Tofu Peanut Soba Noodle Bowl

Hello there! You know you haven't blogged in a while when you don't even remember what your last post was. Dang, that's pretty bad of me! Life's just gotten...filled with lots of other distractions. Distractions like BBQ with friends, sending out wedding invitations, working on wedding details every day, hair & makeup trial, visiting a friend in SF, a Color Run 5k, planning a bday bbq, yard work plus all the other household chores, while trying to work full time and maintain a healthy lifestyle of staying active. I really hate talking about "how busy I am", because everyone is busy. Plus, I hate using busy as an excuse.

To be honest, the other things going on in my life have been more important to me than sharing content on my blog, BUT I do love my little space here, and tonight when I came across a delicious recipe, I wanted to share it.

I made this dinner after I got home from a 3 mile walk with my friend, Michelle & Ryder. It took 30 minutes to make from start to finish, and even on this warm day (it was in the 90's today!) this meal was so satisfying. The cold noodles were very refreshing with the crunch of the bell pepper. David loved this one, and I'm so happy, because I want to make it again and again! Not really a surprise since homemade Asian-inspired food is pretty much my favorite.

While I may not be blogging as much for the next few months, I still want to pop in with recipes that I love. Since I took the time to blog this one, you can be guaranteed it's worth your time too! Enjoy!

Tofu Peanut Soba Noodle Bowl
Adapted from Eat, Live, Run

8 oz soba or udon noodles
1 large bok choy, chopped and rinsed
2 red bell peppers, seeded and sliced
16 oz extra firm tofu, diced
1 tablespoon canola oil

Dressing:
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
1/3 cup tamari
1/3 cup warm water
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1" ginger, peeled and diced

Garnish: chopped cilantro and peanuts

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add soba noodles and set timer for 2 minutes. Add bok choy to the noodles and set time for 2 minutes. Remove from heat, drain, and rinse with cold water. Set aside.

2. Heat canola oil in a nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add tofu and cook until browned on one side. About 4 minutes without touching. Flip tofu over and brown on next side. Remove from heat.

3. In a food processor or blender combine dressing ingredients until smooth.

4. In a large bowl; combine noodles & bok choy, tofu, bell pepper, and dressing. Garnish with cilantro and peanuts.

Stuffed Peppers with Quinoa & Black Beans

I know Cinco de Mayo has come and gone, but I'm just getting around to posting my Mexican meal for Cindo de Mayo. I'm pretty sure I'll never be one of those bloggers that will get recipes out for food holiday's on time. Well, at least next year you can make this recipe. Then again, you should make this before next Cinco de Mayo.

I've mentioned numerous times but, David and I have been trying to eat super healthy THIS WHOLE YEAR! It's killing me! Just kidding, it's not killing me, but on a food holiday like Cinco de Mayo, you can believe we would have had super cheesy enchiladas. I did have some black bean enchiladas with my mom on May 4th, that I made at her house, but we'll just say those didn't count. Plus, they were vegetarian, and I only ate 1 1/2...

I had mentioned to David on Sunday morning, that we should just cheat and eat like fatties all day. He jumped on board, but when it really came down to it, I just couldn't commit. I felt semi guilty, so I settled on a healthier version of some Cinco de Mayo food. He wasn't too thrilled, but he actually did enjoy these. I even thought about NOT blogging them, but when I had the leftovers for lunch, I was surprised at how much I really did like them!

The Sunday before Cinco de Mayo, I had made some stuffed vegetarian bell peppers, but we were not impressed. I took photos to blog that recipe, but let's just say they didn't make the cut. These stuffed peppers are much tastier! I think it has to do with the cup of cheese and enchilada sauce. Enchilada sauce is seriously delicious by the way. David and I were discussing how tasty it really is! Especially for not really being anything that special.

Like I said up top, don't wait to make these until next Cinco de Mayo. They can and definitely should be enjoyed before then!

Stuffed Peppers with Quinoa & Black Beans
Adapted from One Lovely Life

4 bell peppers, any color, cut in half & seeded
1 cup rinsed quinoa
2 cups water
1/2 medium onion, diced
1 (28) oz can enchilada sauce 
1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained & rinsed
1 (4oz) can diced green chiles
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 cup Monterrey jack cheese, shredded

1. Bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a medium pot. Stir in quinoa and diced onions. Let come to a boil again, then reduce heat to simmer, and cover pot for 20 minutes. Remove quinoa from heat, and fluff with a fork.

2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Pour enchilada sauce into a large baking dish.

3. Stir black beans, green chiles, cilantro, salt and pepper into the quinoa. Fill each pepper half with quinoa mixture evenly. Lay peppers into the baking dish with enchilada sauce. Divide cheese evenly over the top of each pepper. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes, or until peppers are tender. Remove from oven and top with Greek yogurt or sour cream.

Brew Review: Firestone Walker Wookey Jack

Beer: Firestone Walker Wookey Jack
Date: 5-5-13 
Location: Paso Robles, CA
Type: Black Rye IPA
Price: $4.99 on sale at Whole Foods. Regularly $5.99/22 oz
Alcohol: 8.3%
IBU: 80

Aroma: Rich Pine tree hops

Appearance: Black, held into the light a very dark brown, creamy beige head

Body & Texture: Full bodied, smooth/velvety, malty, good carbonation, and nice head retention. Amazing lacing on the glass.

Aftertaste: Mainly bitterness with a slight alcohol taste lingering

Overall Impression:
This is a very smooth and enjoyable beer. Even with a little lingering alcohol taste, it's still great. The aroma is out of this world. When David popped open the cap, the aroma was very apparent & inviting. A nice way to start drinking your beer! The color is beautiful on this baby! Plus, I've mentioned before, but any time I drink a beer that's pretty much black, I feel all hard core. I would definitely buy Wookey Jack again. It's a pretty strong beer and too much to drink on my own, but shared with David it is perfect. I guess my only complaint, which is hardly a complaint at all, is I'm not sure I picked up on any rye in this beer. Unless it was mixed in with the malt flavor? I'm not sure! I'm certain Firestone knows what their doing with their beers. I haven't been disappointed with any of their beers yet. If you see Wookey Jack, do yourself a favor and buy this beer! Out of the three Firestone beer's I've reviewed, Wookey Jack was my favorite. 

Read more of my Firestone reviews here: Union Jack & Double Jack. 

Ryder was begging to be included in this brew review since he kept jamming his head into me while I was trying to take pictures. Pretty funny perspective of him from head on.