Adventures of a healthy-ish pseudo-foodie

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...