As a follow-up to my first attempt to cook tofu (https://marykisner.com/cooking-tofu-first-attempt/) I’ll try to adjust a few things to try to produce better cubes of tofu. My advice to myself the last time said: cut bigger cubes, add more seasoning and reduce cooking time. I started by doing a search online about recipes to season tofu. While I found and printed out about 10 recipes, I chose a simple recipe of olive oil and Italian herbs so I could use the seasoned cubes in a salad or even put them in soup.
I started with a block of extra firm tofu:
Next, I got out my tofu press and placed the block of tofu in it. This block was not as firm as the first time and felt “fresher.”
The instructions said to place the tofu block between the two flat inserts in my palm, drop the container over my palm…and then turn it right side up. This keeps the tofu from breaking apart.Pressure being applied.
After 20 minutes the whole block was half as thick and submerged in liquid. I poured off the water and opened the press.
This time I cut the block into larger cubes than the first time.I mixed Italian herbs with olive oil and poured it into the bag of cubes. After gently mixing them up to coat each cube, I put the bag in the refrigerator for 2 hours.Cubes were now soaked with oil and herbs.Into the frying pan with a little more oil.After 10 to 15 minutes on medium heat, the cubes were browned but still soft enough to stab them with a fork.Drained on a paper towel and sprinkled with salt they tasted pretty good right out of the pan!
These cubes are still soft enough to put a fork through them. I think this way of cooking allows me to keep from overcooking them. Now they’re ready to put on a salad or add to soup! Give it a try!
It all seemed so simple! For someone like me, with a not-so-refined palette, the first time I try a new food I depend on the instructions in a recipe to do it right. Adding tofu to my “plant-based” meals seemed like a good idea, even though I’m still including meat and a few eggs in my meals. However, I have no baseline experience about how tofu tastes, how it cooks and even where to buy it in the grocery store! This adventure was a learning experience!
I read a little online about the different kinds of tofu…from silken to extra firm. What I wanted was flavored cubes of tofu that I could put on a salad. It appeared I needed to start with a firm or extra firm block of tofu. Since I really wasn’t interested in figuring out how to press it with a stack of heavy books, I ordered a “tofu press” from Amazon.
Instructions to assemble the press. Looks like Lego instructions!The press, assembled with a block of tofu.
Next, I went to the local health food store to find tofu. They didn’t have any at that moment and said I should go to the grocery store and look in the produce section. Who knew!!
I found several choices high on the shelf above the lettuce and near the wonton wrappers. I took a guess and brought one home.
The package said it was already drained and it was very firm.
I unwrapped the block and put it in the press…even though it said on the package that it had already been drained. At least I could see how the press worked. After 20 minutes or so, there was about a tablespoon of water in the bottom of the press. I dumped out the water and removed the block.
The press came with a little cookbook with a few recipes. The first recipe was for crispy tofu…sounded exactly like what I wanted.
I substituted onion powder for the garlic powder (because I had it and I don’t care for much garlic flavor).
I thought I bought Rice Wine Vinegar…and it turns out I bought Red Wine Vinegar. Oh well. I did have maple syrup and soy sauce. I used olive oil instead of toasted sesame oil. Probably with all these substitutions the tofu won’t taste right.
These were the ingredients I had to work with. I didn’t realize I had no cornstarch in the kitchen, so I raided my soap-making stash to grab the jar of cornstarch.
With all the substitutions, who knows what I’ll end up with!
I cut up the tofu into cubes and tossed them in the bowl with the seasoning oil mixture.I spread them out onto parchment paper and put them in the 400-degree oven.When it was time to flip them over, I realized the parchment paper was useless. It slid right off the pan. I just took it off and finished the baking time.Out of the oven they had shrunk and were sort of crispy but got really hard as they cooled.They really had very little flavor and were so firm I couldn’t get a fork in them.They were sort of like very firm croutons on my salad.
NEXT TIME I will:
Cut bigger cubes
Add more seasoning
Reduce cooking time
I guess I need to read more recipes to figure out the seasoning. Stay tuned for the second attempt to cook tofu!
One of my fondest memories of my mother’s cooking was her baked egg custard. It hit the spot on a cold winter day! For the last several years I didn’t even want to think about custard since eggs and dairy were off limits to me. I now seem to be able to tolerate an occasional egg in my diet, while dairy products are still a problem. Bert was interested in having some custard around now and then so I thought I’d dig out the recipe.
I wasn’t sure if the recipe would work if I used Almond milk so I made two batches…one with 2% milk and the other with almond milk.
