Food for last thursday. (Southern Black Eye pea Skillet)

Ignore that this article in the New York Times says this is perfect for Thanksgiving. Black-Eye Peas are perfect for whenever you want black eye peas. Closer to a stew than a side dish (as suggested) this hearty dish is easy and has a spot in my leftover space of the fridge.  It's a spicy, tangy dish that tastes like it had it's sauce come from a baked bean recipe

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 2 cups cauliflower florets, roughly chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 (15-ounce) cans black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained
• 1 (14-ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar or maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons white or apple cider vinegar
In a large pot, heat oil over medium-high heat and sauté onions and green peppers until soft. Add cauliflower and cook, stirring frequently, until it is lightly browned, about 5 to 8 minutes. Add garlic, cumin, chili powder, cinnamon, cayenne and salt, and cook a few more minutes. Stir in black-eyed peas, tomato sauce, water, soy sauce, brown sugar and vinegar. Reduce heat to medium. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 to 15 minutes.  the New York times says to have this with biscuits, I served it over a quinoa and brown rice blend instead.  

 

I cooked this today (Fried Tofu with Spicy Onion Sauce)

Today for lunch, (which just happened, by the way) I decided I was going to cook up something that I have wanted to try after seeing it on the healthy living website. Tofu is my jam, it is versatile, easy to prepare and tastes however you want it to. I wanted a little spice, and a little sweet to go along with the heat.

Here is the recipe.
1 (14-ounce) package firm tofu, drained and cut into 6 (3/4-inch-thick) slices
1/4 cup chickpea flour or all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons canola oil
2 cups thinly sliced onion, separated into rings (about 1 onion)
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup diced plum tomato (about 3)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
3 tablespoon brown sugar*
1/2 cup water

It calls to cut the tofu into triangles but I did not want to do that, I wanted more surface area for the sauce. I left them in 3/4 inch slices. I also used a plain old white onion for this, but I think a vidalia would have been perfect and allowed me to back off the brown sugar. (Recipe calls for 1 tablespoon, after mixing up the dry spices I knew I wanted it to be a bit more pronounced, and it worked out well.)

Very easy recipe, very easy preparation

Place the tofu slices on several layers of paper towels, and cover with additional paper towels. Let stand for 5 minutes, pressing down occasionally. Cut each tofu slice diagonally into 2 triangles. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup, and level with a knife. Place flour in a shallow dish, and dredge tofu triangles in flour. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add tofu; sauté 3 minutes on each side. Set aside; keep warm. Add onion to pan, and stir-fry 4 minutes. Add the curry, salt, cumin, turmeric, and pepper, and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add tomato, cilantro, and sugar, and stir-fry 2 minutes. Add water and vinegar; bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Cook 2 minutes. Spoon onion sauce over tofu. Serve with rice. I did not have rice, because I just wanted something light to tide me over until my nephew gets here for burrito night!