Grilled Tofu & Asparagus with Nori Dressing

I often make grilled tofu especially in the warmer months. The key to grilling tofu is using extra firm tofu and lightly oiling the grill or a grill pan prior to cooking as tofu blocks tend to stick . I usually marinate tofu with an array of dressing for a few hours prior to grilling to ensure a flavourful dish as tofu in itself is rather bland.

Miso paste is fermented soy bean paste that is rich in nutrients and is widely used in Japanese cooking ( there are also rice and barley varieties of miso). Miso can be used for soups, stocks and grilling. Common varieties are Shiromiso ( white) and Akamiso ( red miso).

I have used blue agave syrup for this recipe. I have been experimenting with different sweeteners and have been using this in different recipes ( you could use honey instead).


Grilled Tofu & Asparagus with Nori Dressing - adapted from Food & Wine Magazine
1/4 cup rice vinegar
3 tb miso paste
2 tb soy sauce
1 tb tahini paste
1 tb agave syrup
2 tsp mirin
1/8 tsp Chinese 5 spice powder
1 lb extra from tofu, cut into 4 blocks
vegetable oil
3 sheets of nori
1/2 cup water
2 tb agave syrup
1 tb fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp chilli paste
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Garnish:
2 tsp toasted sesame seeds
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
1 scallion - thinly sliced

Asparagus:
1 lb asparagus
1 tsp sesame oil
a pinch of salt


Cut tofu block in 4 blocks . Mix 2 tb rice vinegar, 2 tb miso paste, 1 1/2 tb soy sauce, tahini paste, agave 1 tb agave syrup, mirin and Chinese 5 spice powder until well combined. Pour over tofu and marinate for at least one hour before grilling.

Using a blender, puree nori sheets ( crumbled), 1/4 cup vegetable oil, water, 1 tb agave syrup, lemon juice, chilli paste, 2 tb rice vinegar, 1 tb miso paste and 1 tb soy sauce. Adjust seasonings with salt and ground black pepper. Place in the fridge until ready to use.

Toss asparagus with sesame oil, salt and pepper and set aside.

Brush grill with vegetable oil and preheat. When grill is hot enough ( after heating it for around 10 minutes) -remove tofu from marinade and place on grill. Do the same with the asparagus. Turn tofu once while grilling. Grill asparagus and tofu for 7 minutes.

Serve tofu with grilled asparagus with drizzled nori dressing. Scatter toasted sesame seeds and cilantro over salad. Serves 4.

Fudge Chocolate Sandwiches With Strawberry Ice Cream

I took my little ice cream maker out of storage and it is now sitting on my counter. It will remain in its current spot for the next couple of months while I sort out some of the recipes that I am eager to try out. If you are interested in getting the ins and outs of making ice cream , go here.
Trust me on this one, his recipes are marvelous!


This ice cream recipe in a no custard ice cream. Non-custard style ice cream is made without eggs and does not call for the careful cooking that the custard style ice cream requires. Even though the non-custard style ice cream is not as smooth, it can still have a wonderfully rich flavor. It contains less fat than the custard style and there are lighter versions that can be made using ingredients, such as half & half, whole milk, low fat milk, and yogurt, rather than heavy cream. These recipes will not produce ice cream as rich and smooth as the custard style but is will still taste wonderful.

The rich chocolate cookies are delicious on its own or assembled as ice cream sandwiches. The cookies will be soft - it is vital to cool it on the baking sheet prior to removing it. I used a small ice cream scoop for the cookies, a teaspoon will work well. You may be tempted to make the cookies bigger...don't as it will spread quite a bit while baking.

Once the cookies are cooled, I assembled little ice cream sandwiches and individually wrapped them in wax paper . I had to work quickly and froze the sandwiches as I went along.


Strawberry Ice Cream - Emily Luchetti
This recipe requires an ice cream maker.

3/4 cup pureed strawberries
1/4 cup chopped strawberries
2 cups heavy cream
1 1/3 cup whole milk
pinch of salt
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract


Heat milk, cream, salt and sugar in a large pot. Turn off the heat when milk comes to a simmer. Cool milk for at least 4 hours or overnight. Process the cooled milk and pureed strawberries in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions. Fold in chopped strawberries in the end and freeze for at least 4 hours before serving.


