Tofu Satay with Peanut Sauce

Are you a fan of delicious flavor?

This is the BEST recipe I've tried in a long time. The dish tasted like something you would get at a Thai restaurant. The peanut sauce is phenomenal; I've tried probably half a dozen peanut sauce recipes in the past, and never really liked any of them. This one is far and away the best I've tried. If you're not a tofu-lover, you could do the exact same recipe with chicken instead of tofu (just increase the cooking time a bit).

Step 1) Cook some brown rice. Steam some vegetables (I used broccoli and carrots).

Step 2) Prepare the tofu. Cut a block of extra-firm tofu into 1-inch cubes. Put them in a bowl with a cut-up red bell pepper. Marinate them for 15-20 minutes in a mixture of 2 T. soy sauce and 2 T. sesame oil.

Step 3) Make the peanut sauce. No cooking necessary. Just place the following ingredients into your blender or food processor and whir them up: 3/4 c. coconut milk, 1/2 c. peanut butter, 2 minced garlic cloves, 1 1/2 t. curry powder, 1 1/2 T. brown sugar, 1 T. fresh lime juice, 1 T. canola oil, 1 1/2 T. soy sauce.

Step 4) Pour 1/3 of the peanut sauce mixture over the tofu and red peppers. Spread the mixture, single-layered, into a baking dish. Bake 20-25 minutes in a 450-degree oven.

Step 5) Assemble. Brown rice plus steamed veggies plus baked tofu plus extra peanut sauce poured over the top. Top with crushed peanuts, if you like!

I'm not even messing around. This is so good.

Maca-tofu-roni and Cheese

I am aware that I am opening myself up to more mocking from Chris by posting this, but I can't resist: I'm thrilled with this recipe! I made it with whole-wheat rotini so it was the healthiest mac 'n' cheese I've ever had, nearly as quick and easy as the stuff in a box, and pretty yummy too.

10 to 12 ounces elbow macaroni (or other short pasta shape such as cavatappi)
12.3-ounce package silken tofu
2 tablespoons nonhydrogenated margarine
1 1/2 cups firmly packed grated sharp cheddar cheese
Salt to taste

Cook the macaroni in plenty of rapidly simmering water until al dente, then drain.

Meanwhile, puree the tofu until perfectly smooth in a food processor or blender. Transfer to a medium sauce pan and add the margarine and cheese. Slowly bring to a gentle simmer (NOT a boil), stirring often, then cook over low heat until the cheese is thoroughly melted.

Combine the cooked macaroni and sauce in a serving container and stir together. Season with salt to taste and serve at once.

VARIATION 1: For a little more kick, add any of the following you like to the sauce: 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, 2 t. cayenne pepper, a dash of hot sauce, 1 t. dry mustard, or a few twists of black pepper.

VARIATION 2: Top with seasoned breadcrumbs and bake in a casserole dish at 400 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the top is golden and crusty.

Tofu-Banana Pudding

I'm just so thrilled that "TOFU" has its own post label now :) Take that, Chris!

Sorry, I haven't actually tried this recipe yet but it's on my "to-try" list. I think it looks super-yummy. Liz, you should make it for Chris and then tell him that you made it without the tofu. But really make it with the tofu. He'll never even know...

Instant Banana Pudding
By Cathe Olson

2 tablespoons dairy, soy, rice, or almond milk
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
8 ounces firm or silken tofu, cut into chunks
2 medium bananas, sliced (about 1 3/4 cups)
1 1/2 tablespoons tahini
Pinch ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon maple syrup (optional, use only if needed)

Place all ingredients in a food processor or blender, and puree until smooth. Chill until firm. Top with chopped nuts if desired.

Yield: 4 servings

Note: Since there is not much liquid, it can be hard to get your puree going in a blender. Put the liquids in first, and cut the tofu and banana into small pieces. Don't add additional liquid or pudding will be soupy.

Variations:

Peanut Butter-Banana Pudding
Substitute peanut (or almond) butter for tahini.

Carob-Banana Pudding
Add 2 teaspoons carob powder and puree with other ingredients.

P.S. If you like this kind of thing, I got this recipe from the recipe section of Mothering Magazine.
Link to this page for tons of recipes that use vegetarian and organic ingredients. Some of them are kind of involved, but all quite healthy.

Stuffed Manicotti

Here's another tofu recipe. I didn't tell my family what was in it, and they all loved it.

8 dry manicotti noodles
16 oz soft tofu
1/2 t dried oregano
1/2 t dried thyme
1 t freshly minced basil
2 t freshly minced garlic
1/3 C freshly minced Italian parsley
1/4 t white pepper
salt
3 C spaghetti sauce
Fresh Italian parsley or basil for garnish

Preheat oven to 375 F. Cook pasta for 5 min in boiling water, rincse in cold water, and set aside, making sure that the manicotti are not stacked or overlapping.

In a large bowl mix the tofu, oregano, thyme, basil, garlic, parsley, and white pepper. Add salt to taste. Stuff the manicotti noodles with the filling and place into a shallow 8 x 8-inch greased baking dish. Pour the sauce over the manicotti and bake for 30 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbling. Garnish with the fresh herbs and serve.

