Recipe #58 - Tofu Stir-Fry

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My first tofu recipe courtesy of the great Martha Stewart.

Halve tofu block lengthwise; slice each half into 8 rectangles. Arrange on a paper towel-lined baking sheet; top with more paper towels and another baking sheet. Weight with canned goods or a skillet. Refrigerate overnight or at least 20 minutes. 

While waiting, cut up all the yummy veggies.

Transfer tofu to a shallow dish. In a bowl, whisk together soy sause, vinegar, and sesame oil with 1 tablespoon water; pour over tofu. Marinate 5 minutes (reserve marinade).

Heat canola oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over high heat. Cook tofu until golden, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Set tofu aside.

Stirring constantly, cook onions in skillet over high heat until browned, about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms; cook about 2 minutes. Add red bell pepper and bok choy stems; cook about 3 minutes. Add peas, and ginger; cook about 1 minute. Add marinade, cornstarch mixture, bok choy greens and tofu. Cook until heated through. Season with soy sauce as desired. Serve with limes. 

Cook's Note: The veggies and marinade can be prepared ahead. You can use 1 pound peeled, deveined shrimp instead of tofu; the cook times are the same.

Rating: 8
Time: 45 minutes
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
1 pound firm tofu
2 tablespoons reduces-sodium soy sauce, plus more for serving
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
2 small onions, cut into wedges
9 ounces button mushrooms, quartered
1 large red bell pepper, ribs and seeds removed, cut into 1-inch squares
1 1/4 pounds bok choy, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces, stem and green pieces separated
1/4 pound snow peas, trimmed
5 paper-thin slices fresh ginger
1 teaspoon cornstarch dissolved in 2 teaspoons cold water
Lime wedges, for serving

Recipe #31 - Dominican Chimichurri Burgers

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So my attempt at stepping outside the box and making something a little different didn't turn out the way I'd hoped. I wanted to make a burger with a twist and found this recipe at epicurious.com.

What pairs perfectly with a burger?! Home brewed beer, of course! My dad just finished putting his home brew into a keg that my brothers bought him for Christmas. All day he kept saying, "You know what would fix that? A beer from the keg." or "You know what would go well with that (talking about cereal)? A beer from the keg." So, finally, he got to have his beer from the keg.

Start by mixing together the beef onion, bell pepper, garlic, cilantro, oregano, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, a scant 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Form into 4 (4 1/2-inch-wide) patties. I had a little more beef than the recipe suggested, so I had enough to make one more patty.

Heat on a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium heat until hot, then lightly toast buns. Oil skillet, then cook patties, turning once, about 8 minutes total for medium-rare. Transfer to buns.

Mix together cabbage, carrot and 1/4 teaspoon salt, then cook, turning occasionally, until slightly wilted, about 2 minutes. Divide among burgers.

Oil skillet again, then sear onion and tomato, turning once, until slightly charred, about 2 minutes total. Divide among burgers.

Stir together ketchup, mayonnaise and mustard, then top burgers with sauce.

Looks pretty huh? There was just a lot going on in this recipe. A lot of different flavors and ingredients that seemed to clash rather than blend together like I was anticipating. At least in my opinion. My sister and mother, however, loved this recipe. It really wasn't that bad I guess, but the flavors were very confusing for my father and I.

Time: 45 minutes
Rating: 4
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
1 1/4 pound ground beef chuck
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1/2 large red bell pepper, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
4 hamburger buns, split
2 cups thinly sliced cabbage
1 carrot, coarsely grated
1 small red onion, cut into rings
1 tomato, sliced 1/4 inch thick
2 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon mustard

Recipe #16 - Roughbox Steak Marinade

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This recipe is straight from the trials and errors of my father. I've seen him work on this since I moved here in August last year. Every time he makes it, it gets a little better. I, of course, didn't mind all the attempts. You can never have too much steak!

I was originally planning on making these for the parentals for their 30th anniversary on Saturday, but they told me the night before that they were going to go out for dinner. So, we decided to have them for dinner on Sunday evening.

