In a bowl, whisk cornstarch and warm water. Add orange juice and zest, soy sauce, rice vinegar and hot chili sauce. Reserve.
Steam broccoli for 2-3 minutes until broccoli turns bright green but is still very firm.
Heat oil in a very large nonstick pan or wok over medium-high heat. Add tofu to pan and cook, browning on all sides, about 6-8 minutes total. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add broccoli and orange sauce and stir to combine. Cook until sauce begins to bubble and reduces slightly, an additional 2-3 minutes. Plate the entree, top with bean sprouts and serve with rice.
I’m not really a “sweets” person. I’ve always considered myself to be more of a “salt tooth” but when you throw raspberries into the mix, I’m game. I made these just to see what gluten-free cupcakes taste like. Man, am I glad I took a stab at this recipe – they are absolutely delicious!
Chocolate Frosted Cupcakes with Raspberries (GF)
The ingredients:
For cupcakes:
½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1½ cups gluten-free all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Raspberries to garnish
For the frosting:
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1/2 cup butter
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
6 tablespoons cocoa powder
Pinch salt
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons vanilla
3-1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar
The method:
For the cupcakes:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a standard muffin tin with paper cupcake liners
Cream the butter and sugar together in a mixer, preferably fitted with the paddle attachment, until light and fluffy – about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a mixing bowl and whisk. Combine milk and vanilla in a separate bowl.
With the mixer on low, add half the flour mixture to the butter, then the milk mixture and finally the rest of the flour.
Divide the batter into the prepared muffin tins and bake for 20 minutes or until they feel springy to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool 5 minutes in the pan then remove to a wire rack to finish cooling. While the cupcakes are cooling, make the frosting.
For the frosting:
In a large saucepan, combine the coconut oil, butter, and chocolate chips. Melt over low heat until smooth, stirring frequently, about 3 to 5 minutes.
Remove from the heat and beat in the cocoa powder and salt.
Transfer the mixture to a large bowl.
In a small bowl, combine the heavy cream, sour cream, and vanilla; whisk to combine.
Alternately add the powdered sugar and cream mixture to the melted chocolate mixture, beating well after each addition.
Spread frosting on cooled cupcakes and top with raspberries.
In her keynote speech at last year’s annual Netroots Nation gathering, Darcy Burner pitched a seemingly simple idea to the thousands of bloggers and web developers in the audience. The former MicrosoftMSFT +0.24% programmer and congressional candidate proposed a smartphone app allowing shoppers to swipe barcodes to check whether conservative billionaire industrialistsCharles and David Koch were behind a product on the shelves.
Burner figured the average supermarket shopper had no idea that buying Brawny paper towels, Angel Soft toilet paper or Dixie cups meant contributing cash to Koch Industries through its subsidiary Georgia-Pacific. Similarly, purchasing a pair of yoga pants containing Lycra or a Stainmaster carpet meant indirectly handing the Kochs your money (Koch Industries bought Invista, one of the world’s largest fiber and textiles companies, in 2004 from DuPont).
At the time, Burner created a mock interface for her app, but that’s as far as she got. She was waiting to find the right team to build out the back end, which could be complicated given often murky corporate ownership structures.
She wasn’t aware that as she delivered her Netroots speech, a group of developers was hard at work on Buycott, an even more sophisticated version of the app she proposed.
“I remember reading Forbes’ story on the proposed app to help boycott Koch Industries and wishing that we were ready to launch our product,” said Buycott’s marketing director Maceo Martinez.
The app itself is the work of one Los Angeles-based 26-year-old freelance programmer, Ivan Pardo, who has devoted the last 16 months to Buycott. “It’s been completely bootstrapped up to this point,” he said. Martinez and another friend have pitched in to promote the app.
Once you’ve scanned an item, Buycott will show you its corporate family tree on your phone screen. Scan a box of Splenda sweetener, for instance, and you’ll see its parent, McNeil Nutritionals, is a subsidiary of Johnson & JohnsonJNJ +0.48%.
