Grilled Marinated Tofu with Stir Fry Vegetables

Grilled Tofu Stir Fry

This is a recipe from my files waiting to be posted.  Those of you who visit regularly know that last summer we were surprised by and immersed into a relocation 1,000 miles away.  As I was using up all the food in the refrigerator and freezer in anticipation of the moving trucks, I was also trying to use up the propane in our grill since propane cannot be transported by the moving companies and I didn't really want to travel 1000 miles with a full tank in my backseat either.   I was grilling everything in sight!  Including my tofu.  It was delicate, but oh so good!

Buy extra firm tofu and freeze it first.  Freeze it and then thaw it.  Freezing it changes the texture and makes it more firm and easy to cube and use.


Grilled Tofu Stir Fry (with marinade)

1 pkg. Tofu - EXTRA FIRM - previously frozen solid, then thawed
1 cup water
2 T soy sauce
1 1/2 T sugar
1 T salt
1 T rice wine vinegar (or white is fine)
1 t powdered chipotle pepper
1 t hickory smoke flavoring
1 t paprika
1 t garlic powder
1/2 t onion powder
1/2 t round black pepper
1 pkg. frozen stir fry vegetables of your choice

Mix ingredients and add the tofu.  Marinate the tofu for at least an hour or two. Remove from marinade, press gently to release some of the liquid.  Now, placing it on a few paper towels to absorb more liquid, cube it gently.

Tofu doesn't like to be grilled but it can be done.  I used an old pizza pan, oiled, and placed it on my grill.  If you have a non-stick grilling pan you are one step ahead of the game!  Grill the tofu cubes, carefully and gently turning to grill all sides.  Be careful, they are delicate.  OR if you just want to fry them, you can.  It's easier.  In a skillet add a little oil and over medium high heat add the tofu. Fry it without stirring or moving it more than you have to to give it a golden brown color and to make it 'crisp'.

When your tofu is done, set it aside and heat a pan on the stove with a tablespoon of oil.  Add the stir fry and quickly fry til hot.  Add the tofu, toss and serve.  The marinade gives it all the flavor it needs but some die-hard fans might want some soy sauce on the side if they like things really salty.

Citrus Tofu Pie

Spring is in the air! With Easter just around the corner you might be keeping your eye out for a light, citrus, refreshing dessert.  Now, what if it used tofu and safflower oil as well as honey, rolled oats and whole wheat flour? Healthy and tangy... that's what this pie is all about!

I love tofu and regularly keep it on hand in our house, but if you are new to purchasing it, look for it in your healthy/organic section of the grocery store or in the fresh fruit and vegetable department, usually next to the egg roll and wonton wrappers.

Citrus Tofu Pie

4 T butter
1 1/2 T honey
1/4 c whole wheat flour
3/4 raw rolled oats
dash salt
dash cinnamon
2 T crushed or minced almonds or walnuts
1/2 t vanilla

24 oz. firm tofu, drained
juice of 3 lemons
1/4 c fresh lime juice (about 3-4 limes)
2/3 c honey
1/3 c safflower oil
2 t vanilla
2 t ginger (powdered, ground)
dash salt
1 T cornstarch
Garnish: sliced almonds, non-fat whipped cream or lemon zest curls

Preheat oven to 350. Make the crust first by melting the butter and honey together and adding the rest of the crust ingredients and press into the bottom of a 9" springform pan or a pie pan. Make the filling by combining the tofu with the filling ingredients and mix in a blender or food processor to make sure the tofu is pure'ed until smooth. Pour into crust and bake about 30-35 minutes. Let cool completely to set up firm and then chill until ready to serve. Letting it chill completely for at least 4-8 hours helps it to set well. Garnish with your choice and serve!

Tofu Nuggets - Alternative to Chicken or Fish Nuggets

Unbreaded tofu cubes - frozen and thawed. Ready
for use as an alternative to fish or chicken

Ok... I'm a little embarrassed. I knew my 'Tofu Nuggets' recipe was easy... but I had forgotten just how easy it was. As I flipped through 10 of my handwritten notebooks last night searching for the right recipe (because I have a few of them but I knew the one I wanted was hand written, in pencil and scrawled in a quick, unorganized way on the page. When I saw it, I laughed.

