You can conquer Tofu and a Quick Stir Fry

                  So is Tofu giving you the run around? One minute you order it at a restaurant and it tastes sooooo great, then when you try to make it at home, it sits in your fridge, you give it to the dog or you toss it with yesterdays papers. I have been there, and I have done that, except I don't have a dog. So many times it remained in the fridge for a couple days, until I got tired of looking at it and then tossed it. (Yes, I know, shame on me. I admit, I am ashamed).
                    However, despite all the bad tofu experiences,  I never gave up. The epitome of my tofu experience came while in culinary school (big surprise there). We learned there that not only should you season and marinate tofu (which I did sometimes), but that a good way to cook Tofu is to make sure you get a good golden pan sear! In essence you are taking the same technique that you would use to pan sear meats and apply that to tofu (Firm tofu usually works best).
                    What does it mean to pan sear? Searing (or pan searing) is a technique used in grilling, baking, braising, roasting, sauteing etc., in which the surface of the food (usually meat, poultry or fish) is cooked at high temperature so a caramelized crust forms.  With the addition of bold spices and seasonings, you can take your boring tofu to exciting bites of yumminess! The searing technique creates a visual improvement on your dishes, an interesting texture depth, and seals in and enhances flavor. Now, cooking and eating tofu is no longer a chore, but a delight!
                     In light of this, a couple of days ago, I was feeling for an Asian inspired dinner. I whipped up a A Tofu and Vegetable Stir Fry and served it with some noodles. I had not cooked tofu in a long time and thought that it would be nice to share one of the ways I prepare it, focusing on the tofu cooking techniques. Hope you enjoy!

Tofu pairs especially well with Sesame Oil and Seeds. Other lovely pairings are scallions, teriyaki, soy sauce, mushrooms, ginger, garlic.

Ingredients

1 box tofu (Firm), diced in medium cubes
1 head of broccoli, bite sized florets, blanched
1 zucchini, sliced in half moons
1 carrot, sliced in rounds
1 red bell pepper, julienned
1 medium onion, julienned
2 cloves of garlic, grated
5 baby portabello mushrooms, sliced
1 package of your favorite noodles (you can serve with rice if you wish)
1 green onion, sliced
3 tbsp mushroom stir fry sauce
2 tsp sesame seed oil
2 tsp sesame seeds
vegetable oil (you can use peanut oil if you like)
Sweet chili sauce (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

Spices/Seasoning for Tofu

1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp sesame seed oil
1 tsp Chinese five spice
2 tsp mushroom stir fry sauce
1 scallion, sliced

Method
1. A couple hours before, or if possible the night before, cut tofu into medium cubes, and add all the ingredients for seasoning the tofu. Just toss the bowl with ingredients as you don't want to break up the tofu. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
                         

2. Cut and slice all other ingredients, keeping them separate.
3. In skillet, or wok, heat up a little vegetable oil, enough to coat the bottom of the pan. When it is hot, add the tofu. Do not stir as yet. It would start to brown on one side, making it easy to just toss the skillet to move tofu around. Remember you do not want to break the tofu up any smaller (however it can happen).

                         

5. Once the tofu has got the color you desire, start by adding the onions, let it cook a little bit, probably a minute. Then add the garlic, mushrooms, sweet peppers, carrots and zucchini. While that cooks, make sure to add salt and pepper to taste as well as the sesame seed oil and the mushroom stir fry sauce.  Cook at least 5 minutes.
6. Add the broccoli and sesame seeds and turn off the stove. The heat will warm up the broccoli if you blanched them prior. (Blanching allows the broccoli to get and keep a bright green color. To blanch, place a pot of water to boil, adding enough salt to taste like the sea. Meanwhile, get a bowl with ice cold water ready. When the water is boiling, add the broccoli for a few minutes, probably 2 to 3 minutes, but no more than 4. Drain broccoli and immediately shock them in ice cold water which will stop it from cooking).
7. Taste your dish, adjust seasonings and serve over your favorite noodles or rice. I added some sweet chili sauce to the top of each serving just to add more flavor.

P.S. Wait till you try this dish the day after you cooked it. Sure the day you cook it is good, but the next day its just great!

Fresh Cranberries and A Muffin Recipe.

