Steamed Baby Bok Choy and Grilled Tofu

Wow, it's been way too long since I've posted! I actually have a number of new simple recipes I've made and just need to find the time to write them up. I decided to try this recipe after going to the Wing Lei and in Las Vegas and having some outstanding baby bok choy there.

Ingredients (makes enough for two)
-2 packages of baby bok choy (about 5-6 bunches)
-1 package tofu, pressed and drained (see this link for directions on prepping tofu)
-1 red or orange pepper, Julienned
-4 cloves of garlic, minced
-3 T soy sauce, divided
-2 T water
-2 T sesame oil, divided
-2 T canola oil

Steps

1. About an 30 minutes before you're going to start, press your tofu by wrapping the tofu quarters in a towel or paper towels and setting something heavy on top of it.
2. After 30 minutes, put your tofu slices in a shallow dish and pierce on both sides with a fork. Drizzle 1 T soy and 1 T sesame oil on top and brush slices to completely coat. Let marinate while you continue to prep.

3. Chop your garlic, bell pepper, and baby bok choy. To prep baby bok choy just trim off the ends.

4. Once your tofu is ready, put it on to a grill pan (like a George Foreman) for about 4-5 minutes.
5. In a large sauté pan with a lid, heat 2 T canola oil over medium-high heat until it starts to shimmer. Add garlic and pepper, and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 45 seconds.
6. Add bok choy and stir carefully to cover with oil, then cook for approximately 2 minutes. Add soy sauce and water, then cover pan and cook for approximately 2 minutes more, until steam begins to escape from beneath the lid of the pan.

7. Uncover and continue to cook until liquid is close to evaporated and stalks are soft to the touch, approximately 3 minutes more.
8. Serve with your grilled tofu and drizzle with sesame oil.

Coconut shrimp salad with grapefruit dressing

(This is an adapted recipe from Cooking Light.) This salad is super refreshing! The creamy avocado, tart grapefruit, and sweet coconut all went really well together. I'll definitely be making this again.

Ingredients (makes enough for 3 large salads)
-18 frozen coconut shrimp
-Head of Romaine lettuce, roughly chopped
-1 avocado, cut into cubes
-1 grapefruit
-1 shallot, finely diced
-2 T EVOO
-1 T sugar
-salt & pepper

Steps
1. Cook shrimp as directed
2. While shrimp is cooking, make dressing. Peel and section grapefruit. (To peel the grapefruit, I cut it in half and then just cut the peel off in pieces with a knife.) Juice 1/3-1/4 of the grapefruit (you want about 1/3 C of juice). Chop the rest of the grapefruit up into small pieces. Add scallion, EVOO, sugar, salt, and pepper to juice and whisk.
3. Make salad by topping lettuce with avocado, grapefruit pieces, shrimp and topping with dressing.

Grilled Tofu and Sauteed Veggies

This recipe takes a little bit of prep time, but once you get everything ready the actual meal comes together in 10 minutes. This is the second time I've made this and the sauce was better than I remembered.

Ingredients
Rice
-Enough brown rice for 3-4 servings (I use Trader Joe's precooked vacuum sealed rice)
-large handful of cashews, roughly chopped
-3 pats of butter (sub oil if vegan)
-1/4 C veggie or chicken broth

-1.5 package of tofu, cut into fourths and pressed
-1/2 C veggie or chicken broth
-1 red bell pepper, julienned
-one red onion, julienned
~10 oz shiitake mushrooms (I did half shiitake, half cremini to save on cost)

-5 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
-3 T of soy sauce, divided
-3 T of sesame oil, divided
-1 T honey or brown sugar
-1 T red or white vinegar
-crushed red pepper
-green onion (optional)

To prep
-About an 30 minutes before you're going to start, press your tofu by wrapping the tofu quarters in a towel or paper towels and setting something heavy on top of it.
-After 30 minutes, put your tofu slices in a shallow dish and pierce on both sides with a fork. Drizzle 1 T soy and 1 T sesame oil on top and brush slices completely coat. Let marinate while you continue to prep.

-Chop all your veggies and garlic

Steps
1. Put your rice, butter, 1/4 C broth, and cashews in a small pan and heat covered on low, stirring occasionally.

2. Heat a large pan or wok to medium high and add 1 T sesame oil. Saute onion for about 2-3 minutes, then add the bell pepper and saute for another 3 minutes.
3. Remove onion and pepper from pan and cover to keep warm.

