Fairs, Festivals and Food

The season is in full swing in S. Florida. For those of us that live here all year the season is a mixed blessing. What it means to us on the down side is more traffic, longer lines, required reservations at local restaurants and most annoyingly, the New Yorkers beeping at you when a traffic light turns green!

On the up side, more classes and events are scheduled.  This year I decided not to be complacent and to enjoy the blessing of hundreds of snow birds descending on us. I have enjoyed a couple of fun cooking classes and some interesting fairs and festivals.

First, I signed up for a Sushi Making class in Davie Florida with Chef Jorge Montes of Chef George catering. His family is Peruvian and his sister and mom work with him at the classes.  I would highly recommend his classes. I had a blast making Sushi while sucking down Strawberry Saketinis. 

Strawberry Saketini

2 servings

Ingredients:

3 strawberries cut into quarters (no stem)

1 tbsp. orange liquor

1 cup sake

Juice of 1 lime

1 tsp honey

1 cup of ice

Preparation:

1.    In a glass place the strawberries, honey and lime juice.

2.    Muddle with a wooden stick or muddler until mashed well.

3.    Add sake, orange liquor and ice and shake for 20 seconds

I also learned how to make sushi and was surprised that my rolls looked and tasted pretty darn good, as did everyone else’s.

The menu:

·          Strawberry Saketini

·          Smoked Salmon Hand Rolls (Temaki) w/Avocado and Scallions

·          Tempura Shrimp Rolls w/Shiitake Mushrooms and Cilantro

·          Deep Fried Tuna Sushi Balls w/Sesame Seeds and Pickled Daikon

Smoked Salmon Hand Rolls (Temaki) w/Avocado and Scallions

4--‐6 servings (4 big or 6 small portions)

Ingredients:

1 cup sushi rice, cooked and seasoned

4 oz smoked salmon, cut into strips

½ avocado cut into slices

2 scallions cut on the bias

Sriracha, to taste

2 sheets of Nori

Preparation:

1.    Cut a sheet of Nori in half crosswise

2.    Cover half of one side with the rice

3.    Arrange the fillings diagonally over the rice from the center to the outer corner

4.    Take the bottom right corner and curl it towards the middle to form a cone

5.    Keep rolling until you touch the opposite end

When George posted a Peruvian Class, I signed up readily. I had never had Peruvian food, so it was a great class on the food of his native country with ingredients I had never seen before.  As always, he we started off with a cocktail to get us going. This time it was a Pisco Sour. The bitters and cinnamon really make the drink.

Pisco Sour (Pisco infused Cocktail with fresh lime)

2 servings

Ingredients:

½ cup granulated sugar

¼ cup water

8 oz. Pisco

1 egg white

2.5 oz. lime juice

Cups of ice

Dash of Angostura bitters

Cinnamon, for garnish

Preparation:

1.    Bring sugar and water to a boil and let cool (simple syrup) In a blender mix the simple syrup, Pisco, lime juice, ice and blend for 30 seconds

2.    Add egg white and blend for 1 minute

3.    Serve into cocktail glass or old fashion glass

4.    Garnish with a drop of bitters and a sprinkle of cinnamon

The menu:

·          Pisco Sour (Pisco infused Cocktail with fresh lime)

·          Ceviche (Citrus and Aji Amarillo marinated Fish with Sweet Potato and Canchita)

·          Papas A La Huancaina (Yukon Gold Potatoes with creamy Aji Amarillo Sauce)

·          Lomo Saltado (Beef Stir Fry with traditional accompaniments)

·          Mazamorra Morada (Purple Corn Pudding with Dried Fruit)

·          Extra: Chicha Morada (Purple Corn Refreshment)

Lomo Saltado

Beef Stir Fry w/traditional accompaniment
Serve 4-6 (4 large or 6 small)

Ingredients:

