Month: May 2024

Korean spiced tofu stir-fry – 250 calories

flidfit Uncategorized

I have tried cooking with tofu on a number of occasions, but have never managed to crack the “flavouring” or cooking process for this rubbery white stuff!  Until now.  Not one to give up, I researched and combined various on-line recipes and came up with my own idea.

Stirring  soy sauce and a little cornflour (corn starch) over the cubed tofu ahead of cooking achieves a nice crispy coating.

So here is the resulting recipe – compiled it from several others I found on-line – I happened to have the Korean Hot pepper paste in my fridge waiting for me to find a use for it.

 

Korean tofu stir-fry – 250 calories

Preparation Time:           10 mins

Cooking Time:                    20 mins

Serves:                                     3

Calories per serving:    250

 

Ingredients

Tofu, Naked, Extra Firm 140g

Extra Virgin Olive Oil                                            – 35ml

Spring (green) onions                                           – 50g

Broccoli                                                                    – 120g

Aubergine                                                                 – 1 Med/375g

Red Pepper                                                             – 140g

Garlic Puree, with Ginger, Frozen, Taj              – 1 Piece/20g

Cornflour                                                                 – 1 Tsp/5g

Rice wine (Shaoxing) vinegar                              – 1 Tbsp/15ml

Dark Soy Sauce                                                       – 1½ Tbsps/22.5g

Mirin Rice Wine                                                      – 15ml

Spice Paste, Hot Pepper, Korean, Gochujang   – 4g

 

Method:

Step 1
Stir-fries are all about cooking quickly and over high heat, so the key to success is prepping your ingredients beforehand so you’re ready to go. Cut the broccoli into small bite sized pieces. Trim the onions and cut into 3cm lengths. De-seed the red pepper and cut into bite sized chunks. Defrost the ginger/garlic cube. You can use fresh, I use these cubes for convenience – 1 clove of garlic, 1 thumb nail sized piece of fresh ginger , both peeled and chopped finely.

Step 2
Cut the aubergine into 2cm cubes. Toss in 1 tbsp of the oil, some salt and pepper. Place into a pre-heated, lined air fryer at 180 degrees for 8-10 minutes, turning the cubes frequently until golden brown and soft.

Step 3
Cut tofu into 2cm cubes. Place pieces on a paper-towel lined plate and press a paper towel over top of pieces to absorb excess water. Toss tofu, cornflour, a pinch of salt, and 1 tbsp soy sauce in a medium bowl.

Step 4
Stir 1 tbsp. rice wine vinegar, 1 tbsp mirin wine, Korean paste and remaining soy sauce in a small bowl (to form a slurry).

Step 5
Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in a large frying pan or wok, preferably nonstick, over medium-high. When oil is shimmering and slides quickly across surface of pan, add the broccoli, spring onions, red pepper and cook, tossing often, until vegetables are browned in spots and tender, 5 – 7 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for a further minute. Season lightly with salt and transfer to another medium bowl.

Step 6
Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in same pan over high. When oil is shimmering again, add tofu mixture and arrange in a single layer. Cook, undisturbed, until tofu is browned on first side, about 2 minutes. Add a touch more oil if pan is very dry or tofu is sticking, then turn pieces and continue to cook, undisturbed again, until second side is browned, about a minute or two longer. If your pan isn’t non-stick, you might need to loosen the tofu by scraping pan with a spatula.

Step 7
Add slurry mixture and vegetables back to pan. Cook, tossing briskly, until sauce is thickened and all ingredients are coated, about 30 seconds. You may wish to add a little water if the mixture is too dry.
Remove from heat. Taste and season with salt, if needed.

Step 8
Serve stir-fry over rice. Sprinkle with toasted cashews.  NB.  Cashews aren’t included in the ingredients above, but can be added and add a lovely crunch and flavour.

