The Crispiest Tofu

As with most well breaded recipes, you need a three “bowl” workstation for this. I like to use lipped plates, but if you don’t have any, try using cake pans.

Start with marinated tofu. Cut them into whatever shapes you want to eat.



Set up a three bowl work station consisting of: seasoned potato starch, thickened seasoned non-dairy milk, and seasoned home-made bread crumbs.

Mix the following together into each bowl:
Bowl 1:
½ cup potato starch
dash of salt and freshly ground black pepper

Bowl 2:
1 cup unsweetened soymilk
1 tablespoon lemon juice (or apple cider vinegar)
1/4 cup chopped parsley (or a combo of other fresh herbs)
dash of salt
dash of hot pepper or allepo pepper

Bowl 3:
1 1/4 cups homemade breadcrumbs (leave your favorite gluten-free bread out on the counter for a day or so, then pulse in a food processor until crumbly).
1/3 cup potato starch
dash of salt and freshly ground black pepper
3/4 teaspoon onion powder
3/4 teaspoon ancho chili powder

You'll need:
1 big block of extra-firm tofu, cut into whatever shapes you want to eat and marinated overnight, or as long as possible.
parchment lined baking sheet, greased with 3 tablespoons of neutral oil (like canola).
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 425F.
Dredge a few pieces of tofu with the starch mixture in bowl one. Make sure each piece is completed coated with a thin layer of starch, then tap off any extra and move down to bowl two.

Submerge each tofu into bowl two and allow any excess liquid to drip off. Move ‘em down to bowl three.

Pat each piece of tofu in the seasoned breadcrumbs, to completely coat on all sides. Transfer each breaded tofu to the oiled baking sheet.

Repeat the above steps until you’ve breaded everything within reach.

Season the tofu with a little salt and freshly ground black pepper.



Bake for about 5 minutes, then carefully flip each piece to allow the other side to absorb some of the oil from the baking sheet. Bake the tofu until the bottoms are brown and crunchy, about 10 minutes, then flip to brown the second side. Keep an eye on these so they don’t burn, you’re going for a deep golden brown.

Dip in yummy things like bbq sauce, low fat Vegenaise, tartar sauce, or be fancy and make remoulade!

The time needed to cook this recipe is a tiny bit more than one hour.

Greek Style Quinoa Salad

Greek-Style Quinoa Salad

Serves: 6
Prep Time: 20 Minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
3 tbsp. olive oil
¾ cup fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 clove garlic, minced or pressed in a garlic press
¼ cup kalamata olives
1 bunch scallions, chopped
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
7 ounces sheep’s milk feta cheese, cubed
¼ cup diced red onion
Salt and pepper to taste

Place quinoa in a strainer and rinse under cold running water.
Add water and quinoa to a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer.
Cook 15 minutes until quinoa is almost translucent.
Spread cooked quinoa on a large dinner plate and place in freezer for 15 minutes to chill.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine olive oil, lemon juice, oregano, and garlic. Toss with quinoa.
Add olives, scallions, grape tomatoes, feta cheese, and red onion; gently mix ingredients. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

*Feta cheese may be too salty for some. To lower the sodium count, soak it in water overnight.

Apple Pizza Pie

Apple Pizza Pie
1 double crust pie dough recipe (or 2 refrigerated crusts)
6 medium sized apples
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoons vanilla
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup oats
1/4 cup butter
Icing:
2oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoons milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Spray a cooking sheet with non-stick cooking spray.
Roll pie crust out onto cookie sheet, and set aside.
Peel, core and slice apples into bite size pieces.
Add the sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and flour to the apples until evenly coated.
In a separate medium bowl mix together flour, brown sugar and oats.
Cut in butter until the mixture is crumbly.
Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the apples. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the crust is golden brown. My piece of advice here is don't under-cook. I usually like my baked goods gooey, so I cook them a few minutes less than the suggested time, don't do that here. The crust in the middle takes a little longer to cook, if you think they look like they're done, I would cook them an extra two minutes just to make sure! While pizza is cooking make the icing.
Mix together cream cheese, powdered sugar and milk. Make sure your cream cheese is room temperature so you can combine easier. Whisk until all clumps are out.
Once the pizza has finished baking, remove from oven and drizzle with the icing.
Slice and serve! It tastes great served warm and cold. I kept the leftovers in the fridge, and they taste just as great then too! The butter and oats crumbles and the icing really make this a tasty dessert.

