Tofu Bahn Yum-Mi

I have seen the Bahn Mi sandwiches popping up everywhere lately but had yet to try this sweet, salty, tangy, crunchy, delight. All I can say about this sandwich is YUM! It has it all! I know this recipe will be making a regular appearance on the menu. We decided to bake the tofu in this recipe because we were making Roasted Cauliflower with Bang Bang Sauce as a side but you could fry or grill the tofu if you wish. Most recipes call for a Sriracha Mayo on the Bahn Mi but my latest obsession is Trader Joes Green Dragon Sauce and it was the perfect compliment to the ingredients in this sandwich. 

Serves 4

15 oz Extra Firm Tofu

2 Tbs Soy Sauce

1 Tbs Toasted Sesame Oil

1/2 tsp Garlic, granulated

1/2 tsp Ginger, powdered

1/3 C Rice Vinegar

1/4 C Sugar

1/2 Cucumber, thinly sliced

1 Bell Pepper, thinly sliced 

2 Carrots, grated

1/2 Red Onion, thinly sliced

1 Jalapeño, thinly sliced 

1/2 C Cilantro leaves

1/2 C Just Mayo or Veganaise (if vegan)

Sriracha or Trader Joes Green Dragon sauce, to taste

2 crusty baguettes, split and cut into 4" lengths

Slice tofu into 1/2 inch thick rectangles (about 8 slices). Place slices on a few paper towels, top with more paper towels and then a cutting board or sheet pan. Place something heavy on top, I use cookbooks or a gallon of water to help press out the moisture for about 30 minutes. In a shallow dish combine soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic and ginger. When tofu has been pressed place the tofu in the dish coating each side. Let marinade at least 30 minutes or overnight, if you want to prepare it in advance. 

Next combine rice vinegar and sugar in a medium sized bowl, stirring until sugar dissolves. Then add in the grated carrots, sliced cucumber, bell pepper and onion. Let sit at least 30 minutes. (This mixture is good in the fridge for a week or more.)

Preheat oven to 400 and bake tofu for 30 minutes, flipping halfway through. Alternately tofu can be fried in a skillet over medium heat with a bit of oil for about 3 minutes per side. 

While tofu is cooking mix mayo with Sriracha or Green Dragon Sauce, use as much or as little as you like to add heat.

Drain marinade off veggies, set aside.

To build sandwiches spread a little of the mayo mixture on both sides of bread. Top one side with jalapeños, slice of tofu, vegetable mixture, and a sprinkle of cilantro and top with other half of bread. 

Cinnamon Raisin Oat Muffins

Don't you just hate when you can't find a recipe that you want to make? I couldn't find the recipe I was looking for, then the brand new bag of wheat bran I had in the pantry smelled off, so I decided to scrap my original plan and go rogue and I'm glad I did.
These muffin were born from what I had in the pantry and a desire to make them as healthy as possible. No refined sugars or oils here! They came out moist and flavorful, but I found their flavor improved overnight and the orange zest really shined.
Each muffin has 12 grams of fiber and only 10 grams of sugar so they are a healthy and delicious way to start the morning!

Cinnamon Raisin Oat Muffins
Makes 24 

3 oz Unsweetened Apple Sauce (I used one of the toddlers pouches)

3 Eggs

4 Tbs Blackstrap Molasses

1 C Non-fat Greek Yogurt

Zest of an Orange

1 C Orange Juice

2 tsp Cinnamon

2 tsp Baking Soda

1 1/2 C Oats that have taken a quick trip through the food processor to break them up a bit. 

2 C Whole Wheat Flour

1 1/2 C Raisins

Preheat oven to 350. Grease or line 24 muffin cups, set aside. In a large bowl mix together apple sauce, eggs, molasses and orange zest. Then add yogurt and orange juice. In a separate bowl mix together cinnamon, baking soda, flour and oats.  Mix wet and dry ingredients until they just start to come together. Then mix in raisins. Scoop batter into muffin tins about 2/3 full. Bake 18-20 minutes. 

Healthy Super Bowl Snacks

It's Super Bowl Sunday, the day Americans consume more calories than any other day of the year. Crazy right? It's hard to believe that today the average American consumes more calories eating chicken wings and swigging down beers than on Thanksgiving. How can you stay on track while still enjoying the big game? Easy, try a couple of our lightened versions of some Super Bowl standards along with a few helpful hints.

1. Be mindful of portion sizes. You don't have to completely avoid the chips and dips, but standing by the bowl grazing on chips will do some serious damage. Instead  grab a plate and count out your portion of chips. Each chip is about 10 calories, a serving is about 14 chips.

2. Lighten up your dips. Switch out the sour cream in your favorite dip for fat-free Greek Yogurt. You will cut the calories from 60 per 2 tbs for the sour cream to just 16 calories in the yogurt. 

3. Try our Goat Cheese stuffed Jalapeño Poppers. Less than half the calories than the breaded and fried variety and so tasty!

4. Drink lots of water. It's sound advice any day but water helps fill you up and keeps you hydrated when you are drinking alcohol. It also helps prevent the Monday morning hangover you may get from drowning your sorrows or celebrating your teams success.  

5. Serve some veggies. Give yourself and your guests something else to dip. If you are going to mindlessly snack while you watch your teams fantastic season swirl down the toilet in the final quarter, do it on something that won't make you feel worse the next day. 

6. Serve Brownies! Seriously. Try these brownies. They are delightfully fudgie and gluten free!

7.  Crockpot your Chicken Wings. We've been making these Sweet and Spicy Chicken Wings for years. They are so easy to make, stay hot all through the party and are fall off the bone delish. You are saving yourself added fat, and trouble, by not throwing them in the deep fryer.

These simple  hints and recipes will help you stay on track and no one will know you've switched out these Superbowl standards with healthier options.

Goat Cheese stuffed Jalapeño Poppers

Jalapeño Poppers are one of my favorite "bar food", watching football treats but at 70 calories a pop they can really add up and sabotage your day. We created these lightened up little beauties that only weigh in at 30 calories a piece but have way more flavor than their deep fried counterparts. 

Makes 12 poppers

6 Jalapeños, sliced in half lengthwise and seeded

2.5 oz of Soft Goat Cheese (about a 1/4 Cup)

1 Tbs Fat-free Greek Yogurt

1/4 C shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese

Preheat oven to 375. Make a "slotted tray" out of foil to lay on a cookie sheet if you wish, it helps keep the poppers from falling over and the filling from spilling out. Combine goat cheese and yogurt. Spoon filling into each half of jalapeño. Top with cheddar cheese. Bake for about 15 minutes or until jalapeños are soft and cheese is melted.