Spiced Peanut Butter Oatmeal

Call me boring or stuck-in-a-rut, but this is the oatmeal recipe that I make EVERY morning for breakfast. Sure, hot oatmeal is really perfect on a cold morning in autumn or winter, but who says it can't be an all-year-round breakfast staple? I started making it this way because I get to control how much sugar is in it, unlike the sickeningly sweet instant oatmeal packets.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup old-fashioned or quick oats
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 tbsp peanut butter (creamy or chunky)
• 2 tsp brown sugar, unpacked
• dash of salt
• cinnamon and nutmeg, to taste

Put the oats, the dash of salt, water, and milk in a microwaveable bowl. Stir slightly and put in the microwave (cook according to the oatmeal container). When the oatmeal is cooked, sprinkle on the brown sugar and then put the peanut butter in (spoon and all). I typically don't measure the peanut butter, I just eyeball it with the spoon I'm going to eat with. If you wait a few seconds, the oatmeal will heat the peanut butter all the way off of the spoon, so it is much easier to clean! Then add a couple sprinkles of nutmeg and liberal amounts of cinnamon, to taste. Stir and enjoy!

Tofu Parmesan

Wow this is getting pitiful--over a month since I last posted anything. There are so many recipes that I have tried since then, but I can actually take credit for this one, so it takes first priority! A lot of people claim to not like tofu when I'm sure they've never even tried it. The trick is to add as much flavor as possible because tofu itself tastes incredibly bland. I made my own tomato sauce for this as well, but feel free to use whatever you have.

Tofu Ingredients:

• 8 oz extra firm tofu
• 1 clove minced garlic
• 1 cup red wine
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 tsp dried oregano and 1/4 tsp Italian seasoning
• salt and pepper (no more than 1/4 tsp each)
• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
• more pepper

Sauce:

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 8 oz can tomato sauce
• 14 oz can whole tomatoes
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/2 tsp dried basil (or fresh if you've got it!)

Slice the tofu into thin 2'' squares (the thickness should be about 1/2 an inch). Lay out some paper towels and lay the tofu in an single layer, then put more paper towels on top. Put a sheet pan on top and something to weigh it down like a can of beans. Let the tofu sit like this for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, mix the wine, water, olive oil, herbs, salt & pepper. When the tofu is done draining, put it in the marinade and make sure all slices are coated. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or overnight if you want.
After the tofu has marinated, dump out the marinade and set the tofu aside. In a bowl, beat one egg. In another bowl, mix the breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese and a couple dashes of pepper. Dip each slice of tofu in the egg and then cover with the breadcrumb mixture, pressing it in a little so it sticks. Lay each tofu slice on a foil-lined baking sheet (sprayed with cooking spray). Bake them at 375 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown. While the tofu is baking, start on the sauce.

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a saucepan and add the onion. Cook several minutes until the onion is soft and then add the garlic for 30 seconds or so. Next add the tomato sauce; using your hands, carefully crush the whole tomatoes into the pan (the juice will squirt everywhere, just a heads up). If the sauce looks too thick, add some of the juice that comes in the whole tomatoes can. Add the basil and season with salt and pepper. Let the sauce simmer for about 15 minutes to allow the flavors to develop.

You can serve the tofu and sauce with pasta if you like, or just a salad for a light supper. Enjoy!