Edamae Tofu Dip

I pulled this recipe from "Skinny Dips" cookbook, which was a gift from my mom.  The first recipe I looked at, was the first recipe I made, and it was a hit.

1 cup frozen (shelled) edamame

1 cup tofu, I happenned to have this half package of extra firm open in my fridge. 

Here are the rest of the ingredients needed.   This was a last minute whip up, I love it when I make something with stuff I already have on hand.  

In the recipe description she says, "I almost always have a bag of frozen shelled edamame in my freezer."  This is true in my freezer, as well.

Boil the water, add the edamame, bring to boil again for 3 minutes.

Rinse immediately so they don't overcook.

 

Add ingredients to your food processor.   Edamame, drained tofu,

sesame oil, lemon, salt, pepper, garlic

A little close up..

Start to chop away..

Add parsley in at the end, I had the frozen cubes from Trader Joe's, I put 3 in and pulsed a couple more times.

 

I packaged one up for work and one for home.  I like to share with a couple coworkers and get their opinions, I have a few foodie buddies at work whom I share recipes and tips with.

 

Edamame Tofu Dip

Ingredients: 1 cup Silken Tofu

2 cups frozen shelled edamame

2 tsp kosher or sea salt

3 tbs fresh lemon juice

2 tbsp Asian sesame oil

1 tsp finely minced garlice

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp freshly ground pepper

1/4 cup minced cilantro/fresh coriander leaves, plus sprigs for garnish.

Skinny Dippers: Baked Pita Chips, Crudites, Crostini 

Drain the tofu and blot completely dry with paper towels.  Set the tofu on several thickness of paper while you cook the edamame.

Fill a medium saucean two-thirds full of water and bring to a boil over high heat.  Add the edamame and 1/2 tsp of the salt and boil for 3 minutes.  Drain in a colander and rinse under cold water.  Drain again and blot to remove excess moisture.

In the workbowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade, process the tofu, edamame, the remaining 11/2 tsp salt, the lemon juice, sesame oil, garlic, sugar, and pepper until very smooth.  Scatter the minced cilantro/fresh coriander leavers over the top and pulse to incorparote.  Taste and adjust he seasinonig.  Transfer to a serving bowl, cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to allow the flavors to meld.  Garnish with cilantro/fresh coriander.

Recipe from "Skinny Dips" by Diane Morgan  

Have a great rest of your weekend and eat well and play well~

Happy Food Revolution Day!

Veggie Quinoa

Quinoa, Quinoa.... the magical grain... the more often you eat... the less you gain~

That's my attempt at a song today, I hope you like it.  Maybe it will even stick in your head for a couple of hours, now that would be fun.

This recipe was one that I had pulled over a year ago and had filed in my handy dandy recipe binder for safe keeping.  I pulled it out on Saturday while scouring recipes for Easter.  It turned out pretty good.... if I don't say so myself.   And it was pretty easy.

Boil 1 cup vegetable stock and then add in 1/2 cup quinoa.   Cook for about 10 minutes
You will notice in the photo that I have the quinoa stored in a glass container.  That is becuase I bought this in bulk from Whole Foods or from Sprouts. (Now adays you don't need the package to give you the directions, when you have the internet and well me at your fingertips...)  There is a small layer of black quinoa at the bottom of this container, which is said to have more iron in it.   I didn't get to it this serving, but next time there will be more room and I can shake some in.

Take a whole head of broccoli (I don't typically buy the bag of already chopped up broccoli, as it is usually worse quality and usually higher priced) and chop off the big stem and rinse.

Heat up about a teaspoon of olive oil and minced garlic

Slice up mushrooms  (this was the already sliced bag from trader joe's that I just sliced smaller)  You don't want to wash mushrooms, just brush them with a paper towel.   If you submerge them in water they soak up the water like a sponge and you have soggy mushrooms, not tasty.

Now add the broccoli as well as cubed firm tofu.   Yes, you can eat tofu, it is a healthy alternative to meat and you still get your protein in.   The main reason that Quinoa is deemed one of the best grains is because of it's high protein content.   The more protein you can add into your mix, the better.  You should have atleast a quarter of your plate in protein in every meal.    That includes breakfast and lunch.   What protein did you have today?

Love this pan because it has a see through lid.

Once it has cooked through some, you can add the magic veg.

Spinach.     
Spinach, Spinach.... the magical green.... the more you eat... the more you stay lean~

place the lid back on, just until wilted.

I threw in sliced ham at the very end (it wasn't in the recipe) for two reasons: we had some extra in the fridge and in an attempt to please the hubby.  He prefers every meal to have a piece of meat in it.     In the end, the pink adds a great color contrast to the dish.

Isn't it gorgeous?

Lastly, you add in the quinoa, (which turned a darker tan becuase of the dark vegetable stock) which has such a great nutty taste when cooked this way.

Lid back on to keep warm until ready to eat.

Great thing about this dish is that it can be eaten hot or cold.  I packed some and took it to work, and I ended up eating it cold in a parking lot in my car.   Much better than anything I could have picked up or driven through for in the 10 seconds it took to grab out of the office fridge on my way out the door.  This alone was my meal and I felt very satisfied knowing I had vegetables, protein from the quinoa and the tofu and the ham, and it tasted wonderful.   I did end up treating myself to an iced chai tea latte at the end of lunch, which was a treat and a half.

 I found the recipe here: Allrecipes.. .COM~

Enjoy and remember if you eat well, you are sure to play well ~