Kickin' It Korean Style

Spicy Korean Tofu with Pear Slaw

Over Brown Basmati Rice Surrounded by a Broccoli Forest

      My mom used to get Vegetarian Times way back when in a pre 9/11 world, but I was always unimpressed with the recipes because they mostly replaced animal flesh for milk and eggs, mainly eggs. It wasn't until they featured my now deceased favorite restaurant Philadelphia's Horizon and some of it's recipes that I got to have a second look. I was impressed! They seemed to make an effort on the vegan front with maybe half or more of the recipes being vegan. Lately, they have been focusing on cooking techniques such as braising in the latest issues. I'm lucky enough to have an awesome mom, who subscribed me for two years so I have a slew of recipes that I'm looking forward to. Thanks, Mom!

Spicy Korean Tofu

Triangles Make The Tofu Taste Better!

     Originally, I made this the way I made the tofu like I did for the Peanut Sauce recipe for my Cooking With Bell Organic Post, which uses soy sauce and vegetable stock instead of oil, but I think it made the recipe too salty. I would pan fry this recipe in the future. If I had more time, i would try to locate gochugaru, which is a red pepper powder. The Pear Slaw was an interesting twist that balanced the heat, which I might turn up a notch.      

  Spicy Korean Tofu Recipe 

(from Vegetarian Times' 2011 September Issue)

*****try to use organic and fair trade ingredients*****

1 TBS roasted sesame oil

1 package of extra-firm tofu (try to find one of the four bean brands HERE)

3 TBS low-sodium soy sauce or tamari

1 TBS gochugaru or (1 1/2 tsp of red pepper flakes, I used the flakes)

2 tsp maple syrup (or fair trade sugar)

1 tsp rice vinegar 

2 green onions

2 cloves minced (about 2 tsp)

NOTE: If serving over rice, start it right away because the recipe comes together quick, maybe 20 minutes

1) Press the tofu, and cut into 8 or so rectangles and heat the oil in a pan, add tofu and cook 7-9 minutes each side until golden brown.

2) Whisk together soy sauce, gochugaru (or red pepper flakes), maple syrup/sugar, vinegar, and 3 TBS water in a small bowl. Stir in onions and garlic. 

3) Pour sauce around tofu, reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook 5-7 or until most of the sauce is absorbed. Flip tofu halfway through cooking

Pear Slaw

 Pear Slaw Recipe (from Vegetarian Times 2011 September Issue)

1 Bartlett Pear, sliced into matchsticks ( 1 1/2 cups)
1 tsp rice vinegar (I used apple Cider Vinegar)
1 tsp toasted black sesame seeds *

toss pear match sticks with vinegar and sesame seeds. ( I abandoned the match sticks and just cut them into pieces). Serve over tofu triangles, brown rice and whatever veggies float your boat and enjoy!

note: if your sesame seeds aren't toasted, put them in a dry skillet over medium heat for a few minutes until fragrant. With white sesame seeds it's easier to tell, but the black ones make it harder to tell.

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Cooking With Bell Organic

Baked Tofu Smothered in Peanut Sauce with Steamed Vegetables Along with Spicy Peanut Rice and Citrus Collards with Raisins Redux

Organic and Local Vegetables from Bell Organic Farms of Draper and Sandy Utah

      I've had a spring and summer share from Bell Organic of Draper and Sandy, Utah for a few months now. It's been exciting to arrive once a week to see what the farm produced. For the Spring share, it was mostly greens, but with the switch from spring to summer there's been much more variety. One of these was kohlrabi, a german cabbage, that intrigued me, but I was almost ready to choose the easy path and pick beets instead. Instead, I asked David how they could be used and he was very knowledgeable and told me to treat it like a carrot. Simple enough. I threw them in the steamer basket with other veggies from Bell Organic and they came out delicious. Though, I might peel them next time. It's the lemon looking wedge in the lower right hand side of the first picture. I'll try and get a whole picture of one next time they appear in my share. 

 Kohlrabi

Photo from Wikipedia, the stems and the leaves have been trimmed here.

     After weeks of cooking with a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) share, this would be my masterpiece with almost all of the veggies coming from my share. Although, it's easier to get to the supermarket and pick out veggies that you need, I like the mystery and the challenge that the having a CSA presents. My mom has also experimented with a CSA so it's been fun to exchange recipes and find out what's she been getting, which is a lot of yellow squash! (If you have any recipes to help her out, let me know.) For Salt Lakers interested in Bell Organic, Salt Lake City Weekly is running a contest to win a free mid-season 9 week share from Bell Organic. Enter HERE.

Peanut Sauce

Lower Fat Peanut Sauce from Fatfreevegan.com

     My first introduction to Thai food was fried tofu over peanut sauce. Although, the tofu was unseasoned and flavorless, the peanut sauce held everything together. I can't think of many things better. This version from fatfreevegan.com does have fat in it, of course, but it's a lower fat version than the traditional version. I've tried making this before from a different recipe, but got discouraged. This recipe nails it. Get the recipe HERE.

Citrus Collards with Raisins Redux

Organic and Local Collard Greens from Bell Organic. 

     I love when I see Collards greens in my share because I know I can turn to Bryant Terry's Vegan Soul Kitchen's Citrus Collard Greens Redux with Raisins. It's the perfect way to cook collards. I do ignore his advice and leave the spines on since I think they're not as tough once you cook them. Plus, the crunch adds a nice touch. Perhaps, one of my favorite ways to cook greens. Maybe one day, I'll experiment with substituting kale and chard for the collards. Find the recipe HERE.

Baked Tofu

Baked, Not Fried Tofu

     Normally, I press and pan fry tofu, but this recipe just calls for vegetable broth and soy sauce. It was one of the easiest ways to cook tofu that I've ever used. I'll probably start cooking tofu this way since I think the results are the same as pan frying without the addition of oil. Find the recipe along with the spicy peanut sauce HERE.

Spicy Peanut Rice Recipe

The Spicy Peanut Rice is on the left.

      I forgot to take a picture of this before I platted so I'll just duplicate the mean picture. This recipe came from the back of a package of Lundberg Organic Brown Rice. I normally buy in bulk, but the sale was too good to pass up. The recipe was an interesting twist of just plain brown rice and complimented the peanut sauce slathered tofu and vegetables perfectly. And you have to smell it cooking in the kitchen. Something, I've been looking for a while now. Though, I think I would try to cook it in my rice cooker next time instead of a pot and might kick up the spice since it like the spice.

Spicy Peanut Rice Recipe (from Lundberg Family Farms):

1 1/2 Tbs Olive Oil

2 Tsp whole cumin seeds

4 Whole cloves

1 Bay leaf

1 Cup of Chopped Onion 

1/4 Tsp of Red Pepper Flakes

1 Cup of Lundberg Organic Brown Rice

2 Cups of Water or Broth (I used water)

1/2 Tsp of Salt

1/3 Cup of Chopped Roasted Peanuts

Heat the olive oil in a heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in cumin, cloves and bay leaf. Cook briefly until cummin seeds darken slightly. Add onion, garlic, red pepper. Cook until onion is tender. Stir in rice. Add water and salt. (This is where I would put it in the rice cooker) Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 50 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand; covered, 10 minutes. Fluff with fork. Remove bay leaf and stir in peanuts. 

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