Vegetarian Delight: Tofu & Mushrooms, Spicy Satay Sauce

Last night, B had a business dinner. I normally don't love solo dining, but I took the opportunity to create something using ingredients B cringes and shudders at the thought of. Tofu and mushrooms are definitely high on his list of things not to put in his mouth, but I happen to find both delightful, so why not throw the two together! Mmm! 

This vegetarian dish is nutritious and packed with protein (the one brick of tofu alone contains 35gr of protein!). Feeling somewhat weighed down and guilty from the late night meat lovers pizza the dinner before, I had this tofu stir fry on its own. It would make a fantastic topper for a brown rice bowl though. Quinoa would work just as well. 

Serves 2

• 14oz extra firm, reduced fat tofu
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 dried red chili pepper
• 1/2 onion
• 1 small zucchini
• 8 medium mushrooms
• 1/3 cup frozen shelled edamame peas
• 1 tsp olive oil
• Spicy satay sauce: 
• 1/3 cup skim milk
• 1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp peanut butter (not chunky)
• 1/2 tsp green thai curry paste
• 1/2 tsp corn starch
• 1/4 tsp ground pepper 
• 1/4 tsp ground coriander 
• Optional: brown rice or quinoa (cooked per package instructions)
• Sesame seeds, garnish

Carefully remove tofu from packaging, and set aside in a colander to drain excess liquid while you prepare the veggies.

Mince the garlic and chili pepper together. 

Dice the onion. Slice zucchini lengthwise into 4-5 strips, then dice. Chop washed mushrooms into bite-size chunks (I cut each mushroom up into 6 pieces). 

Measure out 1/3 cup of frozen shelled edamame peas and set aside.  

Carefully slice the tofu into rectangular cubes. I sliced a 14oz brick into 20 mini bricks of approximately the same size. 

Heat no more than 1 tsp olive oil in a medium frying pan over high, swiveling the pan around so the tsp of olive oil evenly coats the pan.  Once the pan is hot, add the sliced tofu, taking care to ensure the pieces don't break (extra firm tofu is easiest to work with). Reduce to medium heat and cook for about 3 minutes. Carefully flip each tofu slice over (I find using chopsticks allows the most precision and control, but a spatula should work fine too), letting each side cook for approx 3min until the tofu is golden all around. Meanwhile, measure out all spicy satay sauce ingredients and mix together in a cup or small bowl, stirring well to incorporate. Once the tofu is finished cooking, remove from pan and set aside on a plate, covering with a pot lid to keep warm. 

Without adding any more oil to the same frying pan, add the minced garlic, red chili and diced onions over medium heat. Cook for 2min, adding a tablespoon of water to help steam fry. Add the frozen edamame peas to the pan and stir for another minute. 

Add mushrooms and zucchini to pan. Give the satay sauce another big stir, then pour into pan with veggies.Cook for 5-10min until sauce has thickened to desired consistency. 

(If serving as a brown rice/quinoa bowl, portion out brown rice/quinoa, arrange tofu slices over top, then drizzle sauce and veggies on tofu. Garnish with sesame seeds.)

Serve saucy vegetables over bed of tofu. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and enjoy! 

Spiced Almonds

Last summer, during a trip home to Vancouver was when I discovered Ayoub's Dried Fruit & Nuts shop in English Bay. We were initially drawn into the store by the elegant Persian decor, but after a few samples, we were all hooked and had to make a few purchases. 

Ever since, I've been dying to make my own! I made a batch of candied almonds (see recipe here) around Christmas, but now it's time for a savoury version. My first attempt turned out pretty good, but being the flavor-fiend I am, I think I'll up my spice measurements for next time! The recipe written below already  reflects my flavor adjustments :)

• 1 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cayenne
• 1 egg white
• 2 cups almonds

Lightly coat a baking sheet with cooking spray (I didn't have any on hand, so I lightly rubbed a stick of margarine over the baking pan). 

Preheat oven to 275°F.  

Measure out the spices in a large bowl and mix together.

In a separate bowl, whisk the egg white until foamy.

Add 2 cups almonds to the egg white, using a spoon to mix well and evenly coat the almonds. 

Transfer the egg white coated almonds to the large bowl and mix well again to evenly coat with spices. 

Spread evenly on the baking pan. Bake for 45min. Let cool completely before storing in air-tight container. 

