Mango-Pineapple Tofu

This dish was inspired by Mango Sticky Rice, Boyfriend's favorite dessert.  He asked me to make it for dessert one night, but I suggested that I turn it into an entree.  I served it with coconut rice, which was also very good, but I plan to tweak the recipe a bit.  For now, here's the recipe for our new favorite tofu dish, which Boyfriend described as "the best Thai dish you've ever made."  I described it as "heavenly" (not to float my own boat or anything), and loved the way the warm mangoes melted into the dish.

Mango-Pineapple Tofu

Makes 2 servings

• 1/2 cup pineapple juice (can be from the can of pineapple tidbits )

• juice of 1/2 lime (1 tbsp)

• 1 tbsp minced ginger

• 1/2 tbsp chili oil

• 1/2 package extra-firm tofu (7 ounces), cut into bite-sized pieces (pressed if desired)

• 1/2 cup canned pineapple tidbits

• 1 mango, pitted, skin removed, and chopped

• 1/4 cup raw cashews, roughly chopped (roasted would probably work too, but not salted)

• 1 tbsp brown sugar

Mix together the pineapple juice, lime juice, and ginger, and marinate the tofu in the marinade for an hour.  Heat the chili oil in a nonstick pan over medium-high heat, then remove the tofu from the marinade and add it to the pan.  Stir occasionally.  When the tofu is browned, add the pineapple, mango, and cashews.  Add the brown sugar to the marinade and pour into the pan.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is mostly absorbed or evaporated.

Review of Viva Vegan!

Things are starting to settle down.  I graduated last week, moved out of my old apartment, and am now officially living in the new place in Houston, but I'm still awaiting the arrival of my belongings.  May was a busy month, and the last two weeks I've only cooked a handful of meals for myself.  I hate that.  Hopefully that will change soon.  I have big plans to finally make a dent in my long list of recipes to try out.

For now, I want to gush over the few recipes I did get to try in May.  I bought Viva Vegan!, the new Latin cookbook from Terry Romero, and it is truly amazing.  I've made 6 recipes, and they have all been fantastic.  This is my favorite cookbook.  I have over 30.  That's a big deal.

First, I made the Quinoa-Oyster Mushroom Risotto (Quinotto) on page 130.  It's supposed to be like a risotto with quinoa, but it didn't remind me of risotto at all.  No matter, because whatever it was, it was delicious.  It was the best quinoa I've ever had, and I've had some damn good quinoa.

The next thing I made was the Chimichurri Baked Tofu on page 100, which required making a batch of the Chimichurri Sauce with Smoked Paprika on page 43.  The fresh chimichurri sauce was bright green and tasted very fresh.  When baked with the tofu, it took on a darker color and a smoky flavor.  I loved the sauce both ways, and had some of the fresh chimichurri on the side with the chimichurri baked tofu and quinotto.

My next project was making the Annato-Infused Oil (Aciete de Achiote) on page 31 and the Yellow Rice with Garlic on page 96.  I found the annato seeds at Central Market in Houston.  They're bright red and give the oil its orange flavor, which in turn put the yellow in the yellow rice.  I don't know how to describe the flavor of annato, I just know that I like it.  The oil keeps in the fridge, and during my time off before graduation, I used it to sauté vegetables that I served over the yellow rice.  It gave the vegetables something special.  The yellow rice was also delicious because of the annato flavor.  I'll be making it over and over again.  The recipe calls for white rice, which is what I used, but I'm going to see how it turns out with brown rice.  I'm sure it'll be quite different, but I do like my whole grains.  Below, the yellow rice mixed with mushrooms, spinach, and onions sauteed in annato-infused oil.

The last recipe I tried was the Red Chile Sauce on page 45.  I loved this sauce, but haven't found the right pairing yet.  I tried it with the yellow rice and sauteed vegetables, and it was good, but not quite right.  I made enchiladas with what I had on hand (black beans, mushrooms, and onions) but the flavor of the enchilada filling and the red chile sauce didn't mesh correctly either.  Last night I was thinking that this sauce would be better with enchiladas filled with potatoes, spinach, and maybe seitan.  Then, I looked in Viva Vegan! and saw the Red Chile Enchilada variation of the Potato-Chickpea Enchiladas with Green Tomatillo Sauce on page 135.  Its stuffed with potatoes and the Red Steamed Seitan (which I've yet to try but have heard is, like everything else in this cookbook, fantastic).  I think making the Red Chile Enchilada is the solution for what to do with the giant container of red chile sauce in my freezer.

I love this cookbook.  Love it, love it, love it.  Don't be surprised if you see more of it on this blog.  I use most of my cookbooks for inspiration, but I'll continue to be cooking the actual recipes in this one.

Apartment-Warming

Law school has ended and I'm beginning the process of becoming a "real person."  Boyfriend and I recently began moving everything from our old Houston apartment to our new Houston apartment, and after I go back up North for graduation I'll have to move everything from my apartment in Boston to our new place.  On top of that, I've begun studying for the bar exam.  Life is hectic, but wonderful.

