I’ve been a fan of Boulder-based Olomomo nuts for a number of years now, but the chef in the house hadn’t heard of them until a box of goodies showed up at our door from Olomomo a few weeks ago. I dropped everything I was doing and started opening up bag after bag and alternated between eating a few and shoving them at him saying “try THIS one.” Chai Bliss Almonds, Righteous Cinnamon Cayenne Almonds, Mango Chipotle Zinger Almonds, Cherry Vanilla Almonds… I had a really hard time showing restraint from stuffing my face with almonds.
But, they’ve branched out and are no longer faithful to just the almond: There’s Cosmic Maple Masala Pecans and Applewood Smoked Cashews. The cashews were the first to go, and I’m considering making them a staple in the house because they’re the perfect addition to stir fries.
I don’t have a step-by-step recipe here, as it was a really simple and quickly prepared dish, but I’ll tell you the basics and highlight the Applewood Smoked Cashews as the ingredient that tied it all together.
I fried some onion, garlic, and eggplant in peanut oil and soy sauce while boiling rice noodles. The noodles were done at the same time as the veggies, so I added them to the wok with some more soy sauce, a couple tablespoons of liquid tamarind, the juice of a lemon, and a bit of kecap manis. After it was all well mixed, I served it topped with avocado, chopped parsley, and Olomomo Applewood Smoked Cashews.
The cashews provided the needed crunch, and their flavor was a perfect match for stir fries. We’ll be doing it again- different veggies, different noodles, different sauce, and it won’t matter. Olomomo’s Applewood Smoked Cashews are the secret ingredient to a perfect stir fry.
I make a lot of Asian-inspired tofu dishes, so I decided to think outside of my box. I was in the mood for something with BBQ sauce, but wasn’t going to grill. I had a some beautiful Bok Choy from
Ollin Farm’s CSA, which I absolutely love. I came up with a BBQ Sauce Tofu and Bok Choy Saute and served it over wild rice. Very satisfying.
First, I planned a little ahead and removed a firm tofu from the freezer to thaw all day. Then, I made a sauce with:
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 1 TB soy sauce
- 1/4 cup brown rice vinegar
- 1/2 TB dried ginger
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- a splash of fish sauce
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1 tomato, chopped
- 1 cup water
Mix this well and set aside.
Next, press the excess water out of the tofu and cube it into bite-sized chunks. I chopped half of a yellow onion, 1 large shallot, and 1 clove of garlic. Then I started on the bok choy, chopping the stalks into one pile and the big leafy part into another. These cook differently so it is a good idea to chop them into two piles.
Heat up a wok and add some white wine. Start cooking the onion and shallot for a few minutes before adding the tofu and a couple tablespoons of soy sauce. After a few minutes, add the stalky pieces of bok choy, half of the sauce, and cook for five minutes or so. Finally, add the rest of the bok choy and sauce, cook until it is almost to a boil, and serve over wild rice. Enjoy.
Spring garlic smells absolutely amazing. Especially when you cut into it.
I had some spring garlic from
Jay Hill Farm, and fresh shiitake and cinnamon cap mushrooms from
Hazel Dell, so I wanted to put them together in a dish.
I decided to make a stir-fry with some carrots and firm tofu that had been frozen, thawed, and pressed.
First, I sliced 4 bulbs of the spring garlic, 1 carrot, 1/2 pound of mushrooms, and cubed the tofu.
Next, I heated 1 TB of olive oil and 1 TB of butter in a wok. When that was hot, I added 1 TB of freshly grated ginger and let that get hot before adding the mushrooms and tofu. I moved this around in the wok a bit to distribute to buttery goodness as evenly as possible before adding the spring garlic and a couple tablespoons of soy sauce.
I let this cook on medium high for 10 minutes or so before adding a little more olive oil and the carrots.
Next, I squeezed 1/2 lemon, mixed it up, and added a big handful of coarsely chopped turnip greens. I mixed those in, sprinkled the top with a tablespoon or so of Cambodian Lemongrass Curry Powder from
Savory Spice Shop, mixed again, and let it cook a few minutes until the greens turned a vibrant green.
I served it over brown rice and drizzled a little the following dressing, which made enough to drizzle on two plates plus extra to put in my
Spring Garlic Broth:
- 2 TB soy sauce
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1 tsp Sambal Oelek (Asian Chili Paste)
- 1 TB Kecap Manis (Sweet Soy Sauce)
Enjoy.
I love preparing Asian-inspired meals. Here is a simple stir-fry.
Ingredients:
- 10-12 medium shrimp (I buy frozen Whole Catch shrimp from Whole Foods and thaw them in cold water for 30 minutes before peeling them)
- 1 green pepper
- pea pods- a large handful (I used snow peas)
- green onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
- 1 TB freshly grated ginger
- lemon juice
- dried thai chilies (I used 10 or so)
- 2 TB peanut oil
- 2-3 TB soy sauce
- 1/4 cup white wine
- splash of sriracha
- Soba noodles
While the frozen shrimp thaw in cold water, prep the rest of this dish. The key to a good stir fry is having everything prepped and ready to be thrown in the wok so the meal cooks quickly.
Slice the green pepper and chop the ends off of the pea pods. Chop the green onion. Coarsely chop the garlic, grate the ginger, and then mash them together in a mortar and pestle. If you don’t have a mortar and pestle, mince the garlic. Have a pot with water ready to boil for the noodles.
When the shrimp are thawed, start to boil the water. Heat the wok to medium high and add the peanut oil. When it is hot, add the dried chili peppers. Let them cook for a minute and then add the green peppers, pea pods, and soy sauce. After a couple minutes, add the ginger and garlic. Keep this moving on the heat.
Meanwhile, the water should be boiling for the noodles. Cook them according to their direction, drain, and be ready to add them to the wok.
When the noodles are done, add the shrimp, wine, and lemon juice. Mix this well and allow it to cook a few minutes before adding the noodles. Make sure it is all evenly heated, shrimp nice and pink, and serve.
Enjoy. I ate my dish with chopsticks, which is always fun.
0 
Let’s get Social