1 lb. French fries

2 cups of cooked white rice

1 ½ lbs. Sirloin or tender loin, cut into 2 inch pieces

1 red onion, cut into thick slices

4 Roma tomatoes, quartered

2 Aji Amarillo (Peruvian chili) deseeded and deveined cut into thin strips

2 tbsp cilantro, chiffonade (cut into thin strips)

2 oz olive oil

¼ cup soy sauce

2 tbsp red wine vinegar

10 cloves of garlic, minced

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

Preparation:

1.    In a large sauté’ pan, heat up 1 oz of oil and sear the beef. Season with salt and pepper

2.    Remove from the pan and reserve along with its natural juices

3.    Add the other half of the oil and heat up the pan to high heat, add the onion and cook for 1

4.    minute, stir occasionally

5.    Add tomatoes and garlic and cook for 2 minutes

6.    Add aji Amarillo, the reserved beef with its juices and deglaze with soy sauce and vinegar. Cook

7.    for 1 minute

8.    Fold in the cilantro, season with salt and pepper and taste

 Serve over rice and French fries

Most recently my sister and I attended two food festivals, The Delray Beach Garlic Festival and The Palm Beach Greek Festival.  The events were fun, the food was, well what can I say, Festival food.  Still we had a good time and I got some cooking ideas to take home and try. Our favorite was the stuffed portabella mushroom with lots of garlic, spinach and artichoke. It tasted like a little garlicky mushroom pizza. I don’t have their recipe but this one looks good:

Spinach and Artichoke Stuffed Portobello Caps
Serves 1


Ingredients:

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 shallot, sliced thinly

1 clove garlic, minced

1 bag spinach, washed and dried

Red pepper flakes, to taste

1 can artichoke hearts, quartered

1/4 cup part skim ricotta cheese

1/8 cup feta cheese crumbled (optional)

1 egg

Salt, to taste

Pepper, to taste

2 Portobello mushroom caps, cleaned

Olive oil, as needed

Bread crumbs, as needed

Parmesan cheese, as needed

Preparation:

1.    In a medium sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Sauté the shallots until translucent. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the spinach and cook until wilted. Remove from heat and set aside.

2.    Place the artichoke hearts, ricotta cheese, feta if using and egg in a bowl. Pour the warm spinach mixture over the artichoke mixture. Stir to combine completely. Season with salt and pepper.

3.    Brush the Portobello mushroom caps lightly with olive oil. Place the stuffing on top of the mushrooms. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese and bake in a 400 degree oven until the breadcrumbs begin to brown.

Today I attended the Las Colinas Art Festival in Fort Lauderdale. It isn’t a food event but it is held on Las Olas Blvd where there are many interesting eateries. Unfortunately, it poured rain all day and looking like a drowned rat, I sought shelter in one of my favorite Las Olas eateries, the Big City Tavern. I managed to enjoy a tasty baby greens salad while trying to dry off and warm up with a nice cup of vanilla tea. They offer an interesting brunch on the weekends and I would love to go some Sunday morning.

I guess the season has its upside.

Medley of mint

Well I am back at it again, supporting the local garden centers. I bought some fresh herbs this weekend. I am going to(again) try and get an Herb garden going. I managed to get Basil to grow outside my patio for about 6 months. That is until they decided to paint the building which required I me to move the plant. Someone stole it soon after (guess they desperately needed to make some pesto!).

The fact that I managed to grow an herb successfully has given me new inspiration. Sunday I made a trip to Lowes and bought some Lavender (the last bunch got lanky and died on my patio), Mint (ditto the Lavender)and Thyme (you got it, met it's maker before I could enjoy the fruits of my labor). I went to Publix to purchase the Basil. They have the best deal and goodness knows, I need a good deal with all the herbs I purchase!

The mint is looking pretty perky and being the eternal optimist, (at least when it comes to herbs) I am preparing for a bumper crop!

