We've been really bad about taking pictures of our Sunday nite dinners lately. Sometimes we just want to eat and not deal with the photography, especially when dinner is not at our place. It's a pain in the butt to lug around the DSLR and tripod to our friends place and figure out the lighting conditions. After accidentally dropping our point-and-shoot camera on the strip in Vegas (long story), we recently got an ultra-compact Canon SD1100IS, which is great for discrete restaurant shots.

This past Sunday, Hungry Bear and I went over to Jane's place for dinner. It was a perfect opportunity to test out our little camera. For dinner, Howie (who is a much better cook than he lets on) made mapo tofu and stir-fried green beans. Jane and Garry made angel food cake with a lemon glaze and creme brulee. We would have taken pictures of dessert, but Jane and Garry weren't happy with their results. We thought they tasted perfectly good.

The mapo tofu was warm and very satisfying. And Howie completely winged the recipe. He should really make dinner more often!  We couldn't leave you without a recipe, so here's a mapo tofu roundup...

• Mapo Doufu / Mapo Tofu via Appetite for China
• Mapo Tofu by Nook & Pantry
• Recipe: Ma Po Tofu via Rasa Malaysia
• Ma Po Tofu (Chinese Pockmarked Old Lady's Tofu) from Wandering Chopsticks
• Mapo Tofu, Take 2 via Pinoy Cook
• Mapo Tofu (Marpo Doufu) by [No Recipes]

BTW, our white cut chicken picture won the DMBLGIT July 2008 aesthetics category. Winner, winner, chicken dinner!

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After making fried eggs and shrimp, I needed to do something with the extra tomatoes and red onion. I looked in the fridge and saw some tofu and fresh egg noodles that we often pick up at the local Asian supermarket. With a few other ingredients, I whipped up this super easy curry tofu noodle stir-fry.

We enjoyed the dish so much, I made it again a few days later. The first time, I added a little too much hot curry powder for Hungry Bear's taste. My heat tolerance is off the charts, so it was mild for me. The next time I made it, I threw in a little coconut cream to soothe the heat and sweet petite peas for some color.

The main flavors of the dish came from the curry powder and a little sweetness from the tomatoes and coconut cream. If you like a sweet heat, add the coconut cream. We actually preferred it without the cream. At the store down the street, we can find a plethora of fresh egg noodles. I've made the dish with thick, round noodles and thin, flat noodles (pictures 3 and 4 in the slideshow). We liked the thin, flat noodles better.

It's a simple but flavorful dish that can be prepared in less than 20 minutes. And it was a great way for us to clean out the fridge.

Natural Light versus Lowel Ego Light

Another thing I want to point out in the slideshow is the last three pictures. I picked up a set of Lowel Ego lights after Jaden of Steamy Kitchen recommended them. The third to last picture is a shot of the noodle dish with natural lighting (kitchen window). I use the Lowel Ego lights in the last two pictures in the slideshow.

The pictures with the Ego lights are decent, particularly the close-up shot (last picture). The Ego lights are a little harsh compared with natural light, which is softer and more pleasant. This was my first time using the lights, so I'm sure I can improve the picture quality with better light placement. Overall, I'm pleased with the Ego lights, but I need to play with them a little more.

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The first time I was offered a tofu chocolate chip cookie, I made a funny face, probably the same look that some of you are giving me right now. With a little hesitation, I took a bite and much to my surprise, the tofu cookie was really good. Ever since then, I've always looked forward to eating the cookies made by our friend, Jeanne. In fact, I like them so much, I've made football game bets with Jeanne, pitting her tofu cookies against my chewy chocolate chunk cookies.

The recipe was created by Jeanne's friend, a certified nutritionist, who wanted to make a healthy alternative to traditional chocolate chip cookies. Butter is not used in the recipe and is replaced with peanut butter and cream cheese. In addition to the soy protein from the tofu, the cookies are made with high-protein egg whites and the aforementioned peanut butter. Lower glycemic index (GI) oat flour is used instead of all-purpose flour. The oat flour is also higher in protein and is gluten-free.

