Tofu, Corn & Snap Pea Burritos

I'm really excited about this burrito post.

Sure, I've made some other burritos before with other delicious ( and some similar) ingrediences (Tofu, Black Bean & Corn and Grilled Shrimp and Zucchini). Sure, they were equally exciting to eat and share.

But oy. I'm really excited about this post, because it shows me how far my photo skills have come since I started out to conquer this blogging hobby. Well, either my skills have gotten better or my camera has gotten better. You decide. (Camera)

But I finally feel like my photos are starting to really capture freshness and color and detail. Those elements are really important to me. After taste of course! I love fresh food with lots of color and I love being able to share that.

These burritos have the perfect amount of crunch. I really hate a soggy or mushy burrito. I never really understood restaurants that cover them in sauce (I mean.. maybe it's tradition or maybe it makes some people happy) or why all burritos don't include lettuce. I need something crisp. I gots teeth and I wanna use them before it's too late and I'm eating mashed peas 5 nights a week.

Ew mashed peas. Shudder.

Soundtrack:


Tofu, Corn & Snap Pea Burritos
Serves 4-5


1 1/2 packages of extra firm tofu, pressed and cubed (I used 1 1/2 because I reserved 1/2 a block for use in salads. You could certainly use both or just 1.)
EVOO
1 c snap peas, cleaned, trimmed and halved
1 large red pepper, chopped
1 small red onion, chopped
1 tsp white vinegar
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp chipotle seasoning
1 tsp dried oregano
1 1/2 tsp agave syrup
1 c corn, either fresh from the cob or canned
1 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
salt & pepper
4-5 tortillas
1/2 radishes, julienned (to garnish)
romaine lettuce, chopped (to garnish)


Before beginning, be sure to press tofu for 20 minutes. Cube and set aside.


Heat 1 tbsp of EVOO in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add onions, red pepper and snap peas. Season with salt and pepper and sautee for 3-4 minutes, or until onions just begin to soften. Remove from the skillet to a bowl and set aside.


Drizzle a bit more EVOO into the skillet. Add tofu to the skillet. Cook over medium low heat for a minute, chopping with the side of your stirring utensil until the tofu is broken down into small pieces. Add vinegar, cumin, chipotle, and agave. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, for 3-4 minutes. Add corn and cook another 2 minutes.


Remove from heat, stir in onion, pepper and snap pea mixture. Add cilantro and stir to combine. 


Serve in tortillas, garnished with radishes and lettuce.

Spicy Thai Tofu

It's has been brought to my attention that I seem to concoct a lot of recipes with tofu. (Liiiike here and here... that's right, taking over the world, one tofu dish atatime!). I like tofu, sorry if you don't. A lot. Like, a lot, a lot. I'm a huge fan of the consistency. Yum, mush! No, I'm serious. I eat it cold sometimes, right out of the package. Is that so wrong? You would do it too... because I know you eat peanut butter out of the jar. And it's not that much different.

OMG! Look how awesome this picture is! Thanks for the camera lend Jer!

I've come a long way in my relationship with tofu. Let's go back in time here for a minute. Long, long, ago (probably about 1 year) in a galaxy far, far away, (Newtown, PA) to a time when I was naive to the mysterious ways of the tofu. I needed a little help. Afraid to cook with tofu, aside from using it in place of chicken in the occasional stir-fry with the best Teriyaki sauce ever, I needed a little help. I got this recipe from Adam's (you've met him, my Sue) mom.


She's an amazing cook. Amazing. I aspire to be more like her (I'm not sucking up, I swear. Ok, I am a bit, but I really do mean that!). She always has a stocked cupboard full of baking supplies (including vanilla...and other things that I run out of), which I consider to be pretty impressive in itself! She taught me to make bread. She roasts a mean tomato (great for omelettes!). She introduced me to Penzey's, which... no, on second thought I won't get started on that again. And the list really does go on and on. 


But, I got this recipe from her. And I know I can always trust a recipe from her. And you can definitely trust this recipe from me. I made one tiny change, adding in some eggplant, well, mostly because it was going bad in my fridge.


Soundtrack: After that last uber-nerdy post about my not-so-secret-anymore love of spices, I sort of feel a need to share with you folks that I do have a life. I swear, it's real! I have real life, tangible friends. And I went to visit them last Friday and we did real life things. Like shake our shit on a boat and booze until all hours of the AM and eat delicious bbq. And I also want to share with my small, but OH SO appreciated, audience the talented and amazing sounds of Simon Green (aka Bonobo) who rules, dates one of my best friends, and is slowly becoming a great friend of mine. No embed code, so you'll have to click the link, but you should. Bonobo - Last FM


Spicy Thai Tofu
Recipe very slightly adapted from Bon Appetit (viewed on Epicurious)


2 tbsp olive oil
2 large red bell peppers, seeded, thinly sliced
1 c eggplant, cut into cubes
3 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 package extra-firm tofu, pressed for 20 minutes, cut into 1-inch cubes
3 scallions, thinly sliced
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp dried red pepper flakes
6-8 oz baby spinach leaves (just about 1/2 a 1 lb bag)
1/3 c fresh basil, chopped
1/3 c sesame seeds


Heat oil over medium heat in a saute pan. Add bell pepper, eggplant, garlic and ginger and saute until the eggplant begins to soften (about 4 minutes). Season with salt & pepper. Add tofu and scallions and cook another 2-3 minutes. 


