Baking Frenzy

I've been in super baking mode this weekend. I get this way before it becomes full summer in Baltimore (i.e. 90-100+ temps). I live on the top floor of a rowhouse and although I have two window AC units, their cooling awesomeness does not extend to my kitchen. My summer baking plan is simple: bake a ton, early on, and freeze it. That way I can have homemade baked goods throughout the summer and not die of heat stroke. This weekend had perfect temps, so I had to take advantage of it.

Olives galore!

Yesterday, I made homemade pizza. Today I made two loaves of olive bread (one loaf with kalamata olives, the other with green olives) and three loaves of Afghan Rote (one loaf I'm going to take to work tomorrow). I slice each loaf in half and freeze them for the summer.

Olive breads cooling

My favorite olive bread recipe is actually from Cooking Light. It's a yeastless batter bread, which means there is no rise time. Just mix the ingredients and bake!

Afghan rote

Afghan rote is a lightly sweetened flat bread, with hints of rose water and cardamom, and has sesame and poppy seeds sprinkled on top. It's lovely as a snack or served alongside a hot beverage for dessert.

Of course, I also made dinner today (a warm lentil salad with walnuts and roasted red peppers), took a bus to Trader Joe's, and washed about 1,000 dishes, so needless to say, I'm beat.

But tomorrow, I'm making strawberry rhubarb crisp after work. Yum! (We picked up the rhubarb at the Waverly Farmer's Market.)

Tofu with Carrot Ginger Sauce

I have the internet at home! *and the crowd goes wild*

To celebrate, I am going to put up a recipe that I've been wanting to put up for a few months for Tofu with Carrot Ginger Sauce, which is quite tasty, easy, and looks all fancy pants.

Tofu with Carrot Ginger Sauce

Tofu with Carrot Ginger Sauce
2- 10 oz. packages of firm tofu, drained
1/2 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon grated ginger (or ginger paste)
2 tablespoons canola oil
1-2 lbs. of baby spinach

For the carrot ginger sauce:
10 oz. baby carrots
2 teaspoons grated ginger (or ginger paste)
2/3 cup orange juice
1/2 cup vegetable broth

Slice the tofu into several, almost 1/2-inch thick, slices (or cube it if you wish). In a flat glass or plastic container, arrange the tofu in a single layer. In a small bowl, whisk together the 1/2 cup of orange juice, brown sugar, soy sauce, cilantro, garlic, and 1 teaspoon of ginger. Pour the mixture over the tofu, cover, and refrigerate overnight, or at the very least, for several hours. (Because this step is pretty quick, sometimes I do this in the morning before work, then it has quite a few hours of marinating before I make dinner with it that same evening.)

In a medium saucepan, add of all of the sauce ingredients. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until the carrots soften. Let cool slightly, then transfer the carrot mixture to a blender. Process until smooth.

Drain the tofu, reserving the marinade. Heat the oil in a skillet. Cook the tofu in batches. Cooking on each side, until golden. Remove the tofu from the skillet; set aside.

Using the same skillet used to cook the tofu, add the spinach with a tablespoon or so of water. Cook for 1-2 minutes until the spinach has wilted.

Reheat the marinade in a microwave-safe bowl in the microwave.

Top the wilted spinach with the carrot sauce, then the tofu. Drizzle with the warmed, reserved marinade. Serve alongside, or on top of, rice.