Air Fryer Tofu Stir Fry from Vicki Delany

I was given a second-hand air fryer that didn’t come with directions. I had absolutely no idea of how to use it, or even why I would want to, so it’s been sitting on my countertop for months, unused.

Then I bought a magazine from Canadian Living called Meals Made Easy with your air fryer, and I thought I’d give it a try.  I made this simple stir fry to begin with and loved it.  The dish is delicious, and so easy to make in the air fryer as it doesn’t need stirring and constant attention and switches itself off when the food is cooked.

If you don’t have an air fryer, I’m sure you can make this in your regular skillet or wok.  The marinade is lovely anyway.

Air Fryer Tofu Stir Fry

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

5 tbsp soy sauce

5 tbsp unseasoned rice vinegar

2 tbsp fresh ginger, grated

4 tsp toasted sesame oil, divided

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

1 454 g package firm tofu, drained, patted dry, cut in 1 inch cubes

2 tbsp cornstarch

1 onion, halved and sliced

1 sweet red pepper, cut in strips

1 zucchini, halved and sliced

Chopped fresh cilantro, for serving

Directions:

Combine soy sauce, vinegar, ginger, half of the sesame onion and the garlic.  Cover and refrigerate half of the marinade, add the tofu to the remaining marinade, stirring to coat well. Refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight.

Preheat air fryer to 375 degrees. Pat marinated tofu dry with paper towels.  Stir tofu with cornstarch coat well.

Spray air fryer basket with cooking spray. Spread tofu in single layer in basket.  Cook, shaking basket  halfway through cooking time, until tofu is golden and crisp, about ten minutes.  Transfer to plate

In large bowl, stir together onion, red pepper, zucchini and remaining sesame oil. Season with salt and pepper.  Transfer to air fryer basket, cook stirring half way through cooking time until crispy, about five minutes.

Heat reserved marinade. Combine tofu, vegetables, and marinade. Garnish with cilantro. Serve with rice or noodles.

Follow Vicki at www.vickidelany.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/evagatesauthor. You can sign up to receive Vicki’s quarterly newsletter at Vicki Delany – Canadian Author of Mystery Novels and Suspense Novels » Contact. She’s on Bluesky at @vickidelany.bsky.social

Now Available for Pre-Order:  Shot Through the Book, the 12^th Lighthouse Library mystery by Eva Gates, coming May 6 from Crooked Lane Books.  Shot Through the Book by Eva Gates: 9798892420440 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books

 

Air Fryer Bacon BLT #recipe @vmburns

VMBURNS:  I LOVE bacon. I love the smell. I love the taste. What I do NOT love is the grease, the splatter, and the disposal of the grease when I fry bacon. I am from the South, so I do have a can of grease that I use when I cook (don't judge, it's delicious). However, I am trying to eat healthier, so my grease can is full. I have tried baking bacon (say that real fast five times). Baking works, but my oven has been acting very finicky lately. Sometimes 350 degrees works like 350 degrees. and sometimes 350 degrees works like 475. Cookies that should take 12 minutes are burned to a crisp in 3 minutes (don't ask how I know this). I suspect my oven is rebelling against being asked to work in the summer. It's Georgia, and it's hot. I get it. Firing up the oven isn't really something I enjoy when it's hotter than east Hell outside either. However, there are days when bacon calls to me. After lamenting about my desire for a BLT to a friend, she asked if I'd tried it in the air fryer. WHAT? No, I had not tried this strange thing, until now.

Okay, so a quick Google search showed me that bacon can, indeed be cooked in an air fryer at 350 degrees. I was reluctant to believe that 350 in the air fryer would behave in the same way that 350 in my oven was behaving, so I watched it like a hawk. Every 2-3 minutes, I pulled the basket out and I checked. Low and behold, it worked. The air fryer cooked (fried?) my bacon in 10-12 minutes with no splatter. 

Then, it was time to make my BLT. By now, y'all know I don't like tomatoes. So, I make my BLT minus the T. But, if you're into the red fruit, then by all means, add it. I live in the South and we have a firm opinion about mayonnaise. Down here, it's Duke's or nothing. Again, you do you. I do highly recommend that you go for a good quality bread. One of my favorites is Nature's Own Perfectly Crafted Brioche Style Bread. It's thick, soft, and delish. However, any good quality bread you have will do. I also love maple bacon. It's sweet, so you get the sweet taste of the maple combined with the smokey and salty bacon, and it's a truly wonderful combination. I also like pepper bacon, regular bacon, maple bourbon bacon, and well. . . you get the point. I love bacon. If you prefer thick sliced bacon, then you may need to let it cook a smidge longer, but that's it. Anyway, if you have an air fryer, then give it a try.

