Veggie Fried Rice With Tofu

This excellent vegetable fried rice recipe comes from one of the many Moosewood cookbooks, I'm not sure which one though, because it is not one of the ones that I own. The recipe was passed to me from my friend John, who as I may have mentioned before, is no slouch in the kitchen, and is considered (by me) to be one of the most reliable recommenders of recipes (or practically anything else) around these here parts. Red peppers and snow peas provide crunch and color, while a sweet/salty/sour/spicy tofu marinade packs a flavorful punch. Relatively light on the prep, this recipe comes together extremely quickly once the cooking starts, and is substantial enough to stand on its own as a meal.

This recipe calls for 4 cups of cooked brown rice. When making fried rice, it is customary to use day-old or leftover rice, which has had time to shed excess moisture. If you try to make fried rice with fresh rice, you will almost certainly end up with too much moisture in the pan and a mushy result. With a little foresight, this should never be a problem. Cooked brown rice freezes exceptionally well, so next time you make a batch, double it and freeze the leftover in a 4 cup portion. You'll be good to go when the urge for fried rice hits you. Just don't forget to defrost it first. If you don't have any frozen rice, just make a batch the day before you plan on cooking. Check out some other great fried rice tips, and another great recipe, at Simply Recipes.

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First, make the tofu marinade by blending minced ginger root, minced garlic, soy sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, dark sesame oil, and chili paste/chili oil/chili sauce in a small bowl. Chop the tofu into 1/2 inch cubes and add it to the marinade, stirring gently. Prep the rest of the vegetables before you start cooking.


Heat a few tablespoons of oil in a large skillet, then add the peppers and cook for a few minutes before adding the snow peas along with some water. This is allowed to cook for a few minutes until the water evaporates and the vegetables are tender, but still retain some crispness.

Remove the tofu from the marinade and add it to the skillet, stirring to combine with the vegetables. Add the rice and heat thoroughly. Last, stir in the leftover marinade along with the scallions and you're all done.

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Veggie Fried Rice With Tofu (adapted from a Moosewood cookbook)
Serves 4 as a small main or 6 as a side - about 30-40 minutes

Marinade

• 1 Tbsp minced ginger root
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp rice vinegar
  
• 2 tsp brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp dark sesame oil
• 1 tsp chili sauce OR 1/2 tsp chili paste OR a splash of chili oil

• 1 lb of extra-firm tofu
• 3 Tbsp peanut or vegetable oil
• 2 medium red peppers, cut into thin strips
• 6 ounces snow peas, stemmed
  
• 1/4 cup water
• 4 cups cooked brown rice
• 2/3 cup chopped scallions
• chopped toasted almonds or pecans (optional)

1. In a small bowl, combine marinade ingredients and mix well
2. Cut tofu into 1/2 inch cubes and add to marinade, stirring gently
3. Prepare the remaining ingredients (slice peppers, trim peas, chop scallions, measure rice)
4. Heat oil in large skillet over medium high heat for 3 to 4 minutes, oil should be shimmering but not smoking
5. Add the peppers and stir fry for 3 minutes
6. Add the snow peas and water and continue to cook until water has evaporated, about 3 more minutes - the vegetables should be somewhat tender, but retain some crispness
7. Remove the tofu from the marinade with a slotted spoon, and stir it into the skillet
8. Add the rice and heat thoroughly, about 3 minutes
9. Pour on the leftover marinade, add the scallions, and stir to combine
10. Serve immediately garnished with the chopped nuts if you choose to use them
    

Sesame Noodles with Stir-fried Tofu and Vegetables

My friend John recently passed me a wonderful recipe from Cook's Country Magazine for grilled chicken with sesame noodles, which hit the dual bullseye of being both easy to make and extremely good. Cold sesame noodles make a great dinner on a warm spring or summer evening. They can be topped with different meat and veggie combinations, eaten plain as either a main course or a side, and I'm sure leftovers would make and excellent lunch (if you have any leftovers that is - I haven't). This particular recipe gets the flavor just right with a sauce that perfectly blends salty, sweet, spicy, and peanut-y tastes...sounds good right?

The second time I made this recipe, I decided to go the vegetarian route, with excellent results. Topped with stir-fried tofu, and crunchy, colorful red peppers, carrots, and snow peas, this dish is full of healthy fats and protein, and bursting with flavor - a real winner.

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Usually I'm all about mise en place, but I'm comfortable prepping ingredients as I go along with this one, as timing is not too crucial. Just rinse all your veggies before you start and put a large pot of water on to boil and you'll be fine. So go ahead and mince the garlic and ginger, then combine it in a bowl with the soy sauce, rice vinegar, hot sauce, brown sugar, and sesame oil, then whisk everything to combine. Set aside 3 tablespoons of the sauce for later use.

