Prudent and Practical

The days are getting shorter. In Iowa, the leaves are starting to change and the cool, sweet scent of fall permeates the crisp air.  Of course this is after the grey days and cold rain that are happening right now.  The smaller farmer’s markets are winding down and the larger markets are preparing to move into their “winter market” homes.

Iowa Fall Produce

• Apple
• Onions
• Pumpkins
• Radishes
• Squash – spaghetti, acorn, butternut
• Sweet potatoes
• Turnips
• Tomatoes
• Zucchini

My favorite fall treat is acorn squash.  It brings back memories of my dad bringing some back from a local market.  The way I fix it now is the way he fixed it – cut in half with butter and brown sugar… yum!  I have yet to get my acorn squash this season because I set out to try some new-to-me foods.  Honestly, I don’t think that I’ve ever eaten butternut squash.  At least not that I can remember, so that was my experiment this week.  For you today I have not one, not two, but three ways to use up butternut squash!

The “appetizer” today is…

Roasted Butternut Squash Seeds

1. Cut open the squash.  Scoop out the seed mess.
2. If you’re not ready to roast, you can put them in a container for later use.
3. 
4. If you’re ready to roast, place the seeds in a colander.  Spray some water on them and slosh around.
5. Pick out all the stringies you can and discard/compost.
6. 
7. Let the seeds dry for about 30 minutes.
8. Place the seeds in a baking pan.
9. Let them dry some more.
10. Preheat your oven to 275 degrees F.
11. Pick a seasoning! (However I did not need as much as their recipe calls for, so I made minor adjustments.) I did basic butter and my favorite salt! (I put them in a bowl for this part.)  Lightly baste the seeds.
12. 
13. Bake at 275 degrees F for 10-30 minutes, checking every 5 or so.
14. Scrumptious!  They taste just like pumpkin seeds.
15. 

For the “main dish”, you are having…

I’m proud to share this article with…

• Fight Back Friday @ Food Renegade
• Finer Things Friday @ The Finer Things in Life
• Frugal Friday @ Life as Mom
• Food on Fridays @ Ann Kroeker’s blog
• Foodie Fridays @ Designs by Gollum
• Friday Feasts @ Mom Trends
• Tasty Tuesday @ Balancing Beauty and Bedlam
• Tempt My Tummy Tuesday @ Blessed with Grace
• Tuesday’s at the Table @ All the Small Stuff

I’m interested in trying new things.  If something doesn’t work out, I’ll give it a second chance after doing a little bit of research.  Recently, Heather from The Greenest Dollar wrote Frugal Ways to Get More Protein and tofu was on the list.  I tried to make Tofu Parmesan a few months back and didn’t really like it.  How come “extra firm” tofu is falling apart?  The taste was a little funny too.  After expressing my concern, Heather as well as some commenters chimed in with a few recipes.  I decided to give tofu another try while D was out of town.

The recipe is courtesy of the Mori-Nu Silken Tofu “Extra Firm” box.

Ingredients

1. 6 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce (I didn’t have reduced sodium, but I bought “brewed”.  No wonder why it costs more than store brand… it tastes SO much better)
2. 2 teaspoons honey
3. 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar (I used red wine vinegar instead)
4. 2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
5. 1 teaspoon miinced garlic
6. 1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil (My grocer doesn’t carry this so I used hemp seed oil)
7. 1 package Mori-Nu Silken Extra-Firm Tofu, cubed (I cubed mine in two different sizes to try it out)
8. 
9. 1 bunch green onions, sliced (didn’t use)
10. 1 tsp. canola
11. 6 cups chopped vegetables (broccoli, asparagus, cabbage, snow peas, bean sprouts, etc.)

