tofu leek stirfy

 I bought leeks, I had tofu to use up, and I found this recipe.  I used two leeks and two partial yellow onions; other vegetables would be nice in it.  Made enough for three servings; first I ate it alone, but when I heat it up I'll go with high-protein pasta I think.  

Mix together:

• 4 Tbsp soy sauce (or half of that amino acids)
• 2 Tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp maple syrup
• 3 Tbsp vegetable broth
• 1 lemon, juice

Cube

• 1 block extra firm tofu, pressed or frozen

And add tofu to marinade for overnight or less time.  

Then save marinade but remove tofu and toss with

• 1 cup cassava flour (believe I used less, and this could be substituted for something else) 

Dry fry the tofu on a cast iron pan until browned on most side.

Slice:

• leeks and onions (recipe called for 1 leek, 1 white onion, 1 red onion; I used two leeks and two small yellow onions)

Saute alliums, and add:

• 1 tsp garlic powder (heaping)
• 1 tsp smoked paprika

Once the alliums are softened a bit, add the tofu in and stir, then add the marinade and cook down. 

Cook just as it is, or eat with rice or pasta or potatoes. 

 

 

baked tofu cubes

 I like to eat this just right hot from the oven, and to add to other dishes such as squash curry for some protein and textures.

From Budget Bytes.  (Tbh, most recipes from there fall flat for me, but this was ok.)

 Take one tub of extra firm tofu and press it for 30-60 minutes in a tofu press or in towels under heavy object.  Slice into cubes about 3/4".  Pat dry. 

Mix together a sauce of:

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp approximately of black pepper 

Add tofu cubes and stir until seasoned.

Then sprinkle with 1 Tbsp corn starch and stir again until on each piece.

Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes, flipping over halfway.   

 

tofu broccoli

 This tofu broccoli was good but also too much.  I don't usually fry things in my kitchen because I don't like the mess or the smell, but I tried this and it wasn't bad.  The tofu cooking technique was nice - I made the blocks a bit larger than 1" and I liked the texture - a little crispy on the outside, soft inside.  It wasn't too burdensome to flip each block every couple of minutes with tongs.  The broccoli was good and crunchy - I went the full six minutes or more.  My beef is how salty it is.  I used low sodium soy sauce but it is still just too much.  One issue is that I ate it without rice, so that might be the problem.  It's good without it.  But next time I'll maybe cut the soy sauce in half and maybe use amino acids instead.  Oh, I see water is in the procedure below but i missed that - ok, maybe that would make a difference.  I will definitely make it again.  

Ingredients

Yield:2 to 4 servings

• ¼ cup light soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons light brown sugar (I mostly omitted, just added a dash of sugar and it wasn't necessary at all)
• 1/2 cup water  
• 1 teaspoon plus ¼ cup cornstarch, divided
• 1 (14-ounce) block firm tofu, drained
• 4 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
• Kosher salt 
• 2 medium broccoli crowns, cut into florets  
• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 (½-inch) piece fresh ginger, finely chopped (about 2 teaspoons)
• 3 scallions, finely chopped
• Toasted sesame seeds, for garnish
• Rice, for serving

 

Preparation

Step 1

In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar, 1 teaspoon cornstarch and ½ cup water. Set aside.

Step 2

Cut the tofu into 1-inch cubes, spread the cubes onto a few layers of paper towels and pat them dry. In a medium bowl, toss the cubes with the remaining ¼ cup of cornstarch and fully coat the tofu.

Step 3

In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil over medium heat. Once the oil is hot and shimmery, add the tofu and cook until all sides are golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer the tofu onto a plate and season with salt. 

Step 4

In the same skillet, heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil over medium heat, add the broccoli and cook, undisturbed, until broccoli is lightly charred on the bottom, 2 to 3 minutes. (Do not be tempted to move them!) Toss and cook until the other sides of the broccoli are darkened in spots, another 2 to 3 minutes.

Step 5

Add the remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, the garlic, ginger and scallions to the same skillet and stir until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Adjust the heat to low, add the tofu back to the skillet, and stir in the reserved soy sauce mixture. Bring to a simmer, tossing frequently, until the broccoli and tofu are evenly glazed, 30 seconds to 1 minute. 

Step 6

Serve the tofu and broccoli topped with toasted sesame seeds, with rice alongside.

wild rice soup with coconut milk

 Going through the cupboards to see what I can use up, looking for recipe ideas.

This Cozy Autumn Wild Rice Soup is a great idea. 

