brown rice bowl with vegetables & roasted chickpeas

Sometimes when I'm getting dinner ready I don't even have a plan about what's going to happen. A few frantic moments to quickly catalogue what's the cupboard and fridge and something should happen. But sometimes it doesn't. The other weekend, I cooked up some brown rice with the intention that whipping up some fried rice the following evening would be perfect. But I didn't have a clue what I was going to make for dinner that night. I took stock and let a few ideas germinate and this is what I came up with.

This rice bowl is simple and delicious and I've really been digging on these healthy bowls lately as they're filling and really quite flavourful. The roasted chickpeas added a spicy, nutty crunch to the dish while the vegetables were just simply sauteed. I used what vegetables were in my crisper but this is highly adaptable, so throw in what you like! Cornelius topped his dish with a bit of soy sauce, but I used some mango chutney and a bit of hot sauce on mine. Delicious!

Oh, and if you want to get to know me a bit more, Scout Magazine did an interview with me. Take a look!

brown rice bowl with vegetables & roasted chickpeas
1 c brown rice
2 c water
1 t salt

1 can of chickpeas, drained & rinsed
1 T curry paste
1 T olive oil
1 T cumin seeds, toasted & lightly crushed
1/4 t salt
1 t hot sauce

1 T olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 inch bit of ginger, diced
1/2 zucchini, sliced
1/2 red pepper, diced
1/2 onion, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1/2 c leftover diced chicken or tofu (optional)

1. Boil water and add in salt and brown rice. Simmer covered over medium heat until most of the water has been absorbed. Turn down heat to low and simmer until ready.

2. Turn oven to 400F. In a bowl, mix up the chickpeas, curry paste, cumin seeds , salt and hot sauce. Spread onto a baking dish and bake for 30-45 minutes, until chickpeas shrink and get a bit crunchy. Shake the dish a few times to get things moving.

3. In a large saute pan, heat olive oil over medium high heat, adding garlic, ginger and onion. When soft, add in remaining vegetables and protien. Saute until the vegetables are bright and crisp and the protien is heated through.

4. Dish out brown rice into deep bowls and top with roasted chickpeas and vegetable mixture. Serve with soy sauce, mango chutney or hot sauce, if desired.

i like good smells: fragrant jasmine rice & jerk-spiced tofu

I love stuff that smells good. This soapis one of my favorites and after washing up, it's hard not to stop sniffing my hands. And a little while ago, I bought this candleand while I haven't even lit it yet, whenever I catch it's scent in our apartment, I swoon. What can I say, I've got quite the nose. Last week, I made 2 dishes that were super fragrant and made the whole apartment smell amazing. The jerk-spiced tofu was good, but it's this rice that I plan on making again and again.

For the rice, I would definitely seek out the lemongrass as I think it made the rice dish seem very authentic and uber-scented. However, if you don't have it or can't find it, add in the zest of one lemon instead. Both recipes are adapted from a cookbook that I don't use that often, Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites, but after these 2 very successful adaptations, I'll definitely be cracking it open on a regular basis. These are very simple recipes that don't take a lot of time to make, despite the exotic ingredients.

fragrant jasmine rice
(adapted from Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites)
2 c jasmine rice
1 t canola oil
2 T minced lemongrass (stiff outer leaves removed)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 shallots, minced
1 small green chili, seeds removed, diced
1/2 t salt
1 c crushed pineapple, undrained
1 T fresh basil, chopped
2 1/2 c boiling water

Rinse rice and set aside to drain. In a medium saucepan, heat the oil and add in the lemongrass, garlic, shallots, chili and salt. Cook over medium heat until fragrant and soft, about 3 minutes. Add in the remaining ingredients. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Remove from heat and let sit covered for 5 minutes before serving.

jerk-spiced tofu
(adapted from Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites)
1 onion, diced
3 green chilis, seeded and diced
3 T soy sauce
1/4 c cider vinegar
2 T brown sugar
1 T fresh ginger, grated
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 T fresh thyme, minced
1 t ground cloves
1 t ground cinnamon
1/2 t black pepper
1 block of tofu, pressed

1. Press the tofu by placing between 2 plates and weighting the top with a couple of cans. Let stand for 30 minutes.

2. Preheat oven to 400F. Meanwhile combine the remaining ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth. Set aside.

