Curried Tofu with Tomatoes and Broccoli

Whenever Jon isn't home for dinner I cook something for myself that he wouldn't eat. Tofu and tomatoes? Nope, he wouldn't eat them.

I make a lot of tofu dishes, but instead of pulling out an old standby, I decided to try something different tonight. I had several tomatoes to use up, which led me to find this recipe for Sauteed Asparagus with Curried Tofu and Tomatoes. After reading it, I wasn't sure why it had me boiling the tofu in salt water before sauteing it. I did some research and found out that cooking the tofu in salt water first helps it to stay firm and to absorb flavors when cooking it. Who knew! You learn something new every day.

I liked parts of the recipe, but not all of it. So I went back to my recipe for Sauteed Curried Chicken with Peppers that I made a few months ago. It had the flavors I was craving. So I took the two recipes, combined parts of them, made up a few new things, and came up with this recipe for Curried Tofu with Tomatoes and Broccoli.


Ingredients

• 1 block of firm tofu
• Pot of boiling salt water (about 1 tbsp salt)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/2 of a small onion, halved then sliced (for smaller slices)
• 1 small head of broccoli, cut into florets
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp curry powder; I used yellow
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tomatoes, chopped

Directions

• Add the block of tofu to the pot of boiling water. Let it simmer in the water for 5 minutes. Remove from the water onto a paper towel. Press out some of the water and chop into cubes.
• Heat oil in a saute pan.
• Add tofu and cook 6-8 minutes until browned on all sides. Remove tofu from the pan.
• Add onion and garlic to the pan, saute 1 minute.
• Add broccoli and saute for 2 minutes.
• Add brown sugar and curry powder, followed by the broth and soy sauce. Bring to a simmer.
• Return tofu to the pan and add the tomatoes. Let simmer 5 minutes.

How beautiful is this? Yes, you know me...I love the colors.

I loved this. I couldn't get enough of it! I did leave some to have for lunch tomorrow and I can't wait. It had amazing flavor, was a touch sweet but not too much, and had complex flavors from the curry powder.

I am so pleased with the results of this new recipe creation and highly recommend it to anyone who loves tofu, or to anyone who has always wanted to try it.

Mongolian Beef

Who doesn't love take-out Chinese food? Ok, I'm sure there are some people, but I'm not one of them. When I was growing up, my parents would get it for us maybe once a month, and then we'd also go to restaurants in Philadelphia's Chinatown a few times a year. There were some great Chinese restaurants in Philadelphia...

But around here, not so much. That's why I have re-created so many take-out recipes at home. Not only have they been delicious, I'm also controlling the ingredients, calories, sodium, and fat.

My latest experiment with make-at-home-take-out was last night - Mongolian Beef. I followed this recipe, a PF Changes copycat recipe found on the Recipe Zaar web site, with just a few changes.

The recipe didn't not include a step for marinating meat, and when working with flank steak (or sirloin strips like I did), I think it's important to marinate it mostly to tenderize it. So I marinated the sirloin strips in soy sauce, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes before starting the recipe.

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger, minced
• 1 tablespoon garlic, chopped
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup water
• 3/4 cup dark brown sugar (I used light - it was all I had)
• Vegetable oil, for frying (about 1 cup) (I used much less than this)
• 1 lb flank steak (I used sirloin strips)
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 2 large green onions

Directions (I changed the cooking method slightly so these are my notes)

• Marinate the meat as noted above
• Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and ginger; saute 2 minutes. Add the brown sugar, soy sauce, and water. Bring to a steady simmer for 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
• Dip the steak pieces into the cornstarch to apply a very thin dusting to both sides of each piece of beef. Let the beef sit for about 10 minutes so that the cornstarch sticks.
• Heat 2 tbsp oil in the same pan over medium heat until it's nice and hot, but not smoking.
• Add the beef to the oil and sauté for several minutes until beef is brown on all sides
• Return sauce the the pan and let simmer for several minutes.
• Mix in half of the green onions; use the remaining onions as garnish.
• Serve over rice

Of all the fake-out take-out meals I have made at home, this one tasted the most like real take-out. Jon and I both loved it, and my dad was happy to get the leftovers for lunch today. I'd highly recommend this one!!

I won something??!!!

I never win anything! But one day, while looking at one of my favorite blogs, Joelen's Culinary Adventures, I came across her Foodie Freebie Friday giveaway. I decided to enter, and I won!

I am a bit late on this, but here is the Foodie Freebie Friday announcement.

