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I love wing sauce so I was happy to find a new use for it! I ended up baking these, however, I think next time I’ll pan fry them to create a nice crust.

Ingredients

• 1 lb extra firm tofu — drained and pressed
• 3/4 cup Frank’s red hot sauce
• 1 cup panko or bread crumbs
• 1/8 cup flax seed meal
• 8 Ritz crackers
• 1 tablespoon roasted garlic powder (or to taste)
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or to taste)

Directions

Cut the pressed tofu block into bite sized cubes, place in a bowl, and cover with the hot sauce. Let marinate in the fridge for at least 1 hour (you can leave it overnight).

In a blender, mix together the panko, crackers and flax seed meal. Season to taste with the garlic powder, salt and cayenne pepper.

Remove tofu cubes from the hot sauce and place in the breading mixture, coating all sides evenly.

Place the breaded cubes on a sprayed sheet pan and cook in a pre-heated 375-degree oven for 18-20 minutes, or until crispy. Alternatively, pan fry over medium heat until each side is crisp. Serve drizzled with extra hot sauce.

Yield: 4 servings

Pesto is great to make ahead of time and freeze. Then you can whip up a dish like this in minutes. Cooking garlic and white wine instantly make your house smell like a gourmet restaurant.

Toasted pine nuts can be a bit costly, so you can do it yourself with raw nuts. That way you get the lovely smell of roasted pine nuts, which smells surprisingly like popcorn.

Ingredients

• 1 bunch fresh basil
• 1/4 C toasted pine nuts
• 6 cloves garlic, crushed or minced (or more, to taste)
• 1/4 C EVOO
• 2 T red wine vinegar
• 1/4 C grated Parmesan cheese (pre-grated is fine, but doing it yourself it better)
• 1/2 C white white
• 2 C cooked short pasta
• 1/2 C grape tomatoes, quartered

Directions

To make the pesto, put the basil, pine nuts, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, Parmesan and salt and pepper to taste in a blender. Whip it up. Seriously, it’s that easy. To make the pine nuts, you can either toast them in a toaster oven or in a pan on the stove. Either way, keep your eye on them turning them frequently. You’ll likely burn your first batch, but you’ll quickly get the hang of it. Once made, you can throw the pesto in the freezer and take it out whenever you need a quick pasta dish.

For the pasta, saute a few cloves of garlic in olive oil. Add the white wine and some more salt to taste. Allow the white wine to reduce by half. Then add the cooked pasta and pesto and allow to warm. Right before serving mix in the grape tomatoes. Serve with a little more Parmesan cheese and some freshly grated pepper.

This is my very favorite lentil recipe. The French lentils are nice because they keep their shape and have a bit of a peppery taste. The butter swirled in at the end finishes the dish off nicely so don’t skip it!

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups French green lentils, sorted and rinsed
• salt and freshly milled pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 onion, cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 1 large carrot, cut into 1/4-inch dice
• 1 celery rib, cut into 1/4-inch dice
• 1 garlic clove, mashed or pressed
• 1 Tablespoon tomato paste
• 2/3 cup dry red wine
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 2 teaspoons chopped parsley or tarragon

Directions

Put the lentils in a saucepan with 3 cups water, 1 teaspoon salt, and the bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a lively simmer and cook until the lentils are tender but still hold a little texture, about 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a medium skillet. Add the onion, carrot, and celery, season with 1/2 teaspoon salt, and cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are browned, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and tomato paste, cook for 1 minute more, and then add the wine. Bring to a boil and then lower the heat and simmer, covered, until the liquid is syrupy and the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in the mustard and add the cooked lentils along with their broth. Simmer until the sauce is mostly reduced, then stir in the butter and season with pepper. Serve with a flourish of chopped parsley.

Yield: 4-6 servings as a main dish; 8-10 servings as a side dish