3. Drain the tofu and slice lengthwise into 3 slices. Place layers on top of each other and slice on the diagonal to cut into triangles. Cut again into the opposite corners so that you are left with 12 tofu triangles. Place in 8x12 baking dish and pour jerk sauce over top, making sure all sides of the tofu are covered. Bake for 1 hour, turning pieces frequently. Serve with rice.

warm up with winter squash, red lentil & tofu curry

It's definitely winter-ish outside.The air is crisp and cold and it rains more often than not. Yesterday I wore my winter coat for the first time and while I was glad for the warmth it also was a bit of a bummer. Oh how I would have loved to tuck into a bowl of this warming, spicy curry when I got home from my bike ride. It would have been just the thing to warm up my bones. Too bad for me that I had made this a week or so ago, and all I've got are delicious memories of curries past.

This lentil curry uses up some of that winter squash that is so plentiful right now. I used kabocha, but any squash from butternut to buttercup would work well here. The squash definitely adds a touch of sweetness to an otherwise spicy dish. I even threw in a block of diced tofu and it was a wonderful addition adding in a nice texture and extra protein to the dish. This meal will definitely be making the dinner rounds again. It's nothing fancy, but it's easy to make, very nutritious and a perfect warmer to these colder evenings. Serve over brown rice, top with yogurt or mango chutney and enjoy.

winter squash, red lentil & tofu curry
1 T canola oil
1 onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 inch knob of ginger
2 stalks celery, diced
1 t salt
1 heaping T of garam masala curry paste (or use regular curry/garam masala powder)
1 T ground cumin
1/2 small kabocha squash (or any other winter squash), diced
1 c red lentils
5 c veggie broth or water
1 block of tofu, diced

In a large heavy pot, heat up oil over med-high heat, add in onions, garlic, ginger and celery and saute until soft and fragrant. Sprinkle in salt, cumin and curry paste and stir until spices coat vegetables. Stir in the squash and lentils. Add in water or broth, lower heat and cover pot. Simmer for 15 minutes and then stir in tofu. Let simmer until most of the liquid has been absorbed and the lentils are soft, about another 5 minutes. Serve over brown rice.

the secret of great tofu: green beans & tofu in a thai coconut sauce

I have finally discovered the secret to really great tofu. I mean, I have no qualms with tofu. I love it and have gotten well past that old teenage habit of flinching when my mom would hide tofu in lasagna. But this weekend, I figured out how to make tofu awesome and it involves just 2 simple steps.

One, press the tofu. I know, I've seen recipes that say, "press tofu", but have casually ignored that step. I thought I it was just something recipes said that I could easily bypass, which I did for years and years. A few times I have frozen tofu and then crumbled it which gives it a different texture but I didn't think that pressing that white block of soy could have such wonderful effects. Boy, was I wrong! And the pressing was easy too....it just required a little forethought. I wrapped the tofu in a clean kitchen towel, set it on a plate and then put my heavy cast iron fry pan over top. I also put my half-full kettle on top of the pan for extra heavy pressing. Worked like a charm. When I cut up the tofu into cubes and then gave it a quick marinade in soy sauce, sesame oil, red chilis, garlic and ginger, all of that liquid got quickly sucked into the tofu. Mmmm, can you say, instant flavour?


