Facebook, New Rules and July Recipes

Craving Ellie in My Belly is now offically on Facebook and can be found here! 


From July 2011 on, we will now have bi-weekly recipes. Also if you can't get your hands on an ingredient or need to use up other ingredients, you're allowed to sub the recipe. Summer is here, as is vacation season which is why I have also asked the people up for picking a recipe in August and September to pick one and post those picks as soon as possible so no-one had to miss out on recipes because of vacation if they don't want to. 


Now on to this month's recipes:


July 14, 2011 - Liz of This Chihuahua Wears Pearls chose Stir-Fried Chinese Cabbage with Tofu on page 221 of Small Changes, Big Results (recipe below)

July 28, 2011 - Danica of Danica's Daily picked Soba Noodle/Veggie Salad with Chicken Satay on pages 139 and of The Food you Crave

Stir-Fried Chinese Cabbage with Tofu
3 small bunches bok choy (about 1 pound)
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 tablespoon peeled and grated ginger
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup chopped scallion
1 pound cooked, marinated tofu cubes (recipe to follow or buy store-bought)
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Cut 1 inch off the bottom of bok choy and wash the separated stalks. Chop the bok choy crosswise into 1/2-inch-wide strips.

Heat the oil in a wok or large deep skillet over a medium flame. Add the ginger and garlic and cook for 15 seconds, stirring constantly. Add the scallion and bok choy. Raise the heat to high and cook, stirring occasionally, for five minutes.

Stir in the tofu, soy sauce, 1/4 cup water and cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is reduced slightly and the tofu is warmed, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Marinated Tofu
1 pound extra-firm tofu
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon orange juice
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 teaspoon canola oil
cooking spray

Slice the tofu into 1/2-inch-thick slabs and lay the slices on top of paper towels. Use more paper towels to firmly pat the tofu in order to remove as much of the water as possible. This should take about 3 paper towels and 2 minutes. Cut the tofu into cubes.

In a medium bowl, combine soy sauce, orange juice, sesame oil, and canola oil. Add the tofu cubes and toss gently. Cover and let the tofu marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Spray a large shallow baking dish with cooking spray. Place the tofu in a single layer in the baking dish. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown.