Zucchini Time!

Wait - this is how seeds work?

I loooove zucchini season! Our squash plant suddenly started producing this week so we've been digging out all our old zucchini recipes from last summer. We threw some on the grill the other night (delicious) and tonight we sauteed them up for part of an overall pasta dish. This is a very simple, and cheap meal for a summer night!

 






Ingredients
    -3/4 lb. pasta
    -1 TBSP olive oil
    -3 zucchinis, sliced thinly
    -salt
    -2 cloves of garlic, minced
    -1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
    -1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
    -1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Cook pasta in salted water until al dente. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of pasta water for later.
2. While pasta is cooking, heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add zucchini and1/2 tsp salt, saute until tender and starting to brown. Add garlic, chickpeas and red pepper. Saute an additional 2 or 3 minutes.
3. Add pasta, reserved pasta water and 1/4 cup parmesan cheese to skillet. Stir to combine. Serve with remaining parmesan sprinkled on top; take care to evenly distribute the chickpeas as they have a tendency to sink!

Looks a little bland but it doesn't taste it!

The Most Beautiful Meal of Them All

There may not be anything more pleasurable than flipping through a new cookbook for the first time. Luckily for my bank account, I have recently reunited with my local public library who has tons of "new to me" cookbooks! This recipe comes from a cookbook I picked up at the library a few months ago. The final product is quite good, but there are many different pieces to the meal and in order to get the timing down, it's probably best to make it with a friend. In addition, the recipe can be split into individual pieces and utilized as a part of another favorite recipe. I plan to utilize the tofu-cooking technique in the future and the ginger sauce would go great with some simple stir fried veggies and rice. The recipe as-is creates a truly impressive looking and tasting plate of food!

Tofu Steaks
    -1 package firm tofu, pressed and cut lengthwise into 4 slices
    -1/4 cup all-purpose flour
    -2 TBSP dry breadcrumbs
    -1/4 tsp dried thyme
    -1/4 tsp dried dill
    -1/4 tsp salt
    -1/4 tsp paprika
    -1/4 tsp black pepper
    -1 large egg, lightly beaten
    -2 TBSP olive oil
Ginger Sauce
    -1/3 cup rice vinegar
    -1/3 cup sugar
    -1/2 cup water
    -2 TBSP soy sauce
    -1 TBSP cornstarch
    -1/4 cup water
    -1 TBSP minced peeled fresh ginger
Stir Fried Veggies
    -1 TSP olive oil
    -1 yellow bell pepper, cut in strips
    -1 cup snow peas, trimmer
    -1 plum tomato, chopped
  
    -2 cups hot cooked angel hair pasta

I know that's an intimidatingly long list of ingredients, so let me distract you with this big picture of the finished product!

Directions

1. Combine flour, breadcrumbs and dry spices in a shallow dish. Dredge each tofu steak in flour mixture. Dip in egg; dredge again in flour mixture. Heat 2 oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add tofu steaks, cook 3 minutes on each side.
2. Combine vinegar, sugar, soy sauce and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, 3 minutes or until sugar is dissolved. Combine cornstarch and 1/4 cup water; stir into sugar mixture. Bring to a boil and cook 1 minute or until thick. Remove from heat, stir in ginger.
3. Heat 1 tsp oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Add bell pepper strips and snow peas; stir-fry 2 minutes. Add tomato; stir-fry 1 minute.
4. Serve vegetables, tofu and ginger sauce over pasta.

Mom's Sesame Tofu

Ryan and I seem to have amnesia when it comes to remembering meals that we've made, thus my secret plan for this blog is for it to serve as a running list of our favorite recipes. That list would be incomplete without sesame tofu, our favorite meal ever! The recipe was adapted from my mom's sesame chicken, which is just as delicious but twice as much work. This is also a great recipe for introducing tofu to your carnivorous friends.

Ingredients

Cornstarch-coated tofu

1 package firm tofu, pressed and cut into 1/2 inch cubes

4-6 TBLS cornstarch

Olive Oil

Sauce

2 TBLS soy sauce

4 TBLS sugar

2 TBLS rice wine vinegar

4 TBLS water

Dash of red pepper flakes

Directions

1. In a large bowl, coat the tofu cubes with cornstarch. Be delicate but don't worry if it gets a little crumbly.
2. Add the tofu to a hot pan with a bit of oil over medium heat. Cook until browned on all sides.
3. Mix sauce ingredients and add to pan. Stir and cook a few minutes until sauce thickens.
4. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and call your mother (at least that's what my recipe says)

I forgot to add sesame seeds...do as I say, not as I do

Tips  

-For a complete meal, serve with brown rice and broccoli (we like to stir-fry broccoli with a bit of the sesame sauce so it gets infused with deliciousness)

-4 TBLS = 1/4 cup. This comes in handy if you're doubling the recipe

Tons of Effing Risotto

Welcome, Tens! As requested, here is the recipe for Tons of Effing Risotto, as featured on Cooking with Sean and adapted from Alice Water's The Art of Simple Food.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons butter

1 small onion, finely diced

1 1/2 cups Arborio rice

1 lemon, zested and juiced

4-5 cups vegetable broth

1/2 cup Chateau Ste Michelle Gewurztraminer

1 bunch asparagus, cut on the diagonal into 1/4-inch pieces

1/2 cup grated parmesan

Directions

1. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat in a large saucepan. Add the diced onion and cook until soft and translucent, about 10 minutes.
2. Add the rice and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring periodically. Rice should start to become translucent, but do not allow it to brown. Meanwhile, heat the vegetable broth in a separate pot until boiling, then turn off the heat.
3. Add the lemon zest and wine to the rice. Cook until the wine is absorbed.
4. Add 1 cup of the warm vegetable broth and cook at a vigorous simmer, stirring occasionally. When the rice starts to get thick, add another 1/2 cup of broth. Continue adding 1/2 cup at a time, every time the rice thickens. Don't stress Jen out. When in doubt, add more broth. 
5. After about 12 minutes simmering in the broth, stir in the cut asparagus. Cook until the rice is tender, about 20 minutes in all.
6. When the rice is just about done, stir in the parmesan cheese, half the lemon juice and the remaining tablespoon of butter.
7. Taste for salt and lemon juice, adding more as needed. Enjoy!