Tofu Lettuce Wraps

Bibb lettuce leaves create a crunchy and fresh "wrapper" for tofu lettuce wraps. Lettuce leaves are filled with a caramelized crunchy ginger-tofu, and filled with mung bean noodles, grated carrots, and strips of crunchy cucumber and spring onions. Serve these with peanut sauce, or your favorite dipping sauce.

This is a lot of work for dinner, or an appetizer, but the beauty of this dish is in each and every single component. They are fun to put together, and you'll feel healthier for doing so. I promise. If you have leftovers, you can assemble vermicelli noodle bowls. Win-Win!

From my New Roots box, I used the bibb lettuce, carrots (earlier batch), cucumbers, and spring onions. I am loving the box, and I use it all the time. This week, I began measuring out the servings to compare cost per serving. The bibb lettuce head would easily serve 8. According to MyPlate serving sizes, 1 cup of raw veggies = 1 serving; and 1/2 cup cooked = 1 serving. I prepped the lettuce ahead of time, and it stored for longer than a week in the fridge.


extra-firm tofu cut into strips.


Crunchy ginger tofu


Lettuce wrap fixins

The Most Awesome Tofu Lettuce Wraps
Yield: 4 servings, 2-3 wraps per person

For the tofu
1 lb extra-firm tofu (1 lb is enough for 2-3 people; use 2 lb for 3-4 hungry people)
salt for tofu
1-2 tbsp peanut oil or enough to leave a slick shimmer in a wide skillet

For the wrappers
1 head Bibb lettuce, washed and the leaves spun dry count 2-3 per person
2-3 spring onions, cut into segments 3-4" in length; cut onions in half or quarter them lengthwise
2 medium carrots, peeled and grated
1/2 cucumber cut lengthwise in half, and then cut into small crunchy strips, peel skin if waxy.
2 oz dried mung bean noodles, optional. Hydrate the dried mung bean threads by briefly boiling in hot water and then draining and tossing with just a tad of sesame oil (optional).
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

For the tofu glaze
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 and 1/2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
1 tsp grated ginger
1-2 tsp sambal oelek
1 tsp black or white sesame seeds
1 tbsp molasses

Serve with peanut sauce, store-bought is fine.

Special tools: not really anything too fancy: a salad spinner, a box grater, regular pots and pans, jelly roll pan, paper towels, knives, cutting boards. Attractive serving dishes would really showcase the gorgeous ingredients. We do eat with our eyes after all.

Prep ahead: prepare Bibb lettuce, and prepare peanut sauce; can also prepare mung bean noodles. I prep the Bibb lettuce by carefully removing each leaf and washing it thoroughly. Once washed, I spin them in a salad spinner to expel all of the water, and then place them in a zip lock gallon size bag. They will stay fresh for up to a week.

Directions:
Step 1: Drain the tofu and expel the water out of it. The lazy way is to wrap the tofu in a paper towel just drying it very lightly. Get out a jelly roll pan and line it with paper towels. Cut up the tofu so it is in 3/4" thick strips. Lay out the tofu strips on the paper towels and salt them. Let them rest 7-10 minutes. The salting draws the water up to the surface. Use a paper towel to "wick" away the water.  Then rotate the strips a quarter turn, and salt and repeat. This really does result in a chewy texture and makes pan-frying very easy, and with less oil. If you are letting the tofu rest, you can prep other parts of this recipe including the veggies used in the wrap, or prepping the Bibb lettuce, which I have made Step 2.

Step 2: Wash the Bibb lettuce and set aside in the fridge. Make sure that the leaves are dry. This can be done up to 4 days ahead of time. Wash each leaf carefully and then spin them dry in a salad spinner. Once dry, store the leaves in a ziplock bag in the fridge. They will last this way up to 1 week in the fridge.

Step 3: Arrange the prepared vegetables in an attractive dish or plate, and place in the fridge covered with a plate or plastic wrap to keep cold. I recommend prepping the veggies right before serving, they just look so much better. Trust me.

Step 4: Prepare the mung bean threads or noodles if using. To rehydrate them, cook them like you would pasta, but turn the water off when it reaches a boil AND THEN add the mung bean threads. Let them hydrate for a few minutes. They will have that consistency of jellyfish tentacles or that weird jelly goop that comes out of kids toy vending machines. I know, I know. They can be rinsed under cold water and then tossed with a bit of cold water and oil to make them loose. You can also substitute vermicelli noodles.

Step 5: Add 1 tbsp of peanut oil to a non-stick or cast iron pan, and heat up over medium heat. Once hot, pan fry the tofu until golden on each side (about 6 minutes for the first side) then few minutes each side because the pan will be hot! If preparing more than 1 lb of tofu (more than 1 package) cook the tofu in batches using about 1 tbsp of oil for each batch of tofu, and not overcrowding the pan. Remove the cooked tofu to a plate.

Step 6: Meanwhile prepare the tofu glaze. In a medium bowl stir all the ingredients for the tofu glaze together.

Step 7: Once the tofu has cooked, add it back to the pan, and ladle the glaze over the tofu, eventually pouring the remainder into the pan. It will heat up and caramelize quickly. Move it off the heat and remove the strips to a serving dish.

