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Healthy Recipe: Sesame Maple Roasted Tofu

FitSugar — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 03:30:00 -0700

Spring weather not only encourages us to exercise outdoors, but it also brings new foods to our plates. One of my favorites is fresh maple syrup (a friend from Vermont sends me a bottle every year). Pouring it on pancakes and French toast is always a favorite weekend treat in my house, but I also like to cook with it. This vegetarian dish is flavored with mother nature's sweetener, so it tastes savory yet sweet, and because it's made with tofu and quinoa, it's full of protein and fiber.

To see my recipe read more.

Healthy Recipe: Sesame Maple Roasted Tofu
Inspired by recipe from Eating Well

Ingredients

1 8-ounce block of tofu, cubed
1 red pepper, sliced
2 tsp canola oil
2 tsp toasted sesame oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
1 cup shredded carrots
1 tbsp tahini (or use ginger salad dressing)
1 tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 tsp pure maple syrup
1 tsp cider vinegar
1 tbsp sesame seeds
1 tsp fresh ginger
1 clove fresh garlic, minced

Directions

Preheat oven to 450°F.
Toss tofu, red peppers, canola oil, sesame oil, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Spread on a large baking sheet and roast until the tofu is lightly golden on top and the red peppers are browning in spots, 15 to 20 minutes.
While the tofu and peppers are roasting, make the quinoa. Put one cup of quinoa and two cups of water in a covered pot. Cook on high, and once it starts boiling, lower the heat to simmer. Cook for 10 minutes. Then stir in the carrots and cook for another five to 10 minutes, or until the water is absorbed and the quinoa is fluffy.
Whisk tahini, soy sauce, maple syrup, and vinegar in a small dish until combined.
Remove the tofu from the oven, drizzle with the maple sauce, and stir to combine. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Return to the oven and continue roasting 8 to 12 minutes more.
Add the fresh ginger and garlic to the quinoa and stir completely.
Remove the tofu and peppers from the oven. Scoop out quinoa onto a plate and top with the maple sesame tofu and peppers. Enjoy!

Makes 3 servings.

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Healthy Eating Tip: Add Tofu to Your Salad

FitSugar — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 12:00:00 -0700

Salads are one of my favorite meals because they're low in calories, full of vitamins, nutrients, and fiber, and they taste so fresh. Veggies aren't terribly high in protein though, so I like to add tofu to mine. A half a block of tofu contains 22.5 grams of protein. Plus it's so easy to cook up, you can make a bunch and store it in the fridge for the week.

To see my simple recipe continue reading

Fast & Easy Dinner: Grilled Tofu With Chopped Salad

partysugar — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 07:50:41 -0700

Steaks aren't the only thing that can be cooked on the grill - extra-firm tofu is exceptional when imparted with a smoky flavor. This recipe flash-marinates the tofu in a mixture of garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, and oregano. The tofu is topped with a produce-filled, Mediterranean-inspired salad consisting of fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, scallions, olives, and parsley. However, feel free to substitute your favorite in-season vegetables. For the effortless, flavorful recipe, read more.

Grilled Tofu With Chopped Salad
From Eating Well

Ingredients

1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
Freshly ground pepper to taste
14 ounces extra-firm tofu, preferably water-packed
2 medium tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 cup diced seedless cucumber (1/4 medium)
1/4 cup chopped scallions
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon white-wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
Freshly ground pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat grill.
Whisk lemon juice, oil, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Reserve 2 tablespoons of this mixture for basting.
Drain and rinse tofu; pat dry. Cut the block crosswise into eight 1/2-inch-thick slices and place in a shallow glass dish. Add remaining marinade and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or for up to 8 hours.
Combine tomatoes, cucumber, scallions, parsley, olives, oil, vinegar, salt and pepper in a medium bowl; toss gently to mix.
Lightly oil the grill rack (hold a piece of oil-soaked paper towel with tongs and rub it over the grate). Drain the tofu, discarding marinade. Grill the tofu over medium-high heat, basting occasionally with reserved lemon juice mixture, until lightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes per side (see Tip). Serve immediately, topped with the salad.

Serves 4.

NUTRITION INFORMATION: Per serving: 209 calories; 16 g fat (2 g sat, 11 g mono); 0 mg cholesterol; 10 g carbohydrate; 9 g protein; 2 g fiber; 682 mg sodium.

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Fast & Easy Dinner: Peach and Snow Pea Stir-Fry

partysugar — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 08:00:37 -0700

During the Summer I'm always looking for innovative new ways to serve stone fruit. While I've had my fair share of nectarine salads and muddled cherry cocktails, I've never enjoyed a peach stir-fry.

