Recipe: Sesame Maple Roasted Tofu

This was my first time making this recipe, which I found on the Kashi website (go figure!). It turned out pretty good, but I think in the future I'd like to give the tofu time to marinate in the sauce.

ingredients:
1 14-ounce block extra-firm water-packed tofu, rinsed, patted dry and cut into 1-inch
cubes
1 medium red onion, sliced
1 tsp canola oil
2 tsps toasted sesame oil
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp freshly ground pepper
1 Tbsp tahini
1 Tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce or tamari
2 tsp maple syrup
1 tsp cider vinegar
3 cups sugar snap peas, trimmed
1 Tbsp sesame seeds

directions:
1. Preheat oven to 450°F.
2. Toss tofu, onion, canola oil, sesame oil, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Spread on a large baking sheet and roast until the tofu is lightly golden on top and the onions are browning in spots, 15 to 20 minutes.
3. Whisk tahini, soy sauce or tamari, maple syrup and vinegar in a small dish until combined. Remove the tofu from the oven, add snap peas and drizzle with the maple sauce; stir to combine. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Return to the oven and continue roasting until the peas are crisp-tender, 8 to 12 minutes more.

serves 4

I ate this with japanese noodles, but it would probably be good with rice, too.

Recipe: Egg Fried Rice

If you're anything like me, you grew up eating takeout every weekend for dinner. Unfortunately, decent chinese food became difficult for me to find when I was in college in Indiana. I'm still wary of chinese food in Milwaukee, even though the place around the corner from me was given the title of best chinese food in milwaukee by onmilwaukee.com. my solution? make my own chinese food! like most rice recipes, this is pretty easy to make. I make a pretty basic version of this dish, but other vegetables such as onions, mushrooms, bean sprouts, and/or edamame could be added to this dish to add some variety! I'm going to try adding some new veggies next time I make this.

ingredients:
1 cup water
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 cup uncooked instant rice
1 tsp vegetable oil
1/2 cup peas
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 tsp ground black pepper

directions:
1. In a saucepan bring water and soy sauce to a boil. Add rice and stir. Remove from heat, cover and let stand until liquid is completely absorbed (more or less 15 minutes)
2. Heat oil in a medium skillet or wok over medium heat. Saute peas for 2 to 3 minutes. Pour in egg and fry for 2 minutes, scrambling egg while it cooks.
3. Stir in the cooked rice, mix well and sprinkle with pepper.

serves 4