The second step for great tofu is tossing the flavour-soaked cubes with cornstarch before frying. This magical step achieves the hard-to-come-by dream of crisp, golden tofu. Just add a bit of oil to a cast iron pan or wok and, whoop, there it is. For years and years, I have just always sauteed my tofu without coating it...trying to let it's own glory shine. Didn't work the way I wanted it to, but throwing the tofu into a bag with a few spoonfuls of cornstarch? Magic, I tell ya!


So what did I do with this golden, dreamy tofu? I set it aside and put some green beans that I had picked up at the market earlier that day to good use. I roasted them quickly with similar flavours that I had marinated the tofu. Meanwhile, I stir fried some red peppers and then when the beans were nice and caramelized and just starting to wrinkle, I popped that into the pan too. Next, I mixed up some spices, a couple of spoonfuls of chili-garlic sauce and half a can of light coconut milk and threw that in as well with a bit of freshly squeezed lime juice near the end. Mix in the tofu and stir to coat, serve on top of brown Jasmine rice and dinner is served.

The thing about this recipe, is that I've gathered it in 3 parts, so if you want to make just the tofu, go ahead and skip the rest. Take that golden fried tofu and sprinkle it with kosher salt and cayenne pepper and man, you've got something good. Same with the green beans. Get them roasted and wrinkly and spicy and they'll make a lovely side dish. Or go whole hog (it doesn't take much time-wise) and mix everything up into one tasty dish.


green beans & tofu in a thai coconut sauce
1 block organic tofu, pressed and cubed
2 T soy sauce
1 t toasted sesame oil
1 t minced ginger
2 cloves minced garlic
1/2 t red dried chili flakes
3 - 4 T cornstarch
2 T vegetable oil

Marinate the tofu in the soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, garlic and dried chili flakes for 15 minutes or until the tofu has soaked up most of the liquid. Reserve any liquid and extra chili, garlic and ginger for the stir fry. Add tofu to a bag containing the cornstarch and toss until cubes are coated. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large pan or a wok and fry up cubes until golden. Set aside.

1 lb green beans, rinsed & trimmed
2 T soy sauce
1 t sesame oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 t ginger, minced
1 t sriracha

Toss the beans in the ingredients and roast on a shallow baking tray for 15 - 20 minutes in a hot oven. Remove from oven once the beans become fragrant and have caramelized and just started to wrinkle.

1 large red pepper, sliced
2 large shallots, diced
1 T vegetable oil
2 T chili garlic sauce
1/2 can of light coconut milk
1/2 t Thai red curry paste (optional)
1 T soy sauce (plus any remaining liquid, etc. from the tofu marinade)
juice of 1/2 lime

In the same pan as you prepared the tofu, heat up oil and add in the red pepper and shallots. Once they get slightly wilted, add in green beans. Stir together the coconut milk, curry paste (if using), chili garlic sauce and soy sauce together and pour over the vegetables. Stir fry until sauce reduces and thickens, add the tofu, stirring everything until well coated with sauce. Squeeze in some lime juice, stir and then serve over rice.

stank you very much: spicy tofu with shiitake mushrooms

Sorry for all of this quiet on the blog front, but this past weekend my little brother got all married up in a small and beautiful ceremony. This was also the weekend that a crazy snow storm hit Southwestern Ontario. Luckily we flew in Thursday afternoon when the weather was still clear and while our Friday drive from Toronto to London, Ontario took 4 hours instead of the normal 2 hours, we arrived safe and sound. Our flight heading back to Vancouver was delayed for a little bit on Sunday night, but we made it back to balmy Vancouver temperatures no worse for wear.

A little jet-lag aside, I'm posting a recipe I made a couple of weeks ago. This year, I've decided to to try new things. My eggplant recipe from last month is one such example...I tried it and hey, I liked it! This meal is another kick in the pants for me: dried mushrooms. Normally, I'm not a fan but I came across this recipe on Epicurious and decided to take another look. I played with the ingredients to suit what I had on hand and lucky me, this meal was amazing served over brown rice.

