Pan-seared sesame tofu cutlets

I don't have a good record with tofu. I don't like working with it. But every few years I make the attempt. In June, I found tofu on sale, on clearance, at Target so I figured I'd give it another go.

I bought two blocks. The first ended up cubed for a curry stir fry.

This one had the usual tribulations. I started with a pound of tofu, I think.

I pressed, drained and sliced the tofu. Pressing typically involves sandwiching the tofu between two plates with a heavy pile of books on top. I use vegetarian cookbooks.

I screwed up the marinade, so this is an approximation.

- 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
- about 3 tablespoons Newman's Own Sesame Ginger Salad Dressing
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 3/4 teaspoon curry powder
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 cup Iron Chef orange ginger sauce

I marinated for two hours.

For the coating, I mixed 50% corn flake crumbs and 50% sesame seeds. It stuck nicely because of the high oil content in the marinade.

I preheated my Le Creuset skillet with canola over medium heat. Half of them fried perfectly, some lost their breading but not nearly as many as I usually mangle. My husband said they were good. My daughter didn't like the high volume of seeds. And I forgot to eat some before I left for work.

Curried tofu

I grabbed a chunk of tofu out of the freezer last night. I haven't prepared tofu in years, but it was cheap at Target...

I pressed it between two plates stacked with cookbooks to weigh it down. For about two hours, draining periodically.

I decided on Eileen Breslin's curried tofu recipe from the vegan cooking class I took with her. About a decade ago. She got it from "Tofu Cookery."

- 1.5 pounds extra firm tofu, drained and cubed
MARINADE
- 1.5 tablespoons peanut butter (I used 2 teaspoons peanut butter and 2 teaspoons tahini)
- 1/4 cup oil (I used canola)
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce (I used two, and used the low sodium)
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon curry powder (shoot-- I think I used more)
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Marinate at least one hour. Spread on oiled cookie sheet and bake at 375 for ten minutes, turn and repeat.

Now she suggests serving with a sauce of:
- 1 cup water
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon corn starch

Heat, stirring, until thickened. Then top with slivered almonds.

The great tofu gratin experiment

Deep breath...

This one could suck.

I started with a favorite recipe:
http://angelfoodcooking.blogspot.com/2009/11/steak-au-poivre-with-cauliflower.html
as developed by the chefs at Wegmans.

Today, I mixed the following:

• 8 ounces vanilla almond milk
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 block soft silken tofu
• 10 ounces frozen spinach, thawed in the microwave with some water

When that got whirred together, I added

• 16 ounces cauliflower
• About 6 ounces shredded cheddar

I oiled my Le Creuset skillet with some walnut oil from my mom. And poured it inside. Back 40 minutes at 350 degrees, stirring at the midpoint.

Well, the jury is out.
I cooked it for about an hour and it's still got a layer of water to it, because the ingredients didn't solidify like animal products. By husband said it looked good and sunk a fork into it and called it 'bland.' So I tried it. It wasn't bland, it was rich with nutmeg and a hint of nut flavor. He says we just need to put it over rice to absorb that watery layer.

I say he can do it and take it for lunch.

I'm so disappointed.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie

I clipped this recipe from a Vegetarian Times in November 2000. I tried it because I was intimidated by a real cheesecake and liked the healthy aspects of it. What I didn't count on was A. The deliciousness and B. My family giving me a reputation for a "pumpkin custard" almost as good as Memmy's.

The crust is a cookie crust, which they suggest a graham cracker crust made with canola margarine. My husband made a ginger snap crust last night... (See earlier post.)

And I realized this morning as I began to type this recipe that I forgot the tofu! Last minute trip to the grocery store at 7:45 a.m...

Pie filling:

• 1 pound silken tofu (I use Mori-Nu, silken, firm. Although this year... I think I bought soft. Poop.)
• 15 ounces solid-pack pumpkin
• 1/2 cup soy cream cheese (Better than Cream Cheese); I'm not making it vegan this year so I'm using real cream cheese
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon all spice (I rarely use all spice)
  
• 1/4 ground cloves

1. Position oven rack in the middle of oven and preheat to 350 degrees.

2. If you haven't already, make a pie crust.

3. Combine ingredients in a food processor, starting with the tofu, then the pumpkin.

4. Add filling to a cool crust and bake 45 minutes.

5. Turn oven off and let pie rest without opening door for an hour. Transfer to wire rack to cool completely. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or at least eight hours.

So... because I bought soft tofu instead of firm:
I used 12 ounces of silken soft tofu and the whole block of cream cheese, hoping that would help it firm.

And for some odd reason, I added 1/4 teaspoon ginger to the recipe. I thought the recipe called for it. Don't know what I was thinking.

I also reduced the sugar to about 2/3 cup because I ran out and didn't feel like opening the new bag. Maybe this blog should be "lazy cooking."

Amy's Tofu Scramble

One of my dear girlfriends has invited me shopping, or perhaps she suggested lunch and I turned it into window shopping... Because I don't have any money. So, my daughter and I are splitting an Amy's Tofu Scramble. (And Dad gets one of his own. I only have two.) I think these are very yummy. "Made with organic tofu, red peppers and Shiitake mushrooms." Tons of sodium, but 11 g protein, 6 g fat (no sat), 20% RDA vit C, 4% vit A and calcium. So in a pinch, a tasty meal substitute.