Lynn – The Power of Pyrex

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Last night I cooked a dish that I’ve made about 10x before but never successfully for myself. Back when I used to make dinner for a family I babysat for, I whipped together this tofu dish that the kids loved and requested weekly. When I tried making it home, it never came out right – and that’s because the I didn’t have the right dish to cook it in (I tried using a roasting pan, and also a ceramic dish, but you must use a pyrex one).

Oven Baked Tofu (serves 4)

Drain a package of extra firm tofu (I used this organic Nasoya one I won in Naomi’s giveaway)

Wrap it in paper towels and press between two plates using something heavy, like a cast-iron skillet (some big cans would work too).

After 30 minutes, cut the tofu into slices and place into a Pyrex (important!!!) with a waiting marinade of 8 TB organic low sodium soy sauce, 4 TB rice wine vinegar, and 1/2 TB sesame oil. Let soak for 30-45 minutes.

Flip over the tofu and place in a preheated 375-degree oven for 30-45 minutes. When it’s done, they’re both slightly crunchy and soft, and packed full of flavor:

I took out the green pan to stir-fry some organic baby bok choy in Tomato Basil Oil, with a sprinkle of Lavender Sea Salt and some lemon juice at the end. (It’s so nice to be able to cook in a non-stick skillet on super high heat again!)

Annie Chun’s sent a coupon to try out one of their products; this looked intriguing to me:

It’s basically brown rice, nori, and a packet of soy sauce. I don’t like microwaving things in plastic, so I transferred the rice to a glass bowl to heat it up.

Then Abe helped me wrap up the little suckers. We had a little leftover rice so I broke into my own stash of nori to finish it up. I didn’t add any filling, though the box suggested many options, even Peanut Butter?!?!

Not so pretty, but oh well. I like the idea of making a quick sushi at home, but I think this product is a little overpriced, and a waste of packaging.

Everything together:

For dessert I opened this packet of Apple Crackle that we were sent by Apple Acres Farm, a family-run business, in Maine. The ingredients are just apples, cider syrup, sunflower seeds, maple syrup, unsweetened coconut, and cinnamon.  And as you can see, they’re wheat, gluten, and dairy free.

I also tried a small handful of Chocolate Cashew Nuts courtesy of YumNuts, plus some organic, locally-grown grapes.

What a delightful little tasting plate this was! Abe and I really enjoyed both the nuts and the Apple Crackle. The chocolate flavor wasn’t too overpowering; it combined perfectly with the saltiness of the cashews. And the Apple Crackle had a terrific crunchy texture and balanced sweetness to it. Definitely unique products. In fact, I don’t think I could say that I’ve ever tasted anything like either of them before – I love when my taste buds make new friends!

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