Black Pepper Tofu - PLENTY

Cost: $4          Servings: Two large portions             Time: 20 minutes

All ye tofu nay-sayers say nay no more. I was like you too, until that is - I made tofu taste good. I mean I can't really take credit because it's not my recipe per se, but damn, was I ever wrong... 

This is a spicy asian take on tofu which has no shortage on flavour. When originally starting this blog, this is the type of food I had in mind: it's affordable, easy to make, quick, and delicious.

● 350g Extra Firm Tofu            ● Soy Sauce

● 3 Shallots                               ● 3 Cloves Garlic

● 2 tbsp Ground Ginger            ● 3 Red Hot Chilli Peppers

● Black Pepper

Fry the tofu in a pan with oil for about two minutes on each side or until golden brown

The original recipe calls to coat the tofu in flour - I did this to about 1/3 of the tofu (I'll be honest, I was hungry and lazy) and found that the floured ones were actually slightly charred and discoloured versus the non floured. After frying, put aside and let cool.

My recommendation: don't flour them before frying

Slice the peppers, shallots, and garlic. Grate the ginger. Then put everything into the pan with a bit of oil and fry for about a minute to soften up the vegetables.

add enough soy sauce to cover everything and let simmer while stirring for another three minutes to allow the flavours to mingle.

make sure to fully coat the tofu with all the sauce-y goodness and cook for another two minutes before serving.

This is delicious, and I recommend serving it with rice. 

Calories - 250  Carbohydrates  - 4g  Sugar - 0g  Fat - 16g  Protein - 26g 

Ginger-Breaded Pork Chops and Sautéed Mushrroms

Cost: $5-7                     Serves: One                     Time: 20 minutes

I had some ginger leftover from the stir-fry I recently made and so I thought to myself, "hey, ginger pork." then I also thought I wanted to try something different so I incorporated the ginger into the actual breading of the pork chop. The result was amazing; a slightly spicy, sweet, and crisp combination. The mushrooms only added richness to the dish and made it that much better. 

Pork Chop:

Ingredients:

1 - Pork Chop

15g - Ginger

1 - Egg

1 Cup - Cornflakes (or any relatively unsweet cereal [cheerios work well, too])

Step One: Cut ginger into small pieces and place in a blender or food processor (I used a magic bullet) with the cornflakes, and if desired a few spices (I used a pre-made 'pork seasoning'). If you don't have any of these items, just crush up the corn flakes and make sure to cut the ginger into very small pieces, then mix them together thoroughly in a bowl. Pulse this rather than a straight blend because a powder like consistency is undesirable in this situation. You may need to use a spatula to scrap the sides and bottom of the container a couple times because the liquid from the ginger will cause the corn flakes to stick together. 

Then lay the breading out onto a plate like pictured above, making sure that it is moderately even.

Step Two: Crack the egg into a bowl then dip the pork chop into the egg liquid and bread both the top and bottom of the pork chop. The water in the ginger will help the breading stick to the chop, so you only need to do this sequence once. Make sure to apply ample pressure to the chop making sure the breading sticks.

Step Three: Put a generous amount of oil into a pan and then on a medium heat place the chops onto the pan. Flip often, every two minutes, and make sure that each side is in contact with the pan at least three times if flipping every two minutes. Or, if you have a meat thermometer, make sure the internal temperature reaches around 180 degrees. After frying is complete set aside and begin to cook the mushrooms.

Ingredients:

3 - Medium Sized Mushrooms

A Dozen - Sprigs of Parsley

Butter

Step One: Slice the mushrooms thinly and cut the parsley finely. Then put a generous amount of butter into a pan (preferably the same pan).

Step Two: Start to brown the mushrooms in the butter. Once the mushrooms are tender and browned evenly mix in the parsley.

Mix the parsley in and let wilt for around one or two minutes. 

Serve with the pork chops, and garnish with parsley. Enjoy !

Quick and Easy Sweet-Umami Vegan Stir-Fry

Cost: $6                     Serves: Three                     Time: 20 minutes

WARNING: I use MSG (Monosodium Glutamate), a popular flavour enhancer in this recipe, if you believe that it's bad for you (but are not quite sure why or what the alleged symptoms are) please read here and here. Thank you.

This dish is a sweet and umami stir-fry that can be made in around 20 minutes. It makes four large servings for an approximate price of around $5.50 (prices will vary region to region and season). There are no saturated fats in this dish, has high amounts of vitamin A & C, and is relatively high in protein because of the bean sprouts.

Ingredients:

Bean Sprouts - 500g

One Small Red and Orange Pepper

Red Onion - 30g 

Enoki Mushrooms - 175g

One Carrot

Garlic - 10g

Baby Bok Choy - 100g

MSG - .5 tbsp 

Olive Oil - 2 tbsp

Step One: Slice all the vegetables into thin strips (this helps cooking time). When the peppers and carrots are cooked they become more sweet as the natural sugars begin to caramelize. I chose to use red onion because of it's relatively mild and sweet taste. The ginger adds a subtle sweetness as well. The earthy and savoury taste of the enoki mushrooms help balance out the sweetness of the dish. The bean sprouts are moderately bland and help add texture as well as a bit of filler to the meal. 

PROTIP: let the bok choy soak in warm water for five minutes then put in the fridge for another five minutes to rehydrate and crisp it up.

Step Two: Combine onion, garlic, ginger, and olive oil into a large saucepan over medium high heat for a minute. I start with these ingredients because it allows the flavour to be brought out more efficiently before adding in the other ingredients.

Step Three: Add peppers and carrots. These ingredients generally take longer to cook, so it's best to add them first and let cook for 2 - 3 minutes.

Step Four: Add enoki mushrooms and bok choy, reduce to medium heat and let simmer until the bok choy and mushrooms have wilted adequately and the whole thing has reduced to about two thirds the original size. Add the MSG then mix thoroughly.

Step Five: Add bean sprouts and cover to warm the bean sprouts without actually cooking them so they remain crisp.

Step Six: Plate and serve!

I didn't have any sauce to add but feel free to use Sriracha, soy sauce, or any other spice you wish to add. This makes four large servings.

Calories - 220  Carbohydrates  - 33g  Sugar - 5g  Fat - 5g  Protein - 11g