This is the best drink after Bikram yoga!

A banana, some yogurt, a handful of walnuts, and a splash of maple syrup. Love it.

I had some extra Sweet and Sour BBQ Sauce, so I decided to make baked tofu.

Let’s review the tofu process to ensure you make delicious tofu.

Step 1. Buy firm tofu. I prefer Denver Tofu.

Step 2. Freeze it

Step 3. Thaw it. This might take all day, so plan ahead.

Step 4. Open the package and squeeze out some of the water.

Step 5. Press it. Place the brick of tofu on a hard surface on top of some paper towels. Cover with paper towels and something heavy, such as a cutting board with some cookbooks on top. Let it sit for 15-20 minutes.

Step 6. Slice it into strips or cubes.

Step 7. Marinate it.

Step 8. Bake it.

I added 2 cups of water to 1 cup of my Sweet and Sour BBQ Sauce to marinate the tofu, and baked it at 375 for 45-50 minutes, until the excess moisture was absorbed.

I served this with some Sesame Noodles.

Sesame noodles are a great side dish. You can make them very quickly and easily, and there are lots of variations so you don’t always have to make the same kind of noodles.

In this version, I used:

• Soba noodles, boiled and rinsed in cold water to cool
• 2 TB toasted sesame oil
• 1 TB soy sauce
• Juice from 1/2 lime
• Aleppo pepper flakes (use red pepper flakes if you haven’t purchased Aleppo pepper from Savory Spice Shop)
• 1/2 cup chopped peanuts

Here is another healthy lunch smoothie. Super healthy, and not so bad going down.

Ingredients:

• 1 apple
• 2 carrots
• lettuce (large handful)
• 1 cup pineapple chunks (I used frozen)
• 1/3 red beet
• 1 green onion
• splash of Boulder Hot Sauce, Smokey Serrano flavor
• 2 cups water

I have never known much about olive oil. I spend so much of my life in the kitchen, but I know next to nothing about olive oil. I intend for that to change this year, and my first step was purchasing some unique olive oil from Oliv You & Me, a local olive oil specialty shop located here in downtown Boulder, CO.

Oliv You & Me is going to be a stop on some Local Table Tours (my new business with my friend Julie), where guests can sample different olive oils, much the same way you taste wine. I was very impressed with the distinct flavors of each oil I sampled. My favorite was this bottle of Olio Sapora because it has a peppery finish that you really must taste in order to believe. It is a delicious olive oil and it will be featured as an ingredient from now on here on my blog.