Tofu is inexpensive, filling, nutritious, and … often tastes terrible. It doesn’t have to. I promise. Time and temperature are two simple tricks that can turn your tofu frown upside down.
One of our staple meals for busy weeknights is a tofu and veggie stir fry over brown rice. We cook and eat a lot of tofu and we’ve cooked and eaten a lot of bad tofu but over the years we eventually found a simple way to make it taste great in three simple steps.
One of the great things about revisiting a place on vacation is that you have the time, knowledge, and flexibility to explore new things and take advantage of unexpected opportunities. This happened to us on our most recent return trip to Prince Edward Island.
We were googling around looking for nearby restaurants and stumbled on Copper Bottom Brewery in Montague which offered, in addition to a nice tap room, live fiddle music on Sunday and pizza and vinyl on Thursday. Yes, please!
While we mostly eat a plant-based diet in our house, we do have fish about once a week. Mostly it’s in the form of tacos, but when it’s not it is typically a piece of salmon. I like salmon because it’s loaded with B12, vitamin D, and omega-3 fatty acids. All the protein fills me up, fights workout inflammation, and helps me recover for next time.
Plus, salmon is great fresh or frozen for a fancy weekend or a quick weeknight meal. It’s sustainable, affordable, and easily adaptable to many different methods and flavors. It’s a kitchen all-star. Did I mention the girls will eat it, too? Always a plus.
Our one big indulgence during our PEI vacation was getting a seating at the FireWorks Feast at the Inn at Bay Fortune. I was a little hesitant given the the price tag, even in Canadian dollars it’s not cheap, but after a long night of slurping oysters, eating smoked salmon, and a full five course meal, I can happily say it did live up to the hype and is worth the price. If you can’t spend your money on a memorable vacation experience, what are you going to spend it on?
One advantage to staying on the eastern side of the island is that the Inn at Bay Fortune was just a short ten minute drive from our rental house. This came in especially handy at the end of the night when we were all so full that the prospect of driving across the island to roll into bed would not have been appealing.
I have two hard and fast food rules. First, everything just tastes better in a tortilla. Second, anytime of day is good for breakfast. With two young kids and two working parents, breakfast for dinner is a common weeknight staple so when I saw the wild rice pancakes when flipping through Run Fast. Cook Fast. Eat Slow., I knew it would be one of the first recipes I would try.
I was excited to see another savory sweet potato cake recipe I could try in the new Run Fast. Cook Fast. Eat Slow. One of my favorite recipes from the original was the wild salmon sweet potato cakes.
The cakes were nutritious and a great protein topper for a salad that kept me filled up for hours. Something that a big salad alone just won’t do. They also freeze really well, so I could make a batch and have an easy lunch throughout the week.
We all hit the wall at some point. It’s late summer and you’ve just returned from the farm with another box of fresh, organic CSA produce and….you feel nothing.
Don’t worry, it’s totally normal. The dog days of CSA happen to the best of us. One more eggplant or ear of corn can turn your stomach. Don’t panic. Don’t toss everything in the compost bin.
There are quick and easy ways to get a good dinner on the table and not waste those fresh vegetables. It’s name is pizza and it’s your savior at this time of year.
