best roasted tofu recipe yet!

I got this recipe from "this is not a diet"'s blog.  I've tried many variation on roasted tofu and her recipe is amazing!!!

Here ya go...

TIP:

Before marinating and roasting, it is a good idea to drain the water from the tofu if it is water packed. Some people soak up the water using paper towels, but I try not to use those unless it’s really necessary. (Too wasteful!) I put the block of tofu in a pasta strainer that has a flat bottom and I rest a pot of water (for the weight) on top of it for 10-15 minutes.

 RECIPE:

After straining excess water, cut tofu into approximately 1 inch cubes.

In a bowl large enough for tossing the tofu, combine soy sauce, lemon juice, grated fresh ginger, cayenne pepper, cumin, and peanut oil.

I can’t emphasize enough how delicious peanut oil is, especially for Asian flavored dishes. Toss the tofu in the marinade and let sit for 15 minutes or longer. I never seem to plan ahead enough for longer and the tofu soaks up liquids easily, so a long marinating session isn’t really necessary.

Arrange cubes on a roasting pan with space in between each cube (for optimum golden crispiness). 

Roast for 20-30 minutes. Remove from oven and flip each cube. Depending how patient I’m feeling, I’ll either flip each cube using tongs or use a spatula and hope for the best.

Roast for 20 more minutes until golden.

how to make a cheaper, healthier pumpkin spice frappuccino!

cold brew some coffee in a french press.  freeze some of the coffee in ice cube trays.

put the coffee & coffee ice cubes in a blender, add vanilla almond milk (or soy or skim), a few spoons of canned pumpkin, some splenda (or sugar or stevia) and a dash of pumpkin spice spice.

blend it and drink and tell starbucks to go to hell!

celery root hash browns

an ugly big old root

neat inside

pretty

shredded and cooked in a little butter and kosher salt

coffee with soy milk, egg beaters with 1/2 a slice of american cheese (my breakfast indulgence) and celery root hash browns.

SO GOOD!!!

iced coffee, better, healthier & cheaper than sbux

iced coffee is best with cold brewed coffee.  i used my french press, as if i were making regular morning coffee, but used cold water and let it sit for 12 hours.

i used the press to filter the grinds, and it made the most delicious iced coffee.  i added fat free vanilla soy milk and BAM!  best iced coffee ever.

as a cool bonus, i made coffee ice cubes out of this awesome skull shaped ice cube tray.  (thanks chris!)

weird new roast recipe

Ingredients:
Eye of Round Roast (2-8 lbs.)
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp black pepper (coarse-ground)
1/2 tsp dried thyme
4-6 cloves garlic, chopped finely

 Mix together your seasonings and set them aside.

 Take out your roast, rinse it and pat dry with paper towels. Rub the seasonings all over the roast, and let it sit out on the kitchen counter for 30 minutes. This allows the roast to reach room temperature, plus it lets the seasonings settle onto the roast.

Preheat your oven to 500 degrees. Place the roast in a roasting pan or dutch oven and put it in the oven, fatty side up. Roast at 500 degrees, uncovered, for 7 minutes per pound.

Turn off the oven completely and leave the roast in there for 2 1/2 hours. Don’t open the oven door at all during this time!  This is hard for me, being an OCD cook who checks things often.

 After 2 1/2 hours, take the roast out and check its internal temp with a thermometer. The temperature should be between 130-150 degrees – if it isn’t put it back in the oven at 325 degrees and check it every 10 minutes. Put the finished roast on a plate and cover it with tin foil, and allow it to rest for 10 minutes. Carve it into 1/2″ slices and enjoy!

best healthy neato breakfast recipe ever!!!

If you are a girl with an iPad, and on Pinterest, you will obsess over recipes.  (It's science!)  One of the latest obsessions is cooking all kinds of meals in muffin pans.  You can make little meat loaf muffins, or little quiches, or all sort of "little" food.  And girls love cute & tiny food.  Again, it's science!

This recipe is so incredibly easy, and you can adapt it to all sorts of variations.  Next time I want to add some chopped up red peppers or spinach.

Baked Egg Cups

12 Eggs or Eggbeaters

12 thin slices of deli ham (round)

1/2 Cup of your favorite cheese (I used Parmesan & cheddar)

1/2 Cup diced scallions (I used fresh parsley)

Fresh cracked Sea Salt and Pepper

Preheat the oven to 400.  Spray a muffin tin with cooking spray.  Lay a piece of ham in each hole creating a little ham cup.  Crack one egg into each hole and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Bake the eggs for about 12 minutes…until the white is firm and the yolk is still nice and runny.  Add cheese and parsley.  Bake for another few minutes.

