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Southwestern Tofu Scramble
July 5th, 2010
I hope everyone had a great 4th of July! This time of year marks our first official year in Michigan. We had arrived 3 days prior to the festivites to a new home, a new city and no friends! This year we spent it with friends while enjoying some good food and laughs. It is during these important holidays that makes me think even more of family because it was always spent with family, but now that we have been away from all of them, I realized that Ryan was my family. I have been truly blessed.
We celebrated with friends, whose birthday also happened to be on July 4th! How fun. I told her she did not have to blow out candles since she had the fireworks to see. My friend’s husband bought her some Texas BBQ from Waco, Texas and there were tons of fixin’s. The birthday girl made potato salad, salsa, chips, beans, and her husband made BBQ chicken on the grill and roasted corn! SO sweet by the way. I got to enjoy some local beer called Oberon, which I found out is a seasonal beer. Did you know beer could be seasonal?
After we had finished eating, we enjoyed laughs and good Baylor stories and then brought out the cake. I made my grandma’s Strawberry Cake since I had asked my friend what her favorite cake was. Sorry folks, it was NOT vegan so I decided to make it as is, but it is a white cake mix using strawberry jello. Since I already knew what the cake tasted like, I tried to make the icing a little different. Prepared sugared strawberries, crisco, and powdered sugar sure are hard to work with but it proved to be a good icing. I forgot to take a picture of the cake though! Bah!
After cake we rushed out to catch the fireworks in the near by mall area and set up our chairs. Here are a few pictures of the fun fireworks:
We had a great weekend y’all. On Saturday, I cleaned, baked, cooked, did laundry and SO many other things. I was high on energy and I needed to get things done, but before that happened I made a yummy brunch for Ryan and me. It had been a while since I had prepared a tofu scramble so I decided to make one.
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
A while back, I had emailed the Chocolate Maven in New Mexico after I had tried their delicious tofu scramble asking them what the wonderful ingredients were, but I NEVER heard from management. I just always wondered that if a place gave you their business card asking you to contact them whenever, don’t you think they would have the decency to email you back? Oh well. Since I had not heard back from them, I decided to replicate the recipe from the flavors I remember tasting.
This recipe is very unique since it takes a ripe tomato but some green chiles. It has a little spicy but not much since it is only to bring out the flavors of this dish. It is mighty flavorful and worth making.
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
The olive oil, shallots, and garlic make the base of this scramble, then the tofu, tomato and green chiles continue cooking, absorbing the base flavor. So delicious. Some green spinach then finishes the meal and add some green to the dish. Enjoy the dish.
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
Southwestern Tofu Scramble
serves 2
1-12ounce extra firm tofu (I use Mori-Nu)
2 shallots, diced
1 garlic, minced
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 ripe tomato, diced
3 Tbsp green chiles, diced
3/4 cup spinach, packed and chopped
1 tsp tumeric
1 tsp white pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
Press the tofu before hand for 30 minutes to an hour. (lay the tofu between two paper towels and place on a plate. Cover with a plastic bag, and add heavy books on top of the tofu)
Remove pressed tofu from paper towels and pat dry. Heat a non-stick skillet on medium heat and add olive oil, shallots, and garlic to the pan. Fry for 3-5 minutes and then add the tofu. Crumble tofu with the wooden spoon, leaving pieces in bigger chunks.
Add spices and cook for 10 minutes allowing all the flavors to mesh. Add spinach and serve with avocado slices and toast!
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Dessert and Drink ideas for the 4th of July
July 3rd, 2010When planning for your weekend, remember that you can still choose to make healthy yet DELICIOUS desserts and drinks to impress your guests.
These are some of my favorite recipes:
Raspberry Cupcakes with Raspberry Icing (ALL-Natural coloring)
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
Watermelon Margaritas: great for using up leftover cold watermelon!
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How about a snack dessert? Pomegranate Power Mix comes to the rescue!
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Cherry Parfaits with Coconut Ice Cream and Granola
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This does not look patriotic, but it is a great drink during this hot season. Thai Basil Spritzer
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
Raw Berry Cobbler with Walnut/Coconut Crumble. Everyone is sure to ask for seconds. Use blueberries and strawberries to give it a more patriotic look.