Mint is a perennial herb.  It is pretty easy to grow given at least moderate light. Mint spreads very easily so it is best grown in a container unless you want it sprouting all over your lawn.  It sends out runners that will root and crowd out other plants so think twice before putting it directly into the ground.

Mint originated in Asia and the Mediterranean where it has been used in cooking for ages. There are many varieties of mint; Peppermint and Japanese mints that contain Menthol, Spearmint used primarily for flavoring and does not contain menthol. There are also Orange, Apple and Chocolate mints and Penny royal which can be toxic and let's not forget Cat Mint otherwise known as Catnip!

Mint is rich in Vitamin A, C, B12, thiamine, folic acid and riboflavin. Essential minerals that mint contains include: manganese, copper, potassium, iron, calcium, zinc, phosphorus, fluoride and selenium. Sounds like a body builders refueling herb to me!

Dating back in history, mint was used to welcome people into the home, for medicinal purposes for the stomach, skin irritations, sinus conditions and other conditions. Mint can be used as a breath freshener too.  

My use for mint is of course, cooking with it.  When I first thought about what to do with mint, I was thinking it was an herb that had limited use. Researching and thinking back to how I have used mint, I realized it is actually an incredibly versatile herb with many uses. Who hasn’t enjoyed a Girl Scout Thin Mint Cookie? I know I have.  Chocolate and mint are a great combination. What would Christmas be without Peppermint? 

Of course, my first thoughts are about the sweet uses of mint (or mint oil anyway) but there are many more. I thought I would share some with you. These include mint with candy, cocktails, meats, vegetables, dairy and  uses may have ethnic roots in Greek, Mediterranean, Asian and Indian cuisine as well as plain old American food.

Here are some uses:

Mojitos with a Lime Mint Syrup: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/bobby-flay/mojito-limeade-recipe/index.html

Grilled fish with Nectarine Mint Salsa

https://houseandhome.com/recipe/grilled-fish-with-nectarine-mint-salsa-recipe/

Bbq tandoori chicken with yogurt mint sauce

http://theheritagecook.com/?p=3900

Mint is used in traditional Tabbouleh but I don’t really like the wheat.

 Israeli Couscous Tabbouleh is more my style. http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/mint-cucumber-feta-couscous-salad.aspx

A nice dip for everyone, vegetarians included

Persian yogurt mint dip

http://javanehskitchen.wordpress.com/2010/02/11/mast-o-khiar-or-persian-yoghurt-dip/

English Peas with Mint https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/english-peas-with-mint-232121

Baby Zucchini Saute’ with Mint http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/baby-zucchini-saute-with-mint

Asian Summer Rolls http://ptbcooking.blogspot.com/2010/08/staying-cool-with-fresh-summer-rolls.html

Strawberry Citrus Salad with Mint http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2009/05/strawberry_citrus_salad

A nice after dinner drink, Mint Butterball (the politically correct name for it) https://vimeo.com/3670816

I also have my favorite uses for mint.

Baked Salmon with Dill, Mint and Sometimes Feta take a piece of Salmon about an inch thick, put it on a foil lined baking pan and squeeze some lemon over it. I then sprinkle it with Dill and add a pinch of dried mint. I either bake it as is or might sprinkle a little Feta Cheese on top too. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes per inch.  It is great with Israeli Couscous on the side or more simply, some brown rice.

Waldorf Salad with Honey-Yogurt Dressing and Fresh Mint This is a recipe from Whole Foods. I made for my Christmas party 2009 and I really love it. Don't leave out the fennel it makes this dish extra special.

Waldorf Salad with Honey-Yogurt Dressing and Fresh Mint

Serves 4

Serve as a side dish, dessert or even breakfast.

