If you are new to veganism, this video may be of interest to you. Radha Tabak, who is a personal chef explains what tofu, tempeh and seitan are and when it’s best to use each of them. They are all quite different in texture and taste so it can be tricky when you are just switching over to a meat free diet to know how to cook and season each one. Below the video I’ve linked to a few of my favorite recipes, in case this video inspires you to get cooking!
All posts tagged tofu
Kid-friendly Dinner: Tofu Strips with Sweet Potato Fries
You probably don’t think of tofu as a finger food, but after trying these tasty tofu strips you just might! My three year old loves this dinner because she can eat everything with her fingers. It takes very little time to prepare and you can be creative with the sauce, I served this with a sweet chili/soy sauce, but it would also go well with honey mustard, sweet and sour or whatever your favorite sauce is.
Tofu Strips:
Ingredients:
2 (14 ounce) blocks of tofu
2 Tbsp of olive oil
1 cup of panko
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
2 Tbsp flaxmeal
1 Tbsp of garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
Directions:
1. Drain the tofu and place it between 2 plates to get rid of the excess water (about 30 minutes)
2. In a large sauce pan, heat the olive oil.
3. In a shallow bowl mix the rest of the ingredients together.
4.Cut the tofu in half lengthwise then slice it into roughly 1 inch strips. Dip the tofu into the panko mixture (coating all of it) and put it into the pan, fry on all sides about 2 or 3 minutes each.
Sweet Potato Fries:
Ingredients:
2 sweet potatoes or yams, peeled
3 Tbsp of olive oil
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 450F.
2. Slice the sweet potatoes (or yams) vertically into thin slices.
3. On a cookie sheet spread the olive oil all around so that it coats the pan. Then spread out the sweet potato slices so that there is very little overlap.
4. Cook for about 25-35 minutes turning half way through. I like mine a little crispy so I leave them in longer.
Mexican Tofu Scramble
I must make this tofu scramble at least once a week. This recipe is aptly named as it is the perfect recipe for the 6 pm scramble to get dinner on the table. Just a few minutes of chopping and stirring and you’ve got dinner! I like a little kick to this meal so I add in a good amount of jalapenos, if you don’t like it spicy just cut the amount in half but it adds a nice flavor so I wouldn’t omit them entirely.
Ingredients:
2-16 oz. firm tofu, pressed between two plates for 15 minutes, then drained
1 Tbsp ground cumin
1 Tbsp ground chili powder
1 Tbsp of nutritional yeast
1 tsp. salt
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 cup chopped green onions
3 garlic cloves, minced, (I use a microplane shredder for this)
1-1/2 cup chopped red bell peppers
1-1/2 cup chopped orange peppers
1/4 cup of chopped jalapenos, roughly chopped
Directions:
1. Set tofu on a plate and put another plate on top for about 30 minutes to get some of the liquid out.
2. Cut tofu in cubes and place in a big bowl. Add cumin, chili powder nutritional yeast and cilantro, mix together (I just use my hands and get it real crumbly) and set aside for at least 30 minutes.
3. Heat oil in a deep pan, saute onions for five minutes. Add garlic and saute for another 2 minutes, then add peppers and jalapenos and saute for about five more minutes or until the peppers have softened.
4. Add in the tofu and mix with the garlic, peppers and onions, once it’s combined let it cook for about 5 minutes stirring only once to mix everything together. Then, stir and cook for about 3 minutes more. Serves 4.
