Team KoalaBunny's Adventures

It seems if a recipe calls for Hoisin sauce, that recipe is a keeper. So this one is becoming a favorite.
I chanced upon it from the Better Homes and Gardens site:
https://www.bhg.com/recipe/hoisin-glazed-tofu-green-beans/

Of course, I always make a bit of modification so here's what I did but I'm cooking for at least 8 people here.
Ingredients:

•  4 lbs (usually 2 large packages or half of the restaurant sized package) extra-firm tofu, drained (instruction in steps)
•  1/4 cup water
• 1 cup hoisin sauce
• 2 tablespoon soy sauce 
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 2 tbsp honey 
• 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger - or tsp of grounded ginger
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 3 cloves garlic, grated
• 2 lbs fresh green beans, trimmed and halved lengthwise 

Instructions:

1. Cut tofu lengthwise into four 1-inch thick slices. Lay tofu slices on a double layer of paper towels. Top with another double layer of paper towels. Weigh down with a plate topped with cans to remove excess water from tofu. Let stand for at least 10 minutes. Cut tofu into 1-inch cubes.
2. Meanwhile, stir together the water, hoisin, soy sauce, ginger, sesame oil, and honey
3. In an extra-large skillet heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Add tofu. Cook, without stirring until tofu begins to brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Turn and cook 4 to 5 minutes more, stirring occasionally until tofu is golden brown on all sides.
4. Transfer tofu to a plate. Add remaining 1 Tbsp. oil to skillet. Add garlic; cook 30 seconds. Add beans; cook 4 minutes or until barely tender. Return tofu to skillet. Add hoisin mixture; bring to boiling, stirring to coat. Serve with rice.

So eggplants will be our main ingredient for today and I came up with this recipe after looking at several recipes (here: http://honestandtasty.com/persian-seared-eggplant-and-tomato-beef-gheimeh-baademjaan/ here: http://www.geniuskitchen.com/recipe/eggplant-lovers-stuffed-eggplant-263672 and here: https://www.chinasichuanfood.com/roasted-eggplants-with-garlic/)
 I was originally going to combine this as a fusion dish of Asian and Persian roasted eggplant but just did two dishes instead.

Persian dish that I can't pronounce the name of:

• 1 Eggplant
• 2 tablespoons of Olive Oil
• 1-1.5 pounds of Lean Ground Beef
• 1 White or Yellow Onion, pureed in a food processor or shredded with a box grater
• 1 teaspoon Turmeric Powder
• 2 teaspoons Sea Salt
• 1 teaspoon Black Pepper
• 5 ounces (⅔ cup) of tomato paste
• 1 large Tomato (or 2 small/medium ones), rinsed and cut into thick wedges
• 1 cup of Greek Yogurt
• 1 tablespoon (approximately 4 to 5 cloves) of freshly Minced Garlic

1. Rinse the eggplant. Remove its stem and slice the eggplant into ¼-inch thick slices. Then cut into a bit larger than bite-sized pieces.
2. Put water into a large pan to an inch deep. Add in the eggplant into a single layer. Turn heat to high and place cover over pan. Once the water starts seeming like it wants to boil, reduce heat to a simmer (most likely medium heat). After a couple minutes, flip them to cook the other side for another 2 minutes or so. The eggplant should soften and may slightly change in color. Remove the eggplant to a clean plate. Work in batches if needed.
3. Rinse and dry the pan. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the pan on med-high heat. Swirl oil around in pan to coat the surface.
4. Add the eggplant to the pan in a single layer and don’t touch the eggplant for 2 minutes while it sears on one side. After 2 minutes, flip the eggplant and allow to cook for another 2 minutes before removing to a clean plate. Work in batches if needed (add more olive oil for each new batch).
5. In a mixing bowl, combine the beef, onion, turmeric, salt, and pepper.
6. Add the beef mixture to the pan on high heat and use a spatula to break up the beef into small pieces.
7. Allow to cook for about 5-10 minutes or until the beef has browned and begins sauteing in its own natural fat.
8. At this point, mix in the tomato paste.
9. Mix in the eggplant and fresh tomato.
10. Turn heat to med-low and mix occasionally for 5 minutes.
11. To make the garlic yogurt, mix the garlic into the yogurt. Serve a large dollop of it on top of the beef mixture in your own plate that you’ll enjoy with bread, pasta, rice, or quinoa

Asian garlic eggplant

• 3 long purple eggplants, Japanese eggplants
• 3 whole garlic, peeled
• ½ cup of oil
• 2 tbsp. light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp. salt
• ½ tsp. Chinese five spice powder
• 2 green onions, green part only, finely chopped
• garlic chili sauce or other sauce (optional for a spicy taste)

1. In a small bowl, mix oil with salt, light soy sauce and Chinese five spice powder.
2. Wipe the eggplant clean and slice them in half lengthwise. With the tip of a knife, score the flesh deeply in a diamond cross-hatch pattern by making several long cuts, cutting at a steep angle, and then rotating the eggplant to make another set of similar cuts. This step helps the eggplants to absorb the oil and seasonings.
3. Heat oven to 210 degree C. Then brush ½ of the oil mixture on the surface and then roast for 15 minutes. Take out and brush the remaining oil mixture. Continue roasting for another 15 minutes until the eggplants become soft and the edges are slightly curly.

1. Smash garlic cloves and then finely chop. Mix with 1 tablespoon of oil, ¼ teaspoon of Chinese five spice and pinch of salt.
2. Take the eggplants out and spread the garlic evenly on the surface. Roast for 10 minutes again.
3. Sprinkle chopped green onion and serve hot. If you want a spicy taste, add fresh chopped pepper or your favorite chili sauce.

We've done our fair share of road trips with kids that are only about 2-3 hours long to visit grandparents and this time we've visiting friends and attending a wedding so thought I'd blog about our experience when we don't have our own car.

Phil is put in charge of renting the car so he can explain to you how he did it within our budget. We had the option of going by Megabus, train or renting our own car by the way.

As usual, I'm put in charge of packing most other things. Back home in the Midwest what we found worked really well for us when we went on these short road trips was having a list of things we needed to pack and do before we left.

Here's our packing list:
Snacks for the kids - dried fruits (any kinds your kids likes and can eat, we like raisins and berries), crackers (any kind they usually eat animal, vanilla wafers, ginger crisp etc), nuts (our toddler can do these, our 1 year old not so much), beef jerky, granola bars (or fig newtons) and cereal (usually cheerios).

Clothes for the kids - our trips are usually over the long weekends and this one is a wee bit longer so I'm packing mini capsule wardrobe for summer month of being really hot.

First Aid - with kids you never know, so I have a small first aid kit (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01E7KBHSM/ref=sspa_dk_detail_5?psc=1), motrin for kids, ibuprofen for adults, allergy medications, sun screen with SPF of 50 and mosquito repellent for the summer.

Toys - we have two backpack of toys for the kids that includes cars, dolls, crayons, paper etc.