Orange Pan-Glazed Tofu

Normally this is the time of year I refer to as the doldrums of winter.  My grandfather turned me on to that term years ago, and it stuck.  I don't think there's a more accurate word to describe the final cold, gray, dreary, depressing days of winter.  The doldrums.  Normally, by the end of February I'm over wearing my hat, scarf & furry snow boots and walking through slush puddles.  I'm usually cursing the cold weather & living in the Northeast, and dreaming about a move to Southern California.  Despite my best laid plans to go out with friends, I usually opt to stay in, dig into a crock pot full of chili or stew, have a Netflix marathon, read a book or two over the weekend and go to bed early.  You get my drift - there's nothing I like about the end of winter. 
 

This year is a totally different story, though!  I feels like winter didn't quite happen in NYC this year.  I've worn my snow boots all of two times.  I got a new warm, hooded down jacket in December, but there weren't many days it was cold enough to even wear it.  As for my Netflix marathon, I've had the same dvd sitting on my tv stand for the past month.  And there hasn't been one dream of relocating to a warmer climate.

Instead of feeling stuck in the doldrums of winter, these mild, sunny days (and the newly risen dafodills in Central Park!) have tricked my mind into thinking it's spring already.  I feel more awake in the morning when I see the sun beaming through the window.  I feel like I can't spend enough time outside, soaking up the sunshine.  I'm wearing capris and short sleeves on my runs.  I'm drawn to bright-colored nail polish.  This weather makes me want to shop for spring clothes - like bright-colored skinny jeans and pretty dresses and sandals!

I don't know about you, but I certainly feel like the weather plays a role in my food choices.  For instance, I haven't used my crock pot once this winter.  Not once!  Not one hearty batch of chili or stew.  Nada.  Instead, I went a lighter route, and I've been taking advantage of the abundance of delicious oranges at the market.  This recipe has been hanging on my fridge for months and months.  I wish I got around to making this sooner - it's amazing.  I noted below that this recipes serves two.  This is true, however I've been known to sometimes eat almost the entire block of tofu on my own.

I paired my tofu with brown basmati rice with sauteed shiitake mushrooms.  Delicious!  I highly recommend that you follow my lead - pick up some oranges & tofu and give this tasty recipe a try.

Print Recipe

Orange Pan-Glazed Tofu

(Adapted from 101 Cookbooks)

Serves 2

1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (3-4 medium oranges)

1 tablespoon fresh ginger, finely grated

2 teaspoons soy sauce

1 1/2 tablespoons mirin

2 teaspoons maple syrup

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

2 cloves garlic, minced

16 ounces extra firm tofu

2 tablespoons olive oil

scallions, for garnish

salt

fresh ground pepper

First things first, you need to remove the excess water from the block of tofu.  There are two different ways you can go about this. (1) Place tofu on a regular size dinner plate and place a second dinner plate, upside down, on top of the tofu.  Stack a few heavy books (cookbooks work great for this!) on top of the upside down plate.  Let the tofu sit for about 15 minutes.  Discard the water the collects in the bottom plate, and pat the tofu dry.  (2) Alternatively, you can wrap the block of tofu with a very absorbent towel.  Stack a few heavy books on top of the tofu and let it sit for about 15 minutes.

While the tofu is draining, prepare the orange glaze mixture.  In a small bowl, whisk together orange juice, finely grated ginger, soy sauce, mirin, maple syrup, ground coriander, garlic, salt & pepper, and set aside.

Cut tofu into bite size pieces.

Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat.  When the oil is hot, but not smoking, add the tofu to the pan, season lightly with salt & pepper, and cook for 5 minutes or until the bottom is golden brown.  Flip tofu pieces and cook the other side for 5 minutes, or until golden brown.  Pour the orange juice mixture into the pan and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the sauce has reduced to a thick glaze.  Flip the tofu once more, and occasionally spoon the sauce over the tofu.

*Note: Don't over crowd the pan.  If necessary, sear the tofu in batches, returning all tofu to the pan when adding the orange juice mixture.

Enjoy!

Olive Oil Granola

Are Monday mornings as tough for you as they are for me?  Today felt like an especially tough morning.  The only thing that stopped my from hitting the snooze button one more time was my growling stomach & a large jar of freshly made Olive Oil Granola. 

