Kung Pao Tofu

I love Chinese food! It's probably my #1 comfort food, and something I am pretty sure I can't live without. So, I obviously had to find recipes to make vegetarian Chinese food. This one is really yummy!

Ingredients:

1 14-oz package extra-firm water-packed tofu, rinsed
1/2 tsp five-spice or all-spice powder
1 Tbsp canola oil
1/2 c water
3 Tbsp oyster-flavored or oyster sauce
1/2 tsp cornstarch
4 cups broccoli crowns in bite-size pieces
1 yellow bell pepper, diced into 1/2 inch strips
1 red bell pepper, diced into 1/2 inch strips
1 Tbsp minced fresh ginger
1 Tbsp minced garlic
2 Tbsp unsalted roasted peanuts
2 tsp hot sesame oil--I used straight sesame oil and it added a lot of flavor-do it!

Directions:

1. Pat tofu dry and cut into 1/2 inch cubes. Combine with 1/4 tsp all-spice in med bowl.

Now, I know that some of you are scared of tofu, so here are some tips! The texture can be really nasty, but if you hate tofu I'm betting you've never had it made the right way! I have to attribute the following tip to my Mom who learned it from her fishetarian friend. :) First, rinse the tofu! Then squish it between two napkins until the napkins are dry. This reduces the slimy texture and makes the whole experience a lot better.



Also, the type of tofu you buy really matters! Extra-firm is the way to go for most recipes.



2. Heat canola oil in large nonstick skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add tofu and cook, stirring every 1-2 minutes, until golden brown, 7-9 minutes total. Transfer to a plate.

3. Meanwhile, whisk water, oyster sauce, cornstarch and remaining 1/4 tsp all-spice in small bowl.

4. Add 1-2 Tbsp oyster mix to bowl and then add broccoli and peppers to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally until vegetables begin to soften, about 4 min. Add ginger and garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Reduce heat to low, add the oyster sauce mixture and cook, stirring, until thickened, about 30 seconds. Return the tofu to the pan along with peanuts and stir to coat with sauce; stir in hot sesame oil.

And enjoy!! I really liked this recipe. I made some brown rice and bulgur to go with it, but it can definitely stand alone too.

So Excited!

Well hello there! So my sister, Tiffany, created a recipe blog and my other sister, Taunalee, recently posted recipes to her blog and it got me thinking. Why not do a sister recipe blog?! We're always sharing recipes with each other anyway, so why not create a blog to do it! I'm excited and hope my sisters are excited too! We all do the kitchen thing a little differently, and I think this will be a fun way to share ideas and insight.

I recently have been making some huge dietary changes in my life. I found out I was mildly allergic to dairy, and have since cut dairy out of my diet. I stopped eating meat at the same time to see if I felt better. My energy levels have been off the charts! Not only do I have more energy, but I sleep better, no longer have food cravings, my skin has cleared up, my digestion is better, and I've lost some weight (an added bonus). :) I think everyone's body digests and functions differently and by no means think everyone should embrace a vegetarian diet or stop eating dairy, but making those changes has revolutionized my life and my relationship with food. I feel amazing-like I have a new lease on life, and I'm excited about cooking again! So sharing recipes sounds fun. :)

Here's one I made a few weeks ago. I got this recipe from eatingwell.com, though I did make some alterations from their original recipe. This recipe makes about 4 servings of 1 1/2 cups each, though I found that 1 1/2 cups was way too much, and I got about 6-8 servings out of it. It took me about an hour to make, and was worth it! We grew up eating red curry, and this was a little different-more mild-but I loved it!

Red Curry with Vegetables

Ingredients:

• 4 teaspoons canola oil, divided
• 1 14-ounce package extra-firm tofu, rinsed, patted dry and cut into 1-inch cubes (Make sure this is really dry or it's nasty! I squish mine between paper towels multiple times to get it as dry as I can before I cut it. Oh, and I rinse it off first too.)
  
• 1 pound sweet potato, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 14-ounce can lite coconut milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable broth (or reduced-sodium chicken broth)
• 1-2 teaspoons red Thai curry paste (I couldn't find the stuff Dad gets, so I used curry paste out of a bottle, which was still yummy, but a little different. I want to try this recipe with Dad's curry paste to see if it's any better.)
  
• 1/2 pound green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons lime juice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 lime, quartered (I did this, but it's just garnish-it doesn't really add anything to the taste, but it's nice for presentation.)
  

Preparation:

1. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add tofu and cook, stirring every 2 or 3 minutes, until browned, 6 to 8 minutes total. Transfer to a plate.
2. Heat the remaining 2 teaspoons oil over medium-high heat. Add sweet potato and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, 4 to 5 minutes. (At this point I transferred everything to a soup pot because my pan was too small. If you have a wok, it would probably work better.) Add coconut milk, broth and curry paste to taste. Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until the sweet potato is just tender, about 4 minutes. Add the tofu, green beans and brown sugar; return to a simmer and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until the green beans are tender-crisp, 2 to 4 minutes. Stir in lime juice and salt. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve with lime wedges.

   

YUMMY!!!