Of course, to make this recipe I needed some baking dishes or custard cups. I can’t seem to find the ones I had that has plastic lids…they really helped because I could stack them in the refrigerator. Luckily, Amazon sells them! I ordered two sets last week and now I can make custard!
The picture from Amazon.
Here is the recipe:
The recipe is pretty simple. The first decision was to color coordinate the cups so I would know which ones used my almond milk. I didn’t want to accidently eat the one made with real milk.
I ended up with the real milk custards in the red/orange/yellow cups and my almond milk custard would be in the aqua/navy/white cups.
Next, I had to make sure the 6 cups fit into a cake pan before I filled them with custard.
I whisked the ingredients for the real milk custard in a bowl, transferred it to a 4-cup measuring cup and filled the 6 cups. I sprinkled a little cinnamon/sugar on top of each cup. Then I added hot water to the pan and put it in the preheated oven.
Next I mixed up the dairy-free custard.:
Ingredients for the dairy-free custard.Both pans fit side by side in the oven.
When I took the pans out of the oven, I remembered my dilemma from long ago…how to easily lift the hot cups out of the pan filled with water. When I used regular hot pads, I could not get a good grip on the hot cups. I thought I’d try the silicone hot pads that came with out air fryer. They were perfect! Sort of sticky, they gripped the cups and did not get soggy from the hot water.
The almond milk egg custard came out just fine…yea! Now we both have a special dessert this winter. Give it a try!
February is a month for hope…that Spring will come eventually! It stays light until about 5:30 p.m. and right now, in Pennsylvania, it is a cold 16 degrees with flurries in the air. However, the sun is shining! We’ll take it
Around our yard and garden things are pretty brown, so it’s no wonder the red bird feeder is noticeable!
Yesterday, Punxsutawney Phil predicted 6 more weeks of winter (of course). It was 13 degrees outside his burrow and his handlers had to work to get him to even come out! Bert has a stuffed groundhog that appears each year to remind us about the rest of the winter. This guy provides a lot of chuckles when Bert takes him along to have a few beers.
Of course, the American Heart Association reminds us to get our hearts checked out this month!
The stores certainly cooperate by giving us many options to celebrate the month of February!
Cards!Candy!Toys!
And around my house, I can add a little red with my Valentine tree:
This year I wanted to give a small gift to my group of High School friends who have been so supportive over the last several months with my health issues. I’ve already shared heart-shaped soaps so I wanted something different.
I came across my collection of fabric-covered button magnets and found I had quite a few that were made with red recycled necktie material. I decided to make a few more so the group had more choices.
I pulled out a red necktie from my stash of neckties to recycle, cut out a few circles, assembled the buttons and glued on a magnet. Now I have enough to share “red” magnets at our next luncheon!
I hope you have some cheerful color around you while you enjoy the last 6 weeks of winter!
Before I get distracted by my next sewing project, I thought I’d share this recipe I tried yesterday. These sweet potato buns were delicious and the sweet potatoes made them nutritious. The recipe came from a website (https://twogreenpeas) that even had pictures of the process.
A few of the instructions weren’t clear to me, so I revised the recipe to suit the way I bake bread. Here is my revised recipe:
The preliminary step for this recipe is to peel, cube, cook, mash and cool a sweet potato. If you’re baking sweet potatoes, do an extra one and you’re good to go.
The original recipe started with making the sponge and then cooking the sweet potato. So, I did that. However, after peeling, cubing, cooking and mashing the sweet potato it was too hot to add to the yeast mixture. It needed 20 minutes in the refrigerator which meant the sponge was left sitting too long.
So, starting from scratch, I recommend you get the mashed sweet potato done first before starting the sponge.
Prepping the Sweet Potato
PeelCubeCookMeasure 1 cup (I had about 1 1/2 cups…just meant a little more flour needed)Mash and cool
Make the Sponge
Flour, yeast, warm waterWait 20 minutesAdd other ingredients to spongeMix 5-7 minutes and add flour as needed to make a ballPlace in an oiled bowl and cover with a cloth to rise.Divide into 16 pieces. Form into balls.Let rise on a baking sheet for 15 minutes.Bake 15 minutes.Delicious!!
The buns could be made larger for sandwiches. It is a delicate bun and might not hold together for a sandwich. Give it a try and let me know! Enjoy!
If reading the extensive research-based book, The China Study, is not interesting or possible for you, I’d like to suggest you watch this 90-minute documentary based on the research from Dr. Colin Campbell and Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn. This video weaves the research around the practical stories of a few people who were making important changes in their diets to improve their health.