Fudge Cookies - Emily Luchetti


4 tb unsalted butter
12 oz bittersweet chocolate - chopped
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
a pinch of salt
3 large eggs
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
Melt chocolate and butter in a double boiler. Cool to room temperature.
Sift dry ingredients together. Using a mixer, whip eggs, sugar and vanilla until mixture is thick and pale. Pour in cooled melted chocolate to egg mixture and mix well using a spatula. Stir in sifted dry ingredients and let batter rest for 30 minutes in the fridge before baking.

Place cookie batter on a baking sheet using a teaspoon or a small ice cream scoop, this way all the cookies will be the same size and will make neat little sandwiches. Place cookies 2 inches apart on a cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes. The tops will looked cracked. Cool cookies on sheet and remove cookies from the baking sheet using a spatula.

To assemble ice cream sandwiches
Place a scoop of ice cream on a cookie , top with another cookie and press down gently on sandwiches. Serve immediately or freeze. Cookies can also be assembled a day ahead, wrapped individually in waxed paper and frozen.

Strawberry & Blue Cheese Salad With Whole Grain Mustard Dressing

Strawberries are everywhere this time of the year and we have been enjoying them almost daily in sweet and savoury dishes.

Since they are quite perishable, strawberries should not be washed until right before eating or using in a recipe. Do not remove their caps and stems until after you have gently washed the berries under cold running water and patted them dry. This will prevent them from absorbing excess water, which can degrade strawberries' texture and flavor.

Despite their perishable nature, strawberries do appear to hold up well in fruit salad if properly stored and chilled. This is good news for those of us who are pressed for time but love fresh fruit salad. And who doesn't since its a perfect addition to any meal and makes a great snack or dessert?

Strawberry & Blue Cheese Salad with Whole Grain Mustard Dressing
1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar
1 tsp whole grain mustard
1 tsp honey
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup strawberries - washed and halved
4 prosciutto slices
1/2 cup blue cheese - crumbled
tender lettuce leaves

Place vinegar, whole grain mustard , olive oil and honey in a bowl. Whisk well and season with some salt and pepper.
Wash and halve strawberries and toss with lettuce and dressing. Place prosciutto and chunks of creamy blue cheese on salad. Serves 4.

Katirikkai Pirattal - Spicy Eggplant

There are variety of pirattal recipes out there. Pirattal dishes are dry curried dishes cooked with very little (if any) liquid and tends to keep longer. It could be either vegetarian and non vegetarian dishes. I was taking stock of my pantry and chanced on a few jars of tomatoes that I had canned last summer. I have been enjoying them in various dishes all winter and have yet to buy canned tomatoes from the store :) Can't wait to do it again this year!

I have used small purple eggplants (of the Chu Chu hybrid which is also known as Indian eggplant) for this recipe. Japanese eggplant would make a fine substitute. Both of the varieties are delicate and sweet, in this case the Japanese variety would be sweeter. Frying the cut eggplants helps hold its shape.


If using fresh tomatoes, score the bottom of tomatoes and plunge into hot water for a minute. The skin will easily slip off then proceed with the recipe.

Spicy Eggplant
6 small eggplants - washed and quartered
1 cup tomato - pureed
2 tb minced ginger
4 garlic cloves - minced
4 tb vegetable oil
1 tsp black mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
4 small shallots - minced
salt to taste
1 tsp chilli powder/cayenne powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 tb coriander powder
3 curry leaves - optional
3 green chillies

Wash and quarter eggplants.
Heat 2/4 tablespoons of vegetable oil and saute eggplant quarters in a single layer until brown on all sides and set aside

While eggplant is browning, puree tomatoes with minced ginger and garlic.

Using the same saute pan that you used to brown eggplant, heat 2 tablespoons of oil on medium heat and saute minced shallots, curry leaves, whole green chillies, cumin seeds and black mustard seeds. Once the spices start to pop, add in coriander powder, chilli powder, turmeric powder and a pinch of salt and saute for a few seconds. Pour in pureed tomatoes and stir well. Adjust seasonings and add in cooked eggplants. Stir gently and cook covered on medium heat until the mixture looks dry - this could take around 6 to 8 minutes. Serve with hot steamed rice or roti. This side dish serves 4/5.

Mango & Passion Fruit Mess

I was at our local grocery store and saw that passion fruits were in season. This subtropical fruit is native to South America. The passion fruit is round to oval, yellow or dark purple at maturity, with a soft to firm, juicy interior filled with numerous seeds. The fruit can be eaten raw, made into juice, cocktails and desserts.



