Posts Tagged by whole wheat
Tofu Tricks…and a Summer Salad
| June 30, 2010 | Posted by Lauren under Dinner, HOTR Eats |
Many people who hate tofu usually say that it’s the texture they can’t stand the most. I’ll be the first to admit that it takes a little getting used to. And at first glance, the stuff doesn’t really look very appetizing. You open up a package only to find a slimy white block floating in a bunch of yellowish water. That doesn’t exactly scream, “eat me!” now does it?
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But tofu doesn’t have to remain raw and tasteless. One of the best things about it is that you can do a lot to change both the texture and the flavor, to make it taste however you’d like.
Get the Water Out and the Flavor In
If you’ve ever done any cooking with tofu, you know that it’s filled with a lot of water. In order to give the tofu a firmer texture and fill it with a lot more flavor, you’ve got to get that water out. The most common way to do this is to press the tofu. You don’t need to have any sort of fancy equipment to do this – just wrap the tofu in a towel (or paper towels) and put a couple of books on top. Let it sit that way for about 15 – 30 minutes.
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My favorite way to prepare tofu takes this a step further. To get the texture of tofu to really change, you’ve gotta freeze it!
Freeze That Tofu
Whenever I buy tofu, I usually open the container, drain out all the water, and then press it for a few minutes. Once it has been drained, I wrap it in cling wrap, put it it a Tupperware, stick it in the freezer and forget about it until I’m ready to use it. Not only is this method a super easy way to remove the extra moisture, but it also helps keep the tofu from going bad if you don’t use it right away.
I’m not sure why, but when you freeze tofu, its color changes. You stick a white mushy blob into the freezer…and out comes a solid block of yellow ice. (mmm…looking appetizing yet?)
Now comes the part that requires a little advance preparation. Before you can start cooking with the tofu, you’ve got to let this baby thaw. If you’ve planned ahead, you can let it sit out on the counter for awhile until the ice melts naturally. Or…if you’re inpatient like I am, you can just use the “stick it in a bag and let it sit in hot water” trick.
Using this method, your tofu should be thawed and ready to cook within 30 minutes. As it returns to room temperature, the color will turn back to white. At first glance, the tofu will look completely normal. But upon closer examination, you’ll notice that it has become a lot more porous.
A closer shot. I apologize…this does look a bit unappetizing (which is why I kept the picture small). But you can see there are a lot more holes in the block now. Not only does this allow the tofu to absorb a lot more of whatever marinade or spice you choose to cook it in, but it also gives the tofu a completely different texture. Tofu that has been frozen is a lot chewier, and almost spongey. while this might not make it sounds delicious, I promise that the texture is actually really good — especially because it has soaked up so much extra flavor.
There are a variety of ways to cook tofu – you can marinade and bake it, or simply sauté it in olive oil and spices. A few nights ago, the temperature was so hot and sticky that I couldn’t imagine eating anything warm for dinner. So I used this method to make an easy summer pasta salad.
Super Simple Summer {Pasta} Salad
To make this salad, you will need: tofu that had been frozen and thawed, a bunch of veggies, balsamic vinaigrette, olive oil, and other seasonings of choice.
First, get your water boiling and your pasta cooking (I used whole wheat penne).
Meanwhile, cut the thawed tofu into small cubes and sauté in a little EVOO until they turn golden brown.
Once brown, coat with balsamic vinaigrette and add salt and pepper to taste. Let cook until all the balsamic has been absorbed. Set aside.
Now comes the hardest part of the meal: chop all your veggies and mix them together in a large bowl. This is the only part that requires any actual work. In this bowl are tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, and peppers. Set aside.
When your pasta is cooked, drain and then rinse it with cold water until it’s, well…cold. It will take a few moments of rinsing and mixing around to cool it all down.
Layer the pasta and some spinach in the bowl. Drizzle the entire mixture with more balsamic, a little extra EVOO, and some garlic salt. Mix together with your hands (if possible) to ensure that everything is evenly coated.
Top with tofu, avocado, and some freshly grated parmesan cheese.
Enjoy on the front porch with the windows open to the summer breeze. A perfect meal on a hot night.
Look really close – you’ll see a faint little rainbow over the house!
A Quick {Bread} Post
| June 8, 2010 | Posted by Lauren under Desserts, HOTR Eats |
One of my absolute favorite things to bake is quick bread. I love the idea (and smell!) of freshly baked bread, and the recipes are always extremely easy. No yeast, fancy ingredients, or complicated steps required. In fact, you don’t even need an electronic mixer — just a couple of bowls and a good old fashioned spoon.
I recently made two different types of quick breads that I wanted to share. The decision to make the first came when I unexpectedly uncovered a can of pumpkin in my pantry. Even though we’re officially out of pumpkin season, I was so excited by this find that I knew right away what I needed to do — bake bread.
However, a quick look in the fridge almost ruined those plans. I had no eggs, and as exciting as the challenge of baking a vegan version sounded, I’d never made quick bread without eggs before. Was it possible to make a delicious tasting treat without them — that even my carnivorous boyfriend would love?
