Weather

Good morning Augusta

This morning we have sun with a high around 40°F. Winds NNE at 10 to 15 mph.

Tonight we’ll have mostly clear skies and a low of 21°F. Winds will be light and variable.

The readings from my weather instruments are:

Humidity is 45%, the Dew Point is 6°F and the outdoor temp is 18°F.

The wind direction is   East between 11.9 MPH and 16.9 MPH, generating a wind chill of 18°F.

The Relative pressure is 30.56, the Absolute pressure is 30.36 and rising with a weather graphic indicating sun.

The UV rating is 1 out of 16, Sunrise is 6:31 a.m. Sunset is 6:58 p.m., Moonrise is 1:29 a.m., Moonset is 3:48 p.m. and the moon phase is waxing gibbous being 70% illuminated.

The RAW METAR readings from Augusta’s airport are:

METAR KAUG 260953Z AUTO 33006KT 10SM CLR M06/M11 A3070 RMK AO2 SLP403 T10611106

Visibility is 10.0 miles / 16.1 Kilometers with clear skies.

We haven’t received any rain or snow here over the past 24 hours.

Space weather for today is:

Today’s Solar flux is 68, the solar wind speed is 528  Kilometers per second and the chance of a solar storm is 1%.

I’ve been told that my recipe posts tend to ignore vegarians and Vegans. I apologize.  So this one is for those who prefer not to have any food with meat in it.

Stir-Fried Rainbow Peppers, Eggplant and Tofu

MARTHA ROSE SHULMAN

INGREDIENTS

•           1 pound Asian eggplant

•           1 tablespoon rice wine or dry sherry

•           2 tablespoons hoisin sauce

•           1 teaspoon low-sodium soy sauce

•           2 tablespoons peanut oil, rice bran oil or canola oil

•           ½ pound firm tofu, cut in 1/2-inch squares and drained on paper towels

•           1 tablespoon minced ginger

•           2 fat garlic cloves, minced

•           ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

•           3 bell peppers of varying colors

•           1 Anaheim pepper

•           Salt to taste

PREPARATION

1.         Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Cut the eggplant in half lengthwise and score down to but not through the skin. Line a baking sheet with parchment or foil, lightly oil the foil and place the eggplant on it, cut side down. Roast for 15 to 20 minutes, until the skin begins to shrivel. Remove from the oven, allow to cool until you can handle it, and cut in half along the score down the middle of each half, then into 1/2-inch slices

2.         Combine the rice wine or sherry, the hoisin sauce and the soy sauce in a small bowl and set aside

3.         Heat a 14-inch flat-bottomed wok or 12-inch steel skillet over high heat until a drop of water evaporates within a second or two when added to the pan. Swirl in 1 tablespoon of the oil and add the tofu. Let it sit in the pan for about 30 seconds, until it begins to sear, then stir-fry for about 2 minutes, until lightly colored. Transfer to a plate

4.         Swirl in the remaining oil, then add the garlic, ginger and red pepper flakes and stir-fry for no more than 10 seconds. Add the peppers and eggplant, sprinkle with salt to taste and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Return the tofu to the wok, add the hoisin sauce mixture and stir-fry for another 1 to 2 minutes, until the eggplant is tender and infused with the sauce and the peppers are crisp-tender. Remove from the heat and serve with rice, grains or noodles