Love the ingredients, not the food.

3-Ingredient Thai Curry Tofu

Written on December 2, 2010 by Wannabe Chef in Entree

I’m not usually a fan of shortcut ingredients; they’re too Sandra Lee for my preference. But some of them are too good to pass up. For that reason, I love to keep a jar of Thai Kitchen’s curry paste in my refrigerator. Curry paste is all the ingredients needed for a good curry all concentrated and combined. Since it’s so dense with ingredients and flavors, you don’t need much more for a delicious lunch.

*Emily crafted her own green curry paste from scratch! If you want to be really enthusiastic, try that and I bet it would work just as well, though you might need to double the amount here because it seems less concentrated.

3-Ingredient Thai Curry Tofu

Ingredients:

1 block firm or extra-firm tofu
1 tablespoon Thai curry paste
1/3 cup coconut milk

Cut the tofu in whichever manner you prefer. Add the tofu, coconut milk, and curry paste to the pan and heat to medium-high.

Continue to cook the curry until the tofu picks up color and the coconut milk gains a runny syrup consistency.

Serve the tofu over seasoned rice or quinoa. Reserve the excess curry milk for drizzling.

I usually don’t make many ethnic dishes because I can never understand the flavors or the cooking techniques and how they all work together. But when it’s made this simple, anyone can make a tasty curry dish.

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Apricot Glazed Tofu With Walnuts

Written on December 1, 2010 by Wannabe Chef in Entree

You know how you’ll discover a food and then want to eat it with everything and anything? That’s what’s been happening with me and apricot jam. It all started with this chicken salad and has just skyrocketed from there. Apricot jam on sweet potatoes? Yes, please! Apricot jam burgers? Not so good… Apricot jam on tofu? A winning recipe. I liked this so much because it tasted distinctly American with an ethnic flare. This is the kind of recipe I would suggest to people scared of how tofu tastes, because it’s deliciously sweet and tangy with a nutty crunch. You could certainly use this same glaze for chicken or pork, too.

Apricot Glazed Tofu With Walnuts

Ingredients:

1 block firm or extra-firm tofu, pressed and cubed
3 tablespoons apricot jam
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tablespoon white vinegar
pinch of black pepper
1/3 cup walnuts

Preheat an oven to 375 degrees. In a bowl, mix together the jam, olive oil, vinegar, and black pepper. Stir to emulsify.

Toss the tofu in the glaze to coat. Lay it out on a single layer on a lined baking tray and bake for 25 minutes.

After 25 minutes, take out the tray, flip the tofu to prevent sticking, and add in the walnuts. Stick this back in the oven for 10-15 more minutes until it starts to smell “nutty”.

The Fall flavors of apricot and walnut pair perfectly with any squash dishes as a sides. Or you could serve it with quinoa or rice for a warm and comforting tofu bowl.

The only question is what to put apricot glaze on next?

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Gluten-Free Pastry Dough

Written on November 30, 2010 by Wannabe Chef in Dessert

Among the many things I’m thankful for is the Sweet Utopia vegan desserts cookbook. I’ve had this book for a while and everything I make from it turns out delicious. It’s a great dessert book for anyone to keep on hand.

When I saw a recipe for “praline bars” in the book, I had to give them a try for Thanksgiving. It’s a maple, walnut and pecan streusel on top of a rich pastry dough. Doesn’t that sound good? However, I’ve baked enough to know that the vegan pastry dough in the book wasn’t going to translate well gluten-free, so I made some changes to come up with the perfect gluten-free pastry dough. It’s rich and flaky and everything pastry should be; you would never know it’s gluten-free

Gluten-Free Pastry Dough

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose gluten-free flour(such as Bob’s Red Mill’s)
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup cream cheese, cold
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons cane sugar
1 egg

Using an electric mixer, cream together the butter, cream cheese, salt, sugar, and egg. Slowly sift in the gluten-free flour and mix on low until it’s barely all absorbed. It’s OK if there are chunks of fat still visible in the dough.

Stick the dough in the refrigerator and let it sit for 1-2 hours. When you’re ready to use, pull it out of the refrigerator and work it as little as possible pressing it into whatever mold.

Always grease the baking vessel and bake your crust through before adding the filling in an oven usually set at 350 degrees. You’ll know it’s cooked as the edges begin to brown.