The apron arrived a few days later, and I couldn't wait to use it. It is the cutest thing, doesn't look like your traditional apron at all, and I love wearing it.

Thanks, Joelen!!

Guest Blogger: Jon's Gin Pork Chops

My husband creates the most amazing marinades for meat, and he delivered with another great one today. Here is his post...

Mary Ellen picked up some beautiful thick-cut boneless pork chops, and I went rooting through the cupboards and refrigerator to find something for a marinade. In earlier marinades, I’ve normally used olive oil as a base, and built up some great flavors from there. I’ve used bourbon, scotch, tequila and even sake along with the usual suspects of garlic, pepper, etc, but today something occurred to me –

perhaps some of the best marinade bases could be found in the liquor cabinet.

Tequila seemed a little too easy; I just used sake last week; and I couldn’t even look at the scotch since getting ‘acquainted’ with a bottle of Macallan the other night, and then I found the bottle of gin. It occurred to me that one of the great summer drinks is a gin and tonic, so why not use that as inspiration for a marinade? Here’s what I used:

• Juice of 1 lime
• Zest of half of the lime
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 oz Gin
• 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro (chopped)
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 1 pinch kosher salt
  

A couple things really helped this marinade: first, use a microplane for the garlic. In other marinades, I’ve usually used a garlic press or a fine chop with a knife, but the microplane yielded an extremely fine paste that incorporated into the lime juice and gin much better than little chunks. Additionally, chop the cilantro as finely as possible; as with the garlic, it’ll work into the other flavors much better.

I tenderized (perforated) the pork chops with a fork several times and then put them into a zip-top bag with the marinade. The flavors got to know each other for about 9 hours in the refrigerator before hitting the grill. This ended up being my favorite marinade yet, and served with Mary Ellen’s antipasto pasta salad and some roasted Brussels sprouts, this was a great and easy summer dish.

Antipasto Pasta Salad

Happy Birthday, America!!

My parents were having a little get together to celebrate the 4th of July. They made the BEST beer braised ribs along with my mom's homemade cole slaw. I offered to bring pasta salad, but of course wanted to come up with something new.

I love antipasto - the marinated veggies, meats, and cheeses - so used that as my inspiration for this Antipasto Pasta Salad.

Mix these ingredients -

• 2 lbs rotini, cooked and rinsed in cold water
• 1 red onion, finely chopped
• 2 red peppers, chopped
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 1 bunch asparagus, blanched then put into cold water, then diagonally sliced into 1 inch pieces
• 1 c cherry tomatoes, seeds and pulp removed, quartered
• ½ lb Provolone cheese, cut into small cubes
• 1/3 lb pepperoni, cut into small cubes
• ¼ c chopped fresh parsley (a touch of fresh basil would work well, too)
• Optional veggies: sliced mushrooms, artichokes (I didn't use these, but if I did, I'd mix them in right before serving so they didn't get too mushy)
  

The dressing - combine the below ingredients, toss with the pasta salad, and let sit in the fridge for at least 4 hours before serving. Toss everything again before serving, and adjust seasonings, if needed. I added a touch of salt on day 2.

Dressing

• 1.5 c olive oil
• ¾ c red wine vinegar
• 4 tbsp oregano
• 1 tsp dry mustard
• 2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp salt

Everyone loved this pasta salad and it was even better today. Hope everyone enjoyed this absolutely beautiful weekend.

Taco Pasta

I had originally planned on making tacos last night, but just wasn't feeling it. When we do have tacos, Jon always takes the meat and mixes it with pasta and all of the cold, raw vegetables and ingredients for a taco pasta next day. I took my inspiration from this, but did a cooked-vegetable version.

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb ground meat
• Spices - I didn't measure (never do!) - chili powder, cumin, coriander, cayenne, onion powder, garlic powder, a touch of salt
• 1/2 small onion, chopped
• 1/2 each green and red pepper, chopped
• 1/2 jalapeno, chopped (optional)
• 8 oz canned chopped tomatoes (crushed would work well, too)
• 6 oz canned black beans, rinsed
• 6 oz chicken broth
• Handful of shredded cheese, I used a Mexican blend
• Cooked pasta; I used rotini, about 6 oz
• Sour cream and shredded lettuce for serving

Directions

• Heat a large saute pan. Add meat and cook until just about done. Season with the spices.
• Add the onions and peppers, cook 2-3 minutes
• Add the tomatoes and beans, cook another 2 minutes
• Add the broth and bring to a simmer while your pasta is cooking
• Add pasta to the meat mixture, and toss with the cheese
• Plate, top with some more cheese, lettuce, and sour cream.