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• Air Fryer BLT

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INGREDIENTS

• 3-4 Slices of bacon
• 2 Slices of a good quality bread
• 1 Tablespoon of Duke's mayo
• 2 Slices of a leafy lettuce
• 1 Slice of tomato 

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Place your bacon in the basket of the air fryer so that it doesn't overlap. It's okay if the bacon slices are touching, but it shouldn't overlap. I cut my bacon so that it wouldn't overlap. 
   
   
   
2. Set your air fryer to 350 F and cook for 10-12 minutes. Turn the bacon over at the halfway point.
   
   
   
3. When the bacon is done, place it on a plate lined with paper towels to absorb the extra grease while you prepare your sandwich.
   
   
   
4. Build your BLT by spreading the mayonnaise onto your bread. Next, add the lettuce and tomato (if using), then layer your bacon.
   
   
   

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• READERS: I have opinions about mayonnaise. Do you have opinions about BLT ingredients? If so, let me know in the comments below. 

MURDER AT FIRST SLICE (ARC)

As Maddy’s wedding day approaches, friends and family descend on the little town of New Bison, Michigan, to celebrate—so much so that Maddy wonders if there might be another happily-ever-after in store for her widowed father and innkeeper Mrs. Law. Unfortunately, she also has to deal with an unhappy couple: feuding cousins Hannah and Dorothy, who haven’t spoken in decades. Maddy can only hope the spectacular wedding cake crafted by her head baker doesn’t wind up as ammunition in a food fight.

But she doesn’t have to wait long for a wedding disaster to strike. When the imperious Dorothy crashes the rehearsal dinner—with several uninvited guests in tow—and starts battering everyone with constant complaints, the drama reaches reality-show levels. And the next day, Dorothy is dead . . . with Hannah standing over the body, bloody rolling pin in hand.

Nobody in town believes Miss Hannah could commit murder. But a detective newly relocated from New York doesn’t know the sweet, memory-challenged Hannah the way the locals do—and the evidence seems open-and-shut as an oven. Now, with her sous-sleuths the Baker Street Irregulars, the bride-to-be is busy digging into Dorothy’s past to catch a killer before she cuts the cake . . .

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Air Fryer Pizza #Recipe @PegCochran

 

I have seen this recipe (more like instructions) in a number of places and I was dying to try it.  Toppings are up to you--I decided to keep it simple with just sauce and cheese.  I would have put some fresh basil on it but I killed my basil plant! The "pizza" was surprisingly good!  I made it for a quick lunch and really enjoyed it.  It's lighter than a regular pizza not having a heavy crust.  Don't get me wrong--nothing replaces real pizza--especially New Jersey pizza.  I may have been in Michigan for 20 years but New Jersey pizza is still my favorite.  Do you have a favorite kind--thin crust, deep dish, Detroit style, Chicago style?

I'm quite sure you could also make this in a hot oven--I saw a recipe calling for a 450 degree oven but I didn't want to heat the oven for something that would only take a couple of minutes so the air fryer to the rescue! 

Ingredients

1 10 inch flour tortilla (or whatever size fits in your air fryer)
Your favorite pizza sauce
Shredded mozzarella cheese
Oregano (optional)

If you air fryer requires it, preheat to 400 degrees.

Grate cheese

 

Place tortilla in air fryer.

 

Top with sauce of your choice

Sprinkle on the grated cheese and a pinch of oregano

 

Air fry for approximately four minutes--timing may vary slightly depending on your air fryer.  

 

 

You can certainly add other toppings of your choice--sausage, pepperoni, mushrooms, etc.

 

OUT NOW!

Book #3 in the Open Book Series

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A murder in her quaint British bookshop drops American Gothic novelist Penelope Parish into her deadliest caper yet.

Penelope Parish is ready to close the book on her amateur sleuthing—from now on, The Open Book’s writer-in-residence will be sticking to villains of the fictional variety while she puts the final touches on her new novel. But when an author is murdered inside the bookshop, all of Upper Chumley-on-Stoke goes on high alert.
 
Now it’s up to Pen and the quirky citizens of Chumley to stop a killer and protect the charming British town she’s begun to call home.

