Asian – Page 3 – The Celiathlete

November 15, 2013

Recipe: Gluten-Free Sweet-and-Sour Tofu with Bok Choy

Bok Choy.

It seems to be a seasonal favorite of my CSA bin as of late. For two weeks in a row, it has been one of the components of my bin. Now, normally I would simply make a stir-fry out of it…but I’ve been attempting to expand on my culinary skills a little. Step a little outside the comfort zone. Do something…different.

I think I accomplished that last night when I cooked up a meal inspired by the blog Big Girls Small Kitchen. I had all the components on hand in my pantry and fridge…including the bok choy and tofu.

What emerged was a fantastic meal that really worked together. I served mine over basmati rice…which I cooked up while I was working on the rest of the dish as well. It was a fantastic meal and not too difficult to create either.

Recipe: Gluten-Free Sweet-and-Sour Tofu with Bok Choy

Servings: 2
Time: Prep 10 minutes; Cook 20 minutes

Ingredients:

6 ounces firm tofu
2 tablespoons flour (I used Better Batter Gluten-Free All Purpose Flour)
Pinch salt
2 tablespoons safflower, grapeseed, or other neutral oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon grated ginger (I used 1 teaspoon ground ginger)
1 tablespoon grated garlic (3 cloves)
Sriracha
2 bunches baby bok choy, rinsed, trimmed and cut into bite-sized pieces
3 scallions, white and green parts chopped and separated (I substituted 1/2 a white onion)

Directions:

Cut the tofu into slices about 1 inch thick. Press the water out of the slices, then cut them into 1-inch square cubes. In a baggie or on a wide plate, toss the tofu with the flour and salt until all the pieces have a thin coating.

Mix the lemon juice, honey, soy sauce, sriracha, garlic and ginger in a small bowl. Add 1 tablespoon water.

In a frying pan, warm the oil. In one layer, brown the tofu (in two batches if your pan is small), about 4 minutes per side.

Return all the tofu to the pan if you browned it in two batches.

Put in the onions and the crunchy part of the bok choy and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the green leaves and cook 1 more minute.

Add the sauce.

Bring the tofu to a boil, then lower the heat and let is simmer until the sauce has reduced and coats the tofu thickly, about 10 minutes.

~*~*~

I was so happy with the way this meal turned out. The tofu was perfectly cooked, the flour giving it this slight texture to it, even after cooking in the sauce. The bok choy and onion, along with the sauce brought this amazing flavor to every component. I loved this sauce. It smelled amazing and it had the perfect balance of sweet and sour…nothing overpowering the other.

This meal is a great source of protein. As I said, I served mine over a serving of basmati rice…and it was delicious. This meal was so easy to put together and cook…perfect for those nights where you don’t want to spend all night in the kitchen cooking up dinner.

November 7, 2013

Product Review: Star Anise Foods Happy Pho – Garlic Goodness Vietnamese Brown Rice Pho Noodle Soup

Star Anise Foods Happy Pho Garlic Goodness Vietnamese Brown Rice Noodle Soup — Star Anise Foods Happy Pho Garlic Goodness – Vietnamese Brown Rice Noodle Soup

Product: Star Anise Foods Happy Pho – Garlic Goodness Vietnamese Brown Rice Pho Noodle Soup – $3.49+

Splurges happen.

For real.

And for me…splurges tend to happen when food is involved. Mainly…grocery shopping. Something catches my eye, peeks my interest, and before you know it, the plan to stick to the already tight budget is out the window and I’m scraping by the rest of the week. But it’s okay…because I have food. Right?

Sure.

Well, a splurge happened this past weekend. I was wandering the aisles of Whole Foods, which already is a dangerous thing, when my roomie spotted these little brown boxes. The words “PHO” caught her attention first. Followed by “GLUTEN-FREE.” Now we’re talking. She’s been wanting to have pho for a long, long while…but…I just don’t know of where to go in Louisville to make that happen for her. Instead…we figured this might be a good way to use up some of the produce and make our own version of a pho. And why not? If you can’t get creative in the kitchen…there’s no point to having one.

The product we spotted was by Star Anise Foods. It’s called Happy Pho, and it comes in three different flavors. We chose the Garlic Goodness Vietnamese Brown Rice Pho Noodle Soup. We figured we’d eventually try them all…if the one we tried was any good. Cathy loves garlic…so I had a feeling that would be the one to start us off.

Instead…with a little refrigerator magic…and a Organic Vegetarian Pho Base by Pacific Natural Foods (which was in my pantry, swear to the culinary gods!), this splurge of a purchase became tonight’s dinner. And tomorrows lunch for that matter.