I recently came across this recipe in one of my favourite magazine and it is a nice twist to the more traditional rendition of the Eton Mess. Strawberries are usually the fruit of choice for this dessert . This version is a quick way to enjoy dessert especially with the help of Trader Joe's Vanilla Meringues. Whip, crush , chop, puree and you have dessert :)

Are you inclined to make this but not in the mood to whip up a batch of meringues? What is your favourite quick dessert? Leave a comment and I will pick one lucky person to send a batch of vanilla meringues ( Trader Joe's finest) .




Mango & Passion Fruit Mess - Delicious magazine
2 ripe mangoes
300 ml cream
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 tbs confectioner's sugar- sifted
6 medium meringues - crushed
4 passion fruits - pulp


Peel and chop one mango and set aside. Peel and puree the other mango in a blender till smooth and set aside.

Whip cream with pure vanilla extract and confectioner's sugar until thick and then add the crushed meringues.


To assemble:
Layer mango puree, crushed meringue and cream mixture and top with chopped mango and passion fruit pulp in a glass. Serve immediately. Serves 4.

Blood Orange Olive Oil Cake

It seems to be the tail end of blood orange season around here. The season usually kicks off with a blood orange costing around $1.99 ( at Whole Foods). Now it is 50 cents each at my local A & P. I could not resist the crimson fleshed beauties and knew exactly what I will be making with it once I returned home. I had came across this olive oil cake in the dining section of the New York Times and have been wanting to give it a try.



I adore stir and pour recipes for cakes. Don't get me wrong, I lurve my Kitchen Aid mixer but sometimes I just want a bowl and a sturdy whisk for my cake. Don't be fooled by the simplicity of this cake. The flavours seem to really come together the next day. The leftovers made my dear friend RR very happy! You could also give this Semolina Cake topped with Candied Blood Orange Slices a try!


Blood Orange and Olive Oil Cake - NT Times
I used a light tasting olive oil for this recipe.

3 blood oranges
1 cup granulated sugar
plain yogurt
3 large eggs
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 cup olive oil


Grease 9 by5 loaf pan and set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and set aside.

Preparing blood oranges : Grate zest from 2 blood oranges and place in a bowl with granulated sugar. Mix well with a whisk.

Cut 2 oranges into segments ( remove the skin first) and chop into 1/4 inch pieces.

Juice the remaining orange and combine with yogurt to make it 2/3 cup of orange-yogurt liquid.

To make cake :
Mix orange-yogurt liquid and orange zest scented granulated sugar in a large bowl. Whisk in 3 large eggs until well combined. Whisk in dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Fold in olive oil a little at a time using a spatula. Lastly fold in chopped orange pieces.


Pour in prepared pan and bake in the middle of the oven for 55 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.

Sauteed Asparagus & Chickpeas With Bowtie Pasta

This is recipe was inspired by bunches of tender spring asparagus that are in grocery stores right now. Asparagus will be available from now till early summer. Look for firm spears with tight crowns and uniform in diameter to ensure uniform cooking time. You could substitute bowtie pasta with any other pasta shapes. Penne or orechiette would work well here. The asparagus can be blanched if you wish before proceeding with the recipe. In order to save time ( and dirtying yet another pot) I used a saute pan. Just pour in stock and cook the asparagus for 5 minutes ( or longer if you prefer ) before adding the rest of the ingredients.


Sauteed Asparagus & Chickpeas With Bowtie Pasta
1 bunch asparagus ( medium)
1/4 cup cubed pancetta ( optional)
1 1/2 cup cooked chickpeas ( 15 oz can)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chicken stock ( or vegetable stock)
2 cloves garlic - minced
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1/4 cup chopped basil
8 0z dried bowtie pasta -( 2 oz per serving)
1 tb olive oil

Wash and trim asparagus. Cut asparagus 2 inches in an angle and set aside.

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook bowtie pasta ( or pasta of your choice) according to instructions on the box. Drain ( save some of the pasta water) cooked pasta and set aside.

Using a large pan saute cubed pancetta on medium heat until lightly browned. Remove pancetta with slotted spoon and set aside. Pour olive oil to the pan and saute minced garlic until golden. Add in cut asparagus, stock, salt, black pepper and cooked chickpeas. Cook until asparagus is cooked but still firm. The vegetable will cook quickly - I cooked mine for around 5 minutes.

Add cooked pasta, browned pancetta and chopped basil to the pan and stir. Serve pasta sprinkled with grated Parmesan cheese. Makes 3 to 4 servings.