Rosemary Tofu Toast

When I discovered using fresh herbs on my everyday meals everything changed. A fresh herb, cooked or raw, can change a boring meal into something special.

Here is my special Rosemary Tofu Toast. Everyone I make this for thinks I am nuts when I pull raw tofu out of the fridge. Although I don't eat tofu a lot, every now and then I have to have this meal. Give it a try, and if you really don't like the idea of raw tofu, then use some raw goat cheese, avocado or just plain toast with the rosemary and olive oil.

Recipe
1 piece of your favorite toast (mine is spelt sourdough)
1 sprig of fresh rosemary
2 tablespoons of EVOO
2 slices of raw (firm) tofu

Warm sauce pan and add olive oil (don't get it too hot).

Finely chop the rosemary and add it to the olive oil, and cook it for just a minute or so (it should sizzle, but don't let it burn).

Pop bread into the toaster.

When the toast is crispy, place about 1 tablespoon of the EVOO rosemary mixture on the toast.

Top with the tofu, and all the remaining EVOO rosemary mixture.

Salt and pepper and then top it off with chili flakes (a must).

PS. If you haven’t heard, my friend Kami McBride has an amazing herb book called The Herbal Kitchen and it has… drumroll…250 (Yes, two hundred and fifty) recipes that have inspired my herbal kitchen for sure. You can check it out here 

Swiss Chard ala Sesame Seeds and Flax Oil (Barleans of Course)

This is one of the recipes using healthy oils that started my cooking career. No kidding. I would make this dish and people would swoon. I took it to potlucks, and people would come up to me and say, "What is that dish, it is delicious." Upon hearing my answer, their eyes would get big and they would respond with, "Wow, I never liked Swiss Chard." This is wonderful, how did you make it?" And so it began, my relentless task of repeating the recipe over and over again. My sister finally asked, "Would you please write a little cookbook for me." And, so it began.

Here is how you make this luscious dish:

Ingredients

1 Bunch of Swiss Chard

1/4 to 1/2 cup Hulled Sesame Seeds

Barlean's High Lignan Flax Oil (order through the Recommended Products page for a 20% discount)

Tamari and/or Celtic Sea Salt

Instructions:

Wash and break Chard leaves into smaller pieces. You can use your hands or pile the leaves on top on each other and cut through them with a knife making strips about 1 inch wide. Place in sauce pan, cover with water and boil for a minimum of 4 minutes to remove the Oxalic Acid (longer if you want the leaves to be more tender).

While the Chard is cooking, ground the sesame seeds in a coffee grinder or your Vita Mix, making a soft powder consistency. *Make extra is you like and store in a glass container in the fridge to use for a few days - not much longer as the oils in the sesame seeds will go rancid.

When the Chard is cooked, drain the water off and discard. Place Swiss Chard in a dish. Sprinkle the sesame seed powder lavishly on top. Pour at least 1 tbsp (per person) of Barlean's High Lignan Flax Oil on top. Put more flax oil as desired, or if making a large dish. You could use olive oil in this recipe, but the flavors will change dramatically. Barleans' High Lignan Flax Oil is what makes this combo sing.

Sprinkle Tamari or Celtic Sea Salt on to taste. Be careful with the Tarmari as it is strong and can take over. I personally like it with salt best, buy many of my clients love the Tarmai.

Smush the mixture slightly from the top with a spoon or fork as you see a yummy sauce melt together.  No need to stir it. It is best to keep the sauce on top.

Don't stop here. You can make this same topping for many of your veggie dishes. It is oh so easy, and makes a delicious, rich and healthy sauce instantly. This recipe is a good example of mixing raw and cooked together. The oil and seeds are raw, and the Swiss Chard is cooked, which is a great way to Make Every Bite Count.

Chef Teton