Hi guys! I'm back!
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| Life-in-a-box! |
Phew. These past two weeks have really taken the life out of me. First a week of finals, a weekend of packing, then a week of working 10 hour waitressing shifts during my school's commencement. Summer break has never been such a relief.
Because of my long and exhausting work shifts plus the road trip home, I have been eating out a lot lately. Take out food tends to make me feel gross when I eat it for too many days straight, but it does taste pretty great (thank you, sugar and sodium). When I finally made it home, I decided to try to create a slightly healthier version of one of my all-time favorite chinese carry-out dishes: General Tso's Tofu. I'd say it turned out just as delicious as the real deal!
General Tso's Tofu (adapted from The Vegan Kitchen)
makes 2 servings
12 oz extra firm tofu
1 tbsp cornstarch
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup water
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp hoisin sauce
1/2 tbsp mirin (rice wine)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp siracha (or to taste)
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 2 tbsp water
1. Preheat your oven to 400ยบ and grease a baking sheet. Press the tofu between paper towels to get rid of excess water and cut into small cubes. Toss the cubes with a tablespoon of cornstarch and place them on the sheet to bake for about 20-25 minutes.
2. Prepare the sauce by heating the garlic over low heat in a small saucepan. After a minute, add in the other ingredients (except for the cornstarch mixture) and stir for about 3 minutes. Mix in the cornstarch and whisk until thickened. Remove from heat.
3. Once the tofu is cooked, place the cubes in a bowl and carefully mix in the sauce. Serve with brown rice and broccoli. All you're missing is the fortune cookie!
This meal is super quick to whip up and perfect for a lazy summer movie night. Do you have a go-to take-out meal?
To be honest, I don't really cook meals that often. When given the time, I usually choose baking over cooking just because it's what I'm better at. Another New Years Resolution of mine is to be more creative with making meals for myself- I'm getting a little sick of basic stir-fries and salads.
I just got this fantastic new cookbook for Christmas, Big Vegan by Robin Asbell, that I think will help with my goal. I've only tried a couple recipes so far, but they turned out amazing! I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a thorough vegan cookbook.
The first recipe I tried was Roman Broccoli-Walnut Pasta. The sauce had a very light and subtle flavor, but was really delicious. It's not too difficult to make, you just have to let the veggies simmer a while. It helps if you have a friend to help you with all the chopping.
Pasta with Broccoli-Walnut Sauce (slightly adapted from Big Vegan)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 rib of celery, chopped
1 medium carrot, chopped
4 cups broccoli florets and stems, chopped
1 medium tomato, diced
1 cup white wine
3 cloves garlic, sliced
1/4 cup silken tofu
1/2 cup walnuts
salt to taste
1/4 cup soy creamer
about 8 oz. whole wheat pasta
1. Bring a large pot of water to boil. In a large pan over high heat, saute the onion, celery and carrots in the olive oil until the veggies are soft. Add the broccoli, tomato, wine and garlic. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and let simmer until there is almost no liquid left.
2. Meanwhile, place the tofu in a food processor and puree until smooth. Once the vegetables are ready, carefully add them to the food processor. Add in the walnuts, salt and soy creamer and blend until it forms a thick sauce.
3. Cook the pasta according to the package's directions, drain, and put back into the pot. Add the sauce and stir well to combine. Serve with salt and pepper and enjoy!
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