This is what else we're hoping to make later this week... [ok, update: made items...changes in italics]

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Fettuccine and Tofu with Finger-Licking Peanut Sauce
[Using Asian rice noodles instead]

Ingredients

1/2 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth [vegetarian version of no-chicken broth--NOT veggie broth!]
1/4 cup chunky peanut butter
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 teaspoons grated peeled fresh ginger
2 teaspoons chile paste with garlic
4 garlic cloves, minced
8 ounces uncooked fettuccine [used rice noodles]
1 pound firm tofu, drained and cubed [omitted but can be put in--stir fry in vegetable step]
1 cup (2-inch) sliced green onions
1 cup shredded carrot
[added summer squash--bean sprouts should work well too]
2 beaten eggs

Preparation
[First soak the rice noodles in a large covered bowl of hot water while you cut up vegetables, prepared the sauce, etc. The pyrex mixing bowls with covers work well--though a large bowl covered with a plate should have the same effect.

Second, in a large flat pan, sautee the vegetables in some oil with some salt, pepper, garlic, and onion and remove from the pan. Add more oil to the pan and cook the beaten eggs until just done. Remove the scrambled/pancake egg and cut into 1 in strips.]

Combine first 8 ingredients in a separate small saucepan. Cook over medium heat 5 minutes or until smooth, stirring frequently. Remove from heat.


Drain the rice noodles. Heat some more oil in the large flat pan that had been used for the veggies and egg. Then add the rice noodles. Stir fry for a few minutes and then add a tiny bit of water to the pan (1/4 cup?). Cover the pan with a large lid, lower the heat to medium, and cook until al dente to tender. Once noodles are done, stir in sauce and vegetables and stir fry for another few minutes. Enjoy!

Cook pasta in boiling water 8 minutes, omitting salt and fat. Add tofu, onions, and carrot; drain. Place pasta mixture in a large bowl. Add peanut butter mixture; toss gently.


Yield

4 servings (serving size: 2 cups)

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Vietnamese Lettuce Rolls with Spicy Grilled Tofu

Ingredients

1 (16-ounce) package water-packed firm tofu, drained
1/2 cup fresh lime juice [I used half this amount]
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup thinly sliced peeled fresh lemongrass [I couldn't buy lemongrass but I'm sure it would be yummy!]
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
3/4 teaspoon chile paste with garlic
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced
Cooking spray
1 head romaine lettuce
1/2 cup cilantro leaves
3 tablespoons chopped dry-roasted peanuts
36 small mint leaves
36 (2-inch) strips julienne-cut carrot
12 basil leaves
[I added long strips of starfruit and mango]

Preparation
[I omitted the tofu-drying steps in this first paragraph. I just took cut the tofu crosswise, lay them flat in a large flat ziploc container, and threw the marinade below over the whole deal] Cut tofu crosswise into 12 (1/2-inch) slices. Place tofu slices on several layers of heavy-duty paper towels. Cover tofu with additional paper towels. Place a cutting board on top of tofu; place a cast-iron skillet on top of cutting board. Let stand 30 minutes to 1 hour. (Tofu is ready when a slice bends easily without tearing or crumbling.) Arrange tofu in a single layer in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish.

Combine juice and the next 6 ingredients (juice through garlic) in a small saucepan, and bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute, stirring until honey dissolves. Pour over tofu. Cover and let stand at room temperature 1 hour.

[I didn't grill either--I took the tofu, laid them on an oiled piece of foil in a baking pan, and cooked the tofu at 350 until they looked done. Then I chopped up the tofu into smaller cubes]

Prepare grill.

Remove tofu from dish, and reserve marinade. Coat tofu with cooking spray. Place tofu on grill rack coated with cooking spray. Grill 3 minutes on each side or until browned.

Remove 12 large outer leaves from lettuce head; reserve remaining lettuce for another use. Remove bottom half of each lettuce leaf; reserve for another use. Place 1 tofu slice on each lettuce leaf top. Top each leaf top with 2 teaspoons cilantro, 3/4 teaspoon peanuts, 3 mint leaves, 3 carrot strips, and 1 basil leaf [and starfruit and mango...wasn't exact either about the cilantro/mint/basil ratio]. Wrap leaf around toppings. Serve with reserved marinade.
Yield

4 servings (serving size: 3 lettuce rolls and about 1/4 cup sauce)
Nutritional Information

CALORIES 294(29% from fat); FAT 9.5g (sat 1.5g,mono 2.5g,poly 4.9g); PROTEIN 14.8g; CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg; CALCIUM 157mg; SODIUM 334mg; FIBER 2.8g; IRON 3.5mg; CARBOHYDRATE 44.9g

I tried this recipe from Cooking Light tonight and just had to share it. It might be the tastiest quick and healthy meal ever. It probably took ten-fifteen minutes from start to finish and now my roommate and I have 8 meals...

I copied and pasted the recipe from the website. Changes I made are in italics...I'm sure this isn't as tasty as the original plan but there were some grocery store difficulties... I also doubled the recipe to minimize the amount of cooking I do this week.

Barley Pilaf with Artichoke Hearts
O Version: Barley Pilaf with Stir-Fry Vegetables

A serving of this meatless main dish offers nearly a third of an adult's suggested daily requirement of fiber. Serve with cherry tomatoes tossed with a bottled vinaigrette. We're skipping the cherry tomato business too...
Ingredients

2 cups warm water
1 cup uncooked quick-cooking barley
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 (14-ounce) can quartered artichoke hearts, drained and rinsed
Couldn't find artichoke hearts so I ended up buying a bag of frozen stir-fry vegetable mix (combo of broccoli, red peppers, etc)
1 teaspoon bottled minced garlic I used about half an onion sliced up instead...
2 tablespoons commercial pesto
1 tablespoon lemon juice I used half the amount of lemon juice
1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated Parmesan cheese
Preparation
Combine the first 3 ingredients in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil; cook 3 minutes. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 8 minutes or until tender.

While barley cooks, heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; add artichokes and garlic. Sauté 3 minutes, stirring frequently.
While the barley was cooking, I instead sauteed onions, added in the chickpeas, frozen veggies, some salt, black pepper, and crushed red pepper...

Stir pesto, lemon juice, and chickpeas into the cooked barley. Serve artichoke mixture over barley; top with cheese. Instead,I stirred everything together (chickpeas, veggies, cheese et al.)...I knew that I wouldn't have the patience to sprinkle cheese and layer things when packing my lunch in the morning...
Yield

4 servings (serving size: 1 cup barley mixture, 1/4 cup artichoke mixture, and 2 tablespoons cheese)
Nutritional Information

CALORIES 405(28% from fat); FAT 12.6g (sat 4g,mono 6.1g,poly 1.5g); PROTEIN 17.5g; CHOLESTEROL 12mg; CALCIUM 267mg; SODIUM 825mg; FIBER 8.7g; IRON 3.5mg; CARBOHYDRATE 57.8g

Cooking Light, OCTOBER 2003