It's been a couple years since I made this one... and could it really be that simple? Yes... apparently it can.


Without further adieu -


Tofu Nuggets

1 package Tofu, drained and frozen for a couple days and then thawed and cubed or sliced
Shake N' Bake bread crumbs
oil

Dip the cubed tofu nuggets into the breading mix. Place on an oiled baking sheet and bake at 350 approximately 15 minutes until golden.

Depending on the Shake N' Bake mix you use these are either copycats for chicken nuggets or fish sticks/nuggets. The first time I made these I had a friend visiting while I baked them and she, nor any of our 5 combined children could tell they were tofu. They all thought they were fish sticks! The condiment you choose (ketchup, honey mustard, tartar sauce) depends on the mix and what you want the tofu to taste like as the tofu takes on the flavor of the mix it's made with.

Eggless Egg Salad

Tonight I was thinking about a tofu recipe I used to make in 2001 when I was in the middle of a huge 'tofu' kick and used it almost weekly.  Although I didn't find the tofu nugget recipe I was looking for, I did find a lot of my old recipes and thought perhaps I'd post a few on the recipe blog. Right now with groceries being as expensive as they are, a lot of people will be turning to alternative ideas, and tofu is an excellent way to replace meat in a dish or in certain things, supplement the ground beef by using half and half. More on that one later! Right now let's start with an eggless egg salad recipe. Yum!


Eggless Egg Salad

1 pkg. silken tofu - firm or extra firm
3 T mayonnaise
1/4 t honey
1/4 t. turmeric
dash dry mustard
2 T sweet pickle relish
1 t capers, minced
2 T minced scallions (both green and white parts)
2 T minced celery
1/2 t minced fresh dill weed
dash pepper, dash of salt

Drain tofu and pat dry with paper towels to remove moisture. Grate the tofu with a cheese grater. Mix the rest of the ingredients together and then lightly stir and toss with the tofu. Refrigerate for 30-60 minutes to let the flavors meld.

Taco Salad with Baja Sauce

Tonight, in honor what is perhaps the last sunny, warm day until next March or April, we are having a salad. Granted, it's a taco salad - but it's a salad. Soon our bodies will be craving pasta, hot, filling casseroles, heavier fare and things to get us through -50 below temperatures. But today? 75 degree's and sunny. (Shall I mention that we are to have SNOW BY FRIDAY!?) Ugh. I know. I can't believe it either. Sigh...

Ok! Well, so tonight is taco salad and my daughters requested it be served with a Baja Sauce. Their wish is my command, and benefits you as well. There is a LOT of room to play with this recipe as you and your family see fit. Add, delete, adjust as you like. You know I expect you to! Play with your food! LOL.


Taco Salad with Baja Sauce


First - make the sauce so the flavor has time to meld before serving. If you can make it at least 6-12 hours ahead of time, great! But if not, that's ok too. Try to get at least 30 minutes of 'sitting' time if you can.

Sauce:
1/4 of a red bell pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped
1 large jalapeno, chopped in half
2 T diced Spanish onions
1 c mayonnaise
1 T vinegar
1/4 t black pepper
1 dash garlic powder
1 dash cumin

Blend and chill.


Now the salad!

1 head lettuce or a mixture of lettuces and spinach
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
8 oz. cheddar cheese, shredded
1 c cherry tomatoes or a large tomato, sliced
optional: black or green olives
optional: jalapeno slices
1/2 - 1 cup salsa
1/2 onion - diced, chopped or left in rings for the anti-onion people to pick out easier
1 lb. ground beef flavored with taco seasoning (can also use tofu or ground turkey!)
2 c tortilla chips - crushed and added at the last minute
Garnish: guacamole, sour cream and more salsa as well as the baja sauce

Toss. Serve!

A Good Example of How "Do Ahead" or "Make Ahead" or "Double" Cooking Works!

Tonights dinner was marinated grilled chicken, steamed broccoli and homemade spinach pasta. If you think I slaved over it, making the pasta by hand early today, marinating the chicken all afternoon and standing over a hot grill this evening you would be... mistaken.

