Mixed-Bean Soup Recipe

This is probably the last soup I'm making this season as we're slowly experiencing warmer temperatures. I prepared the soup with 10 varieties of beans. Four-pound mixed bean packages are readily available at my local Korean market. In this particular one, only seven dried beans were mixed in it, namely soybeans, chickpeas, kidney beans, black beans, peas, black eyed peas and lima beans. I also added white cannellini beans, green beans and edamame beans to complete the nourishing soup.

In addition to the soup, I included corn kernels for extra sweetness and deep-fried tofu cubes for texture. Everyone in my home enjoyed it because the starchy vegetables are quite filling and almost make you forget about meat!

Coconut Curry Tofu Recipe

I haven't cooked any tofu dishes for my husband Lulu in a while and I thought it would be good to vary his diet. So I prepared tofu with fresh wood ear mushrooms, sweet potatoes, carrots and red bell peppers that I stir-fried in coconut, galangal and turmeric curry sauce.

I topped the tofu dish with a few roasted peanuts to create a contrast in texture and make the dish more fun. 

Vietnamese Vegetarian Pate Recipe

This is a recipe that didn't make it into the Bánh Mì cookbook, my second publication that is already available for pre-order. I prepared a vegetable and tofu pâté that's often used in vegetarian bánh mì  sandwiches. This dish is called tàu hũ chưng in Vietnamese. I mixed tofu and a mirepoix of vegetables, which is a combination of coarsely chopped carrots, onions, leek, celery and mushrooms. The preparation is steamed then baked until firm.

Over the past few weeks I’ve been posting a vegetarian recipe each Monday. It’s part of an effort on my part to eat a little bit healthier by reducing my meat consumption. So from now on, you'll find a vegetarian recipe every "Meatless Monday".

Lemon Tofu Recipe

I always love the idea of my husband Lulu, who is a vegetarian, and me sharing an "almost" identical meal. It’s not always easy, but it’s worth the effort. For this recipe, first I prepared the meat version, wrapping turkey bacon over turkey breast. Then I repeated the same dish using fried tofu and Morningstar Farms brand vegan bacon. I stuffed both the turkey and tofu versions with slivers of a homemade Meyer lemon “citron confit.” 

I mentioned last week that we have an abundance of fragrant Meyer lemons from our garden. I cooked up a storm using up all the lemons we had and I'll be sharing all the recipes with you in the coming days. 

Cauliflower Tofu Stir Fry Recipe

Our favorite tofu company, Vinh Khang Tofu, has just opened a new location in San Jose, close to King road in Sunset plaza. We visited the shop and stocked up on loads of freshly pressed tofu for the week.

I used some of it to make this crispy yet still fluffy tofu with cauliflower. I've prepared tofu so many times over the years that I bet I could prepare a tofu stir fry dish with my eyes closed. I must admit though, that I've never tried it with cauliflower, and I have to say that I really like how it turned out. The cauliflower softened nicely and provided a nice contrast to the crispiness of the tofu. Definitely worth a try!