Tofu, Sobe, and Veggie Stir-Fry

 Week 35 Featured Ingredient: Soba Noodles

I still had some tofu left, so I decided to try another recipe.  This one was really delicious.  Marinating the tofu gave it great flavor.  The sobe noodles, which are a Japanese buckwheat noodle, were really tasty.  I liked them a lot.  I used a lot of vegetables in my recipe to keep it healthy. 

Anne's Tofu, Sobe, and Vegetable Stir Fry
Serves 4

Ingredients:
1 package (14 oz) firm or extra-firm tofu
1/4 cup sake (rice wine)
3 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil, divided
3 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
8 oz soba noodles
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1/2 cup sliced scallions
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into small strips
2 cups snap peas
2 cups chopped fresh broccoli
2 cups chopped bok choy

Directions:
Cut tofu into 1/2" cubes.  Combine sake, soy sauce, and 1 teaspoon sesame oil in a shallow dish just large enough to hold tofu in a single layer.  Add tofu.  Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, turning once.

Cook noodles in a large pot of boiling water until tender, about 5 minutes.  Drain and rinse.  Place in a large bowl.

Put sesame seeds on a plate.  Remove tofu from marinade and toss cubes in the sesame seeds until coated.  Pour the remaining tofu marinade onto the noodles.   Heat 1 teaspoon sesame oil in a large skillet or wok over medium heat.  Cook tofu until golden, about 3-4 minutes, turning once; add to noodles.

Heat remaining sesame oil in the skillet and add the garlic, ginger, and vegetables.  Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the veggies are crisp-tender, about 5-8 minutes.  Add to the noodles and toss to combine.   Serve immediately.

Gingerbread Cookies with Royal Icing

 

Gingerbread Cookies
From The Best New Recipes Cookbook
Makes ~20-35 people or 30-55 round cookies

Ingredients:
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons (1&1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened but still cool, cut into 12 pieces
3/4 cup molasses
2 tablespoons milk

Directions:
With an electric mixer, mix together the flour, brown sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt at low speed until combined, about 30 seconds.  Stop the mixer and add the butter pieces; mix at a medium-low speed until the mixture is sandy and resembles fine meal, about 90 seconds.  Reduced the speed to low and, with the mixer running, gradually add the molasses and milk;  mix until the dough is evenly moistened, about 20 seconds.  Increase the speed to medium and mix until thoroughly combined, about 10 seconds.

Scrape the dough onto a work surface; divide in fourths.  Working with one portion at a time, roll the dough 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick between 2 large sheets of parchment paper.  Leaving the dough sandwiched between the parchment, stack the dough on a baking sheet and freeze until firm, about 15-20 minutes.

Remove 1 dough sheet from the freezer; place on the work surface.  Peel of the top parchment sheet and gently put it back in place.  Flip the dough over; peel off and discard the second parchment sheet.  Cut the dough into gingerbread people or round cookies, transferring the cutouts to a greased or parchment-lined baking sheet.  Set the scraps aside.  Bake the cookies in a preheated 325º oven ~10 minutes until centers are set.  Cool the cookies on the baking sheet a couple minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool to room temperature.   Gather the scraps and repeat the rolling, cutting, and baking.

Royal Icing
Recipe from Wilton Cake Decorating
Yield: 3 cups

Ingredients:
3 level tablespoons Meringue Powder  (I got it from Hobby Lobby)
4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar (~1 pound)
6 tablespoons water (use less for stiffer icing)

Beat all ingredients at low speed for 7-10 minutes until icing forms peaks.

Tofu Fried Rice (2012- Week 34)

Week 34 Featured Ingredient: Tofu

Tofu--the ingredient that strikes fear in a Midwestern meat-and-potato sensibility.   It's been on my culinary to-do list all year and now that it's December, I figured I might as well bite the bullet and finally try it.  And guess what?  It wasn't bad at all!  And dare I say it--I actually liked this recipe!   It's not going to make me give up meat, but hey, at least I know I don't have to tear out the tofu pages of my cookbooks or wrinkle my nose in mock disgust.  I might even try it again.  Will wonders never cease.

