Simplest Tofu

I wanted to cook a package of tofu to have a protein source to add to salads.  Here's my quick 3 ingredient recipe - I will be playing with the cooking time a bit, but SO easy -

Ingredients:

2 tsp roasted sesame oil (Joyce Chen)
2 tsp teriyaki marinade and sauce (Kikkoman)
2 tsp honey

Directions:
Warm toaster oven to 400 degrees
1) Press water out of block of tofu
2) Halve horizontally, then cut into cubes ~ 24
3) Drizzle about half the marinade over the cubes.
4) Cook for 15 minutes, then toss, drizzle with the remainder of marinade, and cook another 15 minutes, watching that it doesn't burn.
5) That's it - use with any dish.

Braised red cabbage

From Canyon Ranch Nourish

Excellent with mushroom burgers - I didn't have some of the ingredients last time, so I'll try it again, but it has great potential.  I also cooked it stovetop only, finishing it by covering it and letting it simmer.

Purple cabbage joins the list of vegetables and fruits rich in anthocyanin, the purple and dark red pigments the protect against cancer and heart disease.

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp EVOO
1/2 cup julienned yellow onion
4 cups shredded red cabbage
2 bay leaves
Pinch ground cloves
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp caraway seed
1/4 cup red wine
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1/4 cup water
1 cup julienned Red Delicious apples
2 Tbsp honey

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 350
2. Heat the olive oil in a medium ovenproof sauce pan over medium heat.  Sauce the onions in olive oil until golden.  Add the red cabbage.  Cover and cook for about 2 minutes.  Add the bay leaves, cloves, salt , pepper, caraway seed, wine, vinegar, and water.  Mix well and cover tightly.

3.  Transfer the sauce pan to the oven and braise for 25 minutes, or until the cabbage is wilted.  Add th apples and honey and mix well.  Cover and braise for an additional 10 minutes.  Remove and discard the bay leaves.

Each serving contains
120 calories
21 gm carbs
4 gm fat
0 mg cholesterol
2 g protein
252 mg sodium
3 g fiber

Citrus-Marinated Salmon with Fennel Cream

photo 7/15/2019

From Amy Riolo's The Ultimate Mediterranean Diet Cookbook - Harness the Power of the World's Healthiest Diet to Live Better, Longer

I should have read the instructions first - before I discarded the fronds from the fresh fennel.  So the 'cream sauce' made from yogurt and herbs wasn't quite as intended.  Nonetheless, the salmon was soft and tasty - I'm thinking it would difficult to overcook, since it's in liquid and baked while covered.

I'm going to try cutting the fennel and onion into smaller pieces next time and let them soak up the marinade.  Making more of the marinade would help, and perhaps reserving some.
Halve the orange slices to place on top of the salmon.

Fennel is often eaten raw in salads, braised, or roasted as in this recipe.  The seeds can be boiled to make soothing teas.

Ingredients: 

2 Tbsp EVOO
1/4 cup OJ
1/2 tsp unrefined sea salt or salt
Freshly ground pepper
4 salmon fillets, 4 oz each, skin on
1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced - reserve fronds
1/2 sweet onion, thinly sliced
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
2 oranges - one zested, 1 thinly sliced

Directions: 

1) In a small bowl, whisk the EVOO, OJ, salt and pepper until emulsified.
2) Place the salmon in a glass baking dish and pour marinade over the top.  Marinate for 1 hour.
3) Preheat oven to 400 degrees
4) Scatter fennel and onion around the sides of the salmon and cover with aluminum foil.  Bake until the fish flakes easily with a fork and is opaque in color, 20-25 minutes.
5) While the fish is baking, combine the Greek yogurt with 2 Tbsp of fennel fronds, finely chopped, and orange zest.
6) Remove the fish from the oven and place on a serving plate.  Dollop each with about 1/4 of yogurt mixture and garnish with orange slices.

Thai green curry sauce

Liberally adapted from Practical Thai Cooking by Schmitz and Woman, 1985

I had chicken breasts that I needed to cook and decided I wanted to do a green curry dish.  The sauce that roughly followed their recipe was mild and excellent.  I didn't steam the chicken, as their recipe instructed, but baked it at 365 in a convection oven for ~20 minutes, as the pieces of chicken were thick.  I thought this was a great taste, including the spinach with basil mixture.  It would be worth trying with thai basil.  And blending with the coconut sauce as suggested.

Ingredients: 
8 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2.5 Tbsp white wine
pinch of salt

SAUCE:
2.5 cups coconut milk
2-3 Tbsp green curry paste
1 Tbsp fish sauce - nam pal - I use vegetarian style
another pinch of salt
1/2 tsp sugar
2 oz spinach, stems removed.

Directions:
1) Flatten chicken breasts by pounding lightly, then marinate in wine and salt for 15 minutes.
2)Supposed to steam chicken for 7 minutes, then leave heat off, covered for 5 minutes.
3) SAUCE: place the coconut milk in a pan and add the curry paste, fish sauce, salt and sugar.
4) Blanch the spinach in ample boiling water, plunge into cold water and gently squeeze all the water out.  Puree the spinach in a blender or food processor (I sautéed the spinach with basil and just served the chicken over it)
5) Add the spinach to the coconut milk mixture and bring to a boil over medium heat.  Adjust seasoning - should be salty and peppery.

Place a chicken breast on each warmed plate and spoon 1/4 cup sauce around it.  Serve warm with rice, noodles, or mashed potatoes.

Warm black lentils and tomato

From Nutrition Action.

I haven't tried this yet, but it looks good.  I don't usually like capers but I think it may be helpful to boost the taste in this dish.  Seems like it would go well with fish, or ?main dish for vegetarian meal.

1/1/19 update - it was ok but better the next day with a splash of white balsamic vinegar.  Easy enough overall!

Ingredients:
3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, sliced
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper (optional)
3 cups chopped fresh tomatoes
2 cups cooked black lentils
1 Tbsp capers
1/2 tsp kosher salt

Directions:
1) Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat until shimmering hot.  Saute the garlic and red pepper until fragrant, 30 - 60 seconds.
2) Stir in the tomatoes and simmer until softened, 2-3 minutes.
3) Stir in the lentils, capers and salt.

Crunchy Black Lentil Salad

From Nutrition Action.

If you're trying to stay with a predominantly plant-based diet, lentils of all varieties are a great protein source.  Since I usually use red or green lentils, I thought I'd try something different - black lentils. A serving size is 1/4 cup dry - or about a cup cooked - and contains 13 grams of protein and 15 grams of fiber.   They also contain iron and potassium, and of course no cholesterol.

Black lentils can be added to soups or salad or served as a side dish.  This recipe has some crunch from the celery and a boost of flavor from the lemon and mustard.  The fresh pepper helps finish it off.  Skip the cheese to keep it vegan.  And the entire prep time is about 15 minutes, about the same time as the lentils take to cook.  Make more lentils than you need and continue to use them on other dishes.

Ingredients: 
1 tsp lemon zest
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp dijon mustard
2 Tbsp minced shallot
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 cups cooked black lentils
1 cup sliced celery heart
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup shaved Manchego or parmesan cheese
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
1) In a large bowl, whisk together the lemon zest, lemon juice, mustard, shallot, oil and salt
2) Toss with the lentils, celery, walnuts and cheese.  Season to taste with the pepper.