We made the tofu cookies for the first time last week and used white whole wheat flour instead of oat flour, which we couldn't find at the local supermarkets. We thought about using all-purpose flour, but decided to stay true to the healthy intent of the recipe and went with the whole wheat. The tofu cookies were good with predominant flavors from the whole wheat, peanut butter and Valrhona 61% chocolate chunks. I don't think anyone would be able to tell that the cookies contained tofu.

There are definite differences between the oat and wheat flour cookies. I prefer the taste of the oat flour cookies, but I like the texture and crumb of the whole wheat cookies. Since oat flour doesn't contain gluten, it doesn't rise and the cookies are a little more dense. The next time we make the cookies, I'm going to try a 50/50 mix of oat and whole wheat flour.

After eating the tofu cookies for the last few days, Hungry Bear and I decided that the cookies would be a great energy bar alternative. They are relatively low in sugar, a good source of low GI carbs and contain a decent amount of protein. And since they are homemade, you know exactly what's in them and they contain no preservatives, high fructose corn syrup, palm kernel oil or other questionable ingredients. On a long bike ride, I would definitely prefer eating a chocolate tofu cookie over a Cliff bar or Powerbar.

Don't hold me to these exact numbers, but I calculated the nutritional value of the tofu cookies compared to some of my favorite chocolate energy bars and regular chocolate chip cookies. The serving size of the Cliff energy bars are 68 grams, the Balance bar is 50 grams, and the chocolate chip cookie is 55 grams. For comparison sake, I used 68 grams, about 1.5 cookies, as the serving size for the tofu cookies.

Tofu Cookie and Energy Bar Nutritional Comparison

The tofu cookies have less protein than the protein powder/isolate stuffed energy bars, but they also have less calories for a 68 gram serving size, which means you can eat more cookies!

I don't think tofu chocolate chip cookies will ever replace my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe, but they are a good healthier alternative. Compared to processed energy bars, the tofu cookies are superior in taste and natural nutrition. The next time you are on a long bike ride or need a post workout boost of energy, grab a few homemade tofu chocolate chip cookies instead of that processed bar.

Updated February 27, 2008: I added the nutritional breakdown for my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe to the chart.

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I'd been asking Hungry Bear to make her braised tofu, pork and shiitakes the last several weeks. First off, it's one of my favorite dishes and I had a hankering for it. Secondly, I wanted to take better pictures of it, because the first set of pictures doesn't convey the deliciousness of the dish. It was only our second post on SND, and we were complete newbies at food photography.

Whenever we need Asian ingredients, we walk a couple of blocks to the Richmond New May Wah Supermarket. It's one of the best Asian markets in San Francisco. The prices are super cheap, or as the bay area kids like to say... HELLA cheap! For only $10.52, we picked up the ground pork, shiitake mushrooms, tofu, cilantro and a very large bag of pea shoots at New May Wah. What a deal!

The downside of the market can be the long checkout lines and the crazy Chinese grandmothers, who will box you out while reaching for produce. Hungry Bear has no issues sticking her elbows out to protect her space, whereas, I'm afraid of these aggressive, elderly women. I try to avoid the craziness by going during non-peak times, which means weekday mornings.

Back to the braised pork and tofu, I made Hungry Bear measure out all the ingredients while she was cooking, so we could document the recipe. I threw off her timing a bit, because she's used to just dumping in the ingredients by taste and feel. Still, the dish turned out fantastic as usual.

It's a simple dish with great flavors from the shiitakes, pork, soy and oyster sauce. We always have it over rice with a side of stir-fried vegetables. This time around, we had pea shoots with garlic.

Over time, the amount of pork has increased from 1 pound to 1.5 pounds. What can I say, I'm a meat eater. I love my veggies too, but I won't skimp out on the meat. No matter how much pork is used, it's a great dish and has become comfort food for me!

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Our favorite bánh mì (Vietnamese baguette sandwich) in San Francisco can be found at Picnix Bistro & Carry Out, which is located in the Presidio Heights district. When someone told us that there was good bánh mì at Picnix, I didn't believe it because of the neighborhood it was in. The first time Hungry Bear and I drove by the cafe it was closed, and it didn't look like a bánh mì shop to us. The second time we stopped by, my doubts of finding good bánh mì was put at ease, because the shop owners are a Vietnamese couple.