Ingredients

1 cup whole milk yogurt, preferably Greek strained (I am sure you could try the lowfat Greek yogurt. I used 1/2 whole mike and 1/2 nonfat for my party)
3 tablespoons chopped mint, more for garnish
1 1/2 tablespoons honey
1 cup walnuts, toasted
1/2 Granny Smith or other tart apple, cored and chopped
1/2 Gala apple, cored and chopped
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 fennel bulb, trimmed, cored and sliced
1 1/2 cups red grapes, halved
2 large stalks celery, chopped
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup dried Bing cherries

Method

Combine yogurt, mint and honey. Cover and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes and up to overnight, to allow the flavors to meld.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spread walnuts on a baking sheet and toast until nuts begin to brown and are fragrant, about 10 minutes.

Cut apples and toss in a large bowl with lime juice to prevent browning. Add fennel, grapes, celery, dried cranberries, cherries and toasted walnuts. Toss to combine well. Drizzle with yogurt dressing and toss gently to combine and coat all ingredients with dressing.

Garnish with fresh mint before serving.

Nutrition

Per serving (About 10.5oz/294g-wt.): 400 calories (190 from fat), 21g total fat, 2.5g saturated fat, 12g protein, 48g total carbohydrate (7g dietary fiber, 34g sugar), 5mg cholesterol, 80mg sodium

California Ambrosia Smoothie

The original recipe is from  Smoothies by Barber, Corpening and Narlock. I have never tried the tofu version but it makes a nice Vegan choice. I have been known to throw in some Vanilla Protein Powder for some extra punch.

1 cup mango nectar

½ cup soft silken tofu ( I use skim milk or vanilla yogurt)

2 teaspoons fresh lime juice

1 ½ cups diced fresh mango, frozen

2 Tablespoons chopped fresh mint

3-5 Ice Cubes

Combine the nectar, tofu (milk or yogurt) and lime juice in the blender. Add the mango and mint. With the blender running, add the ice cubes one at a time until they are incorporated and the desired consistency is reached. Serves 2.

I am getting hungry just thinking about all the uses for mint. I can hardly wait for the bumper crop! Hope you try some of these. Enjoy!

The Cowboy Vegetarian Cookbook - Baxter Black My kind of Cowboy!

Caribbean Crab Cakes with a Key West (Lime) Touch

I have been in the mood for Crab Cakes for quite some time.  Finding decent fresh crab meat is not that easy though, so it has been almost two years since I have made them at home.

After the Komen Race, I walked around the West Palm Beach Green Market with friends. You can find vendors with anything from fresh bakery goods, seafood, local produce, orchids and other plants.

My friends stopped at a Seafood Vendor’s booth and inquired about the crab meat. It appeared very fresh. It better have been. The Jumbo Lump crab was 23 dollars a pound! 

I have found a lot of the crab being sold comes from Vietnam. No offense to the country but I don’t trust crab meat from Vietnam. I have read too many bad things about the handling of seafood from this country, including this article from November 2010 http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/40198123/ns/today-today_health/

The crab meat we considered buying was not from the US either. It was from Brazil. Now I don’t know if that makes it better or worse, but I haven’t read any bad press about it.

My friends did buy some of the Jumbo Lump. I just couldn’t resist, but instead of the Jumbo, I bought the “poor man’s” regular lump crab. It is fine for crab cakes and only 16 dollars per pound (maybe it is really poor man’s because of how your pocket feels after buying it! Empty.) I can rationalize a bit of extravagance once every two years!

Upon returning home with my “find” I had to decide how I wanted to enjoy it. Something healthy might be good. Then again, when was the last time I had an extravagant meal? Hmm. Caribbean Crab cake Benedict for breakfast on Sunday sounded like a good reward for my not so famous Komen run/ walk.

My mother has a very easy recipe for Hollandaise Sauce using a blender. She was kind enough to share it with me. Hollandaise isn’t something I use frequently. I can almost feel my arteries complaining just thinking about it. It’s has enough butter to make Paula Deen smile!

 

I had saved a recipe for Caribbean Crab Cakes Benedict from an issue of Coastal Living.  I used it as the basis for my happy fat breakfast (oh, ok I will stop…if it makes you happy it must be healthy, right?).

