Champion Salad

This salad was so good that it could be a meal.  I used: mixed baby greens, baby carrots, thinly sliced zucchini, red bell peppers, alfalfa sprouts, blackberries, shaved parmesean cheese, & freshly ground black pepper.

Serve with our very favorite dressing (next to my own of course), Garlic Expressions.  It has 4148 reviews on Amazon & almost 5 stars! http://www.garlic-expressions.com/products/default.asp  I buy it at Earth Fare & our friends who introduced us to this light flavorful nectar first bought it at Whole Foods.  You can price shop but from what I hear, it can be hard to find so stock up!

Mexy Salad

Toss together anything you see in this photo or your any combo of your own choice veggies & shredded cheeses but I definitely recommend the black beans.  The salad is great with lettuce but this could very well be lettuce less too & very picnic friendly. 

Make your own simple lemon or lime vinegarette with some canola oil, salt, pepper, minced shallot, & fresh herbs on hand such as flat leaf parseley or cilantro.

Asian for Aashh

We all have that special person in our lives that likes something nobody else cares for or doesn't like something everyone else loves.  Sophia & I (Dillon yet to be decided) aren't mushroom folks but boy does Aashh like any variety.  So I made this little side dish just for him with our Chinese dinner the other night.  He really enjoyed it alongside the General Tsao's Tofu & some brown rice.  I cannot atest to the flavor myself because mushrooms are the one item I serve blindly!  But believe me, my beloved is quite particular so if he likes it, it's usually a hit.

Clean 1 container of baby bella mushrooms & cut into quarters.  Wash a 2 handfuls of bean sprouts in as cold water as possible to retain crisp. Mince 1 clove of garlic. 1/2 tsp. ground or freshly grated ginger. Salt & pepper to taste. Heat 1 tsp sesame oil + 1 tsp any neutral oil in a pan. Add garlic, then mushrooms a minute later, & finally spices. Remove from heat & toss in bean sprouts. Optional to add soy sauce.

General Tsophu's Tofu

This is our family's very most favorite Chinese dish.  I reviewed almost 100 recipes online as I often do, and then came up with my own version.  I did cheat on the sauce but that's a feat I will definitely take on next time by making my own!

What I used:

• paper towels on hand
• 1 block firm tofu (can go with extra firm instead too), drained, and then wrap in paper towels to squeeze out some moisture and repeat 1-2 times.  Then cut into approx. 1 inch cubes.
• 1/2-1 cup cornstarch or just keep the box on hand
• 1 large zip lock bag (I only had a small one - not a big deal, just takes longer b/c you'll have to do batches)
• Pan of canola (or vegetable/corn/neutral oil) about 1 inch deep
• 1/2 cup chopped scallions
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1/4 of a medium sized onion thinly sliced (I prefer Vidalia)
• 2-3 cups chopped broccoli
• 1/2 red bell pepper, sliced
• 1 can baby corn, drained, rinsed, & chopped into 3-4 pieces each
• 1 tsp ground ginger powder (hopefully I'll have fresh next time & grate in about 1/2 tsp)
• 1-2 twists freshly ground pepper
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 packet Simply Asia General Tsao Stir Fry Sauce - I got it at Harris Teeter (http://www.simplyasia.com/products/Stir-Fry-Sauces/General-Tsao-Stir-Fry-Sauce.aspx)

Steps:

1. Heat oil on medium heat. An easy way to know if it's ready: dip the end of a wooden spoon handle in the oil. If it starts to fizz around the handle, get frying!

2. Put cornstarch into zip lop bag.  Add in tofu cubes, seal bag, & shake until well coated.

3. Fry 3-5 min. or until a light golden brown.  Remember never to do really big batches whenever you fry something because it will significantly lower the temperature of the oil which will result in longer frying time, oilier food, and less crisp to the bite.

4. Drain tofu on a plate covered in 2-3 layered paper towels.

5. Heat the sesame oil in a large wok for 1-2 min. Add in garlic & onions. Saute 1 min. or until fragrance emits. Add scallions, broccoli, baby corn, & peppers.  Saute 5-10 min. depending on how tender you like your stir fry. Add ginger & black pepper.

