Monday, October 02, 2006

Tofu Pâté Shells

Here's a fun, easy lunch: cook jumbo pasta shells according to the package directions, rinse with cold water and drain well. Stuff with Toby's Lemon Dill Tofu Pâté (we tried Toby's for the first time this summer, and boy, is it fabulous). Garnish with a sprig of fresh dill.

On the side is shmoo's all-time favorite lunch box veggie: peas and carrots. I cook chopped baby carrots until tender and add the frozen peas for the last minute or so. He loves these veggies cold and always eats them first. Above the shells are some of our very own home-grown organic Golden Muscat and Concord grapes. We'll be making the rest into juice this week. Finally, for dessert, a warren of chocolate chip and chocolate Bunny Grahams.

Verdict: Stuffed jumbo shells make a great lunch, but be prepared: the filling tends to goosh out the back when you first take a bite. Three shells were the perfect serving size. Shmoo didn't finish all his grapes. Seeded grapes are much more fun to eat outside, he says, when you can spit them hither and yon. 4 stars.

26 comments:

Nicole said...

Mmmmm.

lunchbox craving satisfied....for now ;)

lol.

Will you ship any books to Canada, perchance?

Jennifershmoo said...

>>Will you ship any books to Canada, perchance?

Yes!

WannabeMe said...

I want the book now!

Kareno said...

I am another Canadian fan, so I hope there are a few books available ;-)

The Faerie Green said...

Wonderful blog! I am so hungry right now. Great photos, too. The pasta shells are an easy inspiration. ~Thank you~

Vanessa said...

Golden Muscat and Concord grapes! What a lucky shmoo!

High Power Rocketry said...

Wow wow so fancy! And check the bi-color grapes even!

Elizabeth said...

Oh! I didn't know there was a Toby's pate that was vegan, but looking at the website this one is! I've enjoyed the pate before but it had egg white in it, so Hibi did not eat it. I always thought it was too bad, because I think she'd like it. I think we'll find out now! :-)

Melissa said...

I don't know if that pate is available where I live, but I could probably make my own. That's a really good lunch idea!

Another Canadian here that would buy your book :)

Matt and Bobbie said...

OOhh..I love stuffed shells--this reminds me of the super-yummy tofu ricotta stuffed shells I used to make! Thanks Jennifer!

TeaPriestess said...

I'm so glad to see you posting lunches again! This one looks really great!

Mahek said...

are you going to regularly start posting lunch boxes like before and if yes great!!!!
thats what we all have been waiting for . so should we check out everyday for your lunchbox

funwithyourfood said...

woohoo
a lunchbox!
thanks for sharing
my favorite part is the grapes. they look wonderful

Teddy

Pamelamama said...

tofu pate, eh? Will look for it at local WF. Thanks!~

jessica said...

so colorful, look nice.

Mimi said...

I so want some of that tofu pate. Yum.

Louise said...

Don't forget to contact Viva and the Vegan Society here in the UK to stock your book, that way I can buy it!!!

Mia said...

Looks great! I recently made grape juice (for jelly) for the first time. Do you do anything with the pulp after you extract the juice? This has been a matter of debate in my household. ;)

Jennifershmoo said...

Hi, Mia! We compost the pulp. All the good grapiness has been sucked out, and since we juice them stems, seeds, and all, the pulp is mostly inedible stuff, anyway.

Mia said...

Excellent. That was my verdict as well, and to the compost bin it went. Thanks!

Laura-Marie said...

Excellent use of "warren"!

Pamelamama said...

Tofu shells, in the lunchbox for tomorrow, thank you Jennifer! We needed some inspiration. Last week we resorted to hot lunch!

Unknown said...

We've discovered that tofu dishes taste incredible when we use homemade tofu. We've also discovered that it's pretty easy, and not even that time-consuming.

Soak the soybeans overnight, puree them with water in a good blender, and then go through a few other steps involving cheesecloth and pressing and mixing, and you've got a big hunk of protein that any carnivore would crave.

I put up a pretty detailed photo tutorial at my site, www.FitFam.com. If there's interest, I'll tell people where we got the tofu press and nigari coagulant and the cheesecloth, and which soybeans are giving us the best results.

Making our own tofu has also reduced our trash production, and gets us to eat more mindfully because we're aware of the effort that went into creating the food. Highly recommended!

KennewickMusing said...

Jennifer,

Where around here do you get Toby's Tofu Pate?? Help me!

:)

Can I send my hubby over and have you prepare his breakfast and lunch? Ever thought about catering from home?

Jennifershmoo said...

They carry it at Fred Meyer's, in the health food section. Yumm!

KennewickMusing said...

Seriously? I checked about 2 yrs ago and they didn't...You can bet I'll be over there tomorrow!

Thanks!