Vegan Tofu Stir-Fry with Cashews & Zucchini

My husband likes to eat vegetarian a lot, but he's also an athlete so he's not willing to skimp on protein. This dish goes the extra step to vegan (meaning there are no animal products in it at all) but the tofu keeps the protein count up. Many people avoid dishes with tofu, but unless you're allergic to soy, give this one a try. The trick to making good tofu is to marinate it first so it takes on flavor.

You will need:

One 18oz block of firm tofu (found in the produce or refrigerated sections of the grocery store), cubed
1/2 cup of soy sauce

Lemon juice from one whole lemon
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon garlic powder (not garlic salt!)
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 cups of white long grain jasmine rice
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, crushed and chopped
2 celery sticks, sliced
3/4 cup of roasted, salted cashews, chopped coarsely
2 zucchinis, sliced
3/4 cup of frozen green peas
4 green onions, chopped (I cut them with scissors)

small bowl with a flat bottom for marinating the tofu
chef's knife
cutting board
citrus juicer
rice cooker
measuring cups
measuring spoons
wok
wooden spoon

Put the cubed tofu in the small bowl. Pour the soy and lemon juice over the cubes, then sprinkle the ginger, garlic, and pepper on top. It's okay if the marinade doesn't cover all of the tofu. Set aside for at least ten minutes before starting the rest.

Cook the rice in the rice cooker. I use a ratio of about 1 part rice to 1.25 parts water when I cook white rice, but your rice cooker may not work the same as mine, so go by your own experience.

Put the chopped garlic, celery, cashews, and zucchini in the wok with the olive oil. Cook on high heat until the bits of garlic are translucent (2-3 minutes), then lower to medium. Stir frequently. Add the tofu and half the marinade (discarding the rest).

When the zucchini's seeds are more visible, somewhat translucent, but the skins are still dark green, add the peas and the green onions. Continue stirring frequently until the peas have warmed, about 3-4 minutes.

Plate the rice first and then the stir fry on top. Enjoy!

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Roast Chicken with Carrots, Peas and Brown Rice

This is a pretty typical dinner for us. You can of course substitute peas for broccoli or some other green vegetable, and brown rice for white rice, cous cous or quinoa.

You will need:

A whole chicken (we like free range)
4 carrots, chopped into large pieces
2-3 cloves of garlic
olive oil
salt
water

2-3 cups* of frozen peas
1-2 cups* of brown rice

an oven dish
a meat thermometer
aluminum foil
2 to 4 quart pot with lid
optional: a rice cooker

This recipe will take about two hours.

Serves 3-4 people.

Preheat oven to 420 degrees F.

Prepare the baking dish as you prefer: I use some cooking spray to make it easier to clean later (although I don't spray far up the side or the spray can bake on and spot the dish). Put the chopped carrots in the dish first, spreading them out evenly. Make sure the chicken has nothing in the cavity, like the neck or livers. Put about a tablespoon of salt inside the cavity--a little more if you like salt. Put the garlic cloves in the cavity. Place the chicken on top of the carrots. drizzle olive oil over the chicken. You can rub it across the chicken with your fingers if you want--I tend to skip this step. Salt the outside of the chicken lightly. Pour about a quarter to a half a cup of water in the bottom of the dish--this keeps the carrots from blackening. Tear off a large sheet of aluminum foil, enough to cover the bird completely. Stick a meat thermometer though the foil in the area that will cover the chicken breast. Poke the thermometer in the thickest part of the breast. Finish putting the foil over so it covers the bird and clings to the sides of the baking dish. Put it in the oven and set a timer for 90 minutes.

When the timer goes off, check your meat thermometer. It should be in the 160 degree range. If it isn't, put the chicken back in until it is (check every 10 minutes). Remove the aluminum foil. Put the chicken back in to brown, setting the timer for 20 minutes.

Time to cook the rice. I use a rice cooker, but you can also follow the directions on the package. One tip I've read for cooking rice to the right consistency without a rice cooker is to put in a lot of water, basically treating it like pasta, and to drain it out once the rice is done.

When the chicken's timer goes off, check the meat thermometer. It should be at least 180. If not, you will have to add more time. If it is, set the timer for 10 more minutes.

Put the peas in the pot with about a half a cup of water. Cover and heat over high until it boils, then lower heat to medium-low.

If you are using a rice cooker, you can use it instead of the last timer--when the rice is done, the rest usually is too. Use your best judgment.

Once the rice is done or your timer has gone off, turn off the peas and remove the chicken from the oven. Let the chicken sit while you dish out the rice and peas. Then carve the chicken. Once you've served some pieces of chicken you should be able to spoon out carrots and chicken juices onto the rice.

Enjoy!

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*Depends on the number of people you're feeding.