Tofuism

This week finally saw winter break... By which I mean that we had a couple of nice days for some long rides. And the air conditioning came on in my house. This NEVER would have happened had I been home. But sometimes, when roommates are left to themselves, things happen differently. He closed the windows, and put on the air. For the record, it did hit 83. But, it is March.
The other day, I put in a little 57 miler over some of the rolling hills to the west. The day did not go as the weatherman planned. It was colder and cloudier than thought. But the sun finally came out. And I took this picture.



Now, I digress. I need to get something off my chest. I went to the store with someone very dear to me, we will not use her name, we will only call her... "mom." I got this person, "mom," to buy tofu. It is lent, that means vegetarian Fridays, etc. But, whatever the reason, it is an awful thing to trick someone into buying tofu to cook it for them, and then leave without touching said tofu. So, this "mom" has a block of tofu. What can be done? Change the water on a regular basis. And...

Salad...


Spinach
Tofu, cut into small 1cm cubes
Citrus (I'm using blood oranges. There are other options like kumquats)
Dressing (oil and vinegar, soy sauce, Ginger, carrots, pepper, and I added some capers). Honestly, it looked better than it tasted.

Stir fry...



Rice in the rice cooker
Tofu, chopped up into 1cm
Spinach or bok Choy
Olive oil
Onions
Carrots
Garlic
Brown sugar... No sugar so I used molasses and a handful of raisins
Chili pepper
Soy or fish sauce.... I had no soy. Mine was fishy, and good.
Vinegar
Almond butter (or peanut butter)... Ah, I skipped that.
Mix the almond butter straight into the rice. Yes, I did skip this, but I also highly recommend it. Then, heat the olive oil and throw the onions and carrots in. Once they have begun to cook, add the garlic and keep the heat low. then mix in the greens (spinach or bok choy) and tofu. Once it begins to wilt, add a small amount of brown sugar, and some vinegar and chili.

Curried Tofu carbonara


Rice noodles (cooking)
Egg
Cilantro
Chopped tofu
Oil
Onion
Garlic
Curry paste
Salt and pepper
Chili pepper
Sauté the onions and garlic and add about a tsp of curry paste. Stir that all together add tofu and a little pasta water.
In a seperate bowl, crack an egg and then add the hot, cooked pasta fresh off the stove and stir. Add the oil and curry paste mixture and continue stirring. Add about 2T of chopped cilantro and some chili powder.
Don't be afraid to add some almond or peanut butter or just nuts.

And, of course, to care for your tofu. Once the package is open, it will go bad very quickly unless you change the water daily, or almost daily.
For a different flavor, change the water with a marinade. Any marinade.

Cubism

I went and saw a Picasso exhibit. Amazing. His artwork harkens back to a childlike view of the world. Those strange paintings that look like a 4 year old drew them, well, that's what he was going for. They were not without the adult elements and the brushstrokes of a master, but his paintings really do look at the world in a different way.
Let me digress... And explain. Have you ever had a young child explain a picture he drew of, say, his father? If you ask who it is in the picture he will look at you like you just asked the most obvious question and tell you it's his dad. Then he'll tell you why. Maybe it's a look on the face or a curl in the hair or a way of holding his hands, or something. Something that the child has picked up that is truly insightful and tells us that this kid knows what he is talking about.
That is what Picasso tried to do. I also saw some Degas, Renoir, Sargeant, and the Rockefeller Bedroom. But no picture Spoke to me quite like this one:


Then, of course, we dined. We started off with an appetizer of sweet potato in a goat cheese sauce. Then, in honor of St. joseph's feast day we had the most amazing hott cross buns (to the tune of three blind mice) and prosecco on rooftop.

That was when I got busy making a Coffee and Chili Rubbed Pork Loin with Parsnip Puree with Asparagus Pesto.


First off, the parsnip puree. Boil the parsnips in salty water until they are done (took about 10 minutes). Then, add salt and pepper and puree. I added parsnip water to get the right consistency and to help the blender. That was it. Part mashed potato, part carrot... Really, really good and amazingly delicious.

The Pork Loin
Rub with a mix of:
2T coffee fresh grounds plus another 2T of used coffee grounds
2T whole grain mustard
1T chili powder
1.5t unsweetened cocoa powder
1t coriander
2 medium cloves of garlic
Cayenne and salt to taste
mash that into a paste and rub the pork and then allow the pork to sit. I used the hott cross buns and bottle of prosecco method to time that. Once the prosecco is done, heat up a cast iron pan with some olive oil and sear the pork loin for 3 minutes per side. Then take the whole pan and put it into a 375 oven for 25 minutes or until the pork reaches the proper temperature. I also periodically added some parsnip water and about 1/4 C of red wine to keep it moist.

The drippings were nothing short of incredible. Do not waste them. And this was, of course, rounded out with a little gluten free bread courtesy of... You guessed it: her.

Sushiism souf of da bordah

First off, SAFETY FIRST.


IN CASE OF FIRE, DO NOT USE THE FIRE ALARM.
I just came off a whirlwind vacation. Which means I haven't slept much. What did do was spend the first half of my week missing my bike... And the second half of the week riding. I purchased some new bike parts: a saddle and a cycling computer with an altimeter. I'm an altimeter junkie. I love those things and I don't quite know why. So, I was carrying those things around without my bike.
Until yesterday. I was finally reunited with my bike. I, of course, was elated and put on the new computer with altimeter (I registered a 9% grade today, that's hott). I refrained from reseating my bike as I was about to embark on an epic 110 mile ride. I should have. A long ride is a good way to break in a saddle, and my previous saddle, despite its roughly 5000 miles of breaking in, could not have been more uncomfortable... Just an aside, if you lose weight, be prepared for an entirely different experience of sitting.
Which brings me to the Mexican Sushi. For some reason, people are narrow minded about everything. Sushi is NOT Mexican. The very concept requires some mental flexibility. So, why, after explaining what was in this dish did I get I have this discussion:
"So, what kind of Fish did you use."
"I didn't use any fish."
"but it's sushi."
"Yeah, kind of."
"And sushi has fish."
Ah, first of all, no, not necessarily. Second of all, sushi is not Mexican. Not even remotely. The paradigm is already way, way off.

MEXICAN SUSHI (without fish, but you could add some if you want)


1 onion
1 green pepper
1 portabella cap
Season with Cumin, Chili, oregano, salt and pepper the sauté with oil and finish it with a balsamic reduction.
1 C jasmine/sushi rice... Cooked
1 avocado, sliced
Cilantro, chopped
Cheese, shredded
Chili sauce
Egg beaten and placed in bowl
Oil in a pan cause your frying
Corn Tortillas

Cook the rice and let it cool so you can stick your hand in it. Warm the tortillas in a damp towel so they are pliable. Then, spread a small amount of rice over the tortilla, put in some of the mushroom and pepper mix and a little bit avacado (when you roll them, they hold less than you think). Roll them up, and stick 2 toothpicks near the center. Then slice it in half between the toothpicks. Stick the cut ends in the egg for a few seconds the place it cut end down in the hot, hot oil. Give it a minute and pull it out. Sprinkle it with cheese, cilantro, and chili sauce.