Healthy Twists

Happy July 1! I know I’m getting older because I’ve turned into one of those people who keep saying things like, “HOW is it July already?” I don’t even have anything all that exciting going on right now, and time is flying by.

Anyone doing anything fun this weekend? My agenda includes things like: running 6 miles, hopefully making it to the gym, going shopping for decorating stuff (I am DETERMINED to re-do our bedroom. It’s so blah and boring and I know it could be so much more, which will be interesting since my decorating budget is, oh, $15 or so), buying new running shoes, and hopefully spending some lazy time with the boy and the pup.

Like a few other bloggers, I was sent a TofuXpress (for free, thanks!) to review. I was really looking forward to trying it out, because while I love love tofu, I don’t like all the waste I create by pressing and draining the tofu between paper towels. And I don’t like the texture if it’s not pressed, so I was excited about the idea of a more eco-friendly way to get the water out.

Here’s the tofu I usually buy. It’s like, $1.19. So cheap and versatile! And “healthy and nutritious,” according to the packaging, at least

I also like how the TofuXpress takes up little room in the fridge (that I need to clean…whoops) compared to my old method of cutting board + tofu + three heavy cookbooks.

This was all the water after pressing for maybe 10 hours (the instructions say it needs an hour but you can press it longer if desired). I was expecting more water, so I’m wondering if I didn’t use the press correctly, or maybe there just wasn’t that much water in the “extra-firm” variety.  I did, however, love that the tofu wasn’t lopsided like it is when I press it myself.

I cut and then marinated the tofu in some low-sodium tamari for about ten minutes. It soaked the tamari right up, which I think was due to the pressed texture. Then, I stir-fried the slices in 1 tsp of canola oil until browned. The texture came out great; the tofu was crispy on the outside and not mushy inside like it can be sometimes. For fun, I tried coating with about 1/2 tbsp cornstarch before cooking so I don’t know if that affected the texture as well. I think it was mostly the TofuXpress, honestly.

The rest of my stir fry included usual suspects: 1 tsp sesame oil, zucchini, onion, cabbage, Sriarcha, and lots of chopped cilantro. Although it looks greasy, I used maybe 1 tbsp of oil for the whole stir-fry, as I was saving the fat calories for the side dish. We’ve had uncooked egg rolls (homemade, from Mitch’s stepmom) in the freezer for awhile, so I busted out the “frying oil” and fried  them up. I have tried baking them and that was a big giant fail. So tonight I skipped rice or noodles in favor of some grease. It happens sometimes. And these egg rolls are amazing, I think it’s because they are made with love (and shrimp). For dinner, I tried to compensate by taking a smaller portion of tofu than I normally would have (despite what the photo may have you think; it’s mostly veggies), and I felt satisfied but not stuffed.

Beat THAT, Chinese take-out! I could eat stir-fry every single week and be a happy gal (Mitch, not so much, but what can ya do). And I have leftovers for lunch today!

I may have asked this before, but what’s you’re favorite “make at-home” takeout? For me it’s Asian, or when Mitch makes guacamole fajitas or tacos (which I don’t consider “real” Mexican but I know others do). If I want something like pizza, Indian, or sushi, I’m probably going out.

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