At least once a month I wind up in the grocery store contemplating a package of tofu. High in calcium, protein and iron, tofu has a lot going for it. So I buy it. Then I get it home and forget what I intended to make with it. Or I never had any ideas in the first place, and it lands in the trash. 

The trick to tofu, I eventually find, is a really good sauce. That and staying true to recipes you love and will actually make.

Most days, people just want a fast and healthy meal. But mostly FAST. Keeping a freezer stocked with a variety of pre-cut vegetables, makes life so much easier. Think sliced peppers, peas, cauliflower, cut green beans, shelled edamame, diced zucchini and broccoli. Any of which will work in this recipe, by the way. 

As much time as I spend cooking from scratch, I too keep staples in my pantry for time-saving shortcuts. In fact, if I were to take a snapshot right now, you would see jars of tomato sauces, pestos, curries and boxed broths that I can quickly doctor and add to anything.

Some of my other timesavers include a toaster oven, which tends to heat up faster than a conventional oven. And using single serve dishes, which cooks the food more quickly than larger pans. These also come in handy when my husband and I can't quite agree on all the components of our dinner.

If you don't own the exact size or shape dish that I recommend in this recipe, don't despair. I could probably host my own flea market with my collection of Le Creuset alone. But in this case, a small loaf pan or glass baking dish will work just as well. Simply trim your tofu layers to fit accordingly.

Ingredients:
1 cup frozen broccoli, thawed
2 heaping tablespoons finely grated parmesan cheese + 1 tablespoon reserved
1/4 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
​salt and pepper to taste
5 heaping tablespoons tomato sauce, jarred or homemade
1 tub of firm or extra firm organic tofu, drained
2 tomato slices

Directions:
Preheat the oven or toaster oven to 375ºF. 

In a blender or food processor, puree the broccoli for just a few seconds until crumbly. Transfer to a bowl, add the parmesan and mix with half of the mozzarella. Season with salt and pepper, then set aside. 

Pour several tablespoons of sauce into the bottom of a 5x7 inch rectangular baking dish. Gently shake the pan back and forth to distribute the sauce into an even layer.

Using a cutting board, place the tofu block on its side and slicing lengthwise, section off two 1/4-inch thick rectangular portions. With a paper towel, gently press any liquid from each tofu slice. Then place one tofu slice into the bottom of the pan. If using a different size dish, it may be necessary to trim a bit off in order for it to fit. Spoon half of the broccoli mixture onto the tofu, spreading into an even layer. Cover with the second tofu slice, then layer on the last of the broccoli mixture. Top with the tomato slices. Pour any remaining sauce around the sides of the tofu. Sprinkle with mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes, or until the cheese is golden and the sauce is bubbling. 

Yield: 1 individual serving

Ready for another pesto recipe? This one has been rolling around my head for awhile. I finally had it for lunch today and I am SO glad I made extra. Even if you go for it and choose the less healthy white pasta, the portion size should help reduce any afternoon sluggishness due to sudden dips in blood sugar. How do you make that happen when you have a whole pot of the stuff in front of you and no one else at home to feed? Measure out one cup, add it to a bowl or salad size plate and freeze the rest. Immediately. Trust me, it's a lot harder to go for seconds when its packed away next to the ice cream. Speaking of which, you should probably just go ahead and throw that out...unless of course you substituted the pasta with a healthier choice. In that case you MIGHT have earned a small dessert.

In some of my older posts, I talk about spiralizing vegetables in place of pasta. I chose not to do that here, but if you were wondering what might be a good vegetable alternative, sweet potatoes receive my highest recommendation. The extra sweetness adds a whole other element to the pistachio-lemon-chili combo. Both cubed and spiralized potatoes work well. Zucchini and yellow squash come in second for their mild flavor and flash cooking time.

And if you don't like mushrooms? There are many other choices that would work well too. Sautéed fresh asparagus, broccoli, peas or carrots. Even easier, root around in your freezer and toss some frozen vegetables in with the pasta during the last 2-3 minutes before draining it. Then add a smidge of salt and pepper to taste, stir in the pesto and voilà! Whatever you choose, make sure the flavor isn't so strong as to overpower the pesto.

Ingredients:

Pesto:
1/2 cup pistachios, shelled
2 cups flat leaf parsley
2 cloves garlic
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, or more to taste
​1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2-3 tablespoons water, as needed
1/2 cup finely grated dairy or vegan parmesan cheese
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon chili powder

Pasta and Mushrooms:
16 ounces fusilli pasta, (quinoa, brown rice and wheat pasta all work well)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
16 ounces sliced mushrooms
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Pesto:
Pre-heat the oven to 350ºF. Spread the pistachios on a small cookie sheet and bake until lightly browned, about 8-10 minutes depending on your oven. Remove and allow to cool for about 5 minutes.

In a food processor or high speed blender, pulse the pistachios, parsley, garlic, lemon juice and olive oil until smooth. If needed, stop to scrape the sides and loosen the pesto mixture near the blades with a rubber spatula. If the machine struggles to smooth the pesto out, add the water one tablespoon at a time until a thick paste forms. Blend the cheese and the chili powder (1/4 teaspoon at a time to determine spice tolerance), into the pesto and set aside.

