Tag: recipe

Meat-free Friday recipe: instant noodle satay

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This title is a bit misleading, but also not. It’s a quick dinner using cheat ingredients (hold onto your pants, instant noodles aren’t the only timer-savers in this dish), but is still super tasty!

Serves: 4
Time: 30 minutes

Materials:

  • Paper towels
  • Pot (for noodles)
  • Small bowl
  • Whisk
  • Large frying pan or wok

Ingredients:

  • 1 block (~350g) firm tofu, frozen and thawed, then patted dry with paper towels and cut into bite-sized cubes
  • 2 tbsp + 1 tbsp peanut oil
  • 3-4 packs instant noodles
  • ⅔ cup peanut butter (smooth works best but crunchy is ok too. I prefer all natural peanut butter.)
  • ⅔ cup rice wine vinegar
  • 2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • ½ tsp garlic powder (I like to use more, but we are a family of garlic fiends)
  • 1 tsp lime juice
  • 1 tsp grated ginger
  • Chilli flakes (optional)
  • Water
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 1 cup small broccoli florets (can use frozen, but increase the cook time by a minute or two)
  • ½ red pepper, cut into thin strips

Method

  1. In a frying pan or wok on medium-high heat, add 1 tbsp peanut oil and half the tofu. Heat a large non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Turn the cubes every now and then, until they are crispy and golden-brown, about 6-7 minutes. Repeat for the remaining peanut oil and tofu. Obce batch is done, allow to sit on a paper towel to absorb some of the oil.
  2. While the tofu is cooking, open packet noodles and discard seasoning. Prepare instant noodles in pot as per packet instructions (minus the seasoning, obviously), then strain.
  3. In a small bowl whisk together peanut butter, rice wine vinegar, sweet chilli sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic powder, lime juice, and ginger, as well as your preferred amount of additional chilli flakes (optional). Gently whisk in water in very small quantities until the sauce reaches your desired consistency. If it is too thin, add more peanut butter, in small quantities.
  4. Into your frying pan or wok, add remaining peanut oil and onions. Cook until translucent.
  5. Add broccoli and cover for about 3-4 minutes.
  6. Add peppers, strained noodles, and sauce, stir and cover another 2-3 minutes.
  7. Enjoy!

Did this dish work for you? I’d love to know what you and your family thought, and of course, any changes you might have made. Still refining this recipe over ten years later!

Until next time, let’s pray for each other. And remember, we can do Mom things through Christ who strengthens us!

Meat Free Friday Recipe: fish tacos

momthingsthroughchristLeave a comment

This isn’t a cooking blog, so you get no preamble for this recipe – you don’t need my life story; you have mouths to feed! Here we go!

Fish Tacos
Makes 12 tacos
Time: 30 minutes

Materials

  • Several bowls. Just get all of them out. Seriously though, 3 medium bowls and 1 small bowl
  • A frying pan
  • A skillet
  • A warm plate lined with paper towels
  • A basket or dish lined with a tea towel

Ingredients 

  • 4 Roma tomatoes, seeds removed and finely chopped
  • 1 small red onion, peeled and finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon fish sauce (optional but highly recommended for that umami flavour)
  • ½ cup roughly chopped cilantro (optional)
  • 1 jalapeño, seeds removed, sliced into half moons (optional)
  • ¼ c mayonnaise
  • ½ c sour cream
  • 2 limes (juice one half lime, collect 1 tsp lime zest, and cut wedges or cheeks for serving)
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • 1 tablespoon canned chipotle pepper, finely chopped (optional)
  • ½ cup flour, fine-milled if possible
  • 1½ teaspoons cayenne powder
  • ½ cup milk
  • ¼ cup avocado oil (or your preferred oil, preferably one with a high smoke point), plus a little extra to grease your skillet
  • 1 tablespoon of butter
  • 1 pound cod or other firm white fish, cut into 3-4 inch strips
  • 12 6-inch fresh corn tortillas
  • 2 cups shredded green cabbage

Prep instructions

For the fish:

  • Pour the milk into a medium bowl, and let fish sit in it while you prep everything else. Then, in another medium bowl, mix together flour, cayenne powder,1½ teaspoons salt and 1½ teaspoons black pepper.

For the salsa:

  • In your last medium bowl (promise), combine tomatoes, onion, garlic, (with optional fish sauce and/or cilantro and/or jalapeño).

For the creamy dressing:

  • In a small bowl, whisk the mayonnaise and sour cream together. Whisk in lime zest. Season with juice of half a lime, salt and pepper (and optional chipotle), to taste

Cooking instructions

  1. Pour ¼ cup of the avocado oil into a 12-inch frying pan and place over medium-high heat until it shimmers and is about to smoke (about 380-390°F).
  2. While waiting for the pan to heat up, add another dash of the oil to a skillet on medium heat. As you are frying the fish, warm your tortillas on the skillet. Keep them warm by wrapping the warmed stack with a tea towel (I like to do this in a basket but you could use a plate as well).
  3. Remove fish strips from the milk and lightly dredge in the flour mixture. Shake to remove excess.
  4. Add butter to the frying pan. Taking care not to crowd the pan, place a few fish pieces at a time (how many depends on the size of your pan) into the oil and cook for about 3 to 4 minutes (until they are a rich golden brown). Turn over and cook another minute or so. Transfer to a warm plate lined with paper towels to absorb some of the oil. Season with salt.
  5. Assemble your tacos (I like to let people make their own at the table so they can add whatever amounts of what they like) and enjoy! Serve with lime wedges/cheeks.

Let me know what you thought or if you made any changes! 

Until next time, let’s pray for each other. And remember, we can do Mom things through Christ who strengthens us!