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Showing posts with label tofu. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tofu. Show all posts

la cucina povera - broccoli, tofu, and ginger with umeboshi.



The other night, leaning over a bowl of steaming polenta and peas, I said to my flatmate, "You'll know I'm a poor student when I can only afford to eat polenta." She laughed and suggested that I could also, despite my student wages, afford to eat lentils and most other items sold in bulk. Grains, beans, pulses. Anything but ramen.

Cut to this morning, when I opened the cupboards and realised I didn't have any bread. Neither did I have cereal. Polenta it was, and my concerns about a polenta-only diet heightened ever so slightly.

Don't get me wrong - I'm not in the depths of student poverty. I'm merely subject to the tides of university funding, and it's nearing the end of the month. Come next weekend, I'll be eating truffles covered with gold. Well, perhaps not quite so well, but I won't be eating like a nineteenth century peasant.

Today's dinner was, therefore, all about foraging what I could from the depths of the kitchen. I had splurged earlier in the week and bought a lot of tofu. My flatmate had donated an abandoned broccoli to my cause, claiming that she didn't like vegetables anyway (!). I've been ill, so there's a lot of ginger laying around.

With plain rice, this might be the closest thing to simple pleasure. Spicy with chili, sour and salty with umeboshi vinegar, eaten in steaming great mouthfuls with hot rice. The tofu is cut into tiny pieces, giving the illusion that it goes further and creating more surface area to fry to a golden crisp. A worthwhile break from studying.

*****

1/2 block of firm tofu, in 1 cm cubes
1 head of broccoli, broken into small florets
1 spring onion, chopped
2 small chilies, minced
1 inch ginger, minced
2 tbsp. tamari or light soy sauce
2 tbsp. umeboshi vinegar
oil, for frying

1. Heat your oil over med-high heat and toss in your tofu. Allow to cook for a few minutes on each side, turning when golden. 2. Once your tofu is golden all over, toss in your broccoli and cover the pan, reducing the heat to medium and leaving to steam for 2-3 minutes. 3. Toss in your chilies, ginger, and spring onion, your tamari, and a splash of water. Cover again and leave until the broccoli is tender but still fairly crisp. 4. Remove from heat and sprinkle with umeboshi before serving.
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the definitive list, 7: manna.



Manna
4 Erskine Road,
London, NW3 3AJ

Being vegetarian, the first thing I sought out upon moving to London was a decent vegetarian restaurant. And I was very lucky - for the first and best friend I've made since moving here is arguably an expert in such things! I remember calling her up, well past 7 p.m. one evening, and asking for her vegetarian restaurant tips - and she sent me to Manna. I've been back often since, and see it as a quiet standby for absolutely lovely food.

Tucked into a quiet street in Primrose Hill, Manna is one of London's oldest vegetarian restaurants. It has a good reputation largely because the food is very consistent - and wouldn't disappoint a meat-eater - and because they've really worked on their credentials. The kitchen is certified organic. Their menu offers a lot of gluten-free and vegan options. They sell their wheat-free muffins and sweets in nearby shops. Probably the only thing missing is a selection of sugar-free puddings, though they sometimes have them on special.

So my lovely friend and I popped in for a last-minute Sunday supper, finding the restaurant fairly quiet - you'll normally need a booking - and sat ourselves at a quiet table in the back. I've always loved the wallpaper in the dining room, with its silhouetted birds on branches climbing up beige walls. It feels a bit like a cozy living room.

On this most recent visit, I will say the service was a bit haphazard. Our server seemed unduly overwhelmed, and they were playing some depressing Neil Young on repeat for the whole of our visit. But the food might actually be good enough to overlook this.

The menu covers some staples - pumpkin seed and fennel sausages perched atop mash, meatless meatballs with spaghetti - as well as some more exciting offerings, like enchiladas and curries. We went for a selection of the starters - by far the most varied option - and a couple of sides. This included the most lovely, plump, and minty summer rolls, some gluten-free quesadillas, the most crisp and rich cashew cheese croquettes, sauteed spinach, and the most incredible marinated fried tofu. This tofu was insane - the closest thing I could compare it to is fried chicken, which basically means it was really damn good. The croquettes came with red pepper jelly, which I then ate on top of everything else I could find. It all made me really happy - one could not miss meat at this meal.