Now if you think that conquering this fear was a breeze, I assure you it was not. Cutting up the rehydrated mushrooms was a painful process because no one told me that dried mushrooms have a very earthy nasty stank. It was so pungent that I almost didn't go through with it....but like any trooper, I forged ahead. When the meal was ready to eat, I made Cornelius (also a mushroom hater) try the first bite. He liked it...so I cautiously dug in too. Thankfully, this was amazingly yummy! It was spicy, vegan and delicious and it tasted like a great meal from my favorite Chinese restaurant. While the recipe list looks long, it's actually pretty quick to whip up once the mushrooms have soaked. Stank or no stank, I'm making this recipe again!

spicy tofu with shiitake mushrooms
20 dried shiitake mushrooms
3 c boiling water

1 c vegetable broth
2 T soy sauce
1 T white wine vinegar
2 t agave nectar (or honey)
1 T cornstarch
a few grinds of freshly ground pepper

2 T canola oil
1 package of extra-firm tofu, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 leek (white and pale green parts only), cut into slices
2 T black bean sauce
2 T minced fresh ginger
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 t chili-garlic sauce

1. Place mushrooms in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Let sit for 2 hours, drain and remove stems. Slice caps and set aside.

2. Prepare sauce by mixing the broth, soy sauce, vinegar, pepper and honey together. Whisk in the cornstarch until blended.

3. Heat 1 tablespoon of canola oil in a large skillet or wok and stir fry the tofu until golden brown. Remove from the pan. Heat the remaining oil in pan and stir fry the mushrooms for a couple of minutes until brown. Add in leeks, ginger, garlic and black bean sauce and stir to coat mushrooms. Add back in tofu and pour in sauce. Simmer on low heat until sauce thickens, about 3 minutes. Serve over brown rice.

the calm before the storm: kung pao vegetables with tofu & udon

I'm back from Ontario and I'm a bit panicked. There's so much to do and Christmas is only a week away! I did a some pre-homemade gifting to take with me to my family, but there's still much stuff kicking my ass.

Here's just some of the things I'll be making from my own archives:

• Rum Balls
• Ginger Gems
  
• Fleur de Sel Caramels
  
• Candy Cane Chocolate Bark
  

And then there's all this yumminess from other blogs to consider:

• Gingerbread Popcorn
• Super-Cute Peppermint Yule Log
• Lemon Slice Cookies
• Chocolate Almond n' Toffee Squares
• Espresso Caramels
• Salt Lick Bars
  

But before panic takes hold of me completely, it's good to have something warm and nutritious in the belly. This recipe for Kung Pao vegetables was revamped from Thimble's recipe and it made for a super delicious and easy lunch. Filling and hearty to keep up your stamina during the holidays.

kung pao vegetables (+ tofu + udon)
1 t sesame oil
1 T canola oil
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 small head of broccoli, broken into florets
2 carrots, sliced on the diagonal
1 rib of celery, sliced on the diagonal
1 small packet of prepared udon noodles
1/2 block tofu, cubed
1/4 c peanuts, chopped

sauce:
1/4 c soy sauce
1/4 c orange juice
1 T cider vinegar
1 T ginger, minced
1 T chili paste or asian hot sauce (the one with the rooster on the bottle)
1 T brown sugar
1 T bottled peanut sauce
1 T cornstarch

1. Mix sauce ingredients in and set aside.

2. Heat oil in a wok or large skillet. Add onion and garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add carrots, celery and broccoli and stirfry until crisp-tender. Add the sauce and the udon noodles and combine well so everything gets saucy.

3. In a separate pan, fry up tofu in a bit of oil until brown on all sides. Add tofu and peanuts to the vegetable mixture, stirring gently to coat with sauce. Serve in deep bowls.

next stop, sandwich city!

