Parsnip and Leek Salad with Tofu

I recently realized that I never really introduced my boyfriend around here. He has been the boyfriend for far too long, he has a name, too. So from now on I'll just call him Michael here. (I actually call him Michi, but that's probably a bit difficult to pronounce for anyone not from Switzerland, so let's stick with Michael on this blog).

Yesterday, Michael and I put on our hiking boots, took the train to Solothurn and hiked up the local mountain there, the Weissenstein. The first hour or so we were still below the fog and then in the middle of it. We thought we were out of it every few minutes, until we finally saw rays of light between the trees. Walking into the sun, from under the fog, that makes me think 1) of Plato and 2) an old cliche, but it truly is not just a cliche or a lovely metaphor. Getting out of the literal fog out there, really helped me clear my mind, lift the fog in my brain, so that today I can go back to work and think for once in a while.
We had a late lunch in the sun, hiked up to the top and were rewarded with this view.

And as a gentle reminder that things are real, I burnt my nose in the hour or so of sunlight we had.

Today we are back down below the fog, and back in the kitchen.

This salad was our lunch today. Crunchy radish, soft and squeaky leek and some of the parsnip that did not end up in the soup I made earlier this week, all bound together with a very simple lime-mustard vinaigrette. It made a light and delicioius lunch, and I'd have loved to take some of it to work as lunch the next days but none was leftover.

Brussels Sprouts, Celery and Chard with Tofu

There are very few things that I did not like to eat when I was a kid. (A fact that is probably related to my mothers insisting on us eating everything she cooked, no matter what). So I liked most things that landed on my plate, expect for a period of time when I did not like beets, the phase of aversion against a salad called Chinese cabbage here, and the Brussels sprouts I was only confronted with when I visited my great grandmother together with my grandma.
There are only a few things I remember of her. She spent the last few years suffering from Alzheimer's, unable to talk or to recognize her daughters. But years before that, I sometimes went to visit her, together with the grandmother I wrote about last week. And one thing I distinctly remember is the small of boiled Brussels sprouts wafting all through her apartment. Still to this day, Brussels sprouts remind me of her and the house she lived in with its garden and the girls in the neighbourhood I used to play with.
I did not like Brussels sprouts back then, but thanks to my boyfriend, I came to really like them. Sautéed until slightly crispy, drizzled with a little maple syrup, they are completely different from the Brussels sprouts I was served in this apartment all those years ago. Maybe you never like them, either. But they are a totally different vegetable when not cooked to death, still crunchy in some places, caramelized in others, sweet and salty at the same time.

Tofu Cutlets or Nuggets

Inbetween working and working, I wanted to just come here and tell you about these tofu cutlets. Because you have to know. They are nothing new, I did not reinvent the wheel, or tofu cutlets, but I just tried them to today, and my world view shifted. And yours will too, if you try these, especially if you dont like tofu, usually. You see, these are nothing like tofu, or at least nothing like the tofu I usually prepare. Which I like, honestly. but many people maybe don't. No matter how much you try to infuse the tofu with flavor, it stays a bit flavorless in the center. This approach changes everything.

There are quite a few steps to it, but you'll end up with tofu cutlets with a juice center, flavored by the broth you cooked them in, but oh so crunchy outside. But maybe you should go and try them yourself.
And maybe next them I'll cut them smaller and use them to make a great tofu sweet and sour.

Warm Farro Salad with Eggplant, Zucchini and Tofu

I have the interesting habit of carrying cookbooks with me and reading them like "real" books. And I dont me memoir style cookbooks with one or two recipes thrown in between lots of writing. I love to read recipes, and their discriptions. To look at the pictures, too, but I found myself doing this even with books that have little photographs inside.

Today I had Isa Chandra Moskowitz' Appetite for Reduction with me, and on my one hour commute to work and back I read the whole book from front to back. Reading cookbooks always leaves me hungry, and inspired, too.
While today's recipe was inspired by Appetite for Reduction, there is no particular recipe that I adapted from it. Rather I was inspired to use less oil in my cooking than I usually do, and I was surprised that it actually really worked well.
Cooking eggplant usually involves lots of oil, it can soak it all up with no problem. And preparing tofu usually involved more oil than I wanted to admit, too. Not anymore, I was really happy how this all turned out and how the resulting salad was that much lighter and fresher than it would have been otherwise.

The leftovers are going to come to work with me tomorrow, just take it out of the fridge at least an hour before you plan on eating it, grain salads are much better at room temperature than cold, IMHO.

Spring Rolls with Coffee Tofu and Miso-Marinated Carrots

Today I felt a bit off. I didn't plan much for the easter holidays and found the prospect of just sitting around stressed me out. This weekend, the weather is pretty bad: it is cold, it rains, it is just gloomy.
I spent the day inside, paying some bills I put off paying (no wonder I felt stressed out), cleaning a bit, putting things where they belong. I washed my clothes (another thing I put off doing this week), baked some bread, and by the afternoon I felt a lot better.

I also made these spring rolls. They were inspired by the Wintery Spring Rolls from 101cookbooks and these soy-glazed roasted carrot spring rolls from Naturally Ella. And by Joy the Baker and her coffee bacon.

Making cute food, that takes some time to make, always relaxes me.

Seared Bean Sprouts with Tofu and Sesame Orange Sauce

It always makes me a bit sad when people tell me that they can't cook. They are often people who love to eat, but are intimidated by the kitchen and the contents of their fridge. 

We often seem to think that some people are just born with it - it being a talent for drawing, painting, writing, photography, or cooking. I used to think that way, too. I tried many things, always looking for the one thing I was inherently good at. Oh well, what a waste of time it was. 

I learnt a lot in the last year of blogging and cooking and living. I learnt how to cook tofu, because you really can't just treat it like it is meat. I learnt that I can live with less pasta in my life. I learnt that I can change things up in recipes for baked goods, too. I learnt that pistachio seed oil makes everything heavenly (if only it wasn't that expensive). And I still have so much to learn and to explore. Wonderful.

I really hope the Food Matters Project can show some people how easy it is to adapt a recipe. Make it yours.

This weeks recipe,  Seared Bean Sprouts with Beef and Sesame Orange Sauce, was chosen by Dominica from Wine Food Love. Go over to her post to check out the original recipe, and to the Food Matters Project homepage to find all the other takes on this recipe. It is a really easy recipe, but the way I prepare the tofu takes a bit more time than the original version with beef. You could omit the additional step and just marinate the tofu in a bit of the sesame orange sauce for some time in the fridge.

Penne with Tofu and Cauliflower

I haven't been to active in the last days here because I've got a lot to do for university. However, I still need to eat and I did cook some things I might post later on. This is just a quick post about yesterdays dinner.