Tag Archive: Tofu

Thai Reese’s Puffs Peanut Butter Sauce

Oct 26th 003

When I was at the Wine & Food festival, I was lucky enough to meet Justin Warner after his demo. Justin has made a number of sweet and savory recipes for General Mills using their Big G cereals in unexpected ways(here’s the blog post featuring those).

Jason from General Mills sent me some of their cereals along with some unusual ingredients Justin would go crazy with. At first I wasn’t sure how to use some of them(a pestle and mortar? sriracha sauce?), but then it hit me: A Thai sauce with Reese’s Puffs.

It’s not as crazy as it sounds; a lot of the ingredients in Reese’s Puffs are found in regular sauces: Corn starch is a common thickening agent; sugar can be just as important as salt for bringing out flavor profiles; even chocolate is used to add a richness and depth to tomato sauce.

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As with any sauce you should taste as you go along and add salt and seasoning to adjust it to your taste. For a lower-fat version, use cartoned coconut milk or almond milk.

Thai Reese’s Puffs Peanut Butter Sauce

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 0 minutes

Ingredients(Makes enough for 2 servings):

  • 3/4 cup Reese’s Puffs cereal
  • 1/3 cup soy sauce or gluten-free tamari
  • 1 Tablespoon sriracha
  • 2 Tablespoons honey
  • 1 Tablespoon peanut butter
  • 1/3 cup coconut milk

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Method:

  1. Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor or high-speed blender.
  2. Blend until smooth.
  3. Add to sautéed vegetables and tofu or chicken.
  4. Heat the pre-cooked vegetables, chicken, or tofu in the sauce until it is warmed through.
  5. Serve hot.

A Q & A With the No Meat Athlete

October 5th 103

Last week I got the chance to meet up with Matt, the No Meat Athlete, in New York after getting an early copy of his new book(!!). The last time I met up with Matt was when he was running the Boston Marathon; since then he’s run a 100-miler and started plans to run a sub 3-hour marathon, so it’s safe to say he’s been busy.

The book covered a lot of the same topics you’d find on Matt’s blog from running/workout advice, recipes, anecdotes and more. I’ve taken a hiatus from running recently and have plenty of pages bookmarked to go back to when I get my next fitness itch.

Of course I was drawn to the recipe section, including the easy peanut butter sauce shown above. The book advocates a plant-based diet, a flexible term which means different things for different people. However you eat it’s a good reminder that you can always use more fruits and vegetables(this definitely rings true for me).

cover

I got the chance to ask Matt a few questions about food, fitness, and the topics in his book.

A lot of the recipes in your book are more like math formulas; why is that?

I think the obvious answer is that it’s because I studied math in grad and school and my mind just works that way, but the real reason is that food for me is more about practicality than it is art. With ultrarunning and kids and writing and everything else, I have less time for cooking than I used to, so it’s helpful to have a template you can use, say, to throw together a veggie burger with the ingredients you happen to have on hand. I think a lot of people find themselves without a whole lot of time or energy to spend on food, and having formulas that you can use over and over with different ingredients, is really convenient.

I once had a blog with the very hokey name “Food Makes Fun Fuel.” What would you say is your most fun fuel for your workouts?

Fresh dates! The ones with the pits in them, so they’re still soft and have an incredible flavor. They taste like candy, but they’re nutritionally very similar to energy gels and are compact, too, so you can carry a few with you when you run and know that you’re fueling with something far healthier than processed gels.

What’s your favorite indulgence food?

Does beer count? Assuming it doesn’t, then pizza. It was the hardest thing for me to give up when I went vegan, but as much as I hated Daiya vegan cheese at first, I eventually got used to it. Now I can make or order a vegan pizza with Daiya and honestly I don’t enjoy it any less than I used to when it had real cheese. It’s so easy to make dough at home, too, and a lot of times I change it up with BBQ sauce and red onions, or even homemade Caesar dressing as the sauce and lettuce and grilled tempeh to top it.

What’s been your biggest sense of joy from your years of blogging?

Wow, great question. I’ve come to really appreciate how important it is that blogs allow anyone to pick themselves (as Seth Godin put it), instead of sitting around waiting for the publisher or the record label or whoever else to “pick” you. You can just start writing, sharing your ideas, your food, your music, etc. And then it’s just up to the audience to decide if your work and your message are good enough. The gatekeepers don’t have the power anymore, and if you want to do something special, it’s up to you to do it and you don’t need to wait for someone to tell you it’s okay. And blogs, as simple as they seem, are the most important tool for doing that.

