Recipe: Tofu Salad

[obsidienne]

This salad had a really easy to make and has a fresh, slightly spicy, slightly sweet flavour. The softness of the tofu contrasts beautifully with the crunchy veggies and nuts. SO GOOD. I slightly edited the original recipe in terms of cooking times. I always fiddle with cooking times ever since I got into George Mateljan's World's Healthiest Foods book and website, which focuses on how to cook foods in a way to minimize nutritional loss.

If you don't have a scale, just approximate amounts, which worked perfectly for me. Balance is the key.

Tofu Salad
Serves 4

Ingredients

2 tsp thai sweet chili sauce
1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 tsp soy sauce or tamari
2 tbsp oil (I used peanut)
250g (9oz) firm tofu (well-drained medium will do in a pinch)
100g (3 1/2 oz) snow peas
2 small carrots
100g (3 1/2 oz) red cabbage
2 tbsp chopped peanuts, very lightly toasted if you have the time

Tools: 1 small pot, 1 steamer, 1 bowl with cold water and ice

Combine the chili sauce, ginger, garlic, soy sauce and oil. Cut the tofu into 2cm (3/4 inch) cubes. Place the tofu in a bowl, pour the marinade over, and stir until thoroughly coated. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour.

Near the end of that hour, finely shred the cabbage (time it so that it gets to sit for at least 5-10 minutes before you use it -- sorry, I'm a huge nutrition nut, I can't help myself).

Then fill your bowl with cold water and a bit of ice. Fill a small pot (or the pot that fits your steamer) with about 1.5 inches of water and bring to a boil. Don't add the steamer/snow peas until the water has boiled. Steam the snow peas for 1 minute, but no longer! Take them immediately out of the steamer and put them in the cold water to stop them from cooking (you want them to be crispy).

Cut the carrots into batons. Add the snow peas, cabbage, and carrots to the tofu and toss lightly to combine. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts and serve immediately.


Recipe from Gourmet Vegetarian.

Grapefruit, Avocado and Fennel Salad

[obsidienne]

I tried this recipe a few weeks ago and it was a gorgeous experience in colour, flavour and scent. Best of all, it made me feel like it was summer.

Grapefruit, Avocado and Fennel Salad with Orange Juice

Created by: Chef Brad Moore, Toronto, ON

Serves 4

• 1/3 cup (75 mL) 100% orange juice
• ¼ cup (50 mL) fresh lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons (45 mL) olive oil
• 2 tablespoons (30 mL) liquid sweetener of your choice (the original recipe called for honey)
• 1 tablespoon (15 mL) minced shallot
• 1 teaspoon (5 mL) grated lemon peel
• 1 teaspoon (5 mL) grated orange peel
• 1 teaspoon (5 mL) minced peeled fresh ginger
• 1 teaspoon (5 mL) dry mustard
• 1 teaspoon (5 mL) oriental sesame oil
• 2 large pink Florida grapefruits, peel and white pith removed
• 1 pound (1/2 kg) fennel bulbs, trimmed, cut into paper-thin slices
• 2 large avocados, halved, pitted, peeled, cut into thin slices
• 2 cups (500mL) arugula*

Whisk first 10 ingredients in large bowl to blend. Season with salt and pepper. Using sharp knife, cut between membranes of grapefruits to release segments. Spread fennel slices over large platter. Arrange grapefruit segments and avocado slices atop fennel. Drizzle dressing over salad. Arrange arugula atop salad.

*I had no arugula, so I used a spring greens mix, and that was perfectly delicious.

Tofu, Peanut and Noodle Stir-Fry

[obsidienne]

Here's another recipe from Gourmet Vegetarian.  I have a lot of vegan cookbooks, but this vegetarian book has loads of tasty, easy to veganize things.   I often turn to it.  As always, mildly edited from the original recipe. PS, I hate how this cookbook does everything in ounces and grams, so whenever I make changes, I just, uh... don't measure. Other than by sight. Use your sense of balance and cook-fu to figure out how much to use.


Tofu, Peanut and Noodle Stir-Fry

• 1/2 red pepper
• 1/2 green pepper
• 1/4 medium red cabbage
• 250g (9 oz) firm tofu
• a big handful of snowpeas
• 1 small red onion
• 125 g (4 1/2 oz) broccoli
• 2 garlic gloves, minced
• 1 1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger
• 80 ml (1/3 cup) kecap manis (note: apparently this is Indonesian sweet soy sauce, and you can simply replicate it with normal soy + soft brown sugar. Of course this is what I did! I found about 2 tsp brown sugar to be about right for me)
• 1 or 2 tablespoons of natural peanut butter (try a tablespoon or so to start and see if you want it to taste more peanutty; the original recipe called for 1/3 cup and I thought it would taste just like peanut butter soup if I used so much)
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 tbsp peanut or vegetable oil
• 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) noodles of your choice, fat rice noodles or soba noodles would work well

Serves 4

Remove the membranes and seeds of the peppers; slice thin. Cut the tofu into 1.5 cm cubes. Slice the onions and cabbage fairly thin for quick cooking. Cut the broccoli into small florets. Combine the tofu with the grated (or minced) ginger, the garlic, and half the sweet soy in a small bowl. Put the peanut butter, 1/2 cup of water (it's easier if it's very warm water) and remaining sweet soy into another bowl and whisk until blended.

