Sweet and Sour Tofu and Vegetables

SWEET AND SOUR TOFU AND VEGETABLES is a quick and easy dish to prepare that is colorful and filling, served with rice and some greens. This dish served five.

Ingredients in Rice Cooker

2 cups — jasmine rice

3 1/2 cups — water 

1 bunch — chopped collards

 

Method

Use a rice cooker to cook up two cups of jasmine rice with three and a half cups of water, with a bunch of chopped collards in the steamer above.

Ingredients in Bowl

2 tblsp. — organic cornstarch

2 tblsp. — water

15oz — canned organic pineapple chunks and juice

1/4 cup — water

1 tblsp. — apple cider vinegar

1 tsp — sweetener like maple syrup or agave

2 tblsp. — tamari

1/2 tsp — ginger powder

1 touch — red pepper

 

Ingredients in Cast Iron Pan

1 — chopped medium onion

1 tblsp. — olive oil

1 tblsp. — toasted sesame oil

1 — carrot, thinly sliced

Optional — additional sliced vegetables (green beans, corn, peppers, broccoli)

1 block — tofu, cubed

1 sprinkle — salt

 

Method

In a bowl mix together two tablespoons of organic cornstarch in two tablespoons of water, adding most of a fifteen ounce can of organic pineapple chunks and juice. I let the boys drink and eat some of it. Also, I only had rings, so I chopped them up.

Dandelion Greens, Baby Bok Choy, Linguine, and Sauteed Tofu Cubes with Tamari

They aren't growing around here, yet, but there were huge bunches of DANDELION GREENS at my co-op the other day. This very mild green is supposed to be good for your liver in the spring, but I couldn't wait. 

 

It's reassuring to know there is something edible right in your yard or a nearby vacant lot, if it comes to that, once it gets to be spring. Even when they are older they are still pretty good if you boil them twice and discard the water each time. Otherwise, when young, just steam them until they are limp and still bright green. 

 

I submerged the dandelion greens for about five minutes or so in the big pot of boiling water I used later to cook the linguine, and then I tossed them with a bit of lemon juice and olive oil and a touch of tamari. They aren't bitter when young, and I think the texture and taste is better than spinach.

Tofu Stroganoff and Red Cabbage

I thought I'd lost my recipe of TOFU STROGANOFF, but I found it tonight. There used to be little tear-off recipes from Natural Messages Company in Boston back in the seventies. Having recovered it, I share it with you, now, almost the same.

 

Ingredients

 

Night Before Marinade

1 lb. — tofu (one package), diced

1/4 cup — tamari

1/2 tsp — garlic powder

1/8 tsp — cumin 

1/8 — black pepper

Water to cover

 

Sauce the Next Day

1 — large onion, chopped

1/4 cup — olive oil

1/2 lb. — white mushrooms, sliced (about 4 cups chopped)

Pinch — black pepper

Pinch — allspice or nutmeg

1/2 tsp — dried basil or 1/8 cup fresh basil, chopped

1/2 cup — white wine

1 cup — soy yogurt, plain

Serve over flat noodles or linguine (1 package)

 

Method Night Before

The night before, dice up a pound of tofu and marinate it in a jar with a quarter cup of tamari, a half teaspoon of garlic powder, and an eighth teaspoon of cumin and black pepper. Fill the jar with water to cover and shake it up before refrigerating.

 

Method Next Day

The next night, or whenever you eat, saute one chopped large onion in a quarter cup of olive oil. Slice half a pound of white mushrooms, which is about four cups, and add them to the onions after a few minutes, along with the marinated tofu and the marinade.

Add a pinch of pepper and a pinch or so of allspice or nutmeg, along with a half teaspoon of dried basil or more of the fresh chopped basil.

 

Simmer covered for fifteen minutes, or until the mushrooms seem done.

 

Add half a cup of white wine, and a cup of plain soy yogurt, and heat until all is hot.

Serve over flat noodles or linguini.

 

Quick Black Beans

Last night's dinner of black beans was pretty good, and it didn't take that long to make. First I used my rice cooker to make two cups of dried rice in two cups of water turn into enough rice for five people with some left over, and I steamed a bunch of chopped Red Russian Kale over it. You could do this on the stove top the usual way, but I liked not thinking of these two aspects of the meal once I had them in the cooker. 

 

They were just done whenever I got around to unplugging the device, as long as the button had switched itself up to the warm setting. In other words, I didn't have to wait for the rice water to come to a boil, let it boil five minutes, then turn the heat down to simmer and cover the pan, nor did I have to use a second 

pan to steam the greens.

While those were cooking, I decided to make some BLACK BEANS. They were done by the time the rice was, and it all took place within half an hour.

Saute two small chopped onions in a tablespoon of olive oil.

Add about half a teaspoon of whole cumin seeds, turmeric, chili powder and oregano.

Add two fifteen ounce cans of black beans once the onions are softened.

Chop up sprigs of fresh basil and parsley (which is starting to grow back from the guinea pig pruning), or add a half teaspoon of dry basil and parsley along with the other seasonings.

Add a dash of tamari, nutritional yeast and smoky Serrano hot sauce (or whatever hot sauce you like), and a dab or so of tomato sauce. You made that yesterday, right?

Stir and let simmer on low until the rice and kale are ready.

In the summer I like to serve this dish with chopped up yellow onions, green peppers and red tomatoes on top of the black beans, which is served on top of the rice, with the greens to the side. Sprinkle the top with tamari, olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and you have a colorful, yummy and nutritious meal.