This video is a comprehensive overview of The China Study research and followed the career paths of Dr. Campbell and Dr. Esselstyn. While they had not met before, their professional work supported each other’s research. Dr. Campbell was following the science of a plant-based diet, while Dr. Esselstyn’s work provided the clinical research into heart disease that supported Dr. Campbell’s findings. All of their findings were stronger when they finally discovered how their research supported one another.
This video is offered as part of Prime Video at Amazon or the DVD is available for purchase for $11.39. Your local library may even have a copy to lend.
Cataract Surgery Update
Hopefully, after tomorrow I’ll be able to enjoy reading again. It will take a few days for the eye to clear up after surgery. I’ll finally have 20/20 vision for distance. Then, I’ll have to find the right “cheeter” readers so I can see close up. I can’t wait to get back to all my ongoing projects…from sewing Greyhound coats to experimenting with soap and skin care products. While I couldn’t read books comfortably, I seemed to be able to click on Amazon to order some of the cookbooks to go along with the whole-foods, plant-based eating plan. They have now arrived, so soon I’ll share some of the recipes that worked for me. That’s all for now…I have to be at the medical center at 6:10 tomorrow morning! Yikes! More later!
I apologize for going silent for a week and leaving my ugly mug in view for so long! My new (cataract-free) left eye is now 20/20, but of course the right eye will be worked on next week. Soooo…my vision is a little crazy. I wanted to share some information that I’m rereading about the research into the whole foods plant-based eating plan (as opposed to the label “vegan”) but I can’t really see well enough to write up that description. Since I can type without looking at the keyboard, I’d just like to summarize my thinking about attitudes toward nutrition.
Nutritional advice has shifted back and forth over time from low carb to high carb and balanced diet to restricted diets. It seemed diets were driven by folks who wanted sell books, or supplements or actual food.
Back in the 1960’s you might have recognized names like Adelle Davis who pointed out the harmful hormones and additives in common foods. She felt foods were lacking in nutrition and recommended adding vitamin supplements to the diet. (See her book, “Let’s Eat Right to Keep Fit”).
Robert Atkins encouraged a low carb diet with unlimited protein and saturated fat. This diet was criticized for putting folks at risk for heart disease.
Around the same time one of the most controversial diet books was published, “Diet for a Small Planet” by Frances Moore Lappe. This book laid out the principles of eating less or no animal products and using plants in a way to combine their nutrients so we had adequate nutrition (expressed as food combining, like beans and rice). Food companies spent a lot of advertising energy proclaiming that we just couldn’t get enough of the right kind of protein on this diet.
At the time, the Standard American Diet was definitely focused on beef, pork and poultry as the base for an adequate diet. This diet was supported by the industrial food growers and manufacturers with subsidies to farmers and advertising to the public (remember the “Where’s the beef?” and “Got Milk?” ads?). Most plant-based crops not designed to be fed to animals were more of a novelty or appropriate for home gardeners. Families choosing to eat less meat were shamed into thinking they were not feeding their children adequate nutrition.
At the time, nutritionists were taught the basic food groups of a good diet (meat, dairy products, vegetables, fruit and starch (bread and potatoes). any diets that deviated from this Standard American Diet were often described by what they did not include: Vegetarian meant no meat but cheese and milk were OK; Vegan meant no meat, no dairy, but dangerous lack of protein.
When I discovered that I was allergic (or very sensitive to) eggs and dairy products, I would say I was a vegan that could eat meat…so I could reassure folks that I could still be healthy.
The China Study
In 2006 I stumbled upon a book describing some major research in the field of nutrition, called The China Study. This research was spearheaded by T. Colin Campbell, a nutritional biochemist at Cornell University and his son Thomas M. Campbell, MD.
The research was focused first on animal studies trying to understand the relationship between diet, longevity and cancer. The research team then had the opportunity to use a vast database from China that explored many variables, including the relationship between the intake of animal protein and the incidence of cancer. The detailed results were published in this book, The China Study.
The research presented in this book was very compelling to me. However, at this stage it was difficult to see how it could be implemented…especially in the winter in Pennsylvania. Our garden was under snow. I did not have a greenhouse and I had very little experience cooking with beans or tofu. However, I was thrilled to attend a presentation given by Dr. Campbell at Foxdale village here in State College in 2008 and had him autograph my book!
The researchers in The China Study also partnered with Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, a noted cardiac surgeon at the Cleveland Clinic, who was implementing a diet for his most difficult heart patients that focused on a whole-foods, plant-based eating plan. He was finding the diet worked, even when traditional doctors were still recommending the Standard American Diet. His patients loved him; many of his colleagues didn’t want to hear about his successes!
After reading The China Study 15 years ago (which I found inspiring), I was amazed at the reaction from the government, food industries and nutritional organizations (subsidized by the government and food industries). The revised edition of the book, out in 2016, describes some of the most controversial issues. I could not believe the vitriol being thrown about.
