TBP Stir-Fry

Here's another lovely large batch meal that you can make and serve yourself from for a few days. Tofu for protein. Portobello mushrooms for texture, protein, selenium, copper, potassium, and phosphorus. Broccoli for vitamin C, A, folic acid, calcium, and fiber. Broccoli and portobello mushrooms are also both  carriers of super-useful phytochemicals that serve to help fight cancer and provide helpful antioxidants. Yum, yum, yum. I like it by itself, but you could serve it with rice if you're looking for something more filling than it already is. And if you're looking for extra protein and fiber, serve this with quinoa.

TBP (Tofu-Broccoli-Portobello) Stir-Fry

1 tbsp sunflower oil
8 cloves fresh garlic, minced
2 inches fresh ginger, minced
4 portobello mushroom caps, chopped
1.25 cups low sodium vegetable broth
2 tsp brown sugar
1/2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 14-oz package extra firm tofu, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
4 cups broccoli, steamed and chopped
sliced almonds, for garnish
3 tbsp Gokutan Shiro Dashi (This is a Japanese seasoning sauce I use that is excellent. It is a combination of soy sauce, bonito extract, mushroom extract, seaweed extract, sugar, salt, and sweet sake. You can find it at a Japanese grocer pretty easily. If you choose not to go with this, I recommend the following: in a small bowl, combine 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp mirin, 1 tsp agave nectar, 1/4 tsp salt. Mix well and allow to sit for a couple minutes.)

Heat the oil in a large sauce pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and ginger and cook, stirring them, until they are fragrant. Add the vinegar, stir, then add the chopped mushrooms. Cook until the mushrooms have withered and the liquid has evaporated (takes about 5 minutes). Add the broth, shiro dashi, brown sugar, tofu, and broccoli, bring contents of the sauce pan to a simmer and lower the heat to about medium low. Continue to simmer contents, stirring occasionally until the liquid has evaporated (this takes about 15 minutes).

Serve warm. Enjoy!

Lazy Girl's Bento

Another pair of weekday rehearsals; another pair of easily packed, carried, and munched meals on-the-go for rehearsal meal-break. This week, I flexed my 'what do I have laying around in my fridge/freezer' muscles and came up with this nourishing and tasty combination treat that takes about 20 minutes total to put together. I'm a little embarrassed by how simple this was, but - hey - maybe it'll give you time to work on that pie recipe I gave you. You know who you are.

Lazy Girl's Bento: Roasted Portobello Mushrooms and Baked Gardein Seven-Grain Crispy Tenders, Steamed Fava Beans, and a snack of dehydrated bananas, homemade raisins, dried goji berries, and raw almonds.

I was avoiding putting a picture in for this one, because it's simply not as pretty
as my other bento boxes have been, but it is quite tasty and very effective.

The dried goji berries and raw almonds were purchased at Sprouts Farmers' Market. The bananas and homemade raisins were dried in my favorite kitchen gadget of the year - my Nesco 500 Watt dehydrator. I use this thing continuously; it's wonderful! But I won't go on about it here. Not yet anyway. Here are the extra-simple directions to the remainder of the bento. Enjoy!

Roasted Portobello Mushrooms
(~ 2 servings)

2 portobello mushrooms, sliced into ~1/2 inch slices
olive oil

Are you ready for how supremely easy this is?
Pre-heat your oven to 420 F. Prepare a cookie sheet with aluminum foil, place a drying rack on top of the foil. Lay out the portobello slices. Brush with olive oil. Bake for 15-20 minutes. And you're done.

I baked my Gardein Crispy Tenders on the same sheet, removed the mushrooms when they were done, and put the tenders back in for another 10 minutes to get crispy.

Steamed Fava Beans
(~4 servings)

3 lbs fava beans (in the pods)

Remove the pods from the fava beans. I put the beans in my incredibly handy Progressive Microwave Fish and Vegetable Steamer (seriously, this costs $6 and speeds up so very many dishes that it's silly) and steamed them until they were tender. It took about ten minutes for me. Just poke at them (careful of that hot steam) until the beans give a bit beneath a push. When this is done, rinse them under cool water, and peel the outer layer off before eating. I'm fairly anti-salt, so... I'd say if you don't have a tongue that is amenable to the simplicity of how things taste naturally, you can pour the steamed beans in a bowl and toss them in some sea salt and olive oil. That'd be tasty.

Answering your questions:









What are Gardein Seven-Grain Crispy Tenders? Gardein is a soy-based meat substitute brand. I'm quite fond of them. Another great meatless brand is Quorn. I highly recommend both. This particular product of Gardein's is one of my favorites, taste-wise. You can click here to learn more.





What could one substitute for goji berries? Goji berries are filled with antioxidants, which help to boost the immune system and lower cholesterol. These berries are also rich in vitamin A and some research has suggested that goji berry extracts may boost brain health and protect against age-related diseases.
 As far as replacements go, the closest I can find as far as health benefits would be something like acai berries, cranberries, or dark cherries. Personally, I like the taste of the goji berries much more.

What can one substitute for fava beans/what do they look like?

 

Fava beans out of the pod, and steamed.

Fava beans in the pod.

I get my fava beans at the local farmer's market, but you can purchase them at markets like Whole Foods, Sprouts, and many other what I like to call 'off the beaten track grocery store substitutes'. You can also find ready-to-eat fava beans that have already been steamed and shelled from many of these markets. The brand I just found in a quick online search is called Melissa's. What I love about these beans is that they are filling and have a very specific, creamy texture that is both surprising and pleasant.

Portobello Wraps

In honor of the Halloween holiday season, I've begun combining my three favorite things: horror movies, good food, and friends in something I like to call "Home-cooked Horror Nights". This past Sunday, a few friends descended on my home to enjoy some blood-thirsty films and vegetarian fare. Now, you'd usually think that veggies wouldn't really lend themselves to that level of virtual violence, which is why I leaned a towards a more "meaty" taste. Portobello mushrooms have a rich, earthy flavor and a nice, thick texture.

Portobello Wraps
(makes 5 servings)

3 portobello mushrooms, chopped in half, then sliced
1 bag baby spinach, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
2 tsp mirin, soy sauce, olive oil
crumbled goat cheese
whole wheat tortilla wraps

marinade:
2 tbsp mirin
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp soy sauce

Marinate your mushrooms in a large bowl, stirring occasionally, for 10-15 minutes.
Chop spinach.
Chop tomato into little pieces.
Season a large pan with olive oil and heat over medium heat until warm. Transfer to the heated pan.
Cook, stirring, until the mushrooms have shrunk and softened (about 10 minutes). Transfer cooked mushrooms to a colander, drain, then pour into a serving bowl. Add 1 bag's worth chopped baby spinach to the pan and add 2 tsp mirin, soy, and olive oil. Heat until the spinach has cooked to a shrivel. Deposit in colander, drain, and deposit in a serving bowl.

Season a dry pan with olive oil and add a tortilla, warming on both sides.

Take the warm tortilla, add a little spinach, chopped tomatoes, mushrooms, and goat cheese. Wrap and enjoy. :)

Go on! Have a peace!