ginger-sesame marinated baked tofu

Probably my favorite cookbook of all time is Thug Kitchen. And not just because it's hilariously foul-mouthed and completely vegan. It's incredibly simple, delicious food. "Eat like you give a f*ck" is their motto and I've never been disappointed with anything I've tried to make. The recipes are very accessible: the ingredients are easy to find, and the directions are easy to follow.

Here's the baked tofu I added to GP's cauliflower + kimchi 'fried rice' in a previous post. This tofu is amazing. Yes, tofu can be mouth watering goodness if you do it right. And here's a very meta moment between GP + TK.  

adapted from Thug Kitchen's Recipe

marinade:

1/4 cup tamari
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 Tbsp lime juice (about 1 big lime)
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp minced ginger
2 tsp toasted sesame oil
2 tsp Sriracha
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

to make your tofu:

*drain a block of extra firm tofu by wrapping in a towel and pressing between plates (weighted down by a can of bean) for 30 minutes
*mix together the marinade and pour into a shallow pie plate of baking dish
*cut the block of tofu width wise into 1/4" thick slices (about 12)
*place the slices in the marinade for 2-8 hours and stir occasionally if possible
(reserve leftover marinade)

*preheat oven to 450
*place tofu slices in a single layer on greased cookie sheet or parchment paper
*bake for 15 minutes
*flip tofu and spoon more marinade on top, bake for 10 more minutes
*flip tofu again and spoon remaining marinade on top, bake for 10 minutes
*let rest before cutting up

serving suggestions:
*serve in salads, wraps, and rice dishes for added protein and deliciousness

turkey piccata

"One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well."
—Virginia Woolf

I love schnitzel, piccata, and scaloppine. Veal piccata (which is the origin of this dish in Italy) is the superior piccata from a taste perspective. But, if you are budget conscious or morally opposed to veal, the poultry options are a good bet. And, if you're Vegan/Vegetarian you can make this dish with seitan. When I saw the Turkey version in Alton Brown’s Good Eats 2, I couldn’t wait to try it.

Traditional Piccata is sauteed, butterflied meat in a lemony reduction. It is typically served over a bed of pasta in America, or after the pasta course in Italy. I am accustomed to a piccata dish containing capers, but this recipe omits them (and I missed them, though this was probably just nostalgia). This simple dish is easy to assemble and very quick cooking.

The turkey breast I bought from Whole Foods was already so thinly sliced that I didn’t take the time to flatten the turkey cutlets further. Next time, I will make more of the lemon/wine reduction as it accompanied the fettuccine pasta quite well. The turkey was delicious and I’m looking forward to the leftovers!

adapted from Alton Brown’s Good Eats 2

serves 4-6
1 pound of turkey cutlets
Kosher salt
Fresh ground pepper
½ cup all-purpose flour
2 tbsp. olive oil
6 tbsp. unsalted butter, divided
2 tbsp. shallots, finely chopped
½ cup white wine
1/3 cup lemon juice (which was more than 1 lemon for me)
2 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped (for garnish)

to make your Piccata:
*preheat oven to 200
*slice your turkey breast into ½” pieces and pound turkey cutlets to no less than 1/8” thick
*season both sides of the meat with salt and pepper and dredge through flour, shaking off excess, set aside
*heat oil and 4 tbsp. butter over medium high
*when hot, but not yet smoking, brown the turkey, about 1 minute on each side, then remove to an oven-proof platter and place in oven to keep warm
*reduce heat to low and add shallots, sautéing for 1-2 minutes, until they begin to turn translucent
*add the wine and lemon juice and simmer until slightly reduced, about 2 minutes
*add the remaining butter and whisk to combine
*season with salt and pepper to taste, if necessary
*pour the sauce over the turkey, sprinkle with parsley, and serve immediately

serving suggestion:
over a bed of pasta or mashed potatoes with a crisp salad

p.s. the photo used is from wikipedia's chicken piccata article. my turkey was camera-shy and really, they look quite similar.

(twice) baked beans

We’ve had such mild weather lately that we’ve been able to grill out in the middle of February! I love baked beans, and this recipe doesn’t disappoint. We had these beans as a side to really delicious burgers on the grill. And while a dutch oven is not necessary, as with all things, it only makes it better!

My boyfriend thought it was comical that one of the ingredients in this recipe was in fact canned baked beans. Come to find out Whit himself passed off canned baked beans in a Crockpot as a homemade side dish for a holiday party years ago. If he had just had this easy recipe, he could have truthfully claimed this fabulous side dish as his own.

If chili sauce is unknown to you, you are in good company. I had no idea what it was before I made these beans. I found it between the cocktail sauce and ketchup in the condiment aisle at my Kroger. It's not hot (spicy), but more of a sweet ketchup. This sauce is tasty and will be a condiment staple in my fridge from now on.

This recipe is adapted from ‘Life After Ramen’ by Ann Thatcher and Randy MacDonald, who are Knoxville natives! I've truly enjoyed their cookbook in the years since I received it as a gift. The recipes have short ingredients lists and do not require a lot of skill or equipment to pull off.

In the future, I'll try to make baked beans from scratch. But in the meantime, I'm happy to have this time saving and absolutely delicious recipe for a summer favorite on hand.

serves 4-6
28 oz. canned original style baked beans
¼ cup diced onion
¼ cup diced green pepper
6 oz. chili sauce
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 strip bacon

to make your beans:
*preheat oven to 350
*mix all ingredients and add to the dutch oven
*top with bacon strip
*cover and cook for 15 minutes
*uncover and cook for another 15 minutes

serving suggestion:
this side dish is delish hot or cold!

le french [dutch] oven

My dutch oven is actually a ‘French Oven’, according to Le Creuset. But since everyone else calls it a dutch oven, that is what I will call it in this blog. My dutch oven is a Le Creuset 5 ½ quart masterpiece in Cherry. Acclaimed for their performance, Le Creuset cookware is also a thing of beauty.

According to Le Creuset, “The cast iron provides superb heat retention and distribution, and the enamel is hard-wearing and non-reactive, making the number of recipes that you can do in this pot endless: anything from savory rice to braised chicken to mouth-watering cake. Your imagination is the only limit!”

I had the fine fortune this year of not only acquiring this beautiful piece of cookware, but also these wonderful cookbooks: Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution, and Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking. With these tools I hope to cook delicious food. Bon Appétit!