Book of Yum

When I first met DH, he told me that his favorite food in the world was Chinese food. He was especially fond of this particular Chinese buffet restaurant in his hometown, and would always take any opportunity to suggest it as an outing for his family. He was enamored with their cream cheese wontons, but what really made his heart beat faster was the traditional Chinese-American dish of sesame chicken. Well, then he met me, a little gluten-intolerant vegetarian that could pretty much only have tea and rice at this favorite restaurant. Needless to say, we didn’t end up going there very often. I felt bad getting between DH and his favorite food, so I resolved to learn how to make it. The first really successful recipes I made came from a cookbook called From the Earth: Chinese Vegetarian Cooking. I learned how to make scallion oil and szechuan peppercorn oil, how to make a sauce and thicken it, adding it to crispy wok vegetables at just the right time, and how to prepare those same vegetables before stir frying by blanching or steaming. It was fun exploring Dh’s favorite cuisine along with him- and at last, I understood why people love Chinese food so much. However, I hadn’t really focused on recreating his all time favorite dish, the sesame chicken, in vegetarian, gluten-free form, until the other evening when I saw the Gluten Free Mommy Natalie’s post about sesame chicken. I read the recipe and had to smile at her comment about the high level of sugar… “don’t faint; I am trying to mimic the take-out sesame chicken, so reduce if you feel you must.” I knew EXACTLY what she meant. I’ve done the same thing to replicate that bad for you thrill of Chinese restaurant cuisine- amping up the oil, salt, or sugar when generally I try to reduce all those things ’cause they’re BAD. But sometimes, all you want is an “authentically evil” restaurant dish. Here is my variation inspired by Natalie’s sesame chicken, done vegetarian and with some additional seasonings. And the DH’s reaction? He was completely thrilled, and said about five times “You can make this any time.” When I mentioned that I was thinking about substituting honey for the sugar next time, he protested, saying “No, no, this is perfect. THIS IS PERFECT.” (So firm, so commanding- too bad I’m still trying honey. haha) My enthusiastic DH gave it a 10/10, absolutely shocking me- I mean, I liked it, but that’s the highest rating he’s ever given. So if your family is hungering for this most traditional mainstay of Chinese-American cuisine, why not give my (or Natalie’s) recipe a try?

Like this recipe? Try
Orange Sauce Tofu
Hot and Sour Vegetarian Soup
Chinese Szechuan Brussel Sprouts
Zucchini Brown Fried Rice
Soy Free Chinese Fried Rice

Sesame Tofu Recipe- Vegetarian Sesame Chicken Recipe Main Course  Tofu  Chinese

Ingredients 2 14 oz. firm tofu packages 1/4 cup plus 1 Tablespoon of Braggs OR San-J’s Wheat-Free Tamari Sauce 2 1/2 Tablespoons of rice vinegar plus 1 teaspoon 1 cup GF vegetable stock (I use bullion cubes) 1/2 cup sugar (I’d love to experiment with honey but haven’t yet. DH wants me to “keep it as it is, because it’s perfect!” Boys.) 1/4 cup cornstarch plus 1 tablespoon 2 egg whites, lightly beaten 1/2 cup oil (peanut preferred, if allergies don’t forbid) 2 teaspoons garlic, minced 1 teaspoons ginger, minced 1 1/2 serrano chili, minced 1/4 cup sesame seeds Cooked short grain rice Directions Slice tofu in thirds horizontally and place between towels to drain for 30 minutes. (Or, you can just pat it dry if you’re in a hurry) Cut into bite sized pieces- you may wish to try pieces half the size of those pictured. Measure out 1/4 cup of the tamari sauce, vinegar, and vegetable stock into a medium bowl. Place your tofu pieces in the bowl in the marinade and marinate for 30 minutes or longer. Drain marinade from tofu and reserve. In another bowl, whisk egg whites and cornstarch together until you have a smooth batter. Immerse tofu bites in the batter. Heat oil to medium-high in your wok. Add tofu bites in batter to oil in batches- make sure your tofu has plenty of room or they will stick together. Turn and fry until both sides are golden brown. Remove tofu to a draining rack fitted with paper towels, or put them directly on a plate with paper towels. Discard most of your oil from the wok and strain out any leftover bits. Reduce your heat and add your garlic, ginger, and serrano chilies. Let them sizzle and when the garlic is starting to brown, add your reserved marinade (tamari etc.) and cook it for about fifteen minutes. If you have more than a couple tablespoons of oil left in the wok, discard the remaining oil( leave just a few tablespoons in the wok). Reduce the heat to med. Cook the garlic and pepper pods for about a minute. Then add soy sauce mixture. Increase heat to med-high and cook sauce for about 15 minutes. Then take a little water and whisk in two teaspoons of cornstarch. Slowly whisk into your soy sauce mixture in the pan, let thicken over medium heat, and add in your fried tofu and sesame seeds, combining thoroughly. Enjoy with some tasty rice and a light vegetable salad or stir fry. Yum!

