Sesame-Soy Tofu w/ Asian Mustard Greens

I was at Shoppers last week and was pleasantly surprised to see that they had expanded their Asian vegetable section! They had lot of different sizes of bok choy (including teeny baby ones the size of my thumb!), and Asian mustard greens which I just had to try. They are a lot more mild than regular mustard greens, and a lot of the bitterness cooks out. To go with the greens, I made a sesame-soy tofu and served everything over red quinoa (TJs just started carrying it, a lot more texture [similar to how brown rice has more texture than white] and really good).

Sesame-Soy Tofu w/ Asian Mustard Greens

Ingredients:

2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp sesame oil
1 onion, quartered and sliced
4 garlic cloves, cracked & peeled
1 block extra-firm tofu, cubed or sliced
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 shots sriracha
1 Tbsp rice vinegar
3 Asian mustard greens, cleaned & chopped
2 tsp toasted sesame seeds (optional)

Directions:

1. Heat oil in large skillet and saute onions 3-4 minutes. Add garlic and cook 2-3 minutes more.
2. Add tofu and brown 1-2 minutes on each side (if you cubed the tofu, don't worry about browning on all sides as that could take a while, just cook 3-4 minutes, stirring carefully).
3. Combine soy sauce, sriracha and rice vinegar and add to skillet. Stir to coat, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook 5-6 minutes until tofu is heat through. Remove to a dish.
4. Place mustard greens in skillet and cook in remaining liquid 2-3 minutes until wilted.
5. Serve tofu and greens over red quinoa (or rice or pasta), topping with toasted sesame seeds if you like.

The cost:
onion: .45
garlic: .10
tofu: 1.99
mustard greens: 1.99
red quinoa: 2.99

Grand total: $7.52; serves 2 with leftovers for lunch

Chicken w/ Exotic Mushrooms & Green Swiss Chard

The wonderful thing about swiss chard is that it has a great flavor on it's own, and doesn't need too much accompaniment. I've done a mushroom & kale dish before (I'm sure the recipe will make it up at some point :)), and I've done chicken and exotic mushroom dish (yeah, that one will make it too), so I decided to put everything together and make chicken with exotic mushrooms & swiss chard. I use simple flavors--salt, pepper, rice vinegar--but you can add soy, sriracha, sesame oil, or any other flavors if you like.

Note: I call them "exotic mushrooms" because that's what the package at TJ's with cremini, oyster and baby shitake mushrooms is called. You can really use whatever mushroom variety you like, but I like how an assortment livens up the dish.

Chicken w/ Exotic Mushrooms & Green Swiss Chard

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 large onion, cut into quarters and sliced thinly
2 garlic cloves, sliced thinly
1 large bunch green swiss chard, cleaned
1 Tbsp rice vinegar
12 oz assorted mushrooms, cleaned & sliced
sea salt & pepper
1 lb boneless chicken breasts, cut into strips

Directions:

1. Heat oil in large saute pan and saute onions until soft, 4-5 minutes.
2. Remove stems from swiss chard and cut into bite-sized pieces. Add stem pieces and garlic to onions and cook 6-8 minutes more until onions are caramelized and stem pieces are soft.
3. Deglaze pan with rice vinegar and add mushrooms, stirring to scrape up all the browned bits from the bottom. Cook 8-10 minutes until mushrooms are very soft and have released their juices.
4. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Add to pan and cook covered 5-6 minutes until it is no longer pink in the center, stirring occasionally.
5. Add swiss chard leaves, turning to coat in pan juices. Cover for 1 minute until leaves are slightly wilted. Remove from heat immediately.

The cost:
onion: .45
garlic: .10
chard: 2.29
mushrooms: 2.99
chicken: 5.99

Grand total: $11.82; serves 3-4 over rice or quinoa with a side of roasted veggies

Swiss Chard with Balsamic Glazed Chickpeas

From swiss chard to kale to broccoli rabe, I love cooking with greens. They are low in calorie, high in fiber and an excellent source of vitamins & nutrients (iron, vitamins A, C & K, potassium, calcium). Many greens are also pretty cheap--kale and turnip greens are usually less than a dollar a pound, and frequently on sale. Do be aware that greens have a very high water content so they cook down a lot; don't be fooled by the size of the leaves.

My favorite green is probably swiss chard. It's more expensive than most greens, but it cooks up beautifully, and maintains its color and texture better than others.

A note about cooking greens: Stems can be woody and fibrous; I usually discard them unless I am using swiss chard, in which case I chop them up and cook them for a few minutes before adding the leaves.

Swiss Chard with Balsamic Glazed Chickpeas

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion, sliced thinly
3 garlic cloves, peeled
1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp vegetable stock
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 large bunch swiss chard, cleaned

Directions:

1. Clean swiss chard and remove leaves from stalks. Tear leaves into pieces and chop stalks into 1/2 inch pieces.
   
2. Heat oil in a large saucepan and saute onions over medium heat 2-3 minutes. Add garlic and stalk pieces, and cook 6-8 minutes until everything is browned.
3. Add chickpeas, vinegar, honey, stock, salt & pepper, turn up flame to medium-high and bring to a boil. Stirring constantly to avoid burning, cook down until liquid turns to a thick syrup.
4. Turn flame down low and add swiss chard leaves. Stir to coat, then cover saucepan and remove from flame. Allow to sit 4-5 minutes or until leaves are tender but still green

Fun additions:

• Chop up some portobello caps and add in step 2.
• Substitute chickpeas for canellini beans or pigeon peas.
• Cube some firm tofu and brown with the onions and garlic.

The cost:
onion: .23
garlic: .15
chickpeas: .79
swiss chard: 2.39

Grand total: $3.56; serves 6-8 as a side dish