottled kind), and may take Toby’s helpful advice to marinate it beforehand (I suggested BBQ sauce, he said malt vinegar). I used really good kaiser rolls for this, and toasted them a little beforehand. I made a coleslaw that I put on the sandwich. That made it really good as well. I served this BBQ sandwich with potato chips, baked beans, and a caesar salad.

rating: 8

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Barbecue-Tofu-Sandwiches/Detail.aspx

Not a new recipe, but dinner nonetheless

We got back Wed. night from our vacation in Florida, so I haven’t had time to look for new recipes or grocery shop. For Thursday’s dinner, I just threw together what we call “slop”. Thursday’s slop was a (faux) bacon and cheese sandwich, pinto beans (which Liam loves by the way), mashed potatoes, and a salad. I will return with new recipes on Monday.

Peas and Cheese Tortellini

I got this recipe from Rachael Ray’s magazine. I was going to serve a salad with it, but it and the bread were enough. I think next time I will get a different tortellini (store only had one brand), but all in all, this was really good. I used Silk soy milk instead of regular milk, and it turned out fine. I was able to have this and garlic bread ready within 20 minutes. I will def. make this one again.

rating: 7

Peas and Cheese Tortellini
(from Everyday with Rachael Ray magazine)

1 pound frozen cheese tortellini
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
2 tbsp butter
5 scallions, white and green parts thinly sliced separately
2 tbs flour
1 2/3 cup milk
salt and pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for sprinkling

1. In a large saucepan of boiling, salted water, cook the tortellini until al dente; drain.
2. Meanwhile, add the peas, butter and scallion whites to another large saucepan and cook over medium heat for 2 minutes. Whisk in the flour and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the milk and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Stir in the scallion greens and season with salt and pepper.
3. Stir the tortellini and 1/3 cup cheese into the sauce. Divide the pasta among 4 serving bowls and sprinkle with more cheese.