And the winner is… Tommy with the following comment!

Tommy

I need the Tofu Xpress so I can make funny videos with tofu like you did.

Email me your address so I can send your Tofu Xpress your way!!!!!! Thanks for entering everyone!

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If you promise to read through this whole post, then I promise to give you a giveaway!

A few months ago I worked on a secret project with Nasoya tofu. The end result was a bunch of videos for their Tofu U series, including a blooper one- obviously my favorite.

They were really fun to film, and since the shoot I have experimented a lot with tofu. I have been trying to create a coconut encrusted tofu for months, but I can’t seem to figure it out. I gave up.

Just last weekend, though, my friends Sarah & Simon made an incredible stir fry that had me saying it with every bite. I think they thought I was nuts. We showed up to the house really late and scarfed down tofu stir fry bowls while chatting way too energetically and throwing all of our bags everywhere. I am sure it was a sight to see. When we came home from the trip I couldn’t stop thinking about the stir fry and I had to make one myself! Here is what I created…

Tofu, Chicken, & Veggie Stir Fry
serves 4+

Ingredients:
1 onion, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1 package extra firm tofu, diced
1/2 cup sugar snap peas
4 cups broccoli
1 lb chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces
1 cup + 3 tbs teriyaki sauce
1 tbs olive oil
4 tbs dry roasted peanuts

Directions:
Marinate your chicken in a container with 1/2 cup teriyaki sauce for at least 20 minutes and up to a few hours. Do the same with the tofu in another container. Meanwhile, heat a large pan with the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent. Add the red pepper, sugar snap peas, and broccoli. Add the 3 tbs of sauce. Cook for 5 minutes until the broccoli become bright green. Remove the veggie mixture. Add the chicken and sauce to the pan. Cook over medium heat, flipping once, until cooked through. Add the tofu and cook for 5 minutes. Add all of the veggies and toss together to warm. Serve over brown rice and top with dry roasted peanuts. Enjoy!

Did you make it through all that?! Basically you cook everything in the sauce and toss it together! Looks a lot longer in the formal directions though.

Giveaway time: There are several ways to press tofu, one of them being with a fancy TofuXpress. I was lucky and received one from Nasoya, but they want to treat you too! The winner will receive a Tofu Express and a few other goodies.

Here’s how to enter:

1. Leave me a comment letting me know why you need the Tofu Express- but be creative!
2. Share this post with everyone you know, then come back and comment letting me know how you shared it. This includes Facebook (be sure to @RhodeyGirlTests) and Twitter (be sure to @rhodeygirltests). Don’t forget that the more ways you share, the better your chances.

Good luck! Contest ends Monday, January 10 at 12 PM EST and the winner will be selected by a group of my friends.

Chicken Escarole Soup is your childhood in a bowl. It is hot, it is comforting, and it is healthy!

When I was little and home sick from school my mom would make me chicken soup. Back then it was just water, a bouillon cube, and little pastina shaped like tear drops. She also like to add some parmigiano reggiano but back then I would refuse to touch anything with cheese! A few minutes before the soup was ready she would call me off my snuggly couch to say my magic spells. These were the days way before “Sabrina, the Teenage Witch” (which I am still bitter about, by the way) and somehow I thought I could do magic. My mom said the soup wouldn’t be good unless I said my spells so I would stand on a chair, wave my hands over the pot, and whisper funny little rhymes until I felt the soup had enough magic.

It always did.

This soup might not have the same mystery magic of my childhood soup, but it is full of yummy vegetables. Enjoy!

Chicken Escarole Soup
Serves 4

Ingredients:
1 tbs olive oil
2 chicken cutlets (1/2 lb total)
4 cups chicken broth
1 leek, diced
1 carrot, peeled and diced
2 cups water
2 small white potatoes, peeled and diced
1 head escarole, cleaned and chopped

Directions:
Heat olive oil in a soup pot over medium high heat. Add the chicken cutlets and cook 5 minutes on each side. Remove and add a splash of chicken broth to deglaze the pan. Add the leek and carrot and saute over medium heat until slight softened. Dice the chicken and return it to the pan, along with the rest of the broth, diced potatoes, and water. Simmer over medium low heat for 20 minutes. Add the escarole 10 minutes before serving. Serve with a bit of grated parmigiano reggiano or black pepper.