Step 8: Set out everything so it can be assembled at the table. I place the grated carrots, cuke strips, and scallions, and lettuce on a large plate. I set the cilantro, mung bean noodles, and peanut sauce in their own bowls. I give everyone chopsticks and spoons.

How to assemble:

1. Lay out the lettuce wrapper


2. Add in mung bean noodles


3. Add some tofu and then add some...




4. Veggies and peanut sauce


5. Eat, repeat!

Tofu mushroom étouffée!

Wow. I think there is something addictive in this dish. It tastes so good. I adapted it from the FatFree Vegan Kitchen. I made the roux the traditional (full disclosure: full-fat) way. I'm not a huge fan of eliminating all fats either because I think fats can carry flavors, have a role in absorbing nutrients, contribute to satiety, and good blood sugar regulation. However, her take was quite creative, and I would try it again now that I've made it and understand the steps more clearly. 


The flour used in étouffée is toasted until it becomes a rich toasty brown. Getting the red-brown sauce is done by toasting the flour in a pan. Stir it a lot. You don’t want it to burn. It will smell kind of like chestnuts. I like the addition of soy sauce from the original recipe. Overall, I think this dish actually has a lot going on in terms of prep work, cooking time, and stand-by time. Read the directions all the way through, and then begin. 





Tofu mushroom étouffée
Adapted from the Fatfree Vegan Kitchen's Vegan Sausage and Mushroom Etouffee
Yield: 4-6 servings


Ingredients:
1 cup long-grain rice, prepared according to package directions
2-3 tbsp peanut oil
1 package extra-firm tofu (300 g)
2 ribs celery, chopped, about roughly 
1 medium carrot, chopped into coins
1 small onion, chopped medium dice
1 small bell pepper, cut into 1" chunks
1 cup sliced buttom mushrooms, or about 8-10 sliced, wipe clean then slice
3 cloves garlic, sliced
1/2 cup parsley, divided


Roux
3 tbsp all-purpose flour
2 tbsp peanut oil
2 cups (16 oz) vegetable broth
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp red chili powder (or paprika if you want it less spicy)
1/4 tsp cayenne powder
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp salt (optional)


Cook rice according to package directions. 


If you use a high-qualify pressed tofu (like one from an Asian grocer) you won't really have to press much water out of it. Slice up the tofu into squares, or cubes, really however you want to serve it. Lay it out on a plate and lightly sprinkle with salt. After a few minutes dab the tofu squares with a cloth to pick up the water. Flip and repeat.


Heat up a cast iron pan over medium heat. Pour in 3 tbsp of peanut oil and heat up. When ready add the tofu to the pan, laying out in a single layer and being careful not to overcrowd the pan. Cook on each side until golden-brown, about 14-20 minutes. Remove the tofu, replacing it with the other uncooked ones until all of them have been cooked.


To the same cast iron pan add in the onions and cook until just beginning to get golden brown. There should be enough oil leftover that you won't need to add any new oil. Add in celery, followed by carrots, and bell peppers. Continue to cook about 5 minutes. Add in mushrooms and stir everything carefully so the uncooked mushrooms get distributed evenly.


While you are waiting for the mushrooms to cook down, add 3 tbsp of flour to a new wide skillet or a medium saucepan. Just use a pan that you can make sure and see that the flour is changing. Cook it over medium heat. It won't turn when you're staring at it, but the second you forget about it for longer than 2 minutes, that's when it goes from white to burned. Pay attention and stir it with a whisk once a minute. Give the pan a few good shakes like you're on a cooking show. It will go from white, to golden, to still golden, to still golden, to tan, to brown and toasted. Once done remove the pan from the heat, and if you want remove the flour to a bowl until ready to use.


Stir the veggies too and now add the garlic and parsley. See what I mean about a lot of stuff going on? It's ok though because you got your rice cooking, you got the veggies done, you got the tofu on the side and ready to go.


Now get your broth ready. Once it's ready stir in about a tsp or small dash soy sauce or Bragg's. In the same pan that you used for the flour, add 2 tbsp of peanut oil and heat up over medium-high heat. Once hot add in toasted flour and whisk until it becomes like a nice chunky paste almost like miso. Gradually pour the broth mixture over whisking the mixture the whole time. It should look like a lovely brownish red sauce. Stir it continuously for 10 minutes or until it starts to thicken. Add the spices and remaining parsley. Continue stirring.


Once it reaches desired thickness, it should be thick without being too thick like a gravy, but thicker than a sauce. It should easily coat, or smother, the veggies. In whatever pan is bigger, pour the sauce in the veggies, or the veggies in the sauce. Remember to add the tofu to the veggies, I like keeping them separate because the tofu stays chewy much longer. Stir together and heat through.


Serve over rice. I like to add the rice into custard cups and turn them out onto a plate for a nice presentation. This dish is really delicious. I love popping open a beer and cranking up the music because it's much harder to leave any of this unattended. Maybe it'll end up as one of your favorites?


Beer pairing: a lemony saison, such as Saison Dupont, or a citrusy light hopped IPA. 

Tofu a la BBQ

Tofu a la BBQ


Stir-fried veggies in a cast-iron pan.


