Sesame Marinated Tofu

I never really liked tofu, mostly because I found the texture unappealing and often times it was just really bland.  Recently, I've discovered that I only really dislike the texture when the tofu is warm...I really like firm tofu when it is cold, especially if it's in a good marinade.  On several occasions I've gotten the sesame marinated tofu from the Whole Foods deli.   The other day, Nicole made soba noodles with cucumbers, sesame oil and sesame seeds, topped with marinated tofu that was even better than what I've gotten from Whole Foods.  She diced the cold, firm tofu into small cubes, placed them in a container that seals well, added a little bit of toasted sesame oil, Soyaki sauce, and sesame seeds, and shook it all up.  I was a fan.

Cabbage and broccoli slaw

I made fish tacos for Nicole and Alli yesterday, and as a result, had most of a head of red cabbage left sitting around and a lot of cilantro.  Nicole decided to make the 10 minute couscous soup, with the addition of cabbage and cilantro, and decided to make up a cabbage and broccoli slaw.  I used the stems of the broccoli for this recipe.  Once the "bark" has been removed, the stems are actually pretty tasty--they are sweet and crispy.  

Ingredients:

• 1-2 cup of shredded red cabbage
  
• 8 baby carrots, julienned
  
• 3 broccoli stems, outer portion removed, julienned
  
• 2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
  
• 2-3 tablespoons of Soyaki sauce
  
• 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
  
• mung bean sprouts (optional, will try next time)
  
• 1/4 cup quinoa, cooked (optional)
  

Just mix everything together, really not all that hard.  Just make sure to remove the outer "bark" of the broccoli stems.  The Soyaki sauce is from Trader Joe's and is basically a mixture of soy sauce, garlic, sesame seeds, ginger, sesame oil, onions, and onion powder (according to the ingredients). Soy Vay makes a similar sauce called Very Very Teriyaki which is also very good (my family loves the stuff).

The slaw came out pretty good and took almost no effort...it would probably be good in a wrap with shrimp or marinated tofu.  I will definitely try adding some mung bean sprouts the next time I make it.

From YummyFood

Couscous and Quinoa Salad

After moving into the new apartment, we stocked up with tons of food, but didn't really get anything for a cohesive meal.  We had some salmon, broccoli, tons of grains, chickpeas and misc frozen vegetables.  I combined our misc grains and frozen vegetables into a pretty good salad to go along with the fish and broccoli.  

Ingredients:

• equal parts of couscous, quinoa, and Kashi pilaf equalling about 1 cup, cooked
  
• 1/4 of a small onion, diced
  
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
  
• 1/2 cup of frozen peas
  
• 1/2 cup of frozen corn
  
• 1/2 cup of diced carrots
  
• 3/4 cup of chickpeas
  
• olive oil
  
• balsamic vinegar
  
• 2 tablespoons of lemon juice
  
• 1/4 cup of almonds (roughly chopped, but slivers would work well)
  
• salt, black pepper, chili powder
  
• dried cherries (optional)
  
• fresh parsley (optional)
  

I sauteed the garlic, onion, frozen peas and corn in a little olive oil (mostly to thaw the corn and peas and take the edge off the onion and garlic).  Once everything was thawed/cooked, I removed it from the heat and mixed this with the grains.  I added about a tablespoon more of olive oil, 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar (amount can be adjusted to how much you like vinegar), lemon juice, carrots, chick peas, and almonds.  A few grinds of black pepper, dash of chili powder, and salt to taste.  We didn't have any dried cherries or parsley, but that would have been a great addition.  I topped this with a little grated parmesan/romano cheese...feta would probably be really good too.  We ate this when it was warm (not hot, not cold)...basically I prepared this right before I cooked the salmon.

We the salad with steamed broccoli and pan-seared salmon.  I marinated the salmon for about 10 minutes in a very basic marinated (lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, paprika...basically the same as for the fish tacos, minus the cilantro) before cooking.  Pretty easy overall and good.