4. Remove tofu from marinade and add to a grill pan or George Foreman. If you don't have either, you can just add it to another pan. You want it to grill for about 3 minutes on each side (or about 6 minutes total if you're using a Foreman).
5. Add another T sesame oil and then saute your mushrooms and garlic for about 3 minutes.
6. Add 1/2 C broth, 1 T honey, 1 T vinegar, 2 T soy, couple dashes of crushed red pepper to pan and bring to a simmer. Simmer for about 3-4 minutes or until sauce thickens.

7. Turn off everything and assemble your plates with rice, tofu, veggies, and top with mushroom sauce. Garnish with green onions if desired.

Adult Grilled Cheese

Super easy and nothing really new about this, but this sandwich, paired with a bowl of soup, has been my go to as it gets colder.

Ingredients
-4 pieces of good bread (I recommend Trader Joe's Tuscan Pane)
-2 big handfuls of arugala
-2 roma tomatoes, sliced very thin
-2 pieces of cheese (I've been using reduced fat havarti)
-2 T of balsamic vinegar
-2 T butter

Steps
1. Lightly butter the outsides of the bread.
2. Lightly drizzle a little balsamic on the insides of two pieces of bread.
3. Assemble your sandwiches with a piece of cheese, a handful of arugala, and several tomato slices.

4. Grill sandwich in a large pan or on something like a George Foreman/panini press.

The Dillbeani

My aunt Gail came up with the idea for this drink after trying some of my Dill Beans and I have to say, it made for the best martini ever!

Ingredients
-Tito's vodka
-dry vermouth
-Dill bean pickling juice
-dill beans (click link for recipe)
-pickled pearl onions (optional...I added peal onions in with my dill beans the last time I made them so I could have them for a garnish)

Steps
1. Mix 2 parts vodka with 1/2 part vermouth and 1 part dill bean juice. Garnish with dill beans and pickled onions.

And as my neighbor Ken would say, "Martinis are a like a woman's breasts: 1 is not enough and 3 is too many."

Hearty Veggie Stew

This was a really great, fresh soup; I called it a stew, though, because of how hearty it was. Perfect for a chilly night.

Ingredients
-2 T EVOO
-1 yellow onion
-1/2 bag of kale
-4 cloves garlic, minced
-2 tsp thyme
-1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
-1 (15 oz) can kidney beans
-1 (15 oz) can white beans
-4 large roma tomatoes, diced
-1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
-2 handfuls fresh green beans, chopped into bite size pieces
-3 C veggie broth or chicken broth
~8 oz shell shaped pasta
-salt and pepper to taste
-shredded cheese, optional

Steps
1. Saute garlic and onion with EVOO in large pot or dutch oven over medium for 3-5 minutes.
2. Pour in the beans, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, green beans, thyme, and red pepper. Stir everything together and bring it up to a simmer.

3. Add 3 C chicken/veggie broth. Stir in dry pasta and bring soup to a simmer. Put the lid on the pot and simmer for ~10 mins or until the pasta is cooked. Stir the pot occasionally so that pasta doesn't stick to pot.
4. Stir in kale until in wilts down. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Serve with cheese and good bread.

Roasted Veggie Bake

I made this super easy dish (recipe courtesy of Budget Bytes) when my mom was in town. We went to the Farmer's Market and got all the ingredients there. This can be a main dish if served with some crusty bread or would be a great side dish.

(p.s. It's been a crazy month, but I have quite a few recipes to post so I will try to catch up this weekend!)

Ingredients
-1 potato, sliced into thin medallions
-1 yellow squash, sliced into thin medallions
-1 zucchini, sliced into thin medallions
-1 large, ripe tomato, sliced into thin medallions
-1 yellow onion, diced
-4 cloves of garlic, minced
-1 tsp thyme
-1 T basil
-1 T EVOO
~1 C shredded mozzarella
-salt and pepper to taste

(preheat oven to 400)
Steps
1. Saute your diced onion with EVOO for about 6 minutes over medium heat. Add garlic and saute another 2-3 minutes.
2. Lightly coat a small baking dish (e.g., 6X6) with EVOO. Layer the bottom with the sauteed garlic and onions.
3. Arrange your veggie slices (tomato, zucchini, squash, potato)  by alternating them in vertical rows. If you run out of one veggie don't worry...the arrangement doesn't have to be equal or perfect.

4. Drizzle veggies with a little EVOO and top with herbs (basil and thyme). Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
5. Remove foil, add cheese, and cook for another 15 minutes.

Chicken Parm Shells

They say necessity is the mother of invention. Well lately my schedule has been super crazy (hence the lack of posting). I was in serious need of some groceries, but didn't really have time to go to the store. Instead, I dug around my pantry and came up with this super easy recipe. Best part: only 4 ingredients!

