Baked Tofu with Lemon Rosemary marinade

This is another one of my Angelica Kitchen favorites. This recipe will turn any "tofu hater" into a tofu lover - just ask my brother-in-law Deke! My kids love this and will ask for seconds!

Ingredients
1 pound firm tofu
3 Tablespoons lemon juice
1 Tablespoon Balsamic vinegar
2 Tablespoons Tamari
1 teaspoon fresh minced rosemary
1 pinch white pepper
1.5 Tablespoons olive oil

Process

1. Preheat oven 350 degrees.
2. Drain tofu. Place on cutting board, surround with kitchen towels, put another cutting board on top, with a loaded kettle on it, and let sit for 20 minutes to drain out excess water. This is crucial in my opinion to getting the tofu totally drained and ready to be made yummy!
3. Once drained, cut tofu into 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch slices and lay in single layer on the bottom of a large baking dish. IF GRILLING!!! - slice a bit thinner and marinate for longer.
   
4. In a large measuring cup, whisk together remaining ingredients for the marinade.
   
5. Pour marinade over tofu. Let soak for as long as you want - or not at all.
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8. Gently turn tofu once.
   
9. Bake , turning gently once, for 30 to 40 minutes until tofu is nicely browned and marinade is absorbed. You may also grill them.
   

Serve as a main dish with a side salad or make into sandwiches.

Pheasant/Gouda Pizza and Beet Pizza

I have made a pattern of posting the new and innovative pizzas we make at our house on pizza night. All you need is a pizza stone, a 550 degree (or more) oven, pizza dough (recipe here) and your toppings of choice. My origional

We made Pizzas on New Years Eve Night. Some yummy combinations were made with our houseful of about 15. There were two standouts of the night that I would like to share with you.

The first is the boys pizza, compliments of Uncle Luke who brought up two freshly shot pheasant which we promptly smoked and snacked on all weekend. Who would have thought of pheasant as a pizza topping? Better yet, who would have topped it with shredded Gouda that had been aged 4 years. Mmmmm mmmm good! Here's two pics of the wonderment.

The first round






















The second round. (which I of course made sure had extra Gouda on it)























And then there was my pizza, which was of course vegetarian. ON this pizza is fresh mozzarella, thingly sliced potatoes, a few slices of banana peppers, a sprinkle or two of Feta, and generous amounts of Beet Marmalade (compliments of Angelica's Kitchen cookbook). it was beautiful and a hit.

Soba Sensation

Soba sensation is a yummy heartwarming dish that everyone in the family will love! This recipe is from one of my favorite restaurants - Angelica's Kitchen in the East Village of New York City. Anyone interested in Vegan food should not only eat there, but purchase their awesome cookbook. Here's their website Angelica's Kitchen.

Ingredients
1 clove garlic crushed
2 to 3 Tablespoons peeled and minced ginger
2 Tablespoons prepared mustard (Dijon or English)
1/3 cup brown rice vinegar
1/3 cup natural soy sauce
1/3 cup brown rice syrup (I did not have this last night but replaced it with 1/3 cup brown sugar instead)
2 Tablespoons toasted sesame oil
1 1/3 cups Tahini
1/3 cup hot water
pinch of cayenne (optional)
1 or 2 packages Soba noodles, cooked al dente, rinsed with cold water and chilled (the original recipe calls for one package, but if you use all the sensational sauce the noodles end up overdressed)

Process

1. Vigorously whisk all ingredients together in a bowl (or alternately process with an immersion blender or use food processor)
2. Puree until creamy.
   
3. Pour over cold noodles and toss.
4. Garnish with sliced scallions or shredded carrots. Other garnish recipes are available in their cookbook.