Baked Tofu with Lower-Sodium Lime Peanut Sauce

I like tofu and I like it more than I used to. It is a healthy soybean product with low sodium, high protein, low fat, and great versitality. 

It used to be said that tofu absorbed the flavors it was cooked with. This is true, but tofu on its own is mild and tasty. The baked tofu has a bit of a crust and crunch and goes oh so well with my low sodium lime peanut sauce.

Tofu:

16 oz extra firm tofu, pressed and cut into cubes or small strips
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons olive oil
pepper to taste
garlic powder to taste

Peanut Sauce:

1/3-1/2 cup low-sodium peanut butter
juice of 1 lime
1 teaspoon low-sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon agave nectar
1/2 teaspoon chili garlic sauce
2 tablespoons water

Preheat oven to 400. Add parchment paper to a baking sheet. 

Add tofu, cornstarch, olive oil, pepper & garlic powder to a medium bowl and mix with a wooden spoon to coat the tofu. Spread out on baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes, flipping the tofu with a spatula every 15 minutes. It usually takes a total of 45 minutes to get the tofu as toasty as I like.

Whisk all peanut sauce ingredients together in a small bowl. You may need to add a bit more water if your sauce is too thick.

Serve baked tofu with peanut sauce on the side and garnish with green onions.

4-Ingredient Sugar Cookies (5 if you use sprinkles)

This recipe makes a very good sugar cookie. I mean super good. Probably the best I've ever had. I try to give most away as soon as possible to get them out of the house. They are light and crispy and hugely delicious. I think the good quality vanilla is part of the secret. I recently splurged on a bottle of Vain vanilla from the local cooking store and the bottle even has vanilla beans in it.

This recipe makes about 4 dozen cookies and you can freeze them. Be warned, they are hard to stop eating. 

1 cup salted butter at room temp
1 cup flour + 2 tablespoons
2/3 cup sugar + 1/2 cup for rolling
1 teaspoon Vain vanilla extract
Sprinkles are optional

Heat oven to 325. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. 

With an electric handheld mixer in a medium bowl, mix together butter and 2/3 cup sugar until combined. Add flour and mix well. Blend in the vanilla.

Roll the dough into 1-inch balls. Roll them in the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar. Put on baking sheet 2 inches apart. Press the balls down with a glass or measuring cup to flatten. If using sprinkles add them now and lightly press down again. The dough should be about 1/4 inch thick.

Bake for 15-16 minutes or until they are slightly golden brown around the bottom and edges of the cookie. Remove from the oven and let them sit on the baking sheet for 15 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. 

My Blog Needs Help

My blog is broken. Well, not completely broken, but I missed some type of system change and am not sure what to do about it. I could try to transfer my blog to WordPress or some other blog site but I don't really want to switch from Blogger.

I no longer seem to have the option to add an email subscription link to my home page. And the "contact me" info at the bottom of the page doesn't seem to work. I've tried to email myself but the email didn't go through. 

If you have blog comments or suggestions for how to fix the blog, please email lizzycooks@gmail.com

I used to have Amazon ads on the page and may add them back in. It complicates things a bit so we'll see how it goes. I would earn a few bucks if people clicked ads on the page. 

I will figure it out eventually. 

Until then, happy cooking. 

My Love for Food

New Orleans Bread Pudding

A few days ago following my last blog post, I stopped cooking like a person obsessed. I felt like I had to get the hotel/cooking story out of my system and I believe writing about my experience helped. I may have burnt myself out (no pun intended) a little bit on cooking after doing it so much for these 3 months, but I know it will pass. 

I earned a girl scout badge in cooking--it's been a while. Here's a hint: GS cookies were 75 cents a box (I think?). I made bread pudding to complete the badge requirement from a recipe my grandma gave me. I can't visualize the final product, and I don't have the sash with my cooking badge after a fire, but my point is my desire to cook manifested itself a long time ago. 

I have to mention the influence of my food-loving dad. My dad experimented with food a lot when I was a kid. I've written in this blog before about my dad's influence on my cooking. My dad is a major foodie and gourmet cook. I am fortunate to have hundreds of his recipes on file. When I was a child in Chicago-land we ate a variety of ethnic foods. Indian food, Chinese food, Italian food, guacamole, ice cream sundaes, and more. Food adventures. 

