breakfast: coffee; everything bagel with Tofutti (what better way to celebrate Valentine’s Day than eating your true love?)
snack: rice crackers wrapped in seaweed
dinner (thank you H Mart): black sesame crusted tofu (click for the recipe);
entreeThis recipe is a work in progress as I ended up with too much sauce and had to remove a lot of it in the middle of the process.
- 3 small blocks tofu, cut into ¡triangles!
- 3 T soy sauce and 3 T water
- 3 T peanut butter
- 3 T sesame oil
- 2 juiced limes
- 1 T agave
- 2 T minced fresh ginger
- 4 cloves minced garlic
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- black pepper to taste
- 1/4 c black and white sesame seeds (any combination will do)
Mix the soy sauce and water in a shallow pan, and add the cut tofu (the tofu drained/pressed as much as you have time for), letting it marinate for a few minutes while the next steps are performed.
Mix the peanut butter, sesame oil, lime, agave, ginger, garlic, black pepper, and red pepper flakes in a small bowl. Saute this mixture in a saucepan for a minute or two (to let the garlic and ginger start to cook). Then add the tofu with soy sauce, tossing so that the tofu is totally coated in the sauce. Fry for several minutes, letting the coat brown and even start to turn a little black. I ended up with too much sauce, and if this happens, you can transfer the tofu to a new pan and save the excess sauce.
Once the coated tofu is browning, add the sesame seeds, tossing again so that the tofu is coated. Fry for a few minutes after the sesame seeds have been added so that the sesame seeds cook and stick firmly to the tofu.
udon with sesame-peanut-ginger sauce (click for the recipe);
entree
- 1 lb udon noodles
- 2 T peanut butter
- 2 T tamari or soy sauce
- 1 T sesame oil
- inch of ginger, grated
- rice vinegar to taste (about 2 tsp)
- 1-2 T toasted sesame seeds
- 1 stalk green onion, chopped
Cook the udon (use oil in the water so it doesn’t stick). After cooked and drained, run cold water through the noodles (also to prevent sticking).
Mix all the other ingredients. Toss the cold udon in the mixture.
miso soup (click for the recipe);
soup
- 4 c water
- 1 bouillon cube (half the bouillon concentration according to the box; otherwise you taste broth and not miso. My favorite vegan bouillon is Rapunzel)
- 3 slices dried shiitake
- 6 T miso paste (super cheap at H Mart)
- 1 block tofu, chopped into small cubes
- 1/8 c dried wakame or other seaweed
- 1 stalk green onions, chopped
Reconstitute the wakame by covering it in warm water for about 15 minutes. Drain.
Boil the water. Add bouillon and dried shiitake. After the bouillon is fully dissolved, add the tofu and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the miso paste, stirring to dissolve each tablespoon before adding the next tablespoon. Once all the miso is added, remove the shiitake (optional; I don’t like the texture). Add the wakame. Simmer to keep warm until ready to eat. Just before serving, add green onions.
bok choy and asparagus sauteed with garlic, cipolline onions, sesame oil, cayenne, dash of soy sauce, salt and pepper;
Korean scallion pancake stir fry (pancake batter prepared from great mix available at H Mart, fried with scallions, then chopped up and fried AGAIN with more scallions)
dessert: homemade lychee-coconut sorbet (click for the recipe)
dessert
- 1 can lychee (mine had a simple sugar syrup included in the can which made the sorbet sweet enough)
- 1 can (13.5oz) coconut milk
- about 1 T gin
- dash of salt
Blend lychee (along with the syrup that comes with it) and coconut milk together in a food processor or blender. Add dash of salt and gin (to lower the freezing temperature, which helps it from being too icy according to Gershon). Insert into ice cream maker. Press “on.” Takes at least 20 minutes since the mixture isn’t pre-cooled.
The lychee and coconut go very well together. I couldn’t taste the gin, but I think it would also taste okay with the other flavors.
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