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

Baked Macaroni & Cheese

Ingredients
1 - 16 oz.pkg. macaroni elbow noodles
Approximately 1/2 cup of margarine
Approximately 1/2 cup of flour
Several pinches of dry mustard
4 cups of shredded sharp cheddar cheese (I use a variety of cheeses… have fun with it!)
5 cups of whole milk
1 block of extra sharp cheddar cheese
Pinch of black pepper
1 egg (uncooked)
Touch of paprika

Directions
Cook pasta according to package instructions. Heat oven to 375 degrees. In a large saucepan melt margarine, flour, pepper and dry mustard. Stir until thickened. Reduce heat to very low and add milk and shredded cheeses. Heat until begins to boil. Remove from heat. Add macaroni to baking dish and stir in egg. Add cheese sauce and stir. Cut up several pieces of cheese from the block and add to macaroni in baking dish. Thinly slice the rest of the block of cheese and layer on top. Sprinkle with paprika to taste. Bake for 35 minutes or until bubbly. Enjoy!

Remember… this is southern cuisine (soul food)… which means it must be made with love! It may take a few tries before it's what you want it to be, but keep trying!

Happy Cinqo de Mayo!

Mexican Tortilla Bake

I'm adding a layer of seasoned burger/sausage crumble mix, too.
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 11/2 cups cooked pinto beans or one 15-ounce can, drained and rinsed (I'm using cilantro lime black beans)
• 1 141/2-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 11/2 cups prepared tomato salsa
• 4 ounces soft or silken tofu
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 12 6-inch flour tortillas
• 1 cup shredded vegan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Lightly oil a 9″ x 13″ baking dish. In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the oil. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the pinto beans, tomatoes, chili powder, and salt and pepper to taste, and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
3. In a food processor or blender, combine the salsa, tofu, lime juice, and 1/2 cup of the bean mixture. Process until well blended.
4. Spread a thin layer of the tofu and salsa mixture over the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Arrange 6 of the tortillas on top, overlapping as necessary. Spread the remaining bean mixture over the tortillas and cover with another layer of tortillas. Top with the remaining tofu-and-salsa mixture and sprinkle with the shredded cheese. I'm also topping this with salsa verde w heavy avocado chunks.
5. Bake until hot and bubbly and lightly browned on top, about 30 minutes.

Homemade Horchata

• 1 cup long grain rice, rinsed
• 1 quart of soy milk
• 2 quarts water
• 1 tablespoon of ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla (optional, but definitely necessary, in my opinion)
• 1/2 cup white sugar

1. In a large saucepan, combine rice, water and cinnamon. Heat until it’s just about ready to boil.
2. Reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes. Allow to cool.
3. Purée rice mixture in a blender until smooth. Strain through cheesecloth or a fine sieve. Flavor with vanilla and sugar to taste. Chill, and serve over ice.

Easy Homemade Nutella

Whipping up a jar full of this stuff is ridiculously easy…

What you need:

-a food processor, or pretty decent blender that can chop up nuts with no worries
-a spoon
-about 3 cups roasted hazelnuts, pieces or whole
-about 1/4 cup (or more) cocoa powder
-a few tablespoons agave, or other liquid sweetener
-1/2 tsp salt
-a jar to store it in
-a lid for the jar

What you do:

Place nuts into food processor and blend until smooth. This could take several minutes. Scrape down the sides as necessary. Add in cocoa powder, agave and salt. Pulse quickly to blend. Stir well, and spoon into your storage jar. Close lid tightly. Store in fridge.