Beer pairing: Brasserie de la Senne's Taras Boulba

Texas-style BBQ sauce is where I owe my allegiance too, however I have no fond memories of devouring beef brisket because I stopped eating beef in the 2nd grade. What I do have are wild memories of my mom and I accompanying my dad to his company parties where they would always serve Texas BBQ. Since none of us ate beef, we'd eat Texas-toast sandwiches stuffed with potato salad, macaroni salad, pickles, and we'd top off our plates with (most-likely processed) cheese slices, baked beans, and salad. Partake in Texas BBQ we did not, but I've always loved the smell from the BBQ-sauce (particularly the hickory chips from Mesquite Grill over on Bay Area Blvd).

I enjoy reading the Homesick Texan because I've finally realized what the heck is wrong with me when I think I miss Mexican. I don't miss Mexican, I miss Tex-Mex. I never stopped missing it. It's a void of emptiness that never leaves once you've resided in Texas (which btw, shame on you TX for putting women's health back in the dark ages). Lisa Fain's write-up for Sam Houston's BBQ sauce is full of history too. I've prepared Vegan Dad's barbecue sauce and enjoy his addition of whisky; so I sort of combined both recipes, but then (this might shock some of you) I used tomato chunks instead of ketchup. Perfect Sunday afternoon lunch. Don't judge. Go on try it and see for yourself.

BBQ (barbecue) sauce for Tofu a la BBQ
Adapted from the Homesick Texan and Vegan Dad BBQ recipes. 
Yield: approx. 2 cups; sauce can be stored in the fridge for up to one week. 


Ingredients:
1 tablespoon peanut oil (you can add more, such as 3 tbsp or even 1/4 cup, I think it makes a better sauce, but I find less oil, such as 1 tbsp, perfectly acceptable).
¼ medium yellow onion, grated
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup ketchup (I used 1 cup of diced tomatoes because I hate ketchup)
¼ cup Worcestershire sauce (I used soy sauce, sorry cannot find it here)
¼ cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (I subbed in 1 tsp red chili flakes)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 tbsp ancho chili powder
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1-2 tbsp whisky (e.g. Jack Daniels, optional)
Salt and black pepper to taste

Directions:
In a medium-sized sauce pan heat up 1 tbsp of peanut oil. Once it gets hot add in the onion and garlic. Saute until it becomes fragrant, but don't let the onions change color too much. Keep the onions translucent. This should take about 4 minutes or less on medium heat. Add in the ketchup through salt and pepper. Stir everything together to ensure it mixes well.

Let it simmer partially covered for about 25 minutes. Adjust for taste. You might want to add more chili powder, smoked paprika, or salt. The sauce will store well in the fridge for a week.

Here's how I serve it: I pan-fry extra-firm tofu in a cast-iron pan. I heat up 2 tbsp of peanut oil over medium heat in a cast iron and once hot, I add in the tofu. You can do both while the BBQ sauce simmers. The tofu can go mostly ignored because you don't want to touch it until it starts to get visibly golden on the bottom. I cut the tofu into 2" long rectangles. Use a high quality tofu, preferably one from an Asian store that is slightly sour and pressed very well. Once the tofu is golden, I remove it from the pan and then slice the 2" rectangle in half. I add the tofu to the BBQ sauce and let it heat up and then serve it immediately.

Since the cast iron pan is still hot, I stir-fry veggies (mushrooms, bell-peppers, and onions) and serve the BBQ tofu with some couscous to soak up the sauce. You can also serve up some collard greens (there's my NC roots showing), and some macaroni and cheese. As an undergrad at the University of Houston, there used to be a vegan truck at the back of the stadium parking lot (I think off Cullen); they used to serve the best vegan soul food. They'd routinely serve battered tofu "fish," bbq-tofu, collard greens, macaroni and cheeze, and cornbread. My god. It was the best.

A grassy, dry, and light (at 4.5%) Taras Boulba (essentially a light Belgian-style pale ale) was an excellent complement to the spicy tofu. I can't believe I haven't been to this brewery yet, or at least quaffed more of their beers. It looks like they are still settling into finding a brewery. Check out there awesome artwork. A dry, and slightly citrusy beer would be a good choice. Recommendations gladly accepted.

Eet smakelijk!

Royal tofu with king oyster mushrooms

I vegetarianized this recipe from royal chicken cooked in yogurt from Madhur Jaffrey's Quick and Easy Indian Cooking to royal tofu with king oyster mushrooms (royal theme, get it!). If the yogurt is simmered down, or cooked too long, it will separate. Lower fat yogurts separate a bit more than full fat yogurt. Add the yogurt sauce at the very end, almost as a finishing touch. Give it a quick stir to heat up, then turn the heat off and serve immediately. Serve with some red lentil dhal, rice, and papads. Lekker!

If you use chicken instead of tofu, it can be prepared almost the exact same way; cook the chicken first, and follow the directions here. Although I guarantee that prepping tofu is cleaner, and has much less of an ick factor when cutting and managing. Ew. Raw uncooked meats are *so* gross.

I'm following an online photography class that the hubs showed me from Reddit; I got a new camera, and I'm learning how to use it and become familiar with it. I know some of these pictures on the past few posts have been blurry, but you wouldn't believe me if I told you that I took over 107 images (of mushrooms! of this dish! insanity! of brownies!) and they all managed to be blurry. Boohoo. So, I'm learning.

The full album of the new First Aid Kit is now on the free version of Spotify. See I give you music recs, beer drinking recs (with this dish a cold, crisp, and bland pils - Stella - would be good), and good recipes.

