Thai Peanut Noodles with Crispy Tofu and Mago

Volunteering at a library bookstore does has its perks. Most importantly, I get them half off. Secondly, I get first pick of some beautiful cookbooks (and other books) for gifts and personal use. At two different library bookstores I’ve found editions of Food & Wine Magazine’s series, Best of the Best. I love the series because it is literally a collection of the best recipes from the top cookbooks of the year. That means you get an incredible variety of recipes from some of the best chefs and writers around. This one from the simply titled Recipes by Susan Spugen is no exception. 

Peanut Noodles with Mango is a simple Asian inspired dish that is easy to recreate at home. The recipe as is really good as a side dish but I wanted to make an entree for two hungry people. So crispy fried tofu seemed like a good fit. Chicken, or shrimp would also be delicious in place of the tofu. I like how crispy thinly sliced tofu gets in a shallow oil bath inside a dutch oven. That baby makes frying TOO easy. You can also pan fry the tofu in a skillet with just a couple tablespoons of olive oil.

I was afraid this recipe would be a little out of our normal dinner comfort zone as it is served cold. To my delight and surprise, Aaron loved this unconventional dish and promptly scarfed it down in about a minute. He also called dibbs on the leftovers. That’s how I know I have a hit on my hands.

I just happened to have a lovely soften mango and sugar peas on hand, so luckily this dish came together quite easily. I often keep toasted sesame oil on hand because it adds so much flavor. Try to get if you can. I also recommend a couple dashes of Thai fish sauce if you want to add a little umami to a dish, which is slighlty the sweeter side.

Another adaption I made to the original recipe was the use of PB2 instead of peanut butter. You can definitely use regular smooth peanut butter if you have yet to discover PB2. One reason that I recommend the former is the addition of flavor with only a ¼ of the calories of regular fatty peanut butter. The addition of 45 calories per tablespoon versus 200 calories of the traditional condiment makes this a little lighter for a weeknight meal. If you are serving this as a side dish at a barbeque, go ahead and use the regular stuff. I don’t believe in reduced fat peanut butter. There, I said it.

This is a crowd pleaser and perfect for when the weather gets a little warmer and the produce gets fresher. For kids, the mango and tofu are optional. They’ll love the peanut sauce! I’m sure you will too.

Peanut Noodles with Crispy Tofu 

and Mango

(Adapted from Recipes by Susan Spugen featured in 

Food & Wine’s Best of the Best, Volume 9)

For 2-3 entrée sized portions

Ingredients:

For the Peanut Sauce

½ cup PB2 peanut butter prepared with ¼ cup water, or ½ cup regular smooth peanut butter

3 tbsp. warm water

1 ½ tbsp. rice vinegar

3 tbsp. soy sauce

2 tbsp. toasted sesame oil

1 tbsp. grated or finely chopped fresh ginger root

½ tsp. red pepper flakes

¼ tsp. garlic powder

½ tsp. vegan sugar

¼ tsp. black pepper

For the Noodles

½ lb. spaghetti noodles (thicker, not thin noodles are best)

1 cup sugar snap peas or snow peas, chopped into 1-inch pieces

1 lime, juiced

1 ripe mango, peeled and chopped into 1-inch pieces

½ cup cilantro leaves, roughly chopped

1-2 green onions, chopped

salt

optional: ¼ cup roasted peanuts, chopped for garnish

sriracha and sesame oil for serving

For the Tofu

½ block extra-firm tofu, sliced into ½ inch strips, then cut in half

¼ cup all-purpose flour

½ tsp. garlic powder

½ tsp. onion powder

¼ tsp. chili powder

¼ tsp. black pepper

¼ tsp. salt

water and salt for soaking

Vegetable oil

Gluten-free version: Simply replace tamari sauce for soy sauce, don’t flour the tofu, and use your favorite gluten free spaghetti noodles.

Directions:

Add all ingredients for the sauce to a small food processer or blender and blend until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to use. (you can make this 2-3 days ahead of time)

In a small bowl, mix chopped mango with lime juice and a pinch of salt. Chill until ready to serve.

For the noodles, bring a pot of salted (2 tsp.) water to a rolling boil. Add spaghetti and cook according to package instructions. You don’t want soft noodles, so cook just a little more than al dente since you will chill noodles until allow them to rest to doneness.

