Vietnamese Rice Noodle Bowls with Pan Seared Tofu
A great way to get the kids to eat tofu! These crispy tofu “fingers” taste great nestled in thin rice noodles.
Serves 4
2 red bell pepper, very thinly sliced
1 small head green cabbage, thinly sliced
2 cucumbers, sliced into half-moons
1 box rice noodles
3 green onions, minced
16 oz. extra firm tofu, sliced into small triangles
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. oil
handful of roasted peanuts, roughly chopped
fresh mint, minced
fresh cilantro, minced
bean sprouts (about a handful per bowl)
For sauce
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 tbsp. fish sauce
1/4 cup warm water
2 tsp. sesame oil
2 tbsp. fresh minced ginger
2 tsp. sriracha
2 tbsp. maple syrup
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Once boiling, add the rice noodles and turn off the heat. Let noodles sit in hot water for about five minutes, then drain and rinse thoroughly with cold water. Squeeze excess water from the noodles and set aside until serving.
2. Heat the oil in a large skillet or wok over high heat.
3. Combine the cornstarch and salt in a bowl. Dip each tofu triangle in the cornstarch then place in the hot skillet. Fry triangles for about four minutes per side, or until golden brown. Once done, remove carefully and place on paper towels to drain.
4. Now, make the sauce! Combine all sauce ingredients in a small bowl and whisk well.
5. To assemble rice noodle bowls, place a mixture of rice noodles and cabbage in the bottom of each bowl. Top with bell pepper slices, cucumber, two tofu triangles, bean sprouts, green onions, mint, cilantro, and chopped peanuts. Drizzle sauce over top or serve sauce on the side.
Arroz con Pollo This classic Latin American comfort food is perfect for cold, snowy nights!
Serves 6
For marinade
1/4 cup fresh orange juice (about one orange)
2 tbsp. fresh lime juice
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. canola oil
For chicken and rice
1 whole 4–4.5 lb. chicken
1 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. olive oil, divided
2 pints cherry tomatoes
2 green bell peppers, diced
2 cups diced yellow onions (about 1.5 small onions or 1 large onion)
1 cup canned diced tomatoes
2 garlic cloves
1/3 cup pimento stuffed green olives, roughly chopped
1/2 cup green peas
2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. saffron, crushed
1 bay leaf
1.5 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 cups white rice, uncooked
3 cups chicken broth
hot sauce for serving
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Spread the cherry tomatoes out on a lined baking sheet and drizzle with a teaspoon of olive oil. Roast tomatoes for about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally until slightly charred and bursting. Remove from oven and set aside.
3. Cut up your chicken into six parts (I don’t like to include the wings, but you can if you want). Place chicken parts in a large shallow dish.
4. Mix together the marinade ingredients and pour over chicken. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for an hour in the fridge.
5. After an hour, heat the remaining tablespoon of oil over high heat in a heavy 5.5-quart ovenproof pot. Once the oil is hot, add half of the chicken pieces and brown on both sides (about six minutes). You just want to brown the chicken here, not actually cook it through. After that half of chicken is done, remove and set on a plate then brown the remaining pieces of chicken.
6. After all your chicken is browned and on a plate, add the onions, diced green pepper, and garlic to the hot oil. Saute veggies for about five minutes.
7. Add cumin, paprika, salt, pepper and crushed saffron to the veggies and mix well. Add roasted cherry tomatoes and diced tomatoes and mix. Add bay leaf.
8. Pour in chicken broth and bring to a boil. Then and add the rice, stirring well to combine.
9. Lay the chicken pieces in the pot, cover tightly with a lid and place in a 350-degree oven for 20-25 minutes. After baking, rice should have absorbed most of the liquid and be fluffy. The chicken pieces should be completely done.
10. When the arroz con pollo is done, stir in the peas and chopped olives and serve with lots of hot sauce on the side!