Royal tofu with king oyster mushrooms
Serves: 4

Ingredients:
1 package extra-firm tofu, drained and pressed.
2 tbsp peanut oil for pan frying tofu
4 king oyster mushrooms quartered, or 2 cups regular white button mushrooms, sliced
(Note: measure out whole mushrooms then slice)
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 cup red onion slices, plus about ¼ cup more finely diced onion for garnish
1 bay leaf
4 whole cardamom pods (remove, when you serve)
2 cinnamon sticks (or ½ tsp cinnamon)
few cloves
¼ cup raisins
2 tbsp slivered almonds

For yogurt sauce:
1 cup yogurt
1 tbsp chopped ginger
2 cloves garlic slivered
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 cup chopped cilantro and chopped green onions
salt to taste

Directions:

1. Press the tofu and set aside. Meanwhile add about ½ tbsp of oil to a cast iron pan or non-stick skillet (medium-high heat) and saute the mushrooms. Remove from the pan once done.
2. Make the yogurt sauce by combining the yogurt with ginger, garlic, coriander, cumin, cayenne powder, cilantro, and green onions. Adjust for salt and spices.
3. Add enough peanut oil (2 tbsp or less) to the cast iron or non-stick pan and heat over medium-high. Cut the tofu into cubes, and lightly salt. Once the pan is hot, add the tofu to the pan being careful not to crowd the pan. Don’t touch the tofu for at least 5-7 minutes. Let it sit there until it begins to get golden on the brown. Even then, try not to touch it. Give the pan a few shakes, once the tofu becomes unstuck, it’s ready to flip. Be patient. Continue adding tofu to the pan, and cooking it the same way. You’ll end up with perfect pan-fried golden tofu. Remove from pan once done.
4. To the same pan, add in mustard seeds. They should pop fast. Then add in onion slices, bay leaf, a few cloves, whole cardamom pods, and cinnamon sticks.
5. Toss in a handful of raisins and almonds. Once the raisins begin to plump (it should be very fast), add in tofu and mushrooms, and follow it up with the yogurt sauce. Stir it around enough to heat everything through, then turn off and serve immediately. Garnish with extra cilantro and finely diced onion.

Peanutty noodles

I was trying to make pad thai tonight when I realized I was completely out of tamarind paste. Since my only options for obtaining this crucial ingredient are the ethnic stores in town (which all are closed after 6 pm) I came up with this erroneous pad-thai inspired noodle dish. S and K, this recipe is largely from you guys, since you shared a similar recipe with me a few years back.

Sauteed tofu and these distelzwam mushrooms lend a meaty bite; this dish is 75% veggies and 25% noodles. Distelzwam are king trumpet mushrooms found in the oyster family of mushrooms. They are the largest types of oyster mushrooms. I bought them from the Mushroom Guy at the Heverlee market. This dish tastes like stir fried veggies in a peanut-sauce all mixed up with noodles, and served piping hot. While not authentic, it certainly made it on our list of faves.

Press the tofu first. Then cut up all the veggies, it should take you about 20-30 minutes depending on how fast you can cut up everything. Have all the veggies cut up before you get started. This pairs excellently with a cold spicy saison (such as St. Feuillien Saison).

Peanutty noodles
Ingredients: listed in order of use
Serves: 4
1 package tofu, drained and pressed
liberal amounts of peanut oil (I probably used about ¼ cup total).
3 distelzwam mushrooms quartered, or 1 cup whole button mushrooms, quartered
1 red bell pepper, cut into strips
1 cup sugar snaps or snow peas, kept whole
1 cup vegetable broth
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 tbsp fresh ginger, chopped
½ cup peanut butter, natural style - don't use sweetened pb!
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp or more rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
red chili flakes to taste (1 tsp for spicy; 1/2 tsp for medium; 1/4 tsp for mild)
½ cup red onion, sliced fine
3 cups shredded napa or savoy cabbage, chopped fine
1 large bunch of green onions chopped (enough for about ½ cup, be liberal they melt into the dish)
8 oz rice noodles, cooked according to package directions.
cilantro for garnish

Directions:
Have all the stir-fry ingredients ready. I managed to use 4 burners, with my main saute pan ready for the veggies, a (new!) cast iron pan for the tofu, a large pot for the rice noodles, and a medium saucepan for the sauce. Stir-fry ingredients: red bell peppers, sugar snap peas, red onion slices, mushrooms, cabbage, green onions, and tofu.
Sauce ingredients: garlic, ginger, vegetable broth, peanut butter, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, toasted sesame seeds, red chili flakes, and liberal amounts of fresh green onions (to taste).

