Tofu and Vegetable Stir-Fry with Sweet and Spicy Sauce

WE HAVE BEEN ON A BIG STIR-FRY KICK for a few weeks. The frigid weather seems to have cleared out, yet I am afraid to think we are having an early spring this year, It is only February.

Stir-fries are perfect to enjoy during changing seasons--times when it is not cold enough to want a heavy soup or stew, yet not hot enough to want to eat salads for meals. Stir-fry vegetables are light and fresh and the spices of ginger and red pepper are warming.

For this stir-fry, I used onion, red bell pepper, cremini mushrooms, broccoli, Napa cabbage, and bok choi. Other vegetables that work well are snow peas, carrots, green beans, mung bean sprouts, cabbage, scallions, asparagus, zucchini, and spinach. Use a variety of vegetables like I do or stick with one or two--your choice.

I served this stir-fry with Jasmine rice but I have also used brown rice, udon noodles, and soba noodles. One of these days I might try cellophane noodles.

Tofu and Vegetable Stir-Fry with Sweet and Spicy Sauce

Sauce:
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup honey
2 Tbsp. fresh grated ginger
2 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. toasted sesame oil
2 Tbsp. rice vinegar
1/2 - 1 tsp. red pepper flakes

Stir-Fry
14 ounces extra firm tofu
1/4 cup cornstarch
Oil for frying
8 - 10 cups vegetables of choice, washed and chopped

Rinse and dry the tofu. Wrap in a couple layers of paper towels, place on a plate with another plate on top. Put a couple of cans on the top plate to press the tofu. Set aside while making the sauce and preparing the vegetables.

Whisk together all the sauce ingredients and set aside.

Unwrap the tofu and toss with the cornstarch.

Heat 1/2-inch of oil in a wok or deep skillet over medium heat. Fry the tofu in batches, until brown on all sides. Remove to paper towel lined plate to drain.

Remove all but 1 Tbsp. oil from the wok and turn the heat to medium high. Beginning with the sturdier vegetables, add them to the wok; stir and fry for a couple of minutes. Add the more delicate vegetables, stir and fry for a minute more. Add the tofu and the sauce, continuing to cook for 1 or 2 minutes more.

Remove wok from heat and serve immediately.

Restorative Miso Soup

My husband and I went on a well needed getaway. We drove from beautiful Asheville, North Carolina to Augusta, Georgia without ever getting on an interstate highway. We took U.S. highway 25 through small towns and rural areas of South Carolina. Along the way we saw many not-yet-opened for the season stands promoting peaches and boiled peanuts. We saw dozens of antique stores which made Pritchard Parker very happy. We saw abandoned farmhouses and barns in various states of decrepitude. We saw sprawling McMansions. We drove through several quaint and beautifully maintained small towns.

And we drove through vast expanses of nothing but pine trees and straight, flat roads. (Which make Pritchard Parker nervous because he is so used to driving on the steep and curving roads in the mountains). We saw beautiful sunsets and a full moon rising, which was a special treat for us because we are not used to seeing the horizon.

Once home, after sleeping in a hotel room and eating restaurant food, as much as I enjoyed it, I wanted something simple and easy to cook; nourishing and grounding to eat.

Thus miso soup.

The miso I use is locally produced using ancient methods. The good news is that it is available nationwide through Great Eastern Sun and you can even order it from their website. (Not an affiliated link).

Miso is a high-protein, fermented soy product with a salty flavor which is very health-promoting. Miso is considered a living food, therefore, you never want to boil it. If your soup is not cloudy and moving around, the enzymes have been destroyed. Miso soup begins with a broth called Dashi which is made from Kombu and Bonito flakes.

Kombu is seaweed an edible ocean plant.

Bonito, a mackerel, is steamed, smoked, aged, dried to a wood-like hardness, and shaved into flakes.

Dashi is a very flavorful broth for cooking all kinds of foods. With some added soy sauce, it makes a wonderfully satisfying noodle broth.

For miso soup, I love using Japanese style silken tofu which is unlike the Chinese style tofu, packed in water, and found in produce departments. This tofu really does have a delicate and silken texture without the tangy taste. Find it on the grocery shelf in aseptic boxes.

Restorative Miso Soup
2 quarts dashi
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
4 scallions
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
2 bunches baby bok choy, sliced
6 Tbsp. traditional red miso
12 oz. silken tofu, cut into cubes

Bring dashi to a simmer. Ladle about 1 cup into a small bowl, add the miso and whisk until smooth. Set aside.