Add soy sauce, lime juice and pepper flakes and toss to coat. Cook another 2-3 minutes. Add spinach leaves in small additions. Stir to combine until just wilted. Season to taste with salt & pepper.


Remove from heat and toss in basil and peanuts. Serve over rice or with stir-fry noodles.

Step uno 

The dish!

Pan-fried Tofu in Lemon Sauce with Arugula & Tomatoes

So this morning I took Jagger for a walk and accidentally tucked my keys away with his leash upon our return (if you haven't guessed at this point, he's my puppy). I then proceeded to distract myself just enough by eating breakfast and doing other morning procrastination things that I freaked out when I tried to leave for work. I tore the house apart for a few minutes before deciding the closet would be a great place to check. Once I finally found my keys, I grabbed them out of their hiding place and did the following: I rolled my eyes and thought to myself something to the tune of, "Ugh, Thursday." Actually, I may have said that out loud, I do tend to do that. Regardless... 


I interact with a lot of people at work everyday and I've heard a lot hate for just about every day of the week in this exact form (must be where I'm getting it from!). But is there a day of the week on which it's inappropriate to blame mindless behavior? Obviously one can have a case of the Mondays, your brain has already checked out for the weekend on Fridays (and thanks to Rebecca Black we've all learned a valuable lesson this year about how we should spend our Fridays anyway), hump day is just a wash (middle of the week blues), Thursday you're just so excited for Friday, etc etc. But I'm going to go with Tuesday. I think you've got to be on point on Tuesdays. I'll accept counter arguments though. I'm always down for a good excuse to act a fool.

The Great Wall of Tofu!

This dish is a good one for those days of the week where you're feeling a bit slow, off, frustrated, etc. Long day at the office? Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday got you down? You just want a healthy and delicious meal, but you don't want to fuss over it.

Ok, ok, here's the REAL DEAL

I've practiced this a few times now since I found the original recipe on The Skinny Chef (follow that link to see the original). I love. love. love. this dish because it's delicious and I can make it happen in about 15 minutes with 5 dirty dishes. It's a science at this point. (Yea me!) That makes Adam happy. He hates to do the dishes. Grump. Grump. Grump.

The original recipe is made with chicken. I like this more with tofu, but chicken works great too.  The lemon flavor compliments the pepper-iness of the arugula very nicely. The lightly cooked fresh tomato is my favorite new addition. I serve it with couscous and make a little more than the original amount of sauce for drizzling. (PS Why does Snoop Dog carry an umbrella?..... Fo drizzle!)


Soundtrack: Nicos Gun (You won't REALLY have time to listen, but that's ok. That's the point. Make dinner and then listen to this while you do something else you enjoy.. ehemm.. don't wanna know.)


Pan-friend Tofu in Lemon Sauce with Arugula & Tomatoes
Serves 2-3


1 package extra-firm tofu, pressed for 20 minutes
1/4 c whole wheat flour
Juice of 1 lemon
1/3 c. dry white wine
1/2 c. chicken stock (or vegetable stock)
1 med tomato, cut into pieces
3 or more handfuls of arugula (this is really a matter of preference... I suggest more)
EVOO
salt & pepper


Cut the block of tofu in half to create two thin, flat pieces. Cut these two pieces into strips and then cut them in half. (If you were in Kindergarten, you would be instructed to cut hamburger style and then hot dog style.) On a plate, season the flour with salt & pepper, stir to combine.


Heat a drizzle of EVOO in a saute pan over medium heat. Dredge the pieces of tofu through the flour to coat and then drop into the pan once the oil is heated. Pan fry for a minute or so on all sides so that they become crispy.


Once tofu is crisped, remove from pan into a bowl. In the same pan, add lemon juice, chicken stock, and wine. Scrape bottom and sides of the pan with a spatula to remove and stuck remnants from the tofu. Bring sauce to a boil and simmer for 3 minutes until sauce begins to reduce. Add the tomatoes and cook for another 2-3 minutes.


Once tomatoes are cooked, turn of the heat. Stir in the arugula and tofu. Serve!

Frying tofu. Sometimes after a long day at work
I feel like my brain is comparable.

Reduce the sauce. Simma down now.

Cooking the Tom A. Toes

Finished product!

Tofu, Black Bean & Corn Burritos

You know what's tricky?? Showing off a delicious burrito!

I'd like to take this opportunity to welcome myself back from my mini-vacation, aka the good life. Oh hey reality, nice to see you again. You sorta suck. Not completely, but comparatively speaking you just can't hang. With your responsibility. And your schedules. I'm not getting any younger people! Reality, you're just sucking the life outta me here!