Food was also something that brought us together at my grandma's house, my dad's mom. My most vivid memories are of her offering us a ham sandwich on white bread and a soda. And cookies. She always had cookies. I can still see the now vintage set of "straw" cups on top of her fridge. She also had lots of good candies and sweets around the holidays. Food was enjoyed.

I've looked into cooking school, selling food/cooking from home, catering, etc. But I think I'm a happy home cook who very much enjoys this creative process. 

Enjoy your food!

Enjoy Your Food!

Peach galette

I've been ignoring my lizzycooks blog. This is my first post of 2024 and it's late August already. There have been some things going on...

In November 2023, just after my last blog post, there was a flood in my house. I then moved into a fancy hotel while it took four dark, rainy, winter months for my house to be remodeled. I have been home sweet home for five months. 

I loved living at the new downtown hotel with the killer views, meeting hotel and restaurant staff, hanging downtown with friends, dining out, and ordering room service, but it all did get a touch old towards the end of my 121 night stay. Hilton points!

Why is this hotel story on my food/recipe blog? Due to the effect this entire experience had on my desire to cook is the why. I had no idea it would happen--but for the past three months I cannot stop cooking. I feel like I'm obsessed by my foodie ancestors. I am driven to cook multiple items in one day, all day long, most every day--something I did not do before. I've wondered if this is a good thing or a bad thing. Is it an obsession? Is it due to being in the hotel for so long? Am I craving comfort food? Is it just naturally happening? Is it temporary? What to do with all of this food I'm creating?

So while living in the comforts of room #620, I couldn't really cook anything decent because I had minimal cookware and utensils, a 2-burner stovetop with a slower than molasses heating element, no cutting board, not enough room to spread out, and it simply wasn't MY kitchen. It felt strange and unfamiliar. Keeping myself fed became the focus. I lived on doggie bags, rice bowls, caesar salads, oatmeal, and tortilla soup. And some cupcakes from around the corner. 

After returning home in April I unpacked 105 boxes, had the house professionally cleaned inside and out, and in May had a bring your own dip party to celebrate my homecoming. Shortly after the party, my desire to cook greatly increased as did my foodie Facebook posts. I swear I want to post to my blog more often.     

                                    

Many "firsts" happened during this time. I conquered my lifetime fear of scratch pie crusts and now make them often, made a 2-crust pie, made pizza crust from scratch, made ice cream and sorbet in my new machine, picked cherries-blueberries-peaches this summer and made smoothies, ice cream, cobblers, crisps, and more from the gorgeous fruit. 

My freezer now holds 10 bags of frozen sliced peaches for the winter and 10 fruit galettes. Cherry, peach, blueberry, peach-blueberry--all with buttery crusts made from scratch. I've filled up my mom's freezer with galettes as well as mine, and have been giving them away to friends and neighbors. I have made an extraordinary amount of fruit galettes. I enjoy making them and am thankful only one pie crust is involved. 

It's not just galettes and peaches filling up my freezer. I made a few pans of lasagna and froze individual pieces, made peanut sauce and red sauce and froze it, and have been creating all sorts of things.

I pickled jalapenos and red onions, made caprese salad, pesto, roasted garlic, pizza, roasted carrots with honey, blue cheese, & pecans, hummus & baba ghanoush, naan, lemon-feta angel hair pasta, mac 'n cheese, cupcakes, and more. 

I believe there's a lot of guilt surrounding food in our society but the way I see it--folks should enjoy and celebrate their food. 

Enjoy your food! is the lizzycooks motto.

   

Feta-Veggie Bake

I got the idea for this veggie-feta bake from a recipe from the New York Times. I modified it a bit and came up with this version. When feta is baked it becomes soft and yummy. And when baked with lemon and red onion it will smell like a Greek restaurant in your house. The broccoli carmelizes and tastes great.

Feta cheese

Cherry tomatoes

Broccoli florets
Red onion
Lemon

Red pepper flakes

Olive oil ~ 3 tablespoons

Put a piece of parchment paper on a sheet pan and preheat the oven to 400. 

Chop/slice/cut everything as seen in photo. Place on baking sheet and toss with olive oil. Bake for 20 minutes.