1. Heat up 2 tbsp of peanut oil in the cast iron over medium-high heat. Once hot add in tofu making sure to not crowd the pan. Don’t touch them for at least 5 minutes. They will start to become golden on the bottom. Even then, don’t touch. Just pick up the pan, give it a whirl to move the oil around, and set down to allow the tofu to cook.
2. In your saute pan (medium high heat) or wok (high heat). Add in about 1 to 2 tsps of peanut oil, once hot add in the mushroom and stir fry until they look seared and golden. Remove.
3. Add in peppers and stir fry until they look seared and golden. Add in sugar snaps. The sugar snaps will brighten, once they brighten remove everything. Remove them from the pan and shut the heat off.
4. Check the tofu, begin to flip them over when golden brown and crisp on the bottom; remove cooked pieces, replacing them with new ones. The cast iron should ensure that the tofu pieces don’t stick. Having a really nice quality pressed tofu is the key. My Belgian friends always complain about tofu because the commercially available tofu sucks (Alpro I’m calling you out). It’s too wet and spongey. The Thai/Korean markets have excellent pressed tofu, slightly tangy, and so perfectly pressed it looks like paneer. Remove the tofu to a plate once all the pieces are golden-brown. If there is any oil left in the pan, carefully pour it into the saute pan.
5. Start heating up the water for the rice noodles.
6. In the medium saucepan, add the veggie broth, ginger, garlic, peanut butter, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, red chili flakes, toasted sesame seeds, and chives. Cook over medium heat stirring occasionally until the sauce thickens (should take 10-12 minutes).
7. Add rice noodles to the large pot of boiling water. Boil for about 2 minutes and shut the heat off. Add a tsp of oil to the water and let the noodles soften up; the oil should keep them from sticking.
8. Add oil to the saute pan or wok, if needed and turn the heat back on. Once hot, add the red onions and stir them around until they begin to wilt and look cooked, add in green onions and cabbage. Stir everything together for about 4-5 minutes. Add in the red bell peppers, snow peas, and mushrooms (to heat them back up).
9. Drain the rice noodles into a colander, and add them into the saute pan along with the sauce. Mix together carefully by folding the sauce through the noodles (this will also reduce the amount of splatters on your arms).
10. Garnish with cilantro and serve immediately.

Lemongrass tofu with soy-sesame sauce and sticky rice

I made this dish for a friend that is interested in preparing more dishes with tofu. It's a simple stir-fry so if you don't have lemongrass or ginger just leave them out. The soy-sesame sauce is fast to prepare. Sticky rice absorbs the sauce much better than long-grain jasmine or basmati, but this could be served over noodles too.

My secret to successful golden pan-fried tofu is pressing extra-firm tofu for as long as possible, 30 minutes or longer. To get started, first press the tofu. Unwrap it from the package, drain the water and set the tofu in a colander or drainer (either over a bowl, or the sink so the water can drain out). Place a plate over the tofu and stack cans of beans or other heavy objects on top. The weight will help expel the water from the tofu. Next, begin cooking the rice, and then prep and cut up the veggies. If you are fast vegetable chopper, you can also use the time the tofu is pressing to make the soy-sesame sauce, or prep it while the tofu is cooking. Fresh lemongrass and ginger are added towards the very end of cooking time.

Other good stir-fry veggies include cabbage, bean sprouts, and even cherry tomatoes. Feel free to add or remove items to use up what you have.

Lemongrass tofu with soy-sesame sauce and sticky rice

Serves: 4

Ingredients (listed in order of use)

1 package tofu, pressed and drained, and then cubed into 1" chunks

2 cups sticky rice (sushi rice), prepared with 1.5 times as much water as rice, or according to package directions

2 tbsp peanut oil

1 package mushrooms, wiped clean and quartered

1 red bell pepper, in strips

1 cup snow peas

2, 4" stalks of fresh lemongrass or enough to equal about 1 tbsp chopped (see note)

1 and 1/2 tsp fresh ginger, chopped

Note: To prep the lemongrass, use a small pairing knife and cut the stalk in half length-wise. Remove the first or second layers, it'll reveal a purplish interior. Finely chop the lemongrass stocks starting from the root end. It will become tougher about 3" inches up from the root end. For the ginger, peel the skin away with a pairing knife or veg peeler, and finely chop.

For soy-sesame sauce:

3 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp rice-wine vinegar

1 tsp toasted sesame oil

1 tsp sesame seeds, toasted

3 spring onions chopped, chop the long part of the greens in 1" segments

1 clove garlic, minced fine

1/4 tsp or more red chili flakes

Directions:

1. Heat up a large stir-fry pan or wok over medium-low heat. Add in 1 tsp of sesame seeds and toast until the seeds become golden. Move them around the pan often, so they won't burn. Set aside.

2. Add 2 tbsp of peanut oil to the same pan and increase the heat to medium-high heat. Once hot, add in tofu chunks. Don't touch them or move them around. Let them sit for about 5-7 minutes until the bottom 1/4" of the tofu squares look like they are turning golden. The tofu will take 15-20 minutes to become lovely, golden, and crispy. Carefully, take a spatula and lift the tofu gently up. It's ready when it gives. The length of time will depend on your pan (non-stick vs iron). When the tofu is removed easily, flip it over so the other sides can cook.

3. While the tofu cooks, prepare the soy-sesame sauce. Add soy sauce, rice-wine vinegar, sesame oil to a bowl, and adjust for taste. Add in toasted sesame seeds, the white part of the spring onions, chopped garlic and red chili flakes. Stir everything together and set aside.

4. Remove the tofu from the pan and set it aside on a large plate. There should be enough oil (about 1 tsp) leftover in the pan, if not add in 1 tsp of peanut oil. Turn heat up to medium-high or high, and add in mushrooms. Cook 5-6 minutes stirring often, and then add in red peppers, cook 4 minutes, and then add in snow peas, and cook another 2-3 minutes, or until the snow peas turn bright green.