At the last minute of cooking time, stir in snap peas to pasta water, cooking for no more than 1 minute until bright green and softened. Once pasta and peas and cooked transfer to a large colander and rinsed well with cold water at least twice so noodles do not get gummy with the chilled toppings and peas do not get over cooked.

Toss noodles and peas in the peanut sauce until well coated.

For the tofu, add slices to a shallow baking dish with warm water and 2 tsp. salt. Soak tofu for at least 15 minutes. Pull slices out and place on a plate or cutting board lined with paper towels. Cover slices with more paper towels and gently press down to press out water. Repeat one to two times until tofu is no longer soaking wet, only slightly damp.

In a shallow bowl, combine flour, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, and peppers.

If deep-frying, heat a large dutch oven or cast iron pot over medium heat with enough vegetable oil to cover bottom by about two inches. Test by dropping a piece of green onion into the oil. It is ready if the onion begins to sizzle on impact.

Once oil is hot, bread tofu slices in the flour mixture on both sides. Working in batches, carefully place slices in the hot oil and fry for 3 minutes, then flip for an additional minute, until both sides are lightly brown and crispy. Carefully take pieces out of the oil and place on paper towels. Sprinkle slices with the salt.

Serve dish as soon as the tofu is cooked. Spoon noodles and peas on plates, top with chopped cilantro, green onions, mango and tofu slices. Drizzle plates with additional sesame oil and top with chopped peanuts. Serve with sriracha.

Enjoy!

WIAW #63: Savory Herbed Blintzes

I’ve been doing a lot of big dinner cooking lately but not much of photographing. And because of these rich dinners that often involve complicated carbs, my breakfasts and lunches aren't taht interesting to begin with. Think yogurt, granola, grapefruit, leftovers...and chocolate pumpkin quinoa bars. Okay, those are interesting. 

But either way, I hope you enjoy the main part of my day: dinner.

When you Google “savory blintzes,” you mainly get recipes for sweet dessert blintzes that may have a line or two at the end saying, “try these savory!” 

Instead, I simply made my own version based on one of those sweet recipes. I’ll tell you, it’s completely worth it. The light airy crepes give way to oozing, deliciously herbed ricotta. Doesn’t that sound much better than topped with maple syrup?

Now, the sweet blintzes have their moments, but unless you are entertaining, the savory version is much more practical for a special meal for two or four.

I must say these babies are definitely decadent. For a meal you really only need two along with a hearty salad or bowl of vegetable minestrone like we did. Playful re-imagining of grilled cheese and tomato soup I guess. Also, an awesome one.

You can also customize this as much as you want. I topped ours with caramelized onions, keeping the toppings simply to let the blintz itself shin. But, this recipe also makes a great base for an authentic manicotti. Simply use your favorite marinara sauce to coat a baking dish, place blintzes on top, and cover with sauce, cheese, and additional herbs. Bake at 350 until bubbly and brown on top.

They also freeze quite well for up to a month. Simply freeze for 30 minutes on a baking sheet, and then transfer to a plastic bag so they won’t stick together. Thaw in the fridge before reheating in the oven.

No matter what you topping them with (roasted tomatoes anyone?) you will go nuts over these. It actually makes me miss Philadelphia and its amazing Italian food a little less…. or more because its so good.

Savory Herb Blintzes

(Adapted from The Working Class Foodies Cookbook by Rebecca Lando)

Ingredients:

Crepes

¾ cup all-purpose flour

3 large eggs

1 cup 2% or whole milk

2 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

3/4 tsp. salt

½ tsp. white or black pepper

Olive oil

Filling

1 ½ cup part-skim ricotta

4 oz. (1/2 block) cream cheese, softened

½ cup grated Parmesan

1 large egg, beaten

1 tbsp. unsalted butter

2 garlic cloves, minced

½ tsp. salt

1 tsp. black pepper

1 tsp. red pepper flakes

2 tsp. herb de Provence or mix of rosemary and oregano

1 tbsp. fresh sage minced

2 tsp. fresh oregano, minced

¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped

Dash Worcestershire sauce

Toppings

Minced fresh parsley

Grated Parmesan

1 cup Caramelized onions (roughly 1 large yellow onion)

For the Caramelized onions, sliced onion into thin rings and cook over low heat in a pan with 1 tbsp. butter and drizzle olive oil. Let onions sweat until soft and very translucent, stirring occasionally. Add 1 tbsp. sugar, 1/2 tsp. salt, and pepper. Stir until darkened. Once onions are dark, add ¼ cup water and cover. Cook until very dark and soft.