Tofu Fried Rice
from The New Way to Cook Light Cookbook
378 calories/serving (1&1/2 cups)
Serves 4

Ingredients:
2 cups rice, cooked
2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
1 package (14 oz) reduced-fat firm tofu, drained and cut into 1/2" cubes
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup green onion slices
1 cup frozen peas and diced carrots, thawed
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon minced peeled fresh ginger
2 tablespoons sake
3 tablespoons lower-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
1/2 teaspoon dark sesame oil

Directions:
Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add 1 tablespoon oil; swirl to coat.  Add tofu; cook 4 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring occasionally.  Remove from pan to a plate or bowl.  Add eggs to pan; Cook 1 minutes or until done, breaking the egg into small pieces.  Remove from pan and add to tofu.

Add remaining tablespoon of oil to pan; swirl to coat.  Add the onions, peas and carrots, garlic, and ginger; saute 2 minutes, stirring frequently.   Add cooked rice to pan; cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. 

Mix together the sake, soy sauce, hoisin, and sesame oil.  Add the tofu, egg, and soy sauce mixture to pan; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Serve and garnish with sliced green onions if desired.

Pan-Fried Crab Cakes (2012 - Week 33)

Week 33 Featured Ingredient: Crab

I don't think I've worked with crab before, so I picked it as this week's mystery ingredient.  I decided to make a classic Crab Cake with a Lemon Herb Sauce.  The crab cakes were super delicious.  The sauce was just ok, but the cakes really didn't need it; they were flavorful enough on their own.  Why haven't I made these before?!

Pan-Fried Crab Cakes with Lemon-Herb Sauce

Adapted from The New Best Recipe Cookbook
Serves 4  (2 cakes/serving)

Ingredients:
1 pound jumbo lump crabmeat (with shells/cartilage removed)
4 scallions, green parts, minced (~1/2 cup)
1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill
1 tablespoon Old Bay seasoning
1/4 cup Panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup mayonnaise
salt and ground white pepper
1 large egg
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup vegetable oil
lemon wedges or dipping sauce

Lemon Herb Sauce:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2&1/2 tablespoons lemon juice from 1 lemon
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley leaves
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves
1 large scallion, white and green parts, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
ground black pepper

Directions:
In a medium bowl, gently fold the crabmeat, peppers, scallions, herbs, Old Bay, bread crumbs, and mayonnaise, being careful not to break up the lumps of crab.  Season with salt and white pepper to taste.  Carefully fold in the egg with a rubber spatula until the mixture just clings together.  Add more crumbs if necessary.

Shape small clumps of the the mixture into a fat, round cake about 3" wide and 1.5" high.  Arrange on a baking sheet lined with waxed or parchment paper; cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes (up to 24 hours).

Put the flour on a plate.  Lightly dredge the cakes in the flour.  Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking.  Gently lay the chilled crab cakes in the skillet and pan-fry until the outsides are crisp and browned, about 3-4 minutes per side.  Serve immediately with lemon wedge or dipping sauce if desired.

To make Lemon Herb Dipping Sauce, mix all the ingredients together in a small bowl.  Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes until ready to serve.  (Will keep in the fridge for several days)

Fish Meunière with Browned Butter and Lemon

I couldn't decide what to make for dinner, so I played a fun little game with my Facebook friends.  I took out 5 large cookbooks, assigned them letters from A to E and then asked my friends to pick a letter and number and then I looked up the recipe from each corresponding page in the cookbook.  I let my husband decide which recipe he liked best of the random numbers.  (Of course, some pages landed on random stuff like "pastry dough" or "mayonnaise" so those didn't seem appealing for dinner).  He picked this fish recipe.  FYI: Meunière means Miller's wife, a reference to the flour used in the recipe.  Unfortunately, I learned it's difficult to find fresh sole or flounder in Wisconsin.  I had to purchase cheap frozen flounder fillets and thaw them out.  They were smaller than the recipe called for, so I reduced the cooking time a little. The recipe was inexpensive, easy, fast, and good.  No complaints.