Pasta and Mushrooms:
In a skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high. Add the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper and cook until golden brown on all sides, turning frequently. Set aside. Boil the pasta according to package directions and drain into a colander. Return the pasta to the pot, add the mushrooms and gently stir in the pesto. Divide among 8 bowls and garnish with a bit of parsley. Serve alone or with a tossed salad and warm bread.

Yield: approximately 1 cup pesto / 8 total servings when combined with the pasta and mushrooms

Imagine sitting down in the lunchroom and tucking into the tallest sandwich of your life, in front of ALL of your colleagues.

What.

You weren't inspired by the Sunday funnies where Dagwood Bumstead tossed everything from the fridge onto his classic towering sandwich? Of course, even Dagwood knew enough not to do that at work. He always pulled a very modest looking sandwich from his lunchbox, lovingly packed by his wife Blondie. But the home front was a different story. Particularly on the weekends, when good ol' Dag would eat himself into oblivion.

Home is like having a pet. It doesn't judge you. It's the one place where giant mouthfuls, eating with your hands and dropping food everywhere is perfectly acceptable. In my household, we jokingly say "man down" when one of us spills food all over the place, and contentedly continue stuffing our faces amidst the aftermath.

All that said, this sandwich has the potential to be incredibly messy. And a whole lot of fun. The mix of fresh fruits, herbs and vegetables are light and refreshing. And for the occasional cook who still wants to eat well, it doesn't require much in the way of cooking. 

It is highly recommended that this sandwich be eaten at home. Or if you must take it to work, eaten in carefully portioned halves with a knife and fork at the ready to clean up any messy escapees. Lest your colleagues sweetly nickname you Templeton. Or worse yet, your boss walks in just as you take that enormous bite, in which case you'll be in heaven and it won't matter a bit. 

Ingredients:
4 small cooked chicken breasts, diced
1/2 cup celery, chopped
1/2 cup grapes, halved
1/2 cup strawberries, chopped
1/2 cup Veganaise or Hellman's Mayonnaise
1 tablespoon lemon juice
8 slices whole grain bread, lightly toasted
1/2 cup store-bought beetroot hummus
2 carrots, shredded
1 large handful flat leaf parsley

Directions:
Combine the chicken, celery, grapes, strawberries, Veganaise and lemon juice in a bowl and set aside. Arrange the bottom bread slices on a cutting board. Spread the hummus evenly over the bread, layer with carrots and parsley, then top with a big scoop of chicken salad. Press the remaining bread tops over the chicken salad and cut the sandwiches into halves. Stack two sandwich halves on each plate, securing with a wooden skewer all the way through the center if need be, and serve.

Yield: 4 servings

​Every once in awhile I get a huge craving for shrimp.

I suppose it happened this time because I just booked a trip to Universal Studios Orlando as a surprise for my husband's birthday. High five to anyone who correctly guesses how often my dear supportive husband actually reads his wife's blog. (He doesn't.) That's OK - I will reward that support via a full insufferable day in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

Naturally thoughts of Florida led to thoughts of Bubba Gump Shrimp, which seem to be everywhere in the sunshine state. Plus, I have a box of coconut in my pantry that I've been tossing onto everything lately. To maximize the flavor in my version of the famous shrimp, it only made sense to fry the shrimp in coconut oil.

​By itself the shrimp was what you might expect - breaded tropical fried seafood. But when I topped it with my strawberry-blood orange salsa, something wonderful happened. The whole dish morphed together into a rich, buttery unexpected treat. This savory salsa also works well on other types of fish or grilled chicken.

If you're attending a large gathering, this will make a pretty little appetizer for Easter Sunday! Or any other event for that matter.

Ingredients:

Blood Orange Vinaigrette:
1/4 cup olive oil
juice of 1 blood orange
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
salt and pepper to taste

Coconut Shrimp:
3 tablespoons coconut oil
1 cup fine 00 unbleached flour or gluten-free oat flour
1 extra large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded or flaked coconut
1/2 cup plain Panko or gluten-free bread crumbs
1 lb. large marinated raw shrimp, shelled and deveined

Salsa:
1/2 cup peeled, finely diced jicama
1/2 cup finely diced strawberries
1 blood orange, peeled and diced
1 medium shallot, sliced thin
1 tablespoon flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
1/4 cup vinaigrette (recipe above)

Directions:

Vinaigrette:
Whisk together all of the ingredients in a small bowl. Pour half of the vinaigrette, about 1/4 cup, over the raw shrimp and refrigerate for 30 minutes to an hour. Set aside the remaining vinaigrette for the salsa.

Coconut Shrimp:
Melt the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Set out three separate bowls, one for the flour and the second for the egg. In the third bowl, combine the coconut with the bread crumbs. Dredge the marinated shrimp in the flour, followed by the egg and the coconut crumb mixture. Fry the shrimp in small batches until golden brown and slightly firm, about 3-4 minutes per side. Transfer to a towel lined plate until ready to serve.

Salsa:
Toss together all of the ingredients in a bowl. Spoon over the cooked shrimp or into individual ramekins to be served at the center of each plate.

Yield: 4 servings