tofu | The Sweet Life

Baja Faux-Fish Tacos

May 3, 2013 11 Comments

fishtacos2 I made these Faux-Fish Tacos some time ago. I planned on posting them after my April Fools Day Post to offer up an alternative to the Fruit Loop Tacos that I pretended to think were awesome. But life happened and these photos remained untouched on my camera, the recipe buried deep inside my book of chaotic scribbles titled “Kitchen Experiments”.

Then last week when I remembered Cinco de Mayo was coming up, I figured it was the perfect time to dig up my notes, touch up the photos, and finish this post.

And I really can’t imagine a better way to enjoy Cinco de Mayo than with a plate full of Baja Faux-Fish Tacos.

And of course a Margarita.

tacos4 Beer-Battered “Fish” Tacos
serves 4

8-12 small corn or flour tortillas

Tofu Faux Fish
20 oz extra firm tofu
12 oz pale or amber beer
1 cup flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder

canola oil for frying

Red Cabbage Slaw
2 cups red cabbage, shredded
2 tbsp cilantro, minced
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tsp agave nectar

Toppings
Cashew Sour Cream
2 limes
extra cilantro
hot sauce of choice

Procedure:

Empty beer into a shallow container. Cut tofu into 2” pieces and marinate in beer for at least one hour.

Meanwhile assemble the Cashew Sour Cream according to directions and the Red Cabbage Slaw by combining all the ingredients in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Combine flour, cornmeal, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, and salt in a large bowl. Once tofu has marinated, remove pieces from beer and toss in flour mixture to coat.

Heat canola oil in a medium sauce pan until very hot – you want about 1/2 inch of oil filling the bottom of the pan. Reduce heat and carefully add coated tofu in batches. Fry until golden brown, turning once. Remove from oil, place on a towel to let excess oil drip and repeat until all the tofu is done.

tacos5 Assemble the tacos by placing about 4 pieces of fried tofu on the bottom of a corn or flour tortilla. Add a heaping spoonful of Red Cabbage Slaw and top with Cashew Sour Cream, cilantro, fresh lime juice, and hot sauce of choice.

Eat immediately.

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fishtacos3 Question of the Day:

Do you have any plans for Cinco de Mayo?

I’m taking a long weekend and heading up to Seattle with the family. On Saturday I’ll be take engament photos for very special friends which will be followed by meeting and sharing a meal with one of my favorite bloggers Vegan Richa. That’s right, Vegan Richa is making me food. Are you jealous?

Smoky Barbecue Bowl

April 8, 2013 19 Comments

When I first moved to Portland I was quick to find The Bye and Bye, an all vegan bar and restaurant that serves some amazing soul food. One bite of BBQ tofu and I was hooked on it. I went to The Bye and Bye weekly, ordered a BBQ bowl and an IPA, and enjoyed the evenings of my youth.

I haven’t been to The Bye and Bye for awhile. The last time I went was my 29th birthday. I had just come from 4+ hour of getting tattooed and certainly wasn’t in the mood for a celebration.* However I remember that birthday as feeling young and crazy.

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Then I got pregnant, had a baby, and turned 30. Now I don’t go to ~~The Bye and Bye~~ out. So I brought The Bye and Bye home by this recreation of the Barbecue Bowl. And now that I’m thirty (one), I’d much rather not shout over loud music while I eat or wait in line to use the bathroom. Home with Eden and Jason is exactly where I want to be.

*Don’t get a 4+ hour tattoo on your birthday, get a massage.

Smoky Barbecue Bowl
vegan & gluten-free
serves 2:

1 cup brown rice, cooked (1/2 cup dry)
8 ounces extra firm tofu, drained and pressed
2-3 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 cup black eye peas
1/2 bunch kale
1 tsp lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 avocado
1/2 batch Barbecue Sauce (recipe below)

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Barbecue Sauce
adapted from Vegan Comfort Food by Alicia Simpson
makes about 2 cups

1/4 cup white onion, diced
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cups ketchup
1/2 cup molasses
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup vegan Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp liquid smoke
pinch of cayenne

Heat olive oil over medium heat. Add diced onions and saute until translucent. Let cool. Combine all the ingredients in a food processor or blender and puree until smooth. Store in the refrigerator.

Barbecue Tofu:
Cut tofu into 1” cubes and place in a shallow container. Add 1 cup of barbecue sauce and stir to combine. Allow tofu to marinate for at least 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Remove tofu from excess barbecue sauce, saving extra sauce, and transfer to a small bowl. Add nutritional yeast and mix to coat. Place tofu on baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, flip tofu over, top with remaining barbecue sauce, and return to oven for another 10-15 minutes until browned and chewy.

