Tasty Veggie Action!

LAST WEDNESDAY'S DINNER:

Veggie Stir Fry with Brown Rice $1.09

Shopping List (at the recommendation of a reader):

Organic Brown Rice
Trader Joe's Stir Fry Veggies
Package of Shitake Mushrooms (about 8 in a pack)
Organic Extra Firm Tofu
Fresh Ginger Root
Garlic
Bragg's or Soy Sauce
Toasted Sesame Oil
Olive Oil
Brown Sugar

Been a little hit and miss with the posts, lately. Sorry about that. But my morning sickness makes me not really want to write about food. I'm just about 9 weeks preggypants, so hopefully the moments of yak will pass soon.

This was a yummy meal! Next time I think I will add some toasted sesame seeds. So I started by marinating my tofu. And started my brown rice which usually takes about 45 minutes. For the tofu, I carefully cut it into cubes and placed it in a sealable container. In a little bowl, I combined about a 1/4 cup of Bragg's Liquid Aminos (you can also use Soy Sauce), about 1 tsp of brown sugar, and a little bit of minced garlic. I poured the mixture onto the tofu, put the lid on, and let it marinate for a little while. I flipped the container a few times to make sure it got good and coated.

When the rice had just about 20 minutes to go, I heated about 1 tbs of toasted sesame oil and 1 tbs olive oil in a large skillet. Sometimes if you use sesame oil only, it can be a little heavy. So heat the oil, add about 2 inches of peeled, finely chopped ginger root and 2 cloves of minced garlic. Turn your fire up to medium-high and add the marinated tofu. Be careful, it might spit hotness at you! Fry the tofu until it's browned. Try not to turn it too much or the tofu might fall apart. While your tofu is browning, slice the shrooms into strips. Once the tofu cubes are browned, push them to the sides and add a bit more oil if your tofu has absorbed most of it. Now throw in the shrooms. Cook them for a little bit until they sweat a little. Add the stir fry veggies and cook until bright green and slightly wilted. Add a splash of Bragg's or soy sauce and you have a yummy veggie delight to pile atop your brown rice!

Tasty! Even in the midst of morning sickness!

Tip: Pat your tofu with paper towels to absorb the excess water before cutting! Press down a bit, you will be surprised at how much liquid is in the tofu. If you don't do this, your tofu might not brown up and will become mushy.

Tahini time! (No, I'm not talking about bathing suits)

THURSDAY'S DINNER (a little behind on posting, I know):

Tahini Pasta with Spinach Salad $0.72

I should warn you. If you don't like garlic you might want to move past this meal and try something else.

So last Thursday I wanted pasta for dinner. But I didn't want red sauce. I also didn't want cream sauce. What to do? Search the fridge and get creative. I found a tub of tahini (sesame seed paste--the stuff that's in hummus that gives it that nutty flavor) and decided that might make a good base for a pasta coating. I used my gluten-free brown rice pasta (I personally find it disgusting but I eat it since I kinda have to). So I dumped about a 1/2 c of tahini into the warm pasta, added some lemon juice, a clove of minced garlic, sea salt, and a good amount of extra virgin olive oil. I'll be honest in saying that the pasta dish wasn't AMAZING, but it was good. What would have made it really good would have been some marinated artichoke hearts or some capers--something salty. But like I said, I had to get creative with what I had on hand. For the spinach salad, I just added 2 chopped hardboiled eggs, a half of a clove of minced garlic, olive oil, and some red wine vinegar. Here's a tip: when making a vinaigrette, always do a 3 to 1 ratio--never 50/50. So 3 parts oil to 1 part vinegar. If you want more bite, then add more vinegar to taste. Anyway, some sea salt, pepper, and voila! Dinner is served. With this meal, the vampires won't dare bite, and it won't take a bite out of your budget!