Let’s talk a little bit about this product though. First of all, Star Anise Foods Happy Pho – Garlic Goodness Vietnamese Brown Rice Pho Noodle Soup is not only gluten-free, but also non-GMO, low in sodium, contains no MSG, made from 100% brown rice with organic green tea, vegan, all natural, made with organic ingredients, fat-free, wheat-free, egg-free, dairy-free, free from artificial colors and preservatives. It’s ALL NATURAL, my little pho babies!!

One serving is 1/2 the packet, which my roommate and I stretched out into 4 meals, so we’re only eating 1/4 of the packet each. Regardless, a regular serving will provide you with 222 calories. A serving only has 190 mg of sodium, which is amazing for a shelf-stable, packaged product. The Garlic Goodness variety of Happy Pho also will has 1 gram sugar, 3 grams of fiber, and 4 grams of protein. That’s really good!!

To make my pho…I pan fried up some thinly sliced tofu. While the pho starter came to a boil, I added the packet of seasoning that comes with the noodles and allowed it to blend with the pho starter. I then sliced up some bok choy (compliments of my CSA bin) and put it into the broth. Once the tofu was nearing completion, in went the brown rice noodles to soften up in the hot soup base. As the noodles finished up, I poured the tofu in to warm and…dinner was easily served.

And…OMG…was it ever good!! I mean super good. As in I make a mean vegetarian pho thanks to Star Anise Foods and their Happy Pho starter kits. Honestly. I was so happy with the flavor of this noodle soup. The brown rice noodles were a bit gummy, but that tends to be the trend with brown rice noodles. Sadly enough. But…the flavor was there, and the noodles, broth, tofu, and bok choy all married together to make this incredible, flavor-filled meal. The seasoning packet combined with the pho soup base made a perfect base for the vegetables, tofu, and…the noodles. My roommate and I devoured this with chopsticks. Happy girls, we were! Food Yoda, I speak like.

Go to your local Whole Foods…check out their aisle with the Asian foods. If you spot Star Anise Foods Happy Pho kits…buy one. Buy them all. Trust me, they are totally amazing and I intend to pick up more of them, other flavors, and give them a taste as well. This made for a quick, easy, and very delicious (and nutritious) dinner tonight. I was beyond impressed.

March 25, 2013March 25, 2013

San-J finds balance between sweet and spicy with gluten-free Sweet & Tangy Sauce

Product: San-J Gluten-Free Sweet & Tangy Sauce – $3.49+

When it comes to sauces that I can trust, I often turn to San-J. San-J has an entire line of gluten-free sauces with an Asian flair. And, since it is nearly impossible for me to eat any sort of Asian food outside of the stuff I prepare…it’s nice to know there is a variety of sauces and marinades out there than can help enhance my own homemade dishes.

Well, awhile back I picked up the San-J Gluten-Free Sweet & Tangy Sauce at the grocery store. I think I had some gluten-free and vegan nuggets in my freezer that I had hoped to use it with. And then…as it sat in my pantry, I ate the nuggets with bar-b-que sauce instead. D’oh! And then…as the expiration date grew closer and closer, my gluten-free and vegan chickenless nuggets were no longer being carried by my grocery store. So, I was out of luck. And now…I needed a new plan. I needed to come up with something to use this sauce with.

And I was drawing a blank.

Until…it occurred to me.

TOFU.

HA HA! Yes. I’ve become well versed in the various ways of properly making tofu. Whether it’s marinading it to grill it, stir-fry it, or just playing around with it…I have been quite successful in incorporating tofu into various dishes. So…tonight…I was determined to use this sauce. I don’t like things to expire without at least having been tried.

That being said, this past weekend I made sure we stopped in at Whole Foods for some Twin Oaks Tofu…because it’s the best…so that I could make something with this sauce. I decided that it would be best to go ahead and do it up tonight. It’s a Sunday night, which means I had time to mess around with dinner and not feel so rushed, as I often do on weeknights. So…I decided to make Crispy Tofu Nuggets and serve it with the San-J Sweet & Tangy Sauce as a dipping sauce.

Perfect.

San-J’s Gluten-Free Sweet & Tangy Sauce is a throwback to a Polynesian sauce. It is a blend of honey, fruit juice, gluten-free Tamari, and some spices, which give it that sweet yet spicy flavor that is just awesome. It looks like a thin bar-b-que sauce. And…back when I used to eat meat, the Polynesian sauce was my sauce of choice at Chick-Fil-A when it came to a dipping sauce. So, it only makes sense that this would be a good pairing for crispy tofu nuggets. It even tastes like a sweeter bar-b-que sauce. It was really tasty. Now I’m trying to come up with other dishes to use it on. Perhaps I will have some ideas come to me this week as I play around with some homemade veggie burger varieties.

