Back to basics, with a twist...

The Thanksgiving feast and excitement over my latest cookbook purchase inspired me to experiment with plenty of new recipes recently (and experiment is the right word, since I tend to treat recipes more as suggestions than strict formulas).  So when the shelves of the fridge started to look pathetically unpopulated yesterday I found myself stocking up on ingredients for some of my old favorites.  I whipped up a ginger-aduki bean spread for lunch wraps (it doesn't get much easier than this: puree a drained can of aduki beans with one drained package of pickled ginger; I'm a big fan of Eden brand for both) and made half a batch of almond butter and raisin crispy treats (the PB-chocolate chip version is just as yummy but can throw me into a sugar stupor instead of giving me a mid-afternoon boost).

This craving for simple, hearty foods produced a pot of nishime, of course-- this time with red onions, daikon radish and sweet potatoes.  I also warmed up the whole apartment by making one of my favorites:

Ginger-Baked Tofu (from The Kind Diet)

1 lb firm tofu
1/3 cup shoyu (soy sauce)
1 Tbspn toasted or untoasted sesame oil
2 Tbspns minced fresh ginger
1 Tbspn finely chopped garlic
1/4 cup brown rice vinegar
2 Tbspns umeboshi vinegar
1/2 tspn crushed red-pepper flakes (optional)
1 tspn brown rice syrup (optional)
Finely chopped scallions for garnish (optional)

Cut tofu in half width-wise, then slice in half again. You will be left with 4 tofu "steaks".

Pour 3/4 cup of water into a bowl. Whisk in the shoyu, oil, ginger, garlic, vinegars, red-pepper flakes (if desired), and rice syrup and pour over the tofu, covering it. An 8"x6" dish works perfectly. Marinate for at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Either drain the baking dish of the majority of marinade, or place tofu on a baking sheet & baste with the marinade. Reserve the remaining marinade.

Bake tofu for 15-20 mins. Turn the tofu pieces with a spatula, baste again with the marinade, bake for 10-15 mins longer.


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I served the nishime and tofu over a millet-quinoa combination and, for color and something new, steamed spigarello.  This was the first time I've tried this lovely green and I will definitely find ways to incorporate it into many winter meals.  The leaves are even tougher than kale when raw but become velvety, tender and almost sweet once cooked.  They also retain their vivid color much better, always a plus!