Vegetarian Tofu Fried Rice

Hello and welcome vegetable and tofu fans! 

Today's recipe was a bit of improv cooking by me and my lovely Mew Sigma Sister and future Clifton Hall apartment-mate, Emmy <3 

The Recipe: 

• Rice
• Rice vinegar
• Tofu
• Broccoli
• Peas
• Carrots
• Red Onions
• Vegetable Oil

The Process:

1. Boil enough water to fill about half of a small pot. 
2. Cook about 1 cup jasmine rice in the pot. 
3. When the rice is about halfway done, add a couple tablespoons of rice vinegar. 
4. Saute all vegetables and tofu in a pan on medium heat. 
5. Add rice to the pan and continue to heat. 
6. Add teriyaki sauce to the pan and continue to heat and mix. 
7. After about 5 minutes from the time the rice was added to the pan, it should be done. Be sure everything is cooked to desired amounts. 
8. Share with a friend :) 

Calories:

Rice- 150 calories

Rice Vinegar- 0 calories

Broccoli- 14 calories

Peas- 67 calories

Carrots- 14 calories

Onion- 23 calories

Teriyaki- 20 calories

Vegetable Oil- 120 calories

Tofu- 160 calories

____________________________________

TOTAL: 568 calories

This means Emmy and I each ate 284 calories for a very filling and healthy dinner! 

What went right: 

         It was quite delicious and light, but also satisfying. 

What went wrong: 

         I'm relatively certain actual fried rice also has garlic in the recipe and steams the peas and carrots. Something to work on for authenticity's sake! 

What I would do next time: 

          Try using different meats, garlic, and cook the vegetables differently. 

Would I do this again in college?: 

          Definitely. I'm a little addicted to asian food, and have tried this again a few times since and it turned out equally great and better :) 

Overall, a great meal with a short cook time, perfect for college life! 

Vegetarian Stuffed Pasta Shells (2)

Hello and welcome Italian Food lover!

Thanks for taking the time to visit my blog :) Apologies for the lack of posts since I've started college. There's plenty of time to cook but not enough time to write about cooking!

Today's recipe was inspired by my love of Italian food, and the success of prior Stuffed Pasta Shells. 

The Recipe: Vegetarian Stuffed Pasta Shells (2)

• Jumbo Pasta Shells
• 1 bunch Spinach 
• 1 cup Pasta Sauce
• 1 cup Broccoli
• 1/2 cup Peas
• 1 cup Italian Mix Shredded Cheese
• 1 cup Baby Bella Mushrooms, sliced
• 1 sweet Red Pepper, sliced and diced
• 1-2 pieces Garlic, sliced and diced
• 5 stalks of Green Onion, chopped
• 1/4 tsp butter (one small slice) 
• Salt and Pepper as desired

The Process:

• Boil water on the stove in a pot that will be large enough to hold all 20 pasta shells comfortably. 
• Once there are bubbles in the water, carefully add the pasta, be sure to not let any break. 
• Cook the pasta for 5-6 minutes. It should be al dente.
• Remove and strain the pasta. Allow it to cool. 
• Chop the Spinach into smaller pieces. 
• Using a Magic Bullet or other powerful blender, puree the Spinach. You will have to do this in smaller bunches, adding slight amounts of water. 
• Use paper towels to drain the Spinach. 
• Heat a pan on the stove. 
• Melt Butter on the pan. 
• Add Salt and Pepper to the pan. 
• Lower the heat to medium-low (depending on your stove).
• Add Garlic and Green Pepper to the pan.
• Add Broccoli to the pan. 
• Add Red Pepper to the pan. 
• Add Mushrooms to the pan. 
• Add Peas to the pan. 
• Cover the pan and continue to rotate the ingredients with a spatula until all are cooked. This should take 5-7 minutes. 
• Mix the sauteed vegetables, Spinach, and Cheese in a large bowl. 
• Pre-Heat the oven to bake at 350 degrees F.
• Pour a small amount of Sauce in an oven-safe dish. 
• Put a small amount of stuffing in each shell, and place it in the dish with the Sauce. 
• Once you have filled all shells, if you have any stuffing left over, put it on top of the pasta. 
• Coat the pasta with the remainder of the Sauce. 
• Cover the dish with an oven-safe top, or aluminum foil.
• Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the sauce begins to bubble. This time will depend on your oven, but the dish will also emit a powerful aroma, so you should be able to tell about when it is finished.
• Switch your oven to roast on High.
• Remove the aluminum foil or cover.
• Roast the oven safe dish on a rack close to the flame for 3-5 minutes.
• Carefully remove the dish from the oven.
• Allow to cool for 3-5 minutes before serving.
• Enjoy!

