Kale Salad with Baked Tofu and Lemon Mustard Dressing

This past summer I was very happily employed within the produce department at Whole Earth Center in Princeton, NJ. It was hands down the best job I ever had. I loved working with fresh,local and organic produce nonstop (not to mention all of the free peaches I was eating).

So when I moved back to my hometown after being away for 7 years and couldn't find an office job, I decided to go back to doing what I love and was hired by the Whole Foods in Middletown, NJ.

Whole Foods has teamed up with a doctor who created a "lifestyle choice" (read: diet) called Eat Right America. It's basically a vegan diet (shocker!), though people are still afraid to use that word. It rates the Nutrient Density of every vegetable. The best part of this whole thing, is that since it rates so high on the scale. my favorite vegetable kale, is straight up everywhere around the store! The produce department has two huge displays of it, it's like 5 different places on the salad bar. It rules. Anyway I've been bringing it home from work everyday since there's just so damn much and I can't get enough of it. So here's what I did today.

Kale Salad with Baked Tofu and Mustard Lemon Dressing

A bunch of kale stems removed, washed and torn

1 avocado cut into bite sized pieces (some folks like sliced, I like chunked)

1/2 cup chick peas

1/4 cup diced red onion

1/4 cup dried cranberries

1/4 cup whole unsalted almonds

Baked Tofu

1 pound Extra Firm Tofu, pressed and cubed

2 Tbsp of Tamari

2 Tbsp of Balsamic Vinegar

1/2 Tbsp Olive Oil

1 Tbsp Lemon Juice

1 Tbsp Orange Juice

2 Cloves of garlic, minced.

Preheat Oven to 400f. Mix all ingredients in a bowl and add tofu. Toss to coat let marinate for 20 minutes. Bake for 45 minutes at 400f stirring half way through. Let cool and refrigerate. This is enough for a few salads or just eat it cold on its own.

Mustard Lemon Dressing

1/3 cup olive oil.

1/2 cup lemon juice

2 Tbsp Prepared Brown Mustard

2 Tbsp Vegenaise

5 cloves garlic

2 tsp Tamari

1 Tbsp Sesame Seeds

Combine all ingredients in a blender, makes more than you need so save extra in an air tight jar.

I can eat this everyday.

Garden Update

Four weeks in and our garden is starting to produce. Zucchini, Green Beans, Collards, Kale and Kirby Cucumbers are all ready for picking!

This is the first thing we got to eat from the garden.

Zucchini in Marinara Sauce / Deer Tick - Black Dirt Sessions

This was a staple at the dinner table in summers when I was growing up. I don't make it as good as my Mom, and I'm pretty sure no one ever will. As I learned how to make both the Zucchini and Marinara from my mother, there's no measurements. If you're not Italian, my bad. If you are you'll be fine.

For the Squash:

1 Zucchini

Garlic

Olive oil

Salt/Pepper

For the Sauce:

Olive oil

Onion

Garlic

1 Big can of crushed tomatoes

1 small can of tomato paste

Salt/pepper

Red pepper flakes

Basil

Oregano

Zucchini gets sauteed first, then add the sauce into the frying pan to not waste any of the extra oil and garlic.

For the sauce if you just go in order of how the ingredients are listed, you'll be okay.

(link)

I enjoy Deer Tick quite a bit. This is there new record, there's not so much else to say about it. Oh wait, The solo at the end of Mange is face melting, that's enough.

Cold Sesame Noodles and Ted Leo

The first time I ever had Cold Sesame Noodles I was 13 years old. My mom, my sister and I were Kicking it at Epcot Center in Disney World and we stopped by the China Pavilion during our walk around the world, I loved them immediately. Unlike the dish of same name available at most take out Chinese joints, they were light and full of flavor and cold, which Orlando definitely wasn't at the time.

Alright enough reminiscing, here's a recipe.

For the noodles:

1 pound of Linguini

2/3 cup of Toasted Sesame Oil

1/2 cup Soy Sauce

1-2" piece of Ginger minced

2-3 cloves Garlic minced

2 tsp Dijon Mustard

1 tsp chili paste (or like a gallon of it if you're into it)

1/2 cup of Sesame Seeds

For the Tofu: (This is basically the same Sesame Tofu from Whole Foods)

1 pound Tofu

2-3 Scallions chopped to small pieces

1 clove Garlic minced

1/2" of Ginger minced

2 Tbsp of Honey or Agave (depending on your honey stance)

3 Tbsp of Sesame Oil

3 Tbsp of Soy Sauce

a shake or two of red pepper flakes

1/4 cup flour

garnishes;

shredded carrot

cucumber strips

jalapeno

bean sprouts

cilantro

etc.

