Spicy Tofu

I just came back from a visit to the Big Apple staying close to Time Square. Despite being already there we just soaked in the excitement and chickened out of witnessing the ball drop at Time Square. We were kept busy figuring out subway routes and walking all over I do not think we would have had the stamina and controlled bladder to wait for that ball drop as a couple millions did.

We went to innumerable shows and a couple of operas. We saw two ultra irreverent Broadway plays Rotten Something and the Book of Mormon and the sweet touching story of Carole King, The Beautiful. We saw two operas, Nabucco and Romeo and Juliet which were both wonderful according to my husband and which I missed despite being physically there. I was too tired I slept through both of them. 

We ate at several places, fancy or otherwise. No I never slept through them. I tried to eat plant based whenever I could and usually most restaurants would offer tofu to satisfy vegans. Some of the tofu dishes I ate were so so but one was haunting, namely the Spicy Tofu I ate it at the Pittsburgh International Airport.

I just had to have it when I came home. I luckily found a recipe for a marinade for spicy tofu in this site.  I used an adapted version for this dish I had developed a craving for. The site used the marinade to ultimately barbecue the tofu but I skipped the marination and grilling and used the marinade instead as the sauce for this stir fry version. Oh my. Irresistible.

Spicy Tofu

Adapted from this site

• 3 tbsp soy sauce. 
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar. 
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons mirin 
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger. 
• 1 teaspoon Asian chili paste or cayenne
• 1 tbsp sesame oil.
• 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 block (12 - 14 oz) firm tofu, cut into one inch cubed
• 2 cups frozen mixed vegetables, steamed in microwave

Mix all the ingredients except the tofu and vegetables in a saute pan. Allow the mixture to boil gently and then add the tofu.  Stir carefully at low heat till the tofu absorb marinade. Add the vegetables and stir carefully till the vegetables are heated through.

Serve over rice.

Tofu Mushroom Pepper Stir Fry

This is a fast nutritious main or side dish to have for either lunch or dinner. It is delicious and satisfying over hot white or brown rice or even any noodles you may have. The brown sauce is pretty close to what you may have with your Chinese takeout orders. 

Tofu provides your protein and the peppers and mushrooms your source of antioxidants to fight the cold and flu spreading around during these cold days.  

Tofu Mushroom Pepper Stir Fry

• 1- 12 oz package firm tofu, cut into one inch cubes

Marinade

• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tsp cornstarch
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp sesame oil

Vegetables

• 2 tsp coconut oil
• 1 green pepper, sliced
• 1 red pepper, sliced
• 1- 8 oz package whole mushrooms, sliced 
• 1/4 cup green onions, sliced

Combine the marinade ingredients in a shallow container with a lid.  Marinate the tofu in the marinade for at least 30 minutes.

Heat the coconut oil in a saute pan to medium heat.  Add the peppers and mushrooms and saute till the peppers are cooked yet still crispy.  Add the tofu and the marinade and heat through the mixture.  Add the green onions at the last minute of cooking.

Serve over rice or noodles.

Tofu Vegetable Soba Noodle Soup

This is a hearty simple plant based soup laden with micro nutrient rich vegetables and protein.  It has the additional plus of having the Japanese soba noodles which are made of nutritious and fiber rich buckwheat, wheat and yam flour.  It has a neutral taste and soft, a tad slippery texture.  You will have fun slurping it.

The vegetable broth for me has enough salt and flavor in it I just added a few slices of ginger for added zing to it but it could be optional.  I would let the amount of soy sauce be left to the discretion of the one eating this soup.  The sesame oil for me gives that added sizzle so to speak to the soup. I would use only one round of it though.  Enjoy!

Tofu Vegetable Soba Noodle Soup

• 1-3.5 oz bundle soba noodles (The Hana brand I used came in 3.5 oz bundles)    
• 6 cups water (or as suggested by the Soba noodle package)
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 4 oz firm tofu, cubed
• 1 carrot, sliced                                                          
• 6 napa cabbage leaves, sliced
• 1/2 inch ginger, peeled and sliced (optional) 
• 2 small zucchini, sliced
• soy sauce
• sesame oil

Soba Noodles

Bring the water to boil.  Place the soba noodles in the boiling water and cook for 6 minutes with occasional stirring.  Drain using a strainer and rinse with cold water.  Set aside.

Tofu Vegetable Soup

Place the vegetable broth, carrots, napa cabbage and ginger in a pot and allow the mixture to boil.  When the carrots are cooked but still firm, add the zucchini.  Allow the mixture to simmer till the zucchini is done.