I must admit that as always I didn’t follow either recipe exactly. I only used as much as was necessary of the mayo, the oil (I used canola) and the breading.

I wanted more of an Island style Hollandaise so instead of just lemon juice, I used ½ lemon juice and ½ lime juice. I also took a chunk of ginger and pressed it into a garlic press just to extract some juice. I added a little of the ginger juice to the hollandaise and a little more to the crab cakes. I also put a little lime juice into the crab cake mixture in place of the powdered ginger.  The added ginger and the lime juice were really the special touches that made this recipe outrageously good.

Finally, I skipped the avocado although that sounds pretty good. I put the crab cake on top of a whole wheat English muffin half and then topped it with the poached egg and some sauce (not a lot, you don’t want to drown it.)

I hope you will take the time one Sunday (or Saturday) and make these for your special someone and you. Put on some nice morning music, pour Mimosas or brew up some rich espresso coffee, share the Sunday paper and have a relaxing day.

Then get your rear up and get some exercise! Enjoy!

Caribbean Crab Cakes Benedict

Yield: Makes 6 servings

Ingredients

• 3  saltine crackers
• 3  (1-ounce) slices French bread, torn
• 1  pound  fresh lump crabmeat, drained
• 1  cup  mayonnaise
• 1  egg white
• 2  tablespoons  fresh lemon juice
• 1/2  teaspoon  ground ginger
• 1/4  teaspoon  ground red pepper
• 1/4  teaspoon  seafood seasoning
• 1/4  cup  peanut oil
• 2  tablespoons  unsalted butter
• 2  avocados, peeled and sliced
• 6  large eggs, poached
• Key Lime Hollandaise (recipe follows)
• Cracked black pepper
• Garnish: diced red bell pepper

Preparation

Place crackers in a blender or food processor; process until finely ground. Place bread in blender or food processor; process until finely ground.

Combine crabmeat, mayonnaise, cracker crumbs, breadcrumbs, egg white, and next 4 ingredients in a large bowl. Cover and chill 8 hours.

Shape crab mixture into 6 (4-inch) patties. Cook crab cakes, in batches, in hot oil and melted butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat 4 minutes on each side or until golden.

Place avocado slices and poached eggs on crab cakes, and top with Caribbean Hollandaise Sauce and pepper. Garnish, if desired.

Julia Dowling Rutland, Coastal Living, NOVEMBER 2003

Sheila’s mother’s easy Blender Hollandaise with Sheila’s Key Lime touch

½ lb butter, melted

4 egg yolks

2 tablespoons lemon juice (or 1 tablespoon of lime and one of lemon juice)

½ tsp salt

Dash of cayenne or more to taste

A few drops of fresh squeezed ginger juice for Sheila’s variation

Put all the ingredients but the butter in the blender. Turn the blender on then slowly pour in the warm melted butter until incorporated.

If you need to keep it warm, you can put it in a thermos or keep it warmed in a double boiler over simmering water, stirring to keep it from breaking.

Herbes de Provence

I attended a week long cooking class at The Culinary Institute in Napa Valley some years ago. The class was in French Provencal cooking. During the class, I was introduced to Herbes de Provence. It is an herb blend I was not very familiar with. What a wonderful blend it is!

Herbes de Provence traditionally is a blend of herbs grown in Provence. There is no set blend or formula. The traditional version is sold in crocks or small packets to tourists in France and does not contain lavender.

To please the US tourists that identify the region with the local lavender, the Herbes de Provence in the US contains lavender and I am happy about that. I love lavender. Still it is an herb that needs to be used in moderation; otherwise it can taste like soap. A little goes a long way.


I have made my own blend, using the recipe I learned at the Culinary Institute. It comes from the cookbook by Richard Carrier, “Feasts of Provence”it and includes lavender and dried orange peel. There are many variations. Recently I bought the McCormick brand. I don’t see lavender on the ingredients list and cannot smell it, so I assume it is a more traditional recipe. I like if for most recipes. If I was going to use the blend with a tomato base, I might prefer my homemade blend with the orange peel.