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Making the Barbecue Bowl:

1. Heat up black eye peas in a saucepan over medium heat. Add about 1/4 cup barbecue sauce and stir to coat.

2. Steam kale until slightly soft. Mix with lemon juice, salt and pepper.

3. Assemble bowl by placing rice on the bottom. Top with black eyed peas, BBQ tofu, and steamed kale. Finish with a few slices of avocado.

4. Add extra barbecue sauce, hot sauce, or nutritional yeast to taste.

5. Enjoy

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Do you have a favorite place to eat or meal to order?

Now that I don’t go to The Bye and Bye much, my new favorite meal (that I must work on replicating) is the Bistro Beet Burger at Portobello. Oh Myyyyy!

You might also like:

Smoky Red and Black Bean Chili

Spaghetti Squash and “Meatballs”

Lemon Pepper Quinoa Pasta with Blackened Tofu

Lemon Pepper Pasta with Blackened Tofu

Quinoa Stir Fry with Peanut Ginger Sauce

Filed Under: dinner Tagged With: bbq, dinner, gluten-free meals, southern, tofu

Cuban Breakfast Burrito

March 18, 2013 Leave a Comment

burrito4

I used to eat a Cuban Breakfast Burrito every day.

A couple years ago when I worked at Whole Foods I would occasionally bring one of these for my 10:00 lunch (a fairly normal lunch time when you’re a baker). On weekends I would make a large batch and and freeze them for an easy grab and go lunch options. When I got pregnant, these burritos became a great way to load up on the breakfast proteins so I amped up the production and made sure to never run out. And for about 6 months I ate burritos.

About month 7 of pregnancy I was over it. I never wanted to see another black beans or hear the word plantain or taste another sweet potato. Yep, seriously over it. It was around this time that I also swore off protein bars and calcium chews (still can’t handle either).

So when I was craving one of these Cuban Breakfast Burritos last week, it came as a bit of a surprise. Perhaps after 14 pregnancy-free months things are starting to get back to normal…

burrito5

Cuban Breakfast Burritos
makes 4

4 large flour tortillas
1 14.5 ounce can of black beans (or 1 1/2 cups fresh cooked black beans), drained and rinsed
1 avocado
1 large plantain
1 medium sweet potato
1-2 tbsp olive oil
2-3 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
salt and pepper

Tofu Scrambled “Eggs”
1 12 ounce block of regular firm tofo
1 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp yellow mustard
1 tsp Braggs Liquid Amino Acids
1/4 cup nutritional yeast

Extras (optional)
Pico de gallo or fresh salsa
cashew sour cream
vegan cheese (I use Daiya)

burrito2

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line 2 baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and set aside.

Peel and chop plantains and sweet potatoes into small bite-sized pieces. Toss in 1-2 tbsp olive oil, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper and lay on prepared baking sheets in a single layer. Bake for 20 minutes, turning once until vegetables are partially tender. Remove from oven and set aside.

Turn oven down to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

To make the tofu “eggs”, crumble tofu in a small bowl with a fork or your fingers until it resembles ricotta cheese. Add lemon juice, mustard, Braggs, and nutritional yeast and mix to combine.

Assemble in this order:

Tortilla
Black beans
Sweet potatoes and plantains
Tofu scrambled “eggs”
Avocado
Vegan cheese (optional)

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Roll burritos up. Place on baking sheet and bake 20-25 minutes, flipping once, until crispy on the outside. Remove from oven, top with cashew sour cream, pico de gallo, or your favorite salsa.

Enjoy morning, noon, and night!

(but not every day for 6 months straight)

Orange Creamsicle Smoothie

March 8, 2013 2 Comments

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Good news! Eden doesn’t hate my Vita-Mix anymore.

I have been slowly warming her up to the machine by preparing her well in advance to the noises and, more often than not, treating her to tastes new and delicious when the Vita-Mix finally comes to a stop.

This is great because now that Eden and I both love my new blender I can use it ALL THE TIME. In addition to finishing up the recipes for the cookbook, we have been enjoying many morning smoothies such as this one. This Orange Creamsicle Smoothie is great because not only is it super simple to make, refreshing and delicious, but each serving has 10 grams of protein!

And if the tofu frightens you, fear not. While it creates a thick, creamy texture the taste remains undetected, soaked up by the citrusy orange and the sweet vanilla.