What food, lifestyle, or fitness blogs do you check most frequently?

Zen Habits (zenhabits.net) and Tim Ferriss’ blog (fourhourworkweek.com/blog) are some of my favorites; both are more in the “lifestyle” category than anything else. For food blogs and recipes, I’m a huge fan of Oh She Glows (ohsheglows.com) and Choosing Raw (choosingraw.com) — they almost always have a healthy, vegan version of whatever it is I’m trying to make.

What 3 ingredients should everyone who’s reading this add to their weekly grocery list?

1. Baby kale. It’s not as bitter and tough as the regular stuff, so it works really well raw, in smoothies, in salads, and on sandwiches, and it’s one of the most nutrient dense foods you can eat.
2. Hummus. Spread it on a bagel, dip broccoli, carrots, and cucumbers in it, make a simple sandwich by spreading it on sprouted bread and topping with some kale, or use it in a wrap or pita for long run fuel.
3. Raw trail mix. It’s not really an ingredient, I know, but I eat it all the time — it’s a great way to get in a bunch of nutritious calories while you’re traveling or for between-meal snacking. If I’m in a pinch for breakfast on the road, a few big handfuls of trail mix with a banana or apple gets me by.

 

 

Congrats Matt on the book and for being an inspiration to so many!

Vegetarian Grilling

Vegetarian Grilling On Grill

Italian Tofu & Bell Pepper Skewers

Prep time: 2 hours

Cook time: 15 minutes

Ingredients(Serves 3-4):

  • 1 block extra-firm tofu, pressed
  • 4 bell peppers, seeded
  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 1 1/2 Tablespoons sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning blend
  • Grilling skewers

Vegetarian Grilling Peppers

Method:

  1. Dice the tofu and peppers into 1-inch squares.
  2. In a Ziploc bag, mix together the rest of the ingredients.
  3. Toss the tofu and bell peppers with the marinade in the bag and let it rest for 2-4 hours.
  4. Preheat your grill to around 400 degrees.
  5. Put the ingredients on the grilling skewers.
  6. Grill for 10-15 minutes, turning the skewer sticks every few minutes to a different side.
  7. Remove from the grill. Serve hot.

Vegetarian Grilling Skewered

 

Scrambled Tofu

Scrambled Tofu

This recipe is an oldie but a goodie.

If I had to recommend one dish for someone who wants to eat less animal products it would be scrambled tofu. It looks just like eggs and you can really flavor it however you like. Not to mention it only takes about 10 minutes from start to finish.

I started eating less scrambled eggs and more scrambled tofu after watching Vegucated on Netflix. I won’t go into personal ethics on why I made the switch but it’s a good documentary to watch on Netflix in between marathons of Being Human and United States of Tara.

Scrambled Tofu Yield

You can easily change this recipe to make it more flavorful by adding herbs and sautéed vegetables into the mix. I usually use curry powder to make mine a little spicy.

Scrambled Tofu

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 5 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 2 servings):

  • 1 block extra firm tofu
  • 1 Tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon onion powder

Scarmbled Tofu Easy

Method:

  1. In a large bowl, mash the tofu with a fork lightly until it’s textured to resemble scrambled eggs.
  2. Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat.
  3. Mix the turmeric, salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder in with the tofu until it’s evenly coated.
  4. Sauté the tofu in the oil until it’s heated through and takes on a vibrant color.
  5. Remove from the pan and serve hot.

Afterwards I put a big pile of ketchup on the side of the plate. What’re eggs and hash browns without ketchup?

Egg-Battered Tofu

egg-battered tofu

I have three roommates now and I’m pretty sure all of them would make a better food blogger than me. Every week one of them is making a recipe from Pinterest and the kitchen constantly smells amazing; I’m in awe and usually a little jealous on the days I eat cereal and yogurt for dinner.

One of my roommates made a Korean feast a few weeks after we moved in and served some of the best tofu I’ve ever had. I asked for the recipe and she made it sound so simple: just eggs, tofu, green onion and salt. I think she might have been keeping a secret because mine has never come out as good as hers but not for lack of trying.

egg-battered tofu serving

I think the secret to making this taste good is to cut the tofu thin but not so thin it breaks apart. You don’t want to bite in after the eggs been cooked and taste cold tofu. Other than that, it really is a simple recipe, and definitely a staple for me now.