Rating:  8 Original Source:  Inspired by GFMommy’s Sesame Chicken Recipe Recipe ID:  1261 Added:  June 29, 2008 Last Modified:  July 22, 2008

This Fourth of July we went to a local park for a picnic and fireworks with some very special friends. I love packing a picnic lunch for Independence Day, and there are some dishes that have become something of a tradition.

Our 4th of July menu was:
Grilled Sesame Tofu (recipe below)
Summer Vegetable Rolls with Peanut Sauce
Balsamic Honey Grilled Eggplant
and
Gluten-Free Raspberry Almond Financiers (recipe below)

If you look at my post for July 4, 2007 you’ll note that I made peanut sauce last year too, for sesame grilled vegetables. But I also made some new recipes for this year’s feast… like this delightful recipe for Balsamic Honey Grilled Eggplant.

This recipe was a real keeper, and one that I have a feeling I’ll be making a lot in the years to come. DH is skeptical of eggplant, and he seemed to enjoy it- and I couldn’t get enough of the stuff. To me it was like grilled and savory candy (but better).

I also experimented with a recipe from Martha Stewart that I’d been eying for a while. Of course, as written the recipe was full of gluten, gluten, gluten, but I thought it would probably convert reasonably well to be gluten-free. Even though we’re currently packing up our whole house for a move, I deliberately left out my mini-muffin tins just for this recipe. Oh, how I love my mini-muffin tins. Like real muffin tins, but cuter. Anyway, I was thrilled for the opportunity to use up some of the organic, local raspberries I’d been storing in the freezer, and an Indpendence Day Picnic seemed like the perfect time for financiers. Although, to be honest, I didn’t quite know what financiers were. To me they just seemed like little jam-filled-mini muffins.

Luckily, the Joy of Baking was able to enlighten me.

“Financiers are French tea cakes (pronounced fee-nahng-syehr), also known as Friands (meaning “dainty” or “tasty”). They are made from a sponge-like batter of beurre noisette (brown butter), egg whites, flour, toasted ground almonds, and powdered sugar. Financiers are similar to Madeleines in that they both use a sponge-like mixture that is baked in special molds. When baked Financiers are soft and springy with a slightly domed top and a lovely golden brown crust.” (Source: Stephanie Jaworski)

Financiers are a natural for gluten-free conversion, as a good portion of their batter is made with almond flour and eggs, two high protein ingredients that help compensate for any lack of gluten in our flours. Unfortunately commercial varieties will also contain gluten-flour, but you can make them at home with excellent results. As it happens, I converted the recipe to be dairy free, but for a more traditional recipe you could use butter instead of the DF, CF margarine and let the butter brown. This browning of the butter adds great nutty flavor. Just be careful not to burn it! I think traditionally financiers are made in special molds, like madeleines, but home cooks use mini muffin tins very successfully. I knew I was happy I bought that mini-muffin tin!