Directions:

For the crepe batter, whisk eggs, milk, melted butter, and salt together in a large bowl. Mix in flour a ¼ cup at a time until just combined, scraping the side of the bowl. Refrigerate batter in the fridge for at least an hour or overnight.

Meanwhile, in another bowl, mix all the ingredients for the filling together. Set aside or refrigerate until ready to use. Make caramelized onions if using.

Once you are ready to make the crepes, heat a large pan or skillet over medium heat with a little drizzle of olive oil.

Scoop about ¼ cup batter, or just enough to cover the bottom of the pan, swirling the batter quickly to cover the bottom in a thin layer. Cook each crepe for about 90 seconds or until lightly brown on the bottom. (Don’t flip.)

Place crepe on a plate a cover with a piece of parchment paper or a paper towel. Repeat with the rest of the batter and use more oil as needed.

To assemble the blintzes, lay a crepe on a plate or clean cutting board. Spoon a thick amount of the filling on the bottom half of the crepe. Fold half over the filling, then fold over sides and tightly roll with the last half, make a tight bundle, with the seam on the bottom. Repeat with the rest of the crepes and filling.

Using the same pan, heat back to medium high and drizzle enough olive oil to just cover the bottom of the pan. Fry each rolled blintz for 2-3 minutes on each side until crispy and brown.  Fry two or three blintzes at a time depending on the size of the pan. Place on paper towels until all finished.

Transfer blintzes to plates, top with caramelized onions, parsley, and grated Parmesan. Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Dutch Oven French Bread

Valentine's Day concluded this year like most gift-holidays. I picked out what I wanted and Aaron bought it for me...and flowers. But hey, he got a bottle of Maker's Mark; so don't feel bad for him.

 

I've had my eye on this Le Creuset dutch oven for almost a month. I first saw it on clearance while browsing at Marshall's and almost got giddy. The 5 1/2 quart enamel cast iron oven usually goes for several hundred dollars on retail. This one being a "second" quality (though there was only two discolorations you can barely see) usually goes for $250....I got it for $80.

So let's just say I was so excited to break it out that I started using it the first night I got it. Two weeks later, I've started the tradition of "Sunday Bread." Since this recipe takes several hours of inactive time between rising, it is perfect to start before church or any Sunday morning activities and finishing later in the day in time for dinner and weekday sandwiches.

One good thing about this recipe (at least for me) it isn't the "no-knead" Dutch oven bread everyone else has been slinging around the internet because you do knead it in a mixer for 10 minutes, saving you the 24 hours in the fridge that the other version requires. If you have the time and/nor the mixer, here's the famous recipe for good "no knead" dutch oven bread.

I got this recipe from Le Creuset itself and I made it twice: once their way and once my way. What's the difference? Well as good as the bread I made first was, I wanted a slightly softer, more moist bread. Luckily my experiment paid off and I was rewarded with the same height and color of the previous loaf....while having a softer inside.

Alas, this changed how the dough appeared before baking it. Like some of the other breads and recipes I've made since I starting bread-baking a few months ago, my version makes a softer dough as well. With the addition of a little olive oil and pinch of sugar, I got the soft French bread I wanted. It also last at least a day without drying out. (After that I recommend freezing and thawing as needed.)

I do love the simplicity of this recipe and it makes me miss REAL French bread. I would love to see someone try this recipe in an oval Le Creuset to see if it turned into the oval loafs I love so much.

This is the best bread fresh as well as the next day for the best paninis, sandwiches, and my new favorite….French toast. Anyway you eat it you won’t be disappointed.