Assembly

Divide the soba noodles into two soup bowls and ladle the soup on top of the noodles.  Season with soy sauce according to taste and douse with sesame oil before eating.

Tofu Steak Marinated in Sweet Spicy Gochujang Sauce

I love tofu.  I am grateful for that since it is one source of protein in my plant based diet that does not trigger arthritis in my finger joints.  Beans do have that effect if I eat too much of them.

I love tofu for another reason. It is convenient to use.  This particular recipe is the easiest yet utterly delicious one you could get your hands on. No extra drying of the tofu by pressing.  Just drain the liquid and you are good to go.  No cooking needed of the tofu nor the sauce. I highly recommend marinating the tofu in the Sweet and Spicy Gochujang Sauce shown below however.  

                                      

This way the wonderful addictive sauce can permeate the tofu.  In a pinch it is still okay to eat the tofu with the sauce right away without marination. You will still be happy but the marinated ones have a deeper flavor. 

I discovered how good this was when I left the tofu in the sauce overnight.  It just stimulated my appetite to the nth degree. Different from the chili paste coated ones or even hoisin marinated ones.  Spicy yet subtle.  It does something to the tongue that makes you want more.

You can have it with a side of spinach, cucumber and tomatoes. Do not forget squeezing lime over it and serving it sprinkled with green onions.  Over rice and this salad, you have a complete nutritious meal.  Except for the cooked rice, this could be a meal for a raw diet.

I have recently posted a blog on the preparation of this sauce from store bought gochujang when I made Oil Free Roasted Cauliflower in Sweet Spicy Gochujang Sauce.  Gochujang is available in Asian Grocery Store. Below is a picture of a container of this sauce and a look inside it.  

It is made from red pepper powder and other ingredients including rice.  Below is the list of ingredients on the label of container and the nutrition facts.

The photo below shows the ingredients of the recipe of the Sweet Spicy Gochujang Sauce which I had previously posted and provided again below for your convenience.

 I have a confession to make.  I love pronouncing gochujang over and over in my head as I prepared the sauce.  I felt powerful saying a word I never thought I could remember to spell and pronounce. Gochujang, gochujang, gochujang ...

Tofu Steak Marinated in Sweet Spicy Gochujang Sauce

Tofu

• 1 package of firm tofu, drained of its liquid and sliced into slabs about 1/4 inch thick

Sweet Spicy Gochuchang Sauce
(Featured in this previous blog)

• 1/2 tbsp soy sauce 
• 1 tbsp gochujang sauce
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1/3 tsp sesame oil
• 1/2 tbsp maple syrup 
• 1/2 tbsp dry garlic flakes 
• 1/2 tsp ginger powder

Garnishes

• Green onions
• Lime

Mix all the ingredients of the sauce in a small jar with a lid and thoroughly shake it with lid on till totally blended.  

Pour a bit of sauce per tofu slab before layering the next one over it. Marinate overnight in the refrigerator.

Serve with green onions and lime. 

Vegan Ranch Dressing

I am now a believer in using tofu in recipes calling for cheese.  It gives this recipe the texture which I rate as just as important as taste especially when it comes to the well loved ranch dressing.  I adapted this from a recipe by Elie Krieger which uses nonfat plain yogurt.  I substituted tofu for the yogurt in this vegan version.This is so good I kept on licking the cover and the container of the blender before I did the photo shoot early in the morning.  I just grabbed my bag of baby carrots and ate them after I wiped the container with them.  This is a dead ringer for the original Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing.

Vegan Ranch Dressing

8 servings (around 2 tbsp per serving)

1/2 cup soft tofu
1/3 cup nondairy milk
1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
3 tbsp vegan mayo
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 clove garlic
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp dry dill lemon or fresh dill

Place all the ingredients in a blender and mix till completely creamy.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 19 g

Amount Per Serving

Calories 12 Calories from Fat 6

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 0.6g 1%

Trans Fat 0.0g

Cholesterol 0mg 0%

Sodium 163mg 7%

Potassium 26mg 1%

Total Carbohydrates 0.7g 0%

Protein 1.1g

Vitamin A 0% • Vitamin C 1% Calcium 2% • Iron 1%

Nutrition Grade A-

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet

Nutritional Analysis

Good points

• No cholesterol
• High in calcium
• High in iron
• Very high in manganese
• High in magnesium
• High in phosphorus
• Very high in selenium

• 
  

Baked Barbecue Hoisin Tofu and Recipe for Homemade Hoisin Sauce

 

Our Class '65 of St. James Academy, Malabon went on a trip to Tuguegarao as one of several activities to celebrate our Golden Jubilee. We were served this wonderful array of grilled and fried assortment of meat and seafood (shown below) arranged beautifully on a bed of green banana leaves by our wonderful hosts Myrna and Bob Guzman at their beautiful Las Palmas Hotel in Tuguegarao. Chopped fresh green mangoes and an eggplant salad completed the assorted plate. Gorgeous and delicious.