This creative and scrumptious dish combines succulent peaches with snow peas, tofu, and water chestnuts. The mixture is tossed with a quick homemade teriyaki sauce and served atop a bed of slippery noodles.

This meal comes together in less than 30 minutes, but if you are really pressed for time, simply use your favorite store brand teriyaki. Get the vegetarian recipe now.

Baked Tofu: Full of Protein and Flavor

FitSugar — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 13:30:00 -0700

Since we know that eating soy is a great way to get protein without cholesterol or saturated fat, I'm always looking for new and delicious ways to eat it. Buying pre-made meat alternatives that contain soy such as Tofu Pups and Wildwood Burgers is great, but sometimes I want to make it myself.

Here's a great recipe for Baked Tofu. Since tofu tastes rather bland, you can always flavor it anyway you want. Plus when you bake tofu, it gets a firm and chewy consistency similar to chicken, so many meat eaters may even appreciate it.

You can eat this Baked Tofu alone, on salads, in sandwiches, as a pizza topping, or on crackers. It's a great way to get a healthy source of protein, especially if you are a vegetarian.

To see the recipe and a detailed "how to" just read more

What you need:

1 block of extra firm tofu
honey
tamari
olive oil
dried thyme, dill and cumin

What to do:

Pre-heat the oven to 400°F.
Get rid of the excess water in the tofu by pressing it between your hands over the sink.
Place the tofu on a cutting board and slice it into 1/4 inch slabs. Then cut those in half.

Now grease a mini cookie sheet with the olive oil and lay the pieces of tofu flat.

Pour a generous amount of tamari on each piece of tofu. You can flip the pieces over to make sure both sides are brown.
Now you're ready for the honey. Drop a dab on each individual piece.

Sprinkle each piece with thyme...
...dill...

...and cumin.

Place it in the oven and bake for 20 or so minutes. How do you know it's ready? When you touch it, the tofu should be firm but not wet and mushy, and the edges should be slightly toasted. Take it out of the oven and let it cool for a few minutes. You can eat it right away or store it in the fridge - it tastes delicious hot or cold.

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'Wich of the Week: Tofu and Chinese Broccoli

YumSugar — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 14:00:20 -0700

With all this talk about Chinese barbecue and dim-sum Olympics parties, I've had Chinese food on the brain. So on my last trip to the farmers market, I picked up some Chinese broccoli, a yummy in-season green that tastes like a cross between asparagus, broccoli, and bok choy. After making a tofu stir-fry, I refocused the remaining ingredients into an elegant vegetarian sandwich. I used wheat bread, because that's what I had on hand, but any sliced bread will do. I also had some garlicky homemade almond butter leftover from another recipe, but if you don't want to make your own, I recommend mixing crushed garlic into regular peanut butter or almond butter for an Asian-inspired spread. To get both recipes and see how I made this tofu treat, read more.

Tofu and Chinese Broccoli Sandwich
Original recipe

Ingredients

4 stalks Chinese broccoli, washed and ends trimmed (if you can't find Chinese broccoli, asparagus or bok choy are good substitutes)
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/8 cup sake or rice-wine vinegar
2 slices wheat bread
1 tablespoon almond butter (or more to taste)
2 oz. baked tofu (such as Soy Deli Five Spice), cut into 1/4-inch slices

Directions

Preheat oven to 300°F.
In a skillet over low heat, combine vegetable oil, soy sauce, and Chinese broccoli; toss to coat.

Cook broccoli for about 5 minutes, turning frequently, until leaves start to wilt and stalks begin to brown.
To the skillet, add sake or rice-wine vinegar and cook for an additional 5 minutes, using the liquid to deglaze the pan. When the broccoli is tender, remove from heat.
Lay both slices of bread on an baking sheet or other oven safe platter. On one slice of bread, spread half the almond butter and top with the tofu slices. Using a spatula, lay the broccoli atop of the tofu, and drizzle any remaining liquid from the pan on top.

Place both slices of bread and the toppings in the oven for about 5 minutes, until bread is toasted.
Spread remaining almond butter on other slice of bread, and press it, spread-side down, onto the broccoli. Cut in half and serve.

Makes one sandwich.

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Almond Butter
Modified From Epicurious

Ingredients

1/2 cup toasted Marcona almonds
1/2 garlic clove, chopped
Pinch of cayenne
1/2 to 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Directions
Grind almonds to a paste with garlic, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and cayenne in a food processor. With motor running, add just enough oil to make a silky paste. Season with salt.

