breakfast / lunch tofu scramble

I really like having tofu around. It is so versatile! If you don't like tofu food texture, then you may not have had it made the way you would like it. I like mine dry. I don't like the silken tofu unless it is made into a sauce.  I only buy extra firm (and organic). Then you must press the water out. Cut off the amount of tofu you will use from the whole block, then cut into 1/2 inch or so slices (not too thin). Then use paper towels or dishcloth to wrap the tofu in several layers and press down. You'll feel the water getting absorbed into the cloth. Some people put the wrapped tofu on a plate and set a big can on it and come back in 10 minutes. I just wrap and re-wrap and press with my hands. It's also wise to use just a drip of oil when you cook tofu. It helps crisp up the outside and makes it tastier.

Today I fixed a breakfast/lunch meal that really rocked! The secret is in the flavors you add.

Tofu with Green Peppers. 

I like my food spicy, but when it is the first meal of the day and I haven't been bouncing around, I like something a little tamer. For some, this will be spicy, so adjust accordingly.

1/4 of a tofu block, pressed and cubed - extra firm, organic tofu
1/3 of a large green pepper, diced
1 or 2 small fingerling potatoes sliced or small cubes, if you like. You could add mushrooms or onion instead of potatoes.
oil, tamari sauce, siracha sauce (or hot sauce), tumeric, pepper, cumin, cilantro (fresh or dried)

• Heat a small frying pan with 

1 tsp oil (about)
1 TBS Tamari Sauce (about) or veggie broth if you don't have Tamari, but it won't be as tasty :)
1/2 tsp Siracha sauce (depends on how hot you like it). If you don't have Siracha, try hoi sin sauce or red chili paste. If you only have hot sauce, add it at the end because it does not fry well.

• Mix together and let it heat (medium high)
• Add tofu and generously season with tumeric (tumeric gives it a lovely yellow color and makes it look like scrambled eggs. 
• Add the potatoes and peppers and stir to coat all. Break up the tofu cubes with your spoon or spatula. 
• Season with a few shakes of black pepper, cumin, and dried cilantro. I can't use fresh cilantro fast enough to warrant buying it in the winter. So I keep a jar of dried flakes around. If you are using fresh cilantro, you probably want to wait until the cooking is nearly done to add it. 
• Cook in the pan and toss/stir frequently to be sure it doesn't stick (depending on the pan you have). Should be 5-8 minutes on a medium heat to thoroughly cook potatoes and peppers. 
• If you didn't use Siracha or other cooking sauce, now add your hot sauce!

Another way to make this is to add spinach or chard halfway through the cooking. 

Eat and Enjoy!

2012 - Will You Be Heart Healthy?

January - the month of new beginnings, resolutions, resolve, and expectation. February - the month we forget all that!

I have already seen a number of friends who have vowed to eat more healthy in 2012! Wonderful - but you need a plan. Having gone through the shadow of the valley of eating reform, I can tell you it is not easy, but it is so, so worth it! I know I am a broken record to some of my friends because I talk about food a lot and am an evangelist for herbivore cooking. But I live what I say and I like to cook and share with people. Once they taste the food, they tend to take it more seriously.

If you are starting or restarting a journey to more healthy eating, here are some tips.

1. keep a food journal daily. It is just for you, so there is no point in fibbing. It gives you a picture of what you are really eating and not what you think you are eating - (how many times have you said, I've been keeping pretty close to my diet?).  To keep it positive and supportive (not negative and beating yourself up), I put in the margin what I might have eaten instead to have kept on my path. Maybe even note why you made the choice you did. Confronting your choices honestly is never easy, but it does make the process more likely to succeed.