Herbes de Provence pairs well with many different wines depending on it’s usage, Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, White Burgundy to name a few.


You can use Herbes to Provence in many recipes. It matches well with a lot of foods. You can match it with:

Chicken dishes (think La Madeline Rotisserie chicken) http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Herbes-de-Provence-Rotisserie-Chickens-238794
Lamb :http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Wine-Braised-Lamb-Shanks-with-Herbes-de-Provence-109263 or
http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/sauteed-lamb-chops-herbes-de-provence.aspx
Goat Cheese: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Scalloped-Potatoes-with-Goat-Cheese-and-Herbes-de-Provence-2999
Fish:
Trout. Sprinkle inside of Trout with Herbes de Provence. Top with slices of lemon and bake en papillote (in parchment paper or foil) or with
Cod http://miahungrylongtime.com/2010/03/07/cooking-with-paper-cod-en-papillote/
Grilled Salmon Filet Sandwich http://www.herbcompanion.com/cooking/herbes-de-provence-salmon-fillet-sandwiches.aspx
Vegetables: Sweet corn risotto http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/cat-cora/sweet-corn-risotto-with-herbes-de-provence-recipe/index.html
Roasted Vegetableshttp://www.sacfoodcoop.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=726:roasted-vegetables-with-herbes-de-provence-&catid=47:side-dishes&Itemid=59


Other ideas for using Herbes de Provence:


Use in combination with Goat Cheese in omelets, scrambled eggs or with roasted red or Yukon gold potatoes or as above.


Black olive tapenade- http://recipes.wuzzle.org/index.php/54/1067


Pizza- The best pizza I have ever had was in Geneva, Switzerland. I am not sure what cheese they used (maybe Swiss cheese? Not quite but it was a white cheese!) but it was topped with Herbes de Provence and was fabulous! You could use it in place of oregano and top a traditional pizza with Kalamata olives and roasted red bell pepper, (ok you can throw a little cooked Italian Sausage on if you must).


On baked caramelized tomatoes- Core tomatoes and slice in half horizontally. Place on a baking sheet cut side up. Mix some olive oil, garlic, Herbes de Provence and salt and pepper. Pour over the tomato halves and bake for about 2 hours at 325 until collapsed and well carmelized. These are great on their own, but I sometimes put them over pasta.


My two newest favorite uses are in grits (for all the French cowboys!) and on a vegetable Panini.


For the grits, I take a packet of quick cooking (I use Quaker butter flavored) grits, add ½ cup of milk, some dollops of goat cheese and a sprinkling of Herbes de Provence. Microwave the grits on High for 1 minute 40 seconds. Add some light butter and enjoy.


For the vegetable Panini, cut serving size pieces of either foccacia or a nice sourdough bread. Take 3-4 medium sized asparagus per serving and put them on a toaster oven sheet mixed with olive oil. Bake for about 10-12 minutes at 400 degrees until cooked to desired doneness.


Divide bread in half as for a sandwich. Spread a light coating of goat cheese on one side of the bread, top with cooked asparagus and either roasted red onion slices (can roast with asparagus) or sliced Portobello mushroom. Throw a few leaves of basil on top. Spread the top piece of the bread with some goat cheese then sprinkle with Herbes de Provence and place on top of the vegetables to complete the sandwich. Lightly grease a preheated George Foreman grill and cook the Panini until done. Alternatively, cook on medium high in a lightly oiled skillet. Weigh down the bread to compress as in a Panini. Remove and enjoy.


I hope you will try some recipes with Herbes de Provence. 
Read more:  http://ptbcooking.blogspot.com/2011/02/herbes-de-provence.html

Visualize the Size of the Starbucks Trenta Cup

Vegetarian Lettuce Wraps

 People are always raving about the Lettuce Wraps at PF Changs. I did try their vegetarian version a number of years ago, and although I liked the idea of it, I found them kind of salty and greasy.