Spicy Chicken & Vegetable Stirfry on Udon

More often than not, I make noodle stir fries using the thin yellow chow mein noodles (see: Kung Pao Chicken Chow), but it's a delicious change of pace, when I remember to mix things up a little with udon. Udon is usually served as a hot noodle soup, but I find these fat, juicy noodles are particularly susceptible to soaking up sauce, so I like to use them in stir fry. 

This recipe also uses red cabbage, which I recommend over the usual green variety, because it contains significantly more protective phytonutrients (cancer-fighters) and 6-8 times more Vitamin C! 

Serves 4

• 1 skinless, boneless chicken breast
• Chicken marinade: 
• 1 tbsp vinegar
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp sriracha
• 1/2 tsp ground pepper
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 1/4 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp cayenne 
• 7-8 cloves garlic (less if you don't prefer garlic)
• 2-3 dried red chili peppers 
• 1 small onion
• 1 carrot
• 1/2 small head red cabbage
• Sauce: 
• 1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1/4 tsp ground pepper
• 2 cups water 
• 1/3 cup oyster sauce
• sriracha, to taste
• 4-5 packs of fresh udon (200gr per pkg)
• 4 cups packed fresh spinach
• 1 small bunch cilantro
• sesame seed, garnish

A couple hours in advance, trim any fat off chicken breasts, and slice into bite-size pieces. Mix well with all marinade ingredients and set aside in fridge, allowing marinade to soak in.

Mince garlic and dried chili peppers together. 

Prepare the remaining vegetables: Thinly slice the onion. Julienne (matchstick) the carrots and red cabbage. Chop cilantro. 

Heat a small amount of olive oil over med-high in a large non-stick frying pan. Add minced garlic and dried chilis. Cook for a few minutes, stirring, til fragrant and edges of garlic turn golden brown. Remove from pan and set aside (use a large bowl or container so you can continue adding stir fried items to the bowl before mixing together at the end).

Using the same frying pan, and without adding more oil, add marinated chicken over high heat. The moisture from the marinade will keep the chicken from sticking to the pan. Stir for a few minutes until cooked through. Remove from pan and set aside. 

Using the same pan, add onion slices, reduce to medium, and let cook until onion softens and becomes clear (about 5min). Add small amounts of water occasionally as the pan becomes dry. Remove from pan and set aside when cooked. 

Add half a cup of water to the pan, increase heat to med-high, and add julienned carrots. Let steam-fry for 1min, then add the red cabbage to the carrots in the pan. Stir, and allow to steam-fry for another minute or two. Remove from pan and set aside.

Prepare the sauce in a small bowl, mixing together the cornstarch, soy sauce, ground pepper and water. 

Add the udon noodles to the frying pan over high heat, and add half a cup of water. Add more water as necessary as the water will steam off. Once the noodles have warmed up a bit, you can use a pair of chopsticks to loosen them up from their packaged brick form. When the noodles have been loosened, stir in the spinach, cilantro and all other stir fried ingredients set aside in the bowl. Give the sauce a stir as the cornstarch will have clumped at the bottom, then add to the pan, along with the oyster sauce, and sriracha to taste. Reduce to med-high heat and stir to mix everything together. Add more water to achieve desired sauce consistency. 

Serve in deep dish bowls (the noodles are slippery!), and garnish with sesame seeds. 

Spinach Omelette

I love eggs. Boyfriend does not. Yay ME!!!

Yields 1 large omelette

hello kitty kitchen essentials

• 2 cups raw spinach, packed
• 1/4-1/3 cup grated colby jack cheese (or any cheese or your choosing)
• 3 large eggs
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp pepper
• 1/8 tsp paprika
• splash of skim milk (approx 2 tbsp)
• 1 tsp olive oil

Measure out 2 cups of fresh (washed & dried) spinach, packed, then place in a medium non-stick pan over medium-high heat with a teaspoon of water. Cover with a lid. Once the spinach has wilted, place in colander to drain any excess liquid. Squeeze if necessary. 

Grate as much cheese as you like (I tend to use about 1/3 cup), and feel free to use whatever kind of cheese you have on hand! 

Crack eggs into a bowl with salt, pepper, paprika and skim milk. Beat thoroughly using a fork or whisk. 

Add 1 tsp olive oil to the same non-stick pan and heat to medium-high. Pour egg mixture into pan and reduce heat to medium.

Let sit for one minute before sprinkling cheese over the eggs. Leave for another minute, then add wilted spinach over the cheese. Leave for one more minute before folding the omelette over. Serve immediately if you prefer runny - Let sit until cooked through if you don't!