stressed out so... let's eat!
in an attempt to be kind and considerate of you, dear readers, i am not going to go on a tangent on the omfg-i-am-so-stressed out about my students-lovelife-friends pproblems-paperwork-money-taxes bullshit... but i'm going to talk about food, because i've been trying to cut out sweets (at least the really bad ones) and eat a lot healthier, so here are some recipes! physically i feel pretty great and able to manage the stress, so i must be doing something right.
Baked Tofu
thank you, Mollie Katzen, for making vegetarians happy and helping them get their protein.
1 16-oz. package extra firm tofu, drained and cut into cubes
3-4 tbsp tamari or other soy sauce
1 tbsp. grated fresh ginger
1 clove minced garlic
2 tbsp. sesame oil
2 tbsp. rice vinegar
sugar or honey to taste
1. Put the tofu and the marinade ingredients into a container, throw the whole mess into the fridge, and letit sit overnight.
2. the next day, preheat your oven to 350. throw the tofu onto a baking sheet or pan and toss with a bit of marinade and olive oil if you think it's too dry. alternately, you can roll the tofu in sesame seeds (not traditionally a Mollie-ism but very good) or rice flour.
3. bake for about an hour, then serve over any number of things. i like it with stir-fried veggies and brown rice. also, there are an infinite number of things to do with this, throw in some coconut milk, roll in pestachios, use another marinade. i expect using smoked paprika would be tasty.
stuffed Portobellos
4 portobello mushrooms, stems removed
1 cup chopped spinach
1 cup cooked brown rice
2 tbsp. chopped pine nuts, walnuts, almonds, or whatever you've got
a few sun-dried tomatoes, cut into strips
2 tbsp pesto
seasonings to taste: fennel seeds, red pepper flakes, oregano, ground pepper, whatever you like
1. throw all the ingredients but the mushrooms together. it's good to kind of sautee them all in a bit of oil just to heat them through and add flavor, but sometimes i'm too lazy to do this. (who am i kidding, most of the time.)
2. put the mushrooms on a baking sheet or pan, gill side up and fill with the stuffing. bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes or so. try to wait a few minutes before devouring them, the burned-roof-of-the-mouth thing kills.
note: a little sprinkling of Parmesan on the top of these before baking never hurt anyone.
Heidi Swanson's Power Bars
her food is a bit fussy but I love this woman. check out her recipe blog at:
http://www.101cookbooks.com
1 tbsp coconut oil (canola oil would probably be fine her)
1-1/2 cups rolled oats, not the instant kind
1 1/4 cups chopped walnuts
1/2 cup oat bran
1 1/2 cups crisp brown rice cereal (unsweetened, if possible)
1 cup dried cranberries
1 tbsp chopped crystallized ginger
1 cup brown rice syrup (or sweetener of your choice, i like maple syrup, honey or agave)
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
grease a 9/13 pan with the oil, then combine everything up to the ginger in a large bowl. heat the sweetener, vanilla, and salt in a saucepan, stir until smooth. pour this over the dry ingredients and then spread out the whole business in the pan. cool to room temperature before cutting.
Baked Tofu
thank you, Mollie Katzen, for making vegetarians happy and helping them get their protein.
1 16-oz. package extra firm tofu, drained and cut into cubes
3-4 tbsp tamari or other soy sauce
1 tbsp. grated fresh ginger
1 clove minced garlic
2 tbsp. sesame oil
2 tbsp. rice vinegar
sugar or honey to taste
1. Put the tofu and the marinade ingredients into a container, throw the whole mess into the fridge, and letit sit overnight.
2. the next day, preheat your oven to 350. throw the tofu onto a baking sheet or pan and toss with a bit of marinade and olive oil if you think it's too dry. alternately, you can roll the tofu in sesame seeds (not traditionally a Mollie-ism but very good) or rice flour.
3. bake for about an hour, then serve over any number of things. i like it with stir-fried veggies and brown rice. also, there are an infinite number of things to do with this, throw in some coconut milk, roll in pestachios, use another marinade. i expect using smoked paprika would be tasty.
stuffed Portobellos
4 portobello mushrooms, stems removed
1 cup chopped spinach
1 cup cooked brown rice
2 tbsp. chopped pine nuts, walnuts, almonds, or whatever you've got
a few sun-dried tomatoes, cut into strips
2 tbsp pesto
seasonings to taste: fennel seeds, red pepper flakes, oregano, ground pepper, whatever you like
1. throw all the ingredients but the mushrooms together. it's good to kind of sautee them all in a bit of oil just to heat them through and add flavor, but sometimes i'm too lazy to do this. (who am i kidding, most of the time.)
2. put the mushrooms on a baking sheet or pan, gill side up and fill with the stuffing. bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes or so. try to wait a few minutes before devouring them, the burned-roof-of-the-mouth thing kills.
note: a little sprinkling of Parmesan on the top of these before baking never hurt anyone.
Heidi Swanson's Power Bars
her food is a bit fussy but I love this woman. check out her recipe blog at:
http://www.101cookbooks.com
1 tbsp coconut oil (canola oil would probably be fine her)
1-1/2 cups rolled oats, not the instant kind
1 1/4 cups chopped walnuts
1/2 cup oat bran
1 1/2 cups crisp brown rice cereal (unsweetened, if possible)
1 cup dried cranberries
1 tbsp chopped crystallized ginger
1 cup brown rice syrup (or sweetener of your choice, i like maple syrup, honey or agave)
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
grease a 9/13 pan with the oil, then combine everything up to the ginger in a large bowl. heat the sweetener, vanilla, and salt in a saucepan, stir until smooth. pour this over the dry ingredients and then spread out the whole business in the pan. cool to room temperature before cutting.