Vegetable Pasta Bake with Tofu

Last night I had some of the women in my neighborhood over to plan our annual block party.  It will actually only be our second block party, but we are trying to start a tradition.  Last year we pretty much just pulled some chairs into the cul-de-sac, someone grilled some burgers and dogs, and we all brought a side.  We hung out and talked and the kids ran around.  We had a great time.

But this year we want to step it up a notch.  We're thinking a bouncy house, face painting, a popcorn machine, cotton candy . . . the works. 

We were up really late talking about it.  So I am pretty tired and this post will be short.  Just the recipe, thank you very much.   I hope you are having a great week.  If you have any block party ideas - send them my way!

Vegetable Pasta Bake with Tofu

Ingredients:
1 package tofu (you can use soft or firm.  I used firm because that is all my store sells)
1/4 C grated Parmesan cheese (plus more to use at serving)
1 T olive oil
1 small eggplant, peeled and cubed
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 medium zucchini, chopped into half moons
2-3 garlic cloves, chopped or minced
3/4 box short tubular pasta (like penne, ziti, etc.)
1 jar marinara sauce
1-2 C shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions:
Drain and press tofu.  Meanwhile, add oil to large skillet and cook eggplant, zucchini and onion until tender, adding more oil if necessary.  Add garlic to skillet at end of cooking of veggies. 
Start water for pasta and cook pasta according to directions.  When done, drain pasta and combine with a portion of the marinara sauce.  You'll want to have some sauce leftover to put on top of the dish while it bakes and to use with serving, if desired.
Crumble tofu in bottom of 9x12 baking pan.  Top with 1/4 C Parmesan cheese.  Season with salt and pepper if desired.

Add the cooked veggies on top of the crumbled tofu.

Add the pasta on top of the tofu veggies.

Before baking, add some more sauce on top of the dish and top with the mozzarella cheese in any amount that you want!  Bake for 30 mins at 350F or until cheese bubbles.  Serve with extra Parmesan and sauce if desired.

Updated: I'm linking up at 

Tofu Rollatini

Both the Husband and I feel like we eat chicken every night.  It gets to be so boring! 

I like steak, but I don't really cook it that well.  I cannot cook pork to save my life - it is always too dry.  Sometimes I can find turkey breast at the store, but I feel it's just the same as chicken. 

Enter: tofu.

I've cooked tofu for several years.  Our friends are always surprised that the Husband eats it.  But he does, and he says he likes it.  The Toddler likes it too!

I am always looking for new ways to make it since tofu stir fry can get quite boring!  Usually I look at recipes that call for meat and than see if I can substitute tofu for the meat.  Or replace a portion of the meat with the tofu.  Pasta dishes are another good way to sneak in tofu since the tofu can sub for or replace ricotta cheese.

So when I found a recipe for rollatini using lasagna noodles, veggies and ricotta cheese, I thought it would be a great idea to replace at least a part of the cheese with tofu.  The results were pretty good, although I did run out of pasta sauce, so that was a bummer. 

Do you feel like you cook the same thing over and over again?  How do you get out of that rut?

Tofu Rollatini
Ingredients:
8 lasagna noodles
1 package tofu, drained and pressed (soft would be fine, but my grocery store only has firm)
1 T dried minced onions
1 T dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 small container of part skim ricotta cheese
1 medium zucchini, diced
2 portions of jarred roasted red peppers, diced
1/4 C Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
1 jar of pasta sauce
optional: mozzarella cheese

Instructions:
Cook lasagna noodles according to instructions.  Meanwhile, crumble the tofu so it resembles cottage or ricotta cheese.

To a big mixing bowl, add the tofu, ricotta and Parmesan cheeses, spices, zucchini and roasted red peppers.  Mix to combine the ingredients:

Once ingredients are combined and the lasagna noodles are cooked and have cooled enough to handle, place a heaping portion of the mixture in a noodle and roll it up.  Place rolls in baking dish ( I think I used a 13x9?).  You may have to put a toothpick in the rolled noodle to hold it together.

For some of the noodles I folded the noodle before rolling.  For others I didn't fold!

All rolled up and ready to go!

After all of the rolls are in the baking dish, pour pasta sauce over the rolls, and if desired, add mozzarella cheese.  Bake at 350F for 30-40 minutes or until cheese is bubbling.

Since I didn't have enough sauce I chopped tomatoes and put on top!

When done, dish out a couple of the rolls and serve with a salad!

Tofu Stack Ups

I'm always looking for new tofu recipes since tofu stir fry can get old pretty fast.  And I am always trying to find recipes that do new things with the tofu since marinating it and grilling/broiling it can also get pretty fast!

So when I saw this recipe for Tofu Stack Ups in Better Homes and Gardens, I thought it looked interesting enough to try!  Plus, it did something new with the tofu - the recipe called for breading the tofu in cornmeal.  That blew my mind since it didn't even occur to me that you could bread tofu.

Clearly I am a tofu novice!