I mixed up the marinade Saturday afternoon to allow the steaks to soak for at least 24 hours.

In a large zip-lock baggy, I combined the soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, balamin vinegar, olive oil, garlic, onions, thyme, and ginger. Then added the steaks. My meat of choice this time - beef tenderloin. Yum. They weren't cheap either!

After they soaked up the good stuff for a day or so, I began preparing them for the grill.

Pre-heat the grill. Remove the steaks from the zip-lock and place on a plate.

When you bring them out to the grill, make sure to bring an extra clean plate for the when the steaks are finished cooking. Depending on the thickness of the steaks and how well you liked them cooked, leave them on the grill longer. I like mine done medium and the steaks were about 2 inches think, so we cooked them for about 11 minutes on each side.

This is what dad was doing while we waited on the steaks to cook. Lol.

Now when I was mixing up the marinade I added too much lemon juice, balsamic vinegar and olive oil. I was using old measuring cups and the measurements rubbed off some of them. I apparently didn't double check before I started portioning out the liquids. Any who, the steaks were very savory and tender, but maybe a little too lemony. However, I think the added acid helped breakdown the toughness and made the steaks more moist throughout.

I served Recipe #15 - Boiled Red Potatoes and Make-Shift Salad as the sides. I think all-in-all it was a very successful meal. And this steak marinade is def in my Top 25!

Time: 40 mins
Rating: 10
Ingredients:
4 good sized steaks of you choice
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 worcestershire sauce
1/4 lemon juice
1/8 olive oil
1/4 balsamic vinegar
3-5 garlic cloves, minced
Onions, chopped
1 tablespoon ginger, minced

Recipe #3 - Pork Lo Mein

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I woke up yesterday morning with a email from Teresa in my inbox titled "Your Next Recipe". It was surprisingly simple to make. The not so simple thing was getting the ingredients. Mom and I drove all the way out to Poplar to the Whole Food Market and they were closed due to the snow the night before. Which actually turned out fine because we got Jimmy Johns right next to it. I've been craving JJ since I left Knoxville last. I can sum up my college experience in one bite of the #10 Big John.  

I digress. Mom and I went out again the next day and spent over an hour picking out organic ingredients and staring at the Olive Bar. Lol. 

I started by cutting the tenderloin in half lengthwise. Then each widthwise into 1/4 inch slices. In a plastic ziplock bag, I combined the soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and pepper flakes, then added the pork. Sealed bag, turned to coat, then refrigerated for 20 mins. 

Pork in soy sauce! Yum.

While waiting I began prep on the veggies. I julienned the red peppers. I had to Google what "julienned" meant. It means to cut longwise in very thin slices. I also minced garlic for the first time. I really hate trying to peel the thin layer off each clove. Super annoying. 

Note: After the 20 minutes, start boiling the water for the pasta and then put the meat on the skillet. By the time the meat is done, the water will be boiling and then the pasta is cooked the same time you add the noodles.

In a large non-sitck skillet, I added the sesame oil to coat the pan instead of the cooking spray which was suggested. I read an article saying that cooking spray is in the top ten cancer causing substances that can be easily cut out of our lives. 

So colorful!

Stir-fry pork and marinade for 4-5 minutes or until the meat is no longer pink. Added the snow peas and red pepper; stir-fry for 1 minute. Stir in spaghetti and chicken broth; cook 1 minute longer. Remove from heat. And finished! 

Mom and I were the only ones home to eat it, but it was AMAZING. Mom wants to give a 10 out of 10 and I'm very tempted to agree with her. I really was good. The pork was perfectly tender and the soy mixed with the red pepper, just bursts in your mouth. It was just spicy enough to make my nose run, but didn't have running for for the sink

The End.

Rating: 10
Time: 40 mins
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
1 - 1 pound pork tenderloin
1/4 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon minced fresh gingerroot
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 cups fresh snow peas
1 medium sweet red pepper, julienned 
3 cups cooked thin spaghetti 
1/3 cup reduced sodium chicken broth
2 teaspoons sesame oil