Bring the remaining dashi back to a simmer and add the scallions, carrots, bok choy, letting them cook until barely tender. Add the tofu and the miso being careful not to boil the mixture. Once it is heated through, ladle into soup bowls and garnish with additional sliced scallions and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes.

Dashi
2 (4-inch) square pieces of kombu
2 quarts water
1 cup bonito flakes

Place the kombu in a large saucepan, cover with the water and soak for 30 minutes.

Place the pan over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Add the bonito flakes and simmer for 10 minutes. Strain the broth and return to the pan. Continue with the recipe.

Composed Salads, Grain Bowls, and Organizing Photo Files

IF YOU LOVE COOKING AND YOU LOVE PHOTOGRAPHY (a match made in heaven) you will most likely end up with a backlog of photo files to sort through.

My files had gotten so big, they were bogging down my computer. It was time to stop procrastinating and get to work. I have deleted hundreds on photos and transferred others to an external drive.

I do photograph many things other than food and this process has taken me down a memory lane of the past couple of years. There are so many cute pictures of the children--they grow and change so fast. There were pictures of my head, bald from chemo, to growing out, to my first haircut last week. There are many photos of beautiful flowers, birds, bunnies, butterflies, and bugs from our yard. Scenic photos from the gorgeous, vibrant, and hip place I am blessed to live--Asheville, North Carolina.

Mandarin Chicken Salad

As I culled photographs, I decided to share some of the things I have made, we ate, but never made it to my blog. Mainly because I wasn't pleased with the photos. But also because I wasn't thrilled with the taste of the food. I only blog about things I think are delicious.

For example, the Mandarin Chicken Salad. Ho-hum.

Shrimp, Brown Rice, and Vegetable Salad

I can see the salad has a dressing but I don't remember what it was. Which is another danger of letting my photo files back up. I can't remember what I did.






































I remember loving the brown rice and tofu bowl--I would happily eat it right now. I suppose I could fake some recipes. . .

Many things I love, tuna, cheese, boiled eggs, radishes, cornichons, sprouts (!) with baby lettuces.

Waldorf Quinoa Salad

I was really happy with this meal, but I didn't get any photos I loved. Quinoa, grapes, celery, apples, lettuce, candied pecans, and crumbled blue cheese. (Some kind of dressing). Mmmm, I think I'll try this again.

I was also happy about this meal, but again did not get shots of it that I loved. It was an awesome combination of flavors, quinoa, black beans, roasted Japanese sweet potatoes, pineapple, cheddar cheese, and spinach. I dressed this one with a Honey Lime Vinaigrette.

Honey Lime Vinaigrette
1 small sweet onion, preferably Vidalia, roughly chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 large tomato, washed and peeled
1 lime, washed, roughly chopped and seeded
2 Tbsp. honey
1 tsp. salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/4 cup olive oil

Put all ingredients into blender and process until smooth.

Sesame Tofu

 

 

 

This tofu was exemplary! I could have sat down with the whole bowlful and happily eaten every morsel. As it  I stood, it was very difficult to walk away without taking another bite. After all, this recipe makes plenty of tofu for four servings.

I have cooked and eaten a lot of tofu--it is so versatile; this is officially my new favorite way to prepare it. And I will be experimenting with different sauces. I can't wait to try it with barbecue sauce.

I fried the tofu in peanut oil which imparts a very flavorful crunch all its own. If seasoned well before coating, these cubes would be lovely to add protein to a green salad.

 

 

 

Sesame Tofu

1 (one pound) package extra firm tofu

1/4 cup cornstarch

Oil for frying

1/3 cup honey

3 Tbsp. soy sauce

2 Tbsp. fresh ginger, grated

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp. (or more) red pepper flakes

1 tsp. toasted sesame oil

2 Tbsp. rice vinegar

1 Tbsp. sesame seeds, toasted

4 scallions, finely sliced

 

Wrap the block of tofu in paper towels. Place on a cutting board and top with another board or a plate. Top with a can or something rather heavy, to press much of the water out of the tofu. Let sit for about 30 minutes.

 

Meanwhile, stir together in a small saucepan, the honey, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, red pepper, sesame oil, and vinegar. Simmer gently until ready to use. 

 

Unwrap the tofu, dry off, cut into bite sized cubes, and toss with the cornstarch to coat. Fry in about 1-inch of oil, which has been heated to 350 degrees, stirring and flipping until it is golden brown all over. Drain on paper towels.

 

Place the golden tofu cubes in a serving bowl. Pour over the sauce and add in the scallions and sesame seeds. Toss well but gently until all the tofu pieces are coated. Serve right away.