A dad’s attempt at a practical baby registry guide

By Colin Ulin in Babies 0 Comment

Just a few months after finding out I was going to be a dad, I was laid off from my job and suddenly had a lot of free time on my hands. I could have spent that time job hunting (and I did do a lot of that) but my mind was fixated on the impending birth of my first child so I set to work researching every little possible item we could buy in preparation. What I immediately learned is that there are infinite things you can buy and infinite versions of those infinite things and infinite opinions about which/when/why you should buy anything. It’s stupidly overwhelming and unhelpful and impossible to figure out who to trust. I put this guide together in hopes of simplifying the registry making process and maybe making it a little less daunting.

So below is a slightly organized list of everything we bought (or I had thoughts about buying) in preparation to have a baby and some explanations as to why I would or would not recommend buying it. Throughout the list, I’ve linked to Amazon items to make it easier to add them to your registry, but you’ll be surprised to find how easy it is to find most of this stuff can secondhand  via Facebook Marketplace or your local consignment baby store.

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Grilled Tofu Reuben

By Colin Ulin in Food

Ingredients

Grilled Tofu

  • 1 block extra firm tofu
  • 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 1 1/2 tbsp sesame oil
  • 1 tbsp dijon mustard
  • 2 tsp Italian seasoning
  • 1 tsp oregano

Sandwich

  • 2 slices rye bread
  • 1 tbsp thousand island dressing
  • 3/4 cup sauerkraut
  • 2 slices Swiss cheese

Directions

  • Slice tofu into 12-14 even slices and use a towel to press out excess water
  • In a bowl, mix together garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, dijon mustard, and herbs.
  • Put the tofu in a small sealable container and pour the mixture over it.
  • Seal the container and shake gently to evenly distribute mixture. Allow to marinate for up to 1 hour.
  • Lightly oil a baking sheet and spread the tofu out on the sheet.
  • Place under the broiler until you can see the soy sauce starting to caramelize and the tofu darkens (~4-5 minutes)
  • Take the baking sheet out and flip the tofu slices over with a fork.
  • Broil again for another 4-5 minutes.
  • Assemble the sandwich by toasting the bread, spreading the dressing on one slice, and adding the 6 slices of tofu, sauerkraut, and swiss cheese on top.
  • Before adding the top slice of bread, return the sandwich to the broiler briefly to melt the Swiss cheese on top.

Chocolate Tofu Pie

By Colin Ulin in Food, Uncategorized

If you weren’t already convinced that tofu could be used in anything, then try this recipe out. This incredibly simple pie filling recipe takes only 4 ingredients and tastes amazing. It’s also way healthier than standard pudding filling recipes and, if you sub out the honey for agave nectar, you can make it vegan.

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

Filling

  • 2 blocks extra-firm silken tofu (I prefer the Mori Nu brand)
  • 3/4 cup honey
  • 1/2 cup cocoa powder
  • 1 tbsp vanilla

Graham Cracker Crust

  • 1 1/2 cup crushed graham crackers
  • 1 egg white
  • 3 tbsp butter

Directions

Filling

  1. Blend tofu in food processor until very smooth.
  2. Add the honey, cocoa powder, and vanilla and blend until completely mixed (make sure to use a spatula to clean off the sides).

Graham Cracker Crust

  1. Preheat oven to 425F
  2. Beat egg white until peaks are just starting to form.
  3. In a large bowl, mix the egg white into the graham crackers.
  4. Melt the butter and add to the bowl. Mix with a fork.
  5. Pour the mixture into a pie dish and press into the bottom and sides to form the pie crust.
  6. Bake for 8 minutes and let cool.

Assembly

  1. Pour the filling into the cooled crust and spread out evenly with a spatula.
  2. Optional: Use chocolate syrup to make a fancy design.
  3. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours.

Miso Egg Drop Soup

By Colin Ulin in Food

If you’re looking for a miso soup like you get at a restaurant with just a couple tiny cubes of silken tofu and a strip of seaweed, this isn’t what you’re looking for. This is my full-meal style Miso soup loaded with lots of veggies, tofu, and a poached egg.