Even more impressively, you can join user-created campaigns to boycott business practices that violate your principles rather than single companies. One of these campaigns, Demand GMO Labeling, will scan your box of cereal and tell you if it was made by one of the 36 corporations that donated more than $150,000 to oppose the mandatory labeling of genetically modified food.
Deciding to add that campaign to your Buycott app might make buying your breakfast nearly impossible, as that list includes not just headline grabbers like agricultural giant Monsanto but just about every big consumer company with a presence in the supermarket aisle: Coca-Cola, Nestle, Kraft, Heinz, Kellogg’s, Unilever and more.
Buycott is still working on adding new data to its back end and fine-tuning its information on corporate ownership structures. Most companies in the current database actually own more brands than Buycott has on record. The developers are asking shoppers to help improve their technology by inputting names of products they scan that the app doesn’t already recognize.
And if this all sounds worthy but depressing, be assured that your next trip to the supermarket needn’t be all doom and gloom. There are Buycott campaigns encouraging shoppers to support brands that have, say, openly backed LGBT rights. You can scan a bottle of Absolut vodka or a bag of Starbucks coffee beans and learn that both companies have come out for equal marriage.
“I don’t want to push any single point of view with the app,” said Pardo. “For me, it was critical to allow users to create campaigns because I don’t think its Buycott’s role to tell people what to buy. We simply want to provide a platform that empowers consumers to make well-informed purchasing decisions.”
Forbes reached out to Koch Industries and Monsanto for comment and will update this story with any responses.
Update:Tuesday’s traffic surge is causing some problems for Buycott. Pardo says he’s working to fix issues with the Android app in particular. “The workload is a bit overwhelming now,” he said. “For example, our Android app was just recently released and the surge of new users today has highlighted a serious bug on certain devices that needs to be fixed immediately. So all other development tasks I was working on get put on hold until I can get this bug fixed.”
Update 2:Pardo has had to temporarily remove the Android app from the store to fix glitches. He told Forbes on Wednesday: “Things are *slightly* more stable, but the app is now #10 in the App Store overall, which is pretty unbelievable. I simply didn’t set up the servers to be prepared to handle 10+ new users every second. I was expecting a more manageable rise. I had to pull the Android app from the store because I haven’t had a second to address the issues with it and I’ll take any relief I can get right now. Will continue to try and get it in decent shape but I’ll eventually need some sleep!”
Nick and I attended the Scottsdale Culinary Festival back in April, and I must say, some of the dishes we sampled were quite tasty. One thing that Nick and I both enjoyed was the Macaroni and Cheese with Green Chilies served up by the Zulu Caffe.
That small sample left such a savory taste in my mouth that I felt compelled to make my own version of their mac and cheese. This recipe is really tasty and highly addictive – you have been warned.
Green Chile Mac (GF)
The ingredients:
8 ounces gluten-free penne/macaroni
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons gluten-free flour
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup green jalapeno salsa
1 can (4 ounces) mild chopped green chile peppers
2 to 3 tablespoons finely chopped jalapeno peppers, canned or fresh, optional
8 ounces sharp Cheddar cheese, about 2 cups
salt and black pepper, to taste
3 to 4 tablespoons chopped cilantro, optional
2 tablespoons butter
paprika
The method:
Heat oven to 350°. Grease a 2-quart baking dish.
Cook macaroni in boiling salted water following package directions. Drain and rinse well.
In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the 4 tablespoons of butter. Stir in flour and pepper until well blended and bubbly. Gradually add the milk, stirring constantly. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened. Stir in salsa, chile peppers, and cheese. Cook, stirring, until cheese is melted. Taste and add salt, as needed. Combine with the drained macaroni; stir in cilantro, if using. Spoon into the prepared baking dish.
Combine 2 tablespoons melted butter with the bread crumbs and sprinkle over the macaroni and cheese. Sprinkle lightly with paprika.
Bake for 25 minutes, or until lightly browned and bubbly.
I like to spend my Sunday afternoons cooking up some “make-ahead” meals for the week, in case we get home late from work or if we’re just feeling lazy and a heat-and-reheat will suffice. I decided to make a baked ziti with whatever cheese I had and some Marinara sauce. I love this dish – not only is it delicious, but it makes great leftovers – perfect for midweek lunches too.
