verstehen libre.
Monday, December 31, 2007
some tofu recipes for my granny
Granny!!! Do not eat tofu right out of the tub!!!! That is tofu sacrilege! Here are some easy recipes to get you started...
Ridiculously basic miso soup
1. Heat up a little olive oil in your pan on medium heat; toss some garlic in there and stir it around until it starts to smell good--careful not to burn 'em. Rinse your tofu and blot dry, then chop up your tofu into little squares and dump 'em in to the oil, tossing in oil. Keep it moving until it is gently browned.
2. While tofu is browning in pan, bring a saucepan full of water to a boil. Spoon in a tablespoon or two of miso to taste. Dissolve in water, bring to simmer. Dump in browned tofu and any veggies you want (maybe button mushrooms, or broccoli, or carrots?) Add more garlic if you want, even a little ginger, whatever looks good. Let it all simmer until veggies soften up. Crack a little fresh pepper on top, add red pepper flakes/more ginger/etc to taste.
Basic non-fancy baked tofu
1. In small bowl, combine 1/3 cup tamari or other soy sauce, 1/4 cup water, 2 tb toasted sesame oil (or regular if you don't have toasted), and 2 tb lemon juice. Blend well.
2. Rinse and blot tofu, then cut into 1/2 inch thick slices. Place slices flat in glass baking dish and pour marinade on top. Cover and refrigerate for a couple of hours (3 should do it), turning once if you remember to (not a huge deal!)
3. Preheat oven to 375. Remove tofu carefully from marinade and place on lightly oiled baking sheet. Bake until tofu is browned and very firm, turning once halfway through, about 1 hour total. Use in salads, in sandwiches, as snack, whatever.
Scrambled tofu
1. Heat oil on medium-high. Saute onions, and mushrooms if you want, for a few minutes until soft. Throw in garlic. While it's all cooking mix up spice blend of:
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon tumeric
1 teaspoon salt
(if you don't have any of these, no worries--just use what looks good!)
Toss in spice blend to garlic/onion/mushrooms. Mix it up. Have water handy to deglaze pan (just a tablespoon or two ought to do it.)
2. Add your tofu (I think it's easiest to chop it all up into small squares first, but you can also just kind of crumble it in like you would hamburger). Mix it all up. Add more water if it's too dry. Keep it moving for 10 or 15 minutes until it looks done and tofu seems edible. Add other veggies if the mood strikes (broccoli? Zucchini? Chopped tomato? Olives? Etc) Serve with salsa, guacamole, both, or whatever else strikes your fancy.
Another option to this version of scrambled tofu is to skip the spice blend and just make a pesto scramble--one of my faves. Just buy pre-made pesto at the store in a jar and add it to the tofu once it's had a chance to cook a little bit. You could serve this with a little marinara or just as is. Good stuff.
I also can send you that kick-ass recipe for the tofu ricotta, if you can have nuts? You can also make a nut-free version but isn't as tasty. ¶ 5:17 PM
Ridiculously basic miso soup
1. Heat up a little olive oil in your pan on medium heat; toss some garlic in there and stir it around until it starts to smell good--careful not to burn 'em. Rinse your tofu and blot dry, then chop up your tofu into little squares and dump 'em in to the oil, tossing in oil. Keep it moving until it is gently browned.
2. While tofu is browning in pan, bring a saucepan full of water to a boil. Spoon in a tablespoon or two of miso to taste. Dissolve in water, bring to simmer. Dump in browned tofu and any veggies you want (maybe button mushrooms, or broccoli, or carrots?) Add more garlic if you want, even a little ginger, whatever looks good. Let it all simmer until veggies soften up. Crack a little fresh pepper on top, add red pepper flakes/more ginger/etc to taste.
Basic non-fancy baked tofu
1. In small bowl, combine 1/3 cup tamari or other soy sauce, 1/4 cup water, 2 tb toasted sesame oil (or regular if you don't have toasted), and 2 tb lemon juice. Blend well.
2. Rinse and blot tofu, then cut into 1/2 inch thick slices. Place slices flat in glass baking dish and pour marinade on top. Cover and refrigerate for a couple of hours (3 should do it), turning once if you remember to (not a huge deal!)
3. Preheat oven to 375. Remove tofu carefully from marinade and place on lightly oiled baking sheet. Bake until tofu is browned and very firm, turning once halfway through, about 1 hour total. Use in salads, in sandwiches, as snack, whatever.
Scrambled tofu
1. Heat oil on medium-high. Saute onions, and mushrooms if you want, for a few minutes until soft. Throw in garlic. While it's all cooking mix up spice blend of:
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon tumeric
1 teaspoon salt
(if you don't have any of these, no worries--just use what looks good!)
Toss in spice blend to garlic/onion/mushrooms. Mix it up. Have water handy to deglaze pan (just a tablespoon or two ought to do it.)
2. Add your tofu (I think it's easiest to chop it all up into small squares first, but you can also just kind of crumble it in like you would hamburger). Mix it all up. Add more water if it's too dry. Keep it moving for 10 or 15 minutes until it looks done and tofu seems edible. Add other veggies if the mood strikes (broccoli? Zucchini? Chopped tomato? Olives? Etc) Serve with salsa, guacamole, both, or whatever else strikes your fancy.
Another option to this version of scrambled tofu is to skip the spice blend and just make a pesto scramble--one of my faves. Just buy pre-made pesto at the store in a jar and add it to the tofu once it's had a chance to cook a little bit. You could serve this with a little marinara or just as is. Good stuff.
I also can send you that kick-ass recipe for the tofu ricotta, if you can have nuts? You can also make a nut-free version but isn't as tasty. ¶ 5:17 PM
Friday, December 21, 2007
Monday, December 10, 2007
the greatest email ever written
Dear Class:
I heard back from Prof. XXX regarding your final papers. They are due tomorrow end of day (5pm), but you can submit them a day or two late.
Best,
(Course T.A.)
OH HOLY CRAP THANK YOU SWEET, SWEET JEBUS. ¶ 2:12 PM
I heard back from Prof. XXX regarding your final papers. They are due tomorrow end of day (5pm), but you can submit them a day or two late.
Best,
(Course T.A.)
OH HOLY CRAP THANK YOU SWEET, SWEET JEBUS. ¶ 2:12 PM