Cut the carrots, red pepper, and tofu, then toss them together with the snow peas and the 3 tablespoons of sauce.

Puree the rest of the sauce with the peanut butter in a blender until smooth.

Put your noodles in the boiling water and slice the scallions while the noodles boil.

Drain the noodles, rinse them with cold water, and then drain them well. Toss the noodles in a large bowl with the pureed sauce and the scallions. If you are not going to be serving for a while, place the noodles in the fridge, just remember to take them out about 15 minutes before you're ready to eat so that they are not ice cold.

Heat the oil over high heat in a wok style pan until it is shimmering. Add the tofu and vegetables and stir-fry for a few minutes, until the vegetables are just tender. Place about 1/4 of the noodles in a bowl and top them with the stir-fried tofu and vegetables.

Here's a picture of the alternative, non-veggie version with chicken. Just marinate some boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds) in the separate 3 tablespoons of sauce, then grill them, slice them, and serve them on top of the noodles.

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Sesame Noodles with Stir-fried Tofu and Vegetables (adapted from Cook's Country Magazine)
About 30 minutes - Serves 4

• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons of minced ginger
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 teaspoons hot sauce (I use Frank's Red Hot)
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
• 1/4 cup peanut butter (I suggest a sugar-free, salt-free peanut butter)
  
• 1 package of extra-firm tofu (12 to 16 ounces), cut into 1/2 inch cubes
  
• 2 cups of snow peas
• 1 large red pepper, cut into matchstick size strips
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into matchstick size strips
• 6 scallions (green part only), sliced thin
• 1 pound Asian noodles (I suggest buckwheat soba noodles)
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  
• salt
  

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil
2. Whisk the garlic, ginger, soy sauce, rice vinegar, hot sauce, brown sugar, and sesame oil in a small bowl, separate 3 tablespoons of sauce and set it aside
3. Toss the 3 tablespoons of sauce with the tofu, snow peas, red pepper, and carrot
4. Puree the rest of the sauce with the peanut butter in a blender until smooth
5. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt to the boiling water, toss in the noodles, and boil according to package instructions
6. Slice the scallions
7. Drain the noodles, rinse them with cold water, and then drain them again
8. Toss the cooled and drained noodles with the pureed peanut sauce and the scallions (refrigerate if you're not going to serve right away)
9. Heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a wok-style pan over high heat
10. When the oil is shimmering, add the tofu and vegetables and stir-fry until just tender, about 4 minutes
11. Separate the noodles into 4 bowls and top each with 1/4 of the stir-fried tofu and vegetables
    

Chicken and Vegetable Stir-Fry

As far as quick cooking goes, it is tough to beat stir-frying. Heat your wok or wok-style pan as hot as you can get it, add some peanut oil (or some other oil with a high smoke point) throw in some meat (if you want) and veggies, cook until everything is slightly soft, add your sauce and stir until it thickens and that's it. Usually this takes about 10 minutes from start of cooking to finish, give or take a few minutes depending on what it is exactly that you are stir-frying (meats and soft vegetables go quickly, hard veggies like broccoli take a bit longer).

There are many benefits to stir-fry cooking. Stir frying is an excellent way to work a variety of vegetables into a meal (and to use up any extra veggies you may have hanging around), and more vegetables is never a bad thing. While the word fry conjures thoughts of fat-laden, greasy fare, stir fried food is anything but fatty and greasy. Aside from the fact that the amount of oil used is minimal (usually just a few teaspoons or tablespoons for the entire meal), peanut oil is high in monounsaturated fats which have been shown to lower blood LDL (the "bad" cholesterol) while increasing blood HDL (the "good" cholesterol). Serve over a whole grain rice and help that heart even more. Lastly, stir frying is a fast and easy dinner that can be made even more convenient with some advance preparation.

To keep your stir-frying healthy you definitely want to avoid most of the prefabricated stir-fry sauces available in the grocery store, as they are usually loaded with tons of sodium and other undesirables. Stir-fry sauce is quick and easy to make at home (and has a much cleaner flavor). Most sauces are a combination of soy sauce, garlic, vinegar, sugar, and salt with other options like ginger and various spicy elements often playing a role. You can use pretty much whatever meats, vegetables, or combinations of both that you like. Generally, you want to cook the meats first to sear the outside, then add the vegetables (harder vegetables go in before softer vegetables). Sometimes you may want to remove the partly cooked meat from the pan before adding the veggies and then adding it back in before the sauce so as not to overcook the meat. Play around with different combinations and sauce ingredients until you find something that you really love.

