Basil Pesto Baked Tofu

This is an interesting one because it is so versatile! Its lunch, dinner, snack, and even a salad topping. Today I ate it simply as you see above with a side of veggies. But in the past I've thrown it into veggie stir fry bowls, rice bowls, salads, curries, pad thai, ramen, salads, the list goes on.

Tofu is a blank canvas. The possibilities are endless. I love pesto, so that's what I did today. I bought a huge pack from Costco, so I'll play with it some more and see what I come up with!

Ingredients

• Firm tofu
• Basil Pesto Sauce

For the Basil Pesto Sauce

• Fresh Basil, from your basil plants if you're a boss
• Garlic, whole or chopped
• Olive Oil
• Parmesan Cheese
• Pine Nuts/Almonds/Hemp Seeds (whatever is on hand)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400
2. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
3. Drain the water from the tofu
4. Horizontally slice into 3 thinner layers
5. Set aside the amount of tofu that you need for today, and refrigerate the remaining tofu in a container with water.
6. Cut your tofu into 3 equal rectangles
7. Salt the tofu if desired and sandwich the tofu between two paper towels. Place a heavy can, or any other item you have on hand on top. This will help dry the tofu a little
8. Spread a small amount of pesto on each side of the tofu
9. Bake for 15 minutes on each side, possibly a little more depending on desired crispiness
   Note: The bottom side of the tofu will be browning, not the top. 

Baked Italian Turkey Meatballs

Ingredients

• ground turkey
• spinach
• sundried tomatoes, finely chopped
• basil, finely chopped
• rosemary, finely chopped
• garlic, minced
• italian seasonings
• onion, finely chopped
• egg
• salt & pepper
• olive oil
• bread crumbs (optional)
• tomato paste (optional) 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 340
2. begin sauteing onion, garlic, and rosemary in a pan on medium to medium high heat
3. add spinach and basil and cook this mixture down until it caramelizes and the liquid is evaporated
4. set aside and let cool.
5. Combine turkey, egg, tomato paste, and optional bread crumbs in bowl and mix, but do not over handle your ground turkey at any point or you will end up with tougher meatballs
6. Add in the caramelized mixture
7. Form into small meatballs no bigger than 1.5 inches
8. Bake for 20 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 160. If you care making these meatballs for meal prep, or will freeze them, feel free to cook to 145ish because they will finish cooking when you reheat them. This tip will help keep the moisture of the meatballs intact.

Notes:

Sometimes, I like to use a combination of 94-96% fat free beef and ground turkey for added flavor and moisture. I usually use more turkey than beef.

Baked "Fried" Rosemary Zucchini

Crunchy, Cheesy, Savory

Those are the three magic words. 

Baked Rosemary Zucchini Fries have always been a hit at my house. My brother, my mom, my dad, my grandparents, and my friends always love when I make these. They take a little bit of time since they are battered.. but it is worth it, my friend.

They are crunchy on the outside and warm, soft zucchini on the inside. This savory recipe will definitely be a repeat, and there will (usually) be no left overs - no matter how many you manage to pump out. I have made too many before and had to control myself a couple times for the sake of my waistline, so that's almost 100% true.

Got cravings? These fries really hit the spot when you're craving something fried or battered. They're oven baked though, so you know the drill. Tastes like it should be bad, but it really isn't anywhere near bad! So that's good, right?! This is where it's at.

Oh and just a head's up.. This recipe uses a specific cracker that I found at Costco called La Panzanella Croccantini Rosemary Artisan Crackers. I use these because each sheet of cracker, yes I do mean a sheet of cracker, is 100 calories. Its thin, its crisp, and its beautifully seasoned. If you need to use something else, don't be afraid, be creative!

Ingredients

• Zucchini, julienne into fries. I sliced mine into 8ths but it is as desired.
• Eggs
    -- or egg whites
• La Panzanella Croccantini Rosemary Artisan Crackers (I get mine at Costco), crushed as fine as desired.
• Shredded Parmesan Cheese, chopped
• Garlic, super finely minced with zester
    -- or garlic powder 
• Fresh Rosemary, finely chopped
• Onion powder
• Ground Rosemary

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425
2. Combine Parmesan cheese, chopped fresh rosemary, and cracker crumbs together on a plate
3. Combine eggs / egg whites, ground rosemary, garlic, and onion and stir each time before dipping zucchini in
4. Dip zucchini in eggs, then coat in crackers/cheese
5. Bake for 20-25 minutes