Two Tofu Attempts

S and I have become avid readers of a food blog called IowaGirlEats. Iowa Girl often cooks tofu, a product I have very little experience with. Other than my occasional Chinese food order of 'Tofu with Mixed Vegetables," I'm clueless. But Iowa Girl made it look so easy, and has talked up it's health benefits so much, that I thought I'd give tofu a try in the kitchen.

First try: Baking Tofu

I followed Iowa Girl's recipe pretty closely. I cubed some extra firm tofu and mixed it with soy sauce, agave nectar, garlic powder, along with a dash of rice vinegar and a dash of a teriyaki marinade I had leftover in the fridge. I did leave out the recommended sesame oil though, as I didn't have any...Then pop in a 375 degree oven for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, I made a stir fry sauce with equal splashes water and soy sauce, a dash of rice vinegar, a generous scoop of chopped garlic, 1 tbsp peanut butter and some shakes of red pepper flakes. I poured the sauce over some spinach and mushrooms in a saute pan, and started broccoli steaming in another pot.

About 15 minutes into baking, something seems to be burning. My tofu cubes have blackened on the bottom of the pan and remain soft and sponge-like everywhere else. Maybe this could have been avoided with the sesame oil? I don't know...but I took them out of the oven and scraped them into the saute pan anyway.

Next, add the broccoli.

And then some freshly-steamed rice. Stir and serve.

So the flavor of this dish was great, and I felt very healthy while eating it. However, the tofu was kind of a bust. I wanted my tofu crispy without the downside of frying, which definitely didn't happen.

Second try: Sauteing Tofu

So the very next day I still had half a block of tofu and a fridge full of veggies left. So I gave tofu another chance. I followed the same exact recipe except I just sauteed the tofu cubes in the sauce instead of the whole bakingfiasco. Everything came out about the same - no crispiness, but at least my cooking time was reduced. Also, I used rice sticks instead of plain rice.

I found these in the Asian section of my grocery store. Pretty delicious, actually!

The sticks only need to boil for about 2-3 minutes, and then get tossed into the pan:

So will I be trying tofu again? Probably not anytime soon. First, my tofu tries were made when my husband was out of town...I don't think I could get him to eat tofu anywhere, much less my soggy attempts. Second, I think I only really like tofu when it's crispy and fried...and frying tofu seems to defeat the purpose of eating healthy. Oh well...I would definitely recommend the sauce and the rice sticks though :)

Next up: Chicken Curry Masala. Now this dish was a success!

--R

World's Finest Donair

As I mentioned briefly in an earlier post, I recently moved to Edmonton, Alberta, Canada!

(view into downtown from our apartment)

I'm still getting adjusted to this new city and new country, which always has its ups and downs. My favorite part about being in a new place, though, is exploring my different food options. Even going to the supermarket is a new experience (i.e. all the different potato chip flavors - "dressed up," "dill pickle," lots of flavors involving sour cream), or how all the labels are in English and French.

But the best part has to be trying the restaurants, from fast food to fine dining. I've come to learn that Canadians, or at least Edmontonians, are big fans of the donair. There's probably a donair shop every few blocks around here. What is a donair, you ask? Well, it's basically a gyro, as far as I can tell. Shaved lamb in a pita with tomato, lettuce and onion. However, instead of the traditional Greek tzatziki sauce, a donair is served with a sweet sauce (which, according to the internet, is made with evaporated milk, garlic, sugar and white vinegar).

Maybe I'm just not used to it yet, but I still prefer tzatziki to the sweet sauce. Luckily, "World's Finest Donair," the donair place across the street from our apartment, serves both. Woohoo.

For our latest visit, I decided to try the falafel. World's Finest serves their falafel in crumbles, as opposed to the more solid pieces I'm used to, but the taste remains the same. Served in a pita with tomato, lettuce, onion, cucumber, pickled beets, hummus, hot sauce AND tzatziki!

Ok, so this meal is a big mess (not helped by my dog whacking the whole styrofoam container off the coffee table with his tail, sending pieces all over the white carpet)...but it sure is good. I think I prefer the falafel to the donair, actually.

Served with a side of fries, topped with a spicy, mystery seasoning. Yum.