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And last but not least, Blackberry-Mint Shortcakes with Almond Cream. Again, you can always switch up the berries for a more patriotic look.
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
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Golden Yellow Beet and Kale Salad
July 2nd, 2010 |
| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
Hello everyone!!! It’s Friday and I am so happy! It is all about the 3 day weekend don’t you agree?
I started out my Friday with a HARD kickboxing class that makes me feel fantastic afterwards! I asked the instructor why I felt I was loosing more inches on my lower body that in my upper half when I have been playing raquetball and doing Zumba almost twice a day! He told me I was doing all this cardio workout that is mainly lower body, Duh! I obviously did not catch this one, but today was my 2nd kickboxing class and it involves my WHOLE body. I had to be careful not to throw up after drinking water too fast after working out. Phew! I felt invigorated and ready to take on raquetball in the evening with Ryan.
When I got home I decided the smoothie machine was calling me so I looked at the fruits that were most needing to be used and created a new Green Monster Smoothie. I had half a cantaloupe left and some peaches. I added pineapple mint from my garden and spinach and blueberries, then blended it with almond milk.
Lovely colors, right? The cantaloupe was NOT my favorite, but you know when you do not want to waste a fruit. I should have eaten it on its own but I enjoyed the fact that the mint softened the melon flavor and thus I enjoyed it at the end.
I want to introduce you to a new salad! We had friends over for dinner last night and I knew that they would do really well enjoying a meatless dinner. [I am allowing myself to take the risk of introducing more meatless dishes to friends] I made a chickpea pesto with parlsey [posting later] and a raw kale and yellow beet salad.
If you have noticed, I am not one to be afraid to try something new, but I knew that our friends would enjoy trying kale in a different way. Ryan on the other hand, well, I was planning on expanding his horizons.
The end result! I made 2 batches since it was consumed pretty fast! Yes. It was delicious! I love this leafy green and no worries on it being to tough to chew. The key to eating RAW kale is chopping and massaging the leaves. Keep the stalks for juicing, but massage the leaves with the vinagrette.
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
Golden Yellow Beet and Kale Salad
serves 4
3 to 4 cups packed kale leaves (one big bunch of kale)
1/2 golden yellow beet, julienned
1/2 red onion, sliced
2 Tbsp sesame seeds
1 Tbsp agave nectar
2 Tbsp lemon juice
3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tsp white pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
Take a big bunch of kale and peel leaves from the stem, discarding stems and saving them for juicing.
Wash the leaves WELL. Dirt accumulates easily in this leafy green. Using a spinner, place the kale in the spinner to remove excess water.
Chop the leaves in 1/2 inch pieces. and place in a bowl.
Take the golden yellow beet and chop in quarters and use the correct setting on your food processor to make julienne slices or you can grate the beets or use a julienne peeler, but that is a bit harder. Add to the bowl with the kale. Add the onions.
In a small bowl, mix the agave,oil, lemon juice, and spices and mix well. Pour over salad and using your hand massage the salad for 3-5 minutes.
Sprinkle the sesame seeds over the salad and serve with a pasta dish or with beans. Enjoy!
What are YOU making this 4th of July?
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Mediterranean Portabella Salad with Herb Flatbread
July 1st, 2010 |
| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
Happy Thursday y’all!! I can’t wait for this weekend to just be able to take a break. How about y’all? It is a cool 60 degrees with gorgeous sunny weather and I am loving it!
I took a look at my plants this morning and I was HAPPY today! I have my first serrano pepper almost ready for me! How exciting. Growth has so much meaning for me. It is symbolic for me because it makes me question whether I am growing in Christ. Is my relationship with my Creator in motion and am I growing. Beautiful creation, like my herbs, makes me realize daily HOW wonderful God is and how amazing his gifts are to us. Take a look at this:
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
I am loving it! I can’t wait to use my peppers in a creative way! How do YOU use hot peppers?