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Orange Creamsicle Smoothie
serves 2

6 ounces Mori-Nu Silken Tofu, firm or extra firm
1 (6 oz) container non-dairy vanilla yogurt (I used Silk Soy Yogurt)
1.5-2 cups orange juice (depending on desired thickness and flavor)

In a food processor or blender combine tofu and yogurt, blending until smooth. With motor running, add orange juice to desired taste.

Serve immediately.

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You might also like:

Coconut Lime Cream Pie

Chocolate Dipped Strawberry Creamsicle

Orange Creamsicle

Chocolate Banana Smoothie

Filed Under: breakfast, drinks Tagged With: breakfast, creamsicle, orange, smoothie, tofu

Mushroom and Swiss Chard Frittata

July 9, 2012 3 Comments

Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. Because I spent so many years skipping breakfast to make it to work by 5:30 a.m., I can now fully appreciate taking my time for a good, hearty meal to start the day and with Swiss chard in my farm crate I knew I would be making a frittata this week.

Mushroom and Swiss Chard Frittata
serves two

1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 small yellow onion, sliced thin
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 bunch swiss chard, chopped
4-5 large cremini mushrooms

4-5 ounces extra firm tofu
1/3 cup nutritional yeast
1/4 cup vegan mozzarella cheese, shredded (I use Daiya)
2 tsp dijon mustard
1/2 tsp tumeric
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly oil a small baking dish or loaf pan.

In a small bowl crumble the tofu until it is the texture of ricotta cheese. Add nutritional yeast, vegan cheese, mustard, turmeric, salt, and pepper. Mix until well combined. Set aside.

Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent . Add garlic and cook for another minute. Add mushrooms and chard and saute for five minutes.

Mix vegetables into tofu mixture until uniformly combined. Firmly pack frittata mixture into baking dish smoothing over the top.

Bake for 15-20 minutes, until frittata starts to brown on top. Remove from oven and let sit for 10 minutes. Once cooled turn baking dish upside down to release frittata.

Enjoy!

What’s your favorite breakfast dish? Are you a sweet or savory morning eater?

Filed Under: breakfast, gluten-free meals Tagged With: breakfast, gluten-free meals, seasonal, tofu, Vegetables

Quinoa Stir Fry with Ginger Peanut Sauce

June 25, 2012 3 Comments

I posted this picture a couple weeks back in one of my Crate Full of Veggies blogs and was recently reminded I had never gotten the recipe up! So here it is. This seasonal stir fry is one of my favorite ways to use both quinoa and broccoli. And how can you go wrong when ginger peanut sauce is involved?

Quinoa Stir Fry with Ginger Peanut Sauce
gluten-free
serves 2
prep time: 35 minutes

1/2 cup quinoa
3/4 cup water

1 tbsp oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium-sized head of broccoli, chopped
2 carrots, cut into thin strips
1/2 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips

Ginger Peanut Sauce
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp natural peanut butter
1/4 cup water
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp rice vinegar
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated

fresh cilantro or basil
peanuts

Optional: 4-6 ounces extra firm tofu cut into thin slices and prepared in my super secret, super lazy way
or my other lazy way: 1/2 package marinated, ready to eat tofu:

or really any way you like to prepare tofu.

Rinse the quinoa several times and add it to boiling water. Cook covered for about 20-30 minutes, until water has evaporated and quinoa is light and fluffy. Leave covered, with heat off, for an additional ten minutes.

While quinoa is cooking, get to work on the vegetables. Heat oil in a cast iron skillet or heavy-bottom pan. Add garlic and saute for 30 seconds, until fragrant. Toss in the remaining vegetables and stir fry until just tender. Do not over cook. They taste a lot better when there is still a snap to them. Remove from heat and set aside.

Mix the ingredients for peanut sauce together. Because I don’t like cleaning my blender and I never can fully mix it with a fork, I place all the ingredients in a small mason jar with a lid and shake it for several minutes. I found it to be the easiest, cleanest way for peanut sauce. Once well combined, pour over vegetables and stir to combine.

Serve over cooked quinoa and top fresh cilantro, peanuts and tofu (if desired).

I hope you all had a great summer weekend!

Filed Under: dinner, gluten-free meals Tagged With: dinner, gluten-free meals, quinoa, seasonal, tofu, Vegetables

Baja Faux-Fish Tacos

Smoky Barbecue Bowl

Cuban Breakfast Burrito

Orange Creamsicle Smoothie

Mushroom and Swiss Chard Frittata

Quinoa Stir Fry with Ginger Peanut Sauce

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