Lemongrass quinoa pilaf recipe

I've been neglecting some of my favorite grains.  Millet and quinoa - I'm extremely sorry that you haven't played much of a role in my life for the past couple of months.  I've been eating so much local corn that I haven't had time for you.  I've missed you, though, and I would like to welcome you back to my life if you're willing to give me another chance.  Don't worry, you won't have to compete with any local grains until next summer. 

I made quinoa first, and used a recipe from "Vegetarian Planet" that combined quinoa with lemongrass, tofu, broccoli, and red peppers.  This was a light, but quite filling dinner, and it was nice to have quinoa again.  The texture contrasts were really cool - everything from the crunch of broccoli and peppers to the softness of tofu.  I wish I would have marinated the tofu in something (perhaps a simple tamari, garlic, and ginger mixture) because that would have enhanced the flavors a bit.  Even without this, though, I enjoyed it and won't mind eating the massive amounts of leftovers.

Well, September is over, so I guess I'll have to wrap up my month of cooking from "Vegetarian Planet".  By far, my favorite recipe was the masa cakes with salsa verde.  Julia was right, these things are amazingly delicious (perhaps dangerously delicious).  I also loved the smokin' black beans and eggplant and cherry tomato saute, and I'm sure that I will be making more of both.  This quinoa was really good as well, but didn't knock my socks off as much as the rest did.  I'm disappointed that I didn't get a chance to make more from the book this month, but I'm sure that I will be pulling it off the shelf very frequently.  After trying more of the recipes, this book has quickly moved into one of my top 5 favorite cookbooks (don't ask me to rank them, though).

Lemongrass quinoa pilaf (adapted from "Vegetarian Planet" by Didi Emmons)
(Printable version)

1 Tbsp peanut oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp minced ginger
2 Tbsp minced lemongrass (fresh or frozen)
1 tsp ground Sichuan pepper (or 1/4 tsp ground ginger, 1/8 tsp ground cloves, and 1/2 tsp black pepper)
1 lb firm tofu, cubed
1 bunch broccoli, cut into florets and small pieces of stems
1/4 cup water
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
6 cups cooked quinoa
salt to taste

Heat oil, garlic, and ginger over medium heat in a large skillet.  After about a minute, add the lemongrass, Sichuan pepper, and tofu, and cook on medium-high heat, stirring frequently, for about 4 min.  Add the broccoli and water, cover skillet, reduce heat to low, and let cook for 7 min.  Then stir in bell pepper and quinoa and season with salt.  Serves 5.

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.

Saag paneer (or tofu, in this case)

A couple of weeks ago, I read about Coconut & Lime's five year anniversary. Coconut & Lime is unique among food blogs because all of the recipes are original, and I have quite a few of them bookmarked to try. To celebrate the blog's anniversary, Rachel is holding a contest that requires readers to try out one of her recipes and write about it. This was the perfect excuse to give one of them a try. I chose her saag paneer recipe because it sounded delicious, and I was in the mood to try out more Indian cooking.

Unfortunately this did not go as planned (but definitely not because of Rachel's recipe). I set out to use her paneer recipe, and somehow I failed miserably. Paneer is a cheese commonly used in Indian cooking, and is very similar to ricotta (but it's pressed to remove even more whey and then cut in cubes). I have successfully made ricotta several times (for lasagna and gnocchi), so I figured that it wouldn't be a problem. I heated my milk, added some lemon juice, and then let it sit to form curds. Then I made my first mistake: I didn't actually check to see if the curds had formed before I started pouring it into my colander. And, to make matters worse, I poured rather quickly and couldn't stop when I realized that there were practically no curds. I was left with about 2 Tbsp of curds, which were delicious but wouldn't do for the recipe. Given my success in the past, I'm not entirely sure what went wrong. I ended up using milk from another dairy - Moo-ville Dairy instead of Calder Dairy - but that shouldn't matter. Otherwise, I used the same method that I've used for ricotta in the past. Oh well, I decided to make do with a substitution that Rachel suggested: tofu.

Saag paneer tofu (slightly adapted from Coconut & Lime)

2 tsp olive oil, divided

10 oz firm tofu, cut into small cubes

1 onion, sliced

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 jalapeno, diced

2 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and cut into thin matchsticks

1 tsp mustard seeds

2 tsp garam masala

1/2 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp amchur (mango) powder

1/2 tsp asafoetida

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

16 oz frozen spinach, thawed

1/2 cup water

juice of 1/2 lemon

3 Tbsp plain yogurt

Heat 1 tsp of oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Saute tofu until cubes are brown on all sides, and then set tofu aside. Add another tsp of oil to the pan and saute onion, garlic, jalapeno, and ginger until they're soft (about 5 min). Add mustard seeds and cook another minute, or until seeds start popping. Stir in the remaining spices, spinach, water, and lemon juice, cover, and let simmer on medium-low for 20 min. Add the yogurt and tofu and let cook another minute or so, until tofu reheats. Serves 4.

