January | 2012 | My Foodie Call

Monthly Archives: January 2012
- Tofu dippers
  
  Posted at 8:47 pm by myfoodiecall
  
  Jan 25th
  
  What is it with kids and chicken nuggets? I know that my kids love them. Yuck. Not sure the last time I ate a chicken nugget but my guess is that mullets were in style at the time. Hence, the picture below….
  
  In case you have been living under a rock, (or are not on Facebook) you may or may not have seen the following picture:
  
  Chicken “paste”…all the crap that is leftover after they take the meat off the bones
  
  Here is a short video describing the above image:
  
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T67DvoH2H3E&feature=fvwrel
  
  Despite that pink heap in the above picture, I am not opposed to my kids having homemade chicken nuggets with actual chicken and void of mechanically separated by products, but you will never catch me making it. 🙂
  In short: the tofu nugget is making an appearance. Tofu is a fabulous meat alternative with lots of protein and calcium and pretty much takes on the flavor of whatever food you put it in. I tried to make something similar to this a few years back, but the recipe (or me) failed miserably. I found this other version on a vegetarian website called:
  compassion over killing http://www.cok.net
  
  My kids like things that they think are junky or anything with a batter that appears to be fried. Hopefully this is a score with the crispy coating.
  
  “Chicken” Nuggets
  
  1- 14 ounce package of extra firm tofu
  1/2 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
  1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  1/4 teaspoon pepper
  salt, to taste
  1/2 cup water
  
  1) Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  2) Unwrap the tofu and shake off any excess moisture. Place the tofu in a freezer bag or wrap well in plastic, then freeze the sealed tofu for at least 24 hours.
  
  The next day, thaw the tofu by placing it—unwrapped—into a microwave-safe bowl.
  
  frozen tofu. scary looking, I know.
  
  Cover the bowl and microwave on high to defrost, checking every 2 to 3 minutes to make sure the tofu doesn’t cook. Once thoroughly defrosted, gently squeeze out any excess moisture. Cut into 1-inch cubes.
  
  3) In a shallow bowl, add the bread crumbs and spices, mixing well.
  
  The goods
  
  4) In a separate bowl, pour 1/2 cup of water.
  
  5) Dip each piece of tofu first into the water, lightly shake off any excess water, and then roll into the seasoned bread crumbs.
  
  6) Put the breaded tofu cubes on a lightly sprayed baking pan and bake 30 minutes, or until golden brown and crisp.
  
  Crunch
  
  7) Serve with a dipping sauce. I used a mango Caribbean sauce.
  
  Thought about doing straight ketchup for dipping. Boring.
  
  The verdict
  
  Although they do not taste like chicken nuggets (thank god), they were really good. As I mentioned, the crunch factor pretty much guarantees that they will be acceptable fare in this household. Everyone ate and dipped, especially dear Devyn who polished off the final crumbs.
  
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  Posted in Meatless mealtime | Tagged tofu
- Rutabaga: It’s what for dinner.
  
  Posted at 1:34 pm by myfoodiecall
  
  Jan 22nd
  
  So the question of the household at the witching hour is always “What’s for dinner??????” (insert whine-y voice) Some nights I hate that question because I know that they will hate my response. Other nights, I say bring it on! Tonight it was on. Especially because I answered: Rutabaga Casserole.
  
  8 year old boy: “What the heck is a rutabaga?” (typical turned up nose) Which I expected. New recipe+Not pizza=Dirty look from kids.
  
  BUT, the kids were asked forced to keep an open mind because that is one of my expectations.
  
  The verdict? We loved it and thought it was fantastic.
  
  Little background on Rutabaga: it is a root vegetable. Sort of a hybrid of cabbage and turnip. Less calories and carbs than potatoes (for those who still count) yet still a great source of vitamin C and fiber.
  