Ingredients (makes 2-3 servings)
-10 pasta shells
-1/2 jar of marinara
~4 oz of mozzarella
-10 frozen chicken nuggets (I used the vegetarian Morning Star Farm kind)
-fresh basil (optional)

(Preheat oven to 375)
Steps
1. Cook frozen nuggets as directed on package.
2. While nuggets are cooking, boil water and cook pasta shells as directed (about 8 minutes).
3. Coat a small pan with EVOO or cooking spray and pour some marinara sauce in the bottom of the pan. Put one nugget in each shell, top with cheese.

4. Top each shell with a heaping spoonful of sauce.
5. Heat in oven for about 10 minutes or until cheese is bubbly.
6. Top with basil.

Caprese Sandwich

With getting ready for my dissertation defense it's been a busy past few weeks! The defense is now over (I passed :) so I will try to get back to posting regularly again.

Nothing original about this recipe as this sandwich is a classic. Super simple and great to make when tomatoes are in season.

Ingredients
-1 large tomato or two plum tomatoes, thinly sliced
-1 large handful of basil
-several slices fresh mozarella
-1 loaf of ciabatta bread
-1/2 C balsamic vinegar 
-1 T extra-virgin olive oil
-salt & pepper, to taste

(makes 2 sandwiches)
Steps 
1. Layer cheese, tomatoes (topped with salt and pepper), and basil between two pieces of bread.
2. Bring balsamic vinegar to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook until reduced to 3 tablespoons (about 8 minutes). Be careful, your balsamic reduction can go from reduced the right amount to tar in just a few moments.
3. Brush one of the insides of bread with reduced vinegar. Brush the outsides of the bread lightly with olive oil.

4. If you have a George Foreman grill, stick the sandwich in the grill for about 7 minutes or until cheese is melted and bread is toasted. If you don't have a Foreman you can use a grill pan or regular pan heated over medium-high heat. Add sandwich to pan. Place a heavy skillet on top of sandwich, and gently press to flatten. Leave skillet on; cook 3 minutes on each side or until cheese melts and bread is toasted.

Butternut Squash Enchiladas

I have a confession to make. These enchiladas were supposed to be made with sweet potatoes, but I accidentally picked up a bag of pre-chopped butternut squash instead. I didn't realize my mistake until I got home and started cooking, so I decided to roll with it. I ended up really liking the squash, but you could definitely use sweet potato if you prefer.

Ingredients
-1 package soy chorizo
-1 butternut squash, peeled and cut into small bite size pieces
-2 jalapenos, finely diced
-2 cloves garlic, minced
-2 shallots, sliced
-2 T EVOO
-8 flour tortillas
-1.5 C shredded Mexican cheese
~12 oz of enchilada sauce
-green onion/cilantro (optional garnishes)

(Preheat oven to 375)
Steps
1. Heat pan over medium-high, add EVOO, then throw in butternut squash and jalapenos. Saute for about 10 minutes.

2. Add garlic and shallots; saute for another 2 minutes.

3. Remove soyrizo from its casing and add to pan. Saute for another 10 mins. Turn off heat.

4. Assemble enchiladas by first scooping about 3 spoonfuls of squash/soyrizo mixture onto tortilla. Fold in the bottoms when rolling them up.

5. Cover enchiladas with sauce and cheese.

6. Cover with foil and bake at 375 for about 20 minutes.
7. Top with green onion/cilantro.

Egg Salad Salad

This salad satisfied my occasional egg salad craving without totally alienating my husband. Also, the vinaigrette was really tasty.

Ingredients (for 2 salads)
-1 bag baby spinach
-6 pieces turkey bacon
-5 hard boiled eggs
-1/2 cucumber, cut into slices

Dressing (whisk all of the following together)
-4 T balsamic vinegar
-2 T Dijon mustard
-1 clove garlic, minced well
-1/3 - 1/3 C EVOO
-Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Steps
1. Hard boil eggs (see this link for my suggestions about hard boiling)
2. Cook bacon until crispy then chop into small pieces.

3. Arrange spinach, cucumbers, eggs, and bacon on a plate and top with whisked dressing.

Chicken salad-esque sandwiches

This recipe came together when I decided I wanted to clean out my fridge before going to the grocery store. I had about a 1/3 of a bag of spinach, one carrot, half a white onion, and a package of firm tofu, and I figured I could mix them all together with some veganaise, mustard, nutritional yeast, and garlic salt for a kind of tofu salad. The end result was surprisingly good, crunchy, and flavorful, and somewhat approximates chicken salad.

