Szechuan Veggie & Tofu Stir Fry October 22, 2007

So we have some staple meals in our house – and this is one of them. It’s such an easy meal to make and sometimes I switch it up a bit (like everything else I make!).

• 2-3 tbs of stir fry oil 
• 1 block of extra firm tofu (I get mine pre-cubed!)
• 1 bag of mixed stir fry fresh veggies (this saves considerable chopping time!)
• 1/2 an onion, large slices
• 1 tbs garlic
• red pepper flakes (to season)
• Szechuan stir fry sauce (to season)
• red pepper chilis (to season)
• 1 package Asian rice noodles (including the spice packet included!)

- Heat about 2 tbs stir fry oil in wok.
- Add cubed tofu & heat until slightly tanned on medium high heat.
- Add onion & red pepper flakes. Heat until onions are transluscent.
- Add veggies & rice noodles & stir.  (you may want to add 1/4 cup water). Heat until veggies are tender (but not mushy!) and rice noodles are soft.
- Add stir fry sauce & mix well.
- Serve with brown rice & jasmine tea!

The great thing about this is how easy it is to change it a bit. We like to use peanut sauce or just regular stir fry sauce. There are loads of different sauces at the grocery and it’s fun to try all the different ones.

In the mood…for Kookies! October 22, 2007

I’ve gotten a bit of a sweet tooth lately (actually, since my 1st pg…and it hasn’t gone away). So I’ve got a box of brownies in the pantry, but these are sounding mighty fine to me right now…. I just might have to make a run to the store to get the ingredients! It’s my own recipe that I call…

Kookie Monster Cookies

• 1 cup light butter, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar in the raw (or stevia)
• 2 tbs soy milk
• 1 3/4 cup soy flour (or whole wheat)
• 1/2 cup whole grain oatmeal (uncooked!)
• 3 tbs wheat germ
• 1 tsp  flax seed
• 1 (12 oz) bag mini M&M’s
• 1 (10 oz) bag mint chocolate morsels
• 1 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 cup natural crunchy peanut butter
• 1 cup walnuts, chopped

- Heat oven to 375.
- Beat butter & sugars until creamy.
- Add eggs, milk & vanilla. Mix.
- Stir in peanut butter, oats, M&M’s, morsels, & nuts.
- Use large spoon to make large cookies!
- Baken on ungreased pan 9-10 minutes.

I’m Starving! – Tater Tot Hotdish October 21, 2007

 My first real food blog post!!! Wooohooo!

 Ok – so I’m hungry quite often these days. I think I’m eating a “snack” about every 2 hours (or less!). It’s sometimes difficult to come up with different snacks (and healthy ones) to eat throughout the day. The nice thing is, I’m finding I’m not able to pig-out during a meal – AND, I haven’t gained any weight (yet)!

So what’s for dinner tonight? One of Brian’s favorites – and one of my childhood favorites…. Tater Tot Hotdish. Let me share it with you. Just let me preface this by stating that rarely do I measure out things, and this is one of those recipes that you’ll need to adjust according to the size of your baking dish and the number of people you are serving! The following is based on a 9×13 pan.

• 1 pound ground veggie burger (or beef or turkey if you please)
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 2 cans cream of whatever soup you’d like
• 3 cups (total) of whatever veggies you’d like (sugg: carrots, corn, beans, lima beans, peas, broccoli, cauliflower)
• 2 cups mozzarella cheese
• 1 bag tater tots

- Saute onion and veggie burger (or meat) on low heat for 5 minutes.
- Mix all above ingredients together (except for tater tots) in baking dish.
- Spread tater tots on top of dish.
- Bake at 350 for approx. 1 hour (if using frozen veggies)

So – my mom used to make this when we were kids. However, I have changed it up a bit since then. Her version? Well, she would put about a 1/2 inch layer patted down of ground beef in the bottom of the pan, then on top of that she poured a can (or 2?) of vegetable (beef?) soup, then she would place the tater tots in neat rows on top!

Ok – it’s almost done – I can smell it from the the bedroom so I should go check on it! My stomach is growling, so I’m hoping it will be done soon! (Maybe I should turn the temp up & get it done faster!!!)