Well my friends, I won’t leave you in suspense for very long. The answer (as I’m sure you can guess) is yes!! I found a recipe for vegan pumpkin bread on allrecipes.com that had gotten rave reviews. The original recipe calls for coconut milk, and claims that’s the secret ingredient to making it moist. I didn’t actually have that on hand, so I used almond milk instead. The bread still came out extremely moist and flavorful. Best of all – it easily passed the test. I didn’t tell EC it was vegan (in fact, I think I still haven’t told him), and he loved it…all the while never even suspecting a difference. You might call me a bad girlfriend…but I like to think that I’m a resourceful cook simply looking for an unbiased review. 
Vegan Pumpkin Bread
(Adapted from Super Moist Pumpkin Bread on allrecipes.com)
Ingredients
- 3 TBS ground flax
- 1/2 cup water
(Mix together until thick and set aside)
- 2 cups whole wheat flour
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 3 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or preferred combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, etc)
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 cup oil (I ran out of canola so used 1/2 cup olive oil and it still came out great)
- 2/3 cup almond milk
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 can pumpkin puree
- 2/3 cup flaked coconut (plus a little extra if you’re like me and love coconut)
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare (grease and flour) two 8×4 inch loaf pans.
- Combine the dry ingredients (flours, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices). Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, mix the sugar, oil, almond milk, vanilla, and pumpkin until well combined. Then stir in the flax + water mixture.
- Slowly add the dry mixture to the wet, stirring just until combined. Finally, add in the coconut. Batter will be thick. (At the last minute, I decided to add a glug of maple syrup to the batter, just to give it a little extra sweetness).
- Pour evenly into the two pans and bake for 60 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Cooking times can vary depending on your oven.
- Allow to cool, slice, and enjoy!
Oh, and I also might have taken the other half of the batter and made it into chocolate pumpkin bread by adding 1/2 cup extra dark cocoa + 1 tbs oil + 4 tbs milk + maple syrup.
Apparently we only have one bread pan in the apartment – so I improvised
As much as I love all things chocolate, I have to admit that I thought the regular pumpkin bread was better. I put a lot of cocoa in this bread, which hid the pumpkin flavor too much. However, this was absolutely delicious all crumbled up and mixed with Greek yogurt (+ cereal + PB)
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The second recipe is for one of my all time favorite types of bread – banana. It’s so simple to make, and delicious as a mid-day snack, or even as part of breakfast. I made this for my family the other day and it was gone in less than 24 hours.
The recipe comes from Elise at Simply Recipes. I loved how simple (yet delicious) it looked. I made a few changes, so to see the original recipe, click here.
Coconut Banana Bread
(Are you noticing a theme here? I may or may not add coconut to just about everything bake. I’m convinced it’s the magic ingredient that makes every dessert taste amazing.)
Ingredients
- 3 extremely ripe on-the-verge-of-going-bad bananas
- 1/2 cup melted butter (1 stick)
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 cup all-purpose four
- 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
- 2 rounded tbs ground flax seed
- Pinch of salt
- Generous sprinkle (more like a pour!) of cinnamon
- As much flaked coconut as your heart desires
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare (grease and flour) one 8×4 inch loaf pan.
- In a large bowl, mash bananas and then mix in the butter until well combined.
- Add sugar, egg, and vanilla. Mix until combined, but batter will be lumpy
- Next add the baking soda, a pinch of salt, a generous layer of cinnamon and the ground flax. Mix together.
- Lastly, add both types of flour to the bowl and mix until combined.
- Back for 50 – 60 minutes, or until knife inserted into center comes out clean. Mine was done closer to 50 minutes.
- Allow to cool, slice and enjoy!
Do you like quick bread? What’s your favorite kind? Another summertime favorite of mine is zucchini. So so delicious!
Banana Oatbran Pancakes (‘Banoatcakes’)
| April 24, 2010 | Posted by Lauren under Breakfast, HOTR Eats |
What do you get when you combine banana oats and banana pancakes?
Banoatcakes, of course!
I woke up this morning craving banana pancakes, and so created this “hearty” recipe that combines two of my favorite breakfasts. The result, filling pancakes that have a lot of “chew.” This mixture was not super sweet, allowing it to pair perfectly with the berry topping I made.
The recipe made 4 pancakes but could easily feed 2 people. As much as I wanted to eat more, I could only get through 2 of these babies.
In the mix:
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1/2 cup oatbran
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1/2 cup whole wheat flour
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1 TBS ground flaxseed (I used Bob’s Red Mill Whole Ground Flaxseed Meal)
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1 1/4 tsp baking powder
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1 tsp cinnamon (okay, so in reality I just sprinkled cinnamon on the batter until it looked like a “good amount”. But I’m guessing it was around 1 tsp)
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1 egg
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1 tsp canola oil
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1 packet of stevia (I used PureVia brand)
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Milk (I used plain soy)
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1 banana (preferably with a bite taken out of it)
When I make pancakes, I usually go by the tried and true method taught to me by my Dad. That is – whisk together the dry ingredients, then add the egg, oil and just a little milk. Mix and slowly add more milk until you get to the desired consistency. You could add more or less depending on how thick you want your pancakes. I usually just dump and stir until I get a batter that’s still slightly thick, but easy to pour (very precise cooking, I know).