Feeds: 4

Time: 1 hour

Ingredients

  • 1 medium yellow onion
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 4 cloves of garlic
  • 6 cups veggie broth
  • 2 cups water
  • 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp mirin
  • 5 baby bok choy
  • 1 block tofu
  • 1/3 cup red or white miso paste
  • 8 eggs
  • 2 cups white or brown rice, cooked per instructions

Directions

  1. Heat up the olive oil in a deep pot over medium heat and add the onion cooking until its translucent (about 5 minutes).
  2. Add the garlic and cook just until fragrant (about 45 seconds).
  3. Add all of the liquids to the pot (veggie broth, water, vinegar, soy sauce, mirin), turn the heat up to medium high, cover, and bring to a simmer.
  4. Wash and chop the baby bok choy (white and green parts) into 1/2″ strips.
  5. Once the veggie broth is simmering, add the baby bok choy to the pot, cover, and cook for 5 minutes.
  6. Dice the tofu into 1/4″ squares and add to the pot. Stir the pot being careful not to break up the tofu and allow to return to simmer.
  7. Scoop out about 1 cup of the broth into a bowl and mix in the miso paste (we do this because we don’t want the miso to boil or else it will curdle) until completely dissolved.
  8. Remove the pot from heat and stir in the miso mixture. Cover and set aside.
  9. In a smaller sauce pan, bring 3 cups of water to a boil and poach two eggs at a time.
  10. To assemble the bowls, add about 1/2 cup of cooked rice, pour the soup over the rice, and place the two poached eggs delicately in the middle so as not to break the yolk.

Grilled Brussels

By Colin Ulin in Food

I know a lot of people who say they hate brussel sprouts and I think I know the reason: they grew up eating them boiled. Please stop boiling your brussel sprouts. They lose all their flavor and smell bad. There are a lot of better ways to cook brussels, but this is one my favorites. It’s pretty quick and forgiving if you don’t have all the ingredients or leave them on the stove too long.

Feeds 3

Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 bag fresh brussel sprouts
  • 2 tbsp olive oil + 1 tbsp for grilling
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp paprika

Directions

  1. After washing the brussel sprouts, slice the stems off and then half them length-wise.
  2. Toss the brussel sprouts with the olive oil, sesame oil, soy sauce, garlic powder, and paprika. Feel free to let this marinate for 30 minutes. I don’t usually have time to do that, but it wouldn’t hurt.
  3. Place a large skillet on the stove but don’t turn the heat on yet! Now, dump the brussels mixture into the pan and flip all of the brussel halves over so the flat side is down. It might not be possible to create a single layer of brussels, but try your best.
  4. Cover the skillet and turn the heat on medium.
  5. Wait until a fair amount of steam starts to escape from the under the lid (about 10 minutes). Mix the brussels, scraping up all the tasty stuff on the bottom. If the pan seems pretty dry or the brussels are starting to burn, add 1 tablespoon of water.
  6. Cover again and cook for another 3 minutes. At this point, you should be able to break one of the brussels in half easily with the end of your spatula. That’s how you know it’s done. If they aren’t done, add a tablespoon of water and cook for another 3 minutes.

How to make Eggs Benedict turn out right

By Colin Ulin in Food

Eggs Benedict is a notoriously difficult thing to make. I’ve screwed it up countless times and have come up with a few tricks I want to share here. This recipe focuses on the core elements of eggs Benedict (the Hollandaise and the poached eggs) but you can also mix up the English muffins (try a bagel or buttery biscuit) and the protein (I actually used arugula here but avocado and/or bacon also works great).

Feeds 3

Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 6 eggs + 3 eggs yolks
  • 3 english muffins
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp water
  • 6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
  • 1/2 tsp smoked paprika + more for garnish
  • 1 cup arugula (or avocado or bacon or whatever you’re feeling like)

Directions

  1. Bring a small pot of water to a consistent simmer and carefully drop your first two eggs into the water (I find releasing the eggs into the water as close to the water surface as possible helps to prevent the yolks from breaking).
  2. Once the egg whites have become opaque the entire way through, remove them from the water with a slotted spoon and set aside. Continue like this until all 6 eggs are poached.
  3. In a separate, smaller sauce pan, whisk together the egg yolks, lemon juice, and water.
  4. While still stirring, heat the sauce pan over medium heat until the mixture starts to thicken (stirring consistently throughout this step is extremely important, otherwise you’ll end up with scrambled eggs).
  5. Slowly begin adding the melted butter, stirring it in as you go, until all of the butter is mixed in.
  6. Continue stirring the mixture over medium heat until it thickens and starts to almost hold its shape.
  7. Assemble the Eggs Benedicts by placing arugula on top of each halved, toasted, and buttered english muffin. Then add a poached egg on top of each muffin half.
  8. Finally, drizzle the Hollandaise sauce over each poached egg and sprinkle with paprika. (NOTE: If the hollandaise has thickened up too much while sitting, add another tablespoon of water and mix).

Pro tip: Timing is super important when making Eggs Benedict. Ideally, you want everything to finish cooking at the same time so it’s all still hot while assembling. If you can, try to start the Hollandaise sauce before the eggs are done poaching.

How to make tofu actually taste good

By Colin Ulin in Food

I’ve heard so many people talk about how they don’t like tofu and I feel bad for all of them because (when cooked well) it’s delicious. I think people usually just don’t season it enough; tofu really doesn’t have much flavor but it absorbs anything and everything you put on it. There are also a few tricks to making tofu taste good including getting a lot of the liquid out of it before marinating and not being afraid to cook it for a very long time at high heat. There are lots of ways to make tofu taste good, but I like this recipe because it uses the oven which allows me to cut down on oil while still getting the tofu crispy (i.e., I’m not frying it). I usually put this tofu on top of salads, but it also tastes good mixed into a stir fry or (if you sliced the tofu into larger slices instead of blocks) on a sandwich.

Bake Time: 35 minutes | Active Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 block extra firm tofu (the firmer the better)
  • 3 large garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 tbsp smoked paprika
  • 3 tbsp soy sauce
  • 3 tbsp olive oil

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 400F.
  2. Drying the tofu: Stand the tofu on end and slice long-ways into three even slices (you’re goal is to have the thinnest pieces with the most surface area). Lay the tofu slices side-by-side on a towel and fold the towel over them being careful not to fold the tofu. Carefully press the tofu through the cloth to get as much water out as possible. NOTE: Some people set a heavy book on top of the towel and leave it to absorb even more water. I don’t know if that’s necessary but it’s up to you!
  3. Dice the tofu slices into 1/2″ cubes and put in a large bowl.
  4. Add the minced garlic, smoked paprika, soy sauce, and olive oil and carefully fold together. Let marinate for at least 10 minutes.
  5. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the tofu mixture over it making sure none of the tofu is touching.
  6. Bake for 35 minutes or until tofu is just starting to become crisp.
  7. Serve over salad or add to a stir fry.

Best Ever Thai Peanut Salad Dressing

By Colin Ulin in Food

This dressing goes perfectly with a loaded salad of grilled tofu, brussels, etc., but it’s also great to keep around to take that side salad up a notch. It’s a bit of prep work so I usually make a large batch and store it in the fridge for the next couple weeks (or longer even; just add a little water if it starts to get too thick).

Active time: 20 minutes

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Loaded Sweet Potato Nachos Recipe

By Colin Ulin in Food

After making this just once, it is already one of my favorite recipes. It requires minimal work and the nachos are absolutely delicious, not to mention that they’re way healthier than normal nachos since you’re substituting chips for baked sweet potato.

Feeds 4
Bake Time: 40 Minutes | Active Time: 20 Minutes

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The Big Five! And Other Animals of the Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, and Tarangire

By Colin Ulin in East Africa, Travel

The Serengeti, located in northern Tanzania, is spans 12,000 square miles and is home to Africa’s largest lion population. It is also the site of the worlds largest mammal migration in the world, during which approximately 260,000 zebra and 1.7 million wildebeest can be seen moving between Tanzania and southwestern Kenya. During our safari in the Serengeti (and the Ngorongoro conservation area and Tanrangire national park) Leslie and I saw everything from wildebeests to cheetah and even checked off our Big Five (leopard, elephant, lion, buffalo, rhino)! We went for a 5 day safari with a company called Peter Tours, a fantastic budget safari run by a man named Peter from Moshi, Tanzania. Here are just a few of the photos we took throughout the trip!