Dutch Oven French Bread

(Adapted from LeCreuset Technique Series with Michael Ruhlman)

Makes 1 large loaf

Ingredients:

4 cups All-Purpose Flour (such as King Arthur)

1 ½ cup warm water (between 105-115 F degrees)

1 tsp. active dry yeast (about half of a packet)

1 tsp. Coarse sea salt plus additional for baking

1 tsp. sugar

Vegetable oil or vegetable oil spray

2 tsp. Olive oil plus more for baking

Note: It is important that your water is warm so the yeast will proof, but not too hot to kill it.

Also, try not to scope the flour with the same cup for measuring as you will acquire 30% more flour from the scooping. Instead scoop with a separate cup or flour scoop and carefully pour into the measuring cup.

P.S. make sure your dutch oven has a phelonic knob for the hot temperatures, otherwise remove the knob prior to baking.

Instructions:

 

Add flour, water, yeast, sugar, 2 tsp. olive oil, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook and at least a 5 ½ quart bowl.

Mix on medium speed (4 for Kitchen Aid) until the dough is smooth and elastic, 5-10 minutes. The dough should be coherent, but will also be soft and sticky.

Lift dough from the bowl, spray with vegetable oil, and then return dough to the bowl. Cover the bowl from the mixer with a pot lid or tightly with plastic wrap.

Let dough to rise until it has doubled in size and does not spring back when a finger covered in flour does not bounce back into it, 2 to 4 hours.

Turn the dough out onto a clean, floured work surface and knead it to release the gas and redistribute the yeast in the dough. Shape the dough into a ball and cover loosely with a towel, letting stand for 10 minutes to allow the gluten to relax from the kneading.

On your floured surface, shape the dough into a ball as tightly as possible by rolling it between your hands and pinching the bottom.

Using the vegetable oil, spray or coat the bottom and sides of a large French oven that’s at least 5 ½ quart big. Put the dough in the center of the pot and place the lid on. Allow the dough to rise again, for 30 minutes if warm and humid, 60 minutes if room is colder.

Preheat the oven to 450 F degrees.

Rub at least 1 tablespoon olive oil, gently over the surface of the dough. Score the bread with a sharp knife or razor, making an X or a hash mark (#) to let the dough to expand freely in the oven. Evenly sprinkle the dough with the salt. Cover the pot with the lid and place it in the oven.

After 30 minutes of baking, remove the lid and reduce the oven temperature to 375 F degrees. Continue baking until the bread is nicely browned and cooked through with an internal temperature of 200 F degrees with a thermometer (about 10-15 minutes.)

Remove bread from the dutch oven and allow the bread to rest on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes so that the interior finishes cooking.

Enjoy!

The Cuisiner

Vegan Truffled Chocolate Covered Cherries and Mousse

Hey guess what? Valentine's Day is coming up on Friday. Oh you didn’t know? Well then you’ll need something special to make.

Whether you are looking for something special for you and your significant other, for a girls' night in, or a dinner party, they will all be impressed. But it's another thing if you have allergies, are gluten-free, or vegan. No matter your diet, you deserve some decadence too.

So when Enjoy Life Foods sent me a bag of their Dark Chocolate morsels for baking, I knew it was time to make a treat everyone could enjoy. Pun.

The morsels not only contribute to my chocolate coconut cream mousse but also to my chocolate covered cherries. They can be made separately or be put together. Either way you have enough decadence to last you the whole season.

You know I love Enjoy Life's products and since their 69% cocoa chips are gluten-free, vegan, and free of the eight most common allergens, you don’t have to be afraid to have your mousse and eat it too. Oh, and they melt perfectly. 

Likewise, cordial chocolate covered cherries were one of my favorites growing up. But if you don't buy carefully, they can taste quite artificial. So instead, I used fresh Bing cherries that are only in season for a couple weeks in Chile. I know, but forgive me it’s Valentine’s Day. Here, Enjoy Life’s dark chocolate morsels were essential.

I wanted to combine fresh, sweet cherries with decadent dark chocolate so you have a nice crunch with the soft flesh of the cherries. And hey, this is America so might as well stuff the cherry with vegan chocolate coconut cream mousse. This step while totally worth it can be skipped for time’s sake. I do hope you make the chocolate mousse. It is so rich and creamy you won’t believe it is actually vegan…but I promise it is!