6. Fold in tofu.

7. Add sauce and toss around until everything looks well coated.

Can-do Calzone!

I don't know why making calzones has been so daunting to me for so many years even after "perfecting" my pizza.  I think it's because I was afraid it wouldn't cook right or get too soggy.  I had a whim on a Saturday afternoon to do this so I did cheat and use Trader Joe's pizza dough.  This made 2 good size calzones and a small pizza (the kids were hungry so I popped that in b/c it was quicker).  Well, see below for a crispy, chewy, ooey gooey, melted and baked to perfection, delicious calzone recipe that was very reminiscent of one of those hole-in-the-wall NY pizzerias (a.k.a. the best!).

This is just what I happened to have and used but you could vary quite a bit and I am sure it would still turn out right:

1 bag Trader Joe's pizza dough

Flour available to use as much as needed

Extra virgin olive to use as much as needed & a brush

Trader Joe's canola oil spray

2-3 cups organic baby spinach

1 large clove garlic, coarsely chopped

1 can Trader Joe's Marinara sauce

1/2 container Trader Joe's fresh ricotta cheese with 1/4 tsp. dried oregano mixed in, place in a sieve to let out some moisture while you prep everything else

1/2 of a 8oz. "ball" of fresh mozarella (not the kind that floats in water, again I got mine at Trader Joe's), chopped/torn into smaller pieces
Salt and pepper to taste
Dust a pizza peel, extra wood cutting board, or a cookie sheet with corn meal.

1. Heat sauce on lowest heat for 60-120 min.  This will reduce it and the calzone is less likely to get soggy.  It also concentrates the flavor so a little goes a long way - again, less likely to get soggy.  The bag of dough says to leave it out at room temperature for 20 minutes but I left it out for an hour.  Have your flour ready to dust b/c the dough is very sticky.

2. Preheat oven to 450 degrees with pizza stone in.

3. Heat 1-2 tsp. of olive oil in a pan/pot.  Add garlic and as soon as there is fragrance, add in spinach.  Sprinkle some salt and freshly ground pepper.  Stir 2-3 minutes and remove from heat before it is completely wilted.

4. Knead dough for a couple of minutes, form into a log, and divide into 3 parts (3 equal or 2 equal and 1 smaller if doing a pizza).  Roll into a 1/2" thick, 8-10" circle.  Place on corn mealed surface. 

5.  Brush center with olive oil except for a half inch border so that when you fold it, it sticks.

Layer some ricotta, sauce, spinach, & mozarella onto one half.  Fold over other half and using fork tines, seal edges.

6. Apply some cooking spray (this will save calories rather than more olive oil or an egg wash).  Make 2-3 small slits to allow steam to escape.

7.  Slide onto stone or place in cookie sheet into oven.  Bake 15 min. or until golden brown.  Serve with remainder of sauce for dipping.

Asian Spring Rolls

This is the perfect fresh tasting appetizer or light meal to spring you into summer time!  You can really add any fresh/cold veggie to these.  Next time, I will tried baked, chilled tofu in them and make a peanut sauce.  There is usually a recipe or two on the back of the rice paper package, but I didn't have those exact ingredients on hand.

What you need:

1 package of rice paper (12 round sheets)

Any type of lettuce leaves (will not need an entire head)
Package of matchstick/shredded carrots (will not need all)
1 ripe avocado, chopped or mashed
1 peeled and finely chopped any type cucumber (if you use the small pickling ones, you will need 2)
Pickled ginger, separate some, and coarsely chop
Soy sauce to dip
Wasabi paste to taste (we mixed a smidge into a small dipping cup of low sodium soy sauce)
A dinner plate filled with water and extra water to refill
Clean, damp tea towel or cloth napkin


Directions (per 1 roll):
1.  Place 1 sheet of rice paper in the plate with water.  Soak for 15-20 seconds.
2.  Place on a damp tea towel.
3.  Layer lettuce first and then in any order, the carrots, cucumbers, avocado, & ginger.
4.  Fold over the left & right sides of the rice paper circle first, then the bottom, and tightly roll towards the top.
5. Serve whole or cut in half and with or without a dip of your choice.