I sometimes find that Friday’s are a kind of culinary conundrum. The long week is behind me and I’m ready to celebrate with a special meal, but I’m too tired to spend hours in the kitchen. Just the thought of slaving over a hot stove makes me cast lustful glances at the take-out menus on our counter, and for the love of God, do not show me a recipe that calls for more than three finely diced ingredients. I don’t have the brain-power for that sort of knife work.

Over the past couple years, evenings like this have inspired me to collect recipes heavy on the flavor, yet light on the prep work. They vary in the amount of time it takes to get from start to finish, but since it’s Friday and I don’t have to get up at 5:40am the next day, I’m happy to invest a bit of (unsupervised) time in the creation of a soul-satisfying meal. The recipes in this post exemplify the characteristics of one of these suppers, with a total of 5 minutes active-work going into the sweet potatoes and about 15 minutes going into the tofu scramble (not counting pressing time, see recipe below). That’s the kind of kitchen work I like at the end of a busy week!

Now before you start thinking, “Sweet potatoes? Tofu? As in the marshmallow mush I’m served at Thanksgiving and bean curd?”, hear me out. Having been raised in a steak and potatoes (Idaho potatoes, mind you) household I understand how any naysayers among you may be feeling. There was a time when no amount of cajoling could get me to eat either of these food items, and to this day I cannot convince my carnivorous brother that tofu can actually taste good. But believe me, it can, it really can, and sweet potatoes can be so much more than that saccharine sweet casserole foisted upon Thanksgiving diners.* Pan-seared tofu ’steaks’ with chimichurri sauce and Mexican rice, chipotle mashed sweet potatoes, sweet potato fries - these are just a few of the possibilities. Don’t underestimate the power of tofu to assimilate your desired flavors, or the ability of sweet potatoes to satisfy with the barest of efforts.

Sweet potatoes are rich in vitamin C, vitamin E, protein, foliate, vitamin A (six times the recommended daily dose), have more dietary fiber than a bowl of oatmeal, and have twenty-three times as much beta-carotene as broccoli. They are the roots of a vine in the morning glory family and were among the culinary discoveries that Christopher Columbus brought back to Spain in 1493. According to Alton Brown, Henry VIII absolutely adored them - he had his first taste in the form of sweet potato pie and believed the tubers were an aphrodisiac. The king knew them as just “potatoes,” and across Europe the root was enjoyed under this appellation for over a hundred years. The word “sweet” was eventually appended to their name when Irish immigrants began bringing white potatoes to North America.

If you buy organically grown sweet potatoes then you can eat both the flesh and the skin, which is especially satisfying with a bit of sea or river salt. Baked sweet potato goes remarkably well with the cumin & turmeric spiced scramble recipe featured here, though if you’re looking for a super-quick weeknight meal the scramble is great on its own. On a Monday night when I don’t want to wait for the sweet potato to bake, I’ll often whip it up then serve the scramble hot, in whole wheat tortillas with some Mexican cheese and hot sauce.

*As you can no doubt tell, I’m not a huge fan of sweet potato casserole with marshmallows. I know this is very un-American of me, but what can I do? Alas, the trauma of past casserole experiences prevents me from exploring this topic further.

Baked Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients: Serves 2-3

• 2-3 medium sized sweet potatoes, all approximately the same size
• Olive oil
• Sea or river salt (optional)
• Butter (optional)

Place a baking sheet on the bottom rack of your oven and preheat to 410 degrees F. Tear off two large sheets of aluminum foil. Scrub the potatoes clean.

Pour about 1 teaspoon of olive oil in your hands, then rub onto one potato and tightly wrap in aluminum foil. Repeat for the other sweet potatoes. Make sure the seam of the aluminum foil is closed.

Place the wrapped potatoes directly onto the middle rack of your oven, seam side up. (The baking sheet is there to catch any juices that may escape the pouch during baking.) Bake for 1 hour, or until a knife passes through the center of each potato smoothly. I generally bake my potatoes for about 1 hour 15min. If your potatoes are noticeably different in size, then you may have to bake the larger one for slightly longer.

Using tongs or kitchen mitts, remove the potatoes from the oven. Test for doneness. Slice down the center, then across the width, creating a cross-hatch pattern. Gently peel back the skin, then slightly mash the insides with a fork. Top with about 1/2 to 1 tablespoon of butter and sprinkle with sea or river salt.