                        Don't you just love the Ocean Spray cranberry commercials? I do, and when I visited Walt Disney World's Food and Wine Festival in 2011, there was this spectacular display, shown in the picture above, of a live version of a cranberry commercial! It was the first time I saw this in real life and was pretty amazed. It was hard not to pass the display, as the sun made the cranberries almost glisten like red rubies in a huge box! That experience started me thinking of all the ways that we can use cranberries, and other things that compliment them. Other than drinking various mixes of cranberry juices, we are used to cranberry overload during the holidays. So, with the holiday seasons upon us, it was not very surprising today, when I visited the farmers market, that I saw bags  of fresh Ocean Spray cranberries for a dollar. (Needless to say I bought a couple bags)
                         More than likely, like most people, I am going to make my own cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving this year. So I washed the cranberries, dried them and froze them so that I can use them in the next week and a half or so. Then I took the rest and used them in some muffins for breakfast for my husband (he likes muffins). From what I have read, using fresh cranberries are more effective in protecting our cardio-vascular system and they are full of antioxidants! It is also high in Vitamin C, and so I am sure adding orange juice to the recipe just makes it that much more full of Vitamin C.
                         I decided that I would make vegan Cranberry and Orange Muffins for my husband. You may not have to go completely overboard like I did to make it vegan, but trust me, they taste really good and are much healthier than using eggs, butter and milk. Below I describe the method I used. But before I share my recipe, here is just a list of other ingredients that cranberries pair well with.

Cranberries go well with Cinnamon, Ginger, Honey, Lemon Juice, Maple Syrup, Orange, Sugar, Vanilla and Walnuts.

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients

2 cups of flour, sifted (all purpose works well)
1 cup of sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
2 cups of chopped cranberries
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup of chopped walnuts

Wet Ingredients

1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 egg (for vegan use Ener-G egg replacement. Follow box description)
1 fresh squeezed orange (yes, without the seeds)
1/2 cup of pineapple juice
1/2 cup of chopped walnuts
approx 2 tsp orange rind
Sugar to sprinkle on muffins before baking (optional)

Method

1. Pre-heat oven to 350
2. Using two bowls, measure out all ingredients, dividing them between wet and dry. You should add the walnuts and the cranberries to the dry ingredients. Make sure to mix wet ingredients well. If you are using the egg replacement, mix it separately until frothy and then add to wet ingredients.
3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and using a spoon fold gently until all dry ingredients are incorporated.
4. Line your muffin tins with the individual cupcake liners, or you can use your cupcake tins for smaller portions. I usually pray the inside of the liners lightly.
5. Using an ice cream scoop (depends on the size muffins you want and tin size), portion out equal amounts into each. At this point you would sprinkle with sugar if you want.
6. Place in oven, and bake for about 30 minutes, or until the top of the muffins bounce back when you touch the top.
7. Place them on a cooling rack and cool properly before storing. I like to store mine on a glass plate under a  glass dome cover, so we can just grab it and go. However you can store them in plastic containers with covers if need be.
8. Take a bite and enjoy!


Let me know how this recipe worked for you.

                       

Chock-full of History and Pancakes.

Sweet Potato Pancakes at The Arcade Restaurant, Memphis, TN

                                        On the 45 minute flight between Atlanta and Memphis, my mind started wondering about breakfast. Eric said he would take us for breakfast when we arrived, and even though my stomach disagreed about having an earlier breakfast ( at 5 am), it was finally 8 am and all I could think about was food. As I munched on some Air Tran cookies (I swear those cookies are divine), my mind immediately sought comfort in the idea of eating a familiar meal in a strange place. I hoped, that we were headed to an IHOP or Denny's, so I started thinking of what I could eat there. After a couple minutes, my mind was made up. IHOP it was. I sat back  and mulled over my decision and the psychology of the matter.
                                        After pleasantries, Eric mentioned the magic word "Breakfast" and so we were off to Downtown Memphis. As we drove, it became apparent that we were not heading to a restaurant chain, but rather a local diner. This was not quite what I had in mind and braced myself for the worst. Little known fact about me is that even though I like food, I am not a very adventurous eater even though I like to think that I am (even as a vegetarian). Don't get me wrong, I love to try new dishes, but I am extremely picky about where I eat. Not only that, but I am also notorious for ordering similar dishes at different locations.
                                         When we arrived, I was a bit skeptical, but as we approached and then entered the restaurant, I fell immediately in love with the history of the place (I love anything historical). Eric took us to the Arcade Restaurant. You can read in detail about them via their website at http://www.arcaderestaurant.com/about.html There were many interesting and famous people that ate at this restaurant in times past. There was even a booth dedicated to Elvis because they said every time he ate there, he ate in that booth. The restaurant was also used in many movies, some of which I have seen, but probably was not paying that much attention to notice it. Most interesting to me was the fact that the tables had never been resurfaced since they opened, and they were not in bad shape either. After ordering what I wanted, I continued to read about the restaurant in their menu.

