Tofu with Spicy Orange Sauce

A great sauce that goes well with tofu, grilled chicken or pork.  Vary the intensity of the heat by adjusting the amount of red pepper flakes that you use.

Sauce:
3/4 C. Orange Juice
 3 Tbsp. Soy Sauce
 1 Tbsp. Cornstarch
 2 tsp. Orange Peel, finely grated
 1/2 tsp. Ginger, minced
 1 tsp. Sesame Oil
 ½ tsp. Crushed red pepper

Tofu Extra firm
Cornstarch
Vegetable oil

Slice tofu into 1 x 1 ½ inch cubes. Place on paper towels. Cover with additional paper towels. Press gently but firmly to remove moisture. Replace the wet towels with dry towels. Place a large heavy plate on top of the towels and place in the fridge to continue to press the tofu.
In a small saucepan, combine all ingredients for the sauce. Bring to a simmer, stirring to combine all ingredients. Turn the heat to low and allow the sauce to thicken slightly. Press the tofu again with dry towels to remove as much moisture as you can. Place tofu in large zip lock bag. Add roughly ¼ C. of cornstarch to bag. Shake to coat tofu pieces. Shake off excess cornstarch. Heat several cups of oil in a large heavy deep pan to around 350 degrees. In batches, carefully place tofu in the oil, avoiding overcrowding. Fry until tofu is golden and floats to the top of the oil. Remove with a slotted spoon and let drain on paper towels.
Once all of the tofu is cooked, toss with the sauce.

Drink - Strawberry Slushies

Nice fruity summer drink without being overly sweet.

 

2 C. Strawberries, hulled
750 ml. Dry Riesling
½ tsp. Fresh Lemon Juice
4 Tbsp. Sugar

Chill 1 cup of the Riesling in the refrigerator. Pour remaining wine in a blender. Add the strawberries, lemon juice and sugar. Puree. Pour mixture in a glass dish and place in freezer. Let the mixture sit in the fridge until frozen. Add back to the blender along with the chilled wine and puree.

Ramp Pasta with Morels

The recipe below is a good basic Alfredo sauce that is excellent as is, or can be altered by adding chopped fresh herbs, red pepper flakes or try adding grilled chicken and steamed vegetables with the pasta. You can also replace some of the mozzarella with pepper jack cheese for a little more heat.
The pasta we used in the photo was a gift. It is made with ramps and tofu from a company called Integration Acres. It truly has a unique flavor and texture.

 

 


Sauce:
½ C. Butter
2 Garlic cloves, minced
½ C. Parmesan
2 C. Heavy Cream
¼ tsp. White Pepper
¾ C. Mozzarella, shredded

Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic, cream and pepper. Bring to a low simmer. Add Parmesan and stir until smooth. Add mozzarella. Stir constantly until smooth. Season sauce with additional pepper and salt to taste. Serve over cooked noodles.

For the Morels:
Morels
Butter
Flour

Slice the morels in half lengthwise. Soak overnight in salted water in a large bowl in the refrigerator. Drain and pat dry on paper towels. Melt butter in a large skillet. Dredge morels in flour and fry in batches in the skillet over medium heat until crispy. Flip and fry the other side. Drain on paper towels.

 

 



Tofu and Vegetables with Stir Fry Sauce

Over the past few years, I have really come to appreciate tofu.  It is a great source of protein, low in calories and fat and does not contain any cholesterol.  It is available in many different textures, from silken, soft, firm, or extra firm.  For a crispy exterior for this recipe, make sure you buy the extra firm variety and press as much water out of it as you can.  Tofu has very little taste on its own, so it soaks up the flavor of whatever sauce you put on it.

 

Sauce:
2/3 C. Soy Sauce
1/2 C. Chicken Broth
1/3 C. Rice Vinegar
3 1/2 Tbsp. Sugar
1/2 Tbsp. Sesame Oil
1 Tbsp. Garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. Ginger, minced
2 Tbsp. Cornstarch

1 pkg. Extra Firm Tofu
1 Onion, Chopped
2 – 3 Carrots, peeled and sliced
2 C. Broccoli Florets
Cornstarch
Vegetable oil

