Seared tofu salad with miso-ginger dressing

Alright, this recipe was a big blog win. The dressing turned out to be amazing, and I am regretting that I didn't make more. Also, this was my first time frying tofu and it was surprisingly easy and tasty. The trick appears to be allowing enough time for your tofu to drain before frying it.

Ingredients:
Dressing
-1/3 C white miso (I bought this at a local co-op)
-1/3 C mirin
-1/3 C rice wine vinegar
-2 T EVOO or sesame oil
-1 T fresh grated ginger
-1/3 C chopped peanuts

Salad
-2 14oz packages of extra firm tofu
-3 C salad greens
-1/2 red pepper, julienned
-1/4 red onion, julienned
~3 T EVOO or canola oil

1. Slice your tofu blocks in half, and then into fourths (like in picture).

2. Place slices on several layers of paper towels and then cover with more paper towels. Place heavy objects (like pans, teapots, heavy bowls) on top of the slices to help squeeze out the water from the tofu. Allow tofu to drain for at least 30 minutes.

3. While tofu is draining make your dressing by whisking together all of the dressing ingredients. Set aside.

4. After tofu is done draining, heat two large skillets to medium. Add 1 T of EVOO or canola oil to the pan and place tofu slices in. Cook tofu on each side for about 4-5 minutes or until it becomes a golden color. Once tofu is done, set on paper towels.

5. Drizzle some of the dressing on the salad, add tofu slices, and add more dressing. Top with more peanuts if you like.

Slow Cooker Corn Chowder

I'm back to more regular posting after getting...married!

This was so yummy and creamy--perfect for a chilly day. Also, it's super easy to make.

Ingredients
-1.5 lbs red potatoes
~2 1/2 C chicken broth (could sub vegetable broth)
-3 cans of corn (we used two 11oz cans and one 15oz can)
-1 red onion, diced
-salt, pepper, dash of cayenne (all to taste)
-3 cloves of garlic, diced
-1/2 stick of butter
~2/3 C half-and-half
-4 slices turkey bacon (optional)

Steps
1. Add first six ingredients to a crock pot and cook on low for about 6-8 hours.
2. Add about half the soup to a blender and process very quickly (you can do it more if you like your chowder smooth [I like mine chunky]), mash up the rest of the ingredients in the crock pot with a potato masher.
3. Add cream and butter. Taste soup to see if you should add more salt and pepper. Cook on low for another 20 minutes.
4. Cook bacon.
5. Serve soup and top with bacon and chives, if desired.

Pizza Pockets a la Noemi

I got this recipe from my friend, Noemi's, super awesome blog. You can find the link to the original recipe here: Cooking Through Life: Pizza Pockets.

These were so fast and easy to make, and they satisfied the pizza craving I pretty much always have without being as bad for me as real pizza.

Ingredients (makes 8 pizza pockets)
-1 package reduced fat turkey pepperoni
-2 packages reduced fat Pillsbury crescent rolls
-1 green onion
-1/2 red onion
-small jar of pizza sauce
~8 oz fresh mozzarella

Steps.
(preheat oven to 375)
1. Roll out one can of crescent rolls. Place two triangles together and pinch perforated edges together with your fingers. Repeat with second can.

2. Put about a tablespoon of pizza sauce in the middle of your dough.

3. Add about 6-7 pepperoni slices in the middle and green pepper, red onion, and mozzarella on the sides.

4. Next, fold the sides of the dough in toward the center until they almost meet (you'll probably need to stretch and work the dough a little bit to do this). Seal all edges except for the center seam.
5. Shove a couple more pieces of pepperoni in the center seam.
6. Bake until golden brown (only took about 10 minutes in my oven).