With any research-based book like this, it’s always hard as an individual to figure out how to implement the findings. What should my dinner plate look like if I wanted to follow the suggestions?
Curiously, over the last 15 years, T. Colin Campbell’s wife, daughter and son found ways to define the practical side of the diet. Dr. Esselstyn’s wife and daughter published cookbooks and his son (a firefighter) brought the diet principles into the fire house, creating the Engine 2 Cookbook based on the book and video Forks Over Knives.
Now I realize the language about diet has changed from Vegan (and the foods not allowed) to a Whole-Foods, Plant-based diet (with a more positive image). Both families (Campbell and Esselstyn) transitioned to this way of eating gradually and their younger generation has found a way to champion this way of eating. I find it inspiring!
This afternoon, I’m still uncomfortable trying to read in depth so I’m going to watch the video I have of Forks Over Knives to refresh my memory. As soon as I can actually focus and reread parts of The China Study, I’ll share some of the research. If you’d like to dive into the research yourself, the revised edition is available on Amazon. There are now several cookbooks available that are written by LeAnne Campbell. More about those recipes in the future! Enjoy!
Sometimes it’s the mismatch between expectations and reality that makes things funny. Other times it’s the total lack of skills as I learn something new that makes me laugh. My cataract surgery on my left eye this week gave me multiple opportunities to chuckle. By the time I have my right eye done in two weeks, none of this will even be funny…I’ll just accept it as part of having cataract surgery!
Before surgery I was experiencing difficulty seeing clearly, especially at night. Halos around headlights were getting brighter. Christmas lights on every house and bush made driving at night painful. Even daytime driving and shopping was frustrating while it felt like someone had smeared Vaseline on my glasses. Double vision was something I tried to get used to. It was time for cataract surgery.
Everyone who has had cataract surgery had an experience to share so I wasn’t too worried about the procedure…but you know sometimes folks forget to share the details!
Like any upcoming surgery, I took time to read all the instructions given to me. I’ve had my share of surgeries, so I noted how to prepare the day before…no food or drink after midnight, no meds the morning of surgery and begin administering the special drops.
Hard to believe this tiny bottle holds enough drops!
Day Before Surgery
So, the day before surgery, reality appeared…I had never successfully put in eye drops! The few times it has been necessary in my 76 years, Bert has put them in for me. Sounds impossible, I know. Getting me to not blink when the drop headed my way was funny. Bert kept saying, you can see the drop coming (no I couldn’t…remember my double vision…I saw more than one bottle and couldn’t possibly focus enough to see the drops coming.)
Four times the day before surgery, Bert patiently put drops in my eye. Right after surgery my eye was swollen so Bert continued to put the drops in. By the day after surgery, I decided I needed to master this skill…it was embarrassing to not be able to do it myself. I had Bert watch while I lined up the bottle over my eye. Then he moved my hand until it was in the correct location. That was funny how I thought I was lined up and I was so far off. Finally, by the end of the next day (8 drops later) I could finally hit my eye correctly. Whew!
Good thing I figured out the drops because the day after surgery I was given a chart to show that over the next 4 weeks I would gradually reduce the drops from 4 drops/day the first week to 1 drop/day on the last week. That meant in two weeks when I have my right eye done, I will be tracking 2 drops/day in my left eye and 4 drops/day in my right eye. Yikes! That does make me laugh! I should be pretty good by the time I’m done!
Day of Surgery
The instructions for surgery day said I was to wear loose fitting clothing… preferably a button-up shirt so heart sensors could be easily applied. No mention was made about a bra under the shirt, so I figured I’d be comfortable and wore a camisole that tucked into my slacks. Great idea…NOT! They forgot to mention that one of the heart sensors would be placed about waist-level almost on my back. That meant that while lying flat on my back with my right hand hindered with an IV, I had to reach around and untuck my camisole. Crazy! That just made me chuckle. Next time I’ll skip the camisole! (TMI I know!)
When I checked in for surgery, I was handed a paper surgical mask. I assumed I would wear it throughout surgery. Just a note: I really don’t like wearing a mask. However, it was surgery so I guess necessary. I had that mask on for almost an hour while the nurses did their prep. When it was time to go to surgery, they took the mask off me and put the oxygen tubes in my nose. Off I went to surgery. Granted, the Doctor did lay a rubber shield around my eye and over my nose, but it felt strange to have them remove the mask as I headed to surgery.
After Surgery
When I got home from surgery, I took a selfie. The eye shield was an odd shape but you can see how it was applied.