Coconut cream is an extra thick version of coconut milk, basically without the water and really cannot be substituted. You can find it at Trader Joe’s (of course,) Whole Food’s, and probably any Asian markets or well stocked grocery will carry it. Just make sure you refrigerate the can overnight so it remains thick and won’t melt as much while you are working with it.

FYI: this mousse is very decadent, so small amounts go a long way. This recipe should be enough for 4 small portions. If you aren’t used to coconut cream, you don’t want to over eat or you might get a tummy ache!

This is perfect for a the modern Valentine’s Day dinner party as you won’t get any complaints from your vegan or gluten-free guests. Get ready to impress some people with this! And you will have a lot of cherries left over….but not for long.

Vegan Chocolate Covered Cherries with Vegan Chocolate Mousse

Makes 4 small cups of mouse and 40 cherries

Ingredients:

For the Mousse

1 cup coconut cream or about ½ of a can, (refrigerate can overnight before use so it hardens)

3 tbsp. vegan sugar

3 tbsp. Cocoa powder

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 cup Enjoy Life dark chocolate morsels

Coconut or other vegan milk in case you need to adjust the consistency

For the Truffled Chocolate Covered Cherries

40 fresh bing cherries, carefully pitted

1 cup Enjoy Life dark chocolate morsels

Coconut chips or flaked coconut for garnish

About 1/2 cup chocolate mousse

1 plastic bag

40 toothpicks

Directions:

Use a double broiler or sauce pan and glass bowl for melting.

Fill a saucepan with about 2 inches of water and bring to a boil. Place glass bowl over top trapping the steam and take off heat immediately.

Add 1/4 cup chocolate morsels into the bowl and continue stirring until all morsel chips are melted and chocolate is smooth. If it isn't melting, cover with lid for a minute and the chips should start to melt around the edges.

Meanwhile add all ingredients including the melted chocolate, for the mousse into a stand mixer or bowl with beaters until completely mixed and air enters mixture making light and creamy. Spoon into individual glasses for serving, reserving about 1/2 cup mousse. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least two hours up to one day.

Separately arrange pitted cherries on a plate and carefully spoon reserved mousse into the plastic bag. Cut the edge of the bag to make a very small slit.

Using the opening of each cherry made by pitting, pipe a very small amount of mousse into each cherry and a little on the opposite side. (This may be a bit messy, so keep a paper towel handy.)

Refrigerate stuffed cherries for about 30 minutes to 1 hour before dipping in chocolate. Before dipping them into the chocolate, carefully place 1 toothpick into the side of each cherry without squeezing mousse out of the cherry.

Meanwhile bring your saucepan with water back to a boil and remove from heat once boiled. Melt the remaining cup of chocolate morsels over your double broiler or bowl and saucepan. Continue stirring until all morsel chips are melted and chocolate is smooth. If it isn't melting, cover with lid for a minute and the chips should start to melt around the edges.

(If you are a slower worker like me, it might be easier only to work with a 1/2 cup of morsels at a time as the chocolate will re-harden very quickly.)

Working very quickly dip each skewered cherry into the melted cherry to cover completely and scrape any drip off the side with a spoon. Place each dipped cherry onto a baking sheet lined with parchment or wax paper.

Refrigerate the dipped cherries for at least 30 minutes and don’t remove until ready to serve.

Before serving, carefully remove the toothpicks from each cherry. Once ready to serve, place several cherries on top of the mousse and top with coconut flakes. Serve immediately.

Variation: Use a little bit of the melted chocolate to attach coconut flakes to cover the hole made by the toothpick in the chocolate shell.

Enjoy!

Mexican Tortilla Soup

Today in West Texas it is cold. I mean almost snowing cold. I can’t complain since back home in PA they’ve been dealing with record breaking snow amounts for weeks. So I thought making soup would be the perfect solution. Since we are in Texas now until June, I’ve tried to embrace the types of food you can get here. Mexican and Latin American are about the only options if you don’t count the British Hob Nobs and the Asian section at the Commissary on base. Here I can get handmade tortillas fresh from the ladies that make them, masa, queso fresco, corn husks, tamales, epazote, and homemade tortilla chips like nobodies business. If you love homemade gulf Mexican, this is your place. 

So making this soup felt like the best of both worlds-chilly weather, and a nod to the flavors of our new area.

