Good Eats & Healthy Treats

Most people who know me, especially if they've ever been at my house, know, that I like to cook, and not just cook, but, play with my food.  Er, I mean experiment...  It's not like I use gravy for finger paint or anything.  But, I do love to try new recipes and different things.  So, anyway, I fell upon this recipe, and wasn't sure, because when orange juice is one of the ingredients, it's usually too tart or sweet or something.  I was pleasantly surprised, and it's healthy and very tasty at the same time.

The original name of this dish is Tofu sauteed with broccoli and red peppers in a chili-orange sauce.  I'm just going to call it "Szechuan Tofu".


Szechuan Tofu:       Prep Time:  1 hour, 15 minutes       Number of Servings:  4

1/2 tsp sesame oil & 4 TBS vegetable oil, divided

14 oz. package of extra firm tofu, water pressed out.
2 TBS minced garlic
2 TBS minced fresh, peeled ginger
1 - 2 red bell pepper, depending on size in strips
6 cups medium broccoli florets, blanched until crisp tender and drained

Szechuan Sauce

1/4 cup orange juice
2 TBS Hoisin sauce
2 TBS Chili-Garlic sauce
1 TBS soy sauce
1 TBS corn starch - mixed well.

To press the water out of the tofu, wrap in paper towel, and place between two plates.  You want to have as much of the water out as possible, so you may have to change the paper towel a couple of times, so it is firm without being water logged.  After taking out the water, cut into small strips, about 1/4" thick, and 1" in length.

With half of the oil, brown the tofu, half at a time.  Once it's brown, set aside.  In the remainder of the oil, toss in the garlic and ginger until aromatic.  Put the broccoli until about half cooked, then add bell pepper.  In the last 5 minutes of cooking, place to tofu back in.  In the last 2 minutes, add the sauce.

Serve over brown rice.  Try out different types and brands, to find what you like.

Lika's Alterations:
Instead of getting fresh broccoli to blanch, using frozen broccoli is just fine, the work is already done, and you just need to set out to thaw.  Tonight, I used a package of cauliflower and broccoli, and a package of fresh mushrooms.  Green beans would work just fine, and in any case, frozen veggies will take the work of blanching to perfection for you.  You may also substitute peanut oil or canola for the vegetable oil.  Without the sesame oil, it's just not the same.

If you cook the tofu just right, it's a lot like eating chicken, and you won't even miss the meat.  Because there is no saturated fat nor bad cholesterol, this is a very healthy meal.  It's good to do the meatless types of meals, just to be healthy.  This recipe is fit for everyone who needs a vegetarian or vegan diet, and is also gluten free, depending on the type of rice you use.


Paprikash:

2 large onions, diced
3 or 4 carrots, peeled and diced
2-4 celery, sliced into bite sized
5 russet potatoes, peeled and diced
(Optional:  boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut to bite sized - when in the pan, you want the outside to saute until white, not brown)

In olive oil, saute the veggies until the outsides are getting tender.
Put in about 1/4 cup paprika (I like the Hungarian sweet one for this).  Use about 1 heaping tsp salt and pepper to taste.

Let the mix get sticky.  Cover with vegetable broth.  Let simmer until the potatoes are done.  Add sour cream.