Tofu Scramble
Adapted from The Modern Vegetarian Kitchen, by Peter Berley

Ingredients: Serves 2-3

• 3-4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 2 plump garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons pine nuts
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 3/4 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 pound firm tofu, pressed to remove excess moisture, and patted dry
• 1 large, ripe tomato, seeded and chopped
• Coarse sea salt
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice

Before you begin: 30 minutes before you plan to start cooking, remove the tofu from its container. Put on a large plate, on top of a thick stack of paper towels. Put more paper towels on top of the tofu, then place something moderately heavy on top of it to press out the liquid. I generally prefer a 24-oz can of diced tomatoes, or something like that.

Then: In a wide, heavy skillet over medium heat,warm the oil. Add the onion and saute for 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic, pine nuts, red pepper flakes, and turmeric and saute for 2 minutes.

Place the tofu in a bowl and mash. (You can also just crumble the tofu into the skillet using your hands. I imagine children will prefer this method! I do too, actually…) Add the mashed tofu, tomato, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and lime juice to the skillet. Raise the heat and simmer, for 5 minutes to heat through and allow some of the moisture to evaporate.

Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve hot, with baked sweet potatoes if you wish.

Orange flower water is an ingredient not too frequently seen in American dishes, but it nevertheless happens to be one of my favorite flavors. A natural extract made by distilling orange blossoms in water, there’s something about its floral fragrance and hint of citrus that I find irresistible. Slightly sweet, it tastes like the petals from which it is derived - if you have ever wondered what it might be like to eat an orange blossom, here’s your chance. Short of visiting an orange grove, that is.

Orange flower water (sometimes called orange blossom water) is commonly used in Middle Eastern pastries and drinks, but what I find most interesting about it is the lore associated with its main ingredient. Since ancient China orange blossoms have been associated with qualities like innocence, love and purity. Chinese families embroidered images of these flowers onto bridal gowns, and eventually the ethereal symbols of this blossom found their way to India and Persia. European soldiers discovered the orange blossom during the Crusades, bringing them back to their sweethearts and eventually to the Spanish colonies on the North American continent. Here the flowers acquired yet another meaning - fertility - an idea that occurred to colonialists because it blooms beside oranges. “Ah ha!” they said, “Here we have a beautiful flower on a fruit bearing tree, which is just what we want our lovely women to do.” When Queen Victoria wore orange blossoms on her wedding day their popularity became even more pronounced, and one thing came after another until orange flower water became a customary ingredient in Mexican wedding cakes. Funny how things turn out no?

Because this water has hints of orange flavors it’s often used to enhance recipes that feature oranges as an ingredient. A. Monteux is imported from France and is my favorite brand. It has a very floral aroma - almost like perfume - but resist the temptation to dab it on your wrists. Put it in your food instead. For starters? Try my recipe for Almond Orange Flower Teacake below. It is by far one of my favorite things to eat with a cup of hot tea or coffee. Ground organic almonds give it a toothsome texture, with just enough bite on the outside and soft, cakey moistness in the center. I prefer my slices with a simple sprinkling of confectioners sugar, but whipped cream, ice cream or berries are other great options. Enjoy!

Almond Orange Flower Teacake
Based on this recipe from Epicurious.com

• 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup finely ground organic almonds
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon orange flower water
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 3 large eggs
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• Confectioners sugar, for dusting

Position your rack in the center of your oven and preheat to 350°F. Generously spray your pan with butter spray (I used PAM butter spray in a standard sized loaf pan).

Place the almonds in a food processor and process until you have a very fine mixture resembling cornmeal in texture, about 4 minutes.

While the almonds are processing, in a large bowl combine the yogurt, sugar, eggs, orange flower water and almond extract. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and ground almonds. Gradually whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Using a rubber spatula or a wooden spoon, fold in the olive oil. Transfer the batter to your prepared pan.

Place a baking sheet beneath the loaf pan, then place both into the oven. Bake until the teacake begins to pull away from the sides of pan and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Cool the teacake in pan on a rack 5 minutes. Cut around the pan sides to loosen the teacake, then turn out onto the rack. Turn the cake upright and allow to cool completely.

Dust with confectioners sugar, cut crosswise into slices and serve with coffee or tea. If you’d like to dress up your slices you can serve them with berries, whipped cream, or ice cream.

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