The Calories:

Pasta: 720 calories
Sauce: 190 calories
Spinach: 144 calories
Broccoli: 41 calories
Pepper: 31 calories
Mushrooms: 75 calories
Garlic: 5 calories
Green Onion: 15 calories
Peas: 59 calories
Cheese: 180 calories
Butter: 20 calories
Salt and Pepper: insignificant amounts
___________________________________
TOTAL: 1480 calories for 20 shells

Keep in mind that this amount also yielded additional stuffing that did not necessarily need to be included in the dish; instead, it could be refrigerated or frozen for future use. Additionally, there will be some sauce left in the jar, bowl, and dish.

Also keep in mind that one person will not eat 20 shells. 1480 calories for 20 shells means 74 calories per shell.

What went right:
         The pasta shells were delicious and the stuffing came out very nicely. I kind of liked having some of the stuffing outside the shells.

What went wrong: 
         According to my dad, the stuffing does not have enough spice, but he eats Indian pickle, so I've learned to take comments like this with a grain of sugar. Additionally, the individual shells may have been overstuffed, or cooled too long, because they were reluctant to remain closed.

What would I do next time:
         Next time I would like to try adding meat, which will also mean cooking/marinating the meat separately. The meat would determine the remainder of the stuffing, so I may need to use Italian sausage in order to balance out the vegetables.

Would I make this in college?:
         I definitely have the capability to make this in college, but not the time at present. It might be something to try over fall break (hint hint wink wink nudge nudge).

The photo below is our family dinner the night I made this dish. The two plain pasta and sausage link plates belong to my little brother, and my "little brother", who are just about the pickiest eaters I've ever met. At least they make cooking easy!

Overall, I'm a little too addicted to stuffed pasta shells now, but I really don't see a problem with that considering how healthy they can be. Especially if gluten free pasta and low fat cheese were used. Definitely can't wait to make these again! 

Happy Eating!

Easy Vegetable Medley

Happy Tuesday!

While I've been cooking almost daily for a while, I don't really count things like canned soup or ham and salami sandwiches, although I will for sure be making things of this nature in college. I'm now on vacation, which generally means a lot of eating out at whatever restaurant we can find...night one included +Applebees, which I was happy to discover now has a grilled chicken with mushrooms and mixed vegetables!

Last night, while shopping for food with my dad, I decided I wanted a veggie medley that I could make in about as much time as the pasta I was making for my brother. Rather than buying a head of cauliflower, a head of broccoli, raw carrots, and raw green beans and sweet peas, my dad suggested that I choose from the massive mixes of frozen vegetables that were already cut, steamed, and ready to roast. This sounded very college-practical, so I decided it was worth doing.

The Recipe: Easy Vegetable Medley

• One package of frozen cauliflower, broccoli, and carrot chunk medley
• 1/2 package of frozen green beans, yellow green beans, sweet peas, and baby carrot medley
• 1/3 package of frozen green peas
• About three teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil
• Salt
• Pepper

The Process: 

• Break apart frozen ingredients while they're in the bag and allow them to sit and thaw briefly
• Set the broiler on your oven to high
• Put the grate on a high shelf, depending on the depth of your pan, so the vegetables can be close to the flame
• Pour your ingredients into a bowl and mix 
• Pour the mix into a baking pan
• Drizzle olive oil over the vegetables in the baking pan
• Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste over the vegetables in the baking pan
• Use a spatula to mix the vegetables  around so they all become coated in the oil-salt-pepper mix
• Put the pan in the oven for 10-15 minutes, watching closely because all ovens differ 
• They are done when the broccoli and green beans develop brown edges, and the carrots appear to have a skin 
• Take out the vegetables and enjoy!