                                 

                                               
                                           
                                            I decided to order the Sweet Potato Pancakes with grits and scrambled eggs. I had never had sweet potato pancakes. Truth is, as Un-American as it may be, I am not a big fan of pancakes. However these pancakes were more than I expected. They were not overwhelmingly tasting, but still had enough sweet potato that I wondered if it was "real sweet potato" or straight from the can. It was also soft and pillow like and I did not even have to use the syrup. I did taste it with the syrup and decided that it overpowered the subtle taste of the pancake with too much sweetness. Maybe a little bit of melted butter on the top of them would suffice. The grits were not really to my liking as it was very goopy, but I chalked this up to the fact that they were a little cold. The eggs however were perfectly scrambled. They looked like they were done in a skillet, but tasted and had the texture of scrambled eggs that were steamed. They were not runny, but not dry either. Just perfect, and I even told my husband that the eggs were perfectly done. The hash browns were just not worth mentioning as I really did not like it, so I did not eat it. The portion serving was much bigger than my stomach's eye could fathom, but even though I could not finish everything, I made sure I stuffed myself with pancakes and eggs. The pancakes and the eggs alone were worth the visit, not to mention the idea of eating in such a historical place.

                                         My husband had french toast instead, and even though I did not sample any of his food (which is very rare), I really liked the almost rustic presentation of this loved classic. They also used french bread in their version!

Overall, I really loved this little historical gem and I am actually looking forward to going back to get their pancakes again, and maybe even try their french toast. Their pancakes was by far, the best thing I ever ate. 

                                        

Green Bananas with Sauteed Spinach (Simple comfort food)

Many times I do not feel like eating rice, or anything considered traditional like potatoes for dinner. So I usually do an easy but substantial meal, that's really simple to cook! The good thing about this simple recipe, is that you can use potatoes instead of green bananas, or even use some other type of root vegetable. It looks like a small portion, but believe me, you will be full after eating a little bit of this. 

Ingredients 

6-7 green bananas

5     cloves of garlic, grated

1/2  yellow onion, diced

1     sweet red pepper

1     bag of spinach (you can decide how much you want to use, remember it wilts down to close to nothing)

salt  and pepper to taste

1/2  cup of water

vegetable oil

Method

1. Place the green bananas to cook by boiling them in a pot with some salt added to the water. (see pic below)

2. While that is cooking, gather, cut and dice all ingredients (the pic below shows the green bananas peeled after cooking)

                         

3. Slice the bananas and set aside once cooked.
4. Saute the onion, garlic and pepper in a saute pan with some olive oil for 3 minutes.
5. Add the green bananas and mix all ingredients well. Add salt and pepper to taste.
6. Add water and cover. Turn heat down to a simmer for 20 minutes.

                          

7. While the bananas are cooking, saute the spinach lightly. You don't want to overcook it. You just want to wilt them. Make sure to season with salt and pepper as well.
8. To assemble your dish, place spinach on the bottom of the plate and top with the green bananas.

Update

Hi everyone,

Wondering where I have been? Well I got really busy teaching Vegetarian Classes on Dishup.com. Its really great, but between that and work (and home life) I have not had that much time for my blog. I promise I will try to update this when I can. However in the mean time, make sure to check out my article http://www.dishuptoday.com/WordPress/2012/03/27/athalia-more-options-for-vegitarian/ and even sign up for a class. I know for a short time they are offering your first class free. Not sure how long this would last, so act soon! 

Vegan Black Bean Burgers with Spicy Guacamole and Fried Plantains

                                         There are a couple companies out there that make some really tasty Black Bean Burgers. One that I really like comes from a famous fast food chain, and another from a company specializing in Vegetarian/Vegan products. Both of then have chunks of black beans in them that makes for an interesting burger texture. I decided to make my own black bean burgers, not so much because I did not want a fast food day, but mostly because I am sure that both burgers that I like contain ingredients that are probably not that good for me. One being high amounts of sodium. 

