Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Tofu, Edamame, & Carrot Stir-Fry


Tofu, Edamame, & Carrot Stir-Fry
Serves 4. 

1 C white or jasmine rice
3 T soy sauce
3 T hoisin sauce
2 T balsamic vinegar
1 T Asian chile sauce (like Sriracha!)
2 tsp cornstarch
2 T sesame oil
4 scallions, chopped ( w/white and green parts separated)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1-inch piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped
4 oz shitake mushrooms, stemmed and chopped
3/4 cup shelled edamame (soy beans). You could also use snow peas, broccoli, etc.
1-2 carrots, sliced
1 pkg extra firm tofu, drained or pressed dry -- or sub chicken or beef!

1. Broil tofu. Cut the block into thin slices and brush all sides with olive oil. Put on tin foil lined pan and broil until golden brown, flipping once. Cut into cubes. Set aside. 
***Note: If you don't mind soft-cooked tofu, you can skip this entire step and simply add the uncooked tofu cubes in Step 5!***

2. Steam the edamame and carrots. Set aside.

3. Cook the rice as label directs. Meanwhile, whisk soy sauce, hoisin sauce, vinegar, chile sauce, cornstarch, and 1 cup water until smooth. Set aside. 

4. Heat sesame oil in work or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the scallion whites, garlic, and ginger and stir-fry 30 seconds. Add mushrooms and stir-fry until golden brown and tender, about 3 mins. 

5. Whisk the reserved soy sauce mixture and add it to the wok. Bring to a simmer, then add the tofu, carrots, and edamame. Cook, stirring occasionally until the sauce is thick, about 2 mins. Sprinkle with the scallion greens.

6. Fluff the rice and divide among bowls. Top with the stir-fry and sauce. Enjoy!

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Thyme & Sesame Crusted Mahi Mahi


Only 225 calories per serving... get yo' fish on! 



Thyme & Sesame Crusted Mahi Mahi or Halibut
1 T lemon juice
1 T extra-virgin olive oil
3 cloves minced garlic
Ground pepper to taste
8 oz or 2 filets of mahi-mahi or halibut
1 T sesame seeds, toasted (I used garlic flavored from the asian aisle)
1 tsp dried thyme 
1/8 tsp sea salt or kosher salt
Lemon wedges for serving

1. Preheat oven to 450. Line a baking sheet with foil.
2. Mix lemon juice, oil, garlic, and pepper in a shallow dish. Add fish and turn to coat. Cover   
    and stick in fridge for 15 minutes. 
3. Combine sesame seeds and thyme in shallow bowl.
4. Sprinkle fish with salt and coat evenly with sesame/thyme mixture -- all sides. Transfer to 
    baking sheet and bake until cooked through -- 10 to 14 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges.

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Mom's Zesty Sausage Lasagna

My favorite lasagna recipe to date, courtesy of mi mama! Great if you appreciate a little spice in your life.

meat sauce

cheese filling

zesty lasagna finale!


Sauce
2 T olive oil
1 lb hot Italian sausage – casings removed. 
white mushrooms, sliced (optional)
1 c chopped onion
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tsp oregano
¼ tsp crushed red pepper
1 - 28oz can crushed tomatoes w/added puree
2 - 14oz cans of diced tomatoes w/green pepper and onion (don’t drain)

Heat oil, add sausage, onion, garlic, oregano, and crushed pepper. Saute until sausage is cooked through, breaking into small pieces. Add tomatoes w/juices. Bring sauce to boil, reduce heat to medium and simmer 5 mins to blend flavors. Season w/ salt & pepper.

Filling
1 ½ c fresh chopped basil
15 oz container plus 1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1 ½ c shredded mozzarella (about 6oz)
¾ c grated Parmesan
*Note - you will need more mozzarella and Parmesan below in the Assembly step. So buy enough!
1 egg
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper

Mix all filling ingredients together.

Assembly
16 “oven ready” lasagna noodles
1 c grated Parmesan
3 c shredded mozzarella (about 12oz)
*Combine these 2 cheeses

Preheat oven to 375. Spread 1 ¼ c sauce in 13x9 pan. Arrange 4 noodles on sauce. Drop 1 ½ c fillings over noodles, spread. Sprinkle 1 c cheeses over. Repeat layering of sauce, noodles, filling, and cheeses 2 more times. Top with remaining 4 noodles. Spoon remaining sauce on top of noodles. Make sure all noodles are covered in sauce or they won’t cook.
Sprinkle with remaining cheeses. Spray large piece of foil with oil and cover lasagna.
Bake 40 mins, then uncover and cook another 20 mins or until lasagna is golden bubbly.
Remove from oven and let stand 15 mins.