Fish Meunière with Browned Butter and Lemon
From The New Best Recipe Cookbook 
Serves 2

Ingredients:  
2 sole or flounder fillets (5-6oz each and 3/8" thick)
salt and pepper
1/4 cup flour
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Browned Butter Sauce:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves
3/4 tablespoon juice from 1/2 lemon
lemon wedges, for serving, from other 1/2 lemon

Directions:
Pat fish dry with paper towel.  Generously salt and pepper both sides of fish; let stand ~5 minutes until fillets are glistening.  Coat both sides of fillets with flour, shaking off the excess, and place on a baking sheet while the skillet preheats.

Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil over high heat until shimmering.  Add 1 tablespoon butter and swirl to coat the pan bottom.  When the foaming subsides, carefully place the fillets skin-side-up in the skillet.  Immediately reduce the heat to medium-high and cook, without moving the fish, until the edges of the fish are opaque and the bottom is golden brown, about 3 minutes.  Using 2 spatulas, gently flip the fillets and cook on the second side about 2 minutes, until fish is flaky.

To make the sauce, add butter to the skillet and swirl until melted.  Continue to cook until butter turns golden brown and has nutty aroma.  Remove from the heat and add lemon juice.  Sprinkle the fish with parsley and and spoon some sauce over the top.  Serve immediately with lemon wedge.

Pear and Pomegranate Salad (2012- Week 32)

Week 32 Featured Ingredient: Pomegranates

Pomegranates are now in season for the holidays, so I decided to make a recipe using this fruit for our large Thanksgiving family gathering.   I was in charge of bringing a salad, so I found a delicious-looking salad recipe online that used both pomegranate seeds and pomegranate juice. 

The salad itself was really good.  My relatives seemed to enjoy it.  I strayed from the original recipe by adding spinach and green kale to the arugula instead of romaine and I left out the pistachios because I knew our gathering included at least one person with a nut allergy.  I liked the crunch and sweetness that the pears and pomegranate seeds added, and the crumbled feta had a nice soft contrast.  It was a nice balance and an elevated salad for a special occasion.

Regarding the vinaigrette, the original recipe called for pomegranate molasses.  I checked 4 different grocery stores, but it was clear that I wasn't going to find this strange ingredient anywhere.  So I decided to make this special molasses by reducing pure pomegranate juice.  It didn't work, mostly because I started with way too much juice in the pot.  I ended up using a couple tablespoons of the juice in the vinaigrette anyway, as is.  The vinaigrette was good, but I couldn't detect the pomegranate flavor.

Pear and Pomegranate Salad with Pomegranate Vinaigrette
(Anne's Recipe-- adapted from Food 52 Online)
Serves ~8-10

Salad:
4 cups fresh baby spinach
4 cups fresh baby arugula 
2 cups fresh green kale
3 ripe pears, cored and cut into 1/2" cubes
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
3 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
pomegranate vinaigrette

Pomegranate Vinaigrette:
1 large shallot, chopped
2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses (reduce 1/2 cup pomegranate juice to a thick syrup)
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepepr
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
Directions:
In a small bowl, combine the shallot, pomegranate molasses, vinegar, salt, and pepper and whisk until the salt is dissolved. Whisk in the olive oil and let vinaigrette stand at room temperature until salad is assembled.

Combine the greens, pears, and half of the pomegranate seeds in a large bowl.   Crumble half of the goat cheese over the ingredients in the bowl.  Whisk the vinaigrette until uniform and add a little bit to the salad, gently tossing to coat to your liking. Crumble the remaining cheese over the salad and sprinkle the remaining pomegranate seeds over the top. Serve immediately.

Roasted Cauliflower and Broccoli Gratin

Here's a veggie side dish I contributed to the Vechinski family Thanksgiving.   I merged a couple recipes I found online to come up with this veggie casserole.   I chose to use fresh vegetables and roast/steam them before adding them to the casserole, but I suppose you could just use frozen packages to make things faster and easier.   Everyone seemed to really like it.  When you notice people taking a second helping of a vegetable dish, it must be good. :)

Roasted Cauliflower and Steamed Broccoli Gratin

Ingredients:
1 large cauliflower head (~2&1/2 lbs), cut into florets
1 large head broccoli, cut into florets
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 large onion, chopped (1 cup)
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1&1/4 cups lowfat milk
4 oz cream cheese, cubed
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup shredded Gruyère cheese (or sharp cheddar or whatever)
Topping:
1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425ºF.  Spread cauliflower florets onto baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil, tossing to evenly coat.  Roast for 10 minutes, stir, and roast for another 15 minutes until the edges brown/caramelize and the cauliflower is tender.

