Tofu Scramble

Breakfast isn't really a time when most people think of vegetables, but it could be.  Take the classic scramble, here with a plant-based twist.  A nice firm tofu, the right seasonings, and farm-fresh veggies combine to create a mouth and eye-pleasing alternative to the classic, that is quick to make, filling, and without all that pesky saturated fat and cholesterol.  Best of all, you can spice it up however you like, perhaps middle-eastern for the Shakshuka fans of the world, or Italian spices like basil and oregano for the diner style breakfast club.

This is a great technique that you can also apply to feta and ricotta toppings, and is overall a great stab at preparing tofu in new and delicious ways.

Serves 4, or 2 really hungry people, and reheats well.  Great on its own or on toast or in breakfast burrito wraps.

What you'll use from your bag:

1 Tomato (I had some left over from last week's bounty), diced

1/2 hot pepper, or a whole one if you like the heat, diced seeds removed

3 small sweet peppers, diced

1 red onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

What else you'll need:

2 Tbs avocado or safflower oil

1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped and added at the end

1 block firm tofu

1 tsp cumin or curry powder (skip for a more Italian or French style)

1/4 tsp India Black salt, for the egg flavor

1/2 tsp parsley, dried

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp sea salt

2 tsp nutritional yeast

1/4 tsp fennel seed powder

1/2 tsp turmeric, for health and color

First, drain and press the tofu

This is the most important step when working with tofu, and if often the reason people think they don't like it.  Tofu gets packaged in liquid to keep it fresh, but the liquid has no flavor, and will often keep flavors from penetrating the tofu and DEFINITELY keep the texture soft, rather than hearty and meaty, so proper pressing to remove the liquid is going to change your tofu game.  I recently discovered the most amazing way to press tofu (and lots of other things) is using a salt slab cutting board.  Or in this case, 2 of them.  This is the perfect amount of weight, and salt cures it which not only speeds up the liquid draining time, but gives is a nice mineral rich, salt flavor, so you can actually skip the added salt.  If you don't have one, they are MAJORLY affordable right now at Trader Joe's, or you can wrap your tofu in a dishcloth, and put a cutting board on top of it with a few cans of something heavy, like beans. This takes about 5-10 minutes, and you can prep your veggies while this happens

Next, start your sauté

Heat oil in a frying pan, and add your diced onions, garlic, and hot pepper.  

While they soften, assemble your spices in a large mixing bowl, and toss in your tofu in large chunks.  A potato masher works best, but a fork will work just fine, as you are trying to mix the spices into your tofu as you "scramble" the tofu, into nice pillowy, bite sized, flavorful clumps.

When its done, it will look like cooked scramble, which is pretty cool, since that is what we are making :)

It will be yellow, from the turmeric, and smell of egg, from the India Black salt, and be delicious from all the spices, but will be EXTRA great warm and with all your veggies.

Now, add your tofu to the sauté mix

Let the oil, onion, garlic and hot pepper fully integrate with the tofu mixture, and you will notice the scramble get a brighter yellow, and even slightly brown in some area.  This is excellent because it means all those flavors are penetrating, and intensifying.

Add your diced tomato, and sweet peppers in, and sauté for 2-3 minutes until they soften. This adds some moisture back into the mix, so decide how "well-done" you like your textures, and if you want dryer scrambles, bump that up to 5 minutes.

Toss in your basil, stir until its soft, and take a good long sniff at the heaven in your pan.

If you are going for French style, add some vegannaise, or some coconut creme fraiche with some Herbs d' Provence, for Italian, add some thyme and oregano and serve over toasted Ciabatta, and for my curry style, add that full pepper, and garnish with a little sprinkle of ginger and light a fire under your day!

Enjoy!

