Tofu with Burst Cherry Tomato Sauce

Veganized version of a recipe from Bon Appetit. 

Ingredients
8 oz. extra firm tofu, pressed

1 tbsp. nutritional yeast
6 scallions or 1/4 c. sliced red onion
1" piece ginger (I used 1 tbsp. jarred ginger)
2 garlic cloves
1 tsp. coriander seeds
1 tsp. cumin seeds
½ tsp. black mustard seeds
¼ tsp. cayenne powder
¼ tsp. ground turmeric
4 oz. sugar snap peas (about 1 cup)
3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil or avocado oil, divided
Kosher salt
12 oz. cherry tomatoes (about 2 cups)
Pinch of sugar (optional)
½ cup (lightly packed) basil or mint leaves
Cooked rice (for serving)

Directions
First, prep your ingredients. Slice tofu into generous ¼"-thick planks and pat dry; set aside. Trim roots from 6 scallions and discard. Thinly slice on a deep diagonal and place in a medium bowl. Scrub and thinly slice a 1" piece ginger. Stack ginger slices and slice crosswise to make strips the size of matchsticks; add to bowl with scallions. Peel and thinly slice 2 garlic cloves; add to bowl.

Using a mortar and pestle or the side of your chef’s knife, coarsely crush 1 tsp. coriander seeds and add to vegetables. Mix in 1 tsp. cumin seeds, ½ tsp. black mustard seeds, ¼ tsp. cayenne powder, and ¼ tsp. ground turmeric; set aside.

Snap off tips from stem ends of 4 oz. sugar snap peas (about 1 cup) and pull to remove strings. Repeat process on the other end. Cut any larger sugar snap peas in half on a diagonal; set aside.

Now, bring it all together. Heat 2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high until shimmering. Arrange reserved tofu in a single layer and cook until golden brown underneath, about 1 minute. Flip tofu and season with salt and nutritional yeast. Once light brown in color, Transfer paneer to a plate, leaving as much oil behind in pan as possible. 

Set pan over medium heat and add remaining 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil along with reserved scallions, ginger, garlic, and spices. Cook, stirring often, until scallions are wilted and mustard seeds begin to pop, about 2 minutes.

Add 12 oz. cherry tomatoes (about 2 cups), reserved snap peas, and 1 cup water. Increase heat to medium-high, season with salt, and bring to a simmer. Gently smash each tomato open with spoon (gentle is key; you just want to break them open a little) and simmer until tomato juices thicken slightly, about 3 minutes (it should still be pretty brothy and light).

Taste sauce and add more salt if needed. If your tomatoes aren’t super sweet, you may need to add a pinch of sugar at this point to balance their acidity. Add tofu back to pan and simmer until warmed through.
Remove from heat and mix in ½ cup (lightly packed) mint or basil leaves. Serve with cooked rice.
Serves 2. 

Bowties with Sugar Snap Peas, Lemon & Ricotta

Perfect for early summer when the snap peas arrive at the market!

Ingredients
Salt for pasta water
1 lb. sugar snaps
1 lb.  dried pasta bowties
1/2 c. (about 1 oz.) pecorino romano or parmesan, finely grated
A glug, then a drizzle, of olive oil
Coarse or fine sea salt for sprinkling
Black pepper, freshly ground
Juice of 1 lemon, plus more to taste
Few leaves of mint, slivered
1 c. ricotta

Directions
Bring a large pot of well-salted water to boil. While waiting, string sugar snaps and cut into 1/2-inch segments. Cook bowties for two minutes less than the suggested cooking time on the package, then add sugar snaps to pasta. Cook for one minute more. Reserve one cup pasta cooking water, then drain the sugar snaps and bowties. Add them back to the empty pot with 1/2 cup pasta cooking water, grated cheese, a glug of olive oil, salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cook on high for one minute, tossing constantly. Add a splash more cooking water if pasta looks too dry. Turn the heat off, dollop ricotta all over in large spoonfuls and, without stirring, tip pasta mixture into a wide serving bowl. (I do this because I love the idea of finding slightly unmixed pockets of ricotta.) Drizzle pasta with a small amount of olive oil, then squeeze lemon juice over the whole dish, sprinkle with mint, and finish with an extra sprinkling of parmesan. Serve quickly. 

NOTE: Lemon juice, rather rudely, discolors green vegetables so be sure to add this only right before serving.

Serves 4 as a main course, 8 as a side dish. 

Smashed Peas on Toast

Ingredients
1 c. shelled peas (roughly 3/4 lb)
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. garlic scapes
1 tbsp. honey
1 tsp. fresh thyme
salt and pepper
2 tbsp.  ricotta cheese
2 slices bread
spinach
egg (could be hardboiled, poached or fried!)
parmesan
Olive oil

Directions
In a skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add in olive oil and garlic scapes,sautéing until tender. Stir in peas and let cook until tender, 3-4 minutes. In a food processor, combine peas, honey, thyme, salt, and pepper. Pulse until peas begin to smooth out. Add in ricotta cheese and pulse until combine.
Lightly toast the bread and layer with spinach, pea mixture, and hard boiled egg. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and olive oil to serve.

Lemon Dill Snap Peas & Chickpeas

Ingredients
1 tbsp. olive oil
1/3 c. green onion, diced
1 c. snap peas
1 tbsp. fresh dill
2-3 tbsp. lemon juice
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 c. chickpeas
goat cheese or French feta, chives, and olive oil to finish

Directions
In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add diced green onions and saute until slightly soft, 2-3 minutes. Stir in snap peas, dill, lemon juice, and salt. Cook until snap peas are cooked and bright green but still have some snap-3-4 minutes. Add in chickpeas and cook for 2-3 more minutes. Remove from heat and toss with goat cheese, chives, and drizzle with a bit more olive oil to finish.

Grandpa Fisher's Spicy Split Pea Soup

Split pea is one of those hit or miss soups; the color is questionable, and the aroma is particular. But my grandfather hit the ball out of the park with this recipe. It's sweet, savory and spicy all at once. Despite my penchant for the vegetarian lifestyle these days, you just cannot make this soup without the ham bone. I usually wait until a holiday and steal someone else's.

Ingredients
1 ham bone (preferably from a honey or glazed ham)
2 bags split peas
4 c. carrots, shredded (feel free to use the pre-shredded variety, but I usually shred further)
2 large Spanish onions, chopped
12 c. vegetable, chicken or ham broth (I use "Better Than Boullion")
1 tbsp. Chef Paul's Meat Magic
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (add more to taste!)
1-2 tsp. Mrs. Dash
black pepper, freshly ground
1 tsp. sugar

Directions
Pull away as much ham from the bone as you can, chop into small pieces and set aside. Rinse peas in water. Pull out any floaters and drain. Put the peas in the broth, with the ham bone. Bring to a boil, stirring so that they don't stick, for a few minutes. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the peas start to fall apart, about two hours.

Pull the ham bone out and collect any fat that rises to the surface of the soup. Add carrots and onions. Continue cooking on medium high for now. Add any more chopped ham. Cook for another hour or so. Add your spices and simmer lightly for another 15 minutes. Serves a lot.