whirlwind

Hey guys,

So again, I apologize for the length of time it's been since I last posted. Life's been a little busy to say the least (not that I'm complaining). I've been cooking less often then usual and documenting what I cook even less than that. I finally took Monday night to myself and even went running to work up an appetite (it wasn't my only goal, believe it or not, but it definitely worked!).

I've been on a quest to cook tofu since I decided to try this whole vegetarian thing (speaking of which, I'll be at 7 weeks on Sunday and I can honestly say that 1) I haven't slipped once yet, and 2) I don't miss meat as much as I thought I would at all). Anyway, besides tofu moose I haven't made any epic tofu recipes, but this one is definitely places second.

So now I present to you: Honey Mustard Marinated Tofu

*I adjusted the recipe for 12.3 oz of tofu

Ingredients:

 I feel like this would have worked with 6 TBSP of honey musterd instead of 3 TBSP each of honey and Dijon. Did I hike to IGA to get honey because for the first time since moving into this apartment we were out? Of course. Next time.

My unconventional tofu press (the bullet was already out on the counter, I'm not that obsessed). And the marinade..

My 8 x 8 pan is mysteriously missing (it's a gift how easily I lose things...). So instead I used a pie plate. Covered in foil, of course (because really, scrapping marinate off any pan is just obnoxious).

Before the oven:

After the oven:

To round out my meal I decided another smitten kitten recipe was in order. Asparagus is by and far my favorite vegetable..and I think this might be my favorite way to eat it. Just shear, toss, and enjoy!

Eaten in front of That 70's Show reruns. it was a perfect way to end a stressful Monday. The salad was as spectacular as the first time I made it back in May. I'm still unsure how I like the consistency of tofu marinated and baked, but it was a huge improvement from the last time I made it. I'm addicted to the almost crispy edges that I only seem to get when I saute it in lots of oil. The flavor was fantastic, however.

Nick and I were supposed to cook Cajun black bean burgers...but the world has not been on our side lately. That post is coming soon, promise!

Anyone have any tofu cooking tips? Or recipes to try? 

Brownie Thursday

Ok, so I realize the average college student participates in thirsty Thursday... but this week I was totally craving brownies. And I've been meaning to make this recipe for a while. I first about the concept of black bean brownies in the fall- and I thought, ew, wtf, why would you add black beans to perfectly good brownies? But then I did some research, and found that apparently they just made the brownies super moist (and were also a gluten free alternative- which is cool even though I have no problems with gluten).

And if there's black beans in them, it totally justifies eating half the pan in one sitting, right?


After a full day of browsing black bean brownie recipes (I promise I do other work at my co-op.. occasionally), I settled on this recipe via foodgawker,

The ingredients were conveniently things I had on hand (well, except the eggs, but I needed eggs anyway, and it was an excuse to run to CVS).

The trick to making the beans unnoticeable is pulverizing them, Which of course, was another excuse to break out the magic bullet. 

The processed beans looked oddly like a cookies and cream milkshake..

Then I did that thing you usually do with brownies (added the rest of the ingredients + extra sugar and chocolate powder and poured it into a baking dish):

After thirty minutes or so (longer than the recipe had said, but I might have have used a different pan...or our oven is awful, whatever), they were done.

Anna (home from Kenya!), Alyssa, and I ate it immediately in its molten hot form...and it was kind of strange, but delicious. I thought it got better as it set though. I froze the rest of it so I'll have snacks for a while and it won't get stale (I hate wasted baked goods!).

I think I'd try a different recipe next time (maybe a gluten one). But overall, the recipe was real easy, and you couldn't taste the beans. And there's nothing wrong with a guiltless brownie.

Kale?

Hey guys!

Nick and I are still apart. We almost met up for the Pirates game on Saturday, but nothing about that game seemed to work out for me (I did get to see the fireworks though, so I can't really complain).

Back to the food....

I've been cooking all damn day for no particular reason. So far I've made:
zucchini pizza boats
     -They're absolutely delicious, and a perfect way to sneak in veggies when pizza is what you're really craving. I've even gotten my veggie-hating friends to eat them. Beth's whole blog is dedicated to cheap and easy (and tasty) recipes. If you've never heard of it, it's definitely worth checking out

curry hummus
     -I go through a container of hummus a week. It's definitely in my top five favorite foods (which is saying something). And it's pretty healthy. I try to switch up the kinds I make. I made average, garlic hummus last week, and was munching of Trader Joe's before that so I thought a change was in order. I'm not sure how I feel about this recipe- it's not bad, just real different.

and finally....
kale chips!
     -I've wanted to make these since I first saw them around the food/health blogs world a few months ago. A) they look delicious, and B) kale is on of those superfoods. I was a little skeptical though - how sense does it make, really, that you can make a bitter green taste GOOD with a little olive and salt, not to mean, cook it just so that it's not crispy and doesn't burn. But when the farmer's market just happened to have kale on Wednesday I figured it was worth a shot. I decided to use Deb's recipe since her blog has never failed me.

First thing first, I washed the kale thoroughly (I'll be honest, it still had dirt on it, but I figured that contributed to its freshness?). Then I chopped of the stems, and cut the leaves into more manageable pieces.

One of the best things about this recipe was that it only called for two ingredients. 

And not much of either at that. I drizzled a tablespoon of olive oil over the kale and guesstimated on the salt. Then just tossed it until all the kale was covered.

Then I spread the leaves onto two large baking sheets. I have a vendetta again cleaning baking sheets (seriously, is there a way to scrub the whole thing without spraying yourself with the faucet?), so I lined them with foil..

And after twenty minutes at 300 degrees...

They turned out beautifully. Not comparable to... well really anything. They're paper thin but absolutely filled and favor. And they don't fill you up at all (for better or for worse). Even Alyssa joined me in devouring half the batch:

We did manage to save enough for me to take to work Monday and Tuesday.

I was absolutely thrilled with how they turned out. I really hope the farmers market has kale again this week.

Hopefully nick and I will being making something fun later this week. Until then, have a good week everyone!!

Oats!

I know it's been a week and a day, but bear with us, Nick and I are still doing this miles and miles apart. Cooking has been happening- but my documentation has been lacking. Sorry!

I've been addicted to quick cooking oatmeal since the fall. I'm not sure how it really started, but somehow I started eating oatmeal on a daily basis (I guess it goes hand in hand with my obsession with breakfast). Anyhow, the more I read about oats, the more I learned about all the different types there were. In the spring I got some spiffy multigrain oats from the East End Co-op. And after reading about them for a few months, I finally picked up some steel cut oats.

The only downside to steel cut oats is that they take at least 35 minutes to cook. Besides that - they are incredible. The texture is way different. But kind of awesome? And the best part is you can make ahead of time and eat it all week (like I do.. I know, I know, no one else likes oatmeal THAT much).

Like regular oatmeal, all you need are oats and boiling water:

Then let it boil for another five minutes until the oatmeal begins to thicken. Then just let it simmer for 30 minutes - be careful it's not boiling! Or you're pot will be super hard to clean.

When it looks thick, and most of the liquid has been absorbed, you're probably done (like the picture directly above). I distribute it into containers equally. Then you can add whatever topping you want :) fresh fruit, raisins, chocolate, cinnamon, brown sugar...or, my personal favorite, honey!

And now I can go to bed super excited about breakfast tomorrow!

(I'm an old person) Goodnight!