Best Of

Eric, I've ordered from Azure so I will check to see what duck is available.

I made tri-tip in the crockpot making the shredded Italian beef. YUM.

DH is doing well with the brain zapping; personality a bit ..well…harder to accept but I suspect some of that is stress.

I've been a bit busy so haven't been on here…..

Minus, I hope the flu is "going away".

Good for "real food", Maggie.

I've done flank steak and the only way I've found to keep it from being "chew for an hour tough" is to cut is almost paper thin into small strips, "whack" it with a meat tenderizer hammer, marinate it for awhile and then cook it in a hot skillet. I think the marinade makes the difference in "good or bad".

Tonight we had duck, and have ordered some more from Azure Standard. They have a "where i can pick it up" point a few miles away, so that will make it easy for us.

Daughter is on the telephone.…discussing wedding plans….better go.. :-)

Wally - I made the NYT vegan mapo tofu and it was excellent. I’m so happy. Who knew you could add boiling water to a bowl of cubed tofu , cover for 15 minutes and it’s lovely. Then make the sauce and vegies, and add the tofu. Here is the recipe below. I skipped some ingredients I didn’t have, so it wasn’t spicy , next time I’ll add more red pepper. but still very tasty. I substituted for what I had in the house , so used baby Bella whole mushrooms, One zucchini ,A pinch of red pepper/cayenne. And 2 Tablespoons of leftover black bean sauce from Chinese takeout lol. Served with brown rice and steamed carrots. Tonight I’ll make green beans to go with it.

Minus - hope you are feeling better
Maggie - spinach and ricotta ravioli sounds yummy.
Carole- what do you put in your Cole slaw? My son loves cooking in his aifryer, good luck !
Eric - my tepary beans have shipped, looking forward to making a chile with vegan sausage. Do you cook them in a slow cooker ? Recipes to share?

Vegan Mapo Tofu

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

• 8ounces shiitake mushrooms
• 2cups water
• 15ounce block of soft tofu (do not use silken)
• Salt
• 3tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3small dried hot red peppers (skipped)
• 1tablespoon fermented black beans, rinsed
• 1tablespoon fermented spicy broad bean paste (doubanjiang) (skipped)
• 2teaspoons minced garlic
• 1tablespoon grated ginger
• 2teaspoons soy sauce
• 1teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 1teaspoon finely ground Sichuan pepper (skipped)
• 1tablespoon corn- or potato starch, dissolved in 3 tablespoons cold water
• ½cup slivered scallions, both white and green parts
• Cilantro sprigs, for garnish

PREPARATION

Step 1
Remove stems from mushrooms. Make a light mushroom broth by simmering stems in 2 cups water for 15 minutes, then strain and reserve broth (discard stems). Dice mushroom caps and set aside.

Step 2
Cut tofu into 1-inch cubes. Cover with boiling salted water, let steep for 15 minutes, then drain.

Step 3
Put oil in a wok or wide skillet over medium heat. Add red peppers, black beans and bean paste and cook, stirring until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add garlic and ginger and let sizzle, then add mushrooms, soy sauce, sesame oil and Sichuan pepper. Add 1½ cups mushroom broth and cook mixture gently for 2 minutes.

Step 4
Carefully add tofu cubes. Shake pan to distribute sauce, using a wooden spoon to help. Try to avoid smashing tofu. Drizzle in cornstarch mixture, gently swirling pan to incorporate (sauce will thicken) and simmer tofu in sauce for 2 minutes more. Thin with a little mushroom broth if necessary. Transfer to a low bowl or platter. Sprinkle with scallions and cilantro sprigs.