Let batter rest for a few minutes, then re-stir and pour onto greased griddle that has been preheated to 350 degrees (or over stove on medium-high heat) and then place banana slices on top of each pancake. Cook a few minutes until bottom is golden brown; flip and repeat!
For the topping, I used: frozen mixed berries (that had been defrosted in the microwave), a heaping spoonful of Chobani Plain Greek Yogurt, and a little dollop of maple syrup; all mixed up and heated in the microwave for ~30 seconds.
Plus this little guy on the side with a spread of Dark Chocolate Dreams peanut butter for a little variety (although I soon realized it tasted even better with BOTH toppings!).
Finally, no breakfast would be complete with some iced coffee + cinnamon in my favorite oversized mug (thanks Brett!!).
I make my iced coffee at home in a French Press (the best way to make coffee!!). I just use 1/2 as much water with the same amount of grounds, so that it won’t taste watered down when I add the ice.
And now it’s time to wake up the lazy nugget and go for a walk on this beautiful day. Happy Saturday!
Whole Wheat Flax Blueberry Pancakes
| April 3, 2010 | Posted by Lauren under Breakfast, HOTR Eats |
It’s a beautiful day in Western Pennsylvania! I’m out here visiting my family for Easter and it’s such a nice surprise to have sun and 70/80 degree temps instead of the usual cold and snow.
This morning, like most Saturday mornings growing up, we started the day with a family pancake breakfast. For as long as I can remember, this has been our “tradition”. When we were small, my Dad would plop us down on the counter, pull out our trusty box of Bisquick, and let us help whip up a batch of our favorite breakfast food. Although the pancake mix has changed to more hearty varieties over the years, until recently, we had never actually made them from scratch. There seemed to be some unspoken belief that the dry mix contained some sort of “magic” ingredient that helped the pancakes come out perfect and fluffy every time.
Fortunately (as you may already know), this couldn’t be further from the truth. Making pancakes from scratch is super easy, using common ingredients you probably already have in the house. You don’t even need milk or eggs if you don’t have them (or want a vegan version) – you can make a great tasting pancake with water, a little extra baking powder, and a flax egg substitute, another super easy thing to make. For one egg, simmer 1 TBS flax seeds in 3 TBS water until a thick, gooey, egg-like consistency forms, or about 5-minutes. I’ve also done this using ground flax. Just whisk the flax with water in a 3:1 ratio and let it sit for about 5-minutes (no need to cook).
My favorite pancakes are made with whole wheat flour and flax. These two simple ingredients add such a great flavor to the pancakes (and lots of nutrition to keep you full!). There are many ways to make these, and you can mix up the recipe by using buttermilk, substituting applesauce for the oil, or playing around with your proportions of whole wheat to white flour. When doing so, however, it’s important to remember that whole wheat flour is denser than regular white flour, so the pancakes will not rise the same if you only use the whole wheat. I’ve had the most success when I’ve used them both in a 1:1 ratio, but I’ve also heard that whole wheat pastry flour works pretty well.
Whole Wheat Flax Blueberry Pancakes
The basic recipe that I use is below. This has been adapted from several different sources (that I can no longer remember!) and tends to vary a bit from time to time. Also (as a disclaimer), I’m not a very precise cook, and would prefer to just dump and mix when I can get away without measuring. But for those logical people out there who actually like to trust that your food is going to come out okay when you make something, here are the ingredients.
This recipe will make 8 – 10 pancakes, depending on their size and easily serves 2 very hungry people, or 3ish with a “normal” appetite.
- 1/2 c unbleached white flour
- 1/2 c whole wheat flour
- 1/4 c ground flax seeds (though you could add more or less, depending on taste)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 TBS sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt (optional)
- 3/4 c milk of choice (I’ve made with regular and soy)
- 1 TBS oil
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 c washed fresh or frozen (drained) blueberries
Making pancakes pretty much just consists of pouring and mixing. But, to be a little more specific…you first preheat your griddle to 350 degrees. Next, whisk together all the dry ingredients (including the flax).
Then add in the liquids, whisking until a relatively smooth batter is formed. You can add in more or less milk, depending on how thick you would like the pancakes. I usually add it in slowly until I have a batter that is thin enough to pour without being too runny to hold it’s shape on the griddle. Add the blueberries last, folding in gently.
Place on greased griddle and cook for a few minutes, until the edges of the pancakes firm up a little and you see little bubbles form around the edge.
Flip!
And serve with warm pure maple syrup. Delish!
For a great twist on just plain maple syrup, mix with a little bit of plain Greek yogurt (with yogurt to syrup in a 2:1 ratio). This will cut down the sugar and create a great-tasting, thicker maple flavored topping. I also love topping pancakes with a little bit of nut butter (peanut butter or almond butter) mixed with a little maple syrup.
Enjoy! Oh, and if anyone tries these and has any suggestions for improvements, please let me know!! I’m always looking for ways to tweak this.
Have a wonderful Easter!
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