Trader Joe’s has a pretty decent price on gluten-free pasta; I had never tried brown rice pasta before, but I could hardly tell the difference. Especially since this recipe involves ooey-gooey cheese and a garlicky marinara sauce.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt generously, and boil the pasta until al dente, tender but still slightly firm. Drain.
In a large bowl, toss the cooked pasta with the marinara sauce, 1/4 cup of the Parmesan, the pecorino, and the cubed gouda and shredded mozzarella pieces. Season with the black pepper and red pepper to taste, and mix until well combined. Transfer the pasta to an oiled 9- x 13-inch baking dish. Cover the top of the pasta with pecorino and parmesan, and sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan. Bake until lightly browned and hot, about 30 minutes. Serve immediately.
Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Saute the onion and garlic, stirring, until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and the herb sprigs and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.
Remove and discard the herb sprigs. Stir in the salt and season with pepper to taste. Use now, or store covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 2 months.
To be honest, this recipe was supposed to be a slaw – but my clumsy self broke the shredder attachment on my food processor (BIG surprise – not). So, in a panic and in desperate need to use up my 2 lb bag of brussels sprouts and the head of radicchio sitting in my crisper, I decided to turn this slaw into a salad.
This slaw or salad is a great addition to any bbq or pasta dish. Here is my recipe:
The ingredients:
1 1/2 tsp. plus 1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 tsp. kosher salt, plus more, to taste
1 tsp. sugar
Pinch of cayenne pepper
2 lb. brussels sprouts, trimmed and fibrous stems removed
1 small head radicchio, quartered and cored
2 Tbs. cider vinegar
1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
2 Tbs. whole-grain mustard
3 Tbs. maple syrup
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
The method:
Shred the brussels sprouts and radicchio. Transfer to a large bowl and stir to combine.
In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, lemon juice, mustard and maple syrup. Slowly whisk in the 1/4 cup olive oil and season with salt and black pepper.
Add half of the dressing to the brussels sprout-radicchio mixture and toss well to combine, adding more dressing as needed. Let stand for 15 minutes to slightly wilt the brussels sprouts. Top with the pecans and serve immediately.
Okay, I’ll admit it. We all need to indulge sometimes. That time happened to be this past holiday weekend. Instead of being healthy and making some clean tacos, Nick grilled up burgers and I made my version of the grilled cheese served by In-N-Out.
I used to live on these things when I was studying at ASU, but like most women – I can’t eat how I used to when I was in college. And that was only 3 years ago (sigh). But I firmly believe that “treating yourself” every now and then helps you stay on the right track. And in my defense, I did serve it alongside a kale salad. Here is my recipe for the infamous grilled cheese that even meat-eaters will love.
Prepare the secret sauce. In a small bowl, stir together the ketchup, sweet pickle relish, mayo, sugar and white wine vinegar. Set aside until ready to use.
With oven preheated to 400 degrees, bake whole buns in oven for two minutes. Next, heat one tablespoon of oil in a large saute pan. Open the buns and place face-down in pan. Cook until buns are lightly toasted. Adding more vegetable oil as needed, toast remaining buns. Set aside.
Next, assemble the burgers. Spread secret sauce on the bottom bun. Layer tomato slices, lettuce and burger with cheese. Depending on preference, top with pickles, sliced onions or both. Finally, complete with the top bun. Enjoy immediately.
Cook rice according to package or internet directions. I like to cheat and use the frozen rice is venting bags from Trader Joe’s and Sprouts. All you need is 3 minutes in the microwave to perfectly cooked rice.
Heat 2 woks. Add one teaspoons of oil to each. Sear chili paste, garlic, and minced green onion for 5 seconds to release flavors.
Add tofu to one pan and cooked ground chicken to other and sear, stirring and tossing for 5 to 10 seconds.
Add sauce mixture and simmer for 20 seconds.
Thicken proteins and sauce with a mixture of corn starch and water (equal parts). Consistency should be a very thick sauce to stand on top of the noodles. Pour over center of rice.
Sesame Tofu and Broccoli (GF) (V)