In Love with Financiers?
Try Gluten-Free Girl’s Chocolate Financier Recipe, brought to you by Smitten Kitten.
Or, an agave-nectar sweetened version of the recipe
An adorable Gluten-Free Apricot Financier Recipe
Or a gluten-free adaption of a Almond Tea Cake Financier Recipe

But food aside, the best thing about any holiday is sharing it with special friends that are your family-away-from-family. Last year we spent it with my favorite adopted “little sister”- and this year we spent it with one of our favorite couples. These are friends that have been with both of us for the long haul, and I hope will always be a part of our life. Happy Fourth of July, everyone! I hope your holiday was absolutely delicious, and that you got to spend it with your very favorite people!

Yummy Grilled Tofu Side Dish  Tofu  American

Ingredients 1 lb of firm tofu (Chinese Style is best for this kind of recipe) 2 tbsp GF soy sauce (preferably San-J Low Sodium Tamari) 1 1/2 tbsp maple syrup 1 Tbsp rice vinegar 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil (we like a Japanese brand) 2 pressed cloves of garlic Directions Drain water from tofu, and cut horizontally in thirds or half. Wrap in towel and leave for 30 minutes or so until water has absorbed into towel. Mix marinade ingredients, and marinate tofu for at least 30 minutes. If possible, grill, if not, broil or pan fry. Makes a wonderful protein addition to salads, sandwich fillings, and perfect with rich rice dishes like risotto. Notes I’ve been making this recipe for years and it always goes over very well at parties. Very flavorful and easy. Can be doubled for a crowd. You may wish to brush or spray grill with oil, as the tofu can stick.

Rating:  8 Original Source:  Vegan Vittles Recipe ID:  1036 Added:  March 14, 2007 Last Modified:  July 6, 2008

Gluten-Free Raspberry Almond Financiers Dessert  Alternative Grains  European

Ingredients 8 tbsp. dairy free margarine like Earth Balance 1/3 cup honey (I like raw honey) 2 cups finely ground almonds (I use Trader Joe’s or you can grind your own) 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1/4 cup sifted confectioners’ sugar 1/4 cup finely ground brown rice flour (like Authentic Foods’) 1/4 cup sweet (white) rice flour 1/4 cup tapioca starch 1/2 tsp salt 5 lg. egg whites (you can probably veganize this by using 3-4 Ener-g foods egg replacer eggs, soy yogurt, or flax seed eggs) 1 cup raspberries (if frozen, defrost first), pureed and strained (not strained is ok if you don’t mind seeds) Directions Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray two mini muffin tins with GF nonstick cooking spray. Melt your margarine in a small saucepan on medium-low heat, whisking occasionally and heating for 6-7 minutes. At the end, whisk in your honey and let it combine thoroughly. Put your ground almonds, sugars, flour, and salt in a standing mixer (or large bowl) and whisk together on low. Turn up the speed to medium-high and add your egg whites (or egg replacer eggs) one at a time, combining each one thoroughly until adding the next. Use a spatula to make sure all the ingredients on the side of the bowl integrate with the rest of the ingredients. Lower mixer speed to low and add your warm honey-margarine (whisk quickly first to make sure it hasn’t separated) in one long, continuous stream. Turn up speed to high for 45 seconds. Fill your mini muffin tins half full. Then take a scant 1/2 tsp of your raspberry puree and pull up a little of the batter with a knife, dribbling the puree in and then settling the batter over the top to make a raspberry heart shape. Or, just make a little jam circle on the top if the heart is too much effort. Bake for 7 minutes or so, turn your rack around and bake another 7 minutes. Cool on a wire rack and enjoy! Notes Another cute little mini-muffin, er, I mean financier, recipe!

Rating:  7 Original Source:  Modified from Martha Steward Living to be dairy and GF Recipe ID:  1264 Added:  July 6, 2008 Last Modified:  July 7, 2008