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Sunday, March 7, 2010

Tofu Scramble with Roasted Red Potatoes

The last few weeks have been crazier than expected.  Yes, I knew the puppy would be a handful.  What I had not expected was to spend the majority of the week before we got the puppy between the Emergency Room and doctor's offices followed by surgery two days after Arrluk arrived.  I feel kind of strange sharing such personal information, but I had Gall Bladder surgery last Monday.  The reason I share is to let you all know that one week ago I had surgery and today I feel pretty much back to normal with the exception of five small holes in my abdomen.  If you are like me I had just a small clue of what my gall bladder was or what it did.  Also, if you are like me, getting an organ removed sounds pretty serious and scary.  I will tell you this, I had no idea until the last two weeks how many people I knew who were living very normal lives without a gall bladder.  So, if it ever happens that you find yourself in the situation I can assure you the whole process is fairly painless.  Believe me, the surgery was far less painless than the attacks I was having leading up to it. Even though things went pretty smoothly, I always feel after any sickness or medical incident it is time for a fresh start.  Not that this recipe is exactly healthy, but it does have a lot of veggies, and at least it isn't a scone!  This is from my new favorite cookbook Mother's Best.  Just to prove that I haven't lost my touch I'll let you know that my favorite thing about this cookbook is that there is an entire chapter dedicated to Macaroni and Cheese Recipes.  Note that this recipe starts by making roasted red potatoes.  This makes far more potatoes than you need for the Tofu Scramble.  We like snacking on them for a Saturday lunch.  It is also a great idea to make the Roasted Red Potatoes for dinner the night before so they are ready to go for breakfast the next morning. Tofu Scramble with Roasted Red Potatoesadapted from Mother's Best

To make the Roasted Red Potatoes:Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.  Clean and scrub 1 1/2 pounds of small red skin potatoes.  Cut into quarters and place in a large mixing bowl.  Add 1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper, 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt, and 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil to potatoes.  Toss to coat evenly. Oil a large rimmed baking sheet.  Spread potatoes in a single even layer over pan.  Bake for 1 hour, rotating ever 20 minutes for even cooking. 

Heat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.  Place a large heavy oven-proof skillet over high heat for several minutes.  When very hot add oil and heat until shimmering.  Add the tofu and cook over high heat until golden.  Add mushrooms salt and pepper and cook over high heat until mushrooms are golden.  Lower heat to Medium-high and add the onions, stirring occasionally saute until soft.  Add garlic and cook for 1 minute.  Add potatoes and saute for about five minutes.  Add spinach and cover until spinach is wilted (this should only take a minute or two).  Stir in spinach and sprinkle with cheese.  Place in oven until cheese is melted.  Serve immediately. 

Sorry I didn't comment on your surgery before -- my keyboard's been on the fritz, I started a couple messages that froze on me, then got sucked into roasted taters and tofu.  Anyway... I'm living a full life without a gall bladder and say Good riddance to them!  Happy healing.