I've never eaten an egg salad sandwich. It was the smell that always got to me and I just wasn't brave enough to try it. Maybe one day I'll give it a go, but not today. When I used to be a vegetarian, my mom bought me a cookbook that had a recipe for mock egg salad. I never got around to trying it, but this evening when I was staring down my near-empty refrigerator with only a few random vegetables and a block of tofu to keep me company, I figured I'd try something similar. That cookbook was long gone, so I threw caution to the wind and met the challenge head-on. I already make a pretty mean tuna melt and my latest chicken sandwich was pretty fantastic, so I figured that I could rise again to the occasion with tofu. Success! This filling is totally yummy stuffed inside of a toasted Portugese bun and dressed with some salad greens. Cornelius wasn't fooled when I told him it was "kinda egg salad like", but he liked it regardless. I did too. Very flavourful, comforting and messy in the right way. I'm looking forward to eating up the leftovers for tomorrow's lunch.

tofu salad sandwich
1/2 c mayo or soynaise
1 T yellow mustard
1 block of firm tofu, crumbled
1 t capers
2 T chopped pickles
2 T finely diced onions
juice & zest of 1/2 lemon
pepper
1/2 t garlic powder
1 t curry paste (or powder)
1 t honey (optional)

In a medium sized bowl, mix together the mayo and mustard. Add in the crumbled tofu and combine well. Stir in the rest of the ingredients, mixing well after each addition. Let mixture sit for half an hour to let flavours develop. Spread on toasted bread.

Makes enough for 6 sandwiches

ravenous like a tiger

Sometimes I like to fly by the seat of my pants. No plans, no forethought. Just an idea and the faith that I can make it happen. Last Friday, I went out with friends to The Foundation, one my favored Vancouver eating spots. Vancouver is in the midst of a boil-water advisory due to all the insane amount of rainfall we've been having. No worries, though, as there was enough beer to keep us all afloat. I was modest in my choice of soup but I did manage to snag a few forkfulls of my friends pasta dish, the aptly named "Spicy Peanut". Oh the deliciousness that danced on my tongue that night! It was a party for the tastebuds and I've been dreaming of that damned "Spicy Peanut" ever since.

This evening without nary a look into the cupboards or fridge, I decided that hell or turbid water, I would make the Spicy Peanut dish! Unfortunately, I was out of fresh ginger, sambal oelek, limes, and my soy sauce bottle was almost empty. Did I let that deter me from the power of the Spicy Peanut? I think not. So I made do with what I could scrounge up, squeeze out and hastily substitute. And you know what? The results tasted pretty damn close to the mighty fine "Spicy Peanut" from The Foundation. This sauce will be a work in progress. Of course I'll make it again with fresh lime juice instead of lemon juice and I'm sure it will taste infinitely more fabulous with fresh ginger, and I'm sure a healthy dollop of chili-garlic sauce will render my black pepper additions useless. But, you know, I'm not ready to bad mouth this sauce for what it could have been. This velvety, coconutty, smooth concoction is a dream. If I could marry it I would. I mean, while you know there might be a Top-Of-The-Line Peanut Sauce out there, you just gotta love the one you're with.

I served this decadant sauce over whole wheat pasta, stir fried tofu, red onion and green peppers (the only vegetables I had!) and a tiny bit of shredded leftover chicken. This sauce would make a great dipping sauce for satay or fried tofu or poured over baked yams or steamed spinach. Oh the possibilities!

my spicy peanut sauce
1 c natural peanut butter
1 can light coconut milk
2 T fresh lemon juice
2 T soy sauce
1 T fish sauce (if you want to make this vegetarian, leave out & put 1T of soy sauce in its place)
2 T hot sauce
2 t ginger powder
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 T brown sugar
1 t ground black pepper
dash of salt

1. Add all of the ingredients into a small saucepan. Stir over low heat until everything is warm and blendy. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.

And the title of my blog post? Well, I have Shake Your Fist to thank. Amy wrote about Dr. Joel and included a link to a song that I pretty much OD'd on in July. The track is gone off of Amy's blog, but you can hear Ravenous Like a Tiger on Dr. Joel's MySpace account. So good!

