Hoisin-Glazed Tofu And Green Beans

Ingredients

  • 16 oz. refrigerated extra-firm water-packed tofu, drained
  • 3 Tbsp. water
  • 2 Tbsp. hoisin sauce (we used this recipe for hoisin sauce)
  • 1 Tbsp. soy sauce or tamari sauce (we used reduced-sodium soy sauce)
  • 1 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger
  • ¼ tsp. crushed red pepper (optional) (we used ½ tsp.)
  • 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
  • 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
  • 8 oz. green beans, trimmed and halved lengthwise, and/or snow pea pods, trimmed (we used green beans)
  • Hot cooked rice or rice noodles (we used brown rice)
  • Lime wedges

Directions

  1. Take your tofu and cut it lengthwise into four 1-inch slices. Place the slices between double layers of paper towels, weighing the tofu down (we placed a cutting board over the tofu and then placed enough books on it to press the tofu down) for 10 minutes*. Once the tofu is pressed, cut the slices into 1-inch cubes.
  2. While the tofu is being pressed, take a small mixing bowl out and add the following ingredients to it, stirring to combine: water, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, ginger and crushed red pepper.
  3. Take a 12-inch skillet and pour one tablespoon of the oil in, setting the heat to medium-high. Once the oil’s hot, add the tofu into the skillet in a single layer and leave it to cook (no stirring) for 4 to 5 minutes or until it starts to brown (we cooked ours for 4 minutes). Flip the tofu and let it cook without moving for another 4 to 5 minutes or until the tofu looks browned on all sides (it took less than 4 minutes for the other side to get browned). Take the tofu out of the skillet and place it on a plate for the time being.
  4. Pour the remaining oil into the skillet, tossing the garlic into the skillet once the oil’s hot. Stir the garlic around constantly for 30 seconds, adding the green beans in afterwards. Stir the mixture occasionally** for 4 minutes or until the green beans are nearly tender (4 minutes did the job for us). Add the tofu back into the skillet, pouring the sauce in afterwards. Bring the sauce to a boil, stirring so the tofu and green beans get coated in the sauce. Serve immediately with the rice and lime wedges.

*We didn’t measure how long it took to get all the water pressed out of the tofu and we changed out the paper towels when they’d get too wet.

**We didn’t want the garlic to burn so we stirred the green bean and garlic mixture constantly.

Serves 4

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We thought this dish tasted good straight from the skillet but it tasted even better once we squeezed some lime juice over it. We think the dish could be improved by doubling the sauce though. It’s just our preference, but we think the green beans would’ve been even better if they’d been halved across rather than lengthwise. Even though there’s a few little tweaks we’d make to this, this is something we’re definitely going to enjoy having again !

We got this recipe from Better Homes & Gardens.

We weren’t paid in any form to promote Better Homes & Gardens.

Take care everybody !

Roasted Zucchini

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. small zucchini
  • 2 Tbsp. olive oil (we used Colavita extra-virgin olive oil)
  • 1 tsp. jarred minced garlic*
  • 1 tsp. dried Italian seasoning
  • ½ tsp. dried crushed red pepper
  • ½ tsp. salt (we used table salt)

Directions

  1. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Take a baking sheet and line it with aluminum foil, setting it off to the side for now. Take your zucchini and cut it lengthwise into quarters, cutting each piece now in half crosswise. Place the zucchini in a mixing bowl, adding in the oil and remaining ingredients afterwards. Toss the zucchini to coat and spread it out in a single layer on the lined baking sheet. Cook in the oven for 15 minutes or until they’re tender and look golden brown, flipping them over after 7 minutes.

Makes 4 servings.

*Normally we always use fresh garlic but we were in a rush today so we followed the recipe and wouldn’t you know it worked !

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This is quickly becoming a favorite dish of ours because it is ridiculously quick and easy to make ! The zucchini was tender but there were a few pieces that started to turn mushy so we’d recommend shaving a minute or two off the cooking time. We loved the flavor of this dish though, the Italian seasoning really comes through and there’s a nice level of heat in this as well. The olive oil practically gives the zucchini a buttery quality. We hope you enjoy this as much as we do !

Recipe source unknown.

We weren’t paid in any form to promote Colavita.

Take care everybody !