Cherry Tomato Gazpacho- Raw, Fast, Easy and Delicious

If you are like me, than summers aren't exactly easy.  You need to cram family visits, outdoor activity, work, and recovering from the heat into practically everyday.  So you need something, fast, something cooling, something that'll keep in your fridge and something that you can make with allllll those cherry tomatoes we keep getting in our Karma Farm bags :)

This gazpacho can be ready in under 10 minutes, with a food processor, and only requires the most minimal of pre-chopping.  If you are chopping by hand, I recommend a VERY sharp, very large chef knife to speed through the fine dicing...and you will get a chunkier soup, which is totally fine.

This recipe will produce 2 hearty portions, or 4 lunch time portions, depending on when you need the most humidity recovery intervention.


What you'll use from your bag
2 orange peppers
2 spring onions
~ half your cherry tomatoes
red onion (technically from last week, but you may use store-bought)
1-2 cucumbers (this week's or last's)


What else you'll need
2 spring of fresh parsley
1/4 cup cilantro
1 Tbs fresh dill
1/2 lemon
2 radishes
1 Tbs balsamic vinegar
2 tsp agave nectar
salt and pepper to taste
Optional: 1 tsp crushed red pepper


First, pre-chop the onion, cucumber and peppers
You can leave the tomatoes, whole, but it's best if no other ingredient has pieces larger than your tomatoes, to ensure a more consistent final texture.

Add all your ingredients to the food processor, for me that just about filled my 14 cup.  Feel free to divide your ingredients in half, or add the tomatoes last, as it will compress very fast as it becomes

chopped.

I usually pulse in counts of 5 until the texture is still a little chunky, but looks completely mixed, with no large chunks of any one vegetable or herb.  This usually takes about 1 minute, and I scrape down the processor bowl with a spatula once or twice and add salt and pepper to taste.

Once it is a nice texture, you may chill it and enjoy it for up to 5 days, or eat it straight out of the processor bowl (which is usually what I end up doing!)

In the picture, my bowl is adorned with raw sprouted watermelon seeds, and if you haven't tried them,  I encourage you too!  The black shell casing is removed, and the sprouted seeds have a wonderful nutty flavor.  You can find pre-sprouted seeds for sale at places like Mom's.

ENJOY!

Kohlrabi Cornmeal Fritters

Kohlrabi is a really versatile veggie, you can eat it raw, roast it, sauté it, steam it, and it's hearty enough to withstand all these different cuts and heats while staying strong, and a bit sweet.

Think of these as a high fiber, vitamin c packed, B-vitamin latke that comes with it's own delicate sweetness and nowhere near the carbs of potato, and is also gluten free and very hearty, thanks to the cornmeal

Plus, using flax to bind it stocks these kohlrabi pancakes with Omega-3s, and skips all the saturated fats of things like eggs and butter.

Swap out a cup or two of kohlrabi with summer squash, grated just the same, for a bit more sweetness or variety, or alternate, and have a fritter buffet.

Makes about 12, 3" diameter fritters.  I really like them with sriracha added to a little vegan aioli (as pictured) but they also served up well with pumpkin or squash butter.

What you'll use from your bag:
2 kohlrabi, peeled and grated
3 Spring onions, finely chopped
1 red onion, grated


What else you'll need:
2/3 cup Cornmeal
2 Tbs flax, fork whisked with 5 Tbs warm water
1 bulb of garlic, 3/4 minced, and 1/4 crushed and added to oil
1/3 cup oil, and more as you fry
2 tsp Crushed Red Pepper
2 stalks fresh Parsley, chopped
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp smoked salt
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp coriander seed powder


First, shred you kohlrabi and onion
2 kohlrabi will produce approximately 5 cups grated, and the onion another 1+.  Wrap them in some paper towels, or a dish cloth and squeeze the liquid out (yes, that ball is the shredded mixture less wet).  Don't be so fast to throw out that liquid, thought, it's incredibly tasty and delicious and is an excellent addition to any broth or the base for a marinade.