Clockwise from the top, roast pork belly, barbecue pork on skewers, fried fish, fried shrimp, green mangoes, fried fish and barbecue chicken on skewers. In the center is an eggplant salad.

I would love to prepare a similar assortment of grilled and fried foods for one of my future parties and I thought that including barbecued tofu would be a good addition to the mix. It would accommodate the vegans and vegetarians among my guests.

This recipe for barbecued tofu is adapted from the one I found online. It uses hoisin sauce as a main ingredient in the marinade. It required the use of a grill but it was still not quite summer yet in Pittsburgh at this time. I thought of pan frying but I did not feel like going through the hustle of standing in front of a hot stove plus I wanted to avoid using oil to cut calories. So I resorted to baking.

I was able to leisurely watch "The Voice" show I recorded on my DVD while waiting for the tofu to finish baking. The resulting baked barbecue hoisin tofu was deliciously coated with the amazing marinade. Most importantly, the texture of the tofu was close to the other methods of grilling or pan frying. Draining or pressing the water of the firm tofu helped in attaining this highly desirable result.

I understand that some of you have to follow stringent nutritional requirements and are wary of using store bought hoisin sauce so I am including the recipe of homemade hoisin sauce from CDKitchen. You can tweak or adapt it to your specific needs.   A friend of mine prefers making her own half cup called for in this recipe rather than buy a bottle of hoisin which she might use only once. 

This recipe is really good even my picky 20 month old granddaughter, Maddie, ate this tofu and so did her picky daddy, Matt.  Really amazingly delicious you would not think it is actually healthy.

  

Baked Barbecue Hoisin Tofu

(Adapted from this About Food site)

• 1 block extra firm tofu, pressed or well drained (see note 1)
• 1/2 cup hoisin sauce (store bought or use the recipe for homemade hoisin sauce provided below)
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 3 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp lime juice from bottle or fresh limes
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder 

Press or drain your tofu first for best results.  See note 1 for two methods you can choose from.

Carefully slice the drained tofu into the size and shape, depending on what method of cooking you are using to cook it and also for what purpose.  If you are grilling it is best to slice it into 1-inch thick cubes or strips.  If you are placing them in skewers, cubes are better.  I wanted to make the barbecue tofu for an appetizer and I am baking them in a pan rather than grilling so I can get away with thinner slices.  My tofu came in four smaller blocks rather than one large one.  I cut each block of tofu into 1/2 inch thickness and then cut each square or rectangle diagonally and then once again diagonally to get four triangles per square or rectangle.

Whisk together all the ingredients except the tofu in a bowl.  Transfer the marinade in a shallow dish or a Ziplock bag.  Carefully place the cut tofu in the marinade making sure it is covered with the marinade.  Marinate for at least an hour.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F,

Cover a cookie pan with aluminum foil and spray it with cooking spray. Place the tofu pieces on the pan 1 inch apart.  Bake for 20-25 minutes (30 minutes for thicker pieces) turning it over halfway through the baking time.  I actually did not baste it during the whole baking time but you can using the leftover marinade.  I froze any leftover marinade for future use.

 Notes: 

1.  You can use either of the two methods below for draining or pressing the tofu:

a)  First method of pressing the tofu can be found on this site. 

b) Second method uses less paper towels which I find to be a waste.

•  Use a plastic steamer with holes or a colander and position it on top of a bowl which can catch the water.   
• Place the tofu on top of the steamer or colander and cover with a folded piece of paper towel.  
• Use a can or cans or any weight for that matter on top of the paper towel.  Drain for about two to three hours.   

Homemade Hoisin Sauce

(From CDKitchen)

(Makes 1/2 cup)

• 4 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons peanut butter or black bean paste
• 1 tablespoon honey or molasses or brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons white vinegar
• 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 20 drops chinese hot sauce, habenero or jalepeno
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Whisk all the ingredients together.   At first it does not appear to be mixing together, keep at it and whisk a bit longer.