Asian Rice Pilaf with Tofu

Ingredients:

• 1 box Near East Rice Pilaf mix
• 8 ounces extra firm tofu, diced
• 2 carrots, diced
• 1 yellow bell pepper, diced (yuck!  I leave this out every time!)
• 1/2 seedless cucumber (mine always have seeds)
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted (I leave this out for Audrey's sake)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil*
• 1 tablespoon shoyu (soy sauce)*
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

*Instead of the olive oil and shoyu, I use Angelo Pietro Sesame Miso Dressing, but I've made it with both ways and it's yummy either way.

Instructions:

1.  Cook the rice pilaf according to the directions using 1 tablespoon of the olive oil.  (I usually put the carrots in to cook with the rice, but you can cook them separately or mix them in raw.)   Remove the pan from heat.  Stir in the tofu; cover and let it stand until heated through, about 5 minutes.

2.  While the rice is cooking, whisk the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil, shoyu (soy sauce), garlic, and ginger.  Stir the dressing into the rice and tofu.

3.  Add the carrots, bell pepper (your funeral), cucumber and green onions, and mix well.  Sprinkle with almonds (if they're not a choking hazard to your family).

I got this recipe from The Supermarket Diet Cookbook (Good Housekeeping), but have modified it.

How it tasted:  It's very yummy, and I cook it frequently.  I usually make it when John is craving Korean BBQ (which you can get already marinated at almost any Asian market).  If you're not a tofu fan, you can easily leave it out and substitute pre-cooked chicken.  Probably.  Plus, Audrey will eat anything with rice and tofu.  I can usually get her to eat cucumbers if I cube them and put them on her tray.  I decided to serve it with broccoli this week since I was craving more vegetables.  It's definitely something you should try.

Sunflower Zucchini Pie

Disclaimer:  It's not really this yellow!

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium zucchini (grated)
• 1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning
• 1 clove (minced) garlic
• 5 large (beaten) eggs
• 1 1/2 cups cooked (brown or white) rice (I used brown)
• 2/3 cup shredded reduced fat cheddar cheese
• 2/3 cup grated parmesan cheese (divided 1/3 and 1/3)
• 1/2 cup lowfat milk (I used nonfat)
• 1/4 cup roasted, shelled sunflower seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1.  Preheat the oven to 375.  Oil/coat a 9-inch pie plate and set aside.

2.  Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the grated zucchini, Italian seasoning, and garlic and cook until the zucchini is tender, about 5 minutes.

3.  Place the eggs, rice, cheddar cheese, 1/3 cup parmesan cheese, milk, sunflower seeds, salt and cooked zucchini in a large bowl and stir.

4.  Pour the mixture into the pie plate, top with the 1/3 cup parmesan cheese, and cook until brown (30-35 minutes).

I got this recipe from Meal Makeover Moms.  They have some awesome recipes that are easily modified.

How it tasted:  I thought it was pretty good, despite forgetting the sunflower seeds.  I thought it might sound good with broccoli added to it or salsa on top, but John said that might make it more like a quiche.  I would probably make this again, but maybe not put it into my regular rotation.  It would be good for breakfast, or as a healthy Treat Day food!

My Challenge

I've decided to start a cooking blog, because I seem to cook the same thing over and over and over again until John and I get sick of it, and then I cook it some more.  I am also very picky.  I am a vegetarian who hates vegetables.  I don't like peppers, eggplant, or uncooked onions, and I'm not a fan of asparagus.  I also have a toddler who is pickier than I am.

So... I'm going to challenge myself to find and try new recipes.  An even bigger challenge for me will be to incorporate chicken or maybe even some other kind of dead animal meat.

I will cook something new and include the following bits of information:

1)  ingredients

2)  instructions for cooking

3)  where I found the recipe (link, person, etc. to give credit where credit is due!)

4)  how it tasted and what I might do differently next time

5)  a picture of the food

I will NOT include a calorie count, but I tend to cook on the healthy side, anyway.

I'm not pretended to do anything new, and I know there are 198709487209435872093847598734 cooking blogs out there, but I need to branch out and give my family's palates a break from what we've been eating!

Here's what I want you to do:  If you read this and try a meal, I want you to tell me what you thought about it and what you did/would do differently.

Happy cooking, and happier eating!