Yellow Tofu Curry

I made a delicious dish last night. It's a yellow curry, which is the least spicy of the thai curries, and was made using a yellow curry sauce from my local gourmet food store (read - Trader Joe's).
Ingredients:
1 yellow pepper
2 red peppers
1 onion
1/2 block tofu
flour
Frozen or canned pineapple (or fresh)
Vegetable oil
1/2 bottle Trader Joe's Yellow Thai Curry Sauce

Equipment:
Vidalia Chop Wizard (or vegetable knife)
knife and cutting board
paper towels or dishtowel
frying pan
wok
shallow plastic dish to hold flour to coat tofu

Procedure:

1. Chop vegetables.
   
2. Cut tofu into 1 inch cubes.
   
3. Coat tofu lightly with flour.
   
4. Heat approx. 2-3 tablespoons vegetable oil in frying pan.
   
5. Fry tofu until cripsy and brown on all sides.
   
6. Drain on paper towels/dish towel. Set aside.
   
7. Heat small amount of oil (1tbsp) in wok.
   
8. Add onions. Cook until transparent.
   
9. Add peppers. Cook until light red instead of bright red.
10. Add sauce.
    
11. Add tofu.
    
12. Stir until coated and heated.
    

Can be served over rice or noodles.

Cupcake fat replacement

Last night I made applesauce cupcakes - that is cupcakes with applesauce instead of oil. I made a half batch, so just twelve, which is too many as it is. But they came out delicious and fluffy, which has been a problem in the past.
This time, I replaced the full amount of oil with an equal amount of applesauce. I had read somewhere to only use half as much applesauce, but that's not going to work as well. So I was making a half batch, so I used a half of a third of a cup (I love my OXO measuring cups that have half markings on them!) of applesauce. I also used egg whites, two egg whites instead of one and a half eggs. I whipped them up with the mixer for about a minute until they were at that almost ready to fluff stage, but not peaking or anything. I think this contributed to the fact that the cupcakes were not as dense as they were the last time.
I used the full half-cup of water. They say sometimes to reduce the water when using applesauce, but I didn't and it was fine.
Using unsweetened applesauce and egg whites takes out most of the fat from the recipe, and they taste just like normal cupcakes that you might make from mix. I was using white cake mix, and you really can't taste the difference.

Low-Fat Chocolate Chip Cookies
I tried making these as the recipe I found, but they were very dry, so I added an extra egg white. The mini chocolate chips make it easier to distribute the chocolate widely.

• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 egg whites
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1/3 cup miniature chocolate chips

Equipment:
Mixer
2 bowls
Measuring cups.
Oven at 350

Procedure:

1. Cream sugars and butter together using mixer.
   
2. Add egg whites and vanilla.
   
3. In a separate bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt.
   
4. Add dry ingredients 1/3 at a time, mixing thoroughly.
   
5. Place on a greased cookie sheet 2 inches apart.
6. Bake for 8 minutes.
   

Creamy Potatoes Au Gratin

You can tell I have something due when I make two posts in one day.
Here is the recipe for creamy au gratin potatoes - comes from AllRecipes.com with a few tweaks.
You'll notice it is actually very similar to my macaroni and cheese.

Ingredients:

• 4 russet potatoes, sliced into 1/4 inch slices (best when sliced with a mandoline slicer)
  
• 1 onion, sliced into rings
• salt and pepper to taste
• garlic powder to taste
  
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups milk
• 1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

Oven Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Butter a 1 quart casserole dish.
2. Layer 1/2 of the potatoes into bottom of the prepared casserole dish. Top with the onion slices, and add the remaining potatoes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. In a medium-size saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Mix in the flour and salt, and stir constantly with a whisk for one minute. Stir in milk. Cook until mixture has thickened. Stir in cheese all at once, and continue stirring until melted, about 30 to 60 seconds. Pour cheese over the potatoes, and cover the dish with aluminum foil.
4. Bake 1 1/2 hours in the preheated oven.

Slow Cooker Procedure

If you have an oval slow cooker, this will work very well. Just layer the potatoes and onions. If you have a round slow cooker, try layering some of the potatoes and onions and then adding some cheese mixture, then more potatoes and onions, then more cheese.