 

 

 Book #1

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    Book #2

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Air Fryer Gnocchi with Leeks and Mushrooms from Vicki Delany

 I’ve been having fun playing with my new air fryer. For this dish I used store-bought gnocchi, but of course you can make your own if you’d prefer.

Air Fryer Gnocchi with Leeks and Mushrooms 

Ingredients:

1 350 g package gnocchi

1 227 g pkg white mushrooms, sliced

1 leek (white part only), chopped

1 shallot, chopped

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

2 tbsp butter, melted

1 tbsp olive oil

Salt and pepper

1 cup arugula leaves

2 tbsp chopped green onion

For Vinaigrette:

3 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

For serving:

1 scoop of creamy goat cheese (optional)

Directions:

Preheat air fryer to 350 degrees. In large bowl stir together gnocchi, mushrooms, leek, shallot, and garlic. Drizzle with melted butter and oil. Toss to coat, add salt and pepper

Spray air fryer basket with cooking spray. Spread gnocchi mixture in single layer in basket.  Cook 8 minutes. 

Prepare vinaigrette by combining oil, vinegar, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper.

Transfer gnocchi to bowl, and mix with vinaigrette, then return to the air fryer for about six minutes more.

When done, put gnocchi in serving dish and mix with arugula and green onion. A spoonful of creamy goat cheese can be added if desired.

Follow Vicki at www.vickidelany.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/evagatesauthor. You can sign up to receive Vicki’s quarterly newsletter at Vicki Delany – Canadian Author of Mystery Novels and Suspense Novels » Contact. She’s on Bluesky at @vickidelany.bsky.social

Now Available for Pre-Order:  Shot Through the Book, the 12^th Lighthouse Library mystery by Eva Gates, coming May 6 from Crooked Lane Books.  Shot Through the Book by Eva Gates: 9798892420440 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books

 

DRY RUB CHICKEN WINGS #recipe @vmburns

 VMBURNS: I had a taste for chicken wings and wasn't in the mood to wait for delivery. So, what's a blogger to do? Make my own rub. This dry rub was a work in progress and the ingredients in the list don't match the picture perfectly (it took me a few tries). The chili Powder and Cayenne pepper aren't in the picture. After the first batch, I tweaked. The cayenne pepper is optional. Use it if you want heat. The cornstarch is to help the wings stay crispy. I haven't mastered my air fryer, yet. So, my first batch was in the air fryer, and the second batch were in oven. 

DRY WING RUB

INGREDIENTS

• 2 Tablespoons Cornstarch
• 1 Teaspoon Salt
• 2 Tablespoons Garlic Powder
• 2-2 1/2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar (I like it sweet)
• 1 Tablespoon Smoked Paprika
• 1 Tablespoons Onion Powder
• 2 Teaspoons Ground Mustard
• 1 Teaspoon Chili Powder
• 2 Teaspoons Ground Cumin
• 1 Teaspoons Black Pepper
• 1 Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper (Optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl.
   
   
   
2. Pat the wings with a paper towel to make sure they are dry, then pat the rub into the chicken wings. 
   
   
   
3. Preheat air fryer to 400 degrees F. Place the wings in the air fryer basket Try not to crowd the wings. Cook for 15 minutes. Flip halfway.
   
   
   
   
   

• READERS: The air fryer is relatively new for me. Do you have one? Do you like it? What tips do you have for a newbie air fryer user?   Let me know in the comments below. 

ICING ON THE MURDER

Influencer-turned-bakery-owner Maddy Montgomery has sold plenty of wedding cakes before, but before she turns one out for her and her fiancé’s wedding, she’ll have to solve a little case of murder . . .

Aunt Octavia would be so proud! Maddy has turned Baby Cakes Bakery—named for her 250-pound English Mastiff, Baby—into a runaway success, and she’s marrying the love of her life, veterinarian Michael Portman. #DreamWedding! Plus the timing couldn’t be better: the country’s biggest bridal expo has come to New Bison, Michigan, and Maddy has secured a spot for Baby Cakes to showcase their cakes. She’s also entered a contest for an all-expenses-paid wedding extravaganza offered by world-renowned wedding planner Serafina.

Unfortunately, supremely nasty Serafina truly takes the cake—she makes the worst bridezilla seem like a shy flower girl. But there’s one thing the wedding planner didn’t plan on—being impaled by one of the skewers Baby Cakes uses on their tiered wedding cakes.