2. keep a stocked pantry - if you have it at hand, you are more likely to select it, cook it, and eat it. If you are trying to get more veggies in your meals, have them around. Think of alternative ways to get your veggies to ease into it - V8 juice, frozen veggies, veggie soup. Don't buy a lot of exotic fresh veggies and then expect to magically have them prepared. You'll just toss them, get frustrated and quit. Get used to including more veggies. If you like salads, then have lots of salad elements at hand so you can quickly assemble and enjoy it.
Essentials for the pantry:

• spices - flavor makes the meal. Use sea salt (no blood pressure danger, so you can use as you please). I make my own seasoning mixes for taco seasoning and cajun seasoning. No artificial ingredients as you will find in store-bought packets. Some seasonings are easier to buy prepared - like Garam Marsala for Indian dishes like Dal.
• condiments - Siracha sauce, hot sauce, Tamari sauce, mustards, minced ginger in the jar, minced fresh basil in the jar (they last forever in the fridge).
• broth - veggie broth, mushroom broth (Pacific is my go-to brand). I use veggie broth and tamari sauce to make salad dressings, stir fry base, etc. I rarely cook with oil, using broths instead. Cook your brown rice with mushroom broth instead of water and you will love it. Cook your potatoes in any broth and you will love it as well. Think flavor!
• grains - quinoa, whole wheat flour, nutritional yeast, cornmeal, brown rice, wild rice, whole wheat pasta (I like veggie whole wheat macraroni)
• canned goods - beans, lots of beans - black, kidney, chickpea are my staples. I also like lentils. You might like pinto, northern, red, chili. Tomatoes - I prefer Muir Glen because you can get them plain, fire-roasted, and with chiles - flavor is important and these are wonderfully flavorful tomatoes. Soup - I like Amy's organic, but they are expensive. Trader Joe's has some healthy, inexpensive soup. I like the split pea and the lentil. 
• Alternative milk - boxed kind can sit on the shelf until opened. I prefer vanilla flavored low fat almond milk (Pacific). Other varieties are rice and soy. Get organic if you can, because most soy is GMO modified and produced using Big Ag farming methods. Even if you don't drink it, you can use it to make oatmeal, for baking, for cereal, for smoothies.
• Frozen veggies and faux meats - in the winter, when fresh, local veggies are not available, I buy frozen. I like Cascadia Farms organic (Canadian). They always taste fresh. Many people who are giving up meat like the Morningstar product line of veggie burgers, faux bacon, etc. Also Boca Burgers. I don't like them, but you might. Read the labels. Many have milk product in them. 
• Nuts - walnuts and almonds are my favorites. I put them in salads, on my oatmeal, in baked goods. Buy them in bulk and save. Get organic if you possibly can afford it as the nut farming industry is loaded with chemicals. 
• Fresh food - organic yellow onions, organic garlic (you won't believe the difference in flavor), sweet potatoes, white potatoes (or varietals - I love purple). I put garlic and onions in many, many dishes and always have them on hand. Sweet potatoes are as versatile as white and then some - fries, baked, cubed for dishes like Dal, with greens, and mashed. 
• Maple syrup and honey - great sweeteners
• Get the boxed food out of your pantry - no instant potatoes, no crackers, no white pasta, no refined sugars, no high fructose corn syrup. If you want any of these things, be intentional about buying them. Don't stock your pantry with them!
• Some people prefer dry beans to canned. Remember you have to soak them before using. I have found that convenience of the can trumps the savings of dry beans. The exception is lentils. You don't have to soak them. They can be cooked in a dish on the spot.

 3. Use flavors to make your food interesting. Fast food tastes "good" because it is filled with salt and fat. When you eliminate salt and fat, you have to replace it with flavors. Flavor does not have to be spicy hot. One of my favorite blends is Herbs de' Provence - wonderful, savory flavors that go great on veggies and potatoes. Tumeric is a wonder spice (health benefits) and turns tofu into eggs and is great on cooked veggies. Check out the spice isle in the grocery - the manufacturers have dozens of blends to choose from. It's not just Mrs. Dash anymore!!

4. Get some good recipes. Healthy cooking requires some new approaches to cooking. You won't be opening a can of Manwhich anymore. You know my favorite - Happy Herbivore. Not there yet? There are lots of online veggie recipes. Find something that looks interesting, enticing, and fix it! The internet is one big recipe book :)

Enjoy your new palette and new joy in eating!