Sponsored Post: Aveeno’s Active Naturals Inspired Menu

November 10, 2013 Ceri

A great recipe has to start with great ingredients, don’t you think? When you walk into a kitchen and someone is sautéing garlic and onion – you just know something good is going to come of it. At SPC, we like to know what’s in the food we feed our families, so we always pay attention to ingredients. What goes on your body is just as important AVEENO products are created with ACTIVE NATURALS for the same reason – when you use products with effective, natural ingredients, you can feel good about them, as well as get great results.

Reading the ingredient list of AVEENO’s products might just remind you of your grocery list. Oats, shitake, wheat, soy… When they challenged us to come up with some recipes based on their ingredients we jumped at the chance. As a couple of ex-fashion magazine editors, how could we resist? You can go to AVEENO’s website to read up on all the ingredients they use in their line but we focused on Soy, Shitake and Oats for the purposes of this challenge! We were immediately inspired with recipe ideas from this list but were surprised to learn what powerhouses these ingredients are when it comes to skin and hair!

Soy works to reduce redness and blotchiness that can be so common in the winter months. And vitamin E, found in soy, protects skin from environmental stress. Shitake’s anti-aging abilities work along with skin’s own renewal process to give skin a more youthful appearance. Oats have long been used to soothe dry and irritated skin. Colloidal oatmeal in particular is a mixture of components found in oat seed, and has the ability seal moisture in skin, protecting its moisture barrier.

To celebrate these delicious and beautiful ingredients, we came up with a healthy dinner you can make for your family. Crunchy Tofu (Soy) with a Shitake & Broccoli Stir Fry and a Plum Crumble (Oats) for dessert. One lucky SPC reader is going to win a $100 worth of AVEENO products. Sign up for our newsletter for a chance to win this amazing bundle of goodness.

photos by Maya Visnyei

Sponsored Post: Aveeno’s Active Naturals Inspired Menu

Ingredients

For the Shitake and Broccoli Stir Fry
1 head of broccoli, trimmed into small florets
1 lb shitake mushrooms
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 inch of ginger, minced
1 heaping Tbsp prepared black bean garlic sauce
splash of low sodium soy sauce
2 splashes of rice wine vinegar
¼ cup water
For the Crunchy Tofu
1 block of firm tofu
1 egg
¾ cups panko breadcrumbs
salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
For the Plum Crumble
1 cup whole wheat flour
¾ cup rolled oats
½ cup + 2 Tbsps brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp salt
1/3 cup pecans, chopped
½ cup butter, melted
5 ½ cups of chopped, pitted plums
1/3 cup + 2 Tbsps maple syrup
1 Tbps lemon juice
1 Tbsp flour

Method

For the Stir Fry:

Brush your mushrooms clean of any dirt.

Trim off the woody ends of the stems and then slice the mushrooms, not too thinly. Set aside.

In a skillet, warm up oil over medium heat.

Add the garlic and ginger until they smell wonderful.

Now add the mushrooms and give them a stir.

After about 3 minutes the mushrooms will begin to soften.

Then add your broccoli and stir everything together.

In a small bowl, combine the black bean sauce, soy sauce, vinegar and water.

Pour the mixture over the vegetables and stir.

Cover the skillet and let the veggies stem for about 5 minutes.

You want the broccoli to still be a bit crunchy so don’t leave them cooking for too long

For the Tofu:

Unwrap your tofu and place it on its side on a cutting board (a long, thin side).

Slice it in half so that you have 2 (now thinner) rectangles.

Cut each rectangle in half, leaving you with 4 squares.

Now cut each square in half diagonally and you’ll have 8 triangles.

Whisk the egg in a shallow bowl. Pour the panko breadcrumbs onto a plate. Add salt and pepper and toss it around to combine and then spread it out flat. Have a clean plate handy.

Dip each piece of tofu into the egg and coat completely.

Then dredge the coated tofu in the breadcrumbs so it gets covered on every side.

Place your coated tofu on the clean plate.

Repeat until each piece of tofu is covered.

Heat up the vegetable oil in a skillet over medium high heat.

Place half of your tofu pieces in the pan (unless you’ve got a giant skillet, you’ll have to work in batches) and let them get brown and crispy, about 2 or 3 minutes.

Gently turn them over and cook on the other side.

Use a spatula to help turn them over onto sides to brown.

Serve with rice and your mixed vegetables

For the Crumble:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Toss together the flour, oats, ½ cup of brown sugar, cinnamon, salt and nuts until everything is well combined.

In a small bowl, mix together melted butter and 2 Tbsp maple syrup.

Pour over the oat mixture and stir until it becomes evenly moist.

Set aside.

Place your chopped plums, lemon juice, 1/3 cup of maple syrup, 2 Tbsp of brown sugar and flour in a bowl and give it all a good toss.

Pour the fruit into an 8” x 8” baking pan.

Top with the crumble.