We'll definitely be back to World's Finest Donair. It's good, reliable food and the location can't be beat, especially when we get into the arctic temperatures I've been hearing so much about...

--R

Dressed-Up Ramen

I've always had a special place in my heart for Ramen and Cup O' Noodles. My mom would buy them occasionally when we were younger, and for whatever reason it always seemed like a special treat.

Now Ramen noodles don't seem nearly as exciting; they're more like one of those foods you make when there's absolutely nothing else in the kitchen to eat. Kind of a bottom of the barrel meal.

However, there are a few ways to dress this dish up and make a hearty meal. There's actually recipes all over the internet about this, but I figured I would share my personal favorite.

While the 2 cups of water are boiling on the stove, toss in a desired amount of vegetables. I had a frozen mix of corn, peas, carrots and lima beans, so I threw in a generous amount. You could add any veggies you like though. Once your water is boiling, add the noodles and HALF the included Ramen seasoning (I had the Chicken flavored one, but I think the Oriental flavor might work even better). Ramen seasoning is ridiculously high in sodium, and you just don't need to use it all for this recipe.

Now, the fun part. You can add whatever seasonings you want. I absolutely love spicy foods, particularly Indian flavors, so I add a few dashes of Yellow Curry Powder, a sprinkling of Garam Masala, and a little bit of red pepper flakes. All of these spices are very strong, so be careful you don't add too much or your mouth will be on fire.

Lastly, crack one egg into the mix and stir. I was wary of this part, but a good friend from high school insisted and I won't eat my Ramen without egg now. SO good.

Voila!

This whole meal takes about 5 minutes, and doesn't ever take a special trip to the store. Just use whatever you have laying around in your kitchen! Give this recipe a try and you won't be disappointed.

--R

Saute

Saute - not just a method of cooking, but a great little restaurant in Baltimore on the corner of Hudson and Linwood.

http://www.sauteofbaltimore.com/

Before our big move (to Edmonton, Alberta!), my husband(!) and I went out to dinner in the old neighborhood. I'd read some mixed reviews online about Saute, so we weren't sure what to expect. Luckily, we were in for a pleasant surprise. A very friendly hostess seated us immediately, and an oversized glass of white sangria was a great start to the meal.

For an appetizer, we shared a "taste portion" of the Pulled Duck Nachos. This was definitely the standout dish of the evening - tortilla chips topped with tender duck, bread and butter peppers and melted Vermont white cheddar. Seriously delicious...this was my first experience with duck nachos and I would order them again in a heartbeat. Not a small portion either - any larger and we wouldn't have had room for our entrees.

yum!

For my entree, I ordered the Ultimate Meatloaf. This awesome meatloaf was wrapped in applewood smoked bacon and piled on creamy mashed potatoes and Saute's take on 'green bean casserole': crunchy, fresh green beans and thinly-sliced, fried and crispy onion slices. I'm a big fan of meatloaf, I think it's comforting and delicious almost all the time, but this version takes the cake.

omg so good

My husband ordered the Bistro Filet - served with foie gras shallot butter, fingerling potatoes, blackberries and arugula. As great as it sounds, his meal was actually pretty average - tasty, but nothing special. Order the meatloaf instead for a better meal and a lower price to boot. Needless to say, he was jealous :)

-R

First Football Sunday + Kitchen Sink Pizza

Happy First Football Sunday! I love football and I think it pushes fall over the edge as my favorite season over spring or summer. Here in SoBo (south Baltimore), we root for the Ravens!

One of my favorite parts of Football Sundays (or Mondays or Thursdays...) is that you have an excuse to cook whatever junk food your heart desires. Usually, I make sure to pick up some supplies at the grocery store or even better, the farmers market, before the big day. Alas, this rainy Sunday morning found us without any special ingredients on hand! I had to come up with something with what we had in the fridge, and fast- we were halfway through the one o'clock games, and we were hungry!

We had a bag of pizza dough from Trader Joe's sitting in the fridge, but frankly, it was whole wheat and the calzones we'd made with it a few nights ago weren't very good. We would need to really doctor this up...

We came up with...drum roll please.... buffalo cheddar chicken sausage pizza!