It just so happened that making a roast chicken earlier in the week allowed me to have homemade stock, and an abundance of meat perfect for this recipe. The rich homemade stock made the soup and the meat contributed both to soup and sweet potato chicken empanadas on the side.

This is the first time I've made this recipe and I must say I plan to make it a part of my regular recipe repertoire. Say that five times fast! 

I love how this so flavorful and hearty without being heavy. I wanted this to be a meal soup with the beans and carrots. It’s also incredibly easy.

I consulted the Cook’s Illustrated Cookbook from America’s Test Kitchen for the best method. Their recipe was aiming for simplicity so I chose to simmer my soup much longer than their 15 minutes. We like ours a bit on the spicy-medium salsa side. If you like it mild, reduce the amount of green chilies and use regular diced tomatoes.

 

I made this soup my own with an array of toppings and so can you. Just know that the tortillas, cheese, and cilantro are really not optional as they make the dish “tortilla soup.”

                                     Mexican Tortilla Soup 

(Partially adapted from Cook's Illustrated Cookbook by America's Test Kitchen)

                                                         makes 6-8 servings

 

Ingredients:
6 cups homemade chicken stock
1 large white or yellow onion, peeled and quartered
3 cloves garlic
1 can tomatoes with green chilies (14.5 oz.)
1 can green chilies (4 oz.)
1 can cannellini, black, or pinto beans (14.5 oz.), rinsed
2 cups leftover shredded breast meat chicken
2 large carrots, peeled and cut into rounds about 1/2 inch thick
5 oz. beer (I used Corona)
5 oz. white wine
3 stems cilantro, separate stems and leaves
1 tsp. chopped fresh oregano
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. chili powder

1-2 tsp. soy sauce, to taste (use Tamari for gluten-free)
2 tbsp. tomato paste
Salt and black pepper
Red pepper flakes
1 tbsp. Olive oil

Garnish:
3 cups homemade or high quality Corn tortilla chips broken into pieces
Lime wedges
Cheddar or Monterey jack cheese
Cilantro, plus 1 tsp. chopped
Sliced avocado
Optional:
Fresh tomatoes
Sour cream

Variations:
Cut 6 corn tortillas into 1/2 inch wide strips, drizzle with vegetable oil over pieces on a lines baking sheet. Bake at 425 degrees for 14 minutes. Shake halfway through and season lightly with salt.

If you aren't using homemade stock, use quality store-bought chicken stock and simmer with 1 half yellow onion, 1 cilantro stem, 1 oregano stock, and 1 garlic clove cut in half, and 1/2 tsp. salt. Simmer for 20 minutes.


If you don't have leftover chicken meat, simply add a uncooked chicken breast during the first broth step and remove once cooked through. Allow to cool slightly and shred. Add at the last 10 minutes of cooking time.

Directions:

In a large stock pot, bring stock, 1 onion quarter, 1 garlic clove cut in half, cilantro stems and 1/2 tsp. sea salt to a light simmer on medium high heat for 20-30 minutes. Once finished, strain and set broth aside in a large bowl.

Meanwhile, add tomatoes, chilies, 2 remaining garlic cloves, cilantro leaves and 1 tsp. fresh oregano and the rest of the onion into a food processor and pulse only until just smooth. The consistency should be still be think but with no noticeable chunks.

Reheat pot with 1 tbsp. oil over high heat. Transfer mixture to the pot, add wine, chili powder, cumin, and cook for 10 minutes until the mixture darkens in color. Add a pinch of salt and stir minute frequently to avoid burning or bubbling.

Once tomato mixture darkens, carefully stir in strained broth, carrots, and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat to low heat and simmer. Add beer, tomato paste, and soy sauce. You can simmer soup from 30 minutes to 1 hour depending on how much time you have. The longer the soup simmers, the more blended the flavors will be. Add pepper and red pepper flakes to taste.

In the last 10 minutes, add rinsed beans and stir. In the last 5 minutes of cooking, add shredded chicken. Make sure beans and chicken are heated through.

Note: If broth is watery, add a chicken bouillon cube to the soup.

Add 1/4 cup chips to the bottom of each bowl. Ladle soup into bowls and top with more tortilla chips, cheese, cilantro, and any other toppings. Dig in!

Enjoy!