This past month has been extremely busy as we have been travelling quite a bit so, despite the heat, it has been nice to get back into my kitchen! As we have started to take advantage of the local Farmer's Markets in our neighborhood, I have been trying to plan meals that incorporate some of the seasonal fruits and vegetables they have to offer while trying to keep the heat down in the kitchen as much as possible. Luckily, given what is available at this time of year, that is pretty easy to do! Here are some great no-cook (or very-little-cook) meals that we tried this week that we will be coming back to throughout the summer.
I also managed to get a little baking done when there was a break in the heat! Both the Rhubarb Muffin and Chocolate Zucchini Cake recipes were passed down from my Grandma. I think of her fondly when I use her recipes and I know that she would be thrilled that I am sharing them with my family.
Asparagus and Tofu Stir-Fry
Preparation Tip: Prepare the sauce, marinate the tofu and prep the vegetables earlier in the day so that throwing the stir-fry together at dinner time is a cinch! I served this over rice.
Lilah's Take: Lilah actually really likes tofu and she ate that part of the dish. However, she isn't keen on asparagus and didn't seem to be very interested in the mushrooms or rice either. (I should also note that Lilah hasn't been eating much of anything lately and I am attributing it to the fact that she has a molar coming in).
Ingredients
Sauce
2 tsp. hoisin sauce
1 Tbsp. oyster sauce
2 tsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. rice vinegar
1/2 tsp. sugar
8 oz. extra-firm tofu
1 sesame oil
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
3 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 Tbsp. chopped ginger
1 Tbsp. chopped garlic
1 lb. asparagus, ends trimmed, cut in 2-inch lengths
6 large shiitake mushrooms, sliced
1/2 c. vegetable stock
Directions
Mix together all sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.
Cut tofu into 1-inch cubes, pat dry. Combine sesame oil and soy sauce, toss with tofu. Let stand 10 minutes. Drain, reserving marinade separately. Stir marinade into sauce.
Heat wok over high heat. Add vegetable oil. Toss in tofu and stir-fry until browned. Remove with slotted spoon.
Add ginger and garlic, stir-fry for 30 seconds, then add asparagus and mushrooms. Stir-fry for 2 minutes, then add vegetable stock and tofu, continue to cook until asparagus is crisp-tender. Stir in sauce and bring to boil.
Chicken Noodle Salad
Preparation Tip: This dish does require a fair amount of prep, but everything can be done in advance so that you simply need to assemble the salads when you are ready to eat. You can even do some of the preparation the night before if you are feeling really organized and ambitious! The extra prep is totally worth it because this dish is delicious!
Lilah's Take: Again, Lilah hasn't had much of an appetite lately so it is hard to say whether she liked this dish of not. She did have a few bites of the chicken and noodles, but the vegetables remained virtually untouched (chewing could be slightly painful for her at the moment).
Ingredients
Peanut Sauce
1 c. peanut butter
1/4 c. red wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. finely grated ginger
1/3 c. soy sauce
1/2 c. water
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Salad
3 large chicken breasts
1 tsp. peanut oil
salt
13 oz. vermicelli noodles
1/2 English cucumber
2 large carrots, peeled
2 baby bok choy
2 green onions
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh mint
1/4 c. very coarsely chopped cilantro leaves
Directions
Combine all sauce ingredients. Cover and let mellow at room temperature for an hour. (Sauce can be covered and refrigerated for a week).
Lightly rub chicken with oil, season with salt. Grill, pan fry or broil chicken breasts until cooked through but not overcooked and dry. Cool.
Liberally pour boiling water over vermicelli noodles. Let soak for 5 minutes. Rinse noodles under cold tap water; drain. (If making ahead, thoroughly toss with an extra drizzle of peanut oil, cover and refrigerate.)
Place chicken between plastic wrap; lightly pound with a rolling pin to start shredding. Then pull apart into bite-sized pieces.
Finely julienne cucumber and carrot. Thinly slice bok choy leaves including ribs; diagonally cut green onions. Toss vegetables with mint to mix.
To serve, divide noodles among serving dishes. Layer with julienned vegetables and chicken. Drizzle with some of the peanut sauce; garnish with coarsely chopped cilantro leaves.
Chocolate Zucchini Cake
Ingredients
2 1/2 c. flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cloves
4 Tbsp. cocoa
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1 3/4 c. white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. sour milk (1/2 c. milk with 1/2 Tbsp. white vinegar)
2 c. shredded zucchini
1/4 c. chocolate chips
Directions
Combine all dry ingredients (except sugar). Set aside. Using an electric mixer, cream butter, oil and sugar together. Add eggs, vanilla and sour milk. Add dry ingredients. Mix well. Stir in zucchini. Turn batter in a greased 9 X 13 pan. Sprinkle with chocolate chips. Bake at 325 degrees for about 50 minutes.
Green Bean and Feta Salad with Tomato Dressing
http://www.canadianliving.com/food/green_bean_and_feta_salad_with_tomato_dressing.php
Preparation Tip: This is a very easy salad to make and it requires minimal cooking. It can easily be put together ahead of time and refrigerated.
Lilah's Take: Lilah's exact words to describe green beans (raw or cooked)..."These are gross." Needless to say, she wasn't a big fan of this dish! She did, however, pick at the feta cheese and tomatoes so it wasn't a total wash.
Light and Fruity Tuna Pitas
http://www.food.com/recipe/light-fruity-tuna-salad-481172
Preparation Tip: Again, very easy to put together and no cooking required.
Lilah's Take: These were fun and combined some of her favorite fruits, but I think because of the teething issue, it was just a bit too crunchy for her to eat. She nibbled a little, but didn't eat much. I will definitely try this again in the future though!
Mediterranean Orzo Salad
http://www.canadianliving.com/food/mediterranean_orzo_salad.php
Preparation Tip: At minimum, you can cook the pasta for this salad in advance. If you have time, however, the entire salad can be assembled ahead of time. To make this a complete meal, I served it with pitas wedges and hummus.
Lilah's Take: Strangely enough, Lilah likes black olives and feta cheese so this salad fit her tastes. She still takes issue with eating some raw vegetables so those were mainly picked around.
Rhubarb Muffins
Ingredients
1 1/4 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/4 c. white sugar
1/4 c. brown sugar
1 1/2 c. diced rhubarb
1 egg
1/2 c. milk
1/4 c. vegetable oil
1 tsp. almond extract
Directions
Mix all dry ingredients. Beat egg in separate bowl, add milk, oil, almond extract. Combine wet and dry ingredients. Fold in rhubarb. Bake at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes.
Watermelon Salad with Tomatoes, Goat Cheese and Basil
http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/2517
Preparation Tip: I made this salad in advance and let it marinate, but it is incredibly quick to put together.
Lilah's Take: Lilah is a HUGE watermelon fan so I was a bit worried that she would dislike the fact that I had added new ingredients to it, but she loved the salad!