The next day when we replaced the tape on the shield it ended up like this:
We couldn’t decide how it was supposed to go, but when we compared it to the first picture, we ended up turning it around. Nothing was mentioned about the right way to put it on so after that I ended up putting it the original way. It was a little more comfortable to sleep. Of course, when I put the tape on, I obviously got it too long…right up my nose! Made me laugh!
About the time I figure out how to get the tape right I won’t need the shield any more!
The Day After Surgery
The day after surgery I had an appointment to see the surgeon. Everything looked good. My vision started at 20/80 and by day two it was 20/40. It should get better each day as the swelling goes down. Thanks to a suggestion from the nurse, I was able to stop at the glasses desk and have them remove the left lens from my glasses. My brain was struggling with the conflict between my two eyes.
Removing the left lens from my glasses seems to help my brain confusion for a little while. In two weeks I’ll have to make further adjustments!
One final chuckle after this experience…all of a sudden, I needed my bigger purse! I had just started using a smaller bag and I could immediately see a problem.
This small bag was great for my wallet and phone.
I now had to haul around a bunch of extra things, like paperwork, glasses case and the sunglasses I’m to wear on really sunny days.
Folder with information.Sunglasses and my glasses with one lens removed.Adding a paperwork folder and two glasses cases meant I needed my larger bag. I’ll have to save the small one to use after the second eye is done.
My cataract surgery on my left eye is considered a success. No one really needs to know all the details that made me chuckle this week, but I thought you might like to know why I’m not sewing or cooking much for the next few weeks. That detail work might need to wait until I figure out what I’ll need for correction for close work. But…I should eventually be able to drive without double vision! Yea!
I have an assortment of different kinds of rice, from Basmati and Jasmine to short grain brown rice. Off hand I couldn’t tell you why they are different from each other but someday I’ll look them up to see if I can tell the difference after they are cooked. I do know that if I have a choice, I prefer the heft of the short grain brown rice.
I picked up this bag of Wild Blend of Gourmet Rice at the grocery store recently and gave it a try yesterday.
Just a note…this rice blend had 3 gm of fiber in a 1/4 cup serving: the brown rice also had 3 gm of fiber, while the Jasmine rice had no fiber. Good to know!This blend was a mixture of black, brown, red and wild rice.
It’s a good thing that every bag of rice has cooking instructions…each kind seems to have different liquid requirements. The way this bag was glued shut, I could hardly see the instructions, so after I measured out what I wanted, I saved what was left in a jar and cut up the bag so I could read the instructions better. I’ll drop these pieces of plastic into the jar for the next time I want to cook it!
I started with 1 cup of rice blend and rinsed it over the sink.I put the 1 cup of rice in a saucepan with 1 1/4 cups of water and a tablespoon of butter. Then I brought it to a boil and reduced the temperature until it just simmered. I set the timer for 40 minutes.
After 30 minutes it looked like the water was all absorbed but the rice was still pretty chewy, so I added another 1/2 cup of water and let it simmer for another 10 minutes.
Then the instructions said to remove the lid and let it sit for 10 minutes.
While I waited those 10 minutes I pulled out a few green beans, snap peas and 1/2 a sweet potato, chopped. In a saucepan, I added some water and boiled the vegetables. A little butter, salt and pepper and I had a great lunch!
Delicious!
I think I’ll make sure to keep this rice around for future meals! Enjoy!
I was checking out recipes online the other day and came across an article with this title: 24 Things to Add to Jiffy Cornbread Mix to Make it Even Better. I remember loving those mixes and was so surprised that they were still on the shelf at the grocery store.
Now that I can have an egg here and there, all I had to do was substitute my almond milk for the regular milk. Then, in that article I mentioned above, I found an addition that might taste good: 1/2 cup of blueberries and 3 tablespoons of maple syrup. I picked up a box mix and some blueberries and thought I’d give it a try!
The dry mix was a little lumpy so I used a mixing spoon to break up the lumps. Then I added the almond milk and 1 egg.
After adding the blueberries and maple syrup I gave it a good mix. The batter was pretty runny…but I didn’t want to add anything more until I saw how it baked. Next time I think I’ll add a little flour to stiffen up the batter. The additions also meant I might be able to make 7 muffins…so I’d better use the full size pan!
The muffins needed 20 minutes in the 400 degree oven and still looked a little flat. The extra flour would help that the next time.
However, they were delicious!! Very quick and easy. I think I’ll check out the other variations that were suggested in the article. I did another search online for “additions to the Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix” and found dozens of ideas! Since it only makes 6 muffins, I won’t have too many to deal with at one time. Give it a try! Enjoy!
