Sweet and Sour Smoked Tofu and Pineapple en Papillote

Sweet and Sour Smoked Tofu and Pineapple en Papillote (from Vegetarian Times, Servings: 4, Total Time: 1 hour)

Ingredients

·         1 cup basmati rice

·         1 10-oz. pkg. frozen spinach

·         2½ tsp. toasted sesame oil, divided

·         2 tsp. toasted sesame seeds

·         ½ tsp. low-sodium soy sauce

·         1 6-oz. pkg. baked smoked tofu, diced

·         1 cup diced fresh pineapple

·         2 tsp. sweet chile sauce

Directions

1.       Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut four 15-inch lengths of parchment paper, and fold each in half. Set aside.

2.       Cook rice and spinach separately according to package directions. Transfer rice to bowl, and stir in 1 ½ tsp. sesame oil and sesame seeds. Drain spinach, squeeze out liquid, and stir in soy sauce.

3.       Open folded parchment sheets like a book, and arrange ½ cup rice to one side of crease on each sheet. Top rice with ¼ cup tofu, ¼ cup spinach, and ¼ cup pineapple. Drizzle with ¼ tsp. sesame oil and ½ tsp. chile sauce. Fold parchment over food so edges meet, then crimp and seal edges with small overlapping diagonal.

4.       Transfer packets to large baking sheet, and bake 10 minutes. Cool 2 minutes before serving.

When I first saw this recipe, I thought it would be kind of difficult to make – I’ve never heard of en Papillote.  I’m glad that I did not let that initial thought keep me from making this dish – it is good to try new things!  After I got all of the ingredients ready, the rest was easy (actually, it all was pretty easy).  I think that the most time-consuming part is dicing and waiting for the basmati to cook.

Both my husband and I thought that this dish was pretty bland, as is.  He added a bit more soy sauce to his and I added some more sweet chile sauce and some Sriracha to mine.  We were both plenty happy then!  Without those additions, you can taste the sesame oil and seeds and a little bit of the sweet chile sauce, but not enough to overcome the spinach and rice. The pineapple adds a bit of crunch to this otherwise soft dish.  I think that if I make this again, in addition to adding more soy and sweet chile sauce, I will not use the baked tofu. I don’t know that it added that much taste over regular tofu – I’d rather use regular tofu soaked in a combination of soy, sweet chile and Sriracha and go from there.

Sweet BBQ Chik’n Kabobs

Sweet BBQ Chik’n Kabobs (slightly adapted from Kraft Recipes, Servings: 4, Total Time: 25 minutes)

Ingredients

·         1 package Trader Joe’s Chickenless Chicken Strips

·         2 cups pineapple chunks (I used canned)

·         1 each red and green pepper, cut into 1-1/2 inch pieces

·         ½ cup BBQ sauce

·         3 Tbsp. frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed

Directions

1.)    Heat grill to medium-high heat

2.)    Thread chickenless chicken strips alternately with pineapple and peppers onto 8 long wooden skewers, using 2 skewers placed side-by-side for each kabob.

3.)    Mix BBQ sauce and juice concentrate; brush half evenly onto kabobs.

4.)    Grill 8-10 minutes, turning and brushing occasionally with remaining sauce.

This recipe is easy to make, low on calories and fat – and pretty tasty too.  I find it very sweet (from the OJ concentrate and pineapples), but also a little savory from the BBQ sauce.  The peppers remain crisp and add a nice component to the soft chikn and pineapple chunks.  I actually just warmed mine up in a pan instead of using skewers because I was really low on time, but I think grilling would be great, too.  I also like that this dish is so colorful – red, yellow, green!  It makes for a nice plate.  I recommend serving with rice, or wrapped in a tortilla or pita bread.

Polynesian Glazed Meatballs

This is not something I would normally make because I am not a fan of pineapples, but I made this the other night because we are having a Progressive Dinner in our neighborhood and the theme is Hawaiian/Polynesian.  I was chosen / offered to make a vegetarian entrée.  I tried this recipe out as a test run and found it to be pretty good (and easy!). I wasn’t too into it when I first made it, but when I reheated it, the flavors had time time to mix and it was very tasty.  



Polynesian Glazed Meatballs (4-6 servings, about 30 minutes)
(adapted from Kraft Foods)


Ingredients
1 tsp. olive oil
1 large red pepper, chopped
1 white onion, chopped
1/4 cup barbecue sauce
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 (20 oz.) can pineapple chunks, drained, 1/2 of liquid reserved 
12 oz. frozen Trader Joe's vegetarian meatballs
2 cups instant brown or wild rice, uncooked


Directions

1. Heat oil in large skillet on medium-high heat. Add peppers and onions; cook 5 min. or until crisp-tender, stirring frequently.
2. Stir in barbecue sauce, ginger, garlic powder and reserved pineapple liquid. Add meatballs; mix lightly until evenly coated. Cook 10 min. or until meatballs are heated through, stirring occasionally. Add pineapple and cook for additional 2 minutes. Meanwhile, cook rice as directed on package.
3. Serve over rice.

Before this cooking adventure, I had only used the vegetarian meatballs with pasta and other Italian-type dishes (i.e. toppings for pizza).  They worked very well in this dish and held the Hawaiian sauce flavor. When this dish is reheated, the sauce is not runny and has a good consistency.  If you want more of a pineapple taste, you can add more reserved liquid to the meatballs; however, this may make the sauce too thin.  This dish is low in fat and is pretty good on the protein side of the nutrition scale.  When using brown or wild rice, you are also getting some healthy carbs.

Overall, tasty and would make it again for my own Hawaiian-themed dinner :-)