5. Once all the veggies are cooked, add the cooked tofu to the pan, add the ginger and lemongrass, and remaining spring onion greens to the pan. Combine and stir together for 1 minute.

6. Place rice in a bowl, cover the rice with about 1 cup of the stir-fry, and top everything with 1 and 1/2 tbsp of soy-sesame sauce.  

Chili sin Carne (con frijoles!)

Tacos with chili con frijoles


Chili con frijoles

In my never-ending quest to satiate my Mexican food hunger cravings, I scoured the Leuven library to check out some Mexican cookbooks. I adapted a recipe from Tacos and Tortillas by Thea Spierings to be vegetarian and include more taco-esque ingredients. Cookbooks with simple pictures do loads to help with language learning.

If you've never had bean-based tacos I would highly recommend trying this. When I taught cooking classes, I often taught how to prepare simple healthy foods, encouraged trying new foods, and helped plan meals to make the most out of food budgets. In prepping tacos, I would recommend cutting half the beef with beans to improve nutritional content and extend food dollars. A lot of meals I taught revolved around beans – beans are high in protein, fiber, and nutrition. Beans cooked from scratch are dirt cheap (although they do take some planning), and they have a long shelf life. Canned beans can be very cheap, and require no cooking (besides heat and eat). The bean filling can be used in tacos, quesadillas, burritos, or served alongside some rice.

Chili sin Carne (con frijoles!)

Serves 4-6

1 tbsp olive oil

½ block of frozen tofu, defrosted and chopped fine (optional)

1 onion, chopped

1 bell pepper, chopped or mixture of red, yellow, or green bell peppers

1 jalapeno, seeded, deveined and chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

2, 14 oz cans pinto beans (or mixture kidney and pinto), rinsed and drained, or 1 and ½ cups soaked pinto beans prepared with the soak and cook method

1, 6 or 8 oz can pineapple chunks in their own syrup, rinsed and drained

2-3 tbsp hot chili sauce

1 pack of taco shells

Fix-ins for tacos:

2 cups shredded lettuce

salsa (like this really yummy chipotle salsa)

black olives

chopped tomatoes or bell peppers

sour cream

avocado chunks or guacomole

Directions:

1. Heat up olive oil in a wide skillet over medium-high heat. If using tofu, add it in and stir fry until golden brown. Once golden, remove from pan and then add in onions and bell pepper. Continue to cook 5-7 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 350° F.
3. Stir in jalapeno and garlic. Season with a bit of salt.
4. Add in pinto beans, tofu (if using), pineapple chunks, and hot chili sauce. Stir to combine until heated through. Meanwhile, place taco shells on a pan and heat up until hot.
5. Set out taco fix-ins on a counter and serve immediately.   

Black Bean Empanadas

Black bean empanadas with chipotle salsa

Empanadas on a baking stone

Serve these baked black bean empanadas with a fiery hot salsa and sour cream. A green and red cabbage salad with radish and lime would be a nice side. The black bean filling can be prepared several days in advance. Frozen defrosted tofu adds a meatier texture. You won't miss fried empanadas after trying this.

Black Bean Empanadas

Yield: 8 Empanadas

1 recipe samosa dough (below)

2 tsp peanut oil or olive oil, divided

½ block of frozen tofu, defrosted, and chopped fine (optional)

2 cloves garlic, minced fine

½ onion, diced

½ cup bell pepper, diced

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp paprika

1 15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained (or 1 cup dried black beans, soaked and cooked)

salt to taste

½ cup cilantro, chopped

½ cup - 1 cup of decent mild melting cheese (use queso Oaxaca or queso quesadilla if you can find it)

¼ cup flour for rolling the dough

1 egg, plus 1 tbsp milk, beaten together (optional)

Salsa and sour cream for serving

Directions

1. Prepare the samosa dough (or you could purchase ready-prepared empanada dough).
2. Heat up 1 tsp oil in a wide skillet. Once hot add in tofu and stir-fry over medium-high heat. Once tofu is golden-brown (should take 7-9 minutes) stir in garlic until fragrant (about 1 minute). Remove tofu-garlic mixture from pan.
3. Heat up the remaining 1 tsp of oil in the same wide skillet over medium-high heat. If the pan is hot you won't have to wait long for the oil to heat up. Add in onions and after 2 minutes add in diced bell peppers (if you are omitting the tofu, add the garlic at this step). Stir fry for 5 minutes until the mixture is sweating. Stir in oregano, cumin, and paprika. Add ½ tsp of salt.
4. Stir in black beans and tofu mixture and adjust for salt. I found ½ tsp adequate for salt. Stir in cilantro and set aside.
5. Set out cheese in another bowl.
6. Preheat oven to 425° F.
7. Lightly roll the balls in a small bit of flour, and roll out the dough balls on a lightly floured surface. Roll the balls into a 7-8” circle about the thickness of a corn tortilla. The dough will shrink back slightly.
8. Place 1 tbsp of cheese (or less) and about 2 tbsp of black bean stuffing on one side of the circle. Keep about a 1/2” border from the sides.
9. Fold the samosa over on the borders. If you lose some beans tuck them back in, or remove. Flatten the edges together with the tines of a fork. Make sure the empanada is sealed. Brush with egg mixture and place on a baking sheet. Repeat for the remaining empanadas.
10. When ready, bake at 425° F for 10 minutes, and then turn heat down to 375° F and bake another 15 minutes (or until golden brown).