I like to add some cheese on top too.
Consider sprinkling some bread crumbs on top for maximum deliciousness!

Beer Food

For all sporting events, there is beer and meat. So what could be better then combining beer with meat to simmer for 12-14 hours and be delicious?

This is a recipe that the Boyfriend used for our superbowl pulled pork, which was wildly popular and smelled amazing.

Buy a Boston Butt or Pork Picnic Shoulder and trim off most of the outer fat layer. Place the meat in a crock pot with 3 cans of your favorite beer and some water (enough to cover the meat about ¾ of the way). Add about a cup and a half of minced onions (I use dried) with some salt and pepper. Cook the pork for 12-14 hours on low. Drain off all the liquid, pull the bone out (it will slide out), mix it (even a spoon will shred it at this point) and add as much BBQ sauce as you want. If you want a smoky flavor add a tablespoon of liquid smoke. More flavor? Just add your favorite spice rub to taste. Serve on hamburger rolls.

The recipe is posted from here, http://www.3eyzbbq.com/recipes.htm

Ode to my Slow Cooker (mashed sweet potatoes).

I purchased a 6 quart slow cooker last fall before thanksgiving to better manage the stress of the holidays. It is wonderful for all sorts of things, from mashed sweet potatoes with marshmallows on top to barbeque pulled pork. The best thing about it is that it has low, high, and keep warm settings.
The recipe for mashed sweet potatoes is easy and straightforward, and perfect for February with its dark days.
Ingredients

1. 3-4 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed.
   
2. cinnamon
3. 1/2 cup applesauce
4. 1/2 cup brown sugar
   
5. 1/3 cup raisins (optional)
   
6. mini-marshmallows

Equipment

1. 6 quart slow cooker

Procedure

1. Peel and cube potatoes
2. Put in slow cooker (greased with butter or oil).
   
3. Add applesauce, brown sugar, and raisins.
   
4. Stir together.
   
5. Allow to cook for 6-8 hours on low, 4-6 on high.
   
6. Top with mini-marshmallows about 20 minutes before serving.
   

If the potatoes are looking too runny/liquidy, remove the lid and turn the heat up to high to cook off the liquid. Then add marshmallows.

Finals

So the reason, dear readers, all one of you (hi Mark!) is because this past August, I entered law school. And since my contract with those of you in readerland is illusory, I am not bound to post and thus, I did not much.
I also did not cook much. The cooking triumphs I experienced this semester were few and far between. The relationship triumph of having my boyfriend make dinner a lot of the time? That was a nice triumph. We've tried a lot of new recipes, especially for the slow cooker - if you are going to go to graduate school, invest in a slow cooker. It will change your life and you will never order takeout again. We also recently bought a wok and have been discovering the beauty of stir-fry. (Which is a manly thing to do, so men, wok it up. It's the indoor barbecue.)
So - a few cooking triumphs, with recipes to come:
1) Roasted red pepper risotto.
2) Potatoes au gratin (can be made either slow cooker or in the oven).
3) Mini - pineapple upside down cakes.

But the real reason for this post is its finals time. As in, I'm procrastinating. That's right. Although not by cooking as much as I used to. In law school, there isn't time to cook to procrastinate!
But finals requires a different eating schedule. During finals, you feed your mind. I'm always hungry while I study - I eat constantly. How can that possibly be healthy? It's not. Try to pick the highest volume lowest calorie snacks. Popcorn is good. Grapes are great. Oranges are a little juicy but not bad. A granola bar will not make you feel better about life, skip it. Small chocolate covered things are good, as long as you buy them in small packages. Get ones covered in dark chocolate - more antioxidants.
Also consider the smoothie. A morning smoothie with a healthy chunk of protien powder? mmmm!
Buy frozen berries, milk, and vanilla yogurt. Get some chocolate or vanilla whey protien powder, and use as much as you're comfortable with. This normally comes in giant containers, so I'll let you know when I find it in small, manageable sizes. Put in blender or mini-food processor. I actually recommend the mini food processor if you are only making one serving - less mess.
Blend.
Pour into cup. Enjoy. Blend to your own preferred thickness - straw, spoon, or sip.