Keep It Simple Foods » Tofu

Game Day Eats

Jen @ Keepitsimplefoods — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 01:17:18 +0000

Maybe you’re hosting this year. Or maybe you’re a guest. Either way, you’ll need sustenance to get you through Super Bowl Sunday. It is like six hours long, after all. Allow me to help with your game day menu.

First, start with something light to wake up the palate and tantalize the tummy.

Something like this spicy boiled peanut hummus.

Or this wheat berry and tomato basil salad.

I’m a big fan of this Israeli cous cous salad with oranges, white beans, and mache.

Next, move on to the main course. Hearty, manly, football food.

These spicy black bean burgers are a solid choice.

Apple, apple butter, and brie paninis are sure to please the crowd.

And guests will think these vegan sloppy joes taste just like the real thing.

Wash it all down with some sweet raspberry iced tea.

And move on to the dessert table.

Chocolate éclair cake, anyone?

Or how about a few white chocolate- dipped Oreo truffles?

These ginger and molasses cookies sure look good too!

By now you’ll probably need to undo that top button of your jeans and take a break on the couch. Happy Super Bowl Sunday!

Spicy Tofu and Broccoli

Jen @ Keepitsimplefoods — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 12:17:08 +0000

Since returning from China, this recipe has been a staple for me. It reminds me of the dishes I fell in love with on my travels and is simply delicious comfort food. It’s a perfect meal to make during the week and the leftovers pack up nicely.

Ingredients: (Serves 2 to 3 persons)
1 cup brown rice (cook in a rice cooker or on stove top)
1 block extra firm tofu (drained and pressed to remove excess water)
1 bunch broccoli crowns
1 tblsp Sriracha sauce
1 tblsp soy sauce
1 clove garlic (chopped)
1 tsp sesame oil or peanut oil

Directions: First, cook rice according to package instructions. Next, heat a large pan/skillet on stove top until piping hot. Add tofu to the pan and cook until brown on both sides. Add a dash of salt if you like. I use a tong to turn each piece individually but you could just as easily use a spatula for flipping. While the tofu is cooking, combine sriracha, soy, garlic and splash of the oil in a small bowl and whisk together (make sure to taste test for heat). Set aside. Next, put a bit of water in the bottom of a covered pot in order to steam the broccoli. Crank the heat to medium high and steam just until broccoli turns bright green. Next, drain broccoli and add it to the pan with the tofu and toss the ingredients together with the soy sauce mix. Make sure tofu and veggies are evenly coated. Serve over brown rice.

Spicy Green Beans with Tofu

Jen @ Keepitsimplefoods — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 13:15:21 +0000

Recently Heidi featured this delicious green bean recipe and I decided to give it a try. I altered it to fit my palate preferences based on what I had in my kitchen cupboard. I pan fried the tofu first (using this method) and set it aside. Then, I cooked up the green beans with onions and spices (skipping the raisins and bay leaf). I used fromage blanc as a sub for creme fraiche, but you could also use yogurt. Serve with eco-farmed black japonica rice if desired. So good and makes great leftovers!

Perfect Stir fry

Jen @ Keepitsimplefoods — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 00:53:07 +0000

I was listening to Lynne Rosetto Kasper’s radio show, The Splendid Table, the other day (per usual) and lucky for me she did an interview on how to make perfect stir fry. It was perfect timing because my boyfriend and I had planned to make stir fry for dinner that same night. I was sort of dreading it though because every time I make it, it come out a little off- the veggies are soggy, or the flavors aren’t quite right. I don’t know what it is, but I never seem to get it right. So, I was delighted to hear, from an expert, the technique to making perfect stir fry. Lynne is a Chinese food pro so I knew it would would be great!

Here’s the technique:

First, get your wok HOT! It needs to be practically smoking hot! Second, use peanut oil (b/c it has a higher burn temp than evoo). Put in a few tblsps of peanut oil in to the hot wok. Third, cook the proteins first! So, that means tofu, chicken, beef, etc…I used tofu. Cube the tofu and put it into the hot oil, season with salt and pepper (and hot pepper flakes if you want) and let brown on each side. Brown one side completely and then flip.

After the protein is cooked, take it out of the wok and wipe down the wok with a rag or paper towl. This is the fourth step. Fifth, reheat the wok and add more peanut oil to get ready to cook veggies. But, before adding your veggies, dry them off with a paper towel. Basically you want to get extra moisture off of the veggies so they cook up crisp. So, roll them in a paper towel and pressing the moisture off. Sixth, add veggies to the wok and cook. You can use any veggies you like. I used red pepper, broccoli, sugar snap peas and mushrooms.

Seventh, once veggies are just heated, add your liquids/sauce. I make a simple sauce of reduced sodium soy, a few squeezes of siracha sauce (which is HOT!) and chunks of garlic. Add this to the veggies and toss until veggies are cooked down a bit.

Lastly, add the protein back in and toss with veggies and liquid until heated through. Serve over long grain brown rice. It’s definitely the best stir fry I’ve ever made!