I can’t give the recipe for the filling because it’s not mine. But you can bet it was tasty. Since the dough isn’t very sweet but rather rich, you can use it for anything from a sweet pie to a savory filled pastry.

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The Best Quinoa Dressing

Written on November 29, 2010 by Wannabe Chef in Side Dish

I’d rather not oversell anything. Sure, the cake I baked for Thanksgiving was great, but I’ve ate better. And This fudge is ridiculously tasty and easy, but it’s not going to win a state fair competition in the south. However, I have to make an exception for this recipe, because I really do think it’s the best quinoa around, or at least that I’ve ever seen and tasted. This replaced white bread stuffing at our table for a gluten-free alternative and was eaten up by everyone. It was the first of the leftovers to go. Clearly, it’s a winner. So try this and I assure you you won’t be sorry.

The Best Quinoa Dressing

Ingredients(Makes 8 servings)

2 cups quinoa, rinsed
4 cups chicken broth
2 medium carrots
3 stalks of celery
1 yellow onion
2 tablespoons cooking oil
1 tablespoon parsley
1 tablespoon rosemary
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup cane sugar

To start, dice your vegetables into bite-sized pieces. Once diced, add them to a large pot to sauté over low-medium heat in some cooking oil until soft and translucent(about 10 minutes).

When the vegetables have been cooked, add in the quinoa, chicken broth, and all the seasonings except for the sugar. Bring the broth to a bubble, cover with a lid, and turn off the heat. After 15-20 minutes, the quinoa should have absorbed all the broth. If not, turn the heat on medium to boil off the rest of the liquid.

At the end of cooking, add in the sugar and fold it in while fluffing the quinoa. Transfer to a large dish and serve hot. It also tastes just as good reheated.

Try it; love it; eat it all up. You won’t find a better quinoa recipe around, I promise.

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Why You Need A Food Scale

Written on November 28, 2010 by Wannabe Chef in Uncategorized

There are 2 types of chefs. There’s the cook, who makes savory dishes adding “a dash of this” and “a sprinkle of that” and when you ask them how long it takes to cook, they say “until done”; then there’s the baker, who has an arsenal of measuring tools, a perfectly calibrated oven, and can memorize long lists of ingredients and directions. I am entirely a baker.

Not surprisingly, one of my favorite kitchen helpers is this handy food scale. I hardly ever use it for savory cooking, but since the majority of what I do falls under baking, it gets a lot of use. It’s crucial for making things like cookies or brownies to get just the right proportion of ingredients.

There’s an old adage that says no two cups of sugar are the same, meaning if you use a measuring cup, you’ll get inconsistent results. To test that, I weighed what I thought would be a cup of sugar, or 192 grams.

It weighed in at 156 grams, or almost 1/4 cup less than what I needed. That’s a big difference when you think about who it will affect the taste and texture of whatever you’re baking. A food scale doesn’t have to be expensive, either. Just look for one that measures grams and ounces and has a tare function. They’re about $20 at any Target.

What kind of cook are you?

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Maple-Curry Acorn Squash

Written on November 27, 2010 by Wannabe Chef in Side Dish

We had plenty of side dishes at our Thanksgiving table this year. Aren’t they the best part? I love sweet potatoes, but sadly they didn’t make the cut this year. We all eat enough of those regularly. Instead, we made this acorn squash recipe for something equally delicious. This is something I make whenever I have an acorn squash around; the sweet maple syrup pairs perfectly with some heat from the curry powder. Even though it might not be a “traditional” Holiday side, it’s surely one to please.

Maple-Curry Acorn Squash

Ingedients(Makes 4 servings)

2 medium acorn squashes, cut into 1/6ths or 1/8ths
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tablespoon Indian curry powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat an oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking tray with aluminum foil.

Add all of the ingredients into a large ziploc bag and toss around to coat. Once the squash is covered, lay each piece out individually on the tray and bake for 50-55 minutes, until the squash is tender. Serve hot.

Not only is it flavorful, but it’s simple, too! And the maple syrup-curry glaze that forms during cooking is warm and comforting. This is one of those dishes that will have everybody eating their vegetables.

