Tasty! Stuffed Mushrooms and Fried Tofu

I'm not a vegetarian, but I'm more than halfway there. I've always been. Even as a baby. I'll eat meat, but it's rare I actually like it. I made it through most of my adult life cooking chicken and am honestly just getting sick of the way it tastes. I'm scared to just be a vegetarian because I don't know what I'm doing. But, I've decided that this year I'm going to learn. So here are some of the things I ate this week that turned out good.

I'll warn you now, I don't write recipes. I don't measure so if you want to make exactly what I make- you'll probably be irritated reading this. If you are like me and just like to read about food, preparation and recipes you might take a little inspiration away from what I've made. Or you might have an idea about what I made that you'd like to share, I'd love to hear it!

Stuffed Mushrooms

preheat oven to 350

1 small 'box' of Baby Bella Mushrooms, wiped clean and stems removed.

(Don't wash mushrooms they'll get tough)

(Just grab the stem and give it a twist and pull- it'll come right out!)

In a small saucepan on medium low heat I added:

about half a bar of cream cheese

Italian bread crumbs 

(maybe 1/4 cup? I don't measure I just add until I like the texture)

about a spoon full of minced garlic

a few sprinkles of a pepper mix 

(I use it in place of black pepper- it has more flavor)
I cracked mixed peppercorns over the top a few times

and added a pinch of chili powder

I mashed this together until I agreed with the texture and taste.

You could mix this in a bowl with no heat, but it's easier to mix when it's warm.

Spoon mixture into mushrooms caps with overflow.

Place in a lightly greased (I used olive oil spray) baking dish.

Bake at 350 for around 30 minutes.

You should be able to look at them and tell when they are done.

Sorry, I'm not the greatest photographer.

I make a pot of brown rice at the beginning of each week and eat it at least once a day. I LOVE it.

So I had stuffed mushrooms and steamed green and yellow beans. There was mushroom juice at the bottom of the dish so I drizzled it over my beans.

Yum!

Tofu:

I used to visit Philly sometimes and there was a little market that sold Vietnamese Tofu hoagies for really cheap that were insanely yum. I figured out that soaking Tofu in Pad Thai seasoning, frying it and then putting it on a hoagie roll with fresh sliced jalapeno and carrots was the closest I'd get to eating that again. They had a red sauce that I have yet to figure out, but what I make is close enough. Unfortunately I have a crazy tongue and cannot handle all the heat of the fresh jalapenos, so I add those, close the sandwich and let it sit, then scrape off the jalapenos and carrots (I just don't like crunchy carrots). I ate it that way in Philly too. 

So anyway!

No fresh jalapenos at the grocery last trip, and the hoagie just isn't the same without them. I had tofu cubes marinating in Pad Thai seasoning (I add a little chili powder). I had mushroom stems. I also had mung bean sprouts and leftover steamed green and yellow beans and carrots. 

I decided to drain and fry the tofu like I usually do. 

In a small saucepan on medium heat I poured the leftover Pad Thai seasoning over the bean sprouts and mushroom stems and covered.

I let that simmer while I fried the tofu and set it to drain off grease.
Then, I added the steamed beans and carrots to the saucepan and stirred it around a bit and let it simmer some. with the lid off.

I poured off most of the Pad Thai seasoning and added the tofu.

I let it cook together for a few minutes, until the liquid was gone.

I had intended on eating it on brown rice, but I had hoagie in my head.

So I piled some on a hoagie roll that I cut open on the top like Subway used to do. (Do you remember that?)

I was very satisfied. I ate these twice and then today for lunch my son and I both ate what was left of it and some brown rice.

 I actually ended up eating it without the top.