Slice tofu into 1 x 1 ½ inch cubes. Place on paper towels. Cover with additional paper towels. Press gently but firmly to remove moisture. Replace the wet towels with dry towels. Place a large heavy plate on top of the towels and place in the fridge to continue to press the tofu while you chop the vegetables and make the sauce.
In a small saucepan, combine all ingredients for the sauce. Bring to a low boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Turn the heat to low and allow the sauce to simmer and thicken slightly. Add the vegetables to a large skillet. Add 3 -4 Tbsp. of water and cover with a tight fitting lid. Heat the skillet to medium high heat and steam the vegetables until crisp tender adding more water as necessary.
While the vegetables are cooking prep the tofu. Press again with dry towels to remove as much moisture as you can. Place tofu in large zip lock bag. Add roughly ¼ C. of cornstarch to bag. Shake to coat tofu pieces. Shake off excess cornstarch. Heat several cups of oil in a large heavy deep pan to around 350 degrees. In batches, carefully place tofu in the oil, avoiding overcrowding. Fry until tofu is golden and floats to the top of the oil. Remove with a slotted spoon and let drain on paper towels.
Once all of the tofu is cooked, add to the skillet with the vegetables. Pour in the sauce and toss to coat everything.



Pork potstickers

Not the prettiest dumpling out there, but oh what a taste!  You can make the round pleated dumplings if you prefer, but I like the no fuss triangles.  The taste will be the same.  I like to use a non-stick skillet when making these.  You’ll still get a nice browned side, but won’t have to worry about tearing the bottoms off when removing from the pan. Serve with wonton dipping sauce, steamed rice and veggies.

1 Pd. Ground Pork
3 Garlic Cloves, minced
1 egg, beaten
½ Onion, minced
2 Tbsp. Soy Sauce
½ Tbsp. Sesame Oil
1 Tbsp. Ginger, minced
Wonton Wrappers
Vegetable Oil

Mix all ingredients in large bowl. Let sit for 20 minutes. Heat a small amount of oil in skillet over medium high heat. Place about 8 wrappers (or what will fit comfortably in the skillet) on work surface. Place the unused wrappers under a towel to keep from drying out. Place 1 Tbsp. of pork filling in center of each wonton wrapper. Lightly moisten two edges of each wrapper. Fold over to form a triangle, pressing down on edges to seal seams. Cook until browned on each side. Pour in ½ cup of water in skillet and cover with lid. Cook for about 5 minutes until filling is cooked through. Repeat with remaining wrappers. Serve with Wonton dipping sauce.

Wonton dipping sauce

Excellent complement for wontons, it really enhances the flavor of this delicious dish.  Equally good when drizzled over chicken, tofu or veggies.  Add more Sriracha to increase the heat to the level you prefer. 

½ C. Soy Sauce
1 Tbsp. Rice Vinegar
1 Tbsp. Chives, minced
1 Tbsp. Sesame Seeds
1 tsp. Sriracha

Mix all ingredients together. 

Bierocks

Every culture seems to have some version of a meat and bread pocket sandwich.  I think these originated in Germany.  Easily taken and eaten on the run, these make for a no fuss breakfast or lunch option.  They also freeze well.  Just reheat in a low oven to warm through. 

 

 

Filling:
1 pd. Ground Beef
1 Onion, minced
½ Head of Cabbage, diced
Hot Sauce, optional
Dough:
¼ C. Warm Water
¾ C. Milk
¼ C. Canola Oil
¼ C. Sugar
1 Egg, beaten
2 ½ tsp. Dry Active Yeast
½ tsp. Salt
4 C. Flour + more for kneading

Make the filling:
In skillet, brown ground beef, breaking up into pieces. Add the onion and cabbage. Cover and cook until cabbage is tender. Season with salt, pepper and hot sauce. Set aside to cool.
Make the dough:
In small bowl, dissolve the yeast in water. In saucepan, heat milk, sugar, oil and salt over low medium heat. You want to scald the milk but be careful not to let it simmer. Stir to completely dissolve the sugar into the milk. Pour milk in large bowl and cool to lukewarm. Temper the egg by pouring a small amount of the milk mixture into the egg whisking constantly. Add the yeast and egg to the milk mixture and stir to combine. Add about 2 cups of the flour. Mix until smooth. Continue adding the rest of the flour until dough leaves the sides of the bowl. Turn out on floured surface. Knead until dough is smooth and elastic, incorporating as much flour as needed. Form into a ball and place in a lightly oiled bowl. Lightly brush the top of the dough with additional oil. Cover with a towel and place in a warm spot to double in size. Punch down. Take a small amount of dough and on a floured work surface, form a disk about 6 inches in diameter. Place around 1/3 of a cup of filling in the center. Pull up edges of dough to the center and twist to seal. Place seam side down on baking sheet. Cover baking sheets with towel and let rise again. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 – 15 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately brush the tops of rolls with melted butter. Let cool on rack.