…….Sometimes I put it in the food!!!
Tonight was one of those times
(But I got to drink the other 4 oz of the mini Riesling bottle!)
I made Dreena’s Olive Oregano Wine-Baked Tofu and served it over steamed kale. It was good, but not as good as I was hoping. I think I cooked it a little too long because most of the liquid cooked out and left me with no sauce (and I was out of balsamic vinegar and so I didn’t get to use as much as the recipe called for and I also omited the two tablespoons of olive oil because I thought the other flavors were powerful enough). But the olives, sun-dried tomatoes, grapes, oregano and wine flavors were all great. It just needed more liquid (wine?!) and something starchy to go with it. Rice? Couscous? Quinoa? Kashi crackers?!?!!?
I steamed the kale longer than usual (put about 6 oz in a pot with 1/2 a cup of water and put on the lid) and it was PERFECTLY done after about 10-12 minutes. I think we usually don’t steam it enough and it’s still kind of chewy, which I like, but this was probably the “proper” texture.
I love tofu!!
This dinner was about 400 kcal, 5 grams fiber and 22 grams protein. (Add 4 oz of wine to that for 100ish kcal more.)
I didn’t need a snack today – I got home from lab (which went well!) around 5:00 and nibbled around the kitchen while cooking when I did start to get hungry around 5:45: a taste a kale leaf, a tofu cube, an olive. Since I’m going to eat it all anyways and the portions have been accounted for, I allow myself nibbles from the actual recipe without considering them as caloric additions to my day as long as they’re not really calorie-dense things or too many. It helps tide hunger while I cook.)
I am FINISHED with Stats for this week!!! WHO HOO!!! And most of my other coursework too. And it’s going to be 80* tomorrow and I don’t have Friday classes 🙂 Quadruple yay!
Romina says
I think quinoa would work great with that dish. (I may be biased though, I’m addicted to quinoa!)
lexi says
sorry for bugging you so much but thanks for the comment on my blog! it might be kind of weird though, i have a feeling that im going to be the only one seeing my blog. how did you get so many fans and readers?
creatingadiva says
mm looks yummy! you’ve inspired me to take pictures for everything I eat…and its really helping me get back on track! Kudos to you for doing it everyday — its definitely NOT as easy as it looks!
Lexi – see if you can link your name to your blog; thats one way to get people to visit your page — from the comments on other pages!
bikergurl says
That looks yummy! And the flowers are verry pretty too… are they actually in wine?
Congrats on finishing stats!
hk says
i LOVE tulips 🙂 80* yay!! enjoy!!
wordie says
Would the pretty flowers pass a sobriety test? Perhaps a rice pilaf would go nicely with that tofu? I crack myself up, just kidding, on the flower joke not the rice. Kudos to me. I’m down by 3 dress sizes. 15 lbs to go! I celebrated by taking the gift I got for my mom in law and deciding to keep it for myself. Heh heh; I’ll shop for her tomorrow.
Jill says
I tend to nibble while I cook, it’s probably not the best thing. Do you watch how much you eat when you do so even if it’s just veggies?
Just a curious question. I read your blog rather often and love it! I was wondering what some of the blogs YOU read all the time are!
Jenny says
Kath,
I’m curious what other food blogs you real on a regular basis?
Another question- if you could have your ultimate ‘PERFECT’ day…what things would you do and what foods (breakfast, lunch, dinner)?
Just a couple fun questions 🙂
Jenny says
I meant what other blogs you ‘read’, sorry!
Steph says
Haha at first I thought the flowers were in the wine too! But if you look close, I think they’re in a vase behind the wine glass. Right??
VeggieGirl says
Too funny about how you love to cook with wine, sometimes you add it to the food ;0)
Sorry that the ED&BV dish wasn’t as good as you hoped it would be – but hey, the kale looks perfect to me (surprise, surprise, haha).
Hooray for no more stats!! Sounds like tomorrow will be a great day for you as well – enjoy!! :0)
Suzanne says
That tofu looks delicious but I am not a fan of olives or sun-dried tomatoes – do you think it’s worth making without these ingredients?
Do you have some more tofu recipes that you have made or plan to make?
maybe brown rice would have been good with this dish? That’s probably what I would have eaten it with. Love that brown rice!
Have a good night!
Alyssa says
Dumb question…what does tofu taste like?
Nick says
I’ve never cooked with tofu, but I don’t mind it. That tofu looks exceptionally good though, nice and flavorful! It’s gonna be 83 here tomorrow!