With all my hints and helps you might be interested in seeing a time line for tonights meal;


5:00 pm - I'm laying on the couch - exhausted. Oh shoot, it's almost dinner time, I don't feel like making anything!

5:12 pm - started making dinner.

5:26 pm - dinner was on the table and we were sitting down eating.

5:49 pm - the kids were already out the door to play with friends, stomachs filled, hands washed, plates cleared.



The chicken; Last week when I was grilling burgers for dinner I didn't waste 'time' on the grill so I opened a bag of frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts and partially grilled them about 1/2 - 3/4 done while were eating dinner. After they briefly cooled I put them back in the freezer bag, poured a marinade (leftover from tofu a couple weeks before and frozen until I needed some!) over them and put them in the freezer. Tonight I took them out and microwaved them until they were done (about 15 minutes).

Spinach Pasta: I took just a couple hours one afternoon to make pasta. I made spinach pasta, squash pasta and original plain pasta. I bagged them separately in gallon sized baggies and have kept them in the freezer. Tonight I grabbed a bag, boiled water and dumped them in. There is no pasta in the world as good as homemade pasta!

The broccoli - organic broccoli I bought frozen in bulk from Costco that comes in 4 individual bags. I opened a bag and steamed it while I microwaved the chicken breasts and boiled the pasta.

Good Morning! Time for Waffles with a Tofu topping!

I was flipping through an old issue of Delicious Living, which is a free magazine you can pick up in most organic sections of your local grocery store and I saw the most yummy looking picture! It caught my I think in part, because I have been craving whole grain waffles lately and have 'told' myself I was going to make them at many different times over the past couple months but I admit, haven't yet gotten around to doing so. We aren't big 'breakfast' people in our house and honestly we just don't eat breakfast very often.

Well, if you do eat waffles (more often than I do) and you are looking for a healthy topping for them, look no further! How about this all natural creamy tofu based one?

Tofu Waffle Syrup

1 pound silken tofu
3 T almond butter
3 T pure maple syrup
1 t vanilla
pinch of salt
soy milk

Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor and whirl until smooth. Add soy milk to achieve the thickness or thinness you desire. Serve immediately over warm waffles.

Mexican Lasagna with Photos

In December of 2006 I posted this recipe on my site and pointed out that I really wanted to make sure everyone knew they could improvise! Mixture of ground beef and/or turkey or even tofu! And the chilies? Leave them out... add more... what do YOU like?


Mexican Lasagna

1 lb. Ground Beef (try a turkey, tofu - mixture!)
1 envelope taco seasoning
1 t seasoned salt
1 can diced tomatoes or about 1 cup fresh diced (I have also used habanero pepper diced tomatoes! Hot and spicy and oh so good!)
15 oz. can tomato sauce ( or 2 - 8 oz.)
1 - 4 oz. can green chilies (leave out if you use habanero pepper Rotel tomatoes or you can use jalapenos too if you like)
1 c ricotta or cottage cheese
2 eggs, beaten
10 flour tortillas
2 1/2 cups shredded cheese

Cook the ground beef and drain. Add taco seasoning, seasoned salt, tomatoes, tomato sauce and chilies. Mix and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes.

Mix the ricotta cheese and eggs in a bowl. Preheat your oven to 350. Spread half of the meat mixture in a 9X13 pan. Rip your flour tortillas in half and lay about 5 of them down on top of the meat mixture to cover, overlapping if necessary. Spread half of the cheese mixture over the tortillas. Sprinkle with half of the shredded cheese. Repeat layers. Bake uncovered about 20-30 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes to 'set up' before slicing into squares. Serve with salsa and sour cream if desired.

Layer the tortillas

Lay the flat side of the flour tortillas against the flat side of the pan

Use whatever mixture of cheese that you and your family like!
Cheddar and Monterey Jack is a great mixture!

Quick Fried Rice

Quick Fried Rice

Not as good as my other fried rice recipe made with marinated tofu, but it's a quick fix when you love fried rice as much as I do!