So Manna - a good option if you're near Regent's Park, and it can go either way, from casual to smart. I've been here for casual dinners after a long walk and for celebratory birthdays - they do both well. Oh, and as I love pudding a lot, I can't finish this without mentioning how lovely and dainty their petit fours are - with a coffee, after a lovely meal replete with tofu, they make a perfect ending.
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the definitive list, 3: koya.



Koya
49 Frith Street,
London, W1D 4SG

I was a little late on the Koya train, if I'm honest. Since it opened in 2010, many have been quick to applaud its quick, affordable, and high quality approach to udon. Reviews have popped up on a smattering of London food blogs, and it's pretty much the first recommendation that Time Out lists for Soho restaurants.

So why I am writing about it? Because it is by far my favourite restaurant. I'm addicted. I can't stop talking about it. And I can't stop taking people to eat here.



I'm pretty hooked on noodles on an ordinary day, but when I first stepped through the non-descript curtain that serves as the entryway to Koya it was like stepping into tiled-floor, utilitarian-decor heaven. With homemade udon noodles. Dear god...



And did I mention the walnut miso? This is really the thing that keeps me going back to Koya. Walnut miso - sweet, sour, salty, and peanut-buttery in texture, I could eat it on a spoon, on its own, every day. I normally order their kinoko hiya-atsu, cold udon with hot broth, with an array of mushrooms, cabbage, and walnut miso. But unlike so many restaurants, the vegetables here are really top-notch - the mushrooms are all really perfect, and the broths aren't over-seasoned. There is a lightness to everything here.



Koya serves udon in three ways - hot noodles in hot broth, cold noodles in hot broth, or cold with sauce for dipping. I go for the cold noodles in hot broth simply because I love the contrast - and I also order tempura bits to sprinkle on top, adding a pleasing crunch to the whole experience. They also do a number of small plates - on my most recent visit, a delectable fried tofu dumpling served in a mild broth with chanterelles - and donburi. And while the udon is definitely the reason to come, they do everything quite well. Go and you will be converted. I promise.

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marinated tofu steaks, pan roasted asparagus, and parsley sauce.



The nicest things about the weather warming up - and I mean warming... it's been 25 degrees all week - are lazy, simply suppers that highlight their ingredients. Clean flavours, and fresh, local produce make for a fantastic plate on a weeknight.

The first asparagus cropped up a couple of weeks ago at the market, so we've been eating loads of it lately. The herbs in the windowbox are starting to come up nicely, so in a few weeks those will make a lovely accompaniment to the produce. For now, I stocked up on lovely, leafy parsley from our favourite organic farm to make a classic, pared-down parsley sauce.




The tofu itself is a bit of a funny thing - I only make it like this when M has fish or meat, meaning we have a kind of meat and two veg meal. That's rare around here, but when we do I like to play my part and cook myself some kind of tofu steak. These ones are marinated in Bragg's and black pepper, breaded with white breadcrumb, and baked until golden. Served with sauteed asparagus, roasted potatoes, and parsley sauce, it certainly makes a lovely, light supper.



*****

Marinated Tofu Steaks
1 block of firm tofu, lightly pressed to release some water
3 tsbp. Bragg's
1 tbsp. tamari
3 tbsp. water
pepper
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup breadcrumbs, seasoned to taste

1. Slice your tofu into 2 cm thick slices and lay in a shallow dish. Pour over your sauces and water, seasoning with pepper, and leave to marinate for 30 minutes. 2. Preheat the oven to 200 C (400F). Take your tofu slices one at a time and dip in egg and then breadcrumbs, making sure to coat both sides. Repeat with each slice. Lay on a baking sheet and bake for twenty-five minutes, or until golden.