Make the noodles first and toss them in the fridge to cool. Cook the pasta as you would normally and transfer it to a big bowl. In a small sauce pan saute the garlic and ginger in the sesame oil for a few minutes and remove from heat before it browns add the rest of the ingredients (except the sesame seeds) and stir, stir, stir. Pour the mixture on the pasta and mix, then add the sesame seeds. Cover and pop it in the fridge.

The tofu - after pressing for 15-20 minutes, slice the tofu into cutlets and panfry in peanut oil (or vegetable if you don't have peanut) over medium low heat turning regularly until brown on both sides. Remove the tofu from the pan and let cool. Slice into bite size strips and toss the tofu in the flour. Combine all the remaining ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Put the tofu back in the frying pan until nice and brown and pour the sauce mixture into the pan, cook for 2-3 minutes and remove from heat.

Start with a bowl of noodles and tofu and the rest of the assembly is entirely up to you I put everything I listed along with Chili paste and mix it up, some like it all on top. It doesn't matter it all gets eaten. I could literally eat this every day.

th Chili past Ted Leo, where to start. He's from New Jersey, he's been making awesome music for like 15 years (see: Chisel), he's Vegan. Sure he forgot the words to My Way during the one of the Rorschach reunion show's, but whatever. I love Ted Leo and you should too.

Here's a blog I found with his discography:

http://rhoim.blogspot.com/2008/07/ted-leo-discography.html

Well, sorta back.

We made some sweet food this weekend. Lemon Mustard Tempeh with Kale, Cold Sesame Noodles with Tofu, the ever present Italian summer staple Cucumber and Tomato salad, TVP Chik Nuggz, and I ate an apple the size of my fist (I have huge hands) at some point.
But I didn't have a camera and I can't post the recipes without the food porn. I'll post recipes soon, my little blueberries.

p.s. Memorial Day was yesterday, did you plant your garden yet? We did.



Lettuces, spinach, tomatoes, sweet peas, green beans, green onions, red onions, yellow squash, zucchini, Italian eggplant, red and green bell peppers, kale, broccoli, collard greens, habaneros, jalapenos, cucumbers, kirby cucumbers, basil, thyme, dill, cilantro, watermelon and cantaloupe. I can't wait for the end of July!

and we're back

This is why I can't ever maintain a blog. I always slack off and forget to take pictures of what I make and I'm not nearly a good enough writer to paint ya'll word pictures. Regardess, there will be an actual recipe post at some point today.

Tempeh Fajitas

I make a lot of Mexican food. It may have something to do with it being acceptable to cover every inch of it in hot sauce or it may just be that Stop and Shop sells cans of organic beans for a buck. So I'm sure there will be a lot more Mexican food on this blog as time goes on.

These Tempeh Fajitas were pretty boss. There's a chinese produce market in New Brunswick on the corner of French and Somerset that has really cheap limes. All of their produce is really inexpensive but you can get limes 10 for a dollar. 

The Mexican Millet in the picture is from the Veganomicon.

Tempeh Fajitas

Marinade: 1/3 C Lime Juice 

2/3 C Water 

4 Tbsp Olive Oil 

8 Cloves of Garlic 

2 tsp salt 

1 tsp each liquid smoke, cayenne pepper, black pepper and cumin  

1 brick of tempeh 1 red onion 

1 zucchini 

1 red bell pepper 

1 green bell pepper

(really any veggies you want)

Slice everything to fajita size and marinate everything for at least two hours. Cook tempeh separate from veggies to get it crispy. Just pan fry it it's not difficult, when it's brown flip it. After the tempeh is done set it aside and cook the veggies how you like them. If you want them to be crisp cook them less if you them to be softer cook them longer.

When they're done grab a corn or flour tortilla and make a fajita. If you were me you'd put fresh pico de gallo, guacamole and a mess of cilantro on them. Serve with with some type of side, like if it's payday and you can afford to eat rice and beans as a side dish and not a meal that would be good.

Record: Henry's Dress - Bust 'Em Green

Henry's Dress was a slumberland band. In case you don't know me I have a weird obsession with Slumberland and K Records. I want to own every record either of those labels have ever put out. It's pretty rare that I take to a record the way I have with this one. Just listen to it.

link: http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?tzmtskjyhji