Samosa Empanada Dough

(Recipe adapted from Aarti Paarti's samosa dough recipe)

I must say that I have used and reused Aarti Paarti's dough in many baked savory pastries. It's really simple to make, and can be prepared in the time it takes you to buy ready made dough from the grocery store. You could also make a galette dough, but this is a no-fuss pastry dough.

Yield: enough dough for 8 empanadas

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup pastry-flour

½ cup buttermilk (if you don't have buttermilk, add ¼ tsp of apple cider vinegar to ½ cup milk or soymilk, and let rest for 5-10 minutes – and if you don't have those, use ¼ cup yogurt thinned with ¼ cup water)

¼ cup vegetable oil

pinch salt

Directions:

1. Stir together flours and salt.
2. Add in buttermilk and vegetable oil to the flour mixture and stir together. Begin to knead the dough with your hands and once it starts to come together, turn it out on a floured surface and continue to knead for about 5 minutes until it comes together. The dough will be slightly oily but shouldn't stick to the counter.
3. Roll or form it into a ball and let it rest for 15 minutes.
4. Once ready to use, roll out the dough into a 12” log. Cut the dough in half, and cut each half into 4 equal pieces.
5. Roll the 8 pieces into balls and let rest on the counter until ready to use.

Tofu Tikka Masala Kebabs

Tofu Tikka Masala Kebabs

These tofu tikka masala kebabs can be cooked on the grill or on a large wide skillet on the stovetop (a flat skillet or a fancier grill pan will do). They smell delicious while cooking, so be prepared to share some if you’re the odd (but very creative) vegetarian that is grilling out among meat eaters.  These are fast to make, present well, and contain basic flavors of most Indian dishes (garlic, ginger, asafoetida, cumin, red chili, fenugreek, coriander).

Personally, I think tofu and paneer share similar textures and can replace each other in many dishes. If you love paneer, use that instead. They cook fast so choose quick cooking veggies (bell peppers, onions, tomatoes, squash) or alternate vegetable and tofu skewers.

Have the tofu and veggies cut to the same size so they will cook evenly. Ideally, you should marinate the tofu for at least 4 hours, but an hour will do. This is a simple spice mixture to prepare, but feel free to omit hard to find ingredients (e.g. asafoetida, fenugreek).

I’m not sure I understand what tikka is, or for that matter where it really came from. I’ve seen chicken tikka and paneer tikka at Indian restaurants, but most Indians do not cook this dish at home, unless we’re cooking Indian food for non-Indians. Indians tend to cook two kinds of Indian foods. The first is the daily meals that we’ll eat and share with other Indians, and the second is dressed-up fancy Indian food that is similar to what one finds at an Indian restaurant (we'll share this too). We don’t mean any ill-will but it’s just easier because, really, we eat with our hands. The best foods are the daily foods.  I guess these are fusion tofu tikka kebabs. Go ahead, give them a try.

Ingredients:
½” piece of ginger, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
¼ tsp red chili powder
½ tsp coriander seeds and fenugreek seeds toasted and ground together (omit fenugreek if you can’t find it)
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
pinch asafoetida powder (omit if you can’t find it)
3 tbsp yogurt (or heavy cream)
1-2 tbsp peanut oil. During cooking time the oil helps to keep the kebabs from sticking.
1 block of extra-firm tofu, quick drained, and diced into 1” cubes
1 bell pepper (I used red to impart a tikka feel to the kebabs) cut into 1” chunks
1 cup grape tomatoes
lemon wedges to serve
dozen skewers (soaked if grilling) see note at bottom of post

Directions:

1. Quick drain the tofu. See this post (2nd paragraph down).
2. In a small mixing bowl combine ginger, garlic, spices, salt, asafoetida powder, and yogurt. Taste to adjust seasonings. Add more red chili powder if you want it spicier.
3. Add the cubed tofu, coat evenly and place in a shallow pan in the fridge.
4. Cut up veggies and store them in the fridge until ready to use.
5. When ready to cook, skewer the veggies and tofu.

When ready to cook, heat up half the oil (about 2 tsp) in a wide skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot add in skewers and cook 2 minutes on each side. Add oil to the pan if you are cooking the skewers in batches. If grilling, grill skewers over medium-high heat and rotate a quarter turn every 2-3 minutes until golden. If skewers begin to stick on the grill, brush them with oil before rotating. 

Note: you can trim the skewers to fit in the pan, I had to trim mine.
Serve with rice, lemon slices, and yogurt, or top a salad with these skewers.

I Love Tofu

Have you ever visited the Foodgawker website?  It is a serious collection of food photography from many talented food bloggers.  I spend hours searching through the images and coming up with lists of foods I want to prepare, and it has introduced me to many creative bloggers.  This recipe and blog post from Beyond Kimchee, invited me to fall in love with tofu again.  Such a simple, perfect, delicious recipe.  Karl and I have made this at least five times.  We always eat so quickly, briefly pausing between our next bite, to remark how perfect the tofu tastes, and how delicious and fresh the sauce tastes.  It’s made of soy sauce, garlic, red chili, sesame oil, chives, and sesame seeds, but it makes you feel like you are eating so much more.

