G/F & D/F Day 10: Eat Your Peas & Mind Your Q's.

I always hated peas as a kid, with lentils coming in close second. But no matter how much I hated them, they somehow found a way onto my plate at every meal. Lentils became my favorite bean later in life, although I never developed a love of peas in quite the same way. I still try to love them, and keep a bag in my freezer for those days when there is nothing left in the produce bin to make for lunch. This happens to be one of those days.

When I think of peas, I also think of carrots, which I always preferred (even as a kid) raw over mushy and cooked.

Another staple from childhood was my mother's baked Lemon Basil Chicken. We had this at least once a week (the working mother's special), if not more. I mastered the art of her (tofu-substituted) chicken cutlet, so I thought I would try my hand at this one.

The texture is crucial, since it's usually dry on the outside but juicy on the inside. In order to capture the same result, I thoroughly drained the tofu and froze it the night before, which gives the tofu a much tougher bite. After thawing it out and draining it again, I marinaded it overnight in a mixture of lemon, garlic, rice cooking wine, basil, salt and pepper:

First round of the tofu was oven-baked in their juices, with the second round giving them a quick finale grill in a cast iron skillet. The taste and texture came out perfect, filling up the apartment with a nostalgic smell of garlic and lemon:

(Below: 3 kinds of roasted potatoes in olive oil & rosemary, steamed beet greens, lemon basil tofu)

Aside from being picky about certain vegetables (or my dramatic need to "digest" between every bite of food), I was one of those rare kids who actually loved spinach and could eat it totally plain & steamed, as apposed to my brother who needed it creamed, salted, and tasting nothing at all like spinach. My mother would be so proud.