Tomorrow's lunch

When I spied the recipe for Linguine with Tofu and Coconut-Lime Sauce on Crystal's blog, I was instantly smitten. Coconut + Lime = Awesomeness. Plus, I had everything to make this amazing sounding dish on the spot! My friend Kristen was coming over for dinner and I figured this would make a quick and delicious vegan meal. Originally, I was going to use the magic loaf studio to concoct some kind of tasty magical loaf, but didn't want to risk turning on the oven, as it was already hot enough in the kitchen. So after studying Crystal's recipe, I made a few mental notes and got to cooking. When you have someone else in the kitchen it seems silly to keep running to the computer to check on a recipe, so I just started chopping and frying as Kristen, Cornelius and I laughed and talked and drank ice cold club soda to keep cool.

I wish I had the forethought to take some photos before we all dug in (and hey, each one of us went back for seconds), but it didn't even cross my mind. So unfortunately, you'll have to stare at my very unglamorous refrigerated leftovers tucked inside a Que Pasa salsa container. Someone is going to have a very lucky lunch tomorrow!

My notes: Although I did like the taste of using regular Italian fettucini here, next time I would use Asian rice noodles instead to keep things a bit more authentic. I also added in spinach and basil to the recipe since I had some on hand. This is a great recipe base to use up any vegetables in your fridge, so if you've got some celery, bok choy, carrots or broccoli on hand, throw it in!

Fettucini with Tofu and Coconut-Lime Sauce
(recipe adapted from poco-coco.com)
1 500 gr package of fettucini
1 package extra-firm tofu, patted dry and cut into 1/2-inch squares
1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoon peeled minced fresh ginger
1 c sugar snap peas, trimmed
1 red bell pepper, sliced into 2-inch strips
3 green onions, sliced
1 bunch spinach
1 small bunch basil
1/2 cup vegetable broth
1/2 t cornstarch
1 can light coconut milk, well-stirred
2 T soy sauce
juice of 1 lime + zest

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain well.

2. Heat olive oil in a large wok over medium-high heat. Add garlic and ginger and heat for 1 minute. Add tofu and stir fry until golden. Remove tofu from pan. Add sesame oil to pan. Add peas, green onion and bell pepper; saute 3 minutes until softened. Add coconut milk, soy sauce, lime juice and zest. Add basil and spinach and let wilt in the liquid. Mix together the cornstarch and broth and add to pan, bringing mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes or until slightly thick. Add pasta and tofu; toss to coat.

the other white....meat

I remember being in Vegas and ordering some chicken tenders at a pub and being ultimately disappointed when chicken fingers showed up on my plate instead. Maybe it was the desert air or the anise flavoured IPA I was drinking or the fact that I was feeling all romantic-like since I was on my honeymoon, but I just liked the word "tenders" and I didn't really think that would translate into the foodstuffs of little kids and restaurant chains. Oh well, live and learn.

Now don't get me wrong, I love foods like chicken fingers in that they are a means to an end and the end being sauce. Yes, I love me a good sauce and I'm not really that picky when it comes to the vehicle that gets me there. The other night I was visiting my friend Kristen and she had just pulled out some breaded baked tofu from the oven just so that she could have something to dip into some yellow mustard. Hmmm, that got me to thinking. Normally when I bake tofu, I marinate it and then use the end result in a yummy sandwich or to top some rice and steamed vegetables, but I liked Kristen's idea better! So I whipped up some homemade bbq sauce and came up with these beauties. Kristen just went all white trash vegan and dipped the tofu in oil before dipping in the breadcrumbs, but I liked the idea of an egg dip better. I'm sure a vegan with health on her mind could figure out a less fattening solution. As well, use any spice combination you like, the tofu won't mind at all.

tofu tenders
1 block of extra firm tofu, sliced into "fingers"
panko crumbs
paprika
salt & pepper
oregano
1 egg, beaten
the dipping sauce of your choice

1. Heat oven to 400 and spray a cookie sheet with vegetable oil. On a large plate, dump some panko crumbs and season with paprika, oregano & salt and pepper. Mix well with fork. In a separate bowl, beat 1 egg and dip each piece of tofu into the egg mixture and then the crumb mixture and place on cookie sheet.