Foodbuzz 24, 24, 24 presents Battle Local Foods:

Even with the best of intentions, buying locally is not easy. Some local farmers’ markets carry out of season produce from Mexico, and the gourmet super market has bread from 300 miles away. Battle local foods highlights the difficulty of buying all local foods in Philadelphia but also shares  a local, seasonal, meal that is delicious and fun. Buying local foods just requires asking a few questions and learning where to go.

Two teams of friends create an appetizer, entrée, and dessert using only items that are either locally grown or locally produced. It was up to the diners to decide who would win the battle! Now let’s get local in RhodeyGirl’s kitchen, with special guests Heather of Hangry Pants and local food lovers Gina & Jake!

This fall I went to my local grocery store to get some apples, and I was appalled when I saw they were from Washington state. Pennylsvania has hundreds of apple orchards, yet our market was stocking apples from literally thousands of miles away. That experience made me become passionate about supporting local farms as well as local producers. Why go to Washington state for apples when less than an hour away we have Terhune Orchards? It doesn’t make sense.

While I still buy bananas & avocados (let’s face it- life would not be the same without peanut butter banana oatmeal and fresh guacamole), I try to buy as much local, seasonal produce as I can. When I learn about a small local company making chocolates or pretzels or whatever it is, I also try to support them.

Some items have been traded for thousands of years or are truly special, gourmet items that I don’t mind purchasing from all over the world. These include some brands of tuna packed in olive oil, Nutella straight from Italy (the U.S. version is just not the same), marcona almonds from Spain, olive oil from Greece, Italy, and Frog Hollow Farms in California, and every kitchen’s basic items like sugar, kosher salt, spices and flour.

I began the search for my items for our menu on Thursday of this week by stopping at a few super markets to see what local items they had to offer. For the first time I really paid attention to the recently mandated country of origin labels. I found shrimp from India, pine nuts from China, and lots of produce from Mexico and California. I was surprised that even the asparagus, which I know can be sourced locally, came from California.

On Saturday morning I continued my search by stopping at a few local markets. My favorite one was the Rittenhouse Square farmers’ market. Every vendor there carries locally grown or produced items.

I have been to markets before that actually buy their produce from places like Costco and then place them in small baskets to give that farm feel. I only know this because one day I asked, and the gentleman shared that knowledge with me. Luckily, Rittenhouse market has all local items, and I confirmed just to be sure. I also visited the Reading Terminal Market, The Pretzel Factory, Whole Foods, DiBruno’s and a grocery store.

The other team visited Suburban Square market, Lancaster County, and a grocery store. For a list of all Philadelphia’s Farmers’ Markets you can visit the farm to city website. Many of them will be opening in the next two weeks, including my local one, the Fairmount Farmers’ Market!

In this challenge we were allowed to use items that have been traded or imported for a long time such as spices, olive oil, salt, etc. Everything else, however, had to be locally grown or locally produced. Diners were given ballots to judge each dish based on taste, presentation, originality, and adherence to the challenge.

The two teams were both really excited to take on the challenge, as all four of us are passionate about local foods in some way. On one team we had Gina & Jake, a husband and wife couple that planned their strategy for over a week. Gina typically only buys organic meats and tries to buy organic produce when possible.

On the other team we had Heather of Hangry Pants and yours truly. I buy mostly organic dairy (with the exception of specialty cheeses for PB), organic meats, and try to support local farms when possible, as I mentioned above. You all probably know Heather by now, but if you don’t head on over to HangryPants.com to read more about her. Heather & Mark came to Philadelphia just for this fun battle. So exciting!

Here is the Battle Local Foods menu:

Appetizer
*Asparagus and fresh mozzarella bruschetta

(Photo courtesy of hangrypants.com)

*Simple salad: spring greens & baby spinach with roasted asparagus, a tomato & cucumber skewer, finished with a balsamic dressing and a hint of fresh mint

Entrée
*Baked breaded chicken breast stuffed with mushrooms, spinach and fresh mozzarella served over a bed of fresh spinach and mushrooms

(Photo courtesy of hangrypants.com)

*Whole wheat fettuccini in a fresh basil cream sauce with roasted grape tomatoes
(Photo courtesy of hangrypants.com)

Dessert
*Rhubarb crumb cake with fresh vanilla ice cream

*Philly soft pretzel chocolate bread pudding with vanilla ice cream

Note from the teams: While over 90% of each item on the menu was sourced locally, both teams used a few items against challenge rules. Gina & Jake used fresh lime, and Heather and I used a bit of parmigiano reggiano and some mustard. We also put out an assortment of cheeses & cracker trays (not part of the challenge- but containing a few local cheeses)  for everyone to enjoy.

