Honey pepper tofu

I know a lot of people don’t like tofu, but for me it’s just a vessel for whatever flavors you prepare it with – which means it can taste like whatever you want it to! And don’t give me the argument that it’s squishy and spongy and has a gross texture – not the way I prepare it! It comes out nice and crispy.

I always buy extra firm tofu. Then I cut the block the long way into 3-4 slabs. (The thinner you cut your slabs, the crispier the tofu will come out.) I don’t have a fancy tofu press, so I put the slabs on a cutting board, layer several paper towels under and over the tofu, and cover with something heavy for several minutes to squeeze most of the water out. This time I just piled all my cookbooks on top. Hey, ya work with what ya got.

After 10 minutes or so, I manually press the tofu some more with more paper towels just to get as much moisture out as I can. Then, I lay the slabs on a baking sheet, salt and generously pepper, and drizzle honey over the top. Then I flip the slabs over and do the same to the other side. I really like the contrasting spicy and sweet flavors, so I add a hefty amount of pepper. If you want it to be sweeter, just add less pepper and more honey. I then use a spatula to cut the slabs into little pieces.

Put it into a 450 degree oven for 15 minutes, flip the tofu over, and then bake another 10-15 minutes to desired level of crispiness.

This is definitely my favorite way to prepare tofu! These little squares are great tossed on a salad or even on their own. And they reheat in the microwave really well too.

Do you like tofu? What’s your favorite way to eat it? 

Pumpkin oatmeal muffins with cinnamon walnut streusel

I know this recipe involves the exact same ingredients as my breakfast post, but I’ve been wanting to bake something with pumpkin and today just was the day to to do it. I followed Julie’s recipe for the muffins, except I used unsweetened almond milk instead of regular milk.

Just mix the dry ingredients with the wet ones…
 

…to make a lovely, orange, lumpy butter.

I decided I wanted to pretty my muffins up a little by adding a topping, so I went with a cinnamon walnut streusel. I cut up 2 Tbs of cold butter into little pieces, added in 2 Tbs of brown sugar  and 1/2 tsp of cinnamon, crumbled it all together with my fingers, and put it on top of the muffins.

Oh. My. Gosh…the smell that took over my apartment while these were baking was amazzzzing. And they tasted just as good! The pumpkin puree keeps them super moist, and the streusel reminded me of my mom’s homemade coffee cake! It was such a great addition to the muffins.

A pumpkiny kind of morning

I woke up chilly this morning, which usually means breakfast is a warm, creamy, flavorful bowl of oats! And, because it’s fall, of course pumpkin had to be involved.

In the mix:
– 1/2 cup water
– 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
– 1/2 cup rolled oats
– 1/2 of an overripe frozen banana (add this in when you add the oats in, and they literally MELT into the oatmeal!)
– 1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder
– 1/3-ish cup of pumpkin puree
– 1 spoonful of Trader Joe’s pumpkin butter (for sweetness!)
– generous shakes of pumpkin pie spice

Mmmm, that bowl warmed me right up!

Overnight oats

I had yoga this morning, which usually means I roll out of bed, go straight to class, and am starving by the time I get home. So last night, I thought ahead and made some overnight oats! If you’ve never had overnight oats, let me enlighten you…

Start with a cup of yogurt. Typically I go with greek yogurt. But for overnight oats, the thinner consistency of regular yogurt works better in my opinion.

Mix the yogurt with uncooked rolled oats. I used about 1/3 cup. Stir the oats in so they’re all coated with yogurt, cover it, and let it sit in the fridge overnight.

By morning you will have a creamy, chewy bowl of amazingness.

Then, just add your toppings of choice – I rolled with raspberries and slivered almonds for some crunch.

If you like yogurt and oats you will love this! The combo of the two also keeps me full for hours. Try it and let me know what you think!

The perfect hearty breakfast

Today was one of those days where I just woke up starving! So I went with one of my favorite satisfying breakfasts – oats! Now don’t stop reading because you think oats are boring. Just take a look at Kath’s Tribute to Oatmeal page and I promise you will change your mind.

I use old-fashioned rolled oats.

Let 1/2 cup of water and 1/2 cup of unsweetened almond milk come to a boil, add in 1/2 cup of oats, reduce to a simmer, and let it cook for 5 minutes. That’s it!

I also typically mix in some protein powder about 2-3 minutes into the cooking time, so there’s still some liquid to absorb it. I know it’s best to get protein from whole food sources, but since I don’t eat a ton of meat I mix this stuff into oats, smoothies, and some baking projects.

Just like with yogurt, the mix-in options for oats are endless. Today I rolled with strawberries, 1/2 a banana, and some shredded coconut.

Topped with piping hot oats, it was refreshing, sweet, and delicious! This will hold me over for several hours too – gotta love high fiber content!

Do you eat oats often? What are your favorite mix-ins?