If my day started with granola, Greek yogurt and fruit for the rest of my days, I'd be a happy gal.  Sure, I like to change things up and I love variety, but I'm also very much a creature of habit.  Especially when I reeealllly like something.  And I reeealllly like granola.  And now, I reeealllly, reeealllly like love this Olive Oil Granola.

I was trying to think of the last time I bought granola at the store.  It's been so long I really can't remember.  From the first time I made granola at home, I knew this was one item I would never be purchasing at the store ever again.  It's quick and easy to make, and the best part about making your own granola, is that you know every single ingredient that's going in your mouth.  There's no preservatives, no ingredients you can't pronounce and, unlike many store-bought granolas, it's not likely to contain a zillion grams of sugar (unless, of course, you want it to).  You get to control all the ingredients included (or not) in your granola. 

The first time I tried this recipe, I think I plowed through the whole batch in a week.  It's delicious and addictive - don't say I didn't warn you!  The taste of the olive oil is ever so slight, almost undetectable.  But right before your mouth is filled with the sweetness of maple and brown sugar, you just barely catch a glimpse of the olive oil's bitter scent.  It happens so quick, you wonder if your taste buds fooled you.  And it leaves you going back for spoonful after spoonful.

Print Recipe

Olive Oil Granola

(Adapted from Melissa Clark, The New York Times, July 10, 2009)

3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

1 1/2 cups raw pistachios

3/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds

1/2 cup wheat germ

1/2 cup ground flax seed

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon cardamom

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

3/4 cup pure maple syrup

1/4 cup light brown sugar

1 cup shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine oats, pistachios, pumpkin seeds, wheat germ, ground flax, salt, cinnamon and cardamom, and mix together.  In a small bowl, combine olive oil, maple syrup and sugar, and whisk until fully combined.  Add wet mixture to the oat mixture, and stir to fully coat.

Spread the granola mixture in an even, single layer on rimmed, parchment-lined baking sheets, working in batches if necessary.

Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.  Stir the coconut into the mixture prior to the final 10 minutes of baking.

Remove from the oven and fully cool before serving.

Store in an air tight container.

Enjoy!

FCI Graduation

My class

As the days go by, it's getting harder and harder to believe it was just a little more than one week ago I was sitting in front of a jury (in part, that included Andre Soltner and a Top Chef contestant) listening to a critique on my final dishes.  Going into the final exam, I was soooo nervous.  But, the second I walked into the kitchen & got settled at my station, my nerves were long gone and the only thing on my mind was moving through my task list.  My combination of dishes for the final (which were picked at random), were exactly what I'd hoped for since the first day of Level 6 - handmade tagliolini with roasted mushrooms & fennel cream and lamb chops with goat cheese sauce & braised artichokes.  I won't take you through the entire play by play of the night, but I will happily say it was a much better night than the midterm - I was completely focused, I felt as if nothing could break my confidence, I stayed ahead of the game and I cooked with love.  In hindsight, there are a couple small things I wish I'd done differently (but, isn't that always the case).  But all in all, I was so proud of my work and the night could not have gone any better.

Level 6 teammates & I

After the final exam, there celebration and many well-deserved beers!

For nine months, I spent my Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday nights in the kitchen.  I learned more during this journey than I ever expected!  When I think about this experience, I have moments of absolute amazement, joy and happiness.  And, what's truly amazing (and truth be told a little scary, sometimes) to me, is that culinary school was just the tip of the iceberg - my journey is just beginning! 

Classmates & I before graduation

If I had a dollar for every time someone asked me, "so, what's next?" or "what're your plans for after graduation?", or some variation of that question, I'd be a billionaire right now.   (Ahhh, and in my dream world, if I was a billionaire, I'd be writing this post from a tropical beach with stunning blue water, and sipping on a mojito.)  That's the big question now - what exactly is next.   For right now I don't have an answer.  I really wish I did, and I'm working everyday to change that. 

While I complain about it and it's not what I want to be doing, I am fortunate that I have a full time job that pays my bills, while I figure out the next step of my culinary journey.  I don't want to just take a job, to take a job, or take the first thing that comes along.  It's really important to me, that I find a job that's the right fit for me, and hopefully it's working for someone/doing something that I really believe in.