– The Peanut Butter Boy
Kristie says
I can’t get over how pretty those tulips are 🙂
I’m fairly new to the whole tofu deal so I haven’t ever really made big dishes surrounding tofu but that one looks really good! Too bad it wasn’t quite as good as it sounded but it still looks delicious, especially with the kale in there.
Betsy says
i added extra wine and I think the olive oil added alot. sorry it wasn’t as yummy for you!!!
Leng says
yay for baked tofu!
Ally says
oooo, Kath! Do you have any leftovers? 😉
Tofu is definitely an awesome ingredient!
smilesara says
hi kath —
since you made kale again, i just wanted to say thanks for the recipe yesterday for the kale “chips” — wow! i was a little dubious when i tossed them in the oven but as you said, they tasted just like potato chips! (even better — since i don’t actually really like potato chips, lucky me, i know) thanks again for sharing the idea — i will definitely be adding this to my repeitoire!
look forward to trying out a few of your other recent suggestions soon!
babycakes says
Yay for tofu! It is one of my favorites. I actually love it plain and raw (straight from the package) which I know sounds weird, but I tend to like plain foods in general. Anyway, the kale looks great as well. It too is one of my favorites. And what beautiful flowers!
It’s so exciting to be almost done with the semester isn’t it?! I can’t wait! (although I’ll be joining you with lots of hard science courses over the summer)
Hope you get a great night’s sleep!
“see” you for breakfast 🙂
Cara says
Sounds like you are in for a great weekend! Woo hoo!
Kath says
lexi ,
Put it in as your website when you post comments on other blogs – you should get a slow steady readership that way (if you keep your content interesting!).
Biker,
Flowers are behind the wine 🙂
Jill and Jenny,
Too many to count! I read almost everyone who has a blog who read my blog and takes photos of their food. I don’t always read all the text, but I always look at the photos! I guess that means i read 1,000 words a minute
Jenny ,
Well that depends on if it’s the perfect healthy day or the perfect “pleasurable for my mouth” day. Haha. I’d say the things that must be involved include: SUNSHINE and warm temps for sure, running on a beach while the sun rises, a big bowl of delicious oatmeal (obviously), going out to a fancy white table cloth place for lunch and getting a really big salad with lots of veggies and good doughy bread on the side, perhaps a fun activity in the afternoon like a hike or relaxing on a beach with a book (I love the ocean), definitely a walk – I love walks 🙂 , and a homemade dinner with lots of people involved that takes a while to make but doesn’t make a mess. I will be drinking a glass of wine while it cooks. So basically a beach vacation with my family would do the trick!
Suzanne ,
I only think it would be worth it if you found other ingredients as replacements – not just omitted the olives and SD tomatoes, but I’m not sure what I’d suggest. Maybe fresh tomatoes and lots of basil for a tomato/basil/wine dish? Or a pesto sauce with the wine?
smilesara,
Yay for kale chips! I’m making them again next week 🙂
Kath
short says
I have a question about the kale chips – I tried to make them night before last and followed the directions you gave (Kath)! But when i tasted them out of the oven they kind of disintegrated into dust when I put them in my mouth – do you think this was because I over-baked them? Or maybe they were too wet from washing them still when I put them in the over? I was really disappointed that they didn’t turn out delicious and chip-like like you described (not to mentioned because I wasted a ton of kale! Help!
Kath says
Short,
It sounds like you cooked them a little too long since the edges do kind of crumble away but the majority of each leaf should just be crispy. My batch was a TON of kale, so you probably need to reduce your cooking time a bit. Just watch them and when they edges turn brown they’re done – no longer! You can always test them as you go too at 5,10 and 15 minutes.
Better luck next time!
K
Becky A. says
I made the kale chips, and def. over cooked them(still getting that whole “everything done at the same time” thing down!) A lot of them were burned, but they tasted like the really dark brown potato chips…I’m def. going to try again and WATCH them this time!
Anne says
I’ll second the quinoa suggestion – quinoa & kale are a perfect combination!
also, if you wanted more sauce, you could always reserve some of the kale’s cooking liquid and add it to your tofu dish
this looks delicious – I’d never thought of mixing kale & sundried tomatoes!
Jenny says
Thanks for your reply Kath, that sounds that a picture perfect day!
Allison K. says
Gorgeous Tulips! I wish mine would hurry up and bloom!
website says
Keep in mind that not all of the alcohol will evaporate from the cooking process. The concentration of residual alcohol that remains in your dish depends on the length of time and way in which it was cooked. For example, boiling a sauce for 25 minutes will remove considerably more alcohol than merely baking a dish for 15 minutes.