Tofu Stack-Ups
recipe from Better Homes and Gardens
Ingredients:

2 ears fresh sweet corn

2 12- to 16-oz. pkg. firm or extra firm tofu, drained

1/3 cup yellow cornmeal

2 tsp. chili powder

1/2 tsp. salt

3 to 4 Tbsp. olive oil

1 medium red sweet pepper, seeded and sliced

2 medium green tomatoes, sliced (AFC note: I used red tomatoes)

Lime wedges

Fresh cilantro leaves (optional)

Instructions: 

1. In a large saucepan, cook corn, covered, in boiling salted water for 7 minutes. Drain. (AFC note: I don't salt the water, I read somewhere that it draws moisture out of the corn)

2. Meanwhile, slice each block of tofu horizontally into 4 slices. In a shallow dish combine cornmeal, chili powder, and salt; dip tofu into mixture to coat.

3. In a 12-inch skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Cook tofu in batches for 2 to 3 minutes per side until crisp and golden brown, adding more oil as needed. Remove tofu from skillet; add sweet pepper and green tomatoes and cook in remaining oil about 3 minutes until tomatoes are heated through and lightly browned and peppers are crisp tender.

4. Cut corn from cob. Place one slice tofu on each of four serving plates. Top with half of the corn, peppers and tomatoes. Top with remaining tofu slices, and remaining corn, peppers, and tomatoes. Serve with lime wedges and fresh cilantro leaves. Makes 4 servings.

Verdict:  I loved the tofu covered in cornmeal.  It added a nice crunch!  However, both the Husband and I agreed that it could have been more flavorful.  Anyone have any suggestions on what they would add?

Updated:  I'm linking up to Mangoes and Chutney's Fat Camp Friday!

Tofu Garden Pizza

With all the yummy desserts I featured last Friday, I felt I should post something a little healthier for Monday! 

I did have a great time at the shower.  I got to see friends and Godchildren.  What is better than that?

Of course there was great food.  It was a brunch (I love brunch) and there was delicious chicken Marsala, yummy fruit and to-die-for raspberry cheese blintzes.  If that wasn't enough, there were some yummy desserts too - fresh cake and homemade chocolates.  AND - best of all - homemade chocolate covered Oreos.  I ate waaaayyyy too much.  But it was so good!!

So in honor of getting back on track, here is a quick healthy pizza that you can whip up on the grill.  This will make enough tofu for 2 pizzas and then 2 wraps for the next day.

Tofu Garden Pizza
Ingredients:
1 pkg extra firm or firm tofu, pressed and sliced
1/3 C vinaigrette salad dressing (I used lite Caesar, but you can use what you prefer)
2 Flat Out Healthy Grain flatbread (you can use pizza dough or prepared crust, whatever you prefer)
1 ripe avocado, sliced and cubed
2 heaping handfuls of baby spinach
1/4 C vinaigrette salad dressing for "sauce" on pizza (use as much or as little as you want)
1/2 C grape tomatoes, cut in half
sliced or crumbled goat cheese (as much as your heart desires!)

Instructions:
marinate tofu in the salad dressing for as long as time permits.  (thankfully I remembered to do this early, before dinner time!)

After marinating, discard extra marinade and grill tofu until desired doneness - usually about 3-4 minutes on each side.  Slice or cube the tofu into smaller pieces.

Grill the flatbread on one side for a few minutes, flip over and add sauce.  Top pizza with toppings, including the tofu.  Close grill cover for 2-3 minutes to let cheese melt and spinach wilt. 

pizza and extra tofu grilling

Remove from grill, and your pizza is done!

It came out so yummy!  But what I loved even more is the wrap I made with the exact same ingredients the next day.  Instead of grilling, just place all the ingredients on the wrap and wrap it up for a sandwich for lunch. Yum!!!

And yes, I only made 2 pizzas, but all three of us ate dinner.  The Toddler does love tofu and she ate half a pizza, all the time saying "tofu good taste!"  The Husband ate the other half of the pizza and then went to play hockey.  He doesn't like to eat too much before a game!

Do you have any good pizza recipes that would make a good wrap for lunch the next day??  If so, please share!

Thrown Together: Tofu Pasta Bake

When I got home from work the other night I learned that the Toddler had not napped.  Oh no!  That was a signal that the evening was going to be a little hectic and probably at least 1 to 2 tantrums would be thrown. 

The Toddler seemed to be in a good mood when I arrived, but I quickly discovered that she was pretty demanding.  First - she wanted to help "paint" the "chick".  Which means she wants to help me spread marinade over chicken using a really cute pink basting brush.  But we weren't having "chick" - we were going to have tofu, which hadn't even been drained and pressed, so I couldn't even marinate it!

