Sweet and Sour Tofu with asparagus

It seems people are SO intimidated by tofu, cooking it as well as eating it. Especially if its mushy the first time you try it . Luckily the first time i had tofu, it was most delicious. First impressions make a huge difference! So if you have yet to try it, or if you can't convince your husband to, (like mine!!) this would be the perfect first impression. The tofu is slightly crunchy on the outside, perfectly done inside. No mush here.

However, if you're not ready to take a stab at the tofu fear, my husband tells me this was exceptionally delicious on chicken as well.




Sweet and sour tofu (recipe by veganyumyum)

1 Tub Extra Firm Tofu, pressed
2 tsp Ener-g Egg Replacer + 4 tsp water, mixed (or 1 egg)
1/4 Cup Cornstarch
Enough oil to lightly fry
1 lb asparagus

Sauce:
3 1/2 Tbs Seasoned Rice Vinegar
1/4 Cup Water
2 Tbs + 2 tsp Sugar
1 Tbs Soy sauce
1 Tbs Ketchup
1 tsp Molasses
1/4 tsp Ginger Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
1 Tbs Cornstarch + 2 Tbs water

Slice the tofu into triangles or small cubes. Smaller = better for this recipe, since smaller pieces won’t have a tendency to break when you toss them, and they have a bigger surface area to volume ratio (read: they’ll be crispier).

Toss tofu with the egg replacer mixture/egg until coated. Then toss in cornstarch until each piece is coated and dry, adding more cornstarch if needed.

Heat oil in a large non-stick skillet or wok.

While oil is heating, mix sauce ingredients except for the cornstarch/water into a small sauce pan and whisk over medium heat until sugar and salt is dissolved. Add cornstarch mixture and whisk until the sauce thickens. If you leave the sauce unattended it will thicken and burn, so keep an eye on it. When thick, turn off heat and set aside.

Place tofu in the hot oil, being careful not to burn yourself. You don’t want the tofu to be crowded or the pieces will stick to each other, so fry it in batches if needed. Fry for 3-5 minutes until golden on the bottom, then gently turn and brown the other side. Blanch asparagus (or pop it in the microwave in a shallow bowl, with a few tablespoons of water, until slightly tender)

Drain tofu from oil (in the sink like you’d drain pasta, being very careful), and place tofu and asparagus in a large bowl. Pour sauce on top and gently toss to completely coat. Sauce should be thick and sticky – it shouldn’t pool at the bottom of the bowl.

Serve with rice.

5 pretty things

josh is away for ten days, playing a couple shows in germany and the uk. i've been trying to keep busy so it goes by fast fast fast.



1. pretty colored ice cream



2. blue eyes



3.martha stewart cookie cutters!


4. pretty tattoos




5. christmas (!!!!)



hopefully i'll be motivated enough to post a recipe tomorrow.

love.

our christmas

Christmas is quickly approaching, and for that we are excited. We put up most of our stuff the week before thanksgiving. Christmas decorations are so beautiful and cozy and we wanted to enjoy them for longer this year.

We like holiday traditions a whole lot. Some passed down from our families, some we started our first christmas together. We make monkey bread every christmas eve. Bark the tune of jingle bells until his parents dogs join in. Go see a movie on christmas day. And one of my favorites, he writes and records a special christmas song and plays it for me first thing christmas morning.

This year we're adding an advent calender to the list. Its a cute and fun way to write little notes and give small gifts the days leading up to christmas. Plus it was a fun DIY project.

Some of my favorites from around our house..













Our cat, tofu, is having the time of his life with the christmas tree. He climbs to the top every night while were sleeping, so we wake up to half the ornaments on the ground. It's tiresome redecorating the tree EVERY SINGLE morning..

Here he is when we first put it up





phew! that was long. i hope you all are having as much fun this season as i am.

love.

Chocolate macarons with dark chocolate ganache

I have been obsessed with french macarons since the first time i saw them. There is something about the texture and colors that lure me in, EVERY single time I come across them. When we were in Paris, I was stopping constantly to peek inside windows to see all the different colors and crazy flavors. And if those melt-in-your-mouth treats weren't 3,60EU for two, I would have bought two of each flavor at Pierre Herme. I think they had like… 20 different kinds (?)… In amazing shades of green, pink, purple, white, silver, blue, black and more. PH is definitely heaven for the macaron obsessed.