This was really good, and I'm glad that I didn't let the paneer snafu stop me. In fact, I really liked the tofu in it (it made for a lighter dish). I've made fairly decent Indian food before, but this probably came closest to what you would find at an authentic Indian restaurant. It definitely had the heat of Indian food! I like spicy food, and this was almost too hot for me, which is probably because the jalapenos I normally buy tend to be extremely hot. Next time I'll use less, use a milder pepper, or reduce the cayenne.

I'm also glad that this recipe gave me a great excuse to finally buy asafoetida and amchur powder. These ingredients come up fairly often in recipes I read, but until now I've left them out or substituted for them (garlic, onion, or leeks can be substituted for asafoetida and tamarind concentrate or lime/lemon juice can be substituted for amchur powder). Perhaps that's why this recipe tasted more authentic. Another advantage is that apparently asafoetida is good for your digestion and has also been used for contraception (although I have my doubts that it's effective). Now I'm much more prepared to conquer more Indian cooking!

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.

Macaroni and cheese with tofu

The end of the month is almost upon us, so I figured that I would choose one more recipe from the cookbook of the month. As soon as I saw this recipe, I knew I had to try it. I love mac and cheese (who doesn't??), but often the massive amounts of cheese aren't very friendly to the old digestive system. I figured this would be a good compromise.

Macaroni and cheese with tofu (adapted from "Moosewood Restaurant New Classics")

6 oz. small pasta (use brown rice pasta for gluten-free)

6 oz. silken tofu

1/4 cup plain yogurt

1/4 cup milk

1/2 cup shredded cheese (I used muenster, but cheddar would be ideal)

2 Tbsp grated parmesan

1 tsp yellow mustard

1 garlic clove, minced

pinch of salt

freshly ground pepper

pinch of turmeric

pinch of nutmeg

3 Tbsp chopped onion

2 Tbsp minced parsley

Cook pasta according to package directions. While pasta cooks, combine tofu through nutmeg in a blender, and blend until smooth. Mix pasta, sauce, onion, and parsley in a large bowl. Pour into a lightly oiled 1 qt. baking dish. Cover and bake at 350 for 30 min. Uncover and bake for an additional 5 min. Serves 3.

This was really good, but it's not your traditional mac and cheese - it's more of a pasta with light cheesy sauce. Plus, I suppose I can't call it mac and cheese since I didn't actually use macaroni :). I liked the bit of crunch that the onions provide - it was a nice contrast to the creamy sauce. Next time I'll definitely go out of my way to use cheddar for something a bit stronger, but the muenster was still good.

I was a big fan of Moosewood Restaurant New Classics before this month, and I'm an even bigger fan now. It has introduced me to some phenomenal recipes, particularly the sweet potato and black bean hash, spinach and ricotta gnocchi, and Indian skillet black-eyed peas. I enjoyed the mushroom and pecan burgers, roasted veggies over pasta, and bulgur with spinach and dill quite a bit, too. The jicama and orange salad would be fabulous with a few changes, and I'm glad that it reminded me of this crunchy veggie. And finally, this book inspired me to use caramelized onions to make one of my favorite pizzas. The recipes are fairly simple, but result in great vegetarian dishes. And even if you're a big meat eater, you probably wouldn't miss the meat in most of these dishes (or you could always throw some in if you want). There are a ton more recipes that I want to try from this book, but it's time for a new book for May. I have a feeling that one of my other Moosewood books may get a chance in the spotlight before too long, though!

Mushroom and pecan burgers

**This is not a gluten-free recipe and was posted before I eliminated gluten from my diet. To make this gluten-free, substitute gluten-free bread crumbs and make sure your oats are certified gluten-free.**

Mom is visiting me for a few days, and that means that I have a chance to try out a few new recipes on her. We had a bit of a challenge narrowing down what we would cook because everything that I mentioned was answered with "that sounds delicious." We finally settled on a few things, including these mushroom and pecan burgers from the cookbook of the month.