2. Bake in the oven until the tofu is golden brown, about 30 minutes or so. Remove from oven, arrange in a pleasing pattern on a plate and serve with your favorite dipping sauce.

computer free to be you and me

I lost computer access for a little while, thinking my lovely computer was a dud, it had been to the apple shop going through diagnostic tests and turning up fine. Phew! It took a bit of getting used to being computer-free, but I not only adjusted to my new lifestyle, I embraced it! I picked up and finished books (many in the same day), I went on exciting bike rides and met up with friends to play in the sunshine. I also did quite a bit of leafing through cookbooks and did quite a lot of cooking. Being computer-free was time well spent! Luckily, I didn't miss any work or annoyed any clients by not being available and it was only when my picked up my computer on Monday afternoon, did a client ring up with a small job. Phew, again!

And because I've been away from the computer for so long, I'll quit my yapping and post 2 yummy recipes right away.

cabbage, spinach and tofu on noodles with peanut sauce
1/2 block of extra firm tofu, cut into squares
1/2 head of cabbage, sliced into strips and then cut in half to make shorter strips
1 bunch spinach, cleaned & picked through
1/2 onion, cut into large chunks
2 stalks celery, cut on the diagonal into thick slices
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 T fresh ginger, minced
soy sauce
whole wheat pasta or brown rice
1 t vegetable oil
lime wedges (optional)

for the sauce:
1/4 c natural peanut butter
1 T honey (or brown sugar if you swing vegan-style)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 t fresh ginger, minced
1 t sesame oil
2 T soy sauce
hot sauce
2 T rice wine vinegar
warm water

1. In a blender, mix all the ingredients for the peanut sauce, adding a bit of warm water if the mixture gets too thick. Taste. You may need to add a bit more honey or hot sauce depending on your own tastebuds. Set aside.

2. Boil water in a large pot and add pasta at the boiling point. Drain and set aside.

3. In a large skillet or walk, heat the oil and add the garlic and ginger when hot. Add the tofu and fry until golden on both sides. Add the onion and celery and when the onion becomes translucent, add the cabbage. Once the cabbage gets slightly wilty, add the spinach and a bit of soy sauce for flavour. Stir until spinach is cooked, then turn off heat.

4. In large bowls, add the pasta and then top with the tofu-vegetable mixture. Drizzle with peanut sauce. Serve with lime wedges.

+++

Butter tarts seem to be a genuine Canadian invention. A mixture of eggs, sugar and raisins are baked into individual tarts and the result is similar to a pecan pie, but decidedly different. I love butter tarts and I still have yet to get over my fear of making pie dough, so I went a different route and opted to make a still very Canadian butter tart bar. Interested to know more about the butter tart? Listen to the CBC on what makes a great butter tart.

butter tart squares
base:
3/4 c flour
1/4 c brown sugar
1/4 c butter

topping:
1/2 c brown sugar
1/2 c corn syrup
2 eggs
1 t vanilla
1/4 c flour
1/4 t salt
1/2 c chopped walnuts
1/2 c raisins
1/4 c unsweetened coconut

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease 8 inch square cake pan. Beat butter and brown sugar together until creamy. Add flour and combine until crumbly. Press base mixture into prepared pan and bake for 12-15 minutes until golden.

2. Combine topping ingredients and blend together until well mixed. Pour toppping over the base and return to the oven until bubbly around the edges but still slightly jiggly in the centre, about 20-25 minutes. Cool completely in pan and then cut into squares.