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...

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...

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...

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...

  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...

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...

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...

  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...

With brown crispy bits because I have a real carbon steel wok now I'm continually on the hunt for new interesting fried rice recipes, because I have yet to make fried rice as good as I can get it in a few restaurants (Korea House and Bao Bao House, I'm looking at you). Today I was looking at a partial jar of  Cambodian lemongrass paste  in the fridge and thinking that I should try to use that in fried rice, but I was nervous that it might be a bad idea. After some targeting searching, I found a recipe on Plant Based Matters that does exactly this. The seasoning is just the paste, salt to taste, and fresh lime. I was empowered. I do wish that I could find the lemongrass paste locally, since it's a little expensive to order online. This recipe, as well as  the stir-fry that I bought it for , each use half of the $10 jar. Still cheaper than restaurant food, but not great. One day I'll track down lemongrass and kefir lime and galangal and try to make it myself. (Note: the P...

  If I'd known how good this would be, I would have taken a better photo. Will update next time. The inspiration for this one came from the same place as the pav bhaji -  Beryl's video  about foods that kids love around the world. And just like the last one, the kids weren't into it (yet?) but the husband loved it. The only time I'd previously had groundnut stew is at  Cafe Yumm . It's my favorite soup to put in their "souper" bowl, which reminds me that I should have set some of this stew aside to make my own Yumm bowl with it. Next time. This version is much better than the one at Cafe Yumm, and the husband says it's his new favorite food. It's going into the rotation. I worked from  this recipe  from SimplyRecipes, and the only changes I made were to make it vegetarian. I replaced the chicken stock with vegetable stock and I replaced the chicken with Quorn's Meatless Chicken Pieces, which I know is a weird unnatural and probably unhealthy fo...

  Toasted sesame seeds are maybe not traditional, but they're delicious. This is my attempt to recreate the beautiful simplicity of my favorite dish at  Sabai . I've tried many times to find a good recipe for Thai "garlic sauce," or "garlic and black pepper sauce," but Sabai lists it with a real name (pad pak ruammit) and that led me to my most successful google search yet. I worked from  this recipe from Siam Sizzles . It's good, but it needed a bit more oomph. Specifically: 1) Add freshly cracked black pepper 2) Increase the proportion of soy sauce 3) Drizzle chili oil on top, to taste Sabai still does it better, but this is delicious. The Recipe: 1 tb sugar 3 tb soy sauce, plus more to taste 2 tb oyster sauce 2 tb water 2 tb sesame oil freshly cracked black pepper, to taste 1 block tofu, cubed and baked or fried 1 red bell pepper, sliced 1 handful snap peas, sliced 1 crown broccoli, cut into bite-sized pieces 1/2 onion, sliced 2 cloves garlic, minced ...

  Alongside Instant Pot refried black beans . I've tried making Mexican rice many times, and I've always failed. I think it's because the tomato/moisture ratio has to be just right, to avoid a mushy mess? Anyway, I'm so happy to finally have succeeded enough to save this recipe. I think there's room for improvement, but this was great next to some refried beans. It is noteworthy that I liked the cooked carrots in it. I don't usually like cooked carrots. But the way these were cooked, in the instant pot with all of the other flavors in there, made them perfectly seasoned and delicious. I followed  this recipe  from Tastes Better From Scratch. My changes were that I increased the amount of rice and water to make a bit more, I left out the peas and I used a packet of Trader Joe's chicken stock concentrate instead of tomato bouillon. I might look for tomato bouillon for next time, though! Also, it didn't specify what type of rice to use, but I used basmati. ...

  The cucumber is hiding. I made my first kimbap as an accompaniment to  tteokbokki , which I recommend as a pairing. I combined ideas from several internet recipes, and I inauthentically prepared the rice with rice vinegar instead of sesame oil because I prefer it that way. I also skipped the part about brushing the outside with sesame oil. I don't think it needs it. For my fillings, I used crunchy baked tofu, pickled cucumber, and seasoned spinach. I like this combination a lot. I think kimbap is supposed to have carrots, but I don't like carrots in this kind of context, so I skipped it. The Recipe: 4 sheets nori 2 c uncooked calrose rice 1 tb rice vinegar 1 tb sesame seeds 1/2 bunch spinach 1 tsp sesame oil 1/2 tsp soy sauce 1/3 english cucumber, sliced into strips 1 tb rice vinegar 1 tsp soy sauce 1/2 tsp sesame oil 1 tsp sugar 1/2 block firm tofu 1 tb  Korean dipping sauce  or a mixture of soy sauce and sesame oil 1 tb cornstarch Rice: Rinse well. Cook according...