Parsley Sauce
1 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. plain flour
1/2 cup whole milk
salt and pepper
2 tbsp. flat leaf parsley, chopped

1. Melt your butter over low heat and stir in your flour, forming a roux. Whisk in your milk and bring to a simmer. 2. When the sauce thickens a bit, season to taste and stir in your parsley. Serve immediately.
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Miso Soup

Ingredients
  • 4 cups chicken broth
  • 2 tbsp dashi granules
  • 1/2 tsp fish sauce (nam pla) - optional
  • 6 oz silken tofu, drained and cut into small cubes
  • 4 shiitake mushrooms (or white mushrooms) finely sliced
  • 4 tbsp miso paste
  • 2 green onions (scallion), chopped


Directions

Put the chicken broth, dashi powder, and fish sauce (if using) into a large pot and bring to a boil. Add the tofu and mushrooms, reduce the heat, and let simmer for 3 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix the miso paste with a spoonful of the broth til smooth. Add to the pot and stir thoroughly. (Do not let boil past this point - it can bitter the miso.)

Ladle into bowls and top with green onion as desired.
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braised nian gao (rice cake) with cabbage and mushroom + simple congee



I've been having cravings all week. It started with the noodles, then with a big wokfull of braised tofu and nian gao, spring rolls, and sponge cake. I couldn't stop myself anymore: I had to have more. Chinese food, that is.

Sometimes I think it's genetic. I have a built-in Chinese food craving. My body is designed to eat rice, dumplings, tofu. But even if it weren't genetic, I'd probably still crave it just as much. It's just so good.

But this weekend I've been craving something simpler - something classic. Plain ol' congee, a soupy rice porridge, with spring onion and pepper. Nothing more, nothing less. It's purely comforting and always reminds me of being a kid at the dim sum table. And it's easy.



I finished off the pack of dried rice cakes leftover from new years as well. Nian gao are basically slices of rice flour dough, which you can soak and then add to stirfrys and braised dishes. Here, they were braised with cabbage, chinese mushrooms, dried seaweed, sliced beancurd sheets (also dried and soaked before using), and spring onion. Fragrant five space permeates the air as the dish cooks and then fills your bowl with flavour when you dish it out.

Nian gao and beancurd sheets can both be found at the Chinese grocer or in China Town. Depending on your brand of rice cake, you might need to soak them longer, but it's very straightforward - they're done when they're tender and al dente, like pasta. Definitely worth a trip to Soho.




*****

Plain Congee
Makes enough for four.
1 cup short grain white rice
water
salt
spring onions, to serve
white or black pepper, to serve

1. Rinse your rice, and then bring it to a boil in a big saucepan with about 3 cups of water. 2. When the rice is tender, after about 15 minutes, pour in 1 cup more boiling water, and let simmer for 1 hour, checking periodically for water-level. 3. After about an hour and a half, season with salt to taste. Add more water if necessary - it should have the consistency of a thick soup. Serve with pepper and chopped spring onions.


Braised Nian Gao with Cabbage and Mushroom
Serves 3-4.

150 grams nian gao, soaked in hot water and drained
1/2 onion, sliced
1 carrot, sliced
1 cup savoy cabbage, shredded
1 cup dried Chinese mushroom, soaked and chopped, liquid reserved
1/2 cup dried wakame, soaked and chopped
3 spring onions, chopped
1 beancurd sheet, soaked and sliced
3 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. brown rice vinegar
1 tbsp. five spice powder
1 tsp. chopped chili
1 tsp. cornstarch, dissolved in water
pepper

1. In a bowl, mix together your sauces, spice, and chili. In a large wok, heat a bit of oil. Fry your onions and carrots for one minute, then stir in your nian gao. Immediately pour over your sauce mixture and add in your reserved mushroom liquid, straining it. 2. Bring to a simmer, then add your cabbage, mushroom, and seaweed. Cook for 5 minutes, then add your spring onions and beancurd. Season to taste and stir in your cornstarch. Simmer for another 3 minutes, checking that your nian gao are tender. Serve immediately.
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salty sweet: lunchtime stirfry.


On the occasional afternoon, I find myself free from work and at home, ready to make myself a simple, veggie-packed lunched. Knowing that I'm eating most of my veggies for the day leaves me free to loll about, drinking tea and eating the chocolate biscuits I keep stashed in the back of the freezer.