I was looking through my pictures and recipes and realized I had not posted a fun recipe I came up with several weeks ago. If you visit my blog often, you know that I REALLLY like Mediterranean food and consume lots of hummus! This meal was inspired by several other dishes that I combined in one to make a complete dish.
Instead of buying pita, I made herbie flatbread, hummus, a chopped fattoush salad, and a marinated portabella cap. SO GOOD! It was quick and perfect for consuming after a great workout and that is what we did! Enjoy these recipes!
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
Since I make hummus alot, I try to vary my meal planning around it so I can have variety. I easily get bored with the same meals but I like to feature it in a different way, so for this occasion instead of buying whole wheat pita from the store I made my own flatbread. I usually do not have too much time to make my own bread BUT this recipe was SO easy to make during the week. This is a veganized and an adapted recipe from Bon Appetit magazine.
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
Herb Flatbread
makes 8 flatbreads
1 1/2 cups whole wheat white flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasonings
1 1/2 tsp dried parsley
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
6oz plain soymilk yogurt
Olive oil (for frying)
Sift first 4 ingredients into medium bowl. Stir in parsley, Italian seasonings, and garlic. Add yogurt and stir with fork until small clumps form. Knead mixture in bowl just until dough holds together.
Turn dough out onto floured surface. Knead just until smooth, about 1 minute. Divide dough into 8 equal pieces.
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
Roll each piece into ball, then roll each dough piece out on floured surface to 4 1/2-inch round. Brush large nonstick skillet generously with olive oil; heat over medium heat. Working in batches, add 3 dough rounds to skillet; cook until golden brown and puffed, adjusting heat to medium-high as needed to brown evenly, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer flatbreads to platter; serve warm.
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
Hummus
serves 4
2 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas, reserve 1/4 cup of liquid
1 Tbsp Tahini butter (sesame seed butter)
1/2 cup olive oil
1 lemon, juiced
1 tsp cumin
2 garlic cloves
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp paprika
olive oil for drizzling
Place beans in processor and add chickpea liquid,garlic cloves, lemon juice, tahini, and spices. Process. Keep processor on and little by little add the olive oil until the mixture becomes smooth. it should not be grainy. Serve immediately or refrigerate.
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
Chopped Fattoush Salad
serves 2
3 cups romaine lettuce, chopped
1 tomato, diced
1/2 cup red onion, diced
3/4 cup English cucumber, chopped 1/2 inch thick
1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sumac (Mediterranean spice)
1/2 cup radishes, chopped
3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp lemon juice
[I opted out of the crunchy pita in this salad because I was using the flatbread.]
In a medium bowl, toss onions and sumac together. Sumac gives this salad a lemony flavor. After those ingredients have been resting for 5 minutes, add the rest of the vegetables and toss.
Marinated Portabella Caps
makes 2 caps
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
In a skillet, heat olive oil and place mushroom caps and cook over medium heat. Mushrooms will absorb oil, so add 1-2 Tbsp water and continue cooking. Add salt and pepper and cook for another 5 minutes. Add vinegar and continue cooking for 5-10 minutes until vingegar has been somewhat absorbed. This becomes a glaze on the mushroom and is really tasty!
Assemble
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
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Coconut meat and yummy eats
June 29th, 2010
How about that title? I saw some coconuts on sale at the store and decided I needed to try my hand at cracking a coconut, drinking the water, and eating the meat. Verdict? So much fun and very tasty indeed.
First, I poked a hole a the top and drained the coconut water. I gave Ryan a sip before I chugged it down. It was SO sweet! The store has labeled the coconut as “EZ-Crack Coconut” but I had a hard time just cracking it open so I asked Ryan to do the honors. He went outside to the crub and cracked it open on the cement. He came back with this:
Can you tell I am liking the berries?
Lunch then consisted of leftovers. We had friends over and I made chicken fajitas for everyone and veggie fajitas for myself. I added some fresh guacamole, pico de gallo, spanish rice, and refried beans. What more could you ask for when it comes to Mexican food?
What is your favorite Mexican food? What kind of Mexican food would you like to see be veganized?
