FoodFash

Adventure Begins in the Kitchen

Back To The Press

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Look what I found!  I haven’t used my tofu press since well before I left Tampa.  And not because I didn’t want to, but because I may or may not have packed up my kitchen gadgets about a month too early.  So I was a little excited…

I stil have a pretty bare fridge since I spent most of last week in Dallas and this week in Portland, but I did have a lone brick of tofu waiting for me when I got back from yoga.  Tofu and a frozen stash of veggies totally equals a finally-back-in-town recovery meal.

I pressed the tofu for about an hour and then submerged it in ponzu sauce.  I let the tofu marinate while I unpacked some suitcase, which was about another hour.

I browned the tofu in coconut oil and then added frozen broccoli.  Solo ponzu sauce seemed a bit on the boring side, so I stared in my spice cabinet hoping something spoke to me.  Red pepper flakes and ground mustard?  Sure, why not?  It ended up being a pretty flavorful and slightly spicy combination – right up my alley.  This is a good recipe for a quick Asian inspired craving, but by no means compares to the thick ooey gooey sauces that typically come with take-out.

Leisurely Lunching

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My friend Katie flew in today for our friend Ryan’s 30th birthday bash and we took it upon ourselves to have a leisurely day before the festivities begin.  Lunch at noon?  Healthy?  Yes.  Oh how I love the new year!

And as much as I love the new year, I love Restaurant BT even more.  It’s the freshest fancy in town.  We know this.

We found a little table outside, caught each other up on the latest happenings, and sipped on refreshing cucumber water.  I dominated the conversation with news that I had just submitted an application for an AWESOME townhouse in downtown Austin.  Fingers crossed they accept the offer!

I stuck with my usual, the tofu Vietnamese salad with a side of hoisin and sriracha.  Katie went for the chicken pho, which looked flawless.

We cleared our plates and headed over to my friend Griffin’s boutique to continue with the lady of leisure theme we had not so accidentally fallen in to.

Hope your weekend is filled with the good stuff!

Vegan Lettuce Wraps

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I must have tofu-ed myself out for a bit because it’s been a while!  I browsed through VegTimes for some inspiration and stumbled upon a recipe for spicy tofu lettuce wraps.  Yum.

I stared at the onion for a few minutes, picturing how badly my eyes were going to burn.  I thought of the Pampered Chef chopper buried somewhere in cabinet land and my eyes began to thank me.  I knew this gadget worked well with onions, but it also saved me some time with the ginger and lemongrass as well.

I smooshed the pressed tofu between my fingers like nobody’s business.

And added one handful of shredded carrots and two handfuls of baby spinach after the tofu was cooking and before adding any seasoning.

It’s amazing how just a tad bit of ginger and lemongrass can transform a dish into something wonderful.

In addition to the above modifications, I also used Bragg’s Liquid Aminos in place of soy sauce and opted for two tablespoons of Sriracha.

I was super satisfied with this recipe and think that it will hold up well for leftovers tomorrow.  The water chestnuts and the carrots added a predictably awesome crunch.  The tofu soaked up flavors from each and every ingredient.  And, in my opinion, this would be the perfect dish to serve someone who is wary of tofu.  Thanks VegTimes!

Srirachatized

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Look what I found today!!!  I was so pumped when I saw The Sriracha Cookbook on sale at Urban Outfitters.  So pumped.

I pressed some extra firm tofu for the occasion and marinated it in Intensity Academy’s Green Tea Gourmet sauce.  I’ve used this marinade with tofu before and I think the flavor absorbs pretty quickly without overpowering other parts of the meal.

In the meantime, I sauteed garlic, onions, and green peppers in a little bit of Earth Balance until they were sufficiently browned.

Then I turned to my new book for sauce inspiration and mixed 1/4 cup of Tofutti with 1 teaspoon of Sriracha.  Holy heck!  Every sandwich should be topped with this combo!

I slathered both sides of a sourdough bun with the Sriracha/Tofutti mix and then layered with veggies and fried tofu.

The only thing I would have changed was using a softer bread.  It was a impossible to eat without squeezing all of the good stuff out of the sandwich.

But that obviously didn’t stop me from finishing every last bite…