The sauce itself is pretty simple - salty with soy, spicy with sriracha, sweet with maple, and just the touch of sour from brown rice vinegar. I give the tofu pieces a dusting of flour or cornstarch before frying, which gives it a bit of a crust and makes it brown a bit nicer.

*****

Maple-Soy Stirfry

a few sprouts purple-sprouting broccoli
1 onion, sliced
1 clove garlic, sliced
1/2 cup fresh peas, tops and bottoms off
100 g. firm tofu, sliced into 1 inch pieces
a bit of flour or cornstarch
3 tbsp. tamari
1 tbsp. sriracha
1 tbsp. brown rice vinegar
2 tbsp. maple syrup

Heat a bit of oil in a deep wok or pan. In a small bowl, dust your tofu pieces with flour, dust off the excess, and fry over med-high heat. When golden, remove to a piece of paper towel. Toss in your onions and broccoli, followed by your peas, until just crisp and tender. Stir in your sauces and add your tofu, and thicken with 1/4 water mixed with cornstarch. Allow to thicken for a few minutes, then serve with noodles or rice.
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Cold Tofu Appetizer Recipe

Cold Tofu Appetizer Recipe

INGREDIENTS:
1 pk Tofu; cubed
1 teaspoon of Grated ginger
1 Scallions; finely chopped
1 tb Soy sauce
1 tb Sake (rice wine
DIRECTIONS:
Divide the tofu into four cups. Mix together the sauce ingredients and
sprinkle them on top. Flavor with chili pepper flakes if desired. You can
also sprinkle the tofu with dried bonita flakes. busted by sooz
Posted to recipelu-digest Volume 01 Number 227 by James and Susan Kirkland
on Nov 08, 1997

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恭喜发财 - Happy New Year



I've always been fairly excited about being half-Chinese. Something about not just being boring old North American. I was born of immigrant parents and am therefore more interesting! Or something like that.

Anyhow, this year I found myself really missing my family for Chinese New Year. I always get pretty excited about it and always cook way too much food, but this year I just felt like I wanted to take it seriously for some reason.

I found myself in a lantern-strung Chinatown on Friday, queuing up for things in the Chinese supermarket with what seemed like the rest of London - panda cookies, beancurd sheets, and red envelopes in hand. I ate lunch in what might actually be the cheapest restaurant in London, Wong Kei, where you're seated communally and given tea along with your menus. £4 for beancurd, vegetables, and rice, which makes it to your table within five minutes. I found myself wishing my mom was there so she could order in Chinese and advise me on all the things I should buy for my new year's celebrations.

M and I spent a good part of yesterday scrubbing our house from top to bottom, while I tried to prepare most of our food in advance of today. Nothing special and nothing much - just a little feast for two. But we did manage to take the day with a little bit of seriousness, care, and attention - in fulfilling superstitious tasks, meditating, chanting, giving offerings, and making our way down to the Buddhist centre for evening chants and talks.

Here's what we ate along the way.






*****

bean curd rolls, seasonally
The jerusalem artichokes stand in for bamboo shoots in this British seasonal version of a dim sum favourite.

mushrooms
jerusalem artichokes
carrot
cavolo nero (tuscan kale)
ginger, all julienned
soy sauce
brown rice vinegar
bean curd sheets
oil, for frying

Fry the vegetables in a pan until just soft, then add a splash of soy and vinegar to taste. Soak a few bean curd sheets in boiled water until just soft, and then set them on a cutting board, dabbing up any excess water. Spread a bit of the fried vegetable on one side of the sheets, and then roll up like a burrito. Fry the roll in a wok with a couple of tablespoons of vegetable oil, turning once one side is crisp and golden. Slice and serve with soy sauce and vinegar for dipping.
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VeganMoFo: Tofu, the greatest sponge of all.


The Angst! VeganMoFo, and what to post today. What to post! No exciting culinary adventures of late. Just lots of work. And pony riding (hurrah). And also the super awesome announcement that the Supernatural boys will be gracing our shores next year, which... giddy! But not something to blog for VeganMoFo (although.... no, I shan't). So I had a poke around my photo stash and stumbled across today's topic. Tofu!