Baked Jalapeno Poppers

This is another recipe from my Dad's recipe files. The panko really makes it! You could switch up the blue and parmesan cheeses if you'd like, and could use cheddar, monterey jack, romano, etc. instead. The most important thing about this recipe is not to touch your eyes after working with the jalapenos. 

 

12 medium jalapeno peppers, tops cut off, halved lengthwise, and seeded
8 oz low-fat cream cheese, softened
½ cup blue cheese, crumbled
½ cup parmesan, grated
Garlic powder
Black pepper
Kosher salt
¼ cup panko bread crumbs

Preheat the oven to 400. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray or use parchment paper. Fill each jalapeno pepper half with cheese mixture and then bread crumbs, and lay on baking sheet. Bake until jalapenos are tender and cheese is melted, 20-30 minutes.

Fresh Corn & Tomato Salsa

This salsa tastes like summer. The lime juice is wonderful and brings together these fresh ingredients into a delicious salsa. I used a homegrown jalapeno which is always fun to do. The salsa is jam packed with flavor, crunch, and goes very well with tortilla chips! Cheers!

1 cup fresh yellow sweet corn (cut off the cob)
2 roma tomatoes
1 small jalapeno
1/4 cup cilantro
1/8 cup red onion
2 cloves garlic

Juice of 1/2 lime
Kosher salt

Chop the tomatoes, jalapeno, cilantro, onion, and garlic. Add to corn in a medium bowl. Add lime juice and salt. Stir and put in the fridge for a bit to chill.

Cold Lemon Balm Tea

Lemon balm is good for you. Cut off about a cup of lemon balm and put it in a medium bowl, boil some water, pour it over the lemon balm, and let steep for 30 minutes. Pour liquid in pitcher & refrigerate. Add lemon balm leaf to garnish.

Lettuce Wraps with Spicy Chicken & Peanut Butter

It always feels wonderful to eat homegrown vegetables. I grew the buttercrunch lettuce for these wraps which is a good lettuce to use for wraps, and you can experiment with different lettuce types. There is a recipe on this blog for a lettuce wrap and I used it and another one I found to come up with this version. Peanut butter in the sauce? Yes, please! The ingredient amounts are an estimate. I only measured the sesame oil because a little goes a long way, am I right? And the chili sauce--go more if you like it hot but the called for 2 teaspoons gives it a medium spice and will make your nose run.

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 lb. ground chicken

1/3 red onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 water chestnuts, chopped

1/2 tablespoon ginger, minced (I keep some in the freezer)

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

2 tablespoons peanut butter

3 tablespoons soy sauce

2 teaspoons chili sauce

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

2 tablespoons cilantro for topping

1 green onion for topping

Heat a frying pan over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Let the oil heat up and cook the chicken, onions, garlic, water chestnuts, ginger, and salt. Turn the heat to low and add the remaining 5 ingredients, one by one, stirring after each is added. Cook on low for 15 minutes and then serve on top of lettuce, add toppings, and -- wrap it up because it will be messy!

Fresh Blueberry-Strawberry Trifle

Fresh summer fruit--the best. Homemade whipped cream feels like a cloud in your mouth and this trifle is bursting with the sweet fruit of summer. The pound cake adds texture and soaks up the yummy juices from the mascerated strawberries and blueberries. Other types of berries can be used if it suits your fancy. Click here for my whipped cream recipe.

2 cups fresh blueberries

2 cups fresh strawberries, tops cut off & sliced thinly lengthwise

1/4-1/2 cup sugar

2 slices pound cake, cut into cubes

Mix the fruit and sugar. Stir, and refrigerate for at least a couple of hours until juice is created. Add pound cake to a martini glass and layer with fruit and whipped cream. Cheers!

Dad's Simpler Foccacia

This is a recipe from my dad's collection and it's easy and quick--for bread that is. It is a yeast bread that only takes about 4 hours from start to finish. I added fresh homegrown Greek oregano, and you can use other herbs too, such as rosemary, thyme, or chives. 

3 ½ - 4 cups bread flour
2 teaspoon instant yeast
1 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons fresh oregano

1 ½ cups water
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon honey

Place dry ingredients into mixer bowl and stir with paddle until well mixed. Add liquid ingredients and mix until it makes a moist ball. Remove paddle and replace with dough hook. Mix for 8 minutes. If mixture is too moist, add a little flour. Place in a bowl coated with cooking spray and cover with a towel or plastic wrap. Let rise at room temperature for 1 ½ hours.