Heat a wok or large stainless steel pan over high heat, add the oil and swirl to coat the base and side. Drain the tofu, but reserve the marinade. Cook the tofu in the hot oil until well browned. Remove from the wok (or be smart and lazy like me and don't remove from the wok if you got your noodles cooked before you started frying).

Prepare the noodles as per the package instructions. Gently separate them after you drain them. Add the vegetables to the wok in order of how fast they will cook (namely, onions and broccoli first, then cabbage and capsicums, snowpeas last -- they should not be cooking for much more than about 3-5 minutes total, depending on your preference). Add the tofu, reserved marinade, and noodles to the wok. Add the peanut butter mixture and toss until heated through.

Prep time: 15 min; Cooking time: 5 min


I am addicted to cilantro, so I shredded up a tiny bit of fresh cilantro and put that on the plated dish as well.

Kreamy Curry Dressing

[obsidienne]

I made an awesome salad of mixed greens, spinach, carrots, cucumbers, ♥ fennel ♥, cherry tomatoes, and cauliflower for a post-workout snack the other day, and I used the following dressing by Ani Phyo, of Ani's Raw Food Kitchen fame. It was great, and I'm glad I have leftovers for tomorrow! In my notes at the end, you can see that I'm going to work at it a bit to make it a little lighter on the olive oil.

It kept in the fridge for several days (and meals).



Kreamy Curry Dressing
by Ani Phyo

Here’s a super fast recipe for a delicious Indian inspired dressing. Feel free to use your high speed blender if you don’t have a small food processor like this one. A note: when using a food processor, you’ll want to process your garlic, ginger, salt first so it breaks down before adding your other ingredients.

• 1 Tablespoon curry powder
• 1 apple, core and chop
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 Tablespoon ginger
• 1 cup olive oil (I actually only used just under 3/4 cup)
• 1 lemon’s juice
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 4 cups salad mix

My notes: all of that olive oil is a wee bit too rich and it smothers the other flavours unless it gets to sit; try more apple... or add a bit more lemon juice + water(?) to get a full amount of dressing. Maybe silken tofu would be a good alternative?

Vegan Yum Yum's "Mac and Cheese. Cheeze? Yeast?"

[obsidienne]

The first time I made Vegan Yum Yum's Mac and Cheese. Cheeze? Yeast? I went: OMFG. OMFG! It was amazing. And I hate vegan cheese substitutes; I've spent a lot of money only to throw away packages of vegan "cheese" that smelled and tasted like wax crayons.  No more for me, thanks.  This is something else.  And how!

Mac and Cheeze
from the Vegan Yum Yum blog

Serves 2-3

• 1/3 Cup Earth Balance Margarine
• 1/4 Cup All Purpose Flour
• 2 1/2 Tbs Low Sodium Tamari or Soy Sauce
• 1 Tbs Lemon Juice, fresh
• 1 Tbs Sweet/White/Mellow Miso
• 1 Tbs Tahini
• 1 Tbs Tomato Paste (not sauce!)
• 1 1/4 Cup Soy Milk
• 1/3 Cup Nutritional Yeast
• 1 Pinch Salt
• Black Pepper, to taste

Begin by heating a sauce pan and adding the earth balance. Once melted, add flour and whisk vigorously until a smooth paste forms, called a roux. Be careful not to add flour to a pan that is very hot, or your roux will be lumpy and you’ll need to start over. If you mix in the flour as soon as the margarine is melted and you should avoid any problems.

To this paste, add tamari, lemon, miso, tahini, and tomato paste and whisk until well incorporated. The mixture should still be paste-like. Then slowly pour in the soymilk, whisking constantly, until it is completely incorporated. Add the yeast and mix well. Cook the mixture until it thickens, whisking often. This should take approximately 5 minutes, but it’s flexible. Add salt and pepper to taste.

I like this the most baked. Cook 3 cups of dry, small pasta (like elbows or shells or rotini) and toss with the finished cheezy sauce. Add steamed broccoli (pictured) for a real treat. Top with fresh breadcrumbs and bake at 400º for 25 minutes, or until browned and bubbly.

Notes: I never bake this.  Far too much waiting time. ;)  Also, the broccoli is indispensable here for me, and asparagus is good, too. Lastly, whole wheat pasta makes this a much tastier, healthier option...

If you have never tried any of the recipes at Vegan Yum Yum, you should head right on over there.  I cook from her blog all the time, and everything is so amazing, tasty, and easy that I find myself making a lot of her dishes over and over again.