                                         The good thing about re-creating a dish at home that you like, is that you are able to control what goes into it, and how much of a specific ingredient you use. Of course, there is the added bonus that probably for the price of one of the burgers, you can make more product, having leftovers for another day. I love this version so much, that I plan to make some extra, wrap them individually in parchment paper and then foil, and freeze them. That way, when I need one, I or my husband can just grab, cook and eat! Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I enjoyed making and eating them!

P.S. This is another Semi-Homemade Dish...so it won't take long to make :)

Ingredients
2      cans of Black Beans (does not matter the brand)
4      pieces of Whole Wheat Bread (for bread crumbs, or you can buy them)
1/2   yellow onion
1/2   green pepper
3-4  cloves garlic
2 tsp cumin (I simply adore this spice)
1 tsp paprika
1      pack of guacamole, spicy (or you can make your own as shown here)
cilantro (I just used what is shown in the pic, sorry I did not measure, just wanted the taste of it)
1      pack of whole wheat hamburger buns
Vegetable Oil
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste

Method

1. Gather all ingredients as shown in the picture below. Be sure to rinse the black beans before using them.
2. Using a food processor/Vita Mix, made bread crumbs with the bread (if not you can always use store bought bread crumbs)

                       

3. Add the onion, garlic, sweet pepper and cilantro to the food processor/Vita Mix and chop. If you prefer you can chop them by hand into small bits. You want to leave whatever liquid this process makes with the mix as this helps bind your burger together. This is a good point to add some salt and pepper to the mix.

4. Next using the same mixer, you can mash the beans, or if you prefer you an use a potato masher or a fork. You don't want to completely cream them. (See pic below).

                 

5. In a bowl, combine all the ingredients together. Make sure to add the spices listed above, as well as any other spices you may like (remember good chefs only use recipe's as a guideline, but use their taste buds and heart to help them make masterpieces!) It would be slightly wet to the touch, but that's how you want it. 

6. Using a little vegetable oil on your hands, pick up some of the mixture and form a burger in your hands. Lay it out on a baking sheet covered in foil.I made mine about1 inch thick and a little smaller than the burger bun.  Continue making the burgers until completed. The should look like the picture below.

                      

7.Place them in the refrigerator or freezer for about 10 minutes so that they have some time to set up a bit.
8.Then bake them covered (use foil) at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.
9. Let them cool and assemble your burger as shown below. Feel free to add whatever you want to your burgers. My husband and I enjoy them with guacamole. However you can put ketchup, mustard, pickles, tomatoes, lettuce etc. Its your burger! :) If you are making the fried plantains with it, now is a good time to make them.

                   

Semi-Homemade Veggie Bean Tortillas with Guacamole and Fresh Pineapple Lime Juice

                                       Sometimes I get tired of cooking elaborate meals. Especially because I spend my entire day cooking at work, only to have to come home to cook again. When these days occur, and I do not feel like getting a fast food option, I cook semi-homemade meals. They are quick, convenient, still taste yummy and can also be healthy. When I cook semi-homemade, I try to add elements that I have to make from "scratch" to make it seem more "home-like". (In this instance I did guacamole and a fruit juice)

                                      Since my days have been really busy lately, not only have I not had time to blog, but I have not had that much time to devote to cooking either. Hence the blog will have its moments of semi-homemade food. So don't judge, just cause I like to cook, does not mean I like to cook ALL the time :) (i.e my career and home). However, thank God for a hubby who can cook and picks up the slack when I have these moments. 

Ingredients

1    onion (cut in half. Use 1/2 for taco filling, 1/2 for guacamole)

1    green pepper

1    can of kidney beans (washed and drained)

1/2 pack of taco seasoning mix

1    pack of flour tortillas (or you can make your own if you have time)

1    bottle of salsa (your favorite kind)

2    tomatoes

2    avocados

2    limes. (use 1/2 for guacamole and the rest for juice)

1/2 cup cilantro

1/2 fresh pineapple

  2  cloves garlic diced (you can use depending on your like or dislike of garlic)

      oil

salt to taste (I used this only in the guacamole, the taco seasoning has MORE than enough salt)

pepper to taste

sugar to taste

Method:

1. Gather you ingredients like the picture below. To save time I gather all my ingredients and dice or cut them and place them together. In the industry its call mise en place or everything in its place. This makes it easy to just grab things and add to the pot/dish instead of going back to the cutting board each time. 

