Adventures of a healthy-ish pseudo-foodie

  I finally mastered the art of torn tofu!    I'm excited about this because I feel like I've unlocked two important skills. One is the crispy torn tofu that I've been seeing videos about. The other is the idea of pre-mixing sauce ingredients, pre-crisping my tofu, and then when we're ready to eat, it's just a matter of dumping the sauce into a hot wok, adding the tofu a minute later, and tossing it to coat the tofu. I love this takeout-style sesame sauce, but I'll be trying this with other sauces as well. The Recipe: Tofu: 2 blocks tofu 1 tsp salt 3 tb cornstarch Tear tofu into irregular chunks Wrap chunks in a kitchen towel and place in the fridge (in a bowl) for at least 1 hour to drain  Toss with salt and cornstarch Spread on baking sheets Bake at 425 for about 30 minutes, flipping partway through Sauce: (adapted from  Kitchen Sanctuary ): 1 tb sesame oil 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 tb Chinese rice wine 2 tb honey 1 tb sambal oelek 3 tb ketchip 2 tb brown suga...

  These didn't rise well for some reason, so just imagine that they did.  Another muffin post! A friend made these for the kids recently, and we loved them. I think the magic is the combination of the (freshly ground) oat flour together with some whole oats. They're also not too sweet; just perfect with the chocolate chips. The Recipe: 2 bananas 1/3 cup butter, melted 2/3 c sugar 2 eggs 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 tsp baking soda 1/4 tsp salt 2 c oats, ground into flour 1/2 additional oats  1/3 c chocolate chips Grind the 2 c oats in the blender Add all other ingredients besides the additional oats and chocolate chips; blend Mix in the additional oats and chocolate chips Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes   The Verdict:   Overall grade:  A Overall reason:  Easy to make, great texture Time to prepare:  10 minutes of work, 25 minutes of baking Kid quote:  No quotes were uttered. They were stuffing their faces. 

  When I actually measure, instead of following my heart, the top is more craggy than this.     I made these once on a whim, and the kids loved them so much that they're in the rotation now. I worked from a recipe by  Love and Lemons  (seemed appropriate), and I make no changes aside from using gluten-free flour (usually Bob's 1-1 mix). I do feel inclined to see if they're still good with less butter and sugar, and to try to get some fiber in there (oat bran?), but I haven't experimented yet.   I do think that they would be good with more lemon zest, but I haven't bothered buying extra lemons just to zest them. I'll have to plan this together with another recipe that uses lemon juice, so I can make that happen.     The Recipe (from Love and Lemons): 2 1/4 c flour (I use gluten free 1 - 1 mix) 2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp salt 2 tb lemon zest 1 c plain yogurt 2 eggs 2/3 c sugar 1/2 c butter, melted 1/2 c milk 1/4 c lemon jui...

That one broken puffed tofu at the bottom looks like shrimp     I almost didn't write this one up as a "recipe" because I worked from a soup base and really just dumped stuff into the pot, but I want to remember this as a meal option. I did make the dipping sauce, at least.   I had previously made a few attempts at spicy hotpot, working from various spicy bases and adding Sichuan peppercorns. They tasted good but were way too oily for our liking. This time, I found a mushroom hotpot base that was a liquid packet (as opposed to the solid oily blocks we'd had before) and it's a winner. I should have taken a photo of the package.   For the sauce, I used the first option on  this page  and followed my heart for the proportions.     The Recipe: 1 hot pot base mix (I like the liquid mushroom flavor) Vegetables: I used dried shiitakes, radish,   and bok choy Proteins: I bought frozen tofu skin knots and   refrigerated pre-fried   tofu bloc...

    I don't think the photo captures how impressive it was that it perfectly fit into this container This came about for Thanksgiving, in an attempt to get fresh green vegetables without the bulk of a salad taking up half of the plate and then getting soggy next to warm food. I'd previously had broccoli salads with mayo-based dressing, but  this one from Cookie and Kate  had good reviews and used a honey mustard dressing, so I thought I'd try it. It's good! I definitely prefer it to green salad on a cluttered plate. My changes: I doubled the dressing (after haphazardly kind of increasing but not quite doubling the other ingredients), I used pepitas instead of sunflower seeds, I used pomegranate seeds instead of dried cranberries (though dried cranberries would be great too), and I omitted the optional cheese. I also added more salt to taste after mixing it all up. The Recipe (adapted from  Cookie and Kate ):  2 large heads broccoli, chopped (I omitted the s...