First I rolled out the dough on some cornmeal. Then I brushed it with olive oil and liberally sprinkled it with Kosher salt. (This particular dough was pretty tasteless last time). I layered on sliced red onions and very thinly sliced fresh tomatoes. I liberally applied some Cholula hot sauce, and sprinkled the whole thing with some garlic powder, red pepper flakes, and oregano. I threw that puppy into the oven to get started cooking. One trick I've found with homemade pizza is, if you layer on too many toppings all at once, it comes out soggy. So to try to avoid such a fate, I cooked the pizza in stages. Once it seemed to be about halfway done, I added some thinly sliced smoked chicken sausage, cheddar cheese and green onions. The whole thing went back into the oven for another few minutes until the cheese was bubbly and the sausage was heated through.

We dipped it in some ranch dressing and decided that we were geniuses! The crust was crisp and just a bit salty, the cholula was spicy, the sausage was smoky, and the onions gave a nice bite to the whole thing. Happy First Football Sunday!!!
-S

Late Summer Feast!

If you live in Baltimore, you know that you can't live without a roof deck. It is the way to 'get away' from the noise and the grit of the city. You can watch the sun set over the skyline while sipping a cocktail and you know that's what life is all about.

One summer night recently, my beau and I invited over R and her significant other for a summer feast on the roof deck. We had ribs, un-baked beans, homeade mac and cheese, and a summer salad.

I cooked the ribs in the oven low and slow, I think about 300 degrees for a few hours. Alton Brown has a great recipe online. For the beans, I soaked a bag of beans over night, and then simmered them in a pot, with some bacon, smashed garlic cloves, a bay leaf, and some onions, until tender, adding more water as necessary while they cooked. The mac and cheese was just a thick cheese sauce (made with milk, cheddar, garlic powder) over some rotini pasta. I topped the casserole with parmesan cheese and homeade breadcrumbs. I think homeade breadcrumbs really make this dish and are not much extra work. You just throw a couple of pieces of regular old sandwich bread and a couple of cloves of garlic into the food processer and pulse until its the consistency of, well, breadcrumbs! Then I like to take it a step further and throw them in a big pan with some butter until they are golden and crisp! Hey, go big or go home! I think Paula would be proud of this one...

I definitely dove into that salad before I remembered to take a picture... In any event, it was a memorable night, with beloved friends and delicious food.
--S

Shake Shack

While visiting NYC last weekend, I finally made a trip to the famed Shake Shack. My (very soon-to-be) sister-in-law and I have been talking about this meal for about 3 years now, and I'm so glad we had the opportunity to get there (Thanks, Alex, for the engagement lunch!).

There are multiple locations in the city, but we opted for the shack in Madison Square Park. Ok, for those not familiar, Shake Shack is legendary in New York for its delicious burgers, fries and, of course, shakes. As with anything popular in the city, the wait is no joke. Check out this line:

Not the best picture, but you get the idea.

Our meal was genuinely worth the wait. Three Shack burgers (served with American cheese, tomato, lettuce and Shack Sauce), one Shack-cago dog (Vienna all-beef dog on a poppy seed bun - topped with mustard, Rick's Picks Shake Shack relish, onion, cucumber, pickle, tomato, sport pepper and celery salt), one side of fries, two Arnold Palmers, and one vanilla milkshake.

The burgers are perfectly cooked and not too large. I'm not exactly sure what the "Shack Sauce" is - something mayonnaise-based. The tomato and lettuce are fresh and crispy, and the bun tastes newly-baked. Delicious. The fries are a classic complement, and the milkshake might be the best I've ever had. Not a single complaint here! The Shack-cago dog was my first experience with the Chicago-style hot dog, and while apparently not completely authentic, was great nonetheless. I think Shake Shack's version is slightly downsized, but shares the same ingredients. Now I just need to get to Chicago and try the real thing...

We finished off with two "concretes" (described as "dense frozen custard blended at high speed with Shack-made mix-ins"). We got the Hopscotch (Vanilla custard, hot caramel sauce, chocolate toffee and Valrhona chocolate chunks), and a featured Concrete special, which was vanilla custard with strawberries, caramel and poppy seeds. I think one Concrete would have been more than enough, but we were happy to sample both concoctions...I would of course recommend either.

So, if you're in NYC and have the time to wait, Shake Shack is a must-visit - it was definitely worth the three-year wait!

--R