Ingredients

• 6 cups vegetable stock 
• 1 cup uncooked wild rice
• 1 small onion, diced  
• 4 cloves garlic, minced 
• Vegetables
• She used: 
• 8 ounces baby bella mushrooms, sliced
• 2 medium carrots, diced
• 2 ribs celery, diced
• 1 large (about 1 pound) sweet potato, peeled and diced
• 2 large handfuls of kale, roughly chopped with thick stems removed
• today I will use below, with different variations in the future (such as winter squash):
• carrots
• celery
• green beans
• zucchini
• kale 
• Seitan or tempeh or tofu (frozen or pressed) 
• 1 bay leaf
• herbs and spices (she called for Old Bay which is not a thing for me, so I'll play with it)
• 1 (14-ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk (or see cream sauce option below*)
• fine sea salt and freshly-cracked black pepper

Instructions

1. Heat olive oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat.  Add onion and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent.  Stir in the garlic and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until fragrant.  Turn down the heat if necessary to avoid burning the garlic.
2. Add in the firmer vegetables such as carrots and celery and saute lightly.
3. Add in stock, wild rice, bay leaf, and season.  Bring to a simmer.
4. Add other vegetables based on how much time they need to cook (not much for zucchini or kale, more for green beans).   
5. Simmer for about 45 minutes until the wild rice is cooked, then add in the coconut milk and last vegetables.  Season.

 

tofu nuggets

 My favorite part of this recipe is that it's very fast to prepare.  No tofu pressing, chopping, etc.  Just ripping and seasoning.  But that leads to my least favorite part - it's not very flavorful.  It needs dipping sauces or something.  Maybe I undersalted, but it was very bland, and I'm a big nooch fan.  But I did like the little crunchy bits, so there's that, and I can probably season it better next time. Chili powder is probably a good idea. (Note: I like this even better reheated the next day in the toaster oven - the texture is nicely chewy.)

EDIT: made again and increased and changed seasonings, now it's great!  

Ingredients 

• 1 block extra firm tofu (no need to press or freeze)
• 4 T nutritional yeast
• 1 T cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• Bragg's amino acids 

INSTRUCTIONS

• Open the package of tofu. Drain off any excess water. Do not press or dry it.
• 
  
  With your hands, tear the tofu into irregular bite sized chunks and place in a bowl.
• 
  
  Add the dry seasonings and toss well to coat. Add amino acids. Cook immediately. Don't let it sit.
• 
  
  To air fry - Grease the bottom of your air fryer basket with a little brush of oil. Add the tofu to the air fryer basket in a single layer and cook at 400°F (200°C) for 15 to 20 minutes or until super crunchy and golden, tossing halfway.
• To bake - Spread out on a lined baking tray and bake at 425°F (218°C) for 30 to 35 minutes or until golden and crispy.

NOTES

Storing Leftovers - Store leftover nutritional yeast tofu in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days. It's great enjoyed cold or can be reheated in an air fryer or oven for a few minutes. 350°F for 10 mins in an oven or 350°F in an air fryer for 4 to 5 minutes.

green beans and tofu

 I've got green beans wrapping up in the garden, and tofu in the fridge.  This turned out good.  From here.

Ingredients

• brown rice
• tofu, extra or super firm
• green beans (a pound-ish)
• 1 T soy sauce
• 2 T nutritional yeast
• oil
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1" ginger peeled and minced or grated 
  
• more soy sauce
• gochujang, chili oil, sesame oil, sesame seeds, or something along those lines

Press tofu to get moisture out.

 Start rice to cook.

Prep green beans (wash, cut ends).  Chop garlic, ginger.

Dice tofu 1/2" pieces.  Put in a bowl with 1 T soy sauce and mix, then add the 2 T nutritional yeast. 

Bake at 425 degrees for 30 minutes. (Note: I want to remember to use parchment paper!  It's such a bother to wash the pan because the tofu sticks)

Heat saute pan with oil and add garlic and ginger for a minute, then add in the beans and cook 5-8 minutes or more (I was about 12 minutes, which included some larger beans, and needed to put a lid on for some of the time).  Add chili oil or something else for flavor.

Serve rice with tofu and beans.

tofu information

This is helpful about pressing and baking tofu.

kuri curry

 This kuri squash curry was really good, exactly what I wanted, and next time plans are below. 

Ingredients

• 2# winter squash such as kuri or kabocha; keeping skin unless it's too tough like butternut
• small onion
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 Tbsp freshly grated ginger
  
• 1/2 bunch of chard or similar green (though spinach wasn't great) - about 6 oz.
  
• 1 Tbsp curry powder
• salt, pepper
• can of coconut milk
•  (broth)
• garbanzos or cooked tofu 
  
• brown rice (I used jasmine and it was too meh)
  

Process  

• Heat oil*, add onions and cook until translucent (about 8 minutes).
• Turn heat down a bit and add garlic, ginger, curry power, salt, and pepper.  Cook a minute or so.
• Add squash and stir it up, then add coconut milk and broth if desired.  (I thought it was too soupy with broth).  
• Cook about 20-30 minutes.
• Add garbanzos or cooked tofu to heat.  (This wasn't in the original recipe but would have been better.)
  
• Add greens and cook another 5 minutes or so to wilt (or longer if necessary with denser greens).
  

 

*Recipe called for coconut oil but that gives me heartburn so I just used what I had.