Tofu is one of my favorite ingredients. I almost always have a pack tucked away in the refrigerator. Because it stays good much longer than any meat, it’s perfect for the running low on groceries portion of the week.

Once you know a couple of tricks, it’s incredibly easy to work with and wonderfully versatile. It really boils down to two pieces of advice. 

1. Buy extra-firm tofu and press it before cooking. Pressing is super easy. Simply take it out of the package and place in on top of a folded kitchen towel (leave about a 1/2 inch kitchen towel border). Place another clean folded kitchen towel on top. Now, here’s where you get a little crazy. Place a frying plan or plate on top of this and weigh it down with a couple of canned food items.

The weight of the plate and canned goods will help you get the excess moisture out of the tofu. This makes it much easier to work with and gets rid of the mushy texture. Just be care when you are putting together this balancing act. 

I leave mine for about an hour or so when pressing. You can leave it longer—I’ve left it for a few hours before.

2. Be patient and cook on low. You really don’t need to do much when the tofu is cooking. I only use a little cooking spray and occasional turn the cubes to get every side nice and golden brown. 

Try to only turn the tofu when it’s needed. Otherwise, you risk breaking the little cubes. And no one likes broken tofu cubes.

Now, let’s talk about this Sweet Soy Glazed Tofu. It’s fantastic. The tofu is crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. The sweet soy glaze is a wonderful mixture of sweet and savory and perfectly coats every piece of tofu.

This is a perfect and healthy alternative to take-out. 

Sweet Soy Glazed Tofu

2014-06-30 16:06:27

Crisp cubes of tofu that are coated in a sweet and savory soy sauce glaze. The perfect alternative to take-out.

Write a review

Save Recipe

Print

Ingredients

1. 1 package extra-firm tofu (pressed)
2. 2 tablespoons soy sauce (I always use reduced sodium)
3. 2 tablespoons brown sugar
4. 1 tablespoon sesame oil
5. 1 tablespoon sweet chili sauce
6. 2 garlic cloves, minced
7. Pan spray (I like the coconut oil pan spray from Trader Joe's)

Instructions

1. Begin by cutting the tofu into even cubes. Add the tofu to a frying pan coated in pan spray set over low (to medium) heat. As each side of the tofu cubes brown, turn them to brown another side.
2. While the tofu cooks, combine the soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, chili sauce and garlic.
3. Once all sides of the tofu are golden brown, add the soy sauce mixture. Cook until the sauce begins to thicken--about 5-10 minutes.
4. Serve over rice or a grain of your choice (I like it over bulgur).

By May Squared

Maysquared.com https://www.maysquared.com/blog/

{ 0 comments }

Zucchini has long been one of my favorite foods. When I think about it, it’s actually pretty strange that kid-Stephanie gave this green squash a chance.

Why?

Well, I was an extremely picky eater. It was peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (with the crust cut off) and chicken nuggets or nothing. This stage lasted much longer than I would like to admit.

Slowly, very slowly, I began to add other foods to my very small list of acceptable nourishment. Luckily, my mom liked to bake. And I have a large portion of my heart devoted to bread. I think it might be larger than the portion of my heart that likes puppies. 

When soft, wonderful bread and zucchini collided, it’s safe to say that I was completely won over.

The best thing about zucchini is that it blends in with its surroundings. For example: zucchini bread. Really, it’s just a sweet quick bread. There is never an overpowering vegetable taste. Because it takes on flavors so well, it can easily be changed to spiced cinnamon bread or warm vanilla bread. Or, really, whatever you have on hand.

As a kid, I didn’t know that zucchini was in my sweet, buttery bread. Thanks, mom.

These muffins are again proof of zucchini’s ambiguity. Today, they are wearing a wonderful maple hat. This might be one of my favorite disguises. The maple syrup adds the perfect touch of sweetness to the muffins, while the crunchy, sugary tops give you a little extra sweetness to look forward to. 

Maple Zucchini Muffins

2014-06-26 16:07:01

Maple syrup adds the perfect touch of sweetness to the zucchini muffins, while the crunchy, sugary tops give you a little extra sweetness to look forward to.

Write a review

Save Recipe

Print

Ingredients

1. 1 cup whole-wheat flour
2. 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
3. 1/2 cup brown sugar
4. 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
5. 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
6. 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
7. 1/4 teaspoon salt
8. 1 1/3 cups shredded zucchini (use a clean dish towel to squeeze out the extra juice)
9. 1/2 cup yogurt
10. 2 tablespoons oil
11. 2 tablespoons maple syrup
12. 1 large egg
13. 1-2 tablespoons turbinado sugar

Instructions

1. Combine the flours, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Stir the mixture until all ingredients are incorporated.
2. In a smaller bowl, mix together the zucchini, yogurt, oil, syrup and egg.
3. Add the zucchini mixture to the flour and stir until just combined (mixture will be thick--but try not to over-mix). Optional: Sprinkle batter with turbinado sugar.
4. Divide the batter into 12 muffin cups (either with paper liners or coated with pan spray). Bake at 400 for 15-18 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

Adapted from Cooking Light

Adapted from Cooking Light

Maysquared.com https://www.maysquared.com/blog/

{ 1 comment }