Happy Insides

As reformed vegetarians there are certain dishes that you can get either vegetarian or not, but you liked them so much in the vegetarian state that you feel like there is no need to eat them with meat in them.  Kung Pao Tofu is one of those dishes.  We realize that they make Kung Pao with beef, chicken and seafood as well as with tofu, but we just really like it with tofu and just don't see the point of adding meat.  Sure meat can be tasty, but tofu really can be as well.  Plus tofu is a LOT cheaper than ethical meat. 

Kung Pao Tofu
Adapted from Jaime Cooks
Makes 4 Servings
1 c. brown rice
1 12 oz. package Extra Firm Tofu, well drained and diced
3 T. sesame oil, divided
1/2 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 c. water
4 T. low sodium soy sauce
2 t. corn starch
1 t. sucanat
1 1/2 t. crushed red pepper flakes
1 t. fresh ginger, minced
1 red bell pepper thinly sliced
1 c. snow peas
1/8 c. roasted unsalted peanuts

1) Bring 2 c. water to a boil and add rice.  Reduce heat to low and let simmer for 45 minutes until rice is tender.  When done fluff with a fork before serving.

2) Meanwhile heat a wok or a large skillet over medium heat.  Add 2 T. of the sesame oil.  Add the tofu to the pan and cook turing occasionally until tofu begins to brown, about 5 minutes.  Remove tofu from the wok and set aside. 

3) Add the onion to the pan and let saute about 4 minutes until the onions begin to soften.  Add the garlic and cook another 30 seconds, stirring constantly.  Add the tofu back to the pan. 

4) Combine water with the soy sauce, corn starch, sucanat, and crushed red pepper flakes.  Add this mixture to the pan and bring it to a boil.  Add the red bell pepper and the snow peas and toss to coat with the sauce in the pan.  Let the vegetable cook for about 2-3 minutes until they are beginning to be tender, but still crisp.  Toss in the peanuts and serve over brown rice. 

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We have mentioned before how much we like our grocery store, Natural Grocers.  They sell really quality products and always have tons of great meal ideas in there store.  This meal came from their magazine they were giving away Delicious Living.  In the February 2011 issue they have a section on cooking with cocoa.  This instantly drew our attention and when we saw the black bean soup we knew we had to make it.  It just sounded way too good. 

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Indian food is definitely a favorite in our household.  We love the flavors involved and it is a great use to bring out a ton of spices and really just have some fun in the kitchen.  One of our favorite Indian dishes is saag.  The greens mixed with all the spices turns out a very creamy and flavorful meal that is very fulfilling and perfect for a cold night.  You can make saag with almost any protein.  Paneer, lamb, chicken, etc.  It all goes well.  Our favorite saag is with paneer (Indian cheese).  Paneer can be a bit of a high calorie addition to the meal so we decided to give it a try with tofu instead of paneer.  What resulted was a truly delicious and extremely healthy dish that will definitely be made in our household again.

Saag Tofu
Adapted from Chef In You 
Serves 4

1 c. brown basmati rice
1 bunch chard or Mustard leaves
1 bunch spinach
5-10 parsley leaves (for freshness)
generous handful of fresh cilantro leaves 
1-2 green chilis, with or without seeds depending on taste 
2 T. canola oil, divided
1 onion, finely chopped
1 t. crushed garlic
1 t. crushed ginger
1 package firm tofu, well drained and cubed
1 t. garam masala
pinch of tumeric
1/2 t. corriander, ground
1/2 t. cumin
salt to taste

1) Rinse rice and prepare according to package directions.  

2) Wash and roughly chop the chard and spinach.  In a large pot steam the first four ingredients until wilted.  Place all the wilted greens in a blender with the green chilis and puree until smooth.  You can add a little water if the mixture is too thick to puree.

3) Meanwhile heat 1 T. oil in a medium skillet.  Add tofu and cook for 5-10 minutes until it begins to brown.  Remove from the pan and set aside.

4) Add the remaining 1 T. of oil to the pan along with the onion, garlic, ginger and spices.  Heat for 5 minutes until onions begin to soften.  Add the tofu back to the pan and let cook for another 5 minutes.  Add in the greens puree and bring to a boil.  If the mixture is too watery you can add some corn starch to thicken it up.  If it is too thick you can add some water.  Salt to taste and serve warm over the basmati rice.

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This dish was incredibly simple, hearty, filling, inexpensive, healthy and delicious.  In our opinion all of that adds up to a total winner in our book!  We really enjoyed this stew and it was perfect for a cold winter week night.

 Egyptian Edamame Stew
Adapted from EatingWell.com
Makes 4 servings

1 c. quinoa, uncooked
15 oz. frozen edamame, thawed
1 T. olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 zucchini, diced
2 t. ground cumin
1 t. ground coriander
1/2 t. cayenne pepper (or less if you don't like spicy food)
28 oz. can diced tomatoes
1/4 c. cilantro, chopped
juice of 1 small lemon

1) Rinse quinoa and then prepare according to package directions.

2) Meanwhile fill a pot with water and the soy beans and bring to a boil.  Cook for 4 or 5 minutes, drain and then set aside.

3) Heat the oil in a medium sauce pan over medium heat and add the onions.  Let cook for about 5 minutes then add the zucchini.  Let cook for another 3 minutes until the onion begins to brown. 

4) Add garlic, cumin, corriander, cayenne and cook for 30 seconds.  Add the tomatoes, bring to a boil, and simmer for about 5 minutes. 

5) Add the edamame to the tomato mixture and cook until it is heated through.  It should only take a few more minutes.  Stir in the cilantro and the lemon juice and serve over quinoa.

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Tahini is a wonderful thing.  It is tasty and can really be used to make a lot of yummy dishes.  Our problem with tahini is that it can be relatively expensive and it always seems to spoil before we can use it all.  That means that we tend to very rarely purchase it.  The other day while on her way to work Cassie caught the tail end of an interview on National Public Radio with a chef who had a new book coming out.  She was talking about some of her favorite holiday dishes in this new book.  Unfortunately Cassie did not catch who the chef was or what her new book was called, but she did catch her speaking about making hummus with peanut butter in place of tahini.  Peanut butter is a staple in our home and we always have some spare peanut butter around so we decided to make some hummus for a healthy snack on Christmas Eve.  We never got around to making it Christmas eve, but we did make it the day after Christmas and it was wonderful.  There isn't a huge difference from hummus with tahini, but it gives it a bit of a peanuty hint of flavor.  We both really enjoyed it.

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