 

Calories (kcal)          250

Protein (g)                11.8

Carbohydrate (g)    13.6

Fat (g)                       15.6

Fibre (g)                     5.4

Fruit & Veg                2.8

Alcohol                        1.4

Comte Cheese, Sweet Potato and Fig Tart, 460 calories

flidfit Recipes, Uncategorized, Vegeterian , , ,

Although this blog’s primary role is to chart my weight loss journey, I’ve also learned to appreciate and embrace my love of food and enjoy trying new recipes and flavours.

Part of why I ended up being 4 and a half stone (28.5kg) overweight was my love of food!

A large part of my journey has been accepting that I have to reduce my calorie intake to match my lack of mobility (and limbs…).

No food is off limits – but increasing my knowledge of the calories contained in various food stuffs has enabled me to make more informed and better choices about what I eat and how much.

Occasionally, a recipe arouses my interest.  I just feel I need to try it.  This was such a recipe.  Highly calorific for someone who’s daily calorie intake target is around 1300 calories.

It was SO worth it!

The ingredients are all pretty healthy and the fat content will ensure that you feel satiated after enjoying a slice of this tart.  The colour was stunning, the honey and nut flavours worked really well.  Not too sweet – but the slices of figs give an occasional burst of sweetness.

My advice is not to try and go low fat or fat free with this – fat is flavour.

Was a slice worth 460 calories – YES.

Comte Cheese, Sweet Potato and Fig Tart – 460 calories

Preparation Time:           30 mins

Cooking Time:                  35 mins

Serves:                                  8

Calories per serving:     460

 

Ingredients

Spelt Flour                           -200g

Salt                                     – ¼ Tsp/1g

Unsalted Butter                    -100g

Walnuts, Halves                   – 40g

Medium Free Range Eggs    – 5 Eggs/250g

Whole Milk                          – 100ml

Creme Fraiche                     – 175g

Dijon Mustard                      – 2 Tsps/10g

Sweet Potato, Raw              – 2 Potatoes/400g

Figs, Raw, Fresh                  – 3 Figs/105g

Comte Cheese                     – 125g

Thyme, Fresh                      –  2 Tsps/2g

Pepper, Black                      -1 Tsp/2g

Salt                                     – ¼ Tsp/1.25g

 

Preparation

Coarsely grate cheese, peel the sweet potatoes, cut into 2cm cubes and steam in a little water in a covered pan for 5 minutes. Slice figs.

To make the pastry:

Place the walnuts and half the flour in a food processor and blitz until fine.

Add the butter, cut into cubes and pulse until you achieve a breadcrumb texture. If required, add a little splash of cold water to make the mixture come together to form a firm dough. Wrap dough in cling film and rest it in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Generously butter a 25cm/10 inch well-buttered tart dish – ideally with a loose base.
Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface and line a 22cm/8 ½ inch well-buttered tart dish – ideally with a loose base.

Place the pastry gently into the dish and chill in the fridge for a further 20 minutes whilst you preheat the oven to 180 degrees/Gas 4.

Remove the pastry case from the fridge and line the base of the pastry with baking parchment. Fill with baking beans. Place the dish on a baking tray and bake blind for 20 minutes.

Remove the beans and parchment and return to the oven for another five minutes to cook the base.

For the filling:

Once the base of the tart is cooked, place the (grated) cheese on the bottom first, then the sweet potato cubes. Whisk together the creme fraiche, milk, eggs, thyme leaves and mustard.

Season generously with a couple of pinches of sea salt and a good grinding of black pepper.

Pour the egg mixture into the flan case to cover the cheese and potato. Slice the figs into quarters and place on the top. Return the tart to the oven.

Cook for 30-35 minutes, or until the filling is just set. Leave to cool slightly, for 10 minutes before serving.

Nutrition Data Per Serving

Calories (kcal)          – 460

Protein (g)                – 14.4

Carbohydrate (g)    – 29.8

Fat (g)                       – 31.8

Fibre (g)                   – 4.2

Fruit & Veg              – 0.8