ginger-maple baked tofu

1 packaged firm tofu
2 tablespoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 c. sesame oil
1/8 c. maple syrup
1/8 c. agave nectar
2 tablespoons gingersauce (optional)

directions: cut and press tofu. mix spices. combine sesame oil, maple syrup and agave nectar. if you have any gingersauce laying around throw that in there too. slowly stir in spice mixture with the liquid mixture until you get a nice paste. marinade pressed tofu in the mixture and bake at 425 until crispy brown. the tofu will caramelize as it's baking.

about the recipe: i found some version of this recipe online somewhere and then haphazardly threw it together. after i had used up all my ginger powder on this recipe i realized that i had gingersauce sitting in my fridge and decided to throw that in as well. when i made this i orginally had 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper which made this overpoweringly spicy. the recipe still needs a little tweaking, but we're off to a good start. served with a free produce stirfry over rice, but i think would taste better as a standalone.

chowder diamond head

Ginger, Pineapple, and Coconut 

make this an enchanting South Seas soup.

1 cup sliced celery
1 small onion, chopped
2 tablespoons butter (earth balance) or coconut oil
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
2 cans coconut milk
1.5 cups mock chicken broth
1.5 cups milk
1 can mock duck, diced
1 can pineapple tidbits, drained
shredded coconut milk

directions:
1. Sauté celery and onion in butter or coconut oil in a large sauce pan or dutch oven.  add ginger, blending thoroughly.
2. Stir in soup, water, and milk. Add mock duck and pineapple. heat, stirring frequently, until bubbly-hot.
3. Ladle into soup bowls. Sprinkle with coconut. Serve with hot buttered rolls, if you wish.

about the recipe: a vintage recipe, huzzah! and my fourth post in february, hotdamn! this coconut-chowder is downright delicious, and super easy to make. i used freshginger instead of powdered and halfed the recipe. it's very sweet, but also savory. i did add a little bit of salt and pepper, but it was fine without. i used this recipe as a test for photographing the ingredients which made sure i wasn't scrambling for ingredients per usual. hopefully this will help me in the baking realm hahaha. anyways, i can't wait to eat this all weekend!

 



from the book:
Family Circle Favorite Recipes
6th Edition, 1979

gingercandies

fresh ginger
sugar and spice

directions: Peel and cut ginger into candy sized pieces. Add ginger to a large pot and fill with water until covered. Bring to a boil and let cook for 10 minutes. Add sugar and let cook until the water becomes a syrup. Drain ginger syrup into a jar for future use. Roll each bit of ginger in sugar and place to dry. Don't be scared to mix-it-up! my roommate and i have rolled the candies in sugar, sugar + cayenne, and cinnamon to name a few combinations.

about the recipe: seriously the most ridiculously easy and most delicious thing to make! i use the ginger syrup with everything. ginger syrup + two shots of espresso + a little bit of coconut milk is one of my favorite coffeedrinks. none of the measurements are exact because it's very make-up-as-you-go-along. you just got to feel it out, ya'know? Note of Caution: post-sugar rolling make sure to place the ginger on something to let it dry, my house usually uses a silkscreen and frame as a drying rack because this stuff is incredibly sticky.