Bok choy with sesame and garlic tofu recipe

After I picked up my CSA share on Monday, I immediately started flipping through cookbooks to see what I would make for the week. One of the things that I came home with was another head of bok choy, so I was excited to find an enticing recipe in "The Whole Foods Market Cookbook". It included tofu, which was perfect because I'm now a vegetarian on Mondays and Tuesdays...

A few weeks ago I got an email from a friend proposing a vegetarianism sharing group. The idea is that you get several people together who are not vegetarians but recognize the importance of decreasing meat consumption because of its extreme impacts on the environment. Everyone commits to being a vegetarian for a day (or in some cases two days) of the week so that the whole week is covered by the group. I thought this was a great idea, as did a few other people, so I will now be making a conscious effort not to eat meat on Mondays and Tuesdays. Given that I don't eat much meat in the first place, it hasn't been much of a change for me. It's exciting that some of my friends are recognizing the impact of food choices, though, and I'm glad to be part of a group that is making a positive step towards reducing energy consumption.

Bok choy with sesame and garlic tofu (adapted from "The Whole Foods Market Cookbook")

(Printable version)

3 cloves garlic

1 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled

2 tsp sesame oil

1/4 cup soy sauce (use wheat-free tamari for gluten-free)

1 Tbsp rice vinegar

1 tsp brown sugar

1 Tbsp sesame seeds

1 tsp crushed red chili flakes

3/4 cup water

3 Tbsp gluten-free miso

1 lb firm tofu, cubed

1 1/2 Tbsp peanut oil, divided

1 head bok choy, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 inch piece of fresh ginger, minced

1 Tbsp soy sauce (wheat-free tamari)

1 bunch green onions, sliced

1 Tbsp sesame seeds

Combine everything from garlic to miso in a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Marinate tofu cubes in this marinade for at least 2 hours in the refrigerator.

Heat 1/2 Tbsp peanut oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Remove the tofu from the marinade (but save the marinade) and cook in the skillet, stirring frequently, until browned on all sides (about 5 min). Set tofu aside. Pour remaining oil into skillet and reduce heat to medium. Add bok choy, garlic, and ginger and cook, stirring frequently, until bok choy stems are tender (about 7 min). Stir in soy sauce and green onions and remove from heat. Serve tofu over bok choy, spoon some of the marinade over the top, and garnish with sesame seeds. Serves 4.

I really enjoyed this and almost saved the remaining marinade (but didn't because I couldn't figure out what I would do with it in the next few days). It had a good kick to it with really great flavor. Apparently my cheap food processor isn't so good at keeping liquids in, and I ended up with marinade all over my kitchen, with some dripping down the 1/8" crack between my stove and cabinets. As a result, my kitchen will likely smell like the marinade for a while, and I'm not complaining. I also really enjoyed the contrast between the soft tofu and the somewhat crunchy bok choy. I don't normally like to make a recipe twice in quick succession, but if I get more bok choy, this may make another appearance. It was that good.

Braised bok choy with seared salmon

I think I should be on cabbage commercials. I can eat plate after plate of the stuff, which would be a very helpful skill if multiple takes were necessary. Oh wait, I don't think the cabbage industry can afford advertising. It's a real shame because I feel that cabbage is often overlooked. Anyway, I was excited to get bok choy in my CSA share. I rarely buy bok choy because it's so much more expensive than green or purple cabbage (unless I venture to the Asian market), but it's fun to have for a change. I tried out a recipe sent in my CSA newsletter, and then topped it with seared salmon.