This is perfect to serve as a starting appetizer, or to be served over rice as the blog author suggests, or really however you wish. We cook up some Chinese-style noodles, then saute red bell peppers, mushroom, snow peas or Napa cabbage, and add the golden pan-fried tofu on top and spoon the sauce over all of it.

First we were ga-ga over Mainly Veggie's spinach veggie burgers, now it’s all about Korean-style pan-fried tofu.  Click the links to take you to the author’s sites. I will write what I did with the recipe here, but the pictures should be pretty obvious, eh?

Pan-fried tofu served with some sauteed vegetables on top of noodles. 

Tofu waiting to be golden. 

Golden pan-fried tofu

Chinese-style noodles
Ingredients:
1 block extra-firm tofu
3 tbsp soy sauce (I used 2 tbsp plus 1 tbsp water)
1 green onion, chopped
1 tsp sesame seeds, toasted
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
1 tsp red chili flakes
½ tsp shrimp powder (I used ½ tsp Thai panang curry paste)
2 tbsp peanut oil to fry up tofu

Prepare these ingredients with directions from Beyond Kimchee’s blogpost. Her pictures are really wonderful.  

I followed her directions exactly, but I served them with a vegetable stir-fry over noodles. 

More ingredients:
1 tbsp peanut oil
1 cup mushrooms, wiped clean and cut up however you want
1 red bell pepper, cut into strips
1 cup snow peas, or 2 cups Napa cabbage chopped (or include both)
12 oz uncooked pasta (such as Chinese noodles, or linguine), or prepare rice instead of pasta.
water for pasta

Directions:

1. First, you can toast the sesame seeds in a non-stick pan without any oil over medium heat. Watch them closely so they won’t burn.  While you are cooking the sesame seeds, prep the tofu (drain, cut it up, then salt it lightly).
2. Bring a large pot of water to boil.  Add the noodles to the boiling water once you start cooking the tofu. The veggies will take about 15 minutes or less, and the tofu will also take about 15 minutes or less.  This way you’ll have hot noodles.
3. Remove the seeds and add them to the sauce.  Turn heat up heat to medium-high, and add 1 tbsp of peanut oil to the pan. Once hot, add in mushrooms and saute 5-7 minutes.  Jerk the pan in small controlled horizontal movements to toss the mushrooms around. Continue doing this when you add a new ingredient to the pan. You can also stir them around, but it looks more sexy doing it this way (especially if you are wearing an apron).
4. Next, add in bell pepper strips, and continue to saute for another 3-5 minutes. Add in cabbage and snow peas and continue cooking another 3-4 minutes. Then remove to a plate, and prepare the same pan to cook up the tofu.  You can start heating up 2 tbsp of peanut oil while you go get the tofu, and start pan-frying it up.
5. Once you have cooked the tofu, you can add the sauteed veggies to the pan to heat them back up. Remove all of this to a plate. Meanwhile, drain the pasta, reserve ½ cup of boiling water.  If the noodles stick, add about a teaspoon of oil to the noodles along with the water. Divide them up between 4 plates and add about 1 cup of veggies plus 4 pieces of tofu on top. Pass the sauce at the table.

This is a super fast weeknight meal and I’m sure it will be among your favorites.

Tofu Smothered in Onion and Mustard

Earlier this year my friend, Holly, sent me a package that contained several cooking magazines. I always forget to mention to her how much I have enjoyed the cooking magazines.  Especially this next recipe.

This recipe comes out of Food and Wine magazine; since it came out of this magazine, we paired it with a sweet German Gewurztraminer. The original recipe calls for a pork tenderloin that is smothered in onion and mustard.  We used tofu instead, so I have adapted the recipe to include this version. You can use whatever you like.  Both versions are included below:

Serves: 4

Ingredients: 

1 block extra-firm tofu, patted dry, and cut into rectangles, (or two 12-ounce pork tenderloins, cut into 2-inch lengths and pounded 1 inch thick)
salt and fresh pepper to taste
2 tsp all-purpose flour, divided
1 tbsp butter (increase to 2 tbsp if cooking pork)
1 tbsp olive oil (increase to 2 tbsp if cooking pork)
1 large onion, very thinly sliced
1 tbsp grainy mustard
1 cup vegetable broth
1 tbsp dill

Directions:

1. Season the tofu with salt and pepper and dust with flour.
2. Melt the butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the tofu and cook over medium heat (cook over high heat if using pork). Turning until lightly browned, about 15-20 minutes (for pork, 3-5 minutes). Transfer the tofu to a plate.
3. In the same skillet, add the onion and cook over medium heat, until softened. After 10 minutes, stir in the mustard and 1 tsp of flour and cook for 1 minute longer.
4. Add in the vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Nestle the tofu in the onion sauce.
5. Cover and simmer over medium heat for a 2 minutes (since the pork will not have been cooked, continue cooking for another 8-10 minutes.
6. Stir the dill into the onion-mustard sauce, and serve the tofu over buttered noodles. Serve with braised cabbage wedges with dill. Adjust for salt and pepper.

Notes: If using tofu, you will pan-fry the tofu until golden brown (cook it over medium-high heat, and then flip after 4-5 minutes per side).  This tastes good served along buttered noodles and braised cabbage wedges with dill.