One of the most common things people say to me is 'how can you eat tofu, it is so gross'. It seems tofu is not beloved by a large section of society. And I know, I used to be one of them! Oh yes, gentle reader, there was once a time (even when I was a vegetarian) that I looked down my nose at that tasteless white blob of ooky. Yick!

Of course, the problem lies not with tofu itself. Tofu is a gift from the powers that be. The problem lies with how it is prepared. One dinner I went to involved steamed tofu and vegetables. It was like eating a soggy sponge! Another common problem people mention is using the wrong type of tofu - trying to stir fry with silken tofu will never be happy. With a little bit of love and care and not much effort at all, tofu can be one of the tastiest things we have in our arsenal. I am sure I am preaching to the choir here, but in case a tofu noob stumbles across this - all is not lost.

I love tofu is so many ways, but one of my favourites would have to be the marinated slices of tofu that are baked or grilled until you have dark, chewy slices or awesome. They are great to round out a meal, slice and add to a salad or pop into your sandwich! So I thought I'd dedicate tonight's vegan food porn to this sort of tofu. I hope you enjoy!



Tangering Baked Tofu with Quinoa Salad With Black Beans. This tasty little get up is from Veganomicon. The tangering marinade for the tofu is sensational, and the texture was really great too. Isa mentions this a few times as a potential compliment to dishes in the book. Here I served it with the quinoa salad... which hello yummers! I don't really like coriander, so I subbed mint into the salad. And it was fan-frakking-tastic. So very moreish!



This here is Asian Marinated Tofu (from Vcon/VWAV) served with Baby Bok Choy And Crispy Shallots, and a side of wasabi mashed potatoes to make a change from rice. I really like the asian marinade for this tofu. I've used it quite a bit. The Bok Choy dish was from Vcon, and was quite nice, though I accidentally let the bok choy get a bit soggy. Damn it!



A Veganomicon Indian feast! The tofu here is Curried Tofu, which was really nummy. Also left overs are great in a sandwich with some curry soy mayo (just blend in a little curry powder to your mayo) and spinach leaves. It is served with Tamarind Lentils, which is quite nice. I love the sour flavour of tamarind! Except if you are a bit distracted like I was and accidentally threw in some tamarind pulp instead of paste. The seedy bits were still in there and every now and then I would chomp on one and hurt my tooth! So silly of me. You can get non tooth breaking tamarind paste in the asian section of the supermarket - Jeeny's is the brand. And the final thing on the plate was Cornmeal Marsala Brussel Sprouts. I was not such a fan of these. I may have done something wrong, but the cornmeal marsala was quite soggy, even when roasted.



Mango Ginger Tofu! Equals all sorts of awesome. From the trusty VWAV. This is great. So sweet and good for summer. Plus the baked mango slices add extra mango goodness to the finished product. I served this with sauteed broccolini and jasmine rice, which are not pictured here.



The tofu in this picture is from Vegan Vittles, and is marinade number 3. It involves tomato paste and maple syrup and is really quite nice. I think they have 5 marinates in total, which can be used for tofu, tempeh or seitan. I served it here with a couple of VWAV sides - Ginger Roasted Vegetables (yummy, but quite sweet) and Orange Glazed Beets (awesome - and this was my first time ever with fresh beetroot!). It was a tasty dinner, but I need to move away from it now because the lack of green on the plate is freaking me out.



My final offering here is once again the Asian Marinated Tofu. This time served with Vcon's Quinoa Pineapple Cashew Stir-fry. The stir-fry is fabulous, though a bit sweet all on its own. But it was balanced out with the salty sauteed broccolini. Incidentally, left of Asian Marinated Tofy is kick butt with wasabi mayo (again, wasabi powder mixed into your may), baby spinach leaves and a Toffuti cheese slice on your sandwich. And if you still have some left over, slice it up and throw it in a salad! I also enjoyed this tofu sliced up and added to the Corn And Edamame Sesame Salad from Vcon, with some baby spinach leaves and avocado.

Of course there are so many other ways to love and enjoy tofu. And I do love and ejoy them all. I can't believe that I spent so many years shunning this most wonderful of foods. I think the moral of this story can be applied on a wider scale. So if there's a food you think you don't like but haven't had much to do with, why not have another crack? You might be surprised. Except for capsicum. Because that is just gross. ;)
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Thai Coconut Soup CrockPot Recipe


Day 266.

