Grilled Soy-Sesame Tofu

This is a great recipe for those really hot summer days that you don’t want to heat up the oven and house. Tofu is a great plant-based protein for everyone — women, men and kids. This grilled tofu pairs well with any vegetable, but I like roasted broccoli or sauteed asparagus the best.

Grilled Tofu

Ingredients:

• 1 (14 oz.) package of firm tofu

• 1/3 cup lite soy sauce

• 1 Tablespoon olive oil

• 1 teaspoon sesame oil (optional)

• 2 Tablespoons rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar

• 2 Tablespoons water

• 1 Tablespoon brown sugar

• 1 clove garlic, minced or ½ teaspoon garlic powder

• Juice of 1 fresh lime (about 2 Tablespoons)

• 2 Tablespoons fresh ginger, minced or 1 teaspoon dried ground ginger (optional)

 Preparation:

1. Cut tofu in half through the center horizontally and then in half to make four squares or rectangles.

2. Place a double layer of paper towels on a plate. Place the tofu pieces on the paper towels. Place another layer of paper towel on top of tofu. Now place a heavy pan on top. Let sit for 30 minutes to press water out of tofu.

3. Meanwhile, in a glass mixing bowl or measuring cup combine all ingredients except tofu to make marinade.

2. Place tofu in a Ziploc bag or square glass baking pan and pour marinade over tofu. Flip tofu several times, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 4 hours. Be sure to turn tofu several times during marinating time.

3. Heat oiled grill to 450*F. Place tofu on grill and discard remaining marinade.

4. Cook tofu pieces for 5-6 minutes or until grill marks appear. Flip tofu and cook an additional 2-4 minutes, or until firm, but not dry.

Makes 2-4 servings.

Grilled Tofu, sauteed asparagus, sourdough roll

Homemade No Knead Seeded Bread

With Coronavirus and so many people sheltering in place, many of us have taken to bread making. I’ve been having fun making different types of bread as a way to enjoy some tasty, yet healthy comfort food, spend time on a new hobby and lift my mood with the smell of freshly baked bread lingering in the house for hours.

One of the things I love about this bread is that you don’t need yeast! Just like many other staples, yeast disappeared from store shelves very quickly when the COVID-19 shelter in place orders started in many states and hasn’t returned to the shelves 5 weeks later in California anyway. So if you’re craving some homemade bread, but don’t have yeast, here’s a recipe for you!

Ingredients

·         1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

·         3/4 cup whole-wheat flour

·         1/4 cup toasted sunflower seeds + 1 Tbsp. for topping

·         1/4 cup toasted pumpkin seeds + 1 Tbsp. for topping

·         2 Tablespoon sesame seeds

·         1 Tablespoon poppy seeds

·         2 teaspoons baking powder

·         1/2 teaspoon salt

·         1 1/4 cup buttermilk*  

·         1 egg

·         1/4 cup canola or olive oil

·         2-4 Tablespoons honey **

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375*F.

2. In a large mixing bowl combine flours, seeds for the bread, baking powder, and salt. Mix with a wire whisk.

3. In a separate medium bowl, combine buttermilk, egg, oil and honey. Whisk to combine.

4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Using a wooden spoon, mix everything just until combined. Don't over mix.

5. Pour the batter into a clay loaf pan (or regular loaf pan), coated with oil. Sprinkle seeds on top.

6. Bake at 375ºF for 45 minutes, or until golden brown and tooth pick inserted comes out clean.

7. Cool for at least 45 minutes before slicing.

Enjoy!

*Don’t have buttermilk? Substitute 4 teaspoons distilled white vinegar + milk to make 1 ¼ cups.

**If you want a hint of sweetness in your bread, use 4 Tablespoons (1/4 cup) honey.

Modified from https://www.elmundoeats.com/fast-no-knead-multi-seed-bread/

The Best Homemade Granola Ever!

Homemade Granola

Go Nuts Granola

 I love this granola because it’s pretty low in sugar and full of heart-healthy, memory boosting oats and nuts! It makes a great topping for Greek yogurt, overnight oats or that ice cream splurge.

 Ingredients

1/3 cup honey

¼ cup brown sugar

4 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon salt

¼ cup vegetable oil

5 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (do not use instant oats)

¾ cup roasted or raw unsalted almonds, coarsely chopped

¾ cup unsalted hazelnuts, coarsely chopped

½ cup unsalted pumpkin seeds

Preparation:

1. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. Whisk oil, honey, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and salt in large bowl. Fold in oats, nuts and seeds until thoroughly coated.

3. Transfer oat mixture to prepared baking sheets and spread across sheet into thin, even layer (about 3/8 inch thick). Using stiff metal spatula, compress oat mixture until very compact. Bake 20 minutes, then turn oven off and rotate pan without stirring the oats.

4. Bake an additional 30 minutes (with oven off) or until lightly browned.  Remove granola from oven and cool to room temperature, about 1 hour. Break granola into pieces of desired size.

5. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Makes about 7 cups.

Nutrition Information per ¼ cup serving:

148 calories, 7.7g Total Fat, 1g Saturated Fat, 15 g Total Carbohydrate ( 4.5g sugar), 2.3g Fiber, 4.4g protein, 0mg cholesterol, 44mg sodium

Notes:

If you measure the oil in a liquid measure cup and then measure the honey, the honey will easily slide out of the cup into your bowl.

Chopping the almonds by hand is the first choice for superior texture and crunch. If you prefer not to hand chop, substitute an equal quantity of slivered or sliced almonds.

When you remove the granola from the oven it may be slightly chewy, but will harden as it cools.

Baked Whole Grain Pasta w. Pumpkin & Kale

Pumpkin is rich in vitamin A and potassium and is a good source of fiber and the antioxidant, beta-carotene.  Kale is rich in vitamin K, antioxidants and fiber. Whole grains are one of the many brain healthy foods recommended to help prevent memory loss or cognitive decline. Combine the pumpkin, whole grain pasta, and kale for a power food combination that tastes great all year long.

Pasta w. Pumpkin

Ingredients:                                                           

8 oz. whole grain penne pasta

1 teaspoon olive oil

½ medium onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 pinched dried red pepper flakes

1 cup chopped cremini mushrooms (5-6 medium mushrooms)

½ bunch Lucinato kale, stems removed and roughly chopped

¼ cup dry white wine or low sodium vegetable broth

¼ cup fresh basil, chopped

Salt & pepper to taste

½ (15 oz.) can pumpkin (no sugar or spices added)

1 egg

1 cup low fat ricotta cheese

1 cup marinara sauce

½ cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

¼ cup (1oz.) shredded Parmesan cheese

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350*F.

2. Bring a large pot of to boil. Add salt and pasta and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain and set aside in a colander.

3. In the meantime, heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and sauté until soft, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook about 2 minutes. Add mushrooms and kale; cook 5-6 minutes or until slightly cooked down. Add wine and cook an additional 2-3 minutes. Stir in basil, season with salt and pepper and turn off heat.

4. In a large bowl, combine pumpkin, egg, ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, tomato sauce, kale mixture and cooked pasta. Stir until combined and season with salt and pepper

5. Coat an 8 X 8-inch glass pan with oil. Pour pasta-pumpkin mixture into pan. Spread evenly and top with Parmesan cheese.

6. Cover with aluminum foil and bake 25minutes, then remove foil and bake an additional 5 minutes or until heated through. Serve warm.

Makes 4 1-cup servings.