Mini Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

Ingredients

  • 2 cups packed brown sugar (we used light brown sugar)
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 ½ cups canned pumpkin purée
  • 2 eggs (we used large eggs)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 cups flour (we used all-purpose flour)
  • 1 teaspoon salt (we used table salt)
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ground ginger
  • ½ teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1 cup prepared marshmallow crème

Directions

  1. Move the racks in your oven so one is in the upper third and the other is in the bottom thirds, preheating the oven to 350 degrees afterwards. Take 2 baking sheets (we we lined ours with aluminum foil) and lightly grease them (we used nonstick cooking spray).
  2. Take a large mixing bowl and add to it the oil and brown sugar, stirring to combine. Now add in the pumpkin and eggs, mixing them in well using an electric hand mixer. Now stir in the vanilla extract. Add in the following ingredients, blending them thoroughly with the hand mixer after they’re all in the bowl: flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger and cloves.
  3. Drop the batter by the tablespoonful onto the prepared baking sheets, making sure there’s at least an inch worth of space between each one. Stick both sheets in the oven (we presume they wanted one sheet on the upper third and the other on the bottom third) and bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until the cookies look like they’ve puffed up a little, are dry to the touch and are lightly browned around the edges (we went with 10 minutes). Take the cookies off the sheet and place them on cooling racks for 30 minutes or until they’ve cooled down completely. Repeat with remaining batter.
  4. Turn half of the cookies over and spread a teaspoon of marshmallow crème onto each cookie, topping those cookies with the other half that don’t have marshmallow on them.

Makes: 3 ½ dozen

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We tried this recipe out and it turned out to be a delicious little treat. You get a pumpkin pie taste from the cookie thanks to to the warm spices in it and the marshmallow crème helps it feel like a whoopie pie but the marshmallow doesn’t make it feel too sweet which is really nice. A great dessert for fall and especially the month of October !

We got this recipe from Allrecipes.

We weren’t paid in any form to promote Allrecipes.

Take care everybody !

Chickpea & Potato Curry

Ingredients

  • 1 Tbsp. canola oil
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 tsp. minced fresh gingerroot
  • 2 tsp. ground coriander
  • 1 tsp. garam masala
  • 1 tsp. chili powder
  • ½ tsp. salt (we used kosher salt)
  • ½ tsp. ground cumin
  • ¼ tsp. ground turmeric
  • 1 can (15 oz.) crushed tomatoes (we used an entire 28 oz. can of Hunt’s crushed tomatoes)
  • 2 can (15 oz. each) chickpeas, rinsed and drained
  • 1 large baking potato, peeled and cut into ¾-in. cubes
  • 2 ½ cups vegetable stock
  • 1 Tbsp. lime juice
  • Chopped fresh cilantro
  • Hot cooked rice (we used brown rice)
  • Sliced red onion, optional
  • Lime wedges, optional

Directions

  1. Take a large skillet and pour the oil in, setting the heat to medium-high. Add the onion in, stirring constantly for 2-4 minutes or until it’s tender. Toss in the garlic, ginger, and dry seasonings, continuing to stir for an additional minute before adding in the tomatoes, stirring just long enough to combine. Place the skillet mixture in a 3- or 4-qt. slow cooker.
  2. Add the chickpeas, potato and stock into the slow cooker, stirring to combine. Put the lid on the slow cooker and let it cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or until the potato’s tender and the flavors taste like they’ve blended (we cooked ours for 8 hours).
  3. Stir in the lime juice and sprinkle the cilantro on afterwards. Serve the curry over rice, topping it with the red onion slices and lime wedges on the side (if you’re using them).
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This is a tasty, filling dish to enjoy ! The dish tastes good on it’s own but it’s even better with the red onion slices. The onion slices bring a crunchy texture that’d be missing otherwise and adds a nice sharpness to the dish.

This recipe came from Taste of Home.

We weren’t paid in any form to promote Hunt’s or Taste of Home.

Take care everybody !

Gooey Chocolate Cookies

Ingredients

  • 1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
  • ½ cup butter, softened (we used unsalted butter)
  • 1 egg (we used a large egg)
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1 pkg. (18-¼ oz.) chocolate cake mix (we used a 15.25 oz. pkg. of Pillsbury Moist Supreme Devil’s Food cake mix)

Directions

  1. Take a large mixing bowl out and beat the cream cheese and butter together in it until it is light and fluffy. Mix in the egg and vanilla just until combined. Add the cake mix into the bowl and mix well to combine (the dough should have a sticky consistency after you’re done mixing). Put a lid on the bowl and place it in the fridge for 2 hours.
  2. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Take rounded tablespoons worth of the dough and roll them into balls, placing them on ungreased* baking sheets afterwards, making sure each ball is spaced 2-inches apart. Place each sheet in the oven for 9-11 minutes or until the tops of the cookies have cracked (we baked our cookies for 9 minutes). Pull the sheet out and let the cookies cool for 2 minutes before taking them off the sheet and letting them finish cooling on wire racks.

*We lined our baking sheets with aluminum foil before placing the balls of dough on them.

Yields 4-½ dozen (we only got 38 cookies out of this)

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These were some tasty little cookies. We don’t understand why they described this as being gooey since there was no gooeyness but the cookies were pillowy soft and the chocolate really comes through. If you love chocolate and you love cookies, then you’re sure to love these cookies !

We got this recipe from Taste of Home.

We weren’t paid in any form to promote Pillsbury or Taste of Home.

Take care everybody !