We entertained over the weekend, and I was quite pleased with the results of this Thai soup. Entertaining is so easy when you use crockpots----everything in the kitchen is done, and you can really focus on your guests and not need to fiddle in the kitchen.

My friend Hayes has mentioned a few times that her children really like spicy coconut Thai soup, and I was interested to see if I could make it at home. I found two recipes that I pulled from, and used ingredients that I could find easily at our local grocery store. I used one from the Fat Free Vegan Kitchen, and one from Tyler Florence.

This is an elegant soup, fit to serve to your very best friends.

The Ingredients.

--4 cups broth (vegetable or chicken)
--1 can coconut milk (if you opt for the lite, you many want to add a drop of coconut extract to boost the flavor)
--4 limes (3 juiced, 1 for garnish)
--1/2 tsp lime zest
--1 red bell pepper, sliced in strips
--4 oz sliced shitake mushrooms, cut in quarters
--1 large vine-ripened tomato, or 4 small-med, coarsely chopped
--1/2 pound extra firm tofu, cubed
--2 garlic cloves, minced
--3 T fish sauce
--1/2 tsp to 2 tsp red chili paste, to taste (you can use red chili flakes, too)
--1 tsp sugar (not pictured, I used a sugar packet)
--1 inch fresh ginger, peeled and grated

The Directions.

I used a 6 quart Smart Set Crock-Pot for this soup.

Although there are a lot of ingredients listed, this soup comes together quite quickly. Nothing really needs to be cooked---you're just heating through fully and letting the flavors simmer together.

Pour the broth into the crockpot. Add the juice of three of the limes, and zest one of them until you get 1/2 teaspoon to add. Stir in the sugar and fish sauce. Grate the ginger and add. Stir in the coconut milk. You now have your soup base. Add the red chili paste, 1/2 tsp at a time until you have reached desired heat. I ended up using 1 1/2 tsp. You can always add more after cooking, though, so please go slow and don't overdo it.

Cube the tofu, slice the bell pepper, and mince the garlic. Add to pot. Coarsely chop the shitake mushrooms and the vine-ripened tomatoes. Stir in carefully, so you don't break up the tofu or the tomatoes.

Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours, or on high for 2-4. This soup is finished when it is fully hot, and the flavors have combined nicely.

Ours ended up sitting on warm for an additional 3 hours, and was fine. When in doubt, use the shortest amount of cooking time, and let the pot stay on warm.

Garnish with fresh lime slices.

The Verdict.

I am proud of this soup. It had a great flavor, without being overpowering or too spicy. I paired it with Korean Ribs (but I used stew meat this time) and coconut rice.

Both of my girls tasted the soup before our company arrived, and liked it, but I made this for the adults. The kids had buttered pasta with shredded cheese.
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Indian Spinach and Tofu CrockPot Recipe


Day 234.

I can't seem to get enough Indian food lately. Palak tofu is one of my favorite things to order as a side dish when we get take-out, and although it's not my favorite, I get the little foil packets at Trader Joe's for lunch about once a month. The problem (for me!) is that both the restaurant and the Trader Joe's version is hot and spicy---much too hot and spicy for me and my sensitive tongue. And, if I go digging around on the Internet, I find that many times the spinach is simmered in ghee (clarified butter), and that can't be good for my thighs.

This dish did the trick. It has a bit of a kick, but didn't leave me gasping for air and reaching for bottle after bottle of water. I had it for lunch and dinner yesterday, and am looking forward to today's lunch.

The Ingredients.

There are a lot of spices. Don't get nervous. If you are gluten free, make sure to pick a spice company that doesn't hide gluten. McCormick is GF.

--2 boxes of frozen spinach, drained (I used one chopped, and one whole leaf)
--1 lb of extra firm tofu
--1 yellow onion, diced
--3 smashed and chopped garlic cloves
--1 can garbanzo beans, drained
--2 inches of ginger, peeled and grated
--1/2 tsp kosher salt (and then more later to taste)
--1 tsp cumin
--1 tsp curry
--1 Tbl coriander
--1/2 tsp chile powder
--1/2 tsp garam masala
--1/2 cup water

--cornstarch (to coat the tofu)
--butter (to fry the tofu)

The Directions.