  This recipe is adapted from qafma.net (Queen Anne Farmers Market)
  
  Ingredients
  
  Cashew cream
  
  1 1/2 cups boiling water
  
  1 cup raw cashews
  
  1 tablespoon nutritional yeast (find this either at whole foods, health section of your grocer, or online)
  
  Salt
  
  Your Veggies/Spices
  
  3-4 rutabagas (about 2 pounds), peeled and cut into about 1/4-inch-thick slices
  
  1 teaspoon salt
  
  4 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
  
  4 teaspoons chopped fresh marjoram
  
  Freshly ground black pepper to taste
  
  Whole Wheat Panko breadcrumbs
  
  1) Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
  
  2) Prepare the cashew cream first. In a small bowl, pour the boiling water over the cashews and let sit for between 20-30 minutes. Stir in the nutritional yeast.
  
  *** If you are unfamiliar with nutritional yeast, get familiar! This is a nutrient dense, flaky, cheesey-flavored staple in my household. Because I am a vegetarian, this requires an extra effort to maintain Vitamin B-12 levels (normally found in meat and other animal based foods). Not only does nutritional yeast provide Vitamin B-12, it also has 6 grams of protein and 3 grams of fiber per serving. Needless to say, the stuff gets put on everything on our house!
  
  Puree the mixture in a blender on the highest setting for about 3 minutes…
  
  cashew/water/nutritional yeast combo in the blender
  
  ….until the consistency is smooth and creamy. Season with salt to taste. Set aside.
  
  finished cashew cream
  
  3) Mix all herbs together in a small bowl.
  
  4)Peel and slice rutabagas.
  
  easy
  
  5) Time to layer!
  
  sliced rutabaga, cashew cream sauce, and herb mix
  
  6) Cover the bottom of a mid-sized baking dish with a single layer of rutabaga slices, overlapping their edges and working in a circle. Sprinkle with herbs. Add another layer and season with herb mix. Pour in about one third of the cashew cream – enough to cover these two layers. Continue until the baking dish is full or you run out of rutabaga. Pour in the remaining cashew cream, almost to the rim of the baking dish.
  
  5) Sprinkle with Panko bread crumbs until covered. Drizzle with a generous dose of olive oil.
  
  ready for baking
  
  Place in the oven. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, until rutabagas are just cooked through and bread crumbs are toasty and brown. Serve immediately. Yum.
  
  final portion, sad to say…
  
  Posted in Meatless mealtime | Tagged rutabaga
- veggies, beans, and being okay with mindless eating
  
  Posted at 9:38 pm by myfoodiecall
  
  Jan 21st
  
  Kids are always hungry. At least mine are. Always seems to happen when it’s post-afternoon-snack-but-its too-early-for-dinnertime. I try to beat them to the punch when I can. I find that if you stick a plate of veggies in front of them, 9 times out of 10 they will eat them. Although it is “mindless” eating and that tends to be taboo these days, I am a-okay with mindless veggie consumption. This dip is one that I found from Joy Bauer. http://www.joybauer.com/healthy-recipes/tuscan-bean-dip.aspx
  
  My kids approved. As a matter of fact, they used spoons for final scooping. That’s a good sign.
  
  Super simple. With an entire can of beans for protein, this has nothing to feel bad about, other than potential garlic breath.
  
  Tuscan Bean Dip
  
  Ingredients:
  
  1 can cannellini beans (basically white kidney beans), rinse and drain the goop. yuck!
  
  2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  
  2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
  
  2 tablespoon chopped, fresh basil OR dried basil (but reduce…fresh to dry ratio is 3:1)
  
  1/2 teaspoon sage, fresh, chopped
  
  2 cloves minced garlic
  
  1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  
  ground pepper
  
  1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  
  In a medium bowl, mash the beans with a hand-held potato masher. Stir in the next 6 ingredients. Season to taste with the salt and pepper. Serve with cold veggies for a winning combination.
  
  It might not be pretty, but it more than makes up for it in flavor.
  
  Posted in Snacks | Tagged beans, dip
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