1 1/2 tablespoons oil
3 cups leftover cooked rice
1/2 to 1 cup leftover meat or seafood
6 green onions, chopped
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1/4 - 1/2 c frozen peas
2 eggs
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 - 1 teaspoon sugar

Heat oil in skillet on stove over medium heat. Add rice and cook, stirring, about 5 minutes. Add meat, green onions and ginger.

Push rice mixture to side. Break eggs into middle of skillet and scramble. Stir into rice mixture. Add soy sauce and sugar. Stir in peas. Cook, stirring, 1 minute.

Fried Rice with Tofu

This is one of my all time favorite foods. If I had to pick a top ten this would probably be in it. Because of the steps involved and the ingredients I use, it's usually made a day or two after we have a certain santa fe salad because I use the same marinade for both. Kel, this one is for you since I know you like vegetarian meals.

Marinade:

1 cup water
2 T soy sauce
1 1/2 T sugar
1 T salt
1 T rice wine vinegar (or white is fine)
1 t powdered chipotle pepper
1 t hickory smoke flavoring
1 t paprika
1 t garlic powder
1/2 t onion powder
1/2 t round black pepper

Mix and add;

1 block firm tofu that has been frozen solid previously, (can be frozen or thawed when you add it to the marinade)

Marinate the tofu for at least 1 day either in the freezer or refrigerator


Fried Rice:

2 packages Sun Bird Fried Rice seasoning mix
oil
6 cups cooked, cold rice
6 green onions, sliced on diagonal
4 t soy sauce
4 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 c frozen peas


Get out your tofu and hopefully, by the freezing process it is now more firm and can be cut with a knife. Certain brands work better than others so if it's not firm enough to cube, then just leave it a whole block the best you can even if it's mushy that is ok. If you CAN slice it, cube it gently. Throw away the extra marinade or use it for chicken if you are not a vegetarian.

In a skillet add a little oil and over medium high heat add the tofu. Fry it without stirring or moving it more than you have to to give it a golden brown color and to make it 'crisp'. If you had to fry the whole block because it was too soft to cut, just gently break it apart into large chucks and fry them to make them crisp and golden.

Remove to a warming plate and try not to snack on them too much or they will be gone and you will have none for your fried rice! (Yes, I'm serious. I've ate an entire block of tofu cubes this way while making the rest of this recipe).

In a very large skillet add more oil and stir fry the rice and green onions. Add the seasoning packets and the soy sauce. Stir fry about 1 minute and then push the rice to the side of the pan and pour in the beaten eggs. Scramble and mix into the rice. Add the pea's and cook until heated through. Add the tofu last as you don't want to stir much after the tofu has been added.

Serve.

Mexican Lasagna

Mexican Lasagna

It's a recipe that my entire family loves and we have it fairly often. I recently posted it on my blog and it got rave reviews. Enjoy!


1 lb. Ground Beef
1 envelope taco seasoning
1 t seasoned salt
1 can diced tomatoes or about 1 cup fresh diced
2 - 8 oz. cans tomato sauce
1 - 4 oz. can green chilies
1 c ricotta or cottage cheese
2 eggs, beaten
10 flour tortillas
2 1/2 cups shredded cheese

Cook the ground beef and drain. Add taco seasoning, seasoned salt, tomatoes, tomato sauce and chilies. Mix and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes.

Mix the ricotta cheese and eggs in a bowl. Preheat your oven to 350. Spread half of the meat mixture in a 9X13 pan. Rip your flour tortillas in half and lay about 5 of them down on top of the meat mixture to cover, overlapping if necessary. Spread half of the cheese mixture over the tortillas. Sprinkle with half of the shredded cheese. Repeat layers. Bake uncovered about 20-30 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes to 'set up' before slicing into squares. Serve with salsa and sour cream if desired.

*Note*
Recipes are NEVER mandatory as written. Use a mixture of ground turkey and beef, or tofu in place of the meat if you want. Mix the shredded cheeses or just use monterey jack or just cheddar. Use corn tortillas if you prefer, but the flour tortillas take the place of the lasagna noodles and are more pasta-like. Have fun with it!