Cooking Light Night #7

Many exciting things going on at the Early Household. Our friend Nathan just moved down to California to pursue his acting career. He will be staying with us over the next few days until he finds a place and then kick into job finding gear. We are so excited that he is down here and can't wait for Hannah to follow suit in the next few months. With lots going on, we've gotten a little off track with the meal planning, but now are back on schedule. Tonight we cooked up this quick dish and it was the easiest quickest one yet. I did the main dish and Nathan, my Sous Chef, prepared the salad. I kid you not, start to finish in less than 15 minutes.

The tomato sauce was really excellent and a quite flavorful with the salty kalamata olives, garlic, and chili flakes for an extra kick. (We turned the heat up by adding quite a bit of chili flakes for a nice little endorphin boost.) And the corn and black bean salad was so refreshing and delicious. The dressing was really tasty and even Nathan said he thought the salad was quite good even though he's normally not a salad person. We used leftover corn on the cob from the night before in the salad and will keep this in mind for future occasions too.

Tofu Steaks with Tomato-Olive Sauce


While tofu is often paired with assertive Asian seasonings, it also benefits from intense Mediterranean flavors. In this recipe, an easy olive-spiked tomato sauce enlivens pan-grilled tofu. Round out the meal with steamed broccoli and orzo. Each serving contains about 8 grams of soy protein.


2 teaspoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups canned crushed tomatoes
3 tablespoons chopped pitted kalamata olives
3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Cooking spray
1 pound extra-firm light tofu, drained and cut lengthwise into 4 slices

Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add red pepper and garlic; cook for 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes. Add olives; cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat. Stir in parsley and black pepper; keep warm.

Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add tofu; cook 3 minutes on each side or until browned.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 tofu steak and 1/2 cup sauce)

CALORIES 115 (49% from fat); FAT 6.2g (sat 0.8g,mono 4.1g,poly 1g); IRON 1.9mg; CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg; CALCIUM 77mg; CARBOHYDRATE 6.7g; SODIUM 363mg; PROTEIN 9.2g; FIBER 1.3g

Corn and Black Bean Salad


"I wanted a side dish that had a little spicy heat to serve with my pan-fried tilapia. I came up with this Mexican-inspired salad." -Peggy Kistler, Salem, OR


2 cups fresh corn kernels (about 4 ears)
1 cup diced red bell pepper (about 1 large)
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons canola oil
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Dash of salt

Combine corn, bell pepper, onions, cilantro, and beans in a medium bowl.

Combine vinegar and remaining ingredients in a small bowl. Drizzle vinegar mixture over corn mixture; toss well. Cover and chill 30 minutes.

Yield: 10 servings (serving size: 1/2 cup)

CALORIES 74 (28% from fat); FAT 2.3g (sat 0.1g,mono 0.6g,poly 0.3g); IRON 0.8mg; CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg; CALCIUM 19mg; CARBOHYDRATE 14.4g; SODIUM 208mg; PROTEIN 3.4g; FIBER 3.4g

Cooking Light, AUGUST 2006

Cooking Light, OCTOBER 2001