See how easy?!

Roasted Garlic Creamed Spinach

Roasted Garlic Creamed Spinach

* 1 large head of garlic, top trimmed to expose the cloves
* EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil, for drizzling
* Salt
* 1 cup half-n-half
* White pepper, to taste
* Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
* 2 tablespoons butter
* 1 round tablespoon flour
* 2 10oz boxes chopped spinach, defrosted and wrung dry in a clean kitchen towel

Yields: Serves 4

Preheat oven to 425°F. Drizzle garlic with oil and season with a little salt. Wrap tightly in foil and roast garlic to soft, 45 minutes. Let cool to handle.

Combine garlic, half-n-half, salt, white pepper and a little nutmeg in a blender and purée. Adjust seasoning to taste.
Step

In medium skillet over medium heat, melt butter and whisk in flour. Cook 1 minute, add half-n-half mixture and bring to a bubble. Separate spinach with your fingertips as you add to the sauce. Simmer at a low bubble to thicken, 20-25 minutes.

Morning Glory Muffins

Morning Glory Muffins

PREP TIME 15 Min
TOTAL TIME 40 Min
SERVINGS 12

1 cup Fiber One® original bran cereal
2/3 cup vanilla soymilk
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup ground flaxseed or flaxseed meal
3/4 cup chopped apple
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup finely shredded carrot
1/4 cup flaked coconut -- I skipped this one and opted for 1 very ripe medium smashed banana
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup finely chopped pecans
3 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup fat-free egg product
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla



1. Heat oven to 375°F. Place paper baking cup in each of 12 regular-size muffin cups. Spray bottoms only of baking cups with cooking spray. (Muffins will stick if baking cups are not sprayed.) Place cereal in resealable food-storage plastic bag; seal bag and crush with rolling pin or meat mallet (or crush in food processor).
2. In large bowl, mix crushed cereal and soymilk; let stand about 5 minutes or until cereal is softened. Stir in remaining ingredients. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups.
3. Bake 22 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Immediately remove muffins from pan to cooling rack. Serve warm.

Fudgy Peanut Butter Cake

Fudgy Peanut Butter Cake

Makes 4 servings
Prep. Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 1½ hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 2- to 3-qt.

Ingredients:
¾ cup sugar, divided
½ cup flour
¾ tsp. baking powder
⅓ cup milk
¼ cup peanut butter
1 Tbsp. oil
½ tsp. vanilla
2 Tbsp. dry cocoa powder
1 cup boiling water

1. Butter or spray interior of slow cooker.
2. Mix ¼ cup sugar, flour, and baking powder together in a small bowl.
3. In another larger bowl, mix milk, peanut butter, oil, and vanilla together. Beat well.
4. Stir dry ingredients into milk-peanut butter mixture just until combined. Spread in buttered slow cooker.
5. In bowl, combine cocoa powder and remaining ½ cup sugar. Add water, stirring
until well mixed. Pour slowly into slow cooker. Do not stir.
6. Cover. Cook on High 1½ hours, or until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean.

Serving suggestion: Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Note:
I take this to potlucks and it is always a hit.

Notes from the Recipe Tester:
1. If you double the recipe, cook for 2 hours.
2. This is a pretty sturdy cake. I kept one of my test cakes for over an hour before serving it, and it was just as good, if not better, than the one we ate right away.

Chocolate Nachos

DD1 has decided on an International Food Party (complete with food fight) for her birthday this month. While I was rounding up ideas, I came across this. And yes... it's definitely going on the menu!! Chocolate Nachos -- sugar sweetened tortilla crisps covered with chocolate sauce, mini diced strawberries, sprinkles, strawberry and vanilla ice cream. I think we found our midnite snack...