She was not having any of this!  She pulled a chair up to the counter and yelled "paint"!  So I scrambled to get things ready. Thankfully she was content to "paint" some spice jars with the brush while I quickly drained the tofu and tried to figure out what I was going to do.  I ended up with this:

Pretty Simple Tofu Pasta Bake

Ingredients:

• balsamic vinegar
• olive oil
• dried herbs: I used oregano, basil and sage
• tofu (I only had firm, but since it is suposed to be replacing ricotta, you can use a "less firm" variety)
• tubular pasta (ziti, etc) or rotini
• 1-2 jars marinara sauce
• 1 2 C bag reduced fat mozzarella cheese 

Instructions:

• combine equal parts balsamic vinegar and oil (I didn't measure since I was literally throwing this together) and add some herbs in to taste.  Whisk together. 
• In normal circumstances I would have marinated the tofu in the vinegar mixture, but the Toddler wanted to paint, so instead of marinating, we "painted" the sides of the tofu with the vinegar mixture and let that sit while I cooked the pasta.  There was some marinade left over.  If you end up painting and not marinating - don't throw it away!!
• Drain pasta and crumble tofu.  Add crumbled tofu to pasta

• Pour in 3/4 jar of marinara sauce and combine. 
• Then (this is my secret) - put the rest of the vinegar mixture into the pasta and sauce combine!  I think this gave some more flavor and moisture.  I would skip this step if you marinated the tofu.
• Stir in 1/2 C - 1C mozzarella cheese.
• Top with remaining 1/4 jar of sauce (plus extra if you want from 2nd jar) and some extra mozz.
• Bake at 350F for 1/2 hour or until browned and bubbling.  Serve with extra sauce and some parmesan cheese.

What would I have changed?  Probably nothing, other than trying to actually measure the balsamic vinegar marinade ingredients.  If I make it again I probably won't even marinate the tofu!  The "painting" worked out really well, as did throwing the extra marinade into the pasta mixture prior to baking.

Do you have any tofu recipes that you can throw together pretty fast??

Wednesday Edition: What's New

So I was chatting about the blog with one of my best friend's, K.  We thought it would be fun if I tried new food and then wrote about it.  Actually I thought it would be fun if she tried new food and then blogged about it, but she wasn't into that!

We were trying to come up with a catchy name for what I would call the posts and decided on "What the Heck Wednesdays".  But that doesn't sound too appetizing, does it?  So instead, I decided to call it "Wednesday Edition: What's New".

I'll try to do this every week: try at least one new food by either adding it to a recipe I am already making or try a new recipe with the ingredient incorporated in it.  And then I will take pics and blog! 

This week I tried swiss chard.  (I don't know, is the "s" capitalized??).

So, for those who don't know, swiss chard is a leafy green veggie that looks like every other leafy green veggie.  I found it at my local farm/flower stand when I went to pick up veggie plants for my garden.  They had exactly 2 things that they had harvested this early: radishes and swiss chard.  I took a bunch of each because (1) I can't resist things at farms stands, and (2) the little bunch of swiss chard was soooo cute!

Last night I decided I would throw it into my already planned tofu stir fry.  What?  You don't like tofu?  I don't believe you.  Have you tried it?  The reason I don't believe you is because the Husband likes it.  Yep.  He really does!  So here's a simple recipe for you to try!

Simple Tofu Stir Fry
Ingredients:

• 3 T soy sauce (additional for serving with dish)
• 3 T orange juice
• 1/2 T honey
• 2 cloves garlic
• sesame seeds
• 1 pkg lite firm tofu, chopped
• 1 pkg Bird's Eye frozen Asian Medley Veggies (I bought the type you nuke it the bag!  Oh - and when I bought it I didn't know it was seasoned, but the seasoning actually worked with the recipe and added some flavor!)
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 1 cup chopped baby carrots
• swiss chard (optional)
• brown rice (or white rice, soba noodles or whole wheat spaghetti)

Instructions:
1. Mix together first three ingredients in a large close-able container.  Reserve a few table spoons to add to the stir fry during cooking.  Add chopped tofu and sprinkling of sesame seeds to the remaining marinade.  Let the tofu marinate as long as you can.  (Since I always forget to do this until just before I have to make dinner, I usually only let it marinate about 15 mins.  But the longer the better since the tofu takes the flavor of the marinade).

2. Chop carrots and celery while tofu is marinating and you are bringing water to boil for rice or noodles.  If using swiss chard, remove stems and then chop or tear leaves.  Or you can just leave the leaves as is since the chard really cooks down (like spinach).

3. After marinating is done, spray non-stick pan with olive oil spray and add tofu.  Cook tofu on med-high to high until the tofu starts to brown, then add the chopped carrots and celery.  Stir once and awhile.  Let cook until carrots and celery are crisp tender.  Add your swiss chard and stir.  Chard will wilt.

4.  Meanwhile, make your rice or noodles and microwave your packaged veggies.

5.  Add the cooked packaged veggies and reserved marinade to the pan and stir everything together.

6.  This is personal preference, but I like to add my rice or noodles to the stir fry prior to serving.  But if you don't want to do that, that is fine.  But here is what it looks like all mixed together:

Yummy!  We added a very small amount of soy sauce to our servings and it was really good.  The Toddler liked the "baby corn"!  She said "Awww.  Baby corn".  She is just so cute!!!

Let me know what you think and let me know if you try swiss chard (or if you have been using it forever and have some great recipes!).