Rice Noodles with Broccoli and Tofu

My sister has a phobia of tofu, I think she has had some bad experiences with it that have seriously turned her off from it. I am going to do two tofu posts to try to inspire her to give it a try again.








The most important thing to do when cooking firm tofu is to press the excess water out of it, so don't skip that step! Lets gather up our ingredients and start prepping.




I have never worked with these before but there is a first time for everything!




You need fish sauce and soy sauce. Obviously the fish sauce is not vegetarian but you can substitute with some vegan worcestershire sauce or a little rice vinegar, both would be tasty.




You have to soak the rice noodles in water for a while before you cook them. I had no idea!




Just let them hang out while you prep the other ingredients.




You will need some extra firm tofu.




I only used half of the brick and stored the other half in a bowl of filtered water in the fridge. You can store the tofu in the fridge in water for a couple of days, but I have heard its best to change the water everyday.




Cut it into slices and lay it on some paper towels or a nice clean dish towel.




Cover it over with another towel and weigh it down with something heavy so the excess moisture gets pressed out.




While that presses and your noodles soak chop up some broccoli.




Mince some garlic




Defy those crazy media nuts and use some fresh jalapeno.




Slice up some shallot.




Mince up some fresh ginger.




After all of that prep your tofu should be nice and drained. Cube it up.




Get a wok going with some peanut oil.




Drop in the tofu and get it frying.




Fry it until its just browned and then get it out of the wok.




Get the shallot, garlic, jalapeno and ginger into the wok and stir fry for just a couple of minutes.




Add in the broccoli and fry it up as well, you can put a lid over the veggies to steam up the broccoli also.




When it is done to your liking add in the noodles. Do not be alarmed if the noodles still feel really firm, they will soften as you stir fry. Get the tofu and the sauce in the pot and get it all nice and combined.




This is a delicious way to make tofu and might even a turn a tofu hater into a tofu lover!! The next entry will also be tofu and will also be delicious!

Spinach and Potato Salad with Citrus Cumin Dressing

This is called a salad, but it is eaten warm. I really liked the flavor of the citrus and cumin vinaigrette on this. I adore cumin, it is one of my favorite spices. I put it in my guacamole, my salsas and all of my rubs.








I cut this recipe in half.




I didn't have fingerling potatoes, so I used red potatoes.




I also did not grill my potatoes, I roasted them in the toaster oven for about a half an hour. The first thing you want to do is cut them into bite sized wedges.




Season them up with some salt and pepper and coat them in olive oil.




Put them on the grill or a roasting pan and lets get our other ingredients.




Put your spinach in a bowl with a tight fitting lid that is big enough to hold all the potatoes.




Apricot preserves, white wine vinegar, tomatoes, lime and ginger.




Don't forget these guys, your cayenne and your fabulous cumin seed.




Put the cumin seeds in a dry, hot pan. Keep them moving in the pan until they toast up, you will see them begin to darken and more importantly you will smell them.




Get those into a bowl where you will assemble your dressing.




Grate in your ginger.




Add in the other dressing ingredients and whisk them together. Don't forget to add a touch of salt and pepper also.




When your potatoes are done, put them on top of your spinach and get the lid on tight so the potatoes steam the spinach.




Add in the tomatoes and the dressing and give it a toss to coat.








This is hearty yet it is low fat and delicious.

Thank you to all the readers who answered the bok choy question, you guys are the best.

Stir Fried Chicken with Baby Bok Choy

This recipe comes from my "Serves One" cookbook that I love.








Do seek out the oyster sauce and do not make an icky face like ewww oysters. This sauce has a 'fishy' note but it adds great flavor and I guarantee you will find it in a lot of Asian sauces and you never even knew it.




I used some breast meat, but would have preferred thigh meat.




Chop it up into bite sized pieces.




cover it minced garlic.




Grab some ginger that if you read my blog and use my tips, should be in your freezer.




Get the chicken all combined with the ginger and garlic.




Here is your star, the Oyster sauce. I used chicken stock instead of water because I wanted to use it before it went bad. A reader commented asking how I like Rachael Ray's stock and I have to admit that it is not that bad! I am no huge Rachael fan, I can't really handle watching her shows but I LOVE her magazine.




I also added in a little sweet chili sauce because I really like a little sweetness in my food. I do love my savory with a little sweet.




Mix the broth with the oyster sauce.




I don't know if this is Bok Choy or Baby Bok Choy? I didn't even know what part of this thing to eat. I looked around on the internet and saw that you can eat all of it pretty much? Can anyone tell me for sure which part of this tasty thing I am supposed to use?




I used mostly the white crunchy part.




Get the chicken in a wok with some oil. I prefer peanut oil for stir frying.








When the chicken is looking cooked, toss in the sauce.




Add in the bok choy and let it cook for just a minute so it stays crunchy.




Once it is done to your likeness, plate it up!








This was tasty, fast and easy. I will definitely use the sauce again as a basic stir fry sauce.