Carefully remove each egg from the muffin tin.  Serve hot!  Yield: 12.  Calories: around 100 per cup.

CHICKEN SALTIMBOCCA

• 1/2 cup cornstarch

• Ground black pepper

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

• 1 tablespoon minced fresh sage leaves

• 4 thin slices proscuitto, cut into 5- to 6-inch-long pieces to match chicken (about 2 ounces)

• 4 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 cup chicken stock

• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

• 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley leaves

Combine flour and 1 teaspoon pepper in shallow dish.

Pound chicken breasts until they are a uniform thickness, about 1/2 inch. Dredge chicken in cornstarch, shaking off any excess. Lay cutlets flat and sprinkle evenly with minced sage. Place 1 prosciutto slice on top of each cutlet, pressing lightly to adhere; set aside.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until beginning to shimmer. Add two of the chicken breasts to pan, prosciutto-side down, and cook until light golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip and cook on other side until light golden brown, about 2 minutes more. Repeat for the remaining two chicken breasts.

Pour off excess fat from skillet. Stir in broth, scraping up any browned bits, and simmer until reduced to about 1/3 cup, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in vinegar. Turn heat to low and whisk in butter, 1 tablespoon at a time. Off heat, stir in parsley and season with salt and pepper. Remove chicken from oven and place on platter. Spoon sauce over chicken before serving.

perfect baked tofu

Ingredients:

• 1 pound firm or extra firm tofu, drained and water pressed out
• 1 cup breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup sesame seeds
• 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Olive oil
• Sesame oil

Make sure and get extra firm tofu, the kind in water.  Pressed the water out.  Then freeze it.  Finally, thaw it and press out remaining water.  (I know this sounds like a lot of work, but it's worth it.  And it's a process that can happen over a few days.)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut the tofu into 1/4″ thick slices. In a shallow bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, sesame seeds, nutritional yeast, onion powder, garlic powder and salt, mix well.

Brush a baking sheet with olive oil. Take one tofu slice and brush the sides and edges with sesame oil, place in the breadcrumbs and coat well. Then place onto the baking sheet. Repeat until all the slices are coated.

Bake tofu slices for about 30 minutes until light golden brown and crispy, turning them over halfway through.

spaghetti squash casserole

1 medium spaghetti squash

2 tablespoons butter
1 small yellow onion, cut in half and very thinly sliced
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, or more if you like it spicy
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
½ cup sour cream
½ cup shredded cheddar cheese

Cut the spaghetti squash in half and remove the seeds. Place in a covered dish with a ¼ inch of water and microwave for 10 -12 minutes. In a medium sized skillet over medium heat, add the butter, onions, red pepper and thyme and cook until the onions are slightly brown in color. Salt and pepper to taste.

Using a fork, scrape the insides of the squash and transfer to a small bowl. Combine the squash, onions, sour cream and half the cheese together and mix well. Transfer the mixture to a buttered baking dish and top with remaining cheese.

Place into a 375º for 15 – 20 minutes until golden brown on top.

pulled pork recipe

Ingredients:

 For the Marinade:
2.5 lbs pork loin roast, all fat trimmed
salt and pepper
garlic powder
6 oz Coke zero
1/4 cup brown sugar (unpacked)
1/4 cup water

Step 2 8 oz Coke zero 6 oz can sliced green chilies 8 oz tomato sauce 1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce 1/8 tsp garlic powder 1/8 tsp cumin 1/8 tsp chipotle chili powder (to taste) salt and pepper to taste 1/3 cup brown sugar (unpacked) Directions: Season pork with salt, pepper and garlic powder and place in the crock pot. Add 6 oz of coke and 1/4 cup of brown sugar. Marinate refrigerated for a few hours or overnight turning meat at least once while marinating. Remove crock from refrigerator, add water, and cook on high for about 3-4 hours (or until it shreds easily). Remove pork from crock pot and discard any liquid left in the pot. Shred pork with two forks. Step two: In the crock pot, combine 8 oz coke, green chilies, tomato sauce, chipotle chile, garlic powder, cumin, chipotle chili powder and remaining brown sugar. Put shredded pork back in the crock pot and combine with sauce. Adjust salt and pepper to taste, cover and cook on high 1-1/2 hours more.