Simply Soba

The ridiculously nice California-esque weather we've been having the last few days seems to suggest that warm temperatures and sunny skies are here to stay. You know what this means- time to bust out the flipflops, hit the pool, and let those freckles come out to play!

With spring in full bloom and summer just around the corner, I've slowly but surely been increasing my intake of warm weather essentials- frozen yogurt and salad. For froyo, the best I can do is point you in the direction of Red Mango or Costco, depending on your budget. But for salad, I offer a recipe that is easy, light yet filling, amazingly healthy, and with asian flair. Oh, did I mention, it's also vegetarian?

Seared Tofu-Soba Noodle Salad
courtesy Cooking Light

-2 packages firm tofu (abt 12 oz each)
-1/4 cup rice vinegar
-1/4 cup soy sauce
-2 TBS sugar
-1 TBS sesame oil
-2 tsp ginger, grated and peeled
-1/4 tsp black pepper
-1 TBS olive oil
-lettuce (**Note: original recipe called for romaine, but I used Spring Mix)
-4 cups cooked soba noodles
-optional: chopped green onions

1. Cut tofu to slices, about 3/4 in wide, 2 inch long. Place slices in single layer on a plate, cover with paper towels. Then place another plate on top of the towels, pressing down on the slices occasionally. Let stand 20 min, drain liquid. Repeat for another 20 min.

2. While draining tofu, combine vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, ginger, black pepper to make dressing. Shake vigorously. Set aside in fridge.

3. Heat olive oil in skillet over med-high heat. Add tofu slices. Cook about 5 min on 1 side, until lightly browned. Remove dressing from fridge, shake, and add about 2-3 TBS of dressing to tofu before flipping over to other side (add enough dressing to lightly coat all slices of tofu). Cook another 5 min on this side.

4. Place lettuce on plate. Next, top with soba noodles, then tofu slices. Garnish with green onions if desired. Drizzle dressing over tofu, noodles, and salad, adding more as needed.

refreshing summer salad, for omnivores and herbivores alike

sorry, poor photo quality due to phone camera :(





easy-to-assemble leftovers make for a delicious next day lunch

Best of Both Worlds

People are often surprised to find out that I'm a fob (or more accurately, a "yap," according to urban dictionary). I may not fit the stereotype, but catch me in person, and I'll gladly roll up my left sleeve and show you my mark of proof. It's too bad that society has put such a stigma on this status. I love being a fob- after all, my palate is all the more rich today because of it :).

For one thing, while my classmates grew up on Goldfish, animal crackers, and string cheese, I had all that plus the joys of dried squid, shrimp chips, and Pocky. When everyone else brought in pb&j sandwiches day after day, I could switch it up with "fuzzy pork" (rousong) between my slices of Wonder bread. Double the options, double the good times! And even now, when the fob within demands to be fed, a bowl of my mom's za jiang mien can bring me from the Alamo to the streets of Taiwan.

Za Jiang Mien

by la madre and yours truly

(**Note: because this is a home recipe, all the ingredient measurements are rough at best. follow your taste buds and adjust accordingly!)

*3/4 lb ground turkey (i prefer 93/7) or ground pork (for the less health conscious purists)

*3-4 pieces dried tofu (tofu gan), chopped

*1 cup of mushrooms, diced (Shitake preferred, but regular mushrooms at your local grocery store works as well)

*2 TBS ground bean sauce (do ban jiang)

*2 TBS sweet bean sauce (tian mian jiang)

*2 TBS oil

*2 tsp sugar

*1/3 cup water

1. Heat oil in deep pan on medium high heat.

2. Add turkey or pork to pan, breaking up any clumps so that the meat pieces are about the same size. Stir and cook until no pink is seen.

3. Next, add both sauces and sugar. Stir sauce combination evenly into the meat. Add some of the water (about 1/4 cup). Simmer for few minutes.

4. Add mushrooms and tofu. Mix well. Simmer for few minutes. If consistency of sauce is too thick, add more water bit by bit. Be careful not to over-dilute, since the mushrooms also will produce liquid as they cook.

5. Serve over noodles with chilled pickled cucumber (recipe below).

Pickled Cucumber

family recipe (again, rough measurements)

*1 large cucumber or 2 smaller ones, seeds removed, diced

*1 tsp salt

*1.5 tsp sugar

*1.5 TBS rice vinegar

*1 piece of garlic, roughly crushed

1. Mix cucumber with salt and sugar, making sure all pieces are well coated.

2. Add vinegar. Mix evenly.

3. Throw in garlic.

4. Refrigerate for at least 1 hr.

tangy flavor nicely complements

ah, a taste of childhood.

Love Affair with Basil

so recently, i've been messing around with fresh basil, and man, is it delicious! one thing's for certain, once you get hooked on the natural stuff, you can't go back to the dried and preserved (just like peanut butter... but that's a tangent for another day). instead of raving on and on about how basil can jazz up even the most basic ingredients, i'm going to throw out two simple recipes for you to try and taste for yourselves!

Tomato, Mozzerella, and Basil Phyllo Dough Pizza

1. preheat oven to 375
2. spread out 7-8 sheets of phyllo dough on lightly greased pan. be sure to follow phyllo dough directions to prevent sheets from drying out and to allow for proper separation between sheets.
3. top with mozzerella or mixture of appropriate cheeses.
4. lay slices of fresh tomato on top.
5. generously add freshly chopped basil.
6. add dash of oregano.
7. sprinkle light coating of cheese over everything.
8. bake 20-30 minutes until crust is golden brown.

serve as appetizer or even main meal!


Tomato and Basil Chicken Capellini

1. heat up olive oil and fresh chopped garlic on stove.
2. cook pasta separately.
3. add some diced onions.
4. add chicken chopped in small chunks. add 1 TBS of fresh basil. mix all together. simmer until chicken cooked through.
5. add red sauce with desired vegetables (i personally like zucchini and mushrooms).
6. add about another pinch or so of fresh basil and freshly ground black pepper. mix.
7. let it all simmer for about 10 minutes.
8. mix with the capellini and serve.
9. top with fresh cheese if so desired.

enjoy with a glass of white wine. a perfect light summer pasta. yums!

and if anyone out there has a favorite basil recipes/suggestions, do share!