Mushroom and pecan burgers (adapted from "Moosewood Restaurant New Classics")

1/2 Tbsp olive oil

3/4 cup chopped onion

1/4 tsp dried marjoram

1/4 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp dried dill

2 cups chopped mushrooms (about 5 oz.; I used baby bellas)

3 Tbsp pecans, toasted and chopped

2 tsp soy sauce

1/2 cup whole wheat bread crumbs (I toasted and crumbled one piece of my bulgur, oats, flax, and bran bread)

1/2 cup cooked brown rice

6 Tbsp rolled oats

8 oz. firm tofu

freshly ground black pepper

Heat oil over medium heat in skillet. Add onions and saute until tender (about 5 min). Stir in marjoram, thyme, dill, and mushrooms, and cook until the mushrooms are tender (about 5 more min). Transfer to a bowl, and stir in pecans, soy sauce, bread crumbs, rice, and oats. Mash tofu with fingers, and mix that in. Add pepper to taste. Shape into patties and place on oiled baking sheet. Bake at 350 until brown (about 30 min). Makes 5 patties.

I loved these, and Mom seemed to enjoy them as well. She had one of the left over patties and said it was even better than the one the night before. I really liked the way that the flavors blended together. I could pick out the mushroom, pecan, and soy sauce taste, and none of them overpowered the others. These were easy and may become a regular feature in my kitchen. Assuming you have some cooked rice on hand (and I always try to keep some in the freezer), it comes together fairly quickly. We ate it with some broccoli sauteed with soy sauce, and it was a great combination.

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.

Millet, veggie, tofu, and sausage stir-fry

Sorry that it's been so long since my last post. I was out of town for a while, and ended up getting back home a day and a half late (due to some snow in Atlanta!). I've been very busy the rest of the week and have mostly relied on leftovers out of the freezer. I did manage to make this stir-fry, though. The thing I love about stir-fries is that you can throw just about anything in there and it will be good (or at least interesting). I ended up going to the grocery store as soon as I got back to Michigan (at 1 am) because I knew I wouldn't have much time later in the week. Let's just say that I'm not great at planning in the middle of the night, and I ended up with a refrigerator full of random things. The solution? Throw it all in a pan.

Millet, veggie, tofu, and sausage stir-fry

2 bunches broccoli, cut into pieces

1 link turkey sausage (about 1/4 lb), sliced

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 onion, sliced thinly

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 green bell pepper, cut into bite-sized pieces

8 oz. button mushrooms, cut into bite-sized pieces

2 cups cooked millet (or your favorite grain)

1 lb firm tofu, cut into cubes*

5 Tbsp soy sauce, divided (use wheat-free tamari for gluten-free)

Boil broccoli until it starts to get tender, drain, and set aside. Brown sausage in large non-stick skillet over medium heat and set aside. Add oil to pan and saute onion until tender. Add garlic and bell pepper and cook a few more minutes, until pepper starts to get tender. Add mushrooms and cook a few more minutes. Add millet, broccoli, and sausage, stir well, and let sit on low heat. Brown tofu in separate skillet over medium-high heat. Before it's completely done, add 1 Tbsp soy sauce. Once it's browned, add to millet and veggie mixture and stir in remaining soy sauce.

*Ideally I would have marinated the tofu in the soy sauce for a while before I cooked it, but I didn't decide to use it until half-way through cooking when I realized that the millet and veggies dwarfed the amount of sausage that I had thawed.

This confirms that I'm still in love with millet. Quinoa has become the new popular whole grain (perhaps because you feel like part of an exclusive club when you learn how to pronounce it), but there are so many other options. Millet does a good job of soaking up flavors, so it was perfect for this. I used some that I cooked and froze a couple of months ago. It was still delicious. One day I want to have a giant freezer so that I can store an infinite amount of cooked grains, fruits and veggies, beans, meats, and stocks. Cooking millet isn't a big deal because it doesn't take long at all, but it's still nice to cook up a big batch at once and always have some on hand (and it saves energy, too!). For now, I'll have to make do with small amounts of a few things...

The next couple of months are becoming busier and busier, but hopefully I'll manage to spend some time in the kitchen. I'm toying with the idea of cooking through a cookbook each month, so that might help by reducing the time I spend planning meals (although that is my favorite part...). Stay tuned!

Protein/granola bars: a wrap up

**These are not gluten-free recipes and were posted before I eliminated gluten from my diet.**

Over the last 6 months I've tried several granola and protein bar recipes. I love having these around because they're a great snack, especially after working out. With each recipe, I've wrapped up the bars individually and then stored them in the freezer. All of them froze very well (for up to several months, in some cases). I definitely have a favorite, and once again, Alton Brown wins.

Protein Bars (adapted from Alton Brown)

1 cup whey protein powder

1/2 cup oat bran

1/2 cup whole white wheat flour

1/4 cup toasted wheat germ

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 1/2 cups dried fruit, chopped (I've used various combos of raisins, dates, apricots, apples, papaya, and cherries)

1/2 cup nuts, chopped (I've used pecans, walnuts, and almonds)

12 oz. silken tofu

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/4 cup honey

2 eggs

2/3 cup natural peanut butter (I've used smooth and crunchy, and both are good)

Combine protein flour, oat bran, flour, wheat germ, and salt in large mixing bowl. In separate bowl, whisk tofu until smooth. Add applesauce, honey, eggs, and peanut butter and mix well. Add wet mixture to dry mixture and blend well. Add in fruits and nuts and stir well. Pour into 13x9" pan that's been lined with lightly-oiled wax paper. Bake at 350 for about 35 min until it's browned. Let cool and cut into 24 bars with pizza cutter.

