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    Sometimes I come up with recipes

Life Lately

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I have some amazing blog posts in the works, but other aspects of my life have been taking over.  Shall we discuss them in a random rambling list?

    • As I was preparing to return to work full time after the baby (I had been working for them part time since she was 4 weeks old), my boss had me come in because he needed to lay me off.  It was purely financial and I’ll get a great recommendation from him, but the timing wasn’t great.  Come to think of it, when is a layoff ever timed right.  I’m excited about exploring other opportunities and getting more time with my daughter, but my mind has been on finding a new job more than playing around on my hobby.

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  • As I was polishing off my resume and submitting it to sites, I got sick.  I got sick enough that the coughing made me lose my voice.  Little A didn’t seem to get sick.  I was sick for the better part of a week.  Hubby has it now, lets hope he doesn’t drag on like I have.
  • I have been in kind of a funk athletically since Little A was born.  I just don’t care that much about training.  Other moms of the world, I get it now.  The last thing you want to do once the baby is in bed is get in a workout.  So I went ahead and signed up for one of those crazy obstacle races.  You know, a half marathon on a mountain requiring that you go through 25 or so obstacles? Why yes, I am slightly crazy.  I’m hoping that the race will get me to want to train again.

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  • I’m a little hesitant to share Little A’s medical details on the blog because she deserves privacy.  But I was relived to find out last week that a minor health issue would likely resolve itself and if it didn’t (only a 15% chance) they wouldn’t fix it until she was 3 years old.  It’s actually so minor that in males they wouldn’t even bother surgically repairing it.
  • I plan on visiting my college professors to ask if I can do some guest lecturing when they need someone to fill in.  I want to be able to get a job as an adjunct professor in the future, so I need to get some lecturing experience.
  • I’m behind on posting my daily pictures, but I’m proud to say the streak is still going strong.

Hopefully I’ll find a new job soon and I’ll be able to get in a routine where my posts are somewhat predictably spaced.

Miso Baked Tofu

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We all know that unseasoned tofu is a little boring.  It doesn’t have much flavor and this is why tofu is often used in dishes with very flavorful sauces.

It’s also has an unpleasant texture to most omnivores.  It is somewhat mushy and gelatinous.

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While baking tofu only slightly improves the texture, marinating it significantly improves the taste.  To save time in the evening, set your tofu to marinate before leaving for work in the morning.  In the evening, drain the marinate and set aside and bake the tofu in the same baking dish.  Baste tofu regularly during cooking time.

Miso Ginger Baked Tofu

by Miriam Wilcox

Prep Time: 60 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Keywords: bake entree vegan vegetarian tofu

Ingredients (Serves 2-4)

  • 1 block firm tofu (14-16 oz)
  • 1 cup water
  • 1/4 cup miso paste
  • 2 tablespoons agave nectar
  • 2 tablespoon minced ginger
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 2 tablespoon ume plum vinegar

Instructions

Drain block of tofu, slice in 4 slices lengthwise.

Mix remaining ingredients in a bowl. Mix until miso paste is completely dissolved.

Put tofu slices in a baking dish to marinate. Pour marinade over tofu slices. Marinade for at least one hour.

Preheat the oven to 375F.

Drain most of the marinade from the baking dish, set aside.

Bake tofu for 15-20 minutes. Flip tofu and base again with marinade. Bake another 15-20 minutes.

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Baked tofu is an excellent way to use tofu as a main course.  There are so many variations of marinade possible too.

Tahini-Cumin Massaged Kale

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“You want me to do what?”

“Give the kale a little massage.”

“A massage?”

“Yeah, stick your hands in the bowl, rub and squeeze the kale until it’s a little more tender”

“Why would I do that?”

“It makes raw kale edible as a salad green”

Ladies and Gentlemen, little did I know that massage was the secret to Kale.  I never understood why so many vegan bloggers had blogs named after kale.  There’s only so much one can do to sing the praises of a vegetable.  Kale practically had a cult following it. 

While I’m more of a fan of broccoli, I’ve come to appreciate kale over the last few years.  But I always enjoyed my kale cooked… until recently when I learned about massage.

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Kale massage doesn’t have to be complicated and it helps really get the dressing into every little nook and cranny.  Just remember to wear gloves while doing it if you are cooking for a crowd, because you really have to manhandle the leaves.

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The dressing I came up with is really one of countless variation of tahini, ginger, cumin, garlic and oil.  Feel free to experiment with your own tastes.  I find this combination tastes a little like my go to hummus recipe.

Tahini-cumin Massaged Kale Salad

by Miriam Wilcox

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Keywords: raw blender salad vegetarian vegan kale

Ingredients (Serves 3-4)

  • 1 bunch of kale, ripped off stems
  • 1 cup seedless grapes, halved

dressing

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 4 tablespoons water
  • 4 tablespoons tahini
  • 1 tablespoons agave nectar or honey
  • 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon ginger, minced
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice

Instructions

Rip kale leaves off the rough stems. Discard stems.

In a blender mix dressing ingredients. Blend until well mixed.

Add dressing to the kale, using your hands (gloved if preparing for others), massage the dressing into the kale for 1-2 minutes.

Add the grapes to the kale mixture (grapes may fall to the bottom of the bowl so can be added after serving).

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I did really like this dressing kale combination with a single simple fruit to add a slight sweet taste.  It would probably work well with any berries or melons you have on hand, and it would be great for you.

 

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Unrelated to the recipe I hope my blog renovations are not inconveniencing people too much.  I only have a little time every evening to work on it.  I’ve been pretty terrible at promoting my posts because I would rather post and work on blog redesign than link up all over the place.  Feel free to leave me constructive criticism a I change things around.  And hopefully I’ll get around to promoting my posts properly again someday.