The Calories: 

The mix made about 4 cups of vegetables, which is 473 calories! I was full after about 2.5 cups. Health gets a score of 10/10. 

What went right:  

               The vegetables came out wonderfully. They are simple and filling with high fiber; very nutritious. 

What went wrong: 

               Nothing really...this is a relatively fool-proof method of making vegetables. I might leave them in for another minute or so to make them softer, but that is the difference between using freshly steamed and frozen vegetables I suppose. 

What I would try next time: 

               Other than cooking a little bit longer, I would like to try adding some teriyaki sauce or maybe some sesame seeds for a totally different taste. I would also like to try a honey glaze, or adding garlic or onion to the mix. 

Would I do this in college: 

               Oh yes. I will be doing this many, many times in college! I love the not having to steam or deal with whole heads of cauliflower and broccoli. 

Overall a very successful dinner!! 

Challenge 1: Cauliflower chips with broiled peas and carrots

Hey hey!

So for my first challenge, I decided to go all out with vegetables.

The Recipe: Cauliflower Chips

• one cup of shredded cauliflower
• half a cup of shredded mozzarella
• one large egg
• one tablespoon of olive oil
• garlic salt
• pepper
• dried bruschetta seasoning  (personal choice, but unnecessary. Any seasoning or none would do) 

The Process: 

• Heat the cauliflower in the microwave in a porcelain bowl, but they could be done in any other microwave-safe container.
• Mix all of the ingredients together in a large bowl.
• Oil a baking pan.
• At 400 degrees, I baked the cauliflower until the edges are brown and I saw bubbles.

The Recipe: Broiled and Seasoned Peas and Carrots

The process:

• The carrots were steamed in the microwave using the magic bullet large cup and steamer top. They took two minutes on high power, with about two tablespoons of water in the cup. 
• Put the carrots into a pan and roll in olive oil, salt, pepper, and the same bruschetta seasoning. With the broiler on low, the carrots take about fifteen minutes. I made one cup of baby carrots.
• I prepared half a cup of peas in the same manner as the carrots, without the bruschetta seasoning. These took about eight minutes.

What went right:
The peas and carrots were really good, had a nice skin on the outside and soft, flavorful centers :)

What went wrong:
The cauliflower, while brown on the edges, turned out more like an omelette than chips. It was still delicious, and I ended up putting three slices of salami and a few slices of avocado in the middle and folding it over. Still very healthy with protein and antioxidants.

What to do next time:
I think the cauliflower should have been heated longer, and I possibly should heat the cheese as well, so that the mix is less dense and more chip-like.
I also think it would be a good idea to switch baking pans and see if that makes any difference. I have seen it done with tin foil, so I'm considering trying that.

Calories and nutrition:
The cauliflower omelette had about 110 calories. I used reduced fat mozzarella, so it was mostly vegetable and protein.
The avocado had 78 calories, and is one of the most healthy, antioxidant-rich foods.
The salami had 99 calories for the three slices, the most fat, the most protein, but also was my main contribution of healthy lipids, which are great for the skin.
The carrots had about 110 calories as well, another vitamin and vegetable contribution.
Finally, the peas had about 70 calories, providing vitamins, veggies, and fiber.
Total meal: 467 calories, well balanced, and very filling!

Overall it was a great meal :) I was really happy with my first cauliflower endeavor, and I hope when I get the cauliflower chips right they will be as good as the cauliflower omelette!

Also, I'll take more photos next time and try to get some better lighting haha

Coming up: Banana-Apple Bread, Microwave Chips, Caramelized Strawberries, Bananas, and Peaches, No -Bake Granola Bars, and more!!