Taking a Stand

I have a confession to make. For some time, I've promoted a sex toy website and shop that I knew to have unethical practices. Even more unethical practices by them have come to my attention, and it's time that I put my foot down. You will see that I've removed posts and banners linking to them, and I will no longer be giving out my affiliate code. I will be remaining in that so-called "community" only to exploit the fact that they give out a ton of free shit, but I will not give them one more penny.

I'll be starting a new "non-R-rated" blog shortly.. as soon as I can think of a name for it. Any suggestions are welcome. It will center around cooking and food, but in true LSD fashion, also contain whatever the fuck else I want.

Om Nom Monday: Tofu

Right after Christmas, I decided to stop eating meat... well, sorta. I'm not longer eating domesticated animals. I'm still eating fish, and I would eat wild game as well. This decision is a whole nother topic all in itself and definitely not the topic of this post. It's simply a segue into the real topic - tofu. Don't be scared. I was at first, but once I realized that I had to eat and feed my fiance something, and that this weird spongy thing might have some potential, it was all ok. 

So let's start with people's major complains about tofu.

Complaint #1) It has a weird texture. True, raw tofu is wet and spongy. Fortunately, most preparations of it involve cooking it. Not only that, but they should involve pressing much of the water out of it beforehand. Before you do anything with your first block of tofu, fold two paper towels and sandwich your tofu between them. Put it on a plate then place something heavy on top of it - another plate and a can of tomatoes, anything cast-iron, Goodman and Gillman's (yes, you finally have a use for it...sorry, nonpharmacists probably won't get that). Let that sit for at least 30 minutes. Now you're ready to use your tofu.

Complaint #2) It's bland. True, plain tofu is bland and boring. However, cooked and seasoned tofu is only as bland and boring as the cook who made it. (Yes, if your cooked tofu is bland, it's your own damn fault.) Because tofu has very little flavor of its own, it is a blank canvas for taking on any flavor you want to give it. So far my favorite things to put on my tofu have been Asian-inspired. It's a very intuitive place to start with it. I usually start with a prepared sauce of sorts (hoisin, spicy Szechuan, Thai peanut) and doctor it up a little to suit my taste.

Complaint #3) It's hard to cook. Now this couldn't be further form the truth. You just don't know how to cook it, yet. Hopefully that ends now.

Let's pick up our tofu where we last left it - in our MacGyver'ed tofu press. I start by slicing it at least into little filets about 1/4" thick, then go smaller depending on the final preparation. I leave it as filets if I'm serving it with a side veggie and/or starch (much like I would with a meat dish). If I'm making a stir-fry or some other one-dish wonder, I'll cut the filets into sqaures then down to triangles (2 squares per filet and 2 triangles per square). To cook it, just throw it an a hot pan. Usually I put some cooking spray down and lay my triangles just one layer deep so that they all cook about the same. Then I flip them when I start to see some color and let them get color on the second side as well. It gets a little crispy on the outside while staying soft on the inside. Be careful not to cook it on too low of heat, or it just gets rubbery.

So now here's a recipe. It's actually what I made for dinner tonight and what inspired me to right about my new culinary friend.

Please excuse my less-than-neat presentation. I reused the bowl I mixed the sauce it.
I probably watch too much Chopped if I actually think you care.

 Tofu Stir-Fry 

Get some rice cooking. I love my rice cooker - I just turn it on and let it go. It turns itself off when the rice is done.  

Start with a large skillet and some olive oil over medium heat. Throw in some sliced mushrooms, and diced peppers and onion. Diced or shredded carrot also goes well in here. While the veggies are getting some color, mix up your sauce.  

1/4 cup hoisin sauce (It's like Asian barbecue sauce. I thought about buying this so many times before I finally did, and I'll never let my pantry be without it now.)
soy sauce, sriracha sauce, sesame oil to taste (start with a few splashes of each then go from there) 

When your veggies start to caramelize a little, dump them onto a plate or into a bowl and set them aside.  Then put your tofu triangles into the pan in a single layer. By the time I managed to squeeze them all into the pan, the first ones I had put down were ready to flip. Then by the time the tofu was done, so was my rice. Turn off the heat and throw everyone in the pan - veggies, rice, and sauce - then stir it all up until the sauce coats everything evenly. 

That's it. Super fast. Super simple. Super customizable - Play with the sauce, use noodles instead of rice, mix up the veggies. Have fun with it. Make it your own. You might even come to like this weird little vegetarian food.

Another Stab At Blogging

A few weeks ago during a texting conversation with a dear friend, I was asked "So what happened to your blog?" I was flattered that it was missed but admitted that I haven't had much time for or interest in blogging lately. Since then, I've thought on and off about bringing it back. Tonight, as I sit at my kitchen table after a snowy Saturday, my house finally shoveled and plowed out of the dumping we received (thanks to my amazing landlord and fiancé), I've decided to take the plunge and start writing again. I've missed the freedom of putting out whatever the hell I want. This blog will be a dedication to all that I love, whether or not they "go together" - sexual pleasures, culinary pleasures, body art, music, animal welfare, and other rantings and ravings of a sometimes-unstable mind. I know that successful blogs are focused blogs, but I really don't give a shit. This blog is not for success, but to share wonderful things with others.

I invite you to please come along with me on this written journey. Please comment liberally; it lets me know people are reading. Just be nice; I've already expressed that I'm putting it all out there, so assholery is not welcome. That said, let's get this show on the road.