PRESTO no-cheese PESTO!

We love freshly-made pesto in our house, and it's so easy to make that there's just no excuse not to make it yourself.  The other night, I thought I had all the ingredients for pesto.  So there I am, half way through making the pesto, and BAM! -- no Parmesan cheese in the refrigerator.  Well, pesto doesn't really need cheese, but I wanted to give it some kick, so I went to my secret ingredient.  Miso to the rescue!

Miso's flavor mimics that of cheese but keeps the whole dish vegan.  An excellent substitution for those who want to limit their cholesterol intake without losing flavor.  Please try this recipe.  You'll be incredibly surprised at how savory it is.  My oldest daughter ate 3 bowls.

* one package (2.5 oz) of organic basil
* equal amount of sliced almonds (you can use pine nuts, but I like almonds, and I use the sliced and roasted ones because it's so easy)
* 3 large sections of garlic
* 1 tablespoon red or white organic miso
* 1/2 cup olive oil
* 1/2 a jalapeno (optional)

Put all ingredients in a food processor and pulse to combine.  If the pesto is too dry, add some more olive oil.

Add on top of noodles or flat bread and serve.  If you have any leftover pesto (very unlikely), you can keep it in the refrigerator for about 5 days.  The pesto might discolor, but the flavor will still be delicious.  Buon appetito!

PERFECT BROWN RICE EVERY TIME!

Brown rice is far superior in nutrition than white rice.  Yet, many people shy away from brown rice because it seems difficult to cook.  I have a no-fail way of cooking any type of brown rice, and the rice will come out perfect every time!  The secret is to cook it like pasta.  Even my 15 year old can do it!  Here's a video of her teaching you in just one minute how to make perfect brown rice.  Thanks to my sister-from-another-mister Troy Repuszka for teaching me this amazing technique.

FAQ:
Can I use any kind of brown rice?
Yes, any kind of brown rice, be it long-grain, short-grain, organic, non-organic, etc. will work.

Do I have to measure the water and rice before I start cooking?
 Nope!  That's the beauty of this recipe!  So long as you have enough water to boil the rice for 30 minutes, any amount of rice will work.  If you need to measure because you're a perfectionist, you can still do so!

Can I use this recipe with white rice?
Absolutely not.  Unless you like to eat glue.  Anyway, you should be eating brown rice only.

Do I have to dance the Can-Can while waiting for the rice to cook?
Well, we suggest you do at least a little jig since from now on you'll be making perfect brown rice every time!    

Tofu Peanut Sauce Wraps

TOFU PEANUT SAUCE WRAPS 

Homemade peanut sauce is so delicious and pretty easy to make.  You can use any peanut butter you want, including crunchy, but I beg of you to puh-leeze buy organic.  No Jiffy - that stuff is mostly sugar that you and your kids do not need.  Check the ingredients on peanut butter.  There should be no more than 3 ingredients and not one of them should be sugar.

Homemade peanut sauce:

* 1 Tablespoon vegetable or olive oil

* 2 garlic clove minced

* 3/4 cup organic peanut butter

* 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk

* 1/4 cup vegetable stock or water

* 1 Tablespoon sugar

* 3 Tablespoons soy sauce

Heat oil in a saucepan over medium-low heat.  Add garlic until aromatic, around 30 seconds.  Whisk in all remaining ingredients and turn heat to medium.  Once the ingredients are combined, let the sauce simmer until sauce is thick but still pourable, about 5 minutes.  This sauce can be stored for 2 days in the refrigerator.

Tofu Wraps:

* 2 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil

* 1 container of organic extra-firm tofu (14 oz.), tofu cut into strips (about 1"x1"x3")

* 2 cups chopped Napa cabbage

* 1 cup baby spinach

* 1/2 cup shredded carrots

* 3 radishes, julienned

* 3 tablespoons rice vinegar

* 1 tablespoons soy sauce 

* 1 tablespoon canola oil

* Sriracha or other spicy sauce to taste (optional)

1 package of wraps, burrito-sized (about 10-inch).  Use whatever wraps you want, but again, I'm going to suggest whole wheat.  Look at the ingredient list!

Saute tofu in heated oil until brown on both sides, about 10 minutes.

Mix cabbage, spinach, carrot and radishes in a medium bowl.

Whisk together rice vinegar, soy sauce and canola oil in a small bowl.  Pour over the cabbage mixture and let stand for 5 minutes.

For each wrap, spread about a tablespoon of peanut sauce.  Lay about 1/2 cup of the cabbage mixture and 2 - 4 tofu strips on top of the peanut sauce.  Fold the edges and wrap.  You can also warm the wrap with peanut sauce in the microwave before laying the cabbage and tofu.  Serve with a side of peanut sauce for dipping.