Next, combine everything except the oil and 1/4 of the garlic
Start heating your skillet, frying pan, or griddle.  Mix all of the ingredients together, helping the

mixture firm up and evenly dispersing the parsley, flax, and spices.  The mixture should be tacky and maintain it's shape. Form into thin, flattened, palm-sized patties.

Heat the oil in the pan with the garlic, once the garlic has browned, add your patties to the oil, and cover, flipping 3 times, with about 1-2 minutes in between each, or to desired crispiness (MUCH less
time is needed if using a cast iron griddle!)

Whip up some more squash-cheese, serve with traditional apple sauce, or try a vegan avocado aioli recipe.  My partner said he thought old bay would be an excellent addition to these, and if you are in the mood for crab-cake alternatives give that a try!

Enjoy!

Sesame Soba with Bok Choi and Chinese Broccoli

Soba is an earthy, traditionally gluten-free noodle, that is packed with anti-oxidant power from things like Manganese, and relatively low in carb while being high in fiber and protein, unlike our typical white refined pastas!

Bok Choi is the star of this show, providing bursts of fresh moisture, soft leaves, and a crunch, amidst the rich and creamy tahini sauce, while the meaty mushrooms satisfy our craving for a hearty bite.  Last but not least, the Chinese Broccoli (which likes to hide in the soba!) compliments these textures, adding a complex and nutrient dense element beneath the surface of the noodles.

Serves 4- Feel free to use all of the Choi from this shipment, or you can reserve some to steam or sauté on it's own with soy sauce, garlic and ginger.

What you'll use from your bag: 
Choi- 1/4 - 1/2 pound, halved with the base cut off
Chinese Broccoli - 1 plant, chopped into 2 inch long pieces
Spring Garlic - 2 stalks, chopped

What else you'll need:
Soba Noodles - 8-9 ounces (I used King Soba's Sweet Potato and Buckwheat)

Shitake Mushrooms - Sliced, fresh 1 8 oz pack, or 1 dry cup rehydrated
Tamari/Soy Sauce - 6 Tbs, 4 for the sautee and 2 reserved for the end
Rice Vinegar - 1 Tbs, in a pinch you may use white wine vinegar
Sesame Oil - 3 Tbs + 1.5 tsp,  may substitute avocado or safflower oil, but sesame is the best flavor
Tahini - 2 Tbs Tahini, one in the sautee, and one reserved for the end
Ginger - 1/2 tsp powder, or 1/2 inch fresh root minced
Vegetable broth - 1/3 cup, mushroom and onion broths especially work well here
Chinese 5 Spice Powder - 1/2 Tbs, in a pinch combine anise/fennel/tarragon, black pepper and cinnamon to a total of 1/2 Tbs to approximate the flavor
Toasted Sesame Seeds - For serving
Cayenne Pepper - 1/2 tsp, optional



First, set the Noodle to Boil:
--12 cups of water, seasoned with salt and 1 tsp of oil. Bring to a boil and then add noodles, and return to boil, 4 minutes. Drain, and toss with 1/2 tsp oil and set aside.

Next, Prep your sautee:

Sautee mixture
4 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
1 Tablespoon Rice Vinegar
3 Tablespoons Oil
1 Tablespoon Tahini
1/2 tsp or inch of Ginger
2 stalks Spring garlic, chopped

-- Heat the sautee pan or wok on medium heat. Whisk together the mixture vigorously and add to a hot pan. Once it bubbles at
the edges, add the mushrooms, and stir to coat. 2 minutes.

--Add 1/3 cup vegetable broth, and layer the choi and broccoli atop the liquid and cover, 2 minutes.  Stir mixture, and add 1/2 Tablespoon Chinese 5 Spice powder, and the optional cayenne pepper if desired.

--Once the Choi has wilted, and the broccoli has softened a bit, add in the noodles, another 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, and a tablespoon of tahini.






Garnish with toasted Sesame seeds, and your favorite hot sauce (such as Sriracha) if desired!