Use a 3 or 4 quart crockpot.

Drain your tofu. Squeeze it in between some paper towels or a clean dish cloth if need-be to get as much of the liquid out as you can.

Cut it into 1-inch cubes and toss it with corn starch. Fry in butter until golden brown--resist the urge to flip; tofu takes a while to brown. I made some here, and there are pictures.

While the tofu is browning, squeeze out all of the moisture from the spinach and dump it into your crockpot. Dice up the onion, and mince the garlic. Add that, too. Drain your garbanzo beans, and pour them in. Add all of the spices.

Stir in 1/2 cup of water.

Add the tofu to the very top of the spinach.

Cover and cook on low for about 4 hours. This doesn't take very long to cook. Serve over white rice, and scoop up with naan, pitas, or corn tortillas.

The Verdict.

I loved this. Adam did, too. The kids each picked out a few pieces of tofu, but mostly they ate the tofu after it was fried in the butter, and ate rice with Parmesan cheese.

I will make this again. It's a very satisfying lunch, or flavorful side dish.

Other Indian food you should make and have a party and invite me:

lamb vindaloo
Indian coconut curry
vegetable curry
Indian chicken
tomato curried potatoes
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CrockPot Sweet and Sour Tofu

Day 187.

I was so excited to see that our grocery store has started carrying La Choy brand sweet and sour sauce.

So I bought a bunch.

La Choy uses soy instead of wheat starch to make it's soy sauce, and the sweet and sour sauce is labeled the same way. So there's no gluten! yippee!

We hadn't had tofu in a while, and after the french dip sandwiches, needed some lighter fare.

The Ingredients. -1 lb extra firm tofu, drained
- 4 cups fresh vegetables (I used 2 bell peppers, carrots, and broccoli)
- 1/2 white onion, chopped
- 1 T corn starch
- 10 oz jar of La Choy sweet and sour sauce
- 1/2 T water
- 1 T butter

The Directions.

You know how in Chinese restaurants the tofu is always really crispy on the outside and has a nice texture? I learned a trick last week to help create that at home without deep-frying. Cube your tofu, and put it in a zipper bag with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch. Shake the tofu until it's coated completely in cornstarch.

Then fry on the stove on medium heat in a tablespoon of butter. Resist the urge to flip the tofu often. Let it get a nice crusty coat before turning.

While that's cooking, wash and trim your vegetables and add to the crockpot. When the tofu is done, put it in also. Pour the entire bottle of sweet and sour sauce on top of the tofu and vegetables.

Add a 1/2 tablespoon of water to the "empty" jar, and shake. Pour the contents on top. Toss gingerly.

Cover and cook on low for about 3 hours.

This is finished when the vegetables have reached desired consistency. We like the veggies to have a crunch, so I didn't let it cook very long. The broccoli was not very crisp, but the onion, bell pepper, and carrot still were al dente.

The Verdict.

My kids each ate 2 helpings. They didn't eat the onion or bell pepper, but happily ate the tofu, carrots, and broccoli. T

he sauce is a good flavor; it tastes like take-out. I might add red pepper flakes to the adult servings next time.

We ate this over white rice, outside. It was a really nice night.
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CrockPot Honey and Orange Tofu Recipe


Day 109.

This is a tofu recipe. If you don't like tofu, the marinade will taste great on chicken or pork.

But tofu is good for you. You should really get over it, already.


The Ingredients.

--1 brick of extra firm tofu (this was the lite version. I had no idea tofu came in a lite version, or why it could possibly be considered high in fat, but I still bought the lite version because the package marketing evidently works.)

--2 cloves of minced garlic
--1/4 cup soy sauce (we use LaChoy because it's gluten free)
--1/4 cup orange juice
--1/4 cup honey
--fresh broccoli florets



The Directions.