Egg-Battered Tofu

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 10 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 2 servings):

  • 1 block extra firm tofu
  • 3 large eggs
  • 2 Tablespoons chopped green onion
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • Sesame oil
  • Soy sauce

Method:

  1. Dice the tofu into even-sized rectangles; the thinner the better.
  2. In a small bowl, beat together the eggs, salt and green onion.
  3. Heat a little sesame oil in a frying pan over medium-low heat.
  4. Dip the tofu squares into the egg batter, coating them, and then dropping them into the pan. Make sure not to overcrowd the pan by cooking too many at once.
  5. Let the egg cook for about a minute on one side and flip to cook the other side.
  6. Move the tofu to a plate to keep it warm.
  7. Repeat until all of the tofu is used, oiling the pan with sesame oil in between each batch.
  8. Serve hot with sesame oil and soy sauce for dipping.

egg-battered tofu 2

It took me a few batches to get it “right”, and even still I swear the one my roommate made tasted ten times better. I might have to trade brownies for cooking lessons.

Baked Sesame Tofu

Baked Sesame Tofu

It’s really hard to get good gluten-free vegetarian food at most Asian restaurants. Whenever I do find it, it’s usually in the form of fried tofu. Don’t get me wrong—I do love getting golden and greasy tofu now and again, especially when someone else is making it. But it’s a heavy thing to eat again and again.

This tofu has a texture closure to fried tofu than any baked tofu I’ve ever had thanks to the corn starch while still not being overly salty or heavy. You can cook a big pot of brown rice and stir fry some vegetables and have your own take-out meal at home without the take-out.

Baked Sesame Tofu Collage

To make this gluten-free, make sure to use a gluten-free tamari in place of the soy sauce. You can also substitute tapioca starch in place of the corn starch and agave for the honey.

Baked Sesame Tofu

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 40 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 2 servings):

  • 1 block extra firm tofu
  • 3 Tablespoons sesame oil
  • 1 Tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 Tablespoon honey
  • 1 Tablespoon sesame seeds
  • 1/2 Tablespoon rice vinegar
  • 1/2 Tablespoon corn starch
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon onion powder

Method:

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Slice the tofu into even segments
  3. Mix the rest of the ingredients together in a small bowl.
  4. One at a time, dip the pieces of tofu in the sauce and lay them out on a non-stick baking surface. Pour any remaining sauce on top of the tofu.
  5. Bake for 40 minutes until the outside is golden and the edges brown. Turn once halfway through baking.
  6. Serve hot with rice and vegetables and extra soy sauce.

Baked Sesame Tofu Long

Scrambled Tofu

Scrambled-Tofu

I love eggs. I really do. I have no problem with eating them for every meal. And some days I do. But I also love this vegan version of scrambled eggs, which is just as easy if not easier to make and packs a punch of flavor.

“How do you get tofu to look so much like eggs?” you might think. Tofu is so versatile to begin with; you can get it to be almost any texture and appearance with a little effort. The trick to getting a yellow color is turmeric, which adds very little flavor but a nice eggy look.

Scrambled-Tofu-and-potatoes

Now, this doesn’t taste terribly much like scrambled eggs. In fact, it would be pretty bland if it weren’t for the garlic, onion, and salt. In addition to those, you could add any herbs or other seasonings you might like to enjoy scrambled eggs with; for instance, add some cayenne pepper for a bit of a kick.

Scrambled Tofu

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 10 minutes

Ingredients(for 2 servings):

  • 1 block firm or extra firm tofu
  • 1/2 Tablespoon olive oil
  • 3/4 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

IMG_0042

Method:

  1. Heat a pan over a burner set to medium.
  2. Mash the tofu with a fork to get it to a scrambled egg texture.
  3. Pour the tofu and all of the rest of the ingredients into the hot pan. Mix together to distribute the seasoning.
  4. Cook for 5-10 minutes until the tofu starts to brown and firm up.
  5. Serve hot with home fries or toast.

Scrambled-Tofu-Wide

I actually like this more than eggs because it’s usually easier to clean the pan afterwards; if that isn’t a good enough reason to make it, I don’t know what is.

Healthy Tofu Stir-Fry

Healthy-Tofu-stir-fry

When I posted about seasoning rice, I got asked what I was eating it with. Well, here’s the recipe. It’s really hard to find gluten-free vegetarian options at Chinese restaurants. Most of the times I’ve been able to eat out, it’s been fried tofu, which is lovely the first few times but after a while starts weighing you down. Some things are just better to make yourself.

I didn’t press my tofu before making this but it would probably help the texture of the tofu. You could swap in tempeh cubes, seitan, or shredded chicken. To keep it gluten-free, make sure to use a wheat-free soy sauce.

