Curry Chana Tofu

1 shallot, finely chopped
1 tsp garlic paste
1 tsp ginger paste
12 oz extra firm organic tofu
1.5 cups green chana/garbanzo beans (available in the frozen section of Trader Joe's or substitute with canned garbanzo beans)
1 tsp mild curry powder
salt to taste

Heat olive oil in a non-stick saute pan. add the shalott & saute until lightly browned. add ginger & garlic paste & saute another 1-2 minutes. add the tofu, green chana, curry powder & salt. stir a few times & cook on medium heat for 3-4 minutes until well blended & heated through.

Makes 3 servings. Approx. 210 calories & 8.5g fat per serving.

Berbere Seared Tuna & Roasted Cauliflower

Last night, i decided to get creative & make something simple while still interesting. i found some really fresh Albacore Tuna at Whole Foods so i decided to pair that with roasted cauliflower...here it comes:

Berbere Seared Tuna
6 0z Albocore or similar very fresh Tuna steak
1t Berbere sauce (a spicy Ethiopian spice blend that you can either buy or make your own)
salt to taste
1/2 lime
Olive Oil Spray

Sprinkle the berbere spice & salt evenly on both sides of the tuna steak. Heat a non-stick pan on medium heat & spray olive oil (Trader Joes or Whole Foods sell a great extra-virgin olive oil spray). When heated, put the tuna steak on the pan & sear for 1-2 min until you see the bottom cooked upto 1/4 inch. Flip the steak & cook another 1-2 min until similarly done.

Remove from heat, squeeze fresh lime juice & serve immediately. Tuna will be lightly seared but rare (if you prefer medium rare or medium well, cook both sides longer until you see just some pink in the middle).

Roasted Cauliflower
1.5 cups cauliflower florets & peppers (i use a mix of sweet & spicy), chopped in chunks
1t curry powder or spice blend of choice
salt to taste
squeeze of fresh lime

Preheat oven to 375 degrees (broil setting). Spray a baking dish with olive oil & put the cauliflower/peppers in one single layer. sprinkle the curry powder & spray some more olive oil. Let broil for about 20 min until tops are lightly charred. remove from oven, sprinkle salt, squeeze fresh lime or lemon juice & serve immediately.

Makes 1 serving with of approx. 360 calories & 12g of fat.

Egg White Bhurji (Indian style spicy scramble)

10 oz egg white (equivalent to 10 whole eggs)
1t olive oil
1T ginger, crushed
1T garlic, crushed
1-2 shallots, chopped coarsely
1/4 bunch scallions, chopped finely
1 med tomato, chopped
2 mini sweet bell peppers, chopped
a pinch garam masala
a pinch turmeric
red chilli powder to taste
salt to taste
cilantro to garnish

Heat olive oil over medium heat & add shallots. once lightly browned, add ginger/garlic. stir 1-2 min & add tomatoes. once tomatoes are cooked & most of the juices burned off, add scallions & bell peppers. stir 1 min & add garam masala, red chilli pepper & turmeric. Last, add the egg white liquid & mix well. keep stirring frequently until done. garnish with cilantro & serve hot.

Makes 2 servings with approx. Calories: 222.5 & Fat: 2.5

Tofu Mango Stir Fry

Yes, i've been missing in action for a while now but really glad to be back but with a slight difference. I've embarked on this wellness program where i've going through an intensive 15-weeks of nutrition & personal training so food has a little different perspective now - i've redefined myself as a health foodie for the moment ;)

So hopefully the health foodie in you will relate & find some of these upcoming recipes still delicious & yummy!

so without further ado, here's this new recipe i concocted last night purely based on imagination & what was in my refrigerator:

15oz Firm Tofu
6oz Mango (i used the already cut Mango you can conveniently buy at Trader Joe's)
1 cup mixed sweet peppers, chopped into chunks (i used mini-bell peppers from Trader Joe's but feel free to use regula bell or any peppers currently in season)
1T crushed ginger
1T crushed garlic
1/2 bunch scallions finely chopped
2 sweet South African Peppadew peppers, roughly chopped (you can get these marinated in vinegar at Whole Foods at the olive bar & they're sweet & delicious if you haven't tried them before)
1T low sodium Soy sauce
1t olive oil
1t sesame oil
no salt required

Heat olive oil in wok (small wok works for this quantity) on medium low. add ginger & garlic. stir for 1-2 min & add the scallions. stir for 1 min. add the chopped bell peppers & mango. stir another 1-2 min until they have softened a little. add the tofu, soy sauce & peppadew peppers & stir another 1-2 min until well blended. stir in the sesame oil to finish off & turn the heat off.

Tip: if you like extra spicy like i do, add chilli paste or crushed chillies at the end.

Makes 2 servings with approx. 330 calories & 18g of fat per serving. Add a cup of raw veggie salad with salt, pepper & a squeeze of lime juice & you'll have a hearty, filling but really healthy meal.

Enjoy!