Open Sesame

So it's been one of those Mondays. I woke up this morning and there was over 6 inches of snow on the ground, with the flurries still coming down hard. I trudged my way to class but listened to very little of what went on. Then tonight I went all the way back down to Harvard Square for my first French class at the Cambridge Center for Adult Education, only to find that it was cancelled because of the blizzard. Figures.

Fortunately, dinner was quick, easy, and healthy. I'm still doing the whole diet thing, especially after my Friday night involved beer and stolen bites of other people's desserts. This stir-fry isn't the most exciting thing in the world, but it did help make me feel a bit better about my weekend indiscretions.


Tofu, Broccolini and Sesame Stir-Fry

• 1 package extra firm tofu, cubed
  
• 2 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp dry sherry
• 1 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced, divided
  
• 1 Tbsp fresh garlic, minced, divided
  
• 1 tsp peanut oil
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 1 large bunch broccolini, cut into 2-3 inch pieces
• 1/2 tsp arrowroot
• 1 Tbsp sesame seeds
• brown rice, if desired

Put the tofu in a bowl. Combine the soy sauce, sherry, 1/2 Tbsp ginger and 1/2 Tbsp garlic. Pour over the tofu and set aside. Over medium-high heat, warm the oil, then add the rest of the ginger and garlic. Cook for a few seconds and then add the onions and broccolini. Cook for a few minutes until they start to become tender. Remove the tofu from the marinade and combine the marinade with the arrowroot. Mix into the onion and broccolini and stir to thicken sauce. Lower the heat to a simmer and add tofu. Cook a few more minutes until the tofu is warmed through. Serve over rice (if desired), and top with sesame seeds.

Catching Up

Holy crap, it's been forever. I have a good excuse, though. I've been in the midst of final exams for weeks and really just have not had time for blogging. Fortunately, I have had time to do a tiny bit of cooking, so now that I'm home for the holidays and have all the blogging time in the world, here's a recap of some highlights from the last month or so.

This was one of those times when watching Food Network on the treadmill inspired me. I never watch Barefoot Contessa, but she happened to be making this chicken dish that looked yum. She marinated chicken in rosemary, lemon, and garlic, and then grilled it. I decided to bake it instead, but still, it was quite good. She also made broccolini in a balsamic vinaigrette. I replicated that as well, and I liked it even better than the chicken.


These cookies got me through studying for my Corporations final. Unfortunately, I don't have the recipe to share with you all because it's in a cookbook that I left at school (Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything). They were your basic oatmeal-raisin cookies with a handful of semi-sweet chocolate chips thrown in for good measure.


This pasta dish was seriously the best thing I've made in a long time. I made a HUGE batch of it and then ate it for like five days in a row during finals. The sauce on this pasta was so yummy - a light cream sauce with ground turkey, sausage, spinach, and nutmeg, with lots of parmesan cheese melted in.


Oh, I also made a Moroccan chicken pot pie, but forgot to take a picture of it. Lately I've been obsessed with the raisins-olives combination. It's so salty-sweet and addictive. This pot pie was delicious and extremely fast to make.

Coming very soon: my December Daring Bakers post!