Ingredients
-1 package firm tofu, drained and pressed with paper towels to remove excess water
-1 carrot, cut into matchsticks
-1/3 bag of baby spinach, roughly chopped
-1/2 white onion, diced
-2 T veganaise
-1.5 T spoonfuls Dijon mustard
-2 T nutritional yeast
-garlic salt to taste

Steps
1. Combine above ingredients and serve on toasted bread.

Sesame Tofu Noodles

Internship has been super busy so I haven't had time to post much...but I have been cooking, so I'll try to get the new recipes uploaded over the weekend. This recipe is a slightly adapted version of this one; it was really easy and packed a lot of flavor...plus it was great for lunch the next day.

Ingredients (makes 4-5 servings)
-6 garlic cloves, minced
-3 T sugar (I used light brown, but white would be fine)
-6 T rice vinegar
-6 T soy sauce
-2 T sesame oil
~5 green onions, diced
-4 T toasted sesame seeds
-one 16oz package angel hair spaghetti
-one package firm tofu, drained and cut into bite size pieces

(Note: I bought toasted sesame seeds, but if yours are raw you can toast them on a cookie sheet in a a 350 degree oven for about 5 mins.)
Steps
1. Place the garlic, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, and oil in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir constantly until the sugar dissolves. Turn off heat.
2. Cook the pasta according to package instructions in a large pot. About 4 mins before the pasta is done, add the tofu to the pot so that it gets heated up.
3. Drain your pasta and tofu and quickly rinse with warm water.
4. Transfer pasta to a large bowl. Pour the sauce over the drained pasta and tofu, top with sesame seeds and chopped green onion, and toss well.

Pico de Gallo

This is such a great summertime snack. We eat it with chips, but also just pour it over Romaine lettuce instead of using salad dressing. I use cherry tomatoes for this because I think they are a bit firmer, but I'm sure you could use larger tomatoes if your prefer. I actually used heirloom cherry tomatoes in this picture, which added some really nice color.

Ingredients
-1 plastic container of cherry tomatoes, cut into fourths or sixths depending on size
-3 cloves garlic, finely diced
-1 fresh jalapeno, seeds removed, finely diced
-juice of 2 limes
~1/4 - 1/3 C cilantro
-either 1/2 diced white onion or 1/4 diced red onion
-salt and pepper to taste

Steps
1. Combine all of the above in a bowl and stir well.

Best Ever Fish Tacos

My husband and I agree that this might be one of the best things that I've ever posted on Grad Gastronomy. I think several things went into making these fish tacos so amazing...unfortunately I can't take credit for them. First, was the super fresh (i.e., caught that day) halibut we used from the local fish market. Second, was the incredible Trader Joe's cilantro dressing we used for our fish taco sauce. However, I think even without all those things you could still recreate this recipe and wind up with some damn good fish tacos.

Ingredients (enough for about 6/7 small tacos)
-1 lb fresh halibut (or other white fish)
-1 C flour
~1 C beer
-1 small bag of pre-sliced cabbage
-pico de gallo (see link for recipe)
-Trader Joe's cilantro dressing (if you can't find that see below for a substitute)
-8 fresh corn tortillas
~1/2 C canola oil
-1 lime, cut into 8 slices

Potential sauce substitute (Note: I haven't actually tried this)

-1/4 C mayonnaise or plain yogurt
-1 T lime juice
-3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
-1 clove garlic, pressed or finely minced
-1/8 teaspoon cumin
-1 tablespoon water

-Whisk all of above together

Steps
(preheat oven to 350)
1. Cut your fish into pieces about half the size of your palm.

2. Mix your batter by adding the flour to a large bowl. Add in about 3/4 C beer. Stir. Keep slowing pouring in beer and stirring until your batter gets to be a pancake like consistency.

3. Submerge all your fish pieces in the bowl and make sure to get them nice and coated.
4. Heat a large skillet over medium to medium-high with about a centimeter of oil in the bottom (the amount of oil will vary depending on pan size). Make sure to wait until oil is hot before adding your fish. This will ensure it gets a good crunch.
5. Test your oil with a little drop of batter to see that it's hot enough...you want the batter to begin sizzling and browning. However, you don't want your oil so hot your batter burns.
6. Put your corn tortillas on a cookie sheet and stick in the oven to get warm.
7. Carefully add in all your fish pieces to the oil. Fry for about 2-3 minutes then flip and fry for another 2 minutes.

8. Transfer fish to a paper towel and pat to remove excess oil.
9. Assemble tacos by adding fish, dressing, slaw, and pico to your corn tortilla.

10. Garnish with lime slices.