What I loved about this sauce was that it wasn’t too much spice or too much sweet. It’s the right level of both. So that it doesn’t detract from whatever you use to dip into it. San-J is so good about this when it comes to their sauces. They make the sauce work for the ingredient. The ingredient still gets to shine and is not outdone by the sauce. It’s a nice quality of their sauces. This one, in particular, really stands out.

San-J’s Gluten-Free Sweet & Tangy Sauce serves up 50 calories per 2 tablespoon serving. This sauce is fat free! In addition, the Sweet & Tangy Sauce has only 320 mg sodium and 11 grams of sugar. Given that much of this comes from the ingredients itself…and is not added in…I’m impressed. Not a bad showing for a sauce. Especially a sauce of this nature.

So, if regular bar-b-que sauce has you longing for something more, or perhaps you have a dish that needs a great marinade or dipping sauce…I highly recommend the San-J Gluten-Free Sweet & Tangy Sauce. It is full of flavor and really tastes amazing. I can’t wait to pair it with something else and use it all over again. Perhaps some spring rolls should be next on the menu…

Crisp Tofu Nuggets with San-J Gluten-Free Sweet & Tangy Sauce

March 4, 2013

Amy’s Thai Coconut Soup a surprisingly delicious addition to my lineup

Product: Amy’s Organic Thai Coconut Soup (Tom Kha Phak) – $4.59+

Ah, winter. The only thing about winter that I absolutely love…is that it is the heart of soup season. Nothing beats a warm bowl of soup on an icy cold evening. Nothing. Just…trust me on this one.

Now, I do love to make my own soups and often do. However…sometimes there just isn’t enough time in the day to get all the prep work and the whole cooking part of the meal done. It can be a bit daunting…especially in my closet-sized kitchen. I love to cook, but not in there. Not for long periods of time. There just isn’t room.

Well, upon returning from vacation in Disney World, my roomie and I were looking to use up some of the items that are lingering in the pantry, fridge, and/or freezer. Being that we had come from warm, beautiful Florida…back to a wintery mix falling from the Louisville skies…soup sounded pretty awesome. We had two more days until the weekend and we were trying to make it through without hitting up the grocery store for anything besides necessary items (her skim milk, my Greek yogurt, etc.).

That being said, I had a couple of Amy’s Soups in my pantry…both gluten-free of course. It was just a matter of which one we should devour that chilly evening.

I let Cathy choose…and her decision was to have Amy’s Thai Coconut (Tom Kha Phak) soup that night with a gluten-free grilled cheese and avocado sandwich. Sounded good to me…and it was as easy as making a sandwich and heating up the contents of the soup can, which made my travel weary body very happy.

Tom Kha Phak is a popular soup in Thai restaurants that combines sweet coconut milk with warm Thai spices, organic tofu, lemongrass, shiitake mushrooms, sweet potatoes, and other various vegetables. So many times, this type of soup is a go-to for someone who is unfamiliar with Thai food and not sure what to get or what they might like. As Tom Kha Phak has a delicate, mild flavor…it is often a good place to start.

But…I adore Thai food. I love Thai food. I often crave Thai food. That being said, I have never had Tom Kha Phak at any Thai restaurant. I normally go for a Pad Thai or something along that line. So, I didn’t know what this soup was going to taste like or if I would like it. Really the most daunting part of it was the fact that it was a coconut milk based soup. Which, shouldn’t make a difference as I drink and use coconut milk in many things. Why this threw me off and made me a bit apprehensive about this soup is beyond me. Guess it was just one of those mental roadblocks.

But, I set aside any judgement and poured the soup out of the can into a pot and began to warm it on the stove. While that was warming, I went to work on the gluten-free grilled (vegan) cheese and avocado sandwiches. They finished up at the same time, so I couldn’t have been happier. I sliced the sandwiches into fourths (because you gotta have those little triangles!) and then dished up little bowls of the soup. Dinner was served.

I’ll say this…the soup absolutely smelled fantastic, so if that was any indication as to what it might taste like…I was ready to be wowed. One little slurp of just the broth and I was hooked. Once I began ladling up spoonfuls of the broth with the vegetables and tofu…it was soup magic. This instantly became one of my most favorite pre-packaged, buy-it-off-the-shelf soups on the market. I loved the warm spices that were throughout the coconut milk broth. The vegetables were soft, yet packed with flavor. The tofu was rich, but didn’t overpower anything else in the soup. I wanted more…but all I had was what was in my bowl. So I savored it…down to the last slurp.

