#MEwx Cold, sun, clouds and your first post holiday diet recipe

Good morning Augusta.

If you want to se weather readings from my personal weather station in real-time click here.

This morning we have mostly sunny skies with highs in the lower 30s. Winds are North around 10 mph.

Tonight we'll have partly cloudy conditions during evening hours, then mostly cloudy with a chance of snow after midnight. Lows around 20°F with light and variable winds.

The wind direction is west southwest between 0.1 MPH and 0.4 MPH.

The Relative pressure is 29.98, the Absolute pressure is 29.78 and rising with a weather graphic indicating snow and some clouds.

We received 0.1 inches of measurable snow melting here over the past 24 hours. 

Our outdoor temperature is 21.4°F, the humidity is  79%, the dew point is 15.8°F and our wind chill is 21.4°F. 

Visibility is 10.0 miles / 16.1 kilometers with sun and a few clouds.

The UV rating is 1 out of 16, the moon is 45.2% illuminated, the moon phase is waning crescent, sunrise is 7:14 am↑ 123° Southeast, Sunset is 4:06 pm↑ 237° Southwest, Moonrise is xxx, Moonset is 12:01 pm↑ 267° West and we'll have 8 hours 52

Minutes of daylight today.

 

Okay, time to get a jump on the New Years diet and start getting rid of those unwanted extra pounds you've been adding on since thanksgiving.

Hey, if those leftover goodies are the kind you can freeze, put 'em in the back of the freezer until July.

 

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