Looks pretty much exactly like my usual Thai stir-fries I bookmarked  this recipe by Crafty Cookbook  a long time ago, and then waited for eggplant season, and then waited to find eggplant that actually looked good enough to buy, and then I realized that I could just make it with different vegetables. Bring on the broccoli and bell peppers. Aside from the vegetable swap, I baked the tofu for simplicity, added more brown sugar, and added a hefty amount of white pepper. I didn't actually mean to put that much white pepper into it, but it was a delicious kick and I'll do it again that way on purpose.  The Recipe: 2.5 tb soy sauce 2 tb oyster sauce 1/2 tb black vinegar 3 tb brown sugar 1/2 tb grated ginger 1/2 tsp white pepper 1 block tofu, cubed and cooked (I pressed out liquid, tossed with oil and salt, and baked at 375 for 45 minutes) vegetables, chopped (I like broccoli, bell peppers, and onions) 3 cloves garlic, minced pinch of salt 2 tb avocado oil Combine soy sauce, oy...

Imagine a pile of plain yogurt and some Indian pickle for dipping I saw a Pinterest recipe for samosa-filled quesadillas, which led me to  this recipe  from Nadia's Healthy Kitchen for baked samosas using tortillas, which led me to just use the giant tortillas I had in the fridge and make them into full-sized burritos. They were a hit! I largely followed the recipe from Nadia's Healthy Kitchen, but I added some potato, omitted the chana masala powder and just added a bunch of cumin instead, added bell pepper and fresh chilies, didn't bother with the "sealing paste," and basted them in a little bit of melted butter (omit for vegan version). Everyone except the 5-year-old liked them! The Recipe (adapted from  Nadia's Healthy Kitchen ) 2 cans (30 oz total) cooked garbanzo beans, rinsed (I eyeballed the equivalent from dry beans) 1 small onion, chopped 4 garlic cloves, minced 1 thai chili, minced 1 bell pepper, chopped 1 potato, baked until soft (or microwaved for...

Excited for these leftovers. One of the things I wanted to try with my  new jar of curry powder  was fried rice. Years ago, Miles got fried rice at  Korea House  and it was the best fried rice I'd ever had. I suspected there was curry powder in it, but at that time I had never really cooked with curry powder, so I tucked that knowledge away for a later date. After reading a few recipes, I went rogue on this one. I couldn't even begin to effectively guess at what proportions I ended up with, so the recipe below is more of a rough guideline of ingredients. The "Recipe" (sorry no quantities; follow your heart): leftover jasmine rice tofu, cubed and crisped in the oven with avocado oil and salt vegetables: garlic, onion, cabbage, red bell pepper salt curry powder (I used a Vietnamese one) soy sauce sugar sesame oil future topping ideas: runny egg, sesame seeds, green onion Saute the vegetables in avocado oil until softened, and salt them to taste Add the tofu and toss to...

Served alongside BBQ tempeh Every time I want to make basic coleslaw, I google a recipe, and sometimes I like it better than other times. This one is good, so I'm finally saving it for the future. I followed  this recipe  from Farmgirl's Dabbles. I haphazardly scaled it down, used freshly shredded cabbage instead of coleslaw mix, omitted the onion, and used fresh whole-grain mustard instead of dry mustard, though I wouldn't be opposed to undoing any of those changes down the line. The Recipe: 1/4 small cabbage, shredded finely 1/3 c mayonnaise 1 tb sour cream 1 tb sugar 1 tb mustard 1 tsp white vinegar salt and pepper, to taste Combine everything except the cabbage in a medium bowl, and season to taste Toss in the cabbage Optionally, let it sit in the fridge to soften for a couple of hours The Verdict: Overall grade: A Overall reason: What coleslaw should be. Simple, tangy, a little bit sweet, a little bit salty. Time to prepare: 5 minutes 9-year-old quote: "More peppe...

  When I get the recipe just right, I'll go to the effort of adding fried shallots on top. I'm back to my on-and-off mission of trying to make a stir-fry as delicious as the shrimp I used to get at  Pho Grand  in St. Louis during college. It was called "cari tom" but it definitely wasn't a coconut milk type of curry, and they ALSO have a separate listing on their menu for "cari tom dac biet" which includes "coconut milk sauce" in their description. So I'm pretty sure it was just a stir-fry that had curry flavors in it? I got myself a big container of Vietnamese curry powder and I'm going to keep experimenting. This is the closest I've come so far. Changes for the future: - More oil and sugar, restaurant style - A blend of fish sauce and soy sauce, instead of just soy sauce - Fried shallots on top The Recipe (adapted from  Veggie Anh ): 3 tb fresh lemongrass, chopped 4 cloves garlic, minced 1 Thai chili, minced 1 pinch salt 2 tb avoc...

Cucumber salad is key. This dal is perfect. Most of us took seconds, and I'm really excited to eat the last portion that's sitting in the fridge right now. The accompanying salad is really great for adding texture, crunch, and acidity to the meal. I wouldn't skip it. I got it from  Tea for Turmeric  and prepared it pretty much as written, but doubled and with none of the optional ingredients. This recipe doesn't mention any seasoning/dressing on the salad, but adding lemon and salt to it really brightened things up. The Recipe: (from Tea for Turmeric) 2 c red lentils splash of avocado oil 2 tsp cumin seeds 2 small onions, finely chopped 1 inch ginger, grated 4 small tomatoes, chopped 2 thai chilies, minced 2 tsp cumin powder 2 tsp coriander powder 1 tsp cayenne 1 tsp turmeric 2+ tsp kosher salt 2 tsp lemon juice 1/2 c cilantro, chopped For serving: basmati rice and plain yogurt Salad ingredients: 1/2 english cucumber, sliced 10 cherry tomatoes, quartered 1/4 onion, slic...

The best part of this plate of banchan (even though it's not Korean) Now that Yi Shen is closed, I needed to learn to make lemongrass tofu. I chose to work from  this recipe by the Viet Vegan  because her picture looks exactly like the old Yi Shen tofu that I was craving. Note that my picture does NOT look that way, because I baked the tofu until crispy all around rather than frying the block and slicing it, but maybe I'll try that one day. The only real change I made was that I skipped the onion/shallot, though that would be good next time. I also used coconut aminos because my only other soy sauce option at the moment is a gluten-free tamari that I don't love. It was really good with coconut aminos, so I'll have to see if Kikkoman can stand up to this deliciousness or if the coconut aminos are here to stay. And I worked from a tube of lemongrass paste because the lemongrass in my garden still looks sad, but fresh lemongrass is a goal for next time. The Recipe (adapted...

I don't know how to take a good photo of a muffin. The 4-year-old has been requesting carrot muffins for a while now. I used  Cookie and Kate's recipe  as a guideline, but made several changes:  - I substituted wheat flour for Bob's Red Mill 1:1 gluten-free flour - Instead of 1 3/4 cups of flour, I used 1 cup of flour and 1 cup of quick-cooking oats - I skipped the ginger and nutmeg, and went heavy on the cinnamon instead - I didn't measure the amount of carrots I ended up with, but I'm pretty sure it was more - I skipped the walnuts and went heavy on the raisins - I added a little bit of brown sugar and skipped the turbinado sugar on top - I used vegetable oil instead of coconut oil - I disregarded the instructions about adding things in a certain order, and instead dumped everything into a bowl at once and then mixed. The fact that I didn't use coconut oil helped this (I had nothing that was prone to solidifying), and also the fact that I had no gluten in the ...

I had seconds. I saw  this video on Yeung Man Cooking  for rice and black beans, Chinese style, and I was intrigued because I've never had such a thing. I had most of the ingredients, or at least suitable substitutions for the ingredients, with the exception of the doubanjiang. Now I have a jar of that, so more Szechuan-style recipes may be in my future. My changes to the original recipe: I used jalapenos instead of the fresno pepper, I used regular soy sauce instead of the dark soy sauce, and I used avocado oil plus a but of chili crisp instead of chili oil. I may get some chili oil in the future, because I imagine that that would give it a different flavor. I added a splash of chinese cooking wine because I felt like it needed a tiny bit of sweetness and acidity, which I think was a good move. I also doubled the recipe, more or less. The Recipe: 4 cloves garlic, minced 1 inch ginger, chopped 1 large onion, chopped 2 jalapeno peppers or fresno peppers, seeds removed and mince...

Not green apples The mu succeeded in the garden this fall, which means it's time to use them all up! I came across  Maangchi's recipe for radish salad , and decided to make it as a topping for some rice bowls. It's delicious and easy, like a simpler version of the  radish kimchi  that I love so much. It's a perfect component of a rice bowl / bibimbap, or it would be good as a side dish on its own. I made no changes except skipping the step of peeling the radish. Maybe I would be more inclined to do this with radishes from the store, as opposed to the garden. The Recipe: 1 large korean radish, cut into matchsticks 1 tb kosher salt 2 cloves garlic, grated 1 stalk green onion, chopped 1 tb rice vinegar 2 tsp gochugaru 2 tsp sugar 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds Mix radish and salt, and let sit for 5 minutes Squeeze out excess liquid Mix in remaining ingredients to the strained/squeezed radish The Verdict: Overall grade: A Overall reason: Easy and delicious Time to prepare: 15 m...

I want to find crispy noodles that add height, just for aesthetics. This one borders on being too much work, especially when I make one pot with coconut milk and another pot with oat milk so I can eat it (and another pot to boil the rice noodles, and a baking sheet for the tofu). But it's very delicious, and it makes enough broth for to save for a second dinner (4-6 servings total). I used  this Prik-King curry paste  and the flavor is so good. I'll only experiment with other curry pastes if I can't find this one again. I worked from  this recipe from Feasting at Home . I made no changes aside from adding a thai chili, substituting oat milk for coconut milk in my serving, and skipping the kefir lime leaves because I couldn't find any. The Recipe: 4 oz rice noodles, boiled according to package 1 large shallot or 1/2 onion, sliced 2 tb chopped lemongrass (I used a tube of lemongrass paste) 1 thai chili, minced 2 garlic cloves, minced 2 tb Thai red curry paste 1/2 tsp turm...

Photo of the leftovers instead of the fresh meal, because at the time of serving I did not expect it to be blog-worthy. But it is! Yum. I had a tube of lemongrass paste and leftover cooked rice, so I went searching for a lemongrass fried rice recipe. What I found was many variations on stir-frying the lemongrass with aromatics, adding the rice/vegetables/protein etc, and finishing it with fish sauce, sugar, salt, and pepper. So that's what I did! I currently have an abundance of thai chilies from the garden, so that went into the aromatics, and I wouldn't skip this in the future. The Recipe 2 tb lemongrass paste (or work from fresh lemongrass for more work and more flavor) 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 thai chilies, minced 1 tb ginger, grated 1/2 onion, chopped 2 carrots, chopped 4 c cooked and cooled rice (next day is best) - I had calrose but I think Jasmine would be even better 2 c shelled edamame, boiled for 4 minutes 2 eggs, beaten and scrambled fish sauce to taste sugar to ta...

Pretend to also see some red onion on top. I'd never had pozole verde prior to making this. I went in search of recipes to use up the pepitas that I had from making  this farro salad , and decided this was worth a try. I worked vaguely from  this recipe from A Cozy Kitchen , but I made many simplifications: I used roasted/salted pepitas instead of toasting them myself, I threw in some fake chicken (Quorn Pieces) instead of cooking chicken in it, and I replaced a whole bunch of ingredients with  La Victoria Thick 'n Chunky Salsa Verde . That last one in particular was a big risk, and I was prepared to make a backup dinner if it turned out terribly, but it ended up being delicious! Mayyyybe one day I'll try the original recipe as intended, but these shortcuts make it a totally achievable weeknight dinner. I also threw in a tromboncino squash that I had in the garden, though this isn't in the recipe and is totally optional.  The Recipe: 1 yellow onion, chopped 3 garlic ...

  A delicate drizzle of tzatziki would have looked better in the photo, but this tastes better. This is my effort at recreating the "Sampler Plate" at  Tradewinds . The components are flexible, though I'd say the tzatziki really ties it together and the falafel was important as the only really warm/hearty part. The Recipe: Rice: basmati tossed with lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, and parsley Greek salad: shredded kale and sliced onions in balsamic vinaigrette Hummus:  see recipe Crumbled feta cheese Falafel (I like the Trader Joe's frozen kind) Tzatziki:  here's a good explanation from Cookie and Kate Layer and eat! The Verdict: Overall grade: B+ Overall reason: The flavors are all strong, so I got tired of it after a while. Maybe plain rice would be a better choice, or just pita instead of the rice. Time to prepare: 1 hour Kid quote: "I LOVE falafel! I want more falafel!" (This is the kid who gagged the last time I served him falafel. I can't keep up...

  I got new big bowls! On this particular night, I set out to make Vietnamese-style bowls with lemongrass fish sauce. Something went wrong (bad lemongrass paste? too much fish sauce?) and the sauce was inedible, so I made a batch of my favorite  peanut sauce  instead. It made the meal richer and more kid-friendly, and it was delicious. The particular components of the bowl could be anything, but I really liked the combination of rice and lettuce (it's hard to tell, but they are side-by-side under the tofu). Also, I had fresh basil, cilantro, and mint in the garden, which I highly recommend adding when possible. The Recipe: Peanut sauce:  see recipe Base: jasmine rice, lettuce, or both Vegetables: cucumber, plus maybe bell peppers next time? Herbs: cilantro, basil, mint Protein: sliced/pressed tofu, tossed with soy sauce and sesame oil, baked at 400 for 35ish minutes Other: roasted peanuts are good for extra crunch Layer the solid ingredients. Top with peanut sauce. T...