But let's just all calm down for a moment and focus on burritos. Because they can take away our lives, but they will never take our freedom.... to eat burritos.


Aaaaathankyou, aaaathankyou, aaaathankyou.


Let me admit here first that I rarely ever cook with tofu unless I'm throwing it in a stir fry. It's just one of those foods that is for some reason perplexing to me. I can't take it out of it's element without feeling slightly uncomfortable myself. It's the texture. I'm terrified of the texture (eee-aaa-eee-ooo). Something about this recipe works though. It's mush, but in all the right ways. Spicy, yet flavorful mush. With a slight crisp of corn and fresh lettuce.


Soundtrack: Four Tet (Saw this guy this weekend and it was fan-friggin-tastic)

Tofu, Black Bean & Corn Burritos
Serves: 3-4


1 clove garlic, chopped
1 red bell pepper, cut into large strips
1 medium onion, wedged into eighths
splash of chicken stock (or vegetable!)
1 package extra-firm tofu, pressed for 20 minutes and cut into small pieces
1 c. sweet corn, cut from the cob (preferred!) or canned
1 c. black beans
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp chipotle seasoning
3 tbsp hot salsa
EVOO
Salt & Pepper
3-4 flour tortillas
cheddar cheese
romaine lettuce, chopped


Drizzle EVOO in a medium saute pan and heat over medium heat. Add garlic and toast until it begins to brown. Add onions and bell peppers, season with salt and pepper, and saute until cooked (about 7-10 minutes). Remove to a bowl and cover.


Splash chicken stock into the saute pan to wet the bottom. Add tofu, beans, and corn. Cook in stock for 1 minute. Season with coriander, chipotle, chili powder, salsa, and salt & pepper. Cook about another 5 minutes until heated throughout.


Meanwhile, heat tortillas in a fry pan until warmed. Into each tortilla, scoop a healthy amount of tofu, corn & beans. Top with sauteed onions and peppers, cheese and lettuce. Wrap into a burrito and serve!

Saute stuff!

Filling!

All wrapped up and ready to go!

Eek! My insides!

(Mine fell all apart... eyes to big for my tortilla)

Lemon Ginger Stir-Fry

So I promised (mostly myself after my last ice cream sundae dinner) healthier recipes and now, I will deliver! I know, I know, the world is ending on Saturday anyway, why even bother, right? 


This dish is loaded with vegetables (the more colors you get in the better - different nutrients and such) and healthy protein. The sauce might be a little high in sodium (I really have no idea), but who cares (the jury is still out on this one people... sorry if you lived in fear of a little salt these past few years for no reason, sucks!). Serve with a lil' brown rice for some healthy grains. It's fairly easy to make, just prep everything before you get started!

Yum!

I totally thought, by the way, that I was being fairly creative with this dish. I love Asian-style lemon chicken and well, there's never any shortage of ginger when Adam is around... har har har. (I'll be here all night, folks! Don't forget to tip your bartender!) Throw some scallions in there, a little sesame oil for kicks... etc. Turns out, that's pretty standard as far as lemony Asian chicken goes. Ah well, c'est la vie. This stir-fry version is a different from your restaurant standard lemon chicken though - the sauce is much lighter and it incorporates vegetables. It's unique; I swear it!


PS speaking of vegetables, JerBear (roommate!) is the proud new owner (well, renter) of a little plot of land in our community garden (he was pretty low on the waiting list, so I hope there's no plague going around). I will definitely be posting some delicious fresh produce recipes this summer! I know, I know, it's going to keep you up nights. Sahhweee...


Soundtrack: Jimkata - Ghosts & Killers (Free download here!!)


Lemon Ginger Stir-Fry Chicken


Sauce:


1/3 c. lemon juice
1 tsp. lemon zest
1/4 c. chicken stock (could be vegetable!)
1 1/2 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tbsp. white wine
2 tbsp. sugar


Combine all ingredients for sauce in a small bowl. Whisk together.


Stir-Fry:


1 tbsp. sesame oil
1 tbsp. ginger, chopped
1 tbsp. garlic, chopped
1 red bell pepper, cut into slices
1 med. onion, cut into quarters
1 handful sugar snap peas, cleaned
1 handful baby corn, cut in half
2 broccoli crowns, cut into pieces
1 package extra-firm tofu, cubed (or chicken, but chicken should be cooked first!)
3 green onions, chopped
sauce (see above)


Heat sesame oil in a large pan (or wok) over med heat. Add ginger and garlic and cook until softened and garlic begins to brown. Add vegetables and stir-fry sauce. Stir-fry for about 5 minutes. Add tofu and green onions. Continue to cook until vegetables are cooked through and tofu is heated. Serve over brown rice!

Prep all veggies before cooking ANYTHING!
Don't even think about not.

Lemony Sauce
(I had a really hard typing that for one reason or another)

And a toast!

Raw vegetables

Add tofus and green onions!

Thanks for playing guys!