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If you know you're making this stir-fry during the week, you can chop the vegetables ahead of time (except for the onion), that way when you're ready to cook all you'll have to do is chop the onion and make the sauce. You can go start to finish in under 30 minutes (take that Rachael Ray), just don't forget to start the rice!

Mise en place is essential with stir-fry as the cooking goes extremely fast and you won't have time to chop or make the sauce once you start cooking. Begin by chopping everything into bite size pieces and making the sauce. Heat your pan over high heat and add the peanut oil.

Add the onion and a pinch of salt, fry for about 1 minute then add the chicken.

Once the chicken is no longer pink on the outside (about 2 minutes), add the broccoli. After about 3 minutes, toss in the rest of the veggies.

When all the veggies are slightly softened (they should be tender, but NOT mushy), add the sauce. Stir constantly until the sauce thickens and nicely coats all the vegetables and the chicken. This will take 2 to 3 minutes.

Put some rice in a bowl, top with some of your chicken and veggies and serve.

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Chicken and Vegetable Stir-Fry (adapted from The New Moosewood Cookbook)
About 30 minutes - Serves 4

For the sauce:

• 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
• 1 1/4 cup water
• 1 tablespoon grated ginger
  
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons dry sherry or rice wine
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch

• 2 medium heads of broccoli, cut into bite-size florets
• 2 red peppers, chopped into 1 inch pieces
  
• 2 cups of snow peas
• 2 cups of baby corn, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 chicken breasts, skin and bones removed, chopped into 1 inch cubes
• 2 tablespoons peanut oil
• About 3 cups of cooked rice
  

1. To make sauce: combine all ingredients except cornstarch in a small bowl
2. Place the cornstarch in a separate small bowl, and whisk in the mixture from step 1, set the sauce aside until needed (you may need to re-whisk before adding to the pan)
3. Heat a large wok or wok-pan (or a deep skillet) over high heat for 1 minute
4. Add the oil, then the onion and about 1/2 teaspoon of salt, stir fry for one minute
5. Add the chicken, stir-fry until no longer pink, about 2 minutes
6. Add the broccoli, stir-fry for 3 minutes
7. Add the rest of the vegetables, stir-fry until everything is tender (but not mushy) about 3 to 4 additional minutes
8. Whisk the sauce and add it to the pan, stirring constantly until sauce thickens and all the vegetables are shiny, about 2 to 3 minutes
9. Remove from heat and serve over prepared rice

Friday Night Curry

I have had some barley sitting in my kitchen cabinet for about a year now and I decided last week that I was going to use it for something. I was thinking of maybe roasting some onions and carrots with a little balsamic vinegar, tossing some chickpeas in a skillet with a little oil and salt, then throwing everything over some barley, maybe topping it with some goat cheese - hopefully it would come out something like this. I never did find out though because I then opened my fridge and saw some leftover coconut milk which needed some immediate attention. I went to Recipezaar and entered coconut milk and chick peas and came up with this recipe for Creamy Chickpea Curry. It looked pretty good, was highly rated with some good user reviews, and I already had some red curry paste sitting in the fridge as well. The only thing I changed about this recipe was to add 1 pound of chicken tenders cut into bite size pieces. The recipe called for putting the curry over jasmine rice, but since this whole adventure began with me wanting to use barley, I used barley instead, and I couldn't imagine that it would have been better with the rice.

The recipe was so good that I made it again this week, minus the chicken, double the chickpeas, and subbing in lite coconut milk for the full fat variety (for calorie reasons). The resulting curry was tasty, but lacked that luxurious quality and silky texture that the regular coconut milk provides. I think I'll sacrifice the calories in the future and use the full fat version, which contains lauric acid, an ingredient found in breast milk that the body converts into a chemical that is a powerful antibacterial and antiviral agent. In short, it might make it harder for you to get sick.

Start by preparing the grain of your choice (try barley instead of rice) and prepping the other ingredients. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat, toss in the onions and cook them until they just begin to brown.

Add the garlic and curry paste, stirring to combine, and cook a minute or two until the paste is pretty much dissolved into the onion mixture. Dump in the chickpeas, coconut milk, and soy sauce, bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes.

Stir in the tomatoes, brown sugar and lime juice. Simmer for another minute, and prepare some serving bowls by placing about a cup of barley in each.

Don't forget to stir in your fresh chopped herbs before adding the curry to the bowls. This is an extremely satisfying dinner all on its own. I'm definitely no expert on Thai food, and have no idea how authentic this dish is, but it tastes good to me. Give it a try.

And since it was Friday, and there were not already enough dirty dishes, I decided to make some cookies as well. I wanted my favorite oatmeal cookies, but alas, not enough brown sugar in the house. I settled on Martha Stewart's Double Chocolate Chunk Cookies. Thin, chewy, and chocolaty...