This was incredibly delicious, flavorful, and was a nice way to enjoy taco ingredients without the taco shells. I think it would also do well mixed with more cheese and baked for a taco casserole.

I'm giving this one a Mexican tag purely because of the flavors, spices, and ingredients used - it's not authentic Mexican at all, but it can help to satisfy those Mexican food cravings!

Breaded Basa Fish with a Garlic Cream Sauce

Jon has been asking for fish for dinner for a few weeks and as you know, I'm not the biggest fan of seafood. I am always willing to try it though, so when I saw that our local market had Basa Swai, I picked up 2 filets.

Now, what to do with them? I need to add a lot of flavor to fish when I cook it, and was craving something like the Chicken Florentine I made last year. I also thought of something like a Chicken Francese - nice thick breading and a lemon sauce. I combined the two ideas and came up with a breaded basa filet with a garlic cream sauce served with spinach and noodles.

Ingredients

• 2 Basa filets (basa is a very light, white fish from Vietnam; this dish would work with similar fish such as flounder)
• 2 tbsp flour
• 2 eggs
• 2 tbsp bread crumbs mixed with a touch of paprika, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and shredded Parmesan cheese
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 shallot, chopped
• 1/4 c white wine
• 1/4 c light cream
• Optional: a touch of dried parsley and red pepper flakes
• 2 tbsp shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees
• Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large pan
• Dredge fish in flour, dip in egg, and coat with the bread crumbs. Add to the pan and cook for 2 minutes on each side. Transfer to a baking dish and finish cooking in the oven - about 2-3 more minutes.
• Add 1 tsp olive oil to the pan where the fish cooked
• Add shallots and garlic, saute 2 min
• Add wine and stir quickly for about a minute
• Add cream and bring to a simmer; season with red pepper flakes and dried parsley
• Whisk in the Parmesan cheese
• Serve sauce over the fish

I think this meal took me about 20-25 minutes from start to finish, including the prep time to chop the garlic and shallots. The sauce had so much flavor and went perfectly with the crispy fish. I really like this fish because it's very light, but not terribly flaky - it has some meat to it but isn't overpowering. I think I'd compare the consistency almost to that of sea bass, but on a much thinner scale.

I only saw Basa Swai for the first time a few months ago. If you like light, white fish, keep your eyes open for this one. To see other ways I have prepared it, type "basa" into the search bar on the right side of this blog.

Lemon-Thyme Chicken

How is it Monday already? Weekends should really be three days long.

We ate so much all weekend - take-out after happy hour on Friday, a Bull's BBQ Shredded Pork Sandwich at the Phillies game on Saturday, and a day full of eating and drinking yesterday for Father's Day. So let's stay away from the carbs tonight, ok?

I picked up some boneless chicken breasts yesterday as well as some broccoli rabe. I came up with this quick and easy lemon thyme chicken for dinner tonight.

The Marinade

• 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1/2 c olive oil
• 1 large shallot, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• Juice from 1/2 lemon
• 1 tbsp thyme
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Marinate chicken in the marinade for a few hours.

Cooking the chicken

• Remove chicken from the marinade and shake off any chunks of garlic or shallot.
• Mix flour with salt, pepper, and a touch of thyme.
• Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat; preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Dredge chicken in flour, and add to the pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes on each side.
• Transfer chicken to the oven to finish cooking, about 8-10 minutes.

Optional - Sauce

• Once the chicken has finished cooking in the oven, remove it from the pan and keep warm.
• Heat the pan over medium heat
• Add 1/3 c white wine and scrape up all of the brown bits
• I didn't do this, but I will next time - add 1/2 c chicken broth and bring to a simmer.
• Season with salt and pepper, and dried parsley flakes if you want some color.
• Turn heat to low and whisk in about 1/4 c light cream.
• Serve sauce over the chicken.

I served the chicken with sauteed broccoli rabe.

This chicken was so juicy and full of flavor. The lemon was so bright and fresh, and paired nicely with the garlicky broccoli rabe. I loved it, and will make some chicken salad with the third breast that we didn't eat.

After dinner we enjoyed a glass of wine on the deck. These pics aren't related to cooking, but I had to share.

My hibiscus tree is finally looking healthier and has several of these beautiful and colorful flowers -

And how cute is our dog?? She loves to peek her head through the deck like this so she gets a bird's eye view of our yard - always have to be ready to chase that bunny that likes to visit us!!

Grilled Garlic-Lime Pork with a Jalapeno-Red Onion Marmalade

For Father's Day - my sister and I decided that grilling something for our dad would be nice, and how lucky are we, it didn't rain! Finally, a nice day. We sat outside all afternoon and evening enjoying frozen margaritas and beer with appetizers, and even ate dinner out on the patio.

The dinner menu -

- Grilled Garlic-Lime Pork Tenderloin with a Jalapeno-Red Onion Marmalade

- Grilled Ciabatta Bread Salad

- Roasted Potatoes

The recipe for the pork tenderloin is from the Epicurious web site and can be found here.

Note - I am listing the sauce as a marmalade because that is how it was listed on in the recipe. However, I think it was more of a relish, or chutney.

Ingredients

For the marinade:

• 6 large garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger root
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1/3 cup fresh lime juice
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• Cayenne to taste (I didn't use this)
• 4 pork tenderloins (about 3/4 pound each), trimmed (I used 2 tenderloins but still used the full amounts for the marinade as listed above - this wouldn't have been enough for 4)
  

For the marmalade:

• 1 1/4 pounds red or yellow onions, chopped fine (about 4 cups)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 fresh jalapeño chilies, seeded and minced
• 2 tablespoons honey or sugar (I used honey)
• 3 to 4 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup water

Directions

To make marinade:

• In a blender or small food processor blend marinade ingredients with salt and pepper to taste.
• In a large sealable plastic bag combine pork with marinade. Seal bag, pressing out excess air, and put in a shallow baking dish. Marinate pork, chilled, turning occasionally, at least 1 day and up to 2 days.
• Prepare grill.
• Let pork stand at room temperature about 30 minutes before grilling. Remove pork from marinade, letting excess drip off, and grill on an oiled rack set 5 to 6 inches over glowing coals, turning every 5 minutes, until a meat thermometer registers 160°F., 15 to 20 minutes. Jon heated the grill to 400 degrees before adding the pork.
• Transfer meat to a cutting board and let stand 5 minutes before slicing.
• Serve pork with onion marmalade.
  

To make the jalapeno onion marmalade:

• In a large heavy skillet cook onions in oil with salt and pepper to taste over moderate heat, stirring, until softened.
• Add jalapeños and cook, stirring, 1 minute.
• Add honey or sugar and cook, stirring, 1 minute.
• Add vinegar and simmer, stirring, until almost all liquid is evaporated.
• Add water and simmer, stirring, until mixture is slightly thickened and onions are very tender, about 10 minutes.
• Season marmalade with salt and pepper (I didn't need to do this). Marmalade may be made 2 days ahead and chilled, covered. Reheat marmalade before serving.

Pork tenderloin, to me, is one of the easiest things to make, and it's so versatile. I liked this recipe a lot. The flavors were not too intense, even with 6 cloves of garlic. And the marmalade - wow! I really thought it was going to be spicy, but it was the perfect mix of sweet and spicy.

If I made this again, I think I'd blend the marmalade ingredients to make more of a sauce, but that's the only change I'd make.

Happy Father's Day!!

Cheese Tortellini in a Tomato-Garlic-Wine Sauce

What is with this rainy weather in the Northeast? I'm so sick of the rain and just want a dry, sunny day. I feel so blah and have no inspiration, and couldn't think of a thing to make for dinner tonight.

But since we didn't feel like going out to eat or getting take-out, I decided to whip something up. I had a package of frozen cheese tortellini to use, as well as 2 tomatoes, so I went with that to come up with this quick and easy dinner.

Ingredients

• 10 oz frozen cheese tortellini
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large shallot, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes (less if you like less heat)
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried parsley flakes
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/3 c white wine
• 1/3 c water from the pot of tortellini (grab the water before you drain the pasta)
• Grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

• Cook tortellini
• In a large saute pan, heat olive oil
• Add shallots and garlic; saute 3 minutes
• Add tomatoes, salt, pepper, oregano, parsley, and red pepper flakes; saute 3 minutes
• Add wine and let simmer for 5 minutes
• Add reserved water
• Toss with tortellini, top with Parmesan cheese

This was the perfect quick and easy dinner on a night when I had no energy or motivation to cook. But surprisingly, I ended up with a delicious dinner with little effort. I served it with roasted asparagus, and Jon had flounder stuffed with lobster that he picked up at the local market.