Teriyaki Glazed Tofu

Try serving this dish with Japanese-style rice and the Broccoli and Snow Pea Stir-fry, below.  Both recipes are from a column called Eating In by Bonnie Stern in the National Post (date unknown.)  The last 4 items may be substituted with a pre-made teriyaki barbecue-style glaze.

1 pkg firm tofu

1 tbsp vegetable oil

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 tsp chopped fresh ginger root

2 green onions, thinly sliced

1/2 cup teriyaki sauce

2 tbsp brown sugar

1 tbsp molasses

1 tbps dark sesame oil

1.  Cut tofu into pieces about 1 1/2″ (4 cm) square.  Drain well and pat dry.  Heat vegetable oil in a non-stick skillet and brown tofu well – about 12 minutes.  Remove tofu from pan.

2.  Add garlic and ginger.  Cook 30 seconds.  Add teriyaki sauce, sugar, molasses and sesame oil.  Bring to a boil.  Add tofu.  Cook until liquid is reduced and syrupy and tofu is glazed –about 5 minutes.

3.  Add green onions and cook one minute longer.  Serve over rice.

Makes 4-6 servings.

Broccoli and Snow Pea Stirfry

1 tbsp vegetable oil

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 tsp finely chopped fresh ginger root

1 head broccoli, broken into small florets and stems sliced

1/4 cup water

1/4 lb snow peas, trimmed

2 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp oyster sauce

1 tbsp cornstarch

1/4 cup cold water

3 green onions, cut on the diagonal

1.  Heat oil in a large deep skillet or wok.  Add garlic and ginger.  Stir fry 30 seconds.

2.  Add broccoli and 1/4 cup water and cook 3 to 4 minutes.  Add soy sauce and oyster sauce and bring to a boil.  Cook 2 minutes.  Add snow peas and combine.

3.  Combine cornstarch with remaining water.  Stir fry half into vegetables.  Cook until glazed.  If sauce is not thick enough, add remaining cornstarch mixture.  Add green onions.  Serve immediately.

Makes 6 servings.

Coconut Curry Stir Fry

The original recipe calls for diced cooked meat, which is stir-fried for one minute before adding the orange juice.  The source is the National Post (unknown date.)

Everyone loves stir-fries.  If you would prefer one with Chinese flavours, use black bean sauce (Lee Kum Kee is the best) instead of the curry paste, and stock or water instead of the coconut milk.

3 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tbsp chopped fresh ginger

4 green onions, chopped.

2 tbsp mild or hot curry paste (I like Patak’s.)

1/2 package of extra-firm tofu, cut into 1-inch cubes.

1/2 cup orange juice

2 tbsp soy sauce

2 cups chopped cooked vegetables

1 cup canned coconut milk

3 cups cooked noodles, rice or pasta

1/2 cup toasted chopped nuts (peanuts, almonds, etc.)

1. Heat oil in a wok or large non-stick skillet.  Pan-fry tofu cubes until crispy.  Remove from pan and set aside.  Add a tablespoon more oil to the skillet if necessary.

2.  Add ginger, green onions and curry paste.  Stir-fry about one minute.

3.  Add orange juice and soy milk.  Bring to a boil and add vegetables and coconut milk.  Cook 3 or 4 minutes.

4.  Add noodles, pasta or rice, and tofu.  Toss well and cook a few minutes until sauce is mostly absorbed but dish is still saucy.  Taste for seasoning.  Sprinkle with nuts.

Makes 4-6 servings.

Bryanna’s “Breast of Tofu”

This marinade is so good, it actually has me excited about serving tofu to a meat-eater. I personally use poultry seasoning instead of sage, rosemary and thyme separately, and brown rice flour instead of whole wheat flour (the same as Julie Hasson prefers on “Everyday Dish.”) Guaranteed not to disappoint.

Bryanna’s “Breast of Tofu”

Marinade:
1 and 1/2 cups water

1/4 cup soy sauce

3 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes

2 teaspoons dried sage leaves, crumbled (or 2 T. fresh, chopped)

1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary (or 1/2 T. fresh)

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme (or 1/2 T. fresh, chopped)

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

Prepare the marinade by mixing all of the ingredients together in a 5 cup rigid plastic container with a tight lid. Slice the tofu about 1/4″ thick and place in the marinade so that it is fairly tightly-packed and covered with liquid. Cover and refrigerate for up to two weeks, shaking daily.

Bryanna’s Seasoned Flour:

Keep some of this in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator– you’ll find many uses for it.

2 cups unbleached flour or whole wheat, or other wholegrain flour

1/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon onion powder, optional

freshly-ground black pepper to taste.

Simply coat the slices in seasoned flour and pan-fry the slices over medium heat. You can also bake on cookie a sheet for 25-30 minutes at 400°F, turning after 15 minutes.

From EverydayDish.tv

Copyright © Bryanna Clark-Grogan

Tofu Parmigiana

I find pan-frying and baking to be too much work for an everyday meal, but it can be worth it when entertaining. This recipe serves 4, but for non-vegetarians I approximate half a package of tofu per person and therefore double the recipe. It’s basically pan-fried tofu smothered in cheese and tomato sauce. Try serving it with angel hair pasta, a crisp green salad and garlic bread.

1/2 cup bread crumbs

5 tbsp grated Parmesan

2 tsp dried oregano

sea salt and ground black pepper

1 package firm tofu

2 tbsp olive oil

1 8 oz can tomato sauce (or 1/2 jar of your favourite seasoned tomato sauce)

1/2 tsp dried basil

1 clove garlic, minced

4 oz shredded mozzarella

In a small bowl, combine bread crumbs, 2 tbsp Parmesan, 1 tsp oregano, salt and pepper.

Slice tofu into 1/4″ thick slices and place in bowl of cold water. One at a time, press tofu slices into crumb mixture, turning to coat all sides.

Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Cook tofu slices until crisp on one side. Drizzle with a bit more olive oil, turn and brown on the other side.

Combine tomato sauce, basil, garlic and remaining oregano. Place a thin layer of sauce in an 8-inch square baking pan. Arrange tofu slices in mozarella and remaining 3 tbsp Parmesan.

Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

(This recipe appears in the Allrecipes “Tried and True Quick and Easy” cookbook.)