Tofu 202: Tofu Stir Fry

OK. I don't have a recipe for this. But it's our favorite way to eat tofu. Here's the narrative:

Freeze the tofu, then cut it into 1-inch (or smaller, if you want it to cook faster) cubes. Place it in a marinade, which can contain ingredients like:

Soy sauce
Italian dressing
Cumin
Curry powder
Adobo
Garlic powder
Paprika
Sesame seeds
Store-bought marinades
Lemon juice

Sorry that's so vague, but you'll just want to choose the ingredients that most appeal to you. Use a base of soy sauce or other liquid marinade, then add the spices and extra ingredients that you like the most (or just what you have in hand).

Let the tofu soak up the marinade for at least half an hour. In a large saucepan, heat some olive oil and add chopped onions and garlic with a bullion cube. When the onion is golden, add the tofu to the saucepan. Let it cook on medium-high for 10-20 minutes...check the texture; when it's almost as firm as you want it, then add your choice of the following:

Canned water chestnuts
Frozen stir-fry vegetable blend
Fresh bell peppers, chopped
Broccoli, chopped
Whatever other vegetable you like

You will probably need to add a little more soy sauce when you put the vegetables in. Cook until everything is heated through and serve over rice.

Sorry this recipe was so vague and un-recipe-like. If you decide to attempt it, let me know if you have questions...

Tofu 201: Breakfast Burritos

1 pkg. pre-frozen firm tofu
1 can diced tomatoes
1 package taco seasoning (or whatever seasonings you prefer)
diced onions
olive oil
flour tortillas
grated cheese
hot sauce, if you like that kind of thing

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan; add the onions; cook until golden brown. Crumble the tofu into the pan. Cook for about five minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the diced tomatoes and seasonings; cook until it reaches your preferred consistency, stirring occasionally. (This can take as long as 20 minutes if you like your tofu very firm, but it will probably take less. Just keep your eye on it and taste it from time to time.) When it's done place some of the mixture on tortillas with grated cheese and hot sauce. Serve hot.

Tofu 102: Casserole Filling

To make a simple and versatile casserole component, simply do this:

Crumble pre-frozen tofu with your fingers, pressing the water out as you crumble it.
Add 2 cups of cottage cheese and mix well.

There! Now you can use this to make recipes like these--I don't have exact measurements for them because I have the recipes in my head. But they're not the kinds of recipes where it matters if you're exact

1) TOFU TORTILLA CASSEROLE.

1 can black beans
1 can corn
1 can diced tomatoes
diced onion
12-18 corn tortillas
grated cheese
olive oil
1 chicken bullion cube
1 package taco seasoning (or other seasonings--I use adobo, cilantro and cumin)

Put some olive oil in a saucepan until hot. Add the diced onion and bullion cube; cook until the onion is golden. Add the can of tomatoes and taco seasoning (or your preferred blend of seasoning) and mix well. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the tofu/cottage cheese mixture, can of black beans and can of corn. Add the cooked tomatoes and onion. Mix well.

In a glass baking dish, place a layer of the mixture on the bottom, followed by a layer of cheese. Place a layer of corn tortillas above, then a layer of mixture, then cheese, then tortillas...as many layers as you have mixture. Bake at 350 until everything is heated through--I don't know how long that takes. 30-45 minutes?

2) TOFU LASAGNA

Since someone posted a lasagna recipe below, I'm not going to rehash it because that recipe looks delicious...but you can use the tofu/cottage cheese mixture instead of the meat.

Tofu 101: Creamy Tofu Salad Sandwich

My easiest protein-rich tofu recipe. Maybe if you tell your husband it's egg salad sandwich, he'll believe you? I'm actually eating this as I write this post :)

1 pkg. firm tofu (NOT pre-frozen!)
1/2 c. light mayo (or less)
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. turmeric
1/2 tsp. mustard
2 ribs chopped celery
1/4 c. chives (? I've never added this)
1/4 tsp. salt and pepper

Mash the tofu with a fork. Place it in a colander and let it drain for 15 minutes. Then place all the ingredients in a mixing bowl, stir well, and serve on pitas, whole-wheat bread or wasa crackers.

(Possible substitution: If you don't have celery on hand, you can use canned corn--my husband and I always put corn in tuna sandwiches, a trick we learned in Brazil--if you like corn as much as I do. Which you might not. I don't know.)

Here Comes the Soy! (Intro)

All right, you asked for tofu (at least 3 of you did)...you get tofu! Sorry in advance; the fact is I'm a TRUE believer in soy and I'm always on the lookout for converts. I'm going to put a few recipes up but let me give you a couple of pieces of advice for working with tofu in case you never have.

1) Tofu becomes easier to work with and firmer if you freeze it before cooking it. Place a block of firm tofu in a large Ziploc bag and leave it in the freezer for a couple of hours. After it's frozen you can squeeze out the water before you cut it into pieces, or just squeeze it out as you crumble it with your hands (depending on the recipe). When I refer to "pre-frozen tofu," this is what I mean.

2) I know husbands are resistant to tofu, but it's possible to get them to like it...my husband is like 90 percent converted :) Since tofu tastes like whatever you season it with, it is a really easy food to get creative with. Try marinating it with your husband's favorite sauces and flavors, slipping it into casseroles as a meat substitute, or blending silken tofu with smoothies or desserts. I hope you get a chance to use one of these recipes!