Shape and press the dough onto a 10” x 15” baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Use your fingers to make dimples in the dough about 2 inches apart. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of kosher salt. Cover with a towel or plastic wrap and allow to rise for one hour.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place baking sheet in the middle of the oven and reduce heat to 400 degrees. Bake for about 25 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool one hour before slicing.

The Best Pot Sticker Sauce

Here is a recipe from my dad's file for jao-tze/pot sticker sauce.

¼ cup dark soy sauce
¼ cup white vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
2 tablespoons minced garlic
½ teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons hot oil (optional)

Whisk all ingredients together and serve with pot stickers.

Limoncello Champagne Cocktails

This recipe is from my Dad's files and it has become my favorite cocktail of late. Delicious and refreshing. You could use sparkling wine if you can't get champagne. For a fancy sugared rim, rub the rims of the glasses with a slice of lemon and then dip into sugar. Cheers!

8 strips of lemon peel (3" x ½")
8 tablespoons Limoncello
4 teaspoons lemon juice
1 bottle brut champagne

Roll up the lemon peel strips and place each in a champagne flute. Add 1 tablespoon Limoncello and ½ tsp lemon juice to each glass. Divide the champagne evenly among the glasses and serve.

Stuffed Poblano Peppers with Panko Bread Crumbs

Penzey's Spices is one of my favorite companies and I recently ordered a package of their dried (red) ancho peppers. They are dried poblano peppers. The anchos were rehydrated in a bowl of boiling water, rinsed, seeded, and dried off to prep them for this recipe. The peppers are slightly spicy and have a hint of cumin. After baking, the peppers turn sweeter and have crispy edges. The texture is similar to a sun-dried tomato. Of course, the cheese is delicious and the Panko bread crumbs are the best--nice and brown and crunchy.

4 rehydrated, dried ancho chili peppers

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Cumin, chili powder, & garlic powder to taste

Panko bread crumbs for topping

Preheat oven to 400.

Add cumin, chili powder, and garlic powder to the shredded cheese and mix. 

Carefully slice the peppers on one side to make an opening for the stuffing. 

Stuff each pepper with cheese mixture and put a toothpick through the peppers to hold them together. Sprinkle the tops of the stuffed peppers with Panko bread crumbs to cover. 

Bake at 400 for 20 minutes. Remove toothpicks and serve. 

Before and after photos:

                   

Pimento Mac and Cheese with a Minor Kick

This is the second time in my life I've made mac and cheese. I tried this recipe out for the first time today after someone shared it with me. I made a few changes and came up with this one using lower fat dairy. Next time I make this I'll add more pimentos and jalapenos. Classic comfort food that serves about 8 peeps depending on hunger meter.

16 oz elbow macaroni

2 tablespoons butter

3/4 cup panko bread crumbs

6 tablespoons butter
1 small yellow onion, chopped
3 large cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons pickled jalapeno, chopped

1 teaspoon paprika

1/2 cup flour

Frank's Hot Sauce--how many shakes can ya take?

*s/p to taste

4 cups 2% milk

4 oz jar chopped pimentos, drained

8 oz low-fat cream cheese

2 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

*s/p to taste

Cook the macaroni per package instructions then drain under cold water, and drain again. 

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in small pan over medium heat. Add bread crumbs. Stir and brown for 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat and set over there and don't burn anything.

In a large dutch oven or large pot melt 6 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add onions, garlic, and jalapeno. Cook for about 5 minutes. Add flour, paprika, and hot sauce. *s/p to taste

Reduce heat to low and slowly whisk in the milk. This mixture will thicken quite a bit. Simmer for about 7 minutes while whisking. Add pimentos, cream cheese, and cheddar cheese. Stir together well. *s/p to taste

Add pasta to cheese mixture and stir until well blended. Add to greased 13x9 glass pan. Sprinkle panko bread crumbs over the dish and bake at 350 for 25 minutes. The mac and cheese should be brown and bubbly on top when it's finished. Remove from oven and let sit for a few minutes before serving. 