I hadn’t really thought much about it until I ran across a recipe that sounded as if it would be tasty.  I can’t tell you where I got this. I found it last year in a magazine at the local library. I am one of those obsessive types that collects recipes from everywhere and can’t always remember the original author or sometimes where I put them!

My sister came over for dinner last night and since she is the perfect guinea pig, I decided to try the recipe on her (and  also on me..the other perfect guinea pig!).

We loved them and the best thing about them was they were easy to make.  The wraps were fresh, light and flavorful.  For a couple of small women like us, it was a great meal. More hearty eaters might want to add more to the dinner menu than just the wraps.

I did change a few things and would change another if I was to make them again. The recipe called for ¼ cup of crushed red pepper flakes in the sauce. I am sure I wrote that down wrong. It sounded like too much. I added about a teaspoon.  Instead of jicama, I used water chestnuts. I couldn’t find jicama at the store and water chestnuts sounded more authentic anyway. I also put a few drops of sesame oil in the wok along with the canola oil.  I like the flavor.

The lettuce used was romaine, but romaine isn’t very flexible. I would use a butter lettuce next time.  The recipe was not enough for 12 lettuce leaves. It really just served 2 people with 2 Romaine leaves each. Double the recipe for 4 people if it is for dinner rather than an appetizer.

 I followed the rest of the recipe with success.

 How I made them:

I put together the ingredients for the wrap and stuck it in the fridge while making the sauce and the brown rice. While the rice was cooking, I threw the sauce ingredients into the blender, blended them then put it in a bowl. While the rice was cooking, I cleaned up the kitchen.

When it was time to eat, I pulled out the mix, stir fried it, added the sauce and that was it. When all was done, there was very little clean up, which to me is a big plus.

Ok, for you non-tofu lovers, feel free to substitute something else. I think some chopped up cooked shrimp would be a good substitute but you decide on that. 

You can serve these with hot Green tea or you might try a Zentini or Saketini 

http://www.thenibble.com/reviews/main/cocktails/zen-green-tea-liqueur.asp
(by the way The Nibble is a great newsletter too)

Tofu Lettuce Wraps- Serves two dinner size portions

Sauce:

¼ cup tamari sauce (low sodium if you prefer)

1 tsp minced garlic

1 tbl minced shallot

1 tbl packed light brown sugar

1 tbl plus 1 tsp rice vinegar

¼ cup plus 2 tbl water

1 tbl plus 1 tsp cornstarch

1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

¾ tsp peeled and minced fresh ginger (a fine microplane works great for grating both the ginger and the garlic)

Put all of the sauce ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth.

Wrap ingredients:

½ cup diced carrots

½ cup sugar snap peas diced

½ cup diced jicama (or substitute water chestnuts diced)

½ cup pineapple diced

¾ lb extra firm tofu, diced

A drop or two of sesame oil (optional)

Canola oil spray for stir frying

½ cup unsalted peanuts (I used salted because I had them on hand)

12 romaine lettuce leaves (or substitute boston lettuce) See note on this. I only used 4 leaves

1 1/3 cup cooked brown rice

Toss together the carrots thru the pineapple in a large bowl. Mix in the tofu.

Heat a wok sprayed with canola oil on high heat (I added a drop of sesame oil for added flavor)

Add tofu mixture and stir fry briefly (30 sec to a minute). Stir in enough sauce to moisten well and cook another minute or until the sauce is just thickened.

Serve with the lettuce to wrap, the peanuts, rice and whatever leftover sauce there is.

Fill lettuce leaf with some of the mix, put some rice on top, then some peanuts. If you want, a little extra sauce is good too. Wrap and eat. Messy but fun and tasty too!

Fresh orange slices would be a great dessert.

I hope you enjoy these and would love to hear about it.