Spicing up dull winter nights

Hello again, friends! Alessa updating tonight.

I have decided to make it a goal to post at least once a week, even if it is a recipe I don't think is spectacular. No more extended breaks, you all deserve better than that.
Tonight's recipe was actually made over a week ago, but I am just getting around to sharing with you. This is a simple and quick recipe I picked up through one of Harmon's cooking classes. It's a great way to use tofu and I think even tofu naysayers can get along with this recipe.
The most important thing about cooking with tofu is to remember is to prep your tofu. You want Extra Firm for this recipe, but Firm works too. Set it in a bowl or large dish lined with paper towels or a clean, absorbent kitchen towel. Place a plate on top with weight on it (like a few cans of food or a brick). Let the tofu squeeze out over the course of a day, preferably, but even a couple of hours will help. The more liquid you get out of the tofu, the more room there is for flavor absorption!
A suggestion for my fellow meateaters: If you really can't stand tofu I think this recipe would be fantastic with ground pork or even shrimp!
Here's a great tip that I learned in that same class, it's the best way I've ever seen to peel fresh ginger root. Use the edge of a spoon to scrape off the ginger peel. It's safe, easy and gets in all the nooks and crannies better than any knife without losing any of the tasty flesh. Trust me, you'll never use a knife to peel ginger again.
Now that your tofu is prepped, get your knife out and get ready for a lot of chopping:

Spicy Tofu Lettuce Wraps

2 teaspoons Canola Oil

1 medium onion, diced

1 Tablespoon Fresh Ginger, minced (I like extra ginger, up to 2 TBSP.)

1 Tablespoon Lemongrass, minced (if you can't find any, just skip this)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 pound Extra Firm tofu (prepped), crumbled

8 ounces Water Chestnuts, drained and chopped

4 Tablespoons Soy Sauce

4 Tablespoons Hoisin, Plum or Oyster Sauce (Plum Sauce would be vegan friendly.)

2 teaspoons Sriracha sauce (the Asian hot sauce with a rooster on the bottle. )

16 Leaves Butter Lettuce, washed and dried

Optional Garnishes

Grated carrot

Chopped green onion

Chopped fresh Mint

Chopped peanuts

Hoisin, plum or peanut sauces

Fresh citrus wedges ( to squeeze over wraps)

In a large skillet heat the oil and saute the onions, ginger, garlic and lemongrass over medium high heat for about 3 minutes. Add the tofu and water chestnuts, cook until heated through. Add the sauces, bring to a boil and transfer to a large serving bowl. Have the garnishes set out with the lettuce leaves and make your wraps to your taste.

These come together so quickly and are so delicious to make. The wraps are surprisingly filling and two or three are enough for most people. I just ate the leftovers we had and the filling reheats quite well in the microwave.The recipe is very flexible too. Karin and I like things fiery, so we add extra Sriracha and extra ginger. If you want to tone it down, use less ginger and Sriracha and use plum sauce for extra sweetness.
As I mentioned earlier plum sauce would also make this recipe vegan friendly, most Hoisin should be as well. I believe most plum sauces are gluten-free as well, but if you are gluten sensitive always read labels carefully!

2 lbs of spinach+1 new cookbook=yummmmm

Hello dear readers,
Last week Karin and I decided to purchase a Costco membership. I was mostly opposed to this, but Karin pointed out how much cheaper dog food and coffee would be, so I agreed. Once the membership pictures were taken, we immediately headed back to the meat and produce section. We bought enough meat for about two months: salmon, chicken and pork (Karin is not a fan of red meat.) Over in produce we had a hard time deciding what to get. I mean, what do two people do with that many veggies?. We settled on a large bag of fresh spinach and 6 bell peppers among other things.

Now I am not a huge fan of cooked spinach, but I am perfectly content eating it raw. I am not about to eat spinach salad every day for two weeks though! Fortunately for us, Karin received an Indian cookbook for Christmas. Spinach is used frequently in Indian dishes, especially in Saag. Saag is a wonderful savory dish of pureed spinach, tomatoes and spices in which you cook whatever meat or meat substitute you are using. When we first looked at the new cookbook we were certain we spotted a Saag Paneer recipe. Paneer is a soft Indian cheese with a texture similar to tofu. In fact, tofu can be used in place of it.
So we decided a tofu saag would be great way to use some spinach.

New Year's Day 2010
We bought our tofu and some spices we would need and opened up the cookbook. Lo and behold, there is not a Saag paneer recipe to be found. WTF?!? We both saw it, I swear! Alas, it was not to be. So we decided to go with the Chicken Saag recipe instead, and replace chicken thighs with firm tofu. The dish turned out quite well and we made some chapati bread as well, an Indian flatbread similar to a tortilla.

Tofu Saag (modified from Chicken Saag in Best Ever Indian Cookbook, pg 136)
8 ounces fresh spinach leaves
1-inch piece fresh ginger root, grated or minced
2 garlic cloves, crushed or minced
1 cup water
1 TBSP Vegetable oil
1 medium onion, diced
1-15 oz can diced tomatoes, mostly drained
2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp chili powder
3 Tbsp plain yogurt
1 block firm tofu, drained and squeezed. Cut into 1 inch cubes


Step 1: Rinse the spinach and place in a tightly covered pan. Cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes, until wilted. Put the spinach, garlic and ginger in a blender or food processor with 1/4 cup of the water. Blend into a thick paste. Note: Blending hot food can be very dangerous, do not tightly close the lid or you risk an "explosion"


Step 2: Heat the oil on medium heat in a large heavy pan, add the onions and fry for 6-8 minutes until the onion has browned


Step 3: Add the tomatoes and simmer on medium heat for 5 minutes. Stir in the curry powder, salt and chili powder. Cook for 2 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally.


Step 4: Stir in the spinach paste and the remaining 3/4 cup water. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add the yogurt 1 Tbsp at a time and simmer for another 5 minutes.


Step 5: Add the tofu, stir to coat. Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes until tofu is warmed through. Serve warm with some naan or other flatbread. Like Chapati!

Chapati
2 cups Whole Wheat flour
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup water, to start. You may need to add more water.


Combine flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Make a well in the middle and gradually stir in the water, mixing with your fingers. Form a supple dough and knead for 7-10 minutes. Ideally, cover with plastic and set aside for 15-20 minutes.


Divide the dough into 8-10 equal portions. On a well floured surface, roll out each piece into a circle.


Heat a skillet over high heat. when hot, lower to medium and add the first chapati to the pan. When it begins to bubble, turn it over and press down on it. Once lightly browned, remove from pan and place on a plate, cover with a clean towel to keep warm. Once all are cooked, serve warm.

The Best Ever Indian Cookbook is a wonderful purchase for anyone who wants to learn how to make classic Indian dishes.

One of the most interesting results of owning the book  has been shopping for spices for these recipes. Many of them are not very common in Salt Lake City (such as fenugreek and curry leaves) and have proved challenging to find. That's all part of the fun! Karin and I look forward to making many more dishes from this book and sharing our modifications and improvements with you!

Next Up: Quinoa Stuffed Bell Peppers