Lemon-herb tofu, kale and white beans, tomato caper couscous.

City girl just mowed a lawn, so I am covered in grass and feeling pretty good about the world.  I may or may not have done a triumphant fist pump when completing the task.  Look, life has been fairly shitty of late so allow me these small rural victories.

Cooked this for my friend and neighbour last night.  Then we played Quiddler and watched The Artist. Despite everything I am finding happiness.

Lemon Herb Tofu

Fantastic lemony flavor, and the salty edge of the soy sauce somehow bakes out. Excellent on pasta or salad.
This one can be baked uncovered.

• 1 cake firm tofu (about 16 oz)
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 3 Tbsp soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp dried herbs such as rosemary, dill, or oregano (I use 1 1/2 tsp rosemary, plus 1/2 tsp oregano)
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 2-3 garlic cloves, minced (optional)

White beans and kale

Servings: 4

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil
¼ cup celery, chopped fine
¼ cup fresh tomato, chopped
2 cups cooked and drained cannellini beans (or any white beans)
1 head kale, de-stemmed and coarsely chopped
¼ cup chopped sundried tomatoes reconstituted in olive oil
3 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes
1 teaspoon red chili flakes
¼ cup vegetable broth or water
 salt and pepper to taste

Directions

In a frying pan, sauté celery in olive oil over medium heat, stirring frequently. Let cook about 5 minutes until tender and add chopped fresh tomato, vegetable broth, and white beans. Cover and reduce heat, letting simmer for another 5 minutes.

Now is a good time to prepare your kale.

Add nutritional yeast, red pepper flakes, and kale, mixing well. Cover and cook until kale is wilted and bright green—being careful not to overcook it. Add chopped sundried tomatoes and stir well.

TOMATO CAPER COUSCOUS

Ingredients

28 oz can diced tomatoes
1 1/2 cups whole wheat couscous (uncooked)
2 tbs. olive oil
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp ground cloves (optional)
Generous pinch cayenne pepper
2 tbs capers, drained

Directions

In a medium bowl, strain the juice from the tomatoes to measure 1.5 cups of juice, squeezing as much as possible to remove excess liquid. Discard any remaining juice; if not enough juice is available to total 1.5 cups, add either vegetable broth or water. Gently crush any large chunks of tomatoes and set aside.
Combine the juice, olive oil and oregano in a medium saucepan. Cover and bring to a boil. Stir continuously and add the couscous in a steady stream. Quickly stir in the salt, cayenne and cloves. Stir to combine, turn off heat, cover pan and allow to sit for 5 minutes, or until the liquid is absorbed.

Meanwhile, fold the tomatoes and capers into the couscous, and allow to sit for 2 to 3 minutes to warm the tomatoes.

Serving Size: 4 servings

Wild seaweed salad.

It is baking hot here and we are sweltering (including the pooch).  Only thing for it is baked tofu, salted cucumber and wild seaweed salad.  See you on the other side (of the heatwave).

Wild Seaweed Salad Recipe

I used wild nori here, but feel free to experiment with different types of seaweed - also, feel free to play with the amount of seaweed you use, I could certainly imagine using more in this particular salad.You can make certain components ahead of time - the dressing and tofu, and the rice.

1 cup of loosely packed (wild) nori seaweed
12 ounces extra-firm nigari tofu

Grated zest of 1 lemon
Fresh ginger, cut into a 1-inch cube, peeled, and grated
2 tablespoons honey
scant 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
3/4 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup unseasoned brown-rice vinegar
1/3 cup shoyu sauce (wheat-free soy sauce)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

2 medium shallots, finely chopped
2 cups pecans, toasted
1 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves/stems, chopped
6 cups cooked wild rice

Preheat your oven to 300F degrees. Toast the nori for 7-10 minutes, or until crisp. Let cool for a few minutes, crumble and set aside.

Drain the tofu, pat it dry, and cut it into rectangles roughly the size of your thumb (½ inch thick and 1 inch long). Cook the tofu in a dry nonstick (or well-seasoned) skillet over medium-high heat for a few minutes, until the pieces are browned on one side. Toss gently once or twice, then continue cooking for another minute or so, until the tofu is firm, golden, and bouncy. Leave the tofu like this, or cut into strips, or cubes (whatever you like). Set aside.

In the meantime, make the dressing by combining the zest, ginger, honey, cayenne, and salt in a food processor (or use a hand blender) and process until smooth. Add the lemon juice, rice vinegar, and shoyu, and pulse to combine. With the machine running (or by hand), drizzle in the oils. Set aside.

In a large bowl, just before serving toss the shallots, pecans, cilantro, crumbled seaweed, and wild rice with a generous amount of the dressing. Mix well and add the cooked tofu. Toss (gently) again, taste, add more dressing (and a bit of salt) if needed, and serve family-style.