Cooking with Cooper

Before I started my fitness journey, I loved Chinese takeout. Truth be told, I still do, I just rarely indulge now. This recipe satisfies the craving and is fun to make! Original recipe by Cooking Light As always, I start by pressing the tofu. While that is happening, I prep all the veggies and prepare the sauce. The cooking comes together quickly. The result was spicy, satisfying  and healthy. I ended up freezing the portions. The freezing actually seemed to give more texture to the tofu and deepened the flavors. I'll make it again! Notes from Cooper: Mama calls this "szechuan" tofu. I think she's pronouncing "stupid" incorrectly. 

Things I love: Brussels sprouts. Beer. Caramelized onions. Pizza. Original recipe by Live Eat Learn I like beer, and I like trying new beers, but I have pretty specific tastes. I almost exclusively drink stouts and porters, only like some imperials, and have learned that I do not like barrel aged beers. Every time I try a new beer, it falls into one of three categories: beers I love, beers that are okay but I wouldn't get again, and beers I dislike enough that I won't finish them. When it comes to the third category, I've taken to freezing it for future use. I may not want to drink it, but cooking with it works! The only modification I ever really make to this recipe is that I always seem to use a different beer. And sometimes if I have extra onion around, I throw it in. Here are the onions, cooking down in the beer. While the onions are cooking down, the pizza stone is heating in the oven, I'm prepping the brussels, and making the balsamic reduction. Once the ...

Instead of going to the grocery store, I shop via  Instacart . What I really love is when I order from Costco via Instacart. It is hard to be a pescetarian when you are both a bargain shopper and an advocate for the oceans. The best thing about Costco is getting great prices on wild caught fish. This week I got mahi mahi and sockeye salmon. Cooked some, and the rest went in the freezer. original recipe by Cooking Light I did modify this a little. With two cats in the house, there is no way I could have marinated the fish at room temp, so I did it twice as long in the fridge. I used my trusty Green Pan and didn't mess with it while it was cooking. I bet one could get a better sear with cast iron. I modified the relish a bit too. I had some green onion to use up, so I subbed that for the red onion. I doubled the cucumber, and used an entire jalapeno because really, what would I do with the other half? It looks like I will have a little relish left over for other purposes....

I love honey mustard,  maple mustard, or really any sweet and tangy mustard flavor.  Original recipe by The Kitchn I modified this recipe a bit. (A bunch). Instead of dijon mustard,  I used Sweet and Hot mustard, and instead of white wine vinegar, I used white modena vinegar- basically a white balsamic. I suppose I could have cut the brown sugar, but I have a sweet tooth when it comes to the savory. I marinated for longer than 15 minutes, maybe closer to 25 minutes. Basically, I let it marinate for a while whilst I did other kitchen things. But, the biggest modification I made was in the cooking method.  Here's the thing. I have an irrational fear of using the broiler. This may be related to an incident about 12 years ago when I tried to use the broiler to make s'mores. Side note: blogging really is like therapy. I only just now recalled this frightening memory, thus recognizing the origins of my broiler phobia. Perhaps now healing, and broiling can begin. A...

Broccolini, AKA baby broccoli is a favorite of mine.  original recipe by Cooking Light I was pretty excited for the flavors in this recipe. Sesame, fish sauce, chili, lime... It also was a recipe that came together quickly. I have to admit though, I was a little disappointed in the end result. I didn't dislike it, I just wish that the flavors were bolder.  Notes from Cooper: yeah, see? Vegetables are boring!