While the cauliflower roasts, place the broccoli in a steamer basket fitted over a large saucepan with boiling water.  Cover and steam broccoli until crisp-tender, about 5-6 minutes.

In a skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat.  Add onion; cook and stir about 5 minutes or until tender.  Stir in flour, Italian seasoning, garlic salt, and pepper.  Add milk; cook and stir until thickened and bubbly.  Add cheeses and cook and stir until cheese is melted.  Turn off heat, add the roasted cauliflower and steamed broccoli, and toss gently to coat.

Spoon mixture into a 2-quart (8x8") baking dish.   To make topping, mix bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, melted butter, and Italian seasoning.  Sprinkle over cheesy vegetable mixture.   Bake at 350º for 30-40 minutes until top is lightly browned and cheesy is bubbly.

Note:  Unbaked casserole may be prepared a day ahead.  Cover and refrigerate, then bake as directed.

Dutch Apple Loaf

Here's another quick bread I made for Jeremy's family's Thanksgiving.   It was moist and tasty, but still not as good as the apple bread my aunt makes for Thanksgiving.   I really liked the topping on this loaf though.

Dutch Apple Loaf
Recipe from Taste of Home

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1&1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups diced peeled tart apples
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
Topping:
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 cup cold butter, cubed

Directions:
In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Beat in buttermilk and vanilla.  Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Gradually add dry ingredients to creamed mixture.  Fold in apples and nuts.  Pour into a greased 9x5" loaf pan.  For topping, combine sugar, flour, and cinnamon.  Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Sprinkle over batter.

Bake at 350º for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.  Cool in pan at least 10 minutes, and then cool on wire rack at least an hour before serving.

Cranberry-Walnut Bread

 I made this loaf to take to Jeremy's family Thanksgiving.  Jeremy's mom and I really liked it.  Some people just aren't cranberry fans I guess.  I, for one, think this recipe is a keeper!

Cranberry-Nut Bread
Makes one 9" loaf
Recipe taken from "The New Best Recipe" Cookbook

Ingredients:
2/3 cup buttermilk
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 large egg, beaten lightly
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
1/3 cup juice from 1 large orange
2 cups unbleached flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped coarse
1&1/2 cups cranberries, chopped coarse

Directions:
Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat oven to 375ºF.  Grease the bottom and sides of a 9x5" loaf pan and dust with a little flour, tapping out the excess.

In a small bowl, stir together the buttermilk, butter, egg, orange juice, and orange zest.  In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Stir the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients with a rubber spatula until just moistened.  Gently stir in the nuts and cranberries.  Do not over-mix.  Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the surface with the spatula.

Bake at 375º for 20 minutes, then reduce heat to 350º and bake an additional ~45 minutes until the loaf is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.   Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and cool at least 1 hour before serving.    (The bread can be wrapped with plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for up to 3 days)

Microwaved Sweet Potato for 1

My husband was gone deer hunting, so I had to prepare dinner for just myself.  I wanted something fast and low-fuss, so I made myself a salad plus this microwave-baked Sweet Potato with a brown sugar and pecan topping for a little extra yummy flavor. Delicious.  

Microwave-Baked Sweet Potato with Pecan Topping
Serves 1
  
Ingredients:
1 sweet potato
1/2 tablespoon softened butter
1/2 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 tablespoon finely chopped pecans

Directions:
Scrub, but do not peel, the potatoes.  Pierce them in several places with a fork.  Microwave on High for 12 minutes until done.

Meanwhile, sprinkle chopped pecans on a paper plate and microwave on high for 1 or 2 minutes, they should smell toasted when they are done.

Combine the butter, sugar, and pecans in a small bowl.  Once potatoes are done, slice length wise, about 2/3 of the way down (do not cut through) and "fluff" the inside of the potato with a fork.  Sprinkle the pecan mixture over the top.