The diners/voters really got into the battle and left interesting and funny notes about the foods.

Here are some of them:

Bruschetta:
-O.K. (sorry, not a fan of bruschetta)
-Needs salt
-needs salt, yummy!
-danger: toothpick. Bread needs more toasting. I like the oil. Cheese needs more bite: provolone maybe?
-I liked this a lot!! Very fresh & very delicious! A fun dish- good for parties. I would eat this at a wedding.
-not enough flavor

Salad:
-O.K.
-love the mint!
-a little too much balsamic
-danger: possibly has (unintelligible word); needs cheese like bruschetta. I don’t like vinegar.
-Just a lil’ more kick would have been good. I could have used some local cheese- but that would have given me gas.
-Like the mint! Actually, love the mint!

Chicken:
-Looks and tastes good. Not great, but good.
-needs salt + spinach needs more cooking and flavor
-chicken little dry. Broccoli rabe taste (writer’s note: it was spinach!). stuffing was confusing
-This was good, but I didn’t get the local flavor. Still, very delicious!
-would prefer seasoned bread crumbs. Needs more seasoning
-Nice taste!!

Pasta:
-Just very blah! Sorry.
-needs more salt + flavor. Too much basil
-not too cheesy, perfectly cooked pasta. Tomatoes surprisingly pleasant
-liked the tomatoes, would like more. Needs more seasoning.
-This was good. A little heavy for my liking. I think this might give me gas, but that is not your fault- it’s my problem.
-very nice! With what was faced with (local foods)

Rhubarb Crumb Cake:
-Sorry, really does not taste good. I can’t eat it, and that’s saying something.
-MMM!
-sad face. This dish confused me. But I do appreciate the originality of the use of the rhubarb.
-I like the cake better than the crumbs

Philly Pretzel Bread Pudding:
-Loved it!
-MMM!
-A pleasant surprise in my mouth- needs more chocolate sauce drizzled
-Awesome! I want this every night. If this is Sabrina, make this more. If this is Jake/Gina, please come over soon. YUM!
-Wish the pretzels were more moist/soft- more pudding like…

The final menu was such a hit we just had to share a few of the recipes!
Whole Wheat Fettuccini with basil cream sauce and roasted tomatoes
Philly Pretzel Bread Pudding
Rhubarb Crumb Cake

Which team made which dish? Who won full bragging rights until our next challenge? You’ll have to watch the video to find out!

*This video was taken by a FlipCam given to me by Meghann of graduatemeghann.com.

A few surprises:
-I was shocked to learn that the pine nuts at our market come from China. Where can one find local nuts?
-Our guests did not like rhubarb! This was surprising because I found it to be absolutely delicious. I wonder if my taste buds have changed?
-Everyone was as excited about the battle as we were!

Preparing a meal from start to finish using only locally grown and locally produced foods was a challenge, but both teams did so successfully and we put together a great dinner. Head out to your local grocery store or farmers’ market, and don’t be afraid to ask questions about the source.

Buy local foods!

Thank you for this great opportunity Foodbuzz!

Stuffed chicken breast is an easy way to change every night’s baked chicken into a new dish. This recipe, with artichoke hearts, feta cheese, kalamata olives and fresh basil, has a Mediterranean feel to it. While I very rarely eat poultry or beef*, my husband still needs his protein! This recipe is perfect for two for a healthy dinner, or for one as a dinner one night and leftovers for lunch the next day. Stuffed chicken breast is a great choice for a weeknight meal.

Stuffed Chicken Breast
Serves 2

Ingredients:
2 chicken breast cutlets (about 1/2 lb total)
4 artichoke hearts (about 1/2 can)
6 kalamata olives
1 oz feta cheese
10 basil leaves (a small handful)
1/2 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
kosher salt to taste
Canola oil spray
1 tbs olive oil

Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Dice your artichoke hearts, olives, and cheese and place in a bowl. Chop the basil and add to the bowl. Sprinkle with kosher salt.
2. Spray a baking pan with canola or olive oil. Pound the chicken breasts until thin. Sprinkle with kosher salt and add half of the artichoke heart mixture to the center of one breast. Roll up and dredge in the bread crumbs until covered. Repeat with the second chicken breast. Place both chicken breasts in a baking pan and drizzle with olive oil. Bake for 35 minutes or until cooked through. Enjoy!