It turns out that Picnix is small cafe with an eclectic menu offering several Vietnamese items and other international lunch fare. It's located behind California Pacific Medical Center and caters to the medical personnel at the hospital, which means lunch time is very busy.

Picnix offers two kinds of bánh mì, Vietnamese style grilled chicken and grilled lemongrass tofu. In addition to the protein, both sandwiches are filled with carrots, pickled daikon, cucumbers and cilantro. The quality of the ingredients is by far the best we've had from any bánh mì shop in San Francisco. Between the vegetables, chicken and tofu, the ingredients are fresh and well prepared.

Although both sandwiches are very good, we have to give the nod to the grilled lemongrass tofu as the better bánh mì. The tofu sandwich is a little more flavorful and we love the lemongrass in it. The chicken tastes more like good roast chicken than Vietnamese grilled chicken. The only thing missing in either sandwich is a little pâté and jalapeno. I'll have to ask if they are options the next time we visit.

My only issue with the sandwiches is the baguette. It's a good baguette but it's a little too crusty for use with bánh mì. I would like the bread to be a little more airy and softer. Despite this issue, we think it's the best bánh mì in San Francisco. Compared to other bánh mì shops, the sandwiches are more expensive at $5.75 each, but the ingredients are superior and worth the extra cost.

If you find yourself in the Presidio Heights neighborhood and have a craving for a Vietnamese baguette sandwich, definitely check out Picnix. We've also heard good things about the other items on their menu. I guess we'll have to try something else, in addition to the bánh mì the next time we go.

Location & Hours:
Picnix Bistro & Carry Out
3872 Sacramento Street (between Maple and Cherry)
San Francisco, CA 94118
Monday - Friday: 8:00 am - 7:00 pm
Saturday: 8:30 am - 5:00 pm
(415) 751-2255
Map It

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Braised pork, tofu and mushrooms is my favorite dish prepared by Hungry Bear. I love this dish because of the ground pork and shiitake mushrooms. We usually eat it with stir fried water spinach/hollow greens and jasmine rice.

The recipe is based on one found in the cookbook, The Breath of a Wok: Unlocking the Spirit of Chinese Wok Cooking Through Recipes and Lore. Hungry Bear followed the recipe the first time she prepared it but has since altered it to our tastes. The primary seasonings in the recipe are soy sauce and oyster sauce. We have enhanced the dish by adding Vietnamese chili garlic sauce for a spicy kick. Additionally, shiitake mushrooms with its great flavor and texture has replaced the plain button mushrooms.

I really like the flavor combinations of the pork, soy, oyster and chili sauce. The dish also has a nice complement of textures from the ground pork, pan-fried tofu and shiitake mushrooms. The dish is wonderful on a bed of rice and a side of stir-fried water spinach.

Water spinach has many names such as hollow greens (due to its hollow stem), rau muong (Vietnamese), on choy (Cantonese) and kongxincài (Mandarin), which literally translates to "hollow heart vegetable." Hollow greens is one of our favorite vegetables and we simply stir fry it in a little oil with garlic and salt.

If you click through the pictures, you'll see a bowl of rice with chili sauce mixed together. I call this "red rice." I like adding the chili sauce to flavor my rice. It's not for the heat, because I'm immune to its spiciness. For heat, I'll eat a fresh chili pepper, usually a Thai red chili, with each meal.

I love braised pork, tofu and mushrooms so much that I'm having a major craving for it as I write this post. It's a really simple home cooked dish and is considered a comfort food by Hungry Bear.

I could eat this meal once a week but I'm limited to having it once a month. Hungry Bear doesn't want me to grow accustomed to eating it so I will think of it as a special meal when she prepares it. I think I have to wait an agonizing three more weeks until I can have it again.

Update 03.04.2008: Better pictures and the recipe can be found at Braised Pork, Tofu and Shiitakes.

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