And on the Seventh Day...

Not only did I rest but, I got nothing much at all accomplished.Today was my day to  do cement work on the cabin foundation, go to the farmer's market at the Botanical Gardens, make Sandy's dill pickles and then go swimming at Devil's Den State Park. Instead, I got up and had coffee, went back to bed, got up and  had lunch and then took a nap. If I stay awake until nine tonight, I will be surprised.The temperature is once again in the hundred degree range and the last thing I want to do is cook. But surprisingly, all this heavy duty laying around has made me hungry.

I am lucky to have an extensive cookbook collection. To me browsing through cookbooks is every bit as fun as cooking. And if you love to cook, most likely you have a few old standbys. This is one of my favorites for when I want something healthy and delicious but don't want to spend a lot of the time in the kitchen. I adapted it from a pork lo mein recipe from Better Homes and Gardens' Fresh and Simple 20 Minute Suppers. Being vegetarian I obviously had to nix the pork and I spiced it up a bit with minced fresh garlic and ginger. I did not have lo mein noodles in the pantry so I substituted spaghetti which worked very nicely. It is substantial and tasty but not too heavy for a hot summer night!

Shanghai Tofu Lo Mein

Two dinner servings and ready in less than 20 minutes

8 ounces spaghetti or lo mein cooked until al dente. Rinse in cold water, drain and set aside
8 ounces extra firm tofu, pressed,drained and cubed. Saute in olive oil over high heat until browned. Set aside
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 teaspoons ginger root, peeled and minced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 cups bok choy, sliced
3/4 cup No Chicken Broth
1/4 cup orange juice
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 11 ounce can mandarin orange segments, drained

In a  large skillet or wok over high heat, saute the bok choy in the olive oil until crisp tender, about three minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and saute for a minute or so until fragrant. Add the tofu and cook for a minute until heated through. Add the broth,orange juice, soy sauce, sesame oil and red pepper flakes and bring to a boil. Stir in the cooked spaghetti and heat for a minute, stirring occasionally. Stir in the orange sections and grab your chopsticks. Yum!