*I wish I could make myself eat poultry and beef more often, but somehow I now have an aversion to it. I wish I didn’t.

Do you have a go to chicken recipe? Please feel free to share it in the comments- we could all use a little help staying creative with chicken breast!

The last thing anyone feels like doing on a Friday night is hosting a dinner party. A simple dinner that covers all the bases in a few small dishes allows you to host a great party but still get to relax. This impromptu dinner party was a success due to a great glass of homemade iced coffee with skim milk for energy and our guests getting stuck on the George Washington bridge for a good 30 minutes. Those extra 30 minutes saved the day!

Here is the menu and how we made it all come together:

Last Minute Dinner

Appetizer
Simple Guacamole with Stacy’s Multigrain chips

Dinner
Quick vegetable lasagna
Baked chicken breast
Simple salad
Metropolitan Bakery multigrain boule
Olive oil for dipping
Blood Orange Italian soda

Dessert
Breyer’s Light Vanilla ice cream
Fruit salad (pineapple, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries)

How it came together: 5:30 PM- 9:00 PM*
*Note: This only came together so quickly because I did not. stop. moving for a second. If you plan to try this in this amount of time please allow for another hour or so.

5:30 PM: Work Ends
Go to Whole Foods and do our market shopping. Buy flowers. Catch a cab home to save time.

6:45 PM: Get Cooking
1. Prep guacamole and put in fridge
2. Make chicken and put in oven (simple method of lemon juice, olive oil, and spices)
3. Cut fruit, assemble fruit salad, put in fridge
4. Assemble salad but do not dress

**7:30 PM: Get phone call from husband that he will be late and you need to help him with something. Spend 20 minutes doing it.

7:50 PM More Cooking
Assemble lasagna and put in oven

8:10 PM Clean Up
1. Wash & dry prep dishes
2. Clean island, take out trash
3. Select servingware, dinner table set up

8:25 PM Prep Guest Room
1. Set candle in guest room
2. Put out towels for guests
3. Wash down sink in guest bathroom (was cleaned 4 days prior and just need spiffing up)

8:50 PM Crunch Time- Guests to arrive in 10 minutes (PB arrives also)
1. Slice bread & put in toaster oven in preparation for dinner
2. Run vacuum through entrance and kitchen
3. Remove foil from lasagna.
4. Dress salad and put out drinks and olive oil
5. Remember flowers and put them in vase
6. Put out chips and guacamole

9:00 PM Guests arrive!
Enjoy ourselves with our guests!

For more menus and plans please click here.

This Easter lunch menu celebrates spring and life.

Easter is a time of renewal. The flowers peek out from their hiding spots, the farmer’s markets open again, and the air smells fresh and new. Easter holds a warm place in my heart, and I can’t imagine hosting at least a small lunch in honor of the day.  I am sad that I will not be in Rhode Island this year, so I created a menu that pays homage to the foods my auntie Daniela loves. This Easter menu is simple, fresh, and healthy. It is the perfect way to welcome in Spring… and hopefully the Easter bunny too!

Appetizer
White Bean Crostini

Lunch
PhillyBoy’s Roasted Chicken
Stuffed Artichokes
Asparagus Risotto
Spring Salad: Spinach, endive, strawberries, slivered almonds, balsamic honey dressing

Dolce
Strawberry Shortcake (minis made in ramekins)

Prep List:
Set table (at least 1 day ahead)
Buy groceries (day ahead)
Prep crostini topping (day ahead)
Make salad dressing (day ahead)
PB dress chicken
Prep artichokes (Trim & stuff)
Wash lettuce, cut endive, wash & cut strawberries
Make fresh whipped cream

Two hours before:
Bake chicken
Steam artichokes
Assemble shortcake
Assemble salad- do not dress

30 minutes before:
Make risotto
Assemble crostini

10 minutes before:
Dress salad

Market List:
garlic
white beans
spinach
good whole grain baguette
chicken
onion
citrus fruits (lemons + oranges?)
artichokes (1/person)
garlic
parlsey
bread crumbs
6 lemons
asparagus
peas
mascarpone cheese
arborio rice
parmigiano
baby spinach
endive
strawberries
slivered almonds
ladyfingers or biscuits
heavy cream
Easter chocolates

Previous Posts:
Easter Menu 2009
Easter 2008: Ricotta Balls