An older friend of Boyfriend stopped by our new apartment with his family (including two adorable children), bearing much-welcome gifts.  It was so nice to have someone think of us now that I've moved to a new place without many family or friends nearby to welcome me.  (Boyfriend, on the other hand, grew up here.)  And, luckily for me, Boyfriend's friend and his family are vegetarian, and very good cooks and gardeners.

They brought us this basil plant:

And these cute little soup bowls:

(My apologies for the cell phone pictures- I left the cord that connects my camera to my computer in Boston.)


As much as I love to cook, yesterday was not the day for it.  I nearly cut my finger in half when the cheese I was cutting at lunch slipped, and my knife sliced through the middle of my fingernail.  (The universe's way of chastising me for not eating vegan?)  Thankfully, our friends brought soup, so there was no need for me to cook.  The soup contained rice, daikon, tomatoes, green onions, lime, spinach, tofu, what I think is brown seaweed, lemongrass, and loads of ginger.

I believe these are the first housewarming gifts I've ever received, and I was surprised by how touching I found it.  What a nice way to start a new phase of life! 

Boyfriend and I intend to return the big soup pot our friends left us by filling it with our own soup.  I'm thinking that we should try a recipe from Viva Vegan!, my newest cookbook, which I'm absolutely in love with.  I had planned to blog about a few recipes I tried when I was still in Boston, but since I'm missing that camera cord, no dice.  Stay tuned.

Taco Salad: My Comfort Food

When I was in college, my roommate and I would cure our Sunday morning hangovers by going to El Maguey's, a nearby Mexican chain restaurant, for their Sunday specials.  I ordered Taco Salad every time "with beans instead of meat, no sour cream, cheese sauce on the side, and a side plate of extra lettuce."  I'm not picky at all, obviously.

Now that I don't have the waistline or the metabolism that I had in college, I like making a healthier version at home.  I asked for, and received, taco salad baking pans, for my birthday, and they look something like these.  I left those pans in Houston, but when I got back to Boston I realized that the pans are unnecessary.  You can turn a bowl upside down, spray it with a little Pam, put the tortilla over it, and then bake it for 8 to 10 minutes at 375°.

While the shell is baking, I prepare my ingredients, which always include iceberg lettuce and black beans (Bush's black beans are my favorite).  Other ingredients I use, in different combinations, are: avocado; cheese; tomatoes; pico de gallo; cilantro; and sautéed mushrooms, onions, or peppers.

Even though the taco salad bowl makes a very pretty presentation, my favorite part is destroying it and mixing everything up.  It always ends up looking like this:

If I run out of tortillas, or I'm just not in the mood for one, I sometimes make the salad with brown rice instead of the tortilla.  Lettuce and brown rice is actually a delicious combination that I fell in love with at a small cafe in Buenos Aires.  There really are not enough salads out there that have rice in them.

Whole Wheat Pasta with Roasted Fennel, Mushrooms, and Tomatoes

 
I did something dangerous a few days ago: I went to the grocery store without a list of what to buy! *gasp*  If I can learn to limit my impulse purchases, I really should do this more often.  Going to the grocery store without a rigid plan let's me build my meals around what's fresh and on sale.  On this trip, the fennel was on sale and also looking particularly fantastic, so I grabbed a bulb and planned out this pasta dish.  I'm very pleased with how this dish turned out.  The mushrooms are very meaty after being roasted, and the fennel and tomatoes caramelize and taste slightly sweet.

When I head down to Houston in a few weeks, I'm planning on making this dish for Boyfriend, but I'll add artichokes and fresh rosemary.  I'll then have to ruin it by adding marinara sauce to Boyfriend's portion, because he doesn't believe in pasta without marinara... To each his own...

Whole Wheat Pasta with Roasted Fennel, Mushrooms, and Tomatoes

Makes 2 large servings

• 3 servings of cooked whole wheat pasta (I used penne and fusilli because that's what i had)

• 1 large fennel bulb, cut into bite-size slices

• 1 pint plum tomatoes, quartered and seeds squeezed out (it doesn't take as long as it sounds!)

• 10 ounces cremini mushrooms, cut in half, or quarters if large

• Olive oil

• Salt and pepper

• 4 ounces of fresh mozarella, optional (without it, this would be vegan)

Preheat the oven to 425° while you prep.  Spread the fennel on a nonstick baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil.  Bake for 15 minutes.  Remove from the oven and add the tomatoes and mushrooms.  Drizzle with more olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and toss.  Put the baking sheet back in the oven for 15 minutes, then remove and mix the vegetables.  Put back in the oven for the final 15 minutes.  Remove from the oven and toss the vegetables with the pasta, adding a bit more olive oil, salt, and pepper, to taste.  Top with mozarella, if desired.