Makes about 1 cup.

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Rapid, Hearty, Vegan Dinner: Texas Tofu

partysugar — Thu, 17 May 2007 09:09:32 -0700

I used to believe that vegetarian food could never be a filling, satisfying meal until I recently started to appreciate and embrace vegetarian cooking. I encourage you to give it a try with a super simple, quick fix dinner dish: tasty texas tofu recipe. It's a robust dish with layered spicy tofu, thick warm beans, and crisp sourdough bread. Turn it into a last minute week night dinner party with store bought chips and guacamole, icy cold beers, and a flan for dessert. Get the recipe now, read more

Texas Tofu
From Vegetarian Times magazine

4 1-inch-thick slices sourdough bread
3 cups vegetarian-style baked beans
4 Tbs. vegetable oil for frying
1 onion, diced
2 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
2 Tbs. cornstarch
1 lb. firm or extra-firm tofu, cut into large cubes
4 Tbs. soy “bacon” bits
8 oz. shredded soy cheese, preferably mixture of cheddar and Monterey Jack
1/2 cup cilantro leaves, chopped for garnish

Preheat oven to 450F.
Arrange thick slices of bread in a large baking dish, and set them aside.
Place beans in a large saucepan, and heat them over medium heat, warming them through completely. When they are hot, remove them from heat, and set them aside.
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium heat, and sauté onion until golden, for about 5 minutes. Remove onion from heat, and set aside.
Meanwhile, combine cumin, chili powder, onion powder and cornstarch in a large bowl, mixing to combine well. Place cubed tofu in a bowl, and dust each side with mixture.
Add remaining oil to skillet, and heat over medium heat. Sauté tofu cubes on all sides until crispy, for 3 to 5 minutes.
Remove them from heat, and place them in a bowl with onion.
Spoon beans over bread slices in equal portions, and sprinkle “bacon” bits onto beans. Top with tofu and onions, and sprinkle each portion with grated cheese.
Bake for about 5 minutes, or until cheese melts.
Remove them from oven, and garnish them with cilantro before serving.

Serves 4.

PER Serving: 710 CAL; 39 G PROT; 27 G TOTAL FAT ( 2 SAT. FAT) ; 86 G CARB.; 1910 MG SOD.; 14 G FIBER; 15 G SUGARS

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Soba, Tofu Stir Fry With Peanut Sauce

FitSugar — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 03:30:00 -0800

What is not to love about a stir fry? This recipe calls for tofu, which makes cooking this meal easy since you can just add it at the end. To make this meal work for the whole family (read picky five-year-old), I pull out broccoli, tofu and noodles to serve my girls before adding the spicy sauce. It worked out well; everyone was fed and happy.

To see the recipe, just read more.

Soba, Tofu Stir Fry with Peanut Sauce
adapted from Body+Soul

I saw this recipe in Body and Soul and knew I wanted to try it, but I changed things around a bit. I used peanut butter instead of the original almond butter (just didn't have any in the house) and I chose not to fry the tofu – too much time and added fat.

Ingredients

8 ounces soba noodles
1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
1 package extra firm tofu, drained and cute into 1/2 inch cubes
1 red bell pepper cut into thin strips
1 1/2 pounds of broccoli, broken into florets
1 pound bok choy
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon garlic chili sauce
3 tablespoons peanut butter
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce

Directions

Cook soba noodles in a large pot of salted water, for 10 minutes.
Heat oil in large skillet over medium high heat. Sauté veggies and garlic with lid on until veggies, stirring occasionally until they are crisp tender, about 8 to 10 minutes.
Meanwhile make sauce by whisking together peanut butter, vinegar soy sauce, and chili garlic sauce. If sauce seems too thick you can thin with water.
Add noodles, tofu and sauce to pan. Toss and cook until heated through.

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Try it! It is easy to make and tasty.

Lite'n It Up Group Feature: Tofu Pumpkin Pie

FitSugar — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 13:30:00 -0700

To me, nothing says fall more than pumpkin pie, and I think user llendril read my mind when she posted a tasty recipe for Tofu Pumpkin Pie in the Lite'n It Up Healthy Recipe Group. What's more? She paired it with my new favorite, goat's milk ice cream. Yum!

To see the recipe, just read more

Tofu Pumpkin Pie from llendril

fall is here.
it's obvious-- from the weather to the changing leaves to the crop of non-rerun television shows.

and then, of course, to the grocery store produce section.
the pomegranates have arrived. the apