Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Sweet and sour tofu

Sweet and Sour Tofu

I can't really vouch for the authenticity of this recipe. It's my mom's, who got it from a church cookbook. So, not authentic in the least bit...but I can vouch for it's deliciousness. 





For the tofu:
1/2 brick of tofu
1-2 tbsp corn startch
few tablespoons of oil


Rinse the tofu and cut into desired shapes. Pat dry and mix with corn startch. I find it works best to put the tofu and corn startch in a sealable and shake it up!
Fry in a pan over medium heat in oil until all sides are browned. 


Set aside. 


For the Sweet and Sour sauce:



2 tbsp. vegetable oil
1/2 onion
1 green chopped green pepper (I used half green and half yellow)
1-2 carrots, sliced
3-4 large mushrooms, sliced
1 can pineapple chunks
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/3 cup brown sugar firmly packed
2 tbsp. corn starch
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/4 tsp. ginger

Saute onion and green pepper in oil until almost tender.  
Drain syrup from pineapple and add enough water to make it 1 1/2 cups liquid.
Add pineapple to skillet.
Combine pineapple liquid, vinegar, brown sugar, corn starch, soy sauce and ginger - add to skillet.
Simmer until sauce thickens a bit, stirring constantly. Add the cooked tofu and let simmer 5 more minuetes. 

Saturday, January 29, 2011


I have never liked potato salad. I think it's because it always had eggs in it, and I get freaked out by eggs on their own. Except for that one time.
So I always hated potato salad. But not just because of the eggs. I didn't like it even when I'd make it without eggs. So I just never ate it or thought much about potato salad.
While I was home for Christmas, my Dad bought a sweet potato salad. With kale. Two of my favorite ingredients, right there. So I thought i'd at least try it. And I fell in love with it. So I made my own version when I got home. 

And it's delicious.






dressing:
3 tbsp veganaise (or mayonaise/miracle whip)
1 tbsp white vinegar
2 tsp mrs dash seasoning
salt and pepper

1 sweet potato, baked and cooled
3 handfuls of kale, chopped
1/4 cup dried cranberries and pecans
3-4 green onions, chopped


Assemble the dressing. (Put all the ingredients in a bowl and stir!) Add the green onions.
Wash the kale and place in a pot with an inch of water over medium heat. Cover, and let it wilt a bit. When it's slightly tender, rinse under cold water and dry. (A salad spinner works wonders here.)
Peel and dice the sweet potato, and chop the pecans. Assemble the potato, cranberries, kale, and pecans with the dressing. This can be eaten right away, but things only get better if you let it sit in the fridge for a bit. 

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

I'm makin' waffles!


I have so many fond memories of waffles. Growing up, Christmas morning was always meant fresh belgian waffles for breakfast after opening presents. Waking up to a pile of presents is already a recipe for the best day ever, but fresh made waffles really enhance the general giddiness, I find. 

But this year my dad made pancakes instead. I was disappointed because waffles trump pancakes any day in my humble opinion. Waffles win on taste, texture, and they are much easier to make. (Pancakes and I don't exactly get along.)



So I was craving waffles and it was time for my fix. Luckily, once back in Vancouver I was able to rectify the situation.

A few months back I came across a $12 waffle iron while thrifting. Suddenly visions of fresh waffles filled my head, along with memories of a waffle filled childhood, so I decided to purchase it. And it has been one of my favorite purchases since. I first delved in with a basic vegan waffle recipe. It was delicious. 




So yesterday when a waffle craving hit, I wanted to try something other than the basic waffle. I remembered a recipe I had seen a while back on Everybody Likes Sandwiches for Lemon 
Cornmeal Waffles, and I knew that would hit the spot. Since i'm not well versed in waffle recipe science yet, I made no substitutions other than diary yogurt for the soy, soy milk for the almond milk, and raw sugar for the agave. I also had to use lemon concentrate and get rid of the zest since I had no lemons. Which was sad with no zest. but i'm happy to report these were still delicous.

Like, seriously delicious. I may have snacked on the first one of the batch because it was too delicious and tempting to have to wait to cook two dozen waffles to try it. 


I enjoyed them topped with my favorite christmas topping, pineapple. But instead of whip cream I used some strained non-fat vanilla yogurt. (much healthier and much more satisfying.) I also decided to sprinkle on some icing sugar for some sweet elegance.