SO COMFORTING. I first tasted Japanese curry over 5 years ago, when a friend dropped it off after Miles was born. I loved it, but I never had it again, because restaurants always have meat in their Japanese curries.  So finally, I decided to figure out how to make it myself. It turns out it's very easy (at least with the store-bought curry roux), and it's amazingly delicious. It's the rare kind of comfort food that lets you still feel good after you've eaten it, which seems to be less rare among Asian comfort foods than among American ones. This is the curry mix that I buy. There are an overwhelming number of options at the Asian store, but I saw someone else grab this one, so I thought I'd try it. I'll probably stick with it until someone suggests otherwise. I worked mainly from  this recipe from Just One Cookbook , modifying quantities a little bit according to the box of curry, and substituting my choice of vegetables and protein. ...

Photo is the leftovers in the pan, because we finished our bowls immediately. I've been in a rut with fried rice lately, and I've struck out on a few recipes that I thought would be good but weren't. I'd seen this  Cookie and Kate recipe  before and I hadn't bothered with it because I felt like something with oyster sauce and/or fish sauce would be better, but I was wrong! I finally tried it and it's delicious. Partially its success I think came from the experience that I finally have making fried rice and adjusting the seasonings at the end. I used the recipe as a guide, but I did a lot of adding and tasting at the end until it was just right.  My only real change, other than seasoning to taste, was that I added a splash of the pineapple juice (from canned pineapple) in the seasoning process. We like a bit of sweetness in our fried rice. This is the one! For now, at least. I'm curious about some of the recipes I've seen that use curry powder, so ...

Pretty colors. In our last CSA box of the year, we had broccolini, red peppers, and shallots, which screamed stir-fry to me. I'm on a constant mission to make a shrimp dish as delicious as the one at  Pho Grand , so I searched for Vietnamese recipes and found  this one by The Spruce Eats . My modifications: I made it less spicy for toddler (which didn't matter because he decided that night that shrimp is gross), I added a bit of sweetness to the sauce which I saw in another recipe, I stir-fried the shallots before anything else to try to fry them a little bit (because I dream about the fried shallot garnish at Pho Grand but I wasn't willing to go to the effort of frying them in a separate pot), and I increased the amount of sauce. It's fresh, it's easy, the shrimp is delicious, and it's so healthy with stock as the base for the sauce. The Recipe: (adapted from The Spruce Eats) 1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined 1.5 tb brown sugar 3 cloves ga...

Not quite soup... When I noticed that I had pinned the same recipe twice on my Instant Pot Pinterest board, I decided it was time to try it. Also, it's a  Pinch of Yum recipe  that I hadn't tried yet, so it was bound to happen sooner or later. I bought the ingredients and then noticed the adamant note at the bottom of the original recipe to use actual wild rice, not wild rice blend. I didn't know anything about wild rice, but apparently wild rice blends (which is what I had purchased) are mostly brown or white rice with some wild rice mixed in. It was too late to turn back, though, so I thought I'd see what would happen. It turns out the rice breaks down too much, so the end result is a bit more like the consistency of risotto than soup. I'm definitely not complaining. I will try it again in the future with actual wild rice for comparison's sake, but this recipe is a keeper even in this halfway-between-soup-and-risotto form. The original recip...

Is it summer yet? This is a perfect simple, healthy meal. It's easy to prep a bunch of the ingredients and eat these bowls for days, just baking the egg rolls and heating a portion of protein each time. It's also completely customizable depending on what vegetables and proteins you have on hand. We will be trying a CSA this summer, and I'll have to keep this meal in mind when I have lots of veggies to use up. The "Recipe": ("Recipe" is in quotations because I don't have any kind of helpful quantities to offer here) Jasmine rice Lots of sliced vegetables (this time I used cucumbers, carrots, scallions, and lettuce) Protein (I like cubed tofu, tossed in olive oil and salt and baked at 350 for 40 minutes, or shrimp) Nuoc cham (I mix water, lime juice, sugar, fish sauce, and chili paste to taste) OR Peanut sauce (I like  Cookie and Kate's recipe : 1/3 c peanut butter, 2 tb rice vinegar, 2 tb soy sauce, 2 tb honey, 1 tb sesame ...