Braised bok choy with seared salmon (boy choy recipe adapted from "From Asparagus to Zucchini")

1 large head bok choy

1 Tbsp peanut oil

1 stalk green garlic, chopped (or 2 garlic cloves, minced)

1/2 cup chicken stock

1/2 Tbsp toasted sesame oil

2 Tbsp soy sauce (use wheat-free tamari for gluten-free)

2 tsp seasoned rice vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

2 Tbsp sesame seeds

1 tsp olive oil

3 small salmon filets (about 3 oz. each)

1 Tbsp soy sauce (use wheat-free tamari for gluten-free)

Separate leaves and stalks of the bok choy and chop each separately. Heat peanut oil over medium-high heat in large skillet. Then add bok choy stalks and stir-fry until tender (about 5 min). Stir in green garlic and let cook for an additional minute. Then add bok choy leaves, stock, sesame oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and salt and pepper. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and let cook until the leaves are tender (about 8 min). Then remove cover, increase heat to medium, and let simmer until remaining liquid evaporates. Stir in the sesame seeds.

While bok choy is cooking, heat olive oil over medium heat in skillet. Add salmon skin-side down and brush top with soy sauce. Let it cook for about 5 min, then turn over and let cook until it becomes flaky (3-5 min). Serve salmon on top of bok choy. Serves 3.

Bok choy is fun because its stalks are a bit harder than that of green cabbage. As a result, even after cooking, they stay a bit crunchy and contrast nicely with the soft leaves. I also really liked the combo of bok choy and salmon. It's been a great first week of my CSA so far, and I can't wait to see what I get next time!

Spicy tofu with noodles and mushrooms

I could make up an elaborate story about how I decided to make this recipe, but in all honesty, I just needed to use up my tofu before I leave for Florida this week. I have mixed feelings about tofu because I know far too many people who do research on the effects of soy and phytoestrogens on the brain (and it's rarely good news), but I usually manage to put aside these feelings because it's so delicious. Sometimes ignorance really is bliss.

Spicy tofu with noodles and mushrooms (adapted from "The Complete Cooking Light Cookbook")

1 cup boiling water

1 oz. dried mushrooms (I used a combination of oyster and shiitake)

4 oz. spaghetti (I used brown rice spaghetti)

1 Tbsp peanut oil

1/2 small onion, chopped

3 green onions, chopped

1/2 cup diced carrot

1/2" piece of ginger, minced

1 tsp Sriracha sauce

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 Tbsp soy sauce (use wheat-free tamari for gluten-free)

1 Tbsp hoisin sauce

2 tsp rice vinegar

1 lb. firm tofu, cubed

12 romaine lettuce leaves

Combine boiling water and mushrooms in a small bowl, cover, and let sit for 15 min. Drain mushrooms and chop. While mushrooms are soaking, cook pasta according to package directions. Then, heat oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Add mushrooms, both types of onions, carrot, ginger, Sriracha, and garlic and stir-fry for 3 min. Stir in soy sauce, hoisin sauce, vinegar, tofu, and noodles and cook for 3 more min. Put 1/2 cup of mixture into each lettuce leaf. Serves 4.

I really liked this, and it had a good mix of hot and sweet from the various sauces. It paired perfectly with one of my favorite simple veggie dishes - roasted broccoli tossed in soy sauce. My only complaint was that the spaghetti made it hard to eat (it kept making its way into my lap). But perhaps that's only a problem for people who excel at making a mess.

Barley and sesame tofu stir-fry

**This is not a gluten-free recipe and was posted before I eliminated gluten from my diet. To make this gluten-free, substitute rice for the barley.**

Once again I found myself with a refrigerator full of random veggies and tofu, so I could feel a stir-fry coming on. I wanted to kick it up a notch, though, so I adapted a recipe from one of the cookbooks of the month.

Barley and sesame tofu stir-fry (adapted from "Whole Grains Every Day, Every Way" by Lorna Sass)

1 cup barley

3 cups water

pinch salt

1/3 cup sherry

3 Tbsp soy sauce

2 Tbsp rice vinegar

1 Tbsp dijon mustard

1 Tbsp grated ginger

2 garlic cloves, grated

1 Tbsp sesame oil

1 tsp agave nectar

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

1 lb extra firm tofu, cut into small cubes

1 Tbsp peanut oil

1/2 red onion, chopped

2 small bunches of broccoli

5 oz. spinach

Bring water and salt to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, add barley, and bring back to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and let simmer until barley is tender (about 35 min for pearl barley, or a little bit longer for hulled). Drain off any excess water and let barley steam in pot, covered, for 10 min.