Amy’s Thai Coconut Soup (Tom Kha Phak) has no trans fat, no added MSG, and no preservatives. It is certified vegan and gluten-free. The ingredients that go into this soup are all items I recognize. Every single one of them. Filtered water, organic coconut milk, organic sweet potatoes, organic carrots, organic tofu, organic green beans, organic onions, organic shiitake mushrooms, spices, sea salt, organic evaporated cane juice, organic cornstarch, organic tamari, kaffir lime leaf (remove this before serving, BTW), organic garlic, shallots, organic orange peel, and organic oil. I bet you recognize every single item I listed off. It’s all natural and organic…and what that sort of quality brings to the product is astounding.

As for nutritional information, the serving size is half the can, which means you get two servings out of the container. Each serving contains 140 calories and 10 grams of fat. Don’t panic over those fat calories…much of that is healthy fat that comes form your coconut milk. A serving packs a 4 grams of protein punch. And, for being a canned soup, the 580 mg of sodium isn’t too bad comparatively speaking.

Oh…and this soup is delicious. If I didn’t get my point across earlier.

Amy’s Kitchen provides so many gluten-free and vegan options that I don’t know why I doubted the quality and taste of this soup. I have yet to meet an Amy’s product that I can eat that I don’t like. Honestly…when a company puts that much effort into providing the best quality and tasting product they can produce…it shows.

And this soup…now ranks as one of my favorites. Never tried it? Go out to your grocery store…right now…and buy a can. Give it a quick warm and enjoy. I promise…you’ll fall in love with it as quickly as I did.

Thank you…again…Amy’s Kitchen.

Amy's Organic Thai Coconut Soup (Tom Kha Phak) (cooked) — Amy’s Organic Thai Coconut Soup (Tom Kha Phak) (cooked)

February 19, 2013

Not enough peanut-y flavor in San-J Thai Peanut Sauce to suit my taste

Product: San-J Gluten-Free Thai Peanut Sauce – $3.49+

So…as some of you are quite aware…I’m heading out of town in a couple of days. Yep. Got a half marathon that is waiting for me to run it. And, this week is quite a short one…meaning I am doing everything within my power to use up the fresh, local produce I get from my local CSA. Some of it will be fine while I’m gone for a week, but other stuff…such as my veggies…not likely.

This means…it’s time to break out the wok?

I rock the wok. For real! I mean…I haven’t met a veggie yet that I couldn’t throw into a delicious stir-fry and add either rice or rice noodles and some sort of sauce for seasoning and make a fantastic, filling meal out of it. That’s the name of the game this week as I prep to head out of town.

Veggies…meet wok. Wok…meet veggies. Let’s get some dinner made. This is normally what I refer to as “Make-It-Up-As-I-Go-And-Use-Whatever-You-Can” Pad Thai Stir-Fry.” Catchy, yes?

The great thing about a good old-fashioned stir-fry is that my roomie and I can feast off it it for at least three days. Especially with the volume of veggies I was throwing into this wok. Fresh snow peas (every bit of the 10 ounces from my bin), yellow onion, baby carrots (chopped into matchsticks), baby bok choy…oh yes…all of it went in. And then…rice noodles. Delicious rice noodles were added.

But something was missing in my Pad Thai. Oh…yes…SAUCE!

It just so happened that I had purchased a bottle of San-J’s Gluten-Free Thai Peanut Sauce while out at my grocery store one day. I get grand ideas about making things with sauces…and then it never comes to fruition. This one…a pad thai. What was I currently doing with my wok? Making a pad thai. Hmmm…perfect.

So, I gave the bottle a good shake, cracked the seal and poured a liberal amount into the wok to season the veggies and the noodles as they finished up. It smelled absolutely crazy-fantastic. Which is a good thing. Now, I had said aloud to the roomie while we were out grocery shopping that we needed some peanuts for the pad thai, but I didn’t add it to the list and it totally slipped my mind while we hit up all 5 of our usual grocery store haunts (Hey…when you have food allergies…you make an entire day out of it…and for us, it’s either Saturday or Sunday). So, no crunch factor for the dish…but plenty of wholesome veggie goodness with light, thin rice noodles to give it some body.

With the contents of the wok ready to be consumed, I dished us each up a bowl, leaving the rest to sit until I was done eating. Then, I would concern myself with dishing it out into servings for the next two days. Food always comes first. We settled in for dinner with a bowl of my vegetable pad thai and some chopsticks.