With Chef Alain - our Level 1 & 2 Chef

With one of my favorite chefs - Chef Janet

Before I started culinary school, I had little to no interest in working the line in a restaurant.  During the past nine months, my stance on that wavered back and forth a little, but ultimately I still feel the same way.  This has been met with a variety of opinions along the way.  Most often, I hear something to the effect, "if you don't want to work in a restaurant, why did you go to culinary school?".  You might be surprised to know that there are actually a lot of different job options, outside of working in a restaurant.  While I was at FCI, I did some freelance work here and there - some catering & private chef work, and my favorite of all, working in a couple school kitchens.  I was lucky to work in schools that truly value preparing fresh, nutritious, amazing meals for kids everyday, and in the interim teaching these kids about food, nutrition and healthy choices.  I can't begin to tell you how awesome and inspiring it is to see kids (and adults) get excited about food - good, real, wholesome food; excited about eating vegetables and trying new foods.  Now, if only all kids were eating this way....but that's a whole other discussion.  This is something I feel really passionate about, and would absolutely love to work in such an environment.  I'll keep you posted on the next step of my culinary journey!

Fennel & Grapefruit Salad with Orange-Cumin Vinaigrette

It's been a little while hasn't it?!!  I began the year with a plan to blog more frequently and more consistently.  I'm not exactly off to a strong start, but I have a feeling things are about to turn around.  This year has been off to a really busy start, and the past week was hands down the busiest week of the year.  Definitely good busy, though!  Remember my 33 before 33 list?  I've been crossing off items left and right!

I'm beyond excited to tell you that the first item on the list, graduate from culinary school, has been crossed off!  I graduated from the Classic Culinary Arts program at the French Culinary Institute, last week.  Culinary school has been an amazing journey, to say the least, and it deserves a lot more mention than a few sentences.  I'll have another post soon about my final exam and graduation, complete with lots of photos.

Two days after graduation, I hopped on a plane bound for Tampa to cross off number 11 on the list.  My visit to Florida was simply amazing and exactly what I needed!  I spent four days with two of my favorite gals - shopping, spending a day on the beach (cross off #26!), eating & drinking more than our fair share, getting in a couple solid runs, including a trail race (cross off #10), having some good laughs and catching up with each other. 

During the past couple busy weeks, grocery shopping was the last thing on my mind.  As you can guess, this left my refrigerator in a pretty pathetic state.  I always have my usual staples on hand - Greek yogurt, cheese, coffee, cereal/homemade granola, milk, seltzer and there is always an assortment of fruits and veggies.  I may or may not have the makings for a "proper" meal, but on any given day I can always whip up a salad.  Some days the pickings are slim and my salads are, well, very "creative", and other days, like today, my random assortment of ingredients turn into something wonderful and delicious.

I've been eating a couple variations of this salad over the past couple months, and I decided it's high time I share it with you.  To me, this salad calls out "winter salad".  I could easily add grapefruit to my salad in July, but I wouldn't.  It just wouldn't be the same as grapefruit in my salad in January or February.  What I really love about this salad is variety of textures and flavors - soft & crisp, and tart and sweet and aromatic and slightly spicy.

If I could add one more thing to this salad it would be a few soft, plump chunks of ripe avocado.  You should try it, and let me know what you think!

Print Recipe

Fennel & Grapefruit Salad with Orange-Cumin Vinaigrette

Serves 2

Baby spinach

1 large grapefruit, sectioned

1/2 fennel bulb, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons sunflower seeds

1 ripe avocado, in chunks (optional)

Vinaigrette

1 tablespoons fresh grapefruit juice

2 tablespoons orange juice

1 teaspoon orange zest

1 clove garlic, finely minced

Salt

Ground pepper

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

To make Vinaigrette:
In a small bowl, combine grapefruit juice, orange juice & zest, garlic, salt and pepper, and whisk together.  Let stand 10 minutes.  Slowly whisk in olive oil.

Arrange a bed of spinach on each plate.  Top with sectioned grapefruit, fennel and sunflower seeds.  Drizzle with vinaigrette.

Enjoy!

Final Days at FCI & Menu Project

I cannot believe how fast the time has gone by, my days nights at FCI are winding down and coming to what feels like (although it's not) an abrupt end.  My first night at FCI felt surreal, I dreamed of going to culinary school for years, and there I was.  What I remember most about that night was that (1) our Chef was nothing like the intimidating person I was expecting and (2) it was complete and utter information overload.  I drew a map of the kitchen so I'd remember where everything was stored...haha.  I didn't need it for every long.  Some days it feels like that night was just yesterday, and other days it feels like I've spent waaay more than nine months in culinary school.  I've come a really long way since that first night, and looking back I'm amazed at how much I've learned and how far I've come.

