Single Parent Food

Bean tacos (yes, that is sliced American cheese, didn't feel like shredding) and steamed veggies.

Stir-fry tofu and frozen veggies with quinoa.

Sorta Pad Thai Tofu and Collard Slaw

No new recipes today, just variations on the theme.

#1 Collard green slaw. I made this here, from Vegetarian Times. It was delicious, but had a bit too much sugar. This time I adjusted the sugar lower, skipped the red bell because I didn't have it. BUT, I also forgot that it's supposed to chill for 4 hours. So, the collards were pretty bitter. I think after "resting" and softening, they will taste better tomorrow.

#2 I love the vegan pad thai from Vegan with a Vengeance. This time, I used the sauce recipe, with a little less sugar and a little less chile paste and a little more lime juice. I cooked up some veggies (onions, garlic, carrots, edamame) and some tofu and used the sauce on that. With peanuts and cilantro at the end.

It seems kinda weird to eat tofu AND edamame in the same dish (repetitive, much?) But it was very good. See, that whole fridge-got-too-cold-and-froze-stuff episode made the tofu freeze. When tofu freezes, the water comes out, so you end up with tofu with alot of small holes in it. Which means it REALLY absorbs the sauce. Yum.

Tofu and a chard frittata

Boy, I've been hungry all day. Or am I really hungry? Or just stressed? Eh, probably PMS. At least most of the food I've eaten is healthy.

Today, I needed something easy for dinner. So I knew it was going to be brown rice (rice cooker) and tofu. But for the veggie, it was a mystery. For today is CSA pickup day. And the result? Well...we got a lot of fruit. Strawberries, mandarins, and oranges.

That left carrots, beets, and chard. My child has requested carrot soup for the weekend. So I decided on chard.

My friend Nellie made a chard tart the other day and posted the pic on facebook. So I decided to do something quicker and easier, a frittata.

Now, this whole dinner did take 1.5 hours to make. About 1 hr 15 mins of it active. Which is a lot, I know. And the only reason I attempted it is because I came home to an Easter package from my son's Farmor. So he was busy playing with a new toy.

Chard frittata:
3 stalks green garlic, chopped: 0.50
1 bunch chard: 2.00
1 T olive oil: 0.11
1 8 oz can sliced mushrooms (we had em): 1.00
6 eggs: 0.75
1/4 cup milk (eyeball it): 0.08
2 oz shredded cheddar: 0.50
zest of one lemon: free (that great boss of mine)
2 Tbsp parmesan: 0.21
1 tsp dijon: 0.10

Total: $5.25 for about 8 servings (as a side dish). $0.66 per serving.

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a small 7x9 ish glass pan.

Remove the chard greens from the stems. Slice the stems thinly. Saute the green garlic and chard stems in olive oil for 5 min. Add the drained mushrooms. Increase heat to high and cook until mushrooms start to brown and stems are fully cooked.

Meanwhile, thinly slice the chard then chop crosswise a bit. Add to pan and stir. Cook 2 min. Cover, reduce heat, and cook 5 min. Remove cover, cook 1 more minute.

Put veggies in bottom of glass dish. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese.

Mix eggs, milk, and dijon in a bowl with salt and pepper to taste. You should probably mix the dijon with the milk first. I found a nice big blob later on.

Pour egg mixture over veggies. Stir if you find a nice big blob of mustard in the mix.

Bake 30 -40 mins, until brown on top. I increased the temp to 400F for the last 10 mins. Top with parmesan


Glazed Tofu

This glaze is based a bit on a recipe for glazed baby bok choy from Perfect Vegetables.

1 14-oz pkg firm tofu, pressed between two plates with a paper towel: 1.49
1 T canola oil: 0.03
1/2 Tbsp grated fresh ginger: 0.10
3 cloves pressed garlic: 0.15
1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar: 0.10
2 Tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce: 0.16
1/2 Tbsp dark sesame oil: 0.10
1 Tbsp water
1 tsp sugar: 0.02
Total: $2.15 for about 3 servings. $0.72 per serving.

Slice tofu into thin slices and cut into desired shapes (triangles, rectangles, squares, stars...)

Heat oil in nonstick pan and fry tofu on one side until brown, about 5-10 min on high.

Flip, and fry on other side until brown.

Meanwhile, mix all other ingredients in a bowl to make the glaze. With the heat still on high, pour the glaze over the tofu and cook until it thickens. You can flip the tofu if you want to get it nice and coated.

Add some brown rice, which is about 0.10 per cup cooked, maybe a little less.

Dinner tonight: about $1.48 per person. A little more for the spouse, a little less for the kid, pretty good.

Baked Malaysian Tofu

This recipe is adapted from Vegan Dad. Adapted based on what I had on hand and my method of cooking, which differs a tiny bit.

This was DELICIOUS, just the right amount of spice for a toddler. I added some chile-garlic sauce to mine.

Malaysian Tofu, adapted from Vegan Dad:
1 lb firm tofu: 1.19
2 T canola oil: 0.07
1 onion, diced: 0.29
1/2 tsp turmeric: 0.05
1/4 c. shredded coconut: 0.25
3 cloves garlic, pressed: 0.15
1 inch ginger, grated: 0.10
1/2 jalapeno, minced: 0.03 (boy, these babies are cheap!)
2 T soy sauce: 0.15
1 can light coconut milk: 0.99
1 1/4 c. veggie stock: 0
juice of 1 lime: 0.17
1 T sugar: 0.02
1.5 T. white vinegar: 0.01
1/2 bunch cilantro: 0.25
2 small tomatoes: 0.30

Total: $4.02 for about 6 cups, $0.67 per cup. Serve over brown rice, at $0.10 per 3/4 cup cooked.

Total per serving: $0.77

Preheat oven to 400F.

Drain tofu. Place on a folded paper towel on a plate. Cover with another paper towel and plate, and put a heavy can or cup on top. Drain/press for 15 min. Dice into 3/4 inch cubes.

Heat 1 T oil in nonstick skillet. Fry tofu over medium heat until browned/yellowed on most sides. Add turmeric and stir. Add a small bit of broth and stir until it has evaporated, just to spread around the turmeric. Move the tofu to a plate. Cool the pan a bit and wipe dry.

Cook the coconut over medium heat in a dry pan, stirring regularly until toasted. Add onions, ginger, jalapeno and garlic. Add another Tbsp of canola oil. Cook, stirring regularly until onions are soft, 7 min.

Add soy sauce and coconut milk. Stir well. Add broth, vinegar, sugar, lime juice and stir well.

Pour sauce into a baking dish with a cover. Drop in tofu (gently! it splashes! ouch!) Cover and bake for 25 min.

Meanwhile, put the brown rice in the rice cooker.

Remove cover. Stir. Cover and cook 25 more min. Remove cover and cook 10 more min.

Remove from oven. Add chopped cilantro and diced tomatoes. Let rest 10 min (not necessary, my family just wasn't ready to eat). Serve over rice. Add salt to taste.