--drain your tofu well and chop into bite-sized chunks
--brown in a skillet in a bit of butter with the 2 cloves of minced garlic (this isn't absolutely necessary, but will help the tofu keep it's shape and provide a texture that your tongue really kind of wants)

--add to crockpot and top with the liquid ingredients
--wash and cut your fresh broccoli--add to the mix
--cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours. Tofu doesn't take long (it's already cooked, anyhow)---you are really just letting the flavors meld and steam the broccoli.

If you are going to use frozen broccoli, add the last 30 min of cooking time

Serve over steamed brown rice.


The Verdict.

This makes a very good sauce that makes anything taste good. If you are scared to try tofu, give it a try with this sauce---it truly is tasty.

My kids did a good job eating this meal. They like tofu a lot and will eat their weight in broccoli.


And since tofu is so good for you, it's okay to have a pint of Ben and Jerry's for dessert.

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Chili and Lime Tofu.

The other night, my boyfriend and I wanted a quick supper. He insisted on tofu, and being the interfering chef that I am, I coerced him into making this. Who knows what he would do without me. Probably make something better! Either way, we came up with this and were thrilled. With tangy lime, salty soy, and incredible, refreshing heat from the chilies, it's perfect for summer suppers.



Ingredients
150 gr. firm tofu, julienned/matchsticked into 2-inch long strips
2 long red chilies
juice of half a lime
2 tbsp. light soy sauce
3 tbsp. vegetable oil, for frying
some leaves of mint, purple basil, parsley, cilantro or whatever

Heat your oil over medium-high in a heavy bottomed wok. When it feels hot to your hand, toss in your tofu and immediately shake the pan to prevent sticking. It's best not to use a spatula here as the tofu is very delicate at this size. Tossing with the pan should do. Once the tofu is very golden, about 3-4 minutes, drain over some paper towel. Serve tossed with the rest of the ingredients and enjoy.
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Tofu Chili Cold Noodles.

This is possibly my favourite springtime meal. When the farmers start stocking my favourite mixed greens at the market, I start making this almost daily. It conjures up thoughts of the early days of spring, when it is just beginning to warm up and the sun makes an appearance. I like to fill a big bowl with these refreshing noodles and sit on my porch, thinking about what I have to do to prepare my garden for the season. As you'll see, this recipe is incredibly easy and has endless substitution possibilities.

This recipe calls for light soy sauce, which has a lighter caramel colour and sweeter taste. Low sodium soy sauce will not do; it will blacken the noodles in a sickly salty way. If you can't find light Asian soy sauce, try tamari.

150 grams firm tofu, sliced into 1/4" rectangles
1/4 cup carrots, julienned
1 cup baby mixed greens*
1 red chili, seeded and minced
2 tbsp. light soy sauce
1 tbsp. rice wine vinegar
1 tsp. chili sauce (Sriracha, if you have it)
half squeezed lime
2 1/2 cups cooked rice vermicelli or whatever noodles you like, rinsed well under cold water
2 tbsp. vegetable oil

In a wok, heat oil over medium high heat. Shallow fry the tofu until golden brown, turning gently. This should take about 3 minutes. Add the carrots, and toss over heat for about 1 minute. Remove from heat, and drain on a papertowel.

In a large bowl, place your noodles. Make sure they aren't wet or sticky; if they clump together, rinse them under cold water to loosen them up. Top with your mixed greens, followed by the tofu-carrot mixture and chili.

Now, this is the point at which I will give you some culinary leeway. I like to simply pour the sauce ingredients over top and toss it up with some chopsticks, but you may prefer to mix them first in a bowl. The benefit to mixing in a bowl is that you can judge ahead of time how spicy your dressing is. I like all the chili I can get, so I go right ahead. Squeeze the lime over top and enjoy immediately!

Serves 2.

*Variations
You can substitute any greens here, so long as they are edible raw. Suggestions include arugula, mint, purple basil, cilantro, or flat-leaf (Italian) parsley. I often make this with parsley because it imparts an entirely different flavour to the dish. Also, feel free to use different noodles. Wheat noodles or bean thread work very well.

If you plan to make this dish ahead of time, make sure to leave the dressing out until the last moment, or else the noodles will absorb all of it and you'll be left with dry, bland salad.

Recommended music: Tilly and the Wall
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