In less than a week, everything I've learned, and everything I've worked on during the past 6 weeks in L'Ecole, will be put to the test in our final exam.  Our final (much like the mid-term) presents to task of preparing two of the eight dishes we've been preparing during Level 6, either an appetizer and a meat dish or a fish dish and a dessert.  As for the combination of which specific recipes we'll make, that will be determined by drawing a paper from a hat on the night of the final.  I have a lot of studying and prep ahead of me!  I'm determined to have a much more successful night then the midterm.  What makes the final tough is the tight timeline we're working against!

One of the highlights during school was our Level 5 Menu Project.  The premise was create a minimum of a 4-course dinner menu for eight people, with a wine pairing for at least one course, all centered around a specific theme.  Awesome, right?!!  I had so many ideas bouncing around my head from the get go, but when it came to actually settling on a theme, I was stumped.  It was really frustrating.  My very first idea was autumn seasonal cooking from the farmers market - my very favorite season for cooking, the time for some of my favorite seasonal produce and the project was due right around Thanksgiving.  As much as I liked this idea, I wanted something so much more creative.  But my creative juices just weren't flowing, nothing came to me.  I toyed around with a couple different themes and menu items, but time and time again I reverted to my autumnal theme (and the project was turned in, in late fall, so it was quite fitting), so I went with it.  I couldn't have been more thrilled with the final product! 

Amuse Bouche

Balsamic Glazed Mushroom & Goat Cheese Crostini
(recipe)

Appetizer

Curried Pumpkin Soup
(recipe)

Pasta

Caramelized Butternut Squash Risotto with Fresh Sage
(recipe)

Entree

Cranberry-Pecan Stuffed Pork Chop with Parsnip-Apple Puree
(recipe)

Dessert

Salted Caramel Apple Pie with Creme Chantilly
(recipe)

Orange Cranberry Pancakes

This winter I've been having some crazy citrus cravings.  Crazy like, I've been eating citrus multiple times a day, every single day for the past couple months.  This week my thing has been clementines.  So far today, I'm up to four.  Last week it was grapefruits.  There's also been an ongoing trade-off between blood oranges, mineolas and navels.  And I can't forget the dozen lemons sitting in a bowl on my kitchen table (because now in my new apartment I finally have a proper table, where I can put things, like a bowl of lemons....hurrah!).....half of which are wonderfully sweet Meyer lemons waiting to be baked into a cake.

Hopefully I won't jinx myself by saying this, but so far this winter I haven't been sick once!  Not even the slightest hint of a cold!  It might not be related, but I still want to think my citrus binge & vitamin C boost has ha a little something to do with it.

The other weekend, I combined my two favorite winter fruits, orange and cranberry for a delightful pancake breakfast.  I adapted butchered this recipe, and ended up with slightly sweet orange pancakes dotted with flecks of zest.  It was exactly what I envisioned.  Keep the maple syrup stashed away.  Instead, top (or smother) you pancakes with some tart cranberry compote.

Print Recipe

Orange Cranberry Pancakes

Pancakes:

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons sugar

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

2 cups plain Greek yogurt

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus extra for the pan

1/2 cup orange juice

2 tablespoons orange zest (approx. 1 large orange)

confectioners sugar, for garnish

Cranberry Compote:

1 cup fresh cranberries

1/4 cup orange juice

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

For the Pancakes:

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar.  Add eggs, yogurt, orange juice, zest and 4 tablespoons of melted butter; whisk to combine.  Add a little more orange, as necessary, if the batter feels too thick.  The batter  will have some small lumps....it's ok, don't over beat the batter to get rid of them.

Heat a large pan over medium heat, and coat with butter. 

Ladle pancake batter into the hot pan, about 2 inches apart.  When pancakes bubble on top and start to dry around edges, flip over.  Cook until golden.

Repeat with remaining batter, keeping finished pancakes on a heatproof plate in oven. 

For the Cranberry Compote:

While the pancakes are cooking, mix the cranberries, orange juice and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat.  Stir occasionally as the cranberries start to pop.  Cook until the cranberries are soft and the mixture thickens, about 10 minutes.

Top warm pancakes with confectioners sugar and a big spoonful (or two or three) of cranberry compote.

Enjoy!