While barley is cooking, mix sauce ingredients together (everything from sherry to red pepper). Pour 3 Tbsp of sauce over tofu, stir, and let sit while you prepare everything else. Heat peanut oil over medium-high in a large skillet. Add onion and cook a few minutes, until tender. Stir in broccoli and let cook until it is just starting to get tender, but is still somewhat crisp (about 5 min). Add barley, tofu, remaining sauce, and spinach. Stir well and cook just until spinach wilts. Serves 4-5.

I really enjoyed this stir-fry (even for breakfast!), and it was really nice to have some barley again. It's been quite a while, and the last time I had it the taste of fennel seeds was somewhat overwhelming and I developed a bad association between the two. Luckily that is now shattered.

While I enjoyed the sauce (which was quite a bit more involved than my usual stir-fry concoction of soy sauce and some garlic), the soy sauce definitely dominated. But, the red pepper snuck through in some bites, and that gave my mouth a nice surprise. Next time I might decrease the soy sauce and add more mustard and rice vinegar to see if I can get those flavors to shine through. I would also add more veggies next time (or decrease the barley), but unfortunately I didn't have any more on hand.

I'm still loving this cookbook, and I find myself flipping through it often to either figure out how to cook a grain in a different way or for recipe inspirations. Hmmm... I just realized that she has another book on whole grains. The last thing I need is more cookbooks, but I might not be able to resist. And if I ever get a pressure cooker (which probably won't be any time soon), I will definitely pick up some of her books on the topic.

Chinese cabbage salad

I spent a lot of time with my dad's parents when I was growing up and, as a result, ate many meals with them. For some reason there are several dishes that Mammom used to make that really stand out in my mind, while I can't remember others to save my life. The ones that I remember are luffa (ok, that was only one time, but it was definitely memorable), spaghetti pie, eggplant casserole, and fumi salad. Perhaps I remember them well because they were some of my favorites (except for the luffa experiment). Fumi salad is one of those great things that you can make in massive quantities (I remember her huge tupperware container that seemed to hold endless amounts of it), and it only gets better as time goes along. I'm sure there's a limit to that, but it was always gone before we got anywhere near testing the limit.

A few years ago, I tried to recreate fumi salad. The basic idea is to combine lots of shredded cabbage, green onions, crushed up ramen noodles, almonds, and chicken (if you want), and a dressing based on vinegar, oil, and sugar. I made it several times, and it was always delicious. It's a great thing to take to events, especially if you need to prepare something in advance. This week I had a head of cabbage, but no real plans for it, so I decided to make a fumi-like salad with a few tweaks.

Chinese cabbage salad

3/4 head shredded cabbage (go ahead and use the whole thing if you want - it wouldn't all fit in my bowl so I boiled the rest)

3 green onions, chopped

1 jalapeno, seeded and minced

1/4 cup roasted peanuts

2 Tbsp sunflower seeds

1 Tbsp canola oil

1 Tbsp sesame oil

2 Tbsp soy sauce (use wheat-free tamari for gluten-free)

2 Tbsp rice vinegar

1 tsp honey (or agave nectar)

Combine cabbage through sunflower seeds in a large bowl. In a small bowl, combine remaining ingredients. Taste the dressing and add more of something if necessary. Add dressing to cabbage mixture and stir well. Let sit in the refrigerator overnight before serving. Serves 4 (unless you sit down with the bowl and eat half of it, like I might have done...).

This was pretty good the day after I made it, but really good yesterday and today. I like the addition of the jalapeno - it adds a subtle kick to it without being overpowering. The peanuts and sunflower seeds are also good and crunchy - I don't miss the ramen noodles at all. I eat a lot of boiled or roasted cabbage, but this is another great way to eat it and keeps things interesting.