Baked Tofu

 

This is my mom's recipe for bbq chicken that I adapted for tofu.  I added onions and cut the salt in half.  It is my husband's favourite tofu recipe.  I serve this tofu over quinoa or rice. 

Ingredients

1 onion, finely chopped

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup ketchup

1/3 cup vinegar

1/4 cup brown sugar or agave nectar

2 tablespoons vegetarian worcestershire sauce

2 tablespooons lemon juice

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons chili powder

2 teaspoons mustard powder

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Add butter to a saucepan on medium heat.  When butter has melted, add chopped onions and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add the rest of the ingredients to the pot.  Stir until combined.  Bring to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes.  Meanwhile chop tofu into cubes and place in a lightly oiled casserole dish.  Add the sauce and stir.  Bake in oven for 35-45 minutes.  Serve over quinoa or rice. 

 

Double Chocolate Cookies

These are the best chocolate cookies I have ever eaten.  My mom found this recipe in Taste of Home Contest Winning Recipes.  The original recipe, by Michelle Wolford, is for ice cream sandwiches, but we ditched the ice cream part.  I use whole wheat flour instead of white and the cookies are still scrumptious.  I always double the recipe, as the original only makes about a dozen.  Bet you can't eat just one!

1/3 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup white sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons whole wheat flour 
1/4 cup cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chocolate chips


Preheat the oven to 375 F.  Grease the cookie sheets.  Mix the butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla in a large bowl.  In a separate bowl mix the dry ingredients.  Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until mixed.  Add the chocolate chips.  Each cookie should be a heaping teaspoon of dough.  Bake for 8 to 12 minutes. 

Hawaiian-style Sweet-and-Sour Roasted Pineapple and Bell Pepper

This recipe is from Vegetarian Times.  Most of my favourite recipes come from this magazine and I highly recommend it!  I added quinoa and cilantro and cooked this dish longer than the original recipe suggested.


3 cups cubed fresh pineapple
1 medium red bell pepper, thinly sliced 
1 medium red onion, cut into thin wedges 
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon safflower oil 
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon coconut flakes
1 tablespoon lime juice
salt and pepper to taste (optional)
3 tablespoons cilantro
2 cups cooked quinoa (or rice)


Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Arrange pineapple, red pepper, and red onion on ungreased rimmed baking sheet.  Drizzle with toasted sesame oil and safflower oil, sprinkle with brown sugar, and season with salt and pepper, if desired.  Toss to coat. 

Roast pineapple mixture for 40 minutes, or until lightly browned, turning once.  Remove from oven and sprinkle with coconut flakes.  Drizzle with lime juice.  Remove to serving bowl and toss well to combine.  Serve over quinoa.   Top with cilantro. 



 

Oatmeal Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies

My grandma always has these cookies on hand when we visit.  She makes them really small, so when I make these cookies I do the same thing - then I can eat three instead of one!  I use real (or pure) vanilla because it tastes so much better than imitation vanilla.  Splurge a little and your mouth will thank you.  

1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 scant cups whole wheat flour
2 cups oatmeal
1 cup unsweetened coconut
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup chocolate chips 


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease cookie sheets.  Soften the butter and mix in sugar, eggs, and vanilla.  In a separate bowl mix the flour, baking powder, and coconut.  Slowly mix the dry ingredients in with the wet ingredients.  Add chocolate chips and stir.  Drop dough by rounded tablespoons onto the cookie sheet.  Bake for 10 minutes or until lightly browned on top.  Makes 36 mini cookies.   

Roasted Root Vegetable Fries

These fries are like candy in my mouth.  Rivers loves them too!  I use my Borner vegetable slicer to save time chopping.  If you think cooking vegetarian meals takes too much time, get a slicer!  I use mine every day.  These fries are great on their own, but they are also great drizzled in peanut sauce.  I used leftover sauce from my Peanut Noodles.

Ingredients:
2 parsnips, peeled
3 carrots, peeled
2 sweet potatoes, peeled
2 potatoes 
1 red onion, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon thyme
1 tablespoon sage
1 tablespoon basil
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon fresh herbs (parsley, mint, or thyme) to garnish


Preheat oven to 400 F. Chop vegetables.  Arrange the vegetables in a single layer in a roasting pan.  Pour the oil over the vegetables and sprinkle them with the herbs and garlic.  Stir until the vegetables are coated with oil.  Roast until the vegetables are cooked and browned (45 minutes -1 hour).  Sprinkle with fresh herbs and serve.   

Peanut Noodles

 

My husband calls this recipe "freakin wicked."  It started off as a pad thai recipe that my mom found on the internet.  She made a bunch of alterations, then  I did the same.  Now we have perfected it.  I use whole wheat noodles, but the original recipe called for rice noodles.  

1 package of noodles (375 g)

1 block tofu (I like to marinate it ahead with 1/4 cup rice vinegar, 2 Tbsp soy sauce, 1-2 Tbsp agave nectar, and a dash of chili powder)

1 onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons safflower oil

1/4 cup chopped or crushed peanuts 

2 green onions, sliced

2 carrots, julienned

2-3 red, yellow, or green peppers, thinly sliced

1 zucchini, chopped

1/2 cup cilantro

1/4 cup bean sprouts (optional)

Sauce: 

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup lime juice

4 tablespoons peanut butter

2 tablespoons chili paste (I use Sambal Oelek Chili Paste)

2 tablespoons ketchup

1/4 cup sugar (less if your peanut butter has added sugar)

Cook noodles according to package directions.  

Whisk together the sauce ingredients and microwave until peanut butter softens.  Whisk and set aside.

In a large pan, sautee the tofu with safflower oil until lightly browned.  Set tofu aside.  Stir fry the vegetables and then add the tofu to the vegetable mixture. 

Add half of the peanut sauce to the cooked noodles.  Stir well.  Top with stir-fried vegetables, tofu, peanuts, green onions, and cilantro.  I set the other half of the sauce on the table so people can add more if they want.