These things keep me very full, and I love their flavor. They're more cakey than your traditional granola bar, but I like the texture. My favorite batch is the one that I'm currently working on, and it has a combo of raisins, dates, apricots, and pecans. The protein powder is expensive, but it makes quite a few batches of these. Make sure you read the labels and look for one that doesn't have a bunch of added ingredients. I'll probably stick to making these for a while. With fruit and nut variations, I think I can keep them exciting.

My second favorite recipe also came from the Food Network. It's good, but doesn't quite live up to Alton's.

Energy Bars (adapted from Ellie Krieger)

1 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup unsalted sunflower seeds

1/2 cup toasted wheat germ

1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1/2 cup dried apricots

1/2 cup raw almonds

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup dried dates

1/2 cup powdered milk

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup honey

2 eggs

Put all ingredients except for honey and eggs in food processor and pulse until well blended and finely chopped. Add honey and eggs and pulse until well mixed. Pour into 13x9" pan that's been lined with lightly-oiled wax paper. Bake at 350 for about 20 min, until browned. Let cool and cut into 24 bars with pizza cutter.

These are more like your traditional granola bar. They have good flavor, but don't keep me quite as full because they don't have as much protein as Alton's bars do. I'm impressed that my cheap food processor is able to cut through all of the dried fruit!

And finally, my third favorite.

Chewy Granola Bars (adapted from Recipezaar)

2 cups rolled oats

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1 cup toasted wheat germ

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/2 cup flax meal

1/4 cup canola oil

1/4 cup honey

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/2 cup raisins

Toast oats in skillet over medium heat for about 5 min. Let cool. Combine all dry ingredients (except raisins) in large bowl. In separate bowl combine all wet ingredients. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and blend gently. Mix in raisins. Pour into 13x9" pan that's been lined with lightly-oiled wax paper. Bake at 350 for about 30 min, until browned. Let cool and cut into 24 bars with pizza cutter.

Again, these don't keep me quite as full as Alton's do. They're good, but don't have the fruity flavor that the other two have.

Overall, all of these are far better than store-bought bars and don't have all of the weird ingredients. They're really easy to make and store well. You really can't go wrong!

Bean Curd Casserole on Soba Noodles

**This is not a gluten-free recipe and was posted before I eliminated gluten from my diet. Substitute brown rice pasta for the soba noodles for a gluten-free meal.**

I've been dying to try out some of the recipes from a book called Practical Cooking: Wok and Stir-fry that I picked up at a used bookstore in Tallahassee. I haven't done much Asian cooking, but it's something that I want to add to my repertoire. Instead of picking a recipe and buying the ingredients, I tried to find a recipe that included things I already had (or could substitute). That's not usually how I do things, but it worked ok this time.

Bean Curd Casserole (adapted from "Practical Cooking: Wok and Stir-fry")

1 lb tofu (ideally use firm, but all I had was silken)

2 Tbsp peanut oil

1 bunch green onions, sliced

3 small zucchini, sliced thinly

1 small head napa cabbage, shredded

5 oz baby spinach

8 oz baby bella mushrooms, sliced

2 cups vegetable broth

2 Tbsp soy sauce

1 Tbsp honey (or agave nectar)

1/2 tsp chili powder

1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil

Cube/crumble tofu and set aside. Heat peanut oil over medium-high heat in skillet, add vegetables and tofu, and cook for 3-4 minutes. Mix remaining ingredients in saucepan and bring to a boil. Add sauce to vegetables, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes. Serves 4-5.

It turned out with a good flavor, but it was very saucy (almost to the point of soup). I'm not sure if that's because I adjusted the veggies in this recipes (it originally called for green onions, celery, broccoli, zucchini, and spinach), didn't use firm tofu, or what. After I scooped the veggies and tofu out of the sauce, it had a good, albeit subtle, flavor. Next time I would definitely get firm tofu.

I was excited to serve this on soba noodles because the ones I've had in restaurants have been delicious. I wasn't keen on the flavor of these, though. They were made with buckwheat and yam, and perhaps I need to try the pure buckwheat ones. I'm not sure of the brand, but here's the package. I would avoid them.

I was in a flustered mood when I made this, and that may not have been the best time to try out a new cuisine. It went fairly well in the end, and I'm excited to try out more recipes from this book.