Tuesday, January 08, 2008

2008 – The year of More.

Here we are already into week two of January. How time do fly, eh?

I want to share my mission statement for 2008 with you. It’s more.

More of all the good stuff. More experimentation in the kitchen. More new recipes. More trying new foods.

More fun. More themes. More challenges.

More taking part in events – Presto Pasta nights, Blog Party, and anything that catches my eye from Sticky Date and IMBB. Weekend Cookbook Challenge goes without saying, of course!

More fruits and veggies! More natural foods and ingredients. More whole foods. More smart and healthy choices.

More exercising. More getting healthy. More getting fit. More information on smart nutrition.


An ingredient that fits perfectly into my more is Tofu. Tofu is a fantastic ingredient. It is cholesterol free. It's low in calories, and is a good source of protein and iron. Tofu is virtually flavor free, so it's like a food sponge that you can flavor any way you want. You can blend it right into some recipes and you won't even know it's there.

That's a good place to start, if tofu is new to you.

Add it to stir frys, or soup. It also adds a lovely non-dairy creaminess to smoothies.

Pine-berry Smoothie.



1 cup frozen blueberries (or any berry or fruit of your choosing)
1 1/2 cups pineapple juice
3 tb soft tofu

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend.


This stir fry dish was good, way better than I had thought it would be. There was enough for 4 good size servings, but we wolfed it down between the two of us in no time at all.



Pineapple Tofu

based on a recipe from VegNews

1/2 pkg soft or medium tofu
2 tb flour
2 tb olive oil
1/2 onion diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 tb grated ginger
1/4 cup tomato sauce
1 cup pineapple juice
1 cup vegetable broth
2 tb soy sauce
2 cups diced pineapple

Crumble or chop the tofu into smallish pieces and toss with the flour. Heat half the oil in a large pan over medium high heat. Add the tofu and cook, stirring often, until golden brown. Remove to a plate. Add the rest of the oil and cook the onion, garlic, peppers and ginger until tender crisp but not brown. Add the tomato sauce, pineapple juice and vegetable broth. Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes until slightly reduced. Add the tofu, soy sauce and pineapple. Simmer until the tofu and pineapple are heated through. Serve over rice.






8 comments:

Peter M said...

Sara, more of your posting sounds good and I love the colour of that smoothie, must try some me'self!

Katerina said...

Welcome to 2008! I am looking forward to More...

Plus.. you tossed the tofu in flour before using it.. I will have to try that!

Sara said...

Peter - thanks! A smoothie made with blueberries is a glorious color.

Katerina - thank you too!

Brilynn said...

I have to get back into taking part in events too, I've been seriously slacking lately.

I actually like tofu, despite the fact that I almost never cook with it. And I like pineapple, so this dish sounds good in my books.

Annie said...

Happy 2008!
I have been thinking about trying some tofu dishes. The smoothie might be the best bet for my first try. The color is amazing and it looks so thick!

Sara said...

Brilynn - this is the best tofu dish I've made in a while. I love anything with pineapple in it.

Annie - you should try it! Although you wouldn't know tofu was in either dish.

Unknown said...

I used to eat tofu, shortly after becoming a vegetarian, but research I was exposed to many years back has resulted in me eliminating it almost completely from my diet.

The problem with tofu and other unfermented soya products, as opposed to fermented soy foods such as tempeh and miso, is that they contain "antinutrients" that offset any nutritional gains. Soya, like many grains, require soaking to break down phytic acids that prevent mineral absorption.

Sally Fallon has for many years warned consumers against the supposed benefits of unfermented soya products. See here.

Check also this and this.

I would suggest paneer cheese as a substitute.

Amanda at Little Foodies said...

More - I like it!
Love the colour of that smoothie too. It almost looks too full of colour to be natural. Just shows eh.