Chow Vegan

Roasted Tofu in Lemon Sauce

April 27, 2015 By chow 18 Comments

Noticed something different?

Long overdue, the ol’ blog finally has a new look. Google made me do it with all that mobilegeddon talk (nothing like a deadline to get me off of my bum). Please excuse the ongoing work while I continue updating and tweaking, and if you see anything wonky, please let me know.

Meanwhile, back in the kitchen, I have a bounty of freshly picked backyard lemons to use up. As I’m not a big lemonade drinker, I figured I would make lemon tofu. It’s basically roasted tofu cubes tossed in Chinese lemon sauce.

I’m a huge fan of roasted tofu, I’ve used it many times with various sauces, from buffalo style to leeks and black bean to pesto. It only takes 1 teaspoon of oil so it’s a bit healthier than pan-frying. I also made the lemon sauce lighter and not super sweet but you can easily adjust both to your own taste.

All of that worked out well, but wouldn’t you know it, the recipe uses up a grand total of one lemon. One. I still have to figure out what to do with the rest of them lemons.

Roasted Tofu in Lemon Sauce
Serves 2
1 14-ounce block of extra-firm tofu
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1 green onion, chopped for garnish
Sesame seeds for garnish

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

In a bowl, combine the oil, salt and paprika. Cut the tofu into cubes and gently toss to coat with the mixture. Place each tofu cube in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Roast for 15 minutes on one side, flip over to the other side and roast for another 15 minutes for a total of 30 minutes. While the tofu is roasting, make the lemon sauce.

Lemon Sauce
1 teaspoon oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
1 cup vegetable stock
1 teaspoon lemon zest
Juice of 1 lemon, about 4 tablespoons
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon agave nectar or to taste
Salt to taste
1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon water

Heat a wok to hot and add the oil, swirl to coat the wok. Add the garlic and ginger, and stir-fry for a few seconds. Add the vegetable stock, lemon zest and juice, brown sugar, agave nectar to taste and salt to taste, bring to a boil. Turn down the heat and let simmer until the sugar is completely dissolved. To thicken the sauce, slowly add in the cornstarch mixture until it’s the desired thickness. I rarely use all of the cornstarch mixture as I prefer my sauce to be on the thinner side.

When ready to serve, transfer most of the sauce to a bowl. Then add the tofu to the pan and spoon as much sauce as desired onto the tofu and toss until thoroughly coated. Garnish with the green onions and sesame seeds and serve immediately with white rice and a side vegetable such as broccoli.

I Can’t Believe It’s Ice Cream

April 16, 2015 By chow 3 Comments

A couple of characters* came by today looking for a possible job as blog mascots. Honestly, I don’t know about those two. They were chill and all but they seemed much more interested in the ice cream I had made than anything else.

Especially that little one. Totally fascinated by the amazing, super healthy ice cream made out of just frozen bananas. The little guy couldn’t get over it.

Frozen banana ice cream has been floating around the internet for awhile now. I’ve experimented with a number of different additions from soaked cashews to drops of vanilla extract to chopped dates and various fruits.

I liked it best when I kept it simple, two ingredients, banana and another fruit, either cherries or strawberries.

It couldn’t be any easier to make, just slice up a ripe banana and freeze in a single layer. Cut up and freeze whatever fresh fruit you’re using.

In a food processor, blend the frozen fruit until it’s creamy. It may take a few minutes, so don’t give up too soon. Be sure to stop and scrape down the sides so everything is well-blended. It’ll come out like soft-serve, you can eat it as is or pour into a container and freeze until it’s solid.

Serve in a cup or these vegan and gluten-free dessert bowls, they’re like ice cream cones but in a bowl shape.

*To make your own cut-n-sew Little Yeti and ice cream buddy to ogle your frozen treats, click here.

Disclosure: This post contains an Amazon link, I get a few coins tossed my way if you click on the link and make a purchase of anything. I also get a small commission if you purchase the Little Yeti fabric pattern.

Tofu Yu, Tofu Me

April 8, 2015 By chow 7 Comments

Now that I’ve completed my mission to try every Sweet Aha! flavor, what should I set my tastebuds on next?

There’s actually another vendor at the same farmer’s market that’s a likely candidate, Tofu Yu, makers of fine artisanal tofu products of every size, shape and form. I don’t know why it’s taken me so long to try out their stuff. I didn’t know what I was missing. I must remedy this.

Pictured above, Tofu Yu Spicy Coconut Strips, 4 oz for 4 bucks. It has a nice firm texture with a spicy kick, a bit of coconut flavor and a hint of sweetness. The whole container is one serving which I can easily eat all by itself. I imagine it would be good too with rice and veggies.

Tofu Yu Gluten Free Spicy Curry Veggie Wraps for 5 bucks. It is indeed spicy but not overly so. No ingredients listed but there’s definitely lettuce, carrots, nuts, some sort of sauce… It’s a great snack if you get the munchies while at the farmer’s market or as lunch on the go. Two bites of one of the pinwheel slices and it’s gone so it’s not too messy to eat on the run.

I thought the wrapping part was tofu but it’s actually made from brown rice flour and chickpea flour. They’re available for sale just by themselves in a rainbow of colors. While I’m looking forward to trying those out, it’s gonna be hard to top that spicy curry wrap.

Tofu Yu Five Spice Smoked Tofu, 4 bucks. Good flavor, not too salty. Delicious cold on top of a salad or sliced onto a piping hot bowl of noodles.

Looks just like a normal block of tofu doesn’t it?

But inside, you can see it’s layers of tofu. The layers give the tofu a firm and chewy texture. This is one of my favorite Tofu Yu items.

Tofu Yu Soy Cheese Sushi, 6 bucks. It may be called soy cheese but it doesn’t really taste like cheese. I thought the flavors were more Japanese what with the seaweed, green onion and cilantro.

While it looks a little on the plain side, it’s not bland at all. It’s very nicely seasoned, the texture is firm and not mushy. The seaweed is soft but easily chewable. Another solid, filling option for on the go eating.

Tofu Yu Garlic Pepper Tofu, 4 bucks. At first glance, it may appear that the garlic pepper is just a coating on the outside (at least the pepper part). But upon cutting into the block, you’ll see it’s peppered throughout.

It’s not especially peppery or garlicky tasting, it’s much more subtle, good for combining with other things in a stir-fry, curry or salad.

Tofu Yu Spicy Lemon Strips, 4 bucks. The good: it’s just like the Spicy Coconut Strips but with lemon flavor. The bad: it’s all gobbled down much too quickly.

And that’s just a small selection of their many inventive products. You can find Tofu Yu at any number of San Francisco Bay Area grocery stores and farmer’s markets, check out their website for locations.