Healthy Tofu Stir-Fry

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 15 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 2 servings)

  • 1 block firm or extra firm tofu, cubed
  • 2/3 cup bean sprouts
  • 2/3 cup broccoli slaw
  • 3 Tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup sugar OR 3 Tablespoons liquid sweetener
  • 1 Tablespoon sriracha sauce(optional)
  • 2 Tablespoons cooking starch(arrowroot, tapioca, or corn) + 2 Tablespoons water
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 Tablespoon toasted sesame oil(optional)

Healthy-Tofu-stir-fry-close-up

Method:

  1. Heat up a large frying pan over medium heat and toss in the tofu, bean sprouts, broccoli slaw, soy sauce, sweetener and sriracha. Mix thoroughly
  2. Cover with a lid and let the contents steam until the vegetables are tender and the tofu has taken on a brown color, about 5-10 minutes.
  3. Dissolve your cooking starch in the water and pour it into the pan. Quickly mix the contents around while the starch turns the cooking liquid into a glaze.
  4. Finish with salt and sesame oil if using. Serve hot with vegetables or rice.

Healthy-Tofu-stir-fry-plated

This goes great with seasoned rice or healthy Chinese broccoli. I wouldn’t omit the sweetener or it would taste rather bland. If you don’t use the sriracha, add about 1/2 Tablespoon of rice vinegar instead to make the flavor pop.

Raspberry Tofu Pudding

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Normally I like fudgy desserts, or just a piece of thick chocolate. But this Summer I haven’t been able to get enough mousse desserts, like this one or this one or this one. So naturally I had to try this recipe when I saw it on the Whole Foods website.

I’ve made chocolate and peanut butter tofu mousse before but never a fruit flavor. This came out really well in flavor, although the texture reminded me more of pudding rather than mousse. It’s thick and slightly dense with a sweet, bright flavor to it, perfect for hot Summer nights when chocolate is too rich(I’ve never experienced this myself but I hear some people do—weird).

Raspberry Tofu Pudding(lightly adapted from this recipe)

Ingredients(Makes 6 servings):

  • 12oz fresh or frozen raspberries
  • 1 16oz block silken tofu
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup corn or tapioca starch
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • Zest from half a lemon
  • Chocolate and mint to garnish

Combine the tofu, raspberries, starch, sugar, salt, and zest in a food processor and blend until smooth and homogenous.

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Pour into individual dishes and refrigerate until serving. Garnish with shaved chocolate and/or mint.

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It does not get much better than this.

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If you add in 3/4 cup of cocoa powder, the flavor gets even better. Although—I warn you—the color isn’t as appetizing.

Grilled Eggplant Rollatini With Ricotta and Fava Bean Filling {Vegan}

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Last Wednesday was my father’s birthday so I took it upon myself to make dinner for my family. Of course, since I was the one cooking I subjected everyone to the hippy vegan rabbit food I usually eat. Thankfully my family is willing to try anything, especially if it’s Italian, so I tried a vegan/vegifull version of an Italian favorite: Stuffed Italian shells.

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Not only were these delicious and a hit, they were also a lot healthier than I even intended for them to be. The grilled eggplant, replacing breaded and fried eggplant, adds a smoky, charred flavor to the sauce. And the beans in the tofu filling give a good meaty texture contrast. It’s not something I’d throw together on a weeknight, but even so it couldn’t have been much easier to assemble and bake.

Grilled Eggplant Rollatini With Ricotta and Fava Bean Filling

Ingredients(Makes 4 servings):

  • 1 large eggplant, sliced lengthwise 3/4 centimeter thick
  • 3/4 cup tofu ricotta
  • 1 cup fava beans
  • 2 cups marinara sauce
  • 3/4 cup vegan mozzarella shreds(I used Daiya)
  • Fresh basil for garnish
  • Oil for greasing

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Toss the eggplant slices in oil and grill over high heat until soft and pliable. Remove after grilling both sides and let cool slightly before handling.

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Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Mix the fava beans and ricotta and scoop a couple tablespoons of the filling into the middle of each eggplant slice. Roll up the eggplant and put them end-side down into a baking pan packed together.

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Cover the eggplants in marinara sauce and then a layer of cheese.

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Bake until the cheese is melted and bubbly—about 15 minutes.

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Finish with fresh herbs and serve hot.

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This is Italian comfort food at its finest. The melted cheese was like the frosting on the cake. We easily demolished the pan. You could of course use regular cheese and make this a delicious vegetarian dish, too. Whatever you use, just don’t skimp on it.