Busy Week!

This has been a week of late nights and simple food, like soy nuggets (Trader Joes has really good ones) and steamed broccoli, stuffed pita pockets, and that pesto riccota pizza we made last weekend. BTW, I misspoke when I said there was enough ricotta for 2-3 pizzas, I should have said 5-6 pizzas!

We've been too busy to be too adventurous this week ... but we did try a new easy and yummy recipe last night. It's called Spicy Pan-Glazed Tofu - I'm not sure which cookbook it's from as a friend photocopied it for me - thanks Elizabeth J!

SPICY PAN-GLAZED TOFU

Serves 2-4 as a main course

Might want to double glaze ingredients to coat veggies too ...

Serve with cous cous or rice

INGREDIENTS

1/2 c. veggie broth
1 tbs. maple syrup
1 tbs. balsamic vinegar
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp. hot red pepper flakes
salt
1 tbs. olive oil (or sesame)
1 lb. extra firm or firm tofu

METHOD

Combine broth, syrup, vinegar, garlic, pepper flakes and salt in a bowl and set aside.

Cut tofu into rectangular "slabs", blot on both sides with a paper towel, and cut into cubes.

Heat oil in a pan. Add tofu and cook until golden brown - about 6-7 minutes. Turn and cook on a second side.

Add broth mixture to pan and simmer, turning the tofu once, until the liquid reduces to a thick syrup and the tofu is glazed, about 2 minutes. (... Although this stage took us about 20 minutes!! We ended up taking the tofu out to help the sauce reduce faster ... don't know what we did wrong!?! Will have to try again!)

Serve glazed tofu alongside cous cous and veggies. YUM! So flavorful - and it makes the house smell so good!

With our busy schedules, we've been snacking on some yummy healthy things, mostly dried fruit and nuts. The most popular item in the cupboard right now is dried mango. We can't get enough. The Just Mango from Trader Joes is DELICIOUS! Growing up in the Caribbean, mango has always been one of my very favorite things. Some of my favorite childhood memories include mangoes - like buying them in the rainforest on the way to the beach and then standing in the ocean, eating the flesh and dropping the skin for the fish to eat. Bliss! And then, every now and then you dunk the sweet mango in the salty sea ... the best!! Having eaten mangoes in the ocean on our last trip to Antigua, David knows that same bliss! BUT, I never realized that mangoes were SO good for you - they're like a power food, listen to this (from the Encyclopedia of Healing Foods, of course):

Mangoes are an excellent source of carotenes, vitamin C, and copper, providing 184% of the daily value of vitamin A, 61% of the daily value of vitamin C, and 20% of the daily value of copper in one cup of sliced fruit. They are a very good source of B vitamins, with one cup of sliced mango providing 17% of the daily value of vitamin B6, 9% of the daily value of thiamine and riboflavin, 7% of the daily of niacin and 6% of folic acid. Mangoes are also a good source of vitamin E (12%), potassium (7%) and magnesium (5%).

Raw mangoes are about 82% water and a very good source of both soluble and insoluble fiber -12% of the daily value - more than half of which is soluble fiber, the type that latches on to cholesterol and helps to prevent cardiovascular disease.

We now know the health benefits are due to their high concentration of carotenoids, antioxidant nutrients, and various phytochemicals.

... mango has the ability to stop normal cells from turning into cancer cells. Compounds in the aqueous portion of the mange include not only water-soluble nutrients, such as vitamin C, but also valuable flavonoid compounds, which appear to contribute to the mango's anticancer effect.

Mangoes contain a number of enzymes ... that improve digestion. In fact, in tropical countries where the mango is grown, it is often used as a meat tenderizer since its powerful proteolytic enzymes help break down proteins.

The mango may also protect against infections. ...Gambian children who received dried mango were found to have higher blood levels of retinol (vitamin A) than those who were given a placebo. Since vitamin A's nickname is the "anti-infective vitamin, the mango may literally be a lifesaving fruit in developing countries where there is a severe seasonal shortage of carotenoid-rich foods.

... The mango was also shown to provide protection against giardia, an organism responsible for many cases of what has been dubbed "travelers diarrhea." Not only was mango found to eliminate giardia, but it did so just as well as tinidazol, a drug commonly used to treat giardia infection.

Because of their high iron content, in India mangoes are used as blood builders and are suggested for the treatment of anemia and as a beneficial food for women, especially during pregnancy and menstruation.

People who suffer from muscle cramps, stress, and heart problems can benefit from mangoes' high potassium and magnesium content, which also helps those with acidosis.

Mangoes can be safely enjoyed by persons with diabetes.