April is National Soy Foods Month and I thought I’d share one of my favorite ways to enjoy tofu. This recipe even calls for the pre-cooked kind, not the kind in water that you have to drain. Super easy to slice and already seasoned. Rolling them can be a little bit of a challenge but I found that video was really helpful. Continue reading “Spicy Tofu and Avocado Maki Rolls”
I discovered tofu lettuce wraps years ago at PF Changs and boy were they tasty! Most recently for the past two years I’ve been visiting the True Food Kitchen near me in Virginia and they have the most amazing tofu lettuce wraps. I finally just got around to creating my own and I’m in love.
TIP – make sure to use the tofu that comes vacuum sealed like the Wildwood brand or Trader Joes also has this and has new sriracha flavor. This tofu is not in water and is very firm, so easy to chop into small pieces.
Makes 6
Ingredients
Vegetable oil
6oz package of vacuum sealed tofu (not the kind in water), diced very small
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
3 Tbsp soy sauce or tamari
1 Tbsp rice vinegar
1/2 cup whole cashews, roughly chopped
1/3 cup chopped water chestnuts (from a can)
1/3 cup chopped scallions
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 a fresh lime
6 small ice berg or butter lettuce leaves
Toppings
Avocado Slices
Sriracha
Method
In a small bowl mix soy sauce and vinegar and set aside.
Lightly coat a skillet with the oil and warm over medium heat, then add tofu. Saute 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned all around.
Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Stir in soy sauce and vinegar mixture.
Add water chestnuts, cashews, and scallions and cook 3-4 minutes.
Add cilantro and squeeze lime juice over the mixture. Stir to combine and remove from heat.
Spoon mixture into lettuce cups and garnish with avocado slices and sriracha and serve.
Smooth and creamy chocolate mousse made vegan by using silken tofu as the base. I like to think that since the tofu has protein it makes this even a bit healthy!
For the ingredients I recommend almond or soy milk. Skip some of the others like rice milk which is too watery. If you’re doing this totally vegan, look for vegan chocolate chips. Regular semi-sweet chocolate chips typically contain some milk. Most importantly, the best tofu is Mori-Nu silken tofu in firm or extra-firm (also comes in Lite). This is the shelf stable silken tofu found with the Asian foods. If you can’t find this there is sometimes a refrigerated silken tofu with all the other kinds of tofu but the package is bigger so the other ingredients need to be adjusted accordingly.
Now for the super easy recipe…
Makes 4-5 servings
Ingredients
1 package Mori-Nu Firm or Extra-Firm Silken Tofu
3/4 cup Almond Milk
1 cup Chocolate Chips
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
Directions
Place almond milk and chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl and heat about 1 minute depending on your microwave. Stir together until chocolate chips are dissolving in milk, you should now have a rich chocolate milk. If necessary, heat a bit a longer. Let the mixutre cool for a few minutes.
Add chocolate mixture, tofu, and vanilla to a food processor or blender and process until pureed. This is important: taste the mixture to make sure you don’t a have a tofu taste since all brands are different. If it’s not chocolaty enough you can melt some more chocolate chips and add it but don’t add any more milk or it won’t set properly.
Pour into 4-5 ramekins or small dishes. It will set better this way than if it’s in one big bowl. Chill 2-3 hours and it’s ready to eat!
Cinco de Mayo is just around the corner so it couldn’t be a better time for perfecting some of those Mexican inspired recipes, of course done vegan and healthy. When I teach cooking classes people always ask me for tips on cooking tofu. I think getting the right texture is the biggest challenge when cooking with tofu. In this recipe I’ve used one of my secret weapons, the vacuum packed tofu that’s already been pressed. Not the kind in water that you have to drain and press yourself. This way you cut out a step and the tofu already has that firm texture. You definitely wouldn’t a watery, mushy mess of tofu in your tacos. Yuck.
I love the House Foods Vacuum Packed Tofu, and the Cutlet is great too because it also has a “skin” on it, as well as great texture. And bonus – they’re CERTIFIED ORGANIC and NON-GMO CERTIFIED. So, so important when buying soy products. You can read more about GMO’s (Genetically Modified Organisms) on the Non-GMO Project site.
Makes 4 tacos
Ingredients
1 Tbsp cumin
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp chipotle powder or cayenne (optional)
2 tsp low-sodium soy sauce (or gluten-free tamari)
1 8oz. package vacuum packed tofu such as House Foods (not the kind in water)
1/4 cup diced onion (or add 1/2 tsp onion powder to spices)
4 crispy taco shells, warmed in the oven
Fixins: Avocado (mashed with a pinch of salt), pico de gallo, shredded lettuce, hot sauce
Method
Mix spices in a bowl, then add soy sauce. Crumble tofu into the bowl and mix with a fork to further break up tofu and thoroughly coat with spices.
Heat a skillet sprayed with cooking spray or lightly coated with oil. Add tofu and onion. Cook over medium-heat, stirring a few times, for about 5-8 minutes. Spoon into tacos shells and pile on the fixins!