I couldn’t wait to take my first bite. It smelled amazing. And…in the end…it disappointed me a little as far as the taste went. It was good. Oh yes…it was good. But I found that the Thai Peanut Sauce was lacking…a lot of peanut flavor. Maybe, if I had been thinking, throwing some peanut butter into the mix might have helped enhance it…but on its own, it was more…steak sauce than peanut sauce. It didn’t take away from the fact that when put into a wok with fresh veggies and rice noodles…it does kick up the flavor more than a notch. It wasn’t bad. I just expected more of a nutty flavor to it…and was a bit surprised by the sweetness factor in this one.

It isn’t spicy…which is good for some, but I like a little heat to my ethnic dishes. But, that isn’t a huge issue for me. I know how to add spice if necessary. For this dish…not really necessary. But I do wish the sauce itself brought a little more heat and nuttiness to the dish. In the end…not blown away, but not completely disappointed either. I definitely intend to play around with the remnants of the bottle in my fridge to see what I can draw out of it…perhaps discover a secret gem to getting that Thai peanut flavor I seek.

I love a lot of things about San-J. Their sauces are gluten-free and amazing. And they always label their bottles so that the words GLUTEN-FREE scream at you. I love that. And I love that they bring so many options to the ethnic sauce selection at grocery stores…because when you are gluten-free…those sauces can be so tricky. It’s good to have a brand name you can trust. For me…that’s San-J. Even if this one lacked a wow factor, you’ll see San-J constantly in my pantry and fridge. It’s a matter of taste…but more importantly…a matter of trust.

Vegetable Pad Thai made with San-J Gluten-Free Thai Peanut Sauce

January 30, 2013

Pan-Asian cuisine made easy and delicious with Snapdragon Hunan Sweet & Sour Rice Pasta Stir-Fry

Product: Snapdragon Pan-Asian Cuisine Hunan Sweet & Sour Rice Pasta Stir-Fry – $3.49+

I absolutely LOVE Asian food. LOVE it. I can’t emphasize enough how much I love it. But…I think you get the picture.

The problem with Asian food is…it is one of those that is usually laden in sauce…and whether you’re at a restaurant or at a buffet or what have you…when you are gluten-free…there is basically nothing you can safely eat. I wish it weren’t true. Because that craving for good Asian food hits me all the time.

But…all is not lost. I don’t have to prepare any Asian-style meal from scratch. Not anymore. Not since I discovered Snapdragon Pan-Asian Cuisine.

My local World Market has a great selection of food products in their little food market area. Much of these are ethnic from various countries. While just browsing the aisles, I ran across a few Snapdragon Pan Asian Cuisine Stir-Fry Rice Pasta meals. Not having this on my grocery list or worked into the budget…I resisted the urge to purchase every single thing labeled gluten-free…and kept it to one box.

My choice: Snapdragon Hunan Sweet and Sour Rice Pasta Stir-Fry.

I was rather excited about this purchase. And yet…I had so much other stuff in my pantry that this sat for the longest time. LONG…EST time. Until last night…when I needed something light for dinner that wouldn’t take up too much time…as I was also in the midst of making gluten-free bread and gluten-free lemon “brownies” at the same time.

So…I dug this out of the pantry. I am a vegetarian…so for the protein, I took some tofu out of my fridge to toss into the wok once I got cooking. First thing was first though…I boiled some water and got the rice noodles soaking. Once I drained them (it took 5 minutes), I set them aside and got my wok heated up and tossed in my snow peas and tofu to cook up. Once I got them seared off and cooked, in went the noodles, some water, and the sauce. I just tossed them all together in the wok, heated it through…and it was ready to serve.

It doesn’t get much easier than that!

The noodles cooked up beautifully. And when the sauce is incorporated, this easy boxed meal really sings. The sauce is sweet with a little hint of spice to it. And the tofu and added snow peas made a fantastic addition to the dish. I loved diving into this classic Asian meal…made in about 15 minutes. Simple and delicious. I devoured mine with the aid of chopsticks. The noodles didn’t clump together and the sauce didn’t take away from the rest of the ingredients in the actual dish. It was perfectly balanced.

And yeah…it was amazing. It totally helped curb my cravings for Asian food. And I knew that this one was safe for me to eat thanks to the label on the box listing it as gluten-free.

Beyond impressed and totally wowed. I can’t wait to try another one.

Snapdragon Pan-Asian Cuisine Hunan Sweet & Sour Rice Noodle Stir-Fry