   

2. To a saute pan, add a little vegetable oil and heat. Then add the onions, pepper and garlic. Saute until soft, but not browned. Add the red beans and HALF the packet of taco seasoning. Continue to cook until beans are heated through and flavors are meshed together. You can set this aside while you work on the guacamole.

3. This is the fun part cause I have a Vita-Mix (which is a really top notch blender. We use this in the industry as well.) I make my guacamole using this. Of course you don't want to pulse it till its terribly smooth, I like mine kinda chunky. So in the blender/food processor, place avocados, tomatoes, cilantro, salt, lime juice and onion. See pic below for what it looked like before making. Taste and adjust salt before putting in serving bowl. (If you are doing this by hand, you would need to cut ingredients smaller and mash the avocados by hand). 

4. I did not take any pics of this, but making the juice was very simple. I placed some water, the pineapple which I cut into chunks and the remainder of limes which I peeled and cut in half. I blended it and then added sugar. I only had to add 2 tbsp of sugar because the pineapple was already sweet. 

5. The next step is getting ready to assemble your tacos to get ready to EAT!. Firstly I take the tortilla shells and heat them up in a skillet (without any oil). This makes them a little more pliable (and it would stay in the way I want them).

6. Then I assemble them like the pictures shown below. First I place salsa on the heated tortilla, add the filling on top, add some cheese, and then wrap them. I continue this until completing my dish and then sprinkle it with chopped cilantro. 

 



I hope you enjoy my semi-homemade meal :)

Chocolate Peanut Punch-Natural and Yummy Energy Drink

                   

                        My husband was working on a friends' car recently and it was a relatively nice day here in Orlando. I figured it would be nice to surprise him with a nice cold glass of something. I decided, since I had so much peanut butter (from couponing) that I would whip up some peanut punch with a twist. 

                        For vegetarians, you get protein and vitamins from having a glass of peanut punch. It contains about 25 % protein, calcium, niacin, folate, fiber and vitamin E just to name a few. It is great for energy instead of caffeine filled energy drinks. To my recipe, you can add a banana and even top it with granola!

Ingredients. 

3 cups  Cold Vanilla Almond Milk (love the dept of using the Almond flavors)

1/2 cup Favorite Peanut Butter. (I used Honey Roasted)

5 tsp     Cocoa Powder (please the unsweetened cocoa, not cocoa mix for hot chocolates)

4 tbsp   Sugar (I used granulated cane sugar)

1/4 tsp  Vanilla Essence

pinch     Cinnamon

5 oz      Ice (optional)

Method

1. Place all ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth. Taste for sugar and adjust if you think its necessary. (I did not make it a sweet dish, just enough to make the cocoa powder taste good).

2. Optional: You can add ice and continue to blend for an icy treat!

                                                             

Wholly Guacamole

                             A New Year has begun, and traditionally, (if I were at home in Trinidad), my mother would cook up a pot of Black Eye Peas and rice. So I thought it would be perfect for me to make my own version of the dish......However, 2012 did not start off as I thought it would. I was sick in bed the night before. (I usually cook the dish I am blogging about the day before I write about it). So there was no cooking taking place at my house for the New Year (wait, expect my husband cooked for me last night :).
                            No I'm not superstitious or anything, but usually, cooking rice and black eye peas for January 1st supposedly sets you up to have a prosperous New Year. Since I was not able to have that traditional dish, I got the next best thing....CHIPOTLE!. Even before I began writing this blog, I wanted to talk about Chipotle, and I think for January 1st, it had the most suitable components. Peas (although not black eye) and rice.
                             Even though I love to cook, sometimes I don't (surprise....well not to my husband)! On the days that I want a day off, Chipotle is my GO TO fast food. I love it cause its vegetarian, healthy, FAST FOOD and a good value for your money. PLUS now they have brown rice as an option!

                            I love to have brown rice, black beans, the grilled peppers, mild and medium salsas, a little cheese, corn and guacamole on the side. How do you like your Chipotle? And what's your favorite vegetarian fast food option?