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Blend first 6 ingredients until smooth.
• Spray a baking sheet with non-stick spray and place tofu in a single layer.
• Pour 1/2 of soy sauce mixture over tofu and bake for 30 minutes.  (Since I had two different cube sizes, one cooked quite a bit faster than the other.  So if you make smaller cubes, you’ll need to reduce your baking time.)
• Saute onions, oil in wok/skillet for 1 minute.
• Add vegetables and remaining soy sauce; stir fry for 5 more minutes.
• Add cooked tofu; toss lightly.
• Serve with hot rice or pasta.  (I tossed in some warmed soy noodles instead.)

Yield: 4 servings.

My camera battery died so I had to wait to take a photo of the creation.  In this photo the stir-fry has been refrigerated and microwaved.  Although it tasted fine, it tastes much better fresh.

I thought it tasted pretty good.  It sucks up the flavor of whatever it is cooked with, so it tasted like the sauce.  I definitely enjoyed the smaller cubes versus the bigger cubes of tofu.  I will be trying more tofu recipes in the future.

Do you have a favorite tofu recipe?

I’m happy to share this article with…

• Fight Back Friday @ Food Renegade
• Finer Things Friday @ The Finer Things in Life
• Frugal Friday @ Life as Mom
• Food on Fridays @ Ann Kroeker’s blog
• Foodie Fridays @ Designs by Gollum
• Tasty Tuesday @ Balancing Beauty and Bedlam
• Tempt My Tummy Tuesday @ Blessed with Grace
• Tuesday’s at the Table @ All the Small Stuff
• Visit Kitchen Stewardship for more frugal, healthy bean recipes as part of the October Fest Carnival of Super Foods. Next week’s theme:  Broth/Stock Recipes.

Last night I went out on a limb.  I tried something new and in the eyes of my family, weird.  I purchased a bag of TVP during my trip to the grocery store yesterday and made some for dinner last night.

Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP) looks a little like Grape-Nuts.  The ingredient:  defatted soy flour.  According to the package, TVP “is a highly nutritious soy product.  It is incredibly wealthy in complete protein (12 grams per 1/4 cup serving) and contains no fat, so it is an excellent alternative to meat.  It is also a good source of dietary fiber, iron, magnesium, and phosphorus.  Since it takes on the flavor of whatever recipe it is added to, the array of recipes in which it may be used is immeasurable.”

(Added 9/30/2009: Please note that there is currently a lot of controversy on the topic of soy.  While many claim it is nutritious and heart healthy, studies have also shown that eating soy causes a myriad of health problems.  I noted a substitution below.  If you are interested in learning more about the side effects of eating soy, please visit Food Renegade and the Weston Price Foundation.)

Prep:

• Overnight – soak 2 cups dried beans (red, kidney, or pinto)
• Or you can do the quick soak described on the pack of beans
• Drain and thoroughly rinse beans

In a kettle:

• 2 cups beans
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 6 large cloves garlic, mashed
• 2 quarts boiling water

Cook for 45 minutes, then add:

• 2 cups TVP (or instead use ground beef or cubed ham)
• 3 tablespoons chili powder (I used a mix of mild and hot)
• 1 tablespoon cumin

Continue cooking until beans are tender, 20-40 minutes.  Most of the liquid should have cooked into the beans and TVP.  I must have been cooking mine on a higher setting because the TVP soaked up the liquid within 5 minutes.  Taste and add salt.  It wasn’t herb-y enough for me so I added more salt and cumin.

You also need to cook some brown rice: basmati or short grain.

• 1 cup rice
• 2 cups water
• 1 teaspoon salt

Once the rice is cooked, mix it with the beans, taste, and add a pinch of cayenne or hot sauce if desired.  I didn’t mix mine together right away, as seen in the photo because I was interested in how the TVP tasted.

Yield: 8 servings

My Opinion

I liked it!  It was easy to use and tasted fine.  The TVP does soak up the flavor of whatever it is cooked with: cumin, salt, chili powder, onion.  The cooked texture made me wonder if you could use TVP to make vegan Sloppy Joe’s.  That is something I would like to try in the future.

The recipe is courtesy of  Bob’s Red Mill.