veggie lasagna

you wouldn't even know ... tofu hides in here.

Lately we've been trying to eat vegetarian during the week, for both health and environmental reasons.  I had a sudden craving for lasagna - preggo cravings maybe? :) - and I thought tofu would be perfect as a meat substitute... it doesn't have much flavour so it soaks up whatever seasonings you put on it.  And it mixes well with cheese so for those who don't like the texture of tofu wouldn't even know it.  Ryan and I had it for two lunches and two dinners...was very satisfying and tasty.

what you need:

• 1 package oven ready lasagna noodles
• 1 small eggplant
• spinach (a few large handfuls)
• 1 large can san marzano tomatoes
• 3 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 1 1/2 cup old white cheddar, shredded
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 large onion
• 1 pint cremini mushrooms
• 1 jalapeno
• 1 tbsp italian seasoning (mix of oregano, basil, marjoram, thyme...)
• 300 g firm tofu
• olive oil for cooking
• 1/2 cup water
• salt and pepper
• *freshly grated Parmesan for plating

what to do:

1. Prepare all vegetables:  thinly slice eggplant into discs, rinse spinach, finely dice mushrooms, onions, jalapenos, and garlic.  Set everything separately aside.
2. Rinse tofu and crumble into small bits.
3. Preheat oven to 375 F.
4. In a large skillet, heat up 1 tbsp olive oil on medium.  Saute onions and jalapeno until softened and onions are golden brown (but not burnt), then add garlic.  Add seasoning, salt and pepper, and stir, adding a little bit more olive oil if it appears too dry. 
5. Add the canned tomatoes and tomato paste to skillet.  Stir and gently break up tomatoes (if they are packed whole).  Add about 1/2 cup water and crumbled tofu, then cover and allow to simmer for about 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
6. In a large baking dish, spoon a thin layer of tomato sauce mixture to cover the bottom.  Add one layer of lasagna noodles, then layer with eggplant discs, more tomato sauce, then top with a mix of the cheeses, making sure to save some for the top.  Place another lasagna noodle layer, then add the diced mushrooms, spinach, then more tomato sauce.  Place the last layer of lasagna noodles and top with remaining sauce (since these are oven-ready noodles you have to make sure there is liquid on them to cook) - sprinkle remaining cheese on top.
7. Cover with foil (tent it a bit to avoid cheese sticking to foil) - and bake for about 40 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for another 10 minutes.
8. Allow to cool slightly then slice and enjoy!  Serve with freshly grated Parmesan if desired.

yam & spinach bruschetta

This is definitely a non-traditionally bruschetta!  It's packed with nutrients and flavour, and super easy to make.  I made them as my dinner one night but you could have them as a hearty appetizer.  The secret is the mixture of tofu and cheese - so even your friends who don't like tofu won't notice.

what you need:

*makes about 8 

• whole wheat baguette
• 1/2 cup diced sweet potato
• 1/2 cup diced medium or firm tofu
• 1/2 cup diced sharp white cheddar
• 1 large handful of baby spinach
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 tsp olive oil
• salt and pepper
• water

what to do:

1. Slice baguette on an angle, about 1/2" thick.  Set aside on a cookie sheet.  Preheat oven to 450 F.
2. Dice the sweet potato, tofu and cheddar into about the same sizes (less than 1 cm cubes)
3. In a pot, heat up oil on medium and saute garlic.  Add sweet potato and saute lightly, then add about 1/4 cup water and cover to allow sweet potato to cook to fork tender (10-15 minutes).
4. Add tofu and stir gently, cook for about 3 minutes.  Add a little bit of salt and pepper.
5. Add spinach and turn off heat.  Set mixture aside and drain any excess liquid.
6. Pile each of the baguette slices with a generous amount of the mixture, and then place 3-4 cubes of cheese onto each slice (try to sneak them into grooves/cracks near the bread).  
7. Place cookie sheet in middle rack for about 10 minutes, checking midway to make sure bottoms are not burned.  Put the oven on broil for 1 minute, browning the tops and cheese will bubble slightly.  Remove and serve warm.  Enjoy!

the TLT

a surprisingly satisfying meal

OK so the other night Ryan and I got home a little late after playing tennis after work. We were hungry and wanted to make something fast, but still healthy and filling.  We had the ingredients for BLTs - and I thought, why not add some asian flare?  Tofu added a great source of protein to the sandwich, and wasabi-arugula (a new item I found at the grocery store - really flavourful with peppery-ness of arugula and a slight wasabi kick) made this BLT unique and satisfying.

what you need:

• multigrain bread (usually we buy Rudoloph's Bavaria multigrain, available in most grocery stores)
• 2 handfuls wasabi arugula (or any other greens, such as spinach, spring mix, etc)
• 1 square of firm tofu
• 1 tomato
• 4 slices of bacon, preferable hickory or applewood smoked
• mayonnaise
• canola oil
• salt and pepper
• red chili flakes *optional

what to do:

1. Cook bacon until crispy in a non-stick pan.  While the bacon is cooking, cut tofu and tomato into about 1 cm thick slices.  Wash and pat dry wasabi arugula.
2. Remove bacon once cooked and allow to drain on a paper towel.  Pour most of the bacon fat into a bowl to dispose of later, but keep about 1 tbsp in the pan.
3. Add about 1 tsp or so of canola oil to pan.  Fry the tofu in the pan on medium, seasoning lightly with salt, pepper and red chili.  Brown both sides of tofu then remove.
4. Toast the bread - spread lightly with mayonnaise and pile one slice high with tofu, bacon, tomato, and wasabi-arugula.  Top with remaining slice and cut in half.  Enjoy!

tasty tofu bites

a fun vegetarian appetizer!

I know some people aren't fans of tofu, and sometimes the soy bean curd gets a bad rep for being bland and funny in texture.  This is a great way to enjoy it, and it is a simple vegetarian appetizer that will satisfy your taste buds.  The spicy crispy outside and soft inside of the tofu mixed with the creamy but fresh peanut dipping sauce makes one delicious bite.

what you need:

• 1 package firm or extra firm tofu
• 2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 2 tbsp canola oil
• 2 cloves garlic, smashed 
• 1/3 cup natural peanut butter
• 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
• 2 green onions, chopped finely
• zest and juice of 1 lime
• 1 tsp rice wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp soy sauce 
• salt and pepper
• *optional: chopped cilantro can be added to the peanut sauce & garnish

what to do:

1. Combine peanut butter, ginger, lime zest and juice, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, and most of the green onions in a bowl.  (Save a little bit of the green onions for garnish).  Stir until a smooth sauce forms; set aside.
2. If your tofu came in water, be sure to pat it dry with a paper towel.  Cube into about 1/2" squares.  
3. In a pan, heat the canola oil on medium, then add garlic.  Do not let the garlic burn; once you see it start browning lightly and the oil has aromas of garlic, remove the smashed garlic from the pan.  Add red pepper flakes to oil.
4. Add tofu cubes (do not over crowd your pan or the tofu won't crisp up).  Flip the cubes every few minutes to get even browning on all sides.  Season lightly with salt and pepper.
5. Once the tofu is browned on all sides, remove from heat and plate.  Sprinkle chopped green onion on top for garnish.
6. Serve with the peanut dipping sauce & toothpicks.  Enjoy!

thai inspired chicken soup

Tonight I used the chicken middle bone (or back bone) from the organic whole chicken (see "a whole chicken, a whole week") to make a Thai inspired chicken noodle soup. The aroma was fresh and inviting, and it made a light & fulfilling dinner for two.  If you don't have chicken bones to make stock, use store bought chicken or vegetable stock.  

what you need:

• chicken bones for stock
• 10 cups cold water
• 4 kaffir lime leaves
• 1 small bunch Thai basil
• 2 small Thai chillies
• 1 lime
• 1 stalk of lemon grass
• 1 small onion 
• 1 celery stalk
• 3-4 slices fresh ginger
• 3 cloves garlic
• 5 dashes fish sauce
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 handful green beans
• 1 carrot
• 2 green onions
• 1 handful of fresh cilantro
• 2 portions of soft tofu
• 2 portions of brown rice vermicelli

what to do:

1. Trim excess fat off the chicken bones.  Add it to a pot with 4-5 cups cold water and bring to a boil, then turn it to medium and let it simmer with the lid on for 15 min.
2. Roughly chop the onion, celery, chillies and lemon grass.  Smash the garlic cloves.  Rip the kaffir lime and basil leaves/stems a little to release its flavour. Add all of these to simmering stock.  In about 15 minutes, remove the chicken bones.  (When the chicken bones are cool enough to handle, remove any meat and set aside, then return bones to soup)
3. Turn the burner to medium low and simmer for another 15-20 minutes.  Add a few dashes of fish sauce and a pinch of salt.  Taste the broth - add salt if required.
4. Chop the green beans and green onions lengthwise on a sharp angle.  Roughly chop the cilantro and grate the carrot.  Cut tofu into 1" pieces.  Set aside.
5. In another pot, bring 5 cups of cold water to boil.  Put the vermicelli into the water and then turn off heat.  Soak for about 2 min, or until noodles are cooked (be careful not to overcook because they will become soggy and fall apart), drain and put noodles into the bottom of two bowls.
6. Turn off the heat for the stock and sieve out the aromatics (bones, onions, celery, etc.), return stock to the pot and bring to a gentle boil.  Add the tofu and green beans, cook for about 2 minutes then turn off the heat.
7. Top the noodles with carrots, cilantro, green onion and chicken (removed early from the bone).  Ladle broth, tofu and green beans into bowl until noodles are well covered.  Serve with a slice of lime, chopsticks and a spoon.  Enjoy!

toppings ready for soup

removing aromatics once they have flavoured the stock