Tofu with Brussels Sprouts

Alternate titles:

"What to eat when The H isn't home"

"My family and friends' worst nightmare"

"How to make your friends and coworkers think you've truly gone 'round the twist"

Two of the most commonly-feared and misunderstood foods in the same dish? By choice? Awww, yeah. :) That's the kind of stuff this eating machine is made of!

I've been meaning to make this recipe from Katie at Health for the Whole Self for ages now (ok, more like the month-and-a-half since she blogged about it). Today I finally got my chance. Despite a few minor setbacks in the process, the end result was remarkable. I love having a meal that tastes like it cooked for a long time but that really was fast and easy to assemble.

Caramelized Tofu with Brussels Sprouts and Pecans

from Health for the Whole Self (via several other sources)

serves 2 generously

Ingredients:

8oz extra firm tofu, drained, pressed to remove extra liquid, and cut into 1-inch strips

Sea salt

2 tsp olive or peanut oil, divided

2 tsp minced fresh garlic

1/3 cup chopped pecans

3 Tbsp brown sugar

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

1/2 lb Brussels sprouts, cut into ribbons

Instructions:

1. Heat 1 tsp of the oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add tofu and a pinch of salt and cook 5 minutes or until golden brown.

2. Add garlic and pecans; cook for another 2 minutes.

3. Stir in sugar and cook for another 2 minutes.

4. Remove from heat; stir in cilantro, pour into a bowl and set aside to keep warm.

5. Add remaining oil to the skillet and saute the shredded sprouts 3-5 minutes or until just browning at the edges. Add a dash of salt to taste.

6. Divide browned sprouts between two plates; top with tofu-pecan mixture. Serve hot.

My quantities of tofu and sprouts were increased (12oz and 10oz respectively) because I needed to use them up. I substituted sucanat for the brown sugar (2 tablespoons instead of the 3 called for) and used the rest of my dried ground coriander instead of fresh cilantro.

The tofu I used was the kind in a Tetra-Pak box, and even though it said "extra firm" it was not. Even after pressing. It all but fell apart when I tried to brown the second side. I'll try the plastic-boxed refrigerated kind next time.

I was also trying to start dinner at the same time (slow-cooker beef curry over brown rice) and in the process of keeping track of both entrees, managed to cut my left index finger and burn my right hand with hot oil. If I hadn't had to take time out to cool the burn and stop the bleeding (at two separate times, mind you) this would have come together even more quickly than it did. Encouragingly, the tofu stayed hot and my sprouts didn't wilt too much despite being kept warm in the skillet while I first-aided myself. I wish you a safer venture if and when you choose to make this colorful, tasty vegetarian meal!

Brussels Sprouts with Chicken Apple Sausage

Brussels sprouts make me happy. I taught myself to like them, probably over the course of a year and various preparation attempts, and they gradually turned into something I crave. So sad that The H doesn't feel the same, but oh well. More for me. The ones I used for this recipe were from the farmers' market last week, so they were fresh and local. Perfect! I will actually eat this twice today. I made it for lunch, figuring I'd have more time to play with a new recipe in the afternoon (gotta love working from home) and I'll have the leftovers for dinner, after baby is in bed.

The recipe comes from Cara's Cravings, a blog I get a lot of ideas from.

Shredded Brussels Sprouts with Winter Squash and Apple Chicken Sausage

Makes 2 servings

3/4 lb butternut squash, diced

4 tsp olive oil, divided

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 links smoked apple and Chardonnay chicken sausage (Trader Joe's brand is great), sliced

3/4 lb Brussels sprouts

Dash of nutmeg and smoked paprika, to taste

1/2 oz toasted pinenuts

1. Wash, peel, and cube the squash, and microwave in a covered glass dish for 5 minutes on high. (Mine took 4 minutes on 70% power, but I have a NASA-quality nuker, I think.)

2. Meanwhile, wash, trim, and slice the Brussels sprouts into ribbons.

3. Heat half of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add the squash cubes with a dash of salt. Cook a few minutes until nicely browned. Add the chicken sausage and cook another 1-2 minutes, then add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds (this part smells sooo good!). Remove from pan and keep warm.

4. Add the remaining 2 teaspoons of oil to the skillet, turn the heat to medium-high, and add the shredded Brussels sprouts. Season to taste with more salt, nutmeg, and paprika. Cook 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until nicely browned (I added a bit of water to keep the pan from charring; I may have had the heat a bit high). Add squash mixture and toasted nuts, heat through, and serve.

Cara's blog shows the nutritional info for this recipe, so if that interests you click the recipe name above and take a peek.

OK, so remember how I don't like squash? This recipe did its best to change that. It was delicious! I did make a few substitutions based on what I had: a small golden acorn squash instead of butternut, sweet apple sausage instead of smoked apple Chardonnay, and walnuts instead of pinenuts.

The creaminess of the squash surprised me; it really tied the other flavors into a cohesive, comforting fall dish. Nutmeg (not usually a flavor I care for) was a perfect complement to the sweet sausage and other ingredients. I truly cleaned my plate. Next time I might increase the garlic a bit, or add a chopped green onion. It smelled fantastic when it hit the hot pan, but I didn't taste much of that aromatic bite in the finished dish. I'm interested to know if the flavor develops more as it sits in the fridge. Stay tuned for an update (I know, you're on the edge of your seat). I ended my meal with a few squares of extra-dark chocolate.

UPDATE: It was not as drool-worthy as leftovers. The nutmeg was still comforting and the smoky paprika came through better, but the squash was overly squashy and the sprouts were a tad on the wilty side. Plus, I ran out of chicken sausage about halfway through, so that was a bummer. Definitely try to eat this one fresh.