I had been meaning to try my hand at them for awhile now, but it sounded daunting and I wanted to do plenty of research and spend time reading hundreds of recipes.



And it paid off, because it was a success on my FIRST TRY. I couldn't believe it. I literally ran around the house screaming "THEY HAVE FEET!", which i hear is what frustrates us new comers. It was a huge check off my "baking fears" list. It really was an easy process, don't be scared to try.



I used the recipe from David Lebovitz, but read and reread many of Tartelettes posts on macarons.

Chocolate Macarons with dark chocolate ganache
Macaron Batter
1 cup (100 gr) powdered sugar
½ cup powdered almonds (about 2 ounces, 50 gr, sliced almonds, pulverized)
3 tablespoons (25 gr) unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
2 large egg whites, at room temperature
5 tablespoons (65 gr) granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (180 degrees C).


Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and have a pastry bag with a plain tip (about 1/2-inch, 2 cm) ready.


Grind together the powdered sugar with the almond powder and cocoa so there are no lumps; use a blender or food processor since almond meal that you buy isn't quite fine enough.


In the bowl of a standing electric mixer, beat the egg whites until they begin to rise and hold their shape. While whipping, beat in the granulated sugar until very stiff and firm, about 2 minutes.


Carefully fold the dry ingredients, in two batches, into the beaten egg whites with a flexible rubber spatula. When the mixture is just smooth and there are no streaks of egg white, stop folding and scrape the batter into the pastry bag (standing the bag in a tall glass helps if you're alone).


Pipe the batter on the parchment-lined baking sheets in 1-inch (3 cm) circles (about 1 tablespoon each of batter), evenly spaced one-inch (3 cm) apart.


Rap the baking sheet a few times firmly on the counter top to flatten the macarons, then bake them for 15-18 minutes. Let cool completely then remove from baking sheet.

To make the filling:
Melt dark chocolate in microwave safe bowl. Once melted, add cream until desired taste and consistency.


Recipes coming in the next couple days:
Sweet and sour tofu with asparagus (vegan)
Chocolate peanut butter pie (vegan)
Cranberry sauce
Cranberry sauce muffins (perfect to use up thanksgiving leftovers)

Plus DIY christmas decorations that are too cute.

things i love today

1. my husband. he took me to paris.


2. amazing tights


3. creative lights



4. glitter (especially on taylor)








5. christian louboutin shoes. its my dream to have a pair.




6. pretty blonde hair




p.s. hooray for christmas, its such a magical time of year. we've been decorating for it the past few days. and josh and i have lots of christmas traditions that make it that much more special each year. soo looking forward to it.

Pumpkin Spice Latte

Yes, just like starbucks. This is a latte that makes people swoon. Even my coffee-hating husband loves these lattes. It is now about $8 (!!!) for us both to have one, and since we would rather buy things like craft supplies and comic books I thought i'd give some of the at-home recipes a try. I made a few changes to the recipe that I saw on Kitchn. And HOLY MOLY, I swear to you it is identical! If you are fan of the perfectly spiced, creamy orange beverage, please give this a chance. And go buy yourself something REALLY worth spending your money on. Pumpkin spice latte

1 cup milk (i used pumpkin spice SILK)
2 tablespoons pumpkin puree (i would use more since my milk was slightly pumpkin flavored)
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/8 cup espresso or 1/4 cup REALLY strong coffee (use more if you want a strong coffee flavor)

In a glass jar with lid, combine milk, pumpkin puree, and sugar. Shake vigorously until slightly foamy, and microwave for one minute. Shake again, and microwave again. Repeat until foamy and hot. Add vanilla extract. Pour into mug, with a spoon holding back the foam. add espresso. Then top with the foam. Voila!


Don't try to photograph with a hyper kitty around, or you might end up with this situation.

5 things i love today

five things i love today:

1. foxes






2. french macarons


3. drinking tea


4. copeland


5. pretty lipstick