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Thanksgiving Countdown

Written on November 26, 2010 by Wannabe Chef in Holiday

10 family members at the table

9 total hours spent in the kitchen

8 recipes made

7 episodes of Little People, Big World watched since being home on break

6 too many desserts eaten

5 sticks of Earth Balance used

4 instances of grandparents saying the darndest things at the table(read: mildly inappropriate, wine-assisted, and completely hysterical)

3 onions stuck up this turkey’s kooch

2 days of cooking

1 finger cut chopping vegetables

and 0 holiday meltdowns.

Can’t wait to do it again at Christmas!

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I Am Thankful For…

Written on November 25, 2010 by Wannabe Chef in Uncategorized

The great thing about the holiday season is that it makes you joyful. For me, this makes me stop and be mindful of all the good in my life, from big things to small. Here’s my list of what I am thankful for:

I am thankful for the 12 wonderful years I got to spend with my dog, Montana, before he passed away last Thursday. Since then there’s been a lot of sadness and tears and pain, but I wouldn’t trade it away for all the good times I had because of him.

I am thankful for a house full of family, because isn’t that what the holidays are about?

I am thankful for Taza chocolate, which is burning a hole in my wallet since they started selling it at my local bookstore. This stuff is so good. And grieving calls for good chocolate.

I am thankful for the chance to see my favorite comedian, Kathy Griffin, live at Foxwoods last Friday night. For the record, she was very insulting and very hysterical.

Nov 6th 049

I am thankful for brownies. All of them. The end.

I am thankful for season 1 of I Love Lucy, which I bought last Christmas with a Target gift card. Maybe this year I’ll get season 2?

I am thankful for every occasion I get to sit down and have an excellent home-cooked meal, because I know not everyone is fortunate enough to have that often.

What are you thankful for this year?

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Scrambled Tofu

Written on November 24, 2010 by Wannabe Chef in Entree

This is one of my favorite things to make for lunch or brunch on the weekend. It’s a flavorful dish that’s extremely easy to cook, and it’s very warm and comforting, just like real eggs should be. It goes great with hash browns or any other sort of carbs you could imagine. All you need is a block of tofu and a few pantry-staples to make this, too.

Scrambled Tofu

Ingredients(For 2 servings):

1 block firm or extra-firm tofu
1/2 onion, diced
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Add in the diced onion and cook until translucent.

Next, crumble in the tofu using your hands. Sprinkle in the paprika, salt, onion powder, and garlic powder and fold them in with a fork. Cook 5-10 minutes while the tofu absorbs the oil and moisture cooks off. It will be done when the tofu starts sticking to the bottom of the pan and turning brown in parts.

Season with salt and pepper.

These really can be made and used in any way regular eggs are. Stuff them in a tortilla for a new twist on a breakfast burrito, or eat them with ketchup or siracha—whatever floats your boats. And you could certainly fool even the staunchest meat eaters in looks and flavor with these.

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5-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies

Written on November 23, 2010 by Wannabe Chef in Dessert

P.S. Today is the last day to enter the Stonyfield giveaway!

In all respects, this is one of my favorite cookie recipes. It’s one of the first I learned, and continually go to in a pinch. The ingredients are simple. It’s gluten-free without requiring any special ingredients. And it just tastes delicious. What more could you want? There’s something so satisfying about a peanut butter cookie that it could please anyone. If you’re a budding chef, consider remembering this recipe because you never know when you’ll be in a pinch without a recipe book and need to whip up something delicious.

5-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies

Ingredients(Makes 16 cookies):

1 cup peanut butter(a salted one)
3/4 cup cane sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat an oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, combine all the ingredients and stir until it all has come together.

Line 2 baking trays with parchment paper. Tear chunks of dough off from the bowl and roll in between your hands to make dough balls about 1 1/2 inches thick.

Put the balls about 2 inches apart on the lined baking sheet. Dip a fork in water and press down twice on each dough ball in a perpendicular fashion to make a crisscross pattern. Bake for 12-14 minutes, or until the edges firm up and the center is beginning to set. Let the cookies cool completely before trying to lift them from the tray.

These cookies are soft and taste freshly-baked on the first day; there’s no doubt they beat anything bought from a store. The flavor is undeniably peanut butter without being sickingly sweet. If you need a last-minute recipe for a party, this is the perfect thing to whip up!

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