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Friday, May 28, 2010

Can you smell my GARLIC BREATH!?

We are eating lots and lots of garlic here at la casa this week!  Yup, we love our garlic...can't get enough.  I tried two new and successful, I might add ways to use garlic in the past couple of days.  What's not to like about garlic...it's tasty, it's good for you, it helps repel bugs and most vampires....  I found some gorgeous Tuscan Kale at the Farmer's Market this week, so I knew that was getting matched up with some stinking rose!  I found a great recipe in Food Matters by Mark Bittman that used both, plus paired them with tofu.  This was my favorite of the two dishes I'm sharing today.

Pan-Cooked Greens with Tofu and Garlic
slightly adapted from Food Matters
yield: 4 svgs.

1 lb. firm tofu
1 1/2 lb. kale, Napa cabbage, bok choy, or other thick-stemmed Asian greens I used Tuscan Kale, sliced in 1" sections
3 Tbs. peanut or veg oil, plus more if needed
3 Tbs. nam pla (Thai or Vietnamese fish sauce), or soy sauce   I used fish sauce
1 small chile, stemmed, seeded if you like, and minced, or crushed red chile flakes to taste  I used crushed red chiles
1 Tbs. sugar
2 Tbs. lime juice or rice vinegar, or to taste  I used rice vinegar
2 or 3 cloves garlic, cut into slivers  I used 4 cloves, sliced paper-thin
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Press excess water from tofu.  Cut into slices, cubes or crumble. Set aside. Put one Tbs. oil in large skillet over medium-high.  Add kale (or do it in 2 rounds if pan is not big enough) and cook, stirring often until it is tender and slightly browned.  Repeat if necessary.  Remove from pan.  Add another Tbs. of oil and sauté tofu until slightly browned; add garlic to pan for another minute or so.  Add kale back in and toss around.  Remove from heat.  Combine remaining ingredients and toss. Eat.

I just felt healthier eating that.  Hmmm.  And can I tell you again how much in love I am with Robert Rodriguez tofu!  Good stuff, Maynard.  I also made a quick dish using cod from HTCE by Bittman.  It used garlic in the finishing sauce...slightly spicy and very tasty.



Sautéed Cod w/ Spicy Garlic Sauce
from How to Cook Everything

1/4 c. peanut oil
salt & pepper
2 cod fillets
flour for dredging
2 Tbs. minced Garlic
1 Tbs. grated ginger
1 Tbs. dry white wine
1/2 c. stock or water
1 Tbs. soy sauce
1/2 tsp. garlic chile paste
cilantro and lime wedges for garnishing

Heat large skillet over med-high for a few minutes.  Add oil and when hot, season fish well and dredge in flour, shaking off excess; add to pan.   Raise heat to high and cook until browned on each side.  Total cooking time will be ~10 minutes.  Remove to warm plate.

Pour off any remaining oil in pan and carefully wipe it out.  Add 1 Tbs. fresh oil and turn heatr to high.  Add garlic and ginger and cook 15 seconds.  Add wine followed almost immediately by stock.  Cook for 30 seconds, then add soy and garlic chile paste.  Pour sauce over fish and serve immediately. Garnish with chopped cilantro and lime wedges.

I served this with Incan Red Quinoa and Broccoli & Shiitakes in a garlic-ginger-chile sauce.  It was a good meal...not my favorite ever, but good.

This garlicky goodness is all being to submitted to this week's IHCC theme Garlic Breath!!  Head on over there to see what other aromatic dishes are cookin'.
IHCC



Would you like to comment?

  1. These both sound good. Even the tofu one, and I'm not a huge tofu fan!

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  2. It matters not that I could smell your garlic breathe as long as you reserve some for me as I am a garlic fan too.

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  3. You really rocked out the garlic! Love all the dishes, but I think the kale and garlic dish would be my fave too. I could eat a huge plate of it (HUGE)!

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  4. Garlic brief is a sign of a healthy person who celebrates life. Definitely making those greens and tofu. It would wonderfully soak up all that garlic flavor.

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  5. I'm so jealous of your tuscan kale! I've been looking for some to make tuscan kale chips with, to no avail! Your dish looks fantastic!

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  6. Love garlic, too! My babygirl comes running to the kitchen to sniff it while I'm cooking. She wants to eat it raw but I tell her no.

    Happy Friday!
    ~ingrid

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  7. Oooh. I can smell it from here! ;)

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  8. If you only knew how many times I eat this a week, with chilies of course :)

    I love garlic and red onions the worst of the breathenators!

    Lookin' good sista!

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  9. If a recipe says to add 1 clove of garlic, I automatically add three. Love the stuff. Great little recipe find there.

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  10. between the tofu recipe and the garlic sauce, I don't know what I want to try first!

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  11. love the garlickiness of recipes...woo hoo

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  12. I love garlic too! This sounds so good and healthy too.

    Have a wonderful weekend!

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  13. I've never eaten tofu but it makes me want to try it! Yum!

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  14. I was a vegetarian for many years, two different times, but I can't get the taste fro tofu back.
    You might have me on this dish though.

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  15. Looks amsazing..I just love using garlic in my food

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  16. Mmm...great picks! Both garlicky dishes look and sound delicious. Loving that garlic sauce on the fish.

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  17. Porcini mushrooms are my next best favorite to garlic!

    I can smell your aroma from here and it smells pretty darn good!!! I must save this link for National Garlic Day and I'm always looking for new ways with Tofu. Boomarked!!!

    Marion isn't much of a garlic fan but, we're working on it...

    Thanks for sharing, Heather. Safe & FUN holiday weekend to you and yours:)

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  18. I'm sure I would love both dishes but I'm gungho to try the tofu one! I'm a big tofu fan. :)

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  19. Ooh can't wait to try that spicy garlic sauce. We're big fans of garlic around here too!

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  20. I got the kale in my CSA just now, and love cooking with tofu. This dish sounds so good. Food Matters is my one Bittman book, so it's a definitely a must do.

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  21. I've had days where I eat no garlic at all. And afterwards I think back and I'm amazed! Both of these dishes look so good! And anything with garlic in it can't really be bad.

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  22. Hello, just dropping by to say I am sharing this recipe on my Wednesday post wandering links. thanks!

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  23. OH MY GOODNESS!!! How yummy does this look!?!

    I was looking through *all* your recipes because today is Recipe Friday on my blog.

    Hope you don't mind, but I *must* share this post! I'll link back to this post of course:)

    THANK YOU!!!!

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  24. I have been wanting to find good recipes with tofu...garlic tofu sounds good!!! Can't wait to do this...

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