10 min Mushroom Teriyaki

With a little bit of forethought, this recipe is a literally made in 10 minutes. Its quick and easy and nutritious to boot. About 12-24 hours prior to when you plan to eat it, rinse mushrooms in water, cut each one in half and put in a bowl with a fitted lid. Cover with about 1/3 cup Teriyaki sauce. When ready to eat, transfer everything to a skillet, rinse 1/8 cup TVP with tap water using a mesh strainer and add to the skillet as well. If you didn't remember to marinate the mushrooms overnight, let them sit in the Teriyaki sauce for about 10 minutes before adding the TVP and turning on the stove. Cook until everything comes to a nice simmer. Serve over brown rice!! Garnish with a little bit freshly cracked black pepper. Enjoy!!!

** If you're not a fan of TVP, and are a meat-eater, feel free to add ground turkey or ground chicken instead of TVP, but that will of course increase your cook time. I added TVP to make the sauce thicker, but you can also make this recipe with just mushrooms and its still yum!! :)

My Assessment: In my opinion, teriyaki sauce is way too sweet to be food .. LOL! I've never really enjoyed it 100% and I think I felt the same with this recipe. I'd rather make this with a Pad Thai, or a Kung Pao sauce, than Teriyaki! But that's just me ...

(Curried) Asparagus & Broccolini Subzi

Broccolini became New Veggie #33 not too long ago. One of things I noted about this wonderful vegetable was that the stalks tasted a lot like Asparagus (New Veggie #21). This evening, I had both in the fridge and both needed to be used soon, so I decided to mix them both together. A subzi can be any mix of vegetables that are cooked with diced onions (and sometimes tomatoes) with a variety of spices. Served at every meal, subzis form the very back-bone of Indian cuisine.

Prep Time: 20-30 min

Ingredients:

1. 1 bunch of Asparagus
2. 1 bunch of Broccolini
3. 1 small Red Onion, diced
4. 1 tsp Garlic, minced
5. 1 tsp Cumin powder
6. 1 tsp Cumin seeds
7. 1 tsp Mustard seeds
8. 1 tsp Garam Masala
9. 1 tsp Red Chili Powder
10. Salt and Pepper, to taste.
11. 1/2 tsp Tamicon.

Directions:

Wash vegetables well and then separate the florets from both the asparagus and the broccolini and set aside. Dice the stalks of both vegetables. Line a non-stick skillet with water, add red onion and garlic with a sprinkle of salt and cook until onion is nicely caramelized. Then add all remaining spices, toss everything together, cover and cook until the stalks are nice and tender. Now add the florets, toss well together and re-cover. 

Cook, stirring occasionally, until there is no visible water remaining in the dish. This ensures a tasty savory subzi. Any water, other than what is released upon chewing the veggies, will make the dish feel under-cooked. This is the trick to cooking subzis without any added oils or fats. Traditionally, this dish would be cooked with oils and then cooked until all visible water was evaporated and the vegetables release the absorbed oils. 

"Lazy" Saag Tofu

The boys were eating Italian subs for dinner tonight. I'd already had a spinach and hummus sandwich for lunch and wasn't in the mood for another one. What I was really craving was some sort of Subzi & Roti (Curried Vegetables with Indian Flat-bread). So one by one, I began pulling things from the fridge and ended up with Saag Tofu. This is a 'plant-based' variation of the popular favorite - Saag Paneer. 

But I was also feeling lazy after a hectic day at work. So lazy that I did not even feel like bringing out my immersion (stick) blender to puree the spinach. That's the reason this recipe is called "Lazy" Saag Tofu.

Lazy Saag Tofu

Prep Time: 15 min

Ingredients:

1. 1 Pk (14-16 oz) Firm, or Extra-Firm Tofu, diced into large chunks
2. 1 small Red Onion, diced
3. 1 medium tomato, diced
4. 2-3 cups baby spinach
5. 1 tbsp Ginger-Garlic Paste
6. 1 tsp Cumin powder
7. 1 tsp Coriander powder
8. 1/4 tsp Turmeric
9. 1 tsp Red Chili Pepper
10. 1-2 tsp Garam Masala

Directions:

Using a non-stick skillet, pan-roast the tofu. See some of my older tofu posts for how I pan roast tofu without any added oils. It is quite easy and makes for a light dish. Once the tofu is done, transfer to a plate and set aside. In the same skillet add a half a cup of water, and add onion, tomato and ginger garlic paste. When all 3 ingredients are cooked well (make a soft paste), add the spices and mix well. Add another splash of water, as needed. Keep the garam masala for the end. Add the spinach and cover for a few minutes to allow it to wilt nicely. Once wilted, add tofu, and another splash of water, gently toss everything together and cover for another few minutes to allow the tofu to imbibe the flavors. Garnish with garam masala and a sprig of fresh cilantro leaves. Enjoy with whole wheat roti. Whole wheat tortillas, wrapped in aluminum foil, and warmed in the oven for a few minutes, work just as well.

If you're not feeling lazy like I was, use an immersion blender and puree the spinach before adding the tofu. If you don't have a stick blender, a regular jar blender should work just as well. Once pureed, add tofu and garnish. The spinach may need a splash of (non-dairy) milk to make it smooth and creamy. Enjoy!