*s/p to taste: I always use kosher salt and Penzey's tellicherry ground black pepper in my cooking.

Thick Homemade Whipped Cream (Where Have You Been All My Life?)

It's great to finally have time to cook. Most days now, I want to create something in the kitchen. I made fresh whipped cream for the first time yesterday and will never go back to store bought. I don't use whipped cream often but when I do it'll be this recipe from now on. Whipped up another batch today just to see the magic happen again. Amazing how the heavy cream transforms into a slightly sweet, luscious, thick, cloud pillow. This whipped cream belongs on everything! I'm going to try some in my coffee tomorrow morning. I don't even want to look at the nutrition label. You can freeze it too, while it's still in the carton or after it's been whipped.

1 cup cold, heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon Penzey's Mexican vanilla

With an electric hand mixer, blend the ingredients for 5-6 minutes on medium-high. The whipping cream transform from a creamy texture to a thicker, clotted texture. That's when it's time to stop mixing or you'll end up with butter. 

The small photo is this thick whipped cream atop chocolate pudding. An excellent combo.

Creamy Cocoa Cheesecake

For a time, this cheesecake was my go to "fancy" dessert. I haven't made it in years until today, and was inspired by a photo I saw of a peanut butter and chocolate cheesecake. I will have to make it another time because today is all about cream cheese, sour cream, and cocoa. I'd forgotten about the sweet sour cream topping on this creamy cocoa cheesecake. Adds a nice touch. The original recipe is from my 1981 Philadelphia Cream Cheese Cookbook. I changed up the original and used the following ingredients.

Preheat the oven to 375.

Crust:

1 1/4 cup crushed graham cracker crumbs

3 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons sugar

Mix the graham cracker crumbs, butter, and sugar in a small bowl. Press firmly onto the bottom of a springform pan.

Filling:

1 8 oz package low-fat cream cheese 

1 8 oz package regular cream cheese

3/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup cocoa powder (I use Hershey's)

1 teaspoon Penzey's Mexican vanilla

2 eggs

In a large bowl, blend all ingredients well with electric mixer. Pour into crust.

Bake for 30 minutes and remove from oven.

Topping:

1 cup low-fat sour cream

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon Penzey's Mexican vanilla

Increase the oven temp to 425. Stir together the sour cream, sugar, and vanilla in a small bowl. Carefully spread the sour cream mixture evenly over the top of the cheesecake. Bake for 10 more minutes and remove from oven. Let cool for 20 minutes and remove the rim from cheesecake, and slide the cheesecake off of the baking pan onto a plate, and chill. Cut and serve. Sprinkle with cocoa powder.

Simple Sea Scallops

Large sea scallops fresh from the Pacific Ocean. Pat them dry with a paper towel before cooking. Cook over medium heat in a non-stick skillet with salted butter and serve. Don't overcook them, just a few minutes on each side. Add lemon, capers, or white wine to the sauce if you'd like. Tonight was just a simple cook. The scallops taste sweet and the house smells great. Serve it up with a salad and homemade bread.
 

Garlic Parmesan Rolls

This recipe is part of my experimentation with baking different types of bread, aside from the rosemary bread I love to bake on a regular basis. I need to broaden my bread baking horizons so I found a few recipes online for breadsticks and changed them up a bit to come up with these rolls. They are garlicky and soft and hard to stop eating. They freeze well and thaw quickly.

1 cup + 2 tablespoons warm water    

2 tablespoons sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast

4 tablespoons salted butter, melted 

3 cups all-purpose flour

Topping:

4 tablespoons salted butter, melted

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon dried parsley

1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated

In your stand mixer, add the dough hook and mix the first five ingredients on low. Slowly add in the flour. Once things are mixed well increase the speed to medium and let the dough knead for seven minutes. 

Put dough in a bowl lightly sprayed with oil and cover for 90 minutes. I set mine on top of my stove and heat the oven to 200 degrees while rising. 

Divide the dough into 16 pieces and roll into the shape of a ball. Place on a baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Cover and let rise another hour.

Preheat oven to 400. Uncover the rolls and bake at 400 for about 17 minutes. They should be dark golden brown on the bottom. Melt butter together with garlic powder and parsley and brush on the rolls as soon as you take them out of the oven. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese while the rolls are still hot.