Lisa made this excellent vegetarian stir-fry tonight, based on a recipe in the always wonderful Fitness Food. Tofu is cubed and marinated in a mix of sauces and spices, and then quickly stir-fried with a plethora of veggies — we altered the recipe to suit what we had on hand — and thin egg noodles. This one will definitely make it into the regular rotation.

Chris says:

Ooooh, now this is a good stir-fry!

Lisa says:

Of course it’s good, it’s from Fitness Food — I love that book.

Chris says:

This might be one of my favorites — even though it’s meat-free…

Lisa says:

I obviously feel the same way — I inhaled!

Chris says:

You might want to retract that if you ever want to run for President.

Lisa says:

Totally worth it. I’ll even admit to “doing shrooms”, as long as people realize it’s in the context of this dinner. Tofu with Greens & Noodles in ‘08!

Chris says:

Gets my vote!

Tofu with Greens & Noodles
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Marinade
3 tbsp spicy oyster sauce
3 tbsp hoisin sauce
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 1/2 tbsp brown sugar
3 tsp grated ginger
3 cloves garlic, crushed

Stir Fry
10 oz firm tofu, drained and cubed
10 oz dried thin egg noodles
1 tsp canola oil
2 shallots, thinly sliced
1 leek, thinly sliced
2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
4 oz green beans, trimmed
4 oz mushrooms, sliced
1 bunch broccolini, trimmed
1/2 cup veggie broth

cilantro leaves to garnish

Combine the marinade ingredients in a non-metallic bowl, add the tofu and gently stir through. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Cook the noodles according to the package and set aside.
Heat the oil in a large wok. Add the shallots, red pepper, and leeks and stir-fry for 2 minutes, or until lightly softened. Add the rest of the vegetables and broth. Cover and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until the vegetables are just tender, stirring occasionally.
Add the tofu with the marinade and the noodles. Gently combine and stir until heated through. Garnish with the cilantro and serve.

4 Servings

This obviously needs to go to Presto Pasta Nights!

One of the great things about subscribing to a CSA program is that it forces you to “use up” the fruits and veggies that you’ve been allocated, making it a lot easier to decide what to make for dinner. As Lisa will tell you, I can easily spend an entire afternoon poring over cookbooks, trying to decide on recipes. Having ingredients on-hand is a great way to narrow that scope. This easy, quick recipe from Hooked on Heat was a great way to utilize the mangoes that arrived this week. Chicken is stir-fried with onions, red bell peppers, and spices; mangoes are stirred in at the end to create a nice balance of sweet and spice.

Chris says:

You know, I think this is the first time I’ve actually cooked something with mango in it.

Lisa says:

Oh yeah, I usually just have it by itself.

Chris says:

Pickapeppa Hot is really good in spicing this up… it has that tropical fruit taste that goes really well with the — hey, what are you doing?.

Lisa says:

Getting more — this is good!

Chris says:

Save me some for lunch tomorrow…

Lisa says:

We’ll see if there are leftovers, sucka!

Mango Chicken with Red Peppers
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2 large boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 large mangoes, diced into cubes
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 medium-sized onion, sliced
1-2 red chilies, finely chopped
1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
1/4 cup chicken stock
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
2 tbsp canola oil
salt, to taste
cilantro, chopped for garnish

Heat the oil in a large non-stick wok over medium-high heat and saute the chopped chilies, ginger-garlic paste and onions until lightly browned. Add in chicken, peppers and spices, and stir-fry till chicken is cooked through. Stir in chicken stock and mango, and simmer for a few minutes.
Season with salt, and garnish with fresh coriander leaves. Serve with rice.

4 Servings

A few nights ago Lisa raided the CSA box and made this stir fry, based on one she found on Elise’s site. She changed up the vegetables a bit and cut the oil almost in half (Elise loves her oil)!

Chris says:

Wow the sauce on this is fantastic.

Lisa says:

Yeah, and spicy! I got to use your rooster sauce.

Chris says:

Everything’s better with rooster sauce…

Lisa says:

The tofu and the rice make this a lot more filling than I thought it would be.

Chris says:

I know! I’m kind of full but I’m going to eat more anyway — it’s all veggies so I know I’ll just be hungry later on.

Lisa says:

I’m going to save the rest for my lunch.

Chris says:

Sorry sucka — “the rest”? “The rest” is already in my belly.

Mushroom and Tofu Stir Fry
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Glaze
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp honey
1/4 cup of chickenbroth

Sauce
3 Tbsp soy sauce
3/4 cup chicken or vegetable broth
2 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp rice wine
1 teaspoon Sriracha
1 Tbsp corn starch

Vegetables
4 teaspoons minced garlic
4 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 lb of cremini or button mushrooms, quartered
1 cup onion
4 oz extra-firm tofu
1 cup broccoli, roughly chopped
1 cup carrots, in 1/2-inch dice
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
1 1b bok choy stems, in 1/2-inch dice
1 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds

Whisk the glaze ingredients together in a bowl and the sauce ingredients together in a different bowl. In a third bowl, mix the garlic, ginger and 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil.
Heat 1 Tbsp of vegetable oil in a large, stick-free skillet on medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, onion, and tofu, and cook, without stirring, until browned on one side, about 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and use tongs to turn the mushrooms to brown the other side. When mushrooms are browned and tender, about 5 minutes, increase the heat to medium-high and add the glaze. Cook, stirring to coat the mushrooms, 1 to 2 minutes more. Transfer mushrooms to a large bowl. Wipe out skillet with a paper towel.
Heat a teaspoon of vegetable oil in the skillet on medium-high heat until the pan begins to smoke. Add carrots and broccoli and cook, stirring occasionally, until they begin to brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Add 1/2 cup broth and cover skillet. Cook until carrots are tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Uncover and cook until liquid evaporates. Transfer carrots to bowl with mushrooms. Wipe skillet clean with paper towel.
Heat a teaspoon of vegetable oil in the skillet on medium high heat until it begins to smoke. Add the bell pepper and bok choy stems and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to brown and soften, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add leafy greens and cook for a minute further. Push the veggies to the side of the pan and add the garlic-ginger mixture in the clearing. Cook 15 seconds, until fragrant, and then mix in with the other vegetables.
Add all the vegetables back into the pan (mushrooms, carrots, etc.). Add the sauce to the pan. Mix well and cook, stirring, until the sauce has thickened and all the vegetables are coated with the sauce, about 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds if desired. Serve immediately with rice.

4 Servings

This is the first recipe we’ve made from The Border Cookbook, which features home cooking from the American Southwest and Northern Mexico. Marinated tuna is quickly seared in a pan with onion, tomatoes, and peppers. We served it with Green Rice, which is quickly becoming our go-to side dish for Southwest dishes.

Chris says:

Wow, this might be one of my favorite dishes. I love recipes like this; simple and yet really flavorful.

Lisa says:

Mmmmmmm… I agree — it’s really good, and unique!

Tuna Machaca
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(Marinade)
1/2 cup olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp dried thyme
1 serrano, minced

1 1/2 lbs fresh tuna steak, cut in 1/2-3/4 inch dice
1 Roma tomato, chopped
1 small onion, minced
1 serrano, minced
2 green onion tops, minced
1 tbsp butter

In a shallow dish, combine the marinade ingredients. Stir in the tuna and let the mixture sit at room temperature for 15 minutes.
Warm a large, heavy skillet over high heat. Drain the tuna from the marinade. When the skillet is very hot, place the tuna and marinade that still clings to the pieces in the skillet. Immediately add the tomato, onion, serrano, and green onion tops. Fry just 1 or 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Avoid overcooking or the tuna will become dry. It should be seared on the outside with just a hint of pink remaining in the center. Stir in the butter just before removing the machaca from the heat, and serve immediately.

4 servings.

Tonight I made two new recipes, each the first recipe we’ve tried in two new books — from The Mushroom Lover’s Mushroom Cookbook, Boneless Chicken Breasts with Wild Mushrooms and Enoki, and from Asian Flavors, Baby Bok Choy with Garlic and Straw Mushrooms.

Lisa says:

Wow — you can really taste the wine in this.

Chris says:

Yeah, I kinda wish we had the cognac that the recipe calls for on hand.

Lisa says:

Really? I love the wine — and the really interesting variety of mushrooms!

Chris says:

Yeah, it’s delicious. I just ended up getting a bunch of different mushroom varieties because I couldn’t find Mousserons. What about the bok choy?

Lisa says:

Mmmmmm, so good! You know I’m going to say that it needs more garlic — but what doesn’t?

Boneless Chicken Breasts with Mousserons and Enoki
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2 large boneless chicken breasts, with skin
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
4 scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced, green and white parts separated
8 oz fresh mousserons, cleaned, or 1 oz dried mousserons or wild mushrooms *
2 tbsp Cognac or 1/4 cup dry red or white wine
1 cup chicken stock
1 3.5 package enoki mushrooms, trimmed and broken into 5-6 clumps
2 tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Sprinkle both sides of the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large, heavy skillet, preferably nonstick. Add the chicken breasts, skin side down, and cook until the skin is deep golden brown and crisp, about 6 minutes. Turn the chicken breasts over, reduce the heat to medium low, and continue cooking until no trace of pink remains in the thickest part of the chicken, about 6 minutes.
Remove the chicken breasts, add the scallion whites and mousserons or wild mushrooms. Cook until the mushrooms are wilted, about 3 minutes. Add the Cognac or wine and cook until evaporated. Add the stock and boil until the sauce is reduced to about 1/4 cup, about 4 minutes. Add the enoki, parsley, and scallion greens and stir to mix. Return the chicken to the skillet, skin side up. Reduce the heat and simmer 2 minutes.
Serve hot, spooning half of the mushroom mixture and sauce onto each of 2 plates and topping it with a chicken breast.
* If using dried mushrooms, reconstitute by pouring hot chicken stock over the mushrooms in a bowl and letting sit for 10-15 minutes. Drain the mushrooms, then strain the soaking liquid through a coffee filter and save for use in the recipe.

2 Servings

Baby Bok Choy with Garlic & Straw Mushrooms
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1 lb baby bok choy
1 tbsp peanut oil
2 garlic cloves, chopped
4 oz straw mushrooms, halved
2 tbsp rice wine
pinch of sugar
pinch of salt

Blanch the bok choy in a saucepan of boiling water for one minute. Drain, and cool by running under cold water.
Heat the oil in a wok, add the garlic and fry gently for one minute until golden. Drain from the wok and set aside. Add the straw mushrooms and bok choy and stir-fry over high heat for two minutes. Add the rice wine, sugar, and salt, and stir until the vegetables are coated in the wok juices.
Transfer to a serving plate, spoon over the garlic, and serve at once.

4 Servings