While Maid of Honor Sheriff April Johnson rounds up suspects at the expo, Maddy and her aunt’s friends, the Baker Street Irregulars, and even Baby join forces to unveil a killer hiding in plain sight . . . before wedding bells start to chime.

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Crunchy Buttermilk and Almond Chicken #air-fryer #gluten-free

By MARY JANE MAFFINI

 

Santa came early to me this year and brought something to be thankful for!  Okay, Santa might actually look a lot like me but, never mind, at the heart of the story is a new gadget that is a big hit here.  An air fryer!   We had sworn off getting new gadgets because they often have ‘big feet’ and create storage issues, but we finally caved in and got one.  We are totally hooked.  The ‘set-it-and-forget-it’ nature of the air fryer makes it ideal for two distracted people who otherwise could set the house on fire.  Plus, there are so many recipes for this gadget, which is really just a form of convection oven with great results.  

 

We’ve tried something different in it every day but decided to share this recipe with you because it is delish, fast and easy plus low-carb and gluten-free if you pick the right sides for it. .We served it with orzo and peas but we will go low-carb next time.  And there will definitely be a next time.

This recipe was adapted from Taste of Home Everyday Air Fryer.

Crunchy  Buttermilk and Almond Chicken

Ingredients

1 large egg

¼ cup buttermilk

1 ½ tsp garlic salt

½ tsp pepper

½ tsp paprika (we used Penzey’s half-sharp – nice and spicy)  or ¼ tsp cayenne

1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese

1 cup slivered almonds, finely chopped *

4 chicken cutlets – the original recipe called for 2 chicken breasts but the cutlets cook faster

 

Directions

Preheat air fryer to 350.

In the meantime, whisk the egg, buttermilk, garlic salt, paprika, Parmesan and pepper in a shallow dish.  

Chop the almonds and place in a second shallow dish.   

Dip the chicken pieces into the egg mixture and then into the almonds.  

 You may have to press some almonds on.  * We will use 1 ¼ cup of almonds the next time.  Some recipes call for ground almonds but we liked the crunchiness 

Spritz the heated pan with cooking spray or oil.  Add chicken in one layer.  

 Cook for about 12 minutes (you will need to make sure the chicken is cooked through).

 

 

Serve with your favorite side and if you have a sauce or jelly that you like  why not? I used Ranch Dressing as recommended.   So how about you: do you have a quick meal or a gadget that saves dinner for you? Let’s hear it!

 

 Hope you enjoy it!

Mary Jane Maffini is the award-winning author of three and a half mystery series: the Camilla Maffini mysteries, the Fiona Silk capers and the Charlotte Adams organizer mysteries – number six coming soon! With her daughter Victoria Maffini, MJ collaborated on The Book Collector Mysteries as Victoria Abbott. Victoria Abbott spent several happy years on Mystery Lovers Kitchen. MJ  is very glad to be back and Victoria is waving at you all!

The first five Charlotte Adams are being reissued by Beyond the Page Publishing. Recipes have been added and of course, the organizing tips continue! The Charlotte Adams books have recently been optioned for television films.  The pooches on the covers look a lot like guest posters Penny and Ivy.

Organize Your Corpses was re-released as an e-book and a trade paper on May 18. There's a great deal for the e-book.   You can order it HERE!

The Cluttered Corpse was reissued on June 15th and Death Loves a Messy Desk arrived on July 13th. 

Closet Confidential was out in August.

AVAILABLE NOW!

THE BOOK COLLECTOR MYSTERIES BY VICTORIA ABBOTT aka MJ and Victoria Maffini

Jordan Bingham has a tough time: she's the first person in her large family to go straight. She has learned some useful skills from her crooked relatives but she's trying to hang on to a legit job working for a curmudgeonly book collector. But of course, the bodies keep piling up.  There's lots of fun in the book collector series from Victoria Abbott.

Don't forget to check out MJ's Canadian books:  Camilla MacPhee features a fortyish widowed lawyer who runs an advocacy agency for victims of violent crime, in Ottawa, Canada's capital city. Life would be easier if she didn't have the world's worst office assistant, the world's bossiest sisters and, arguably, the world's greatest stubborn streak. If you like your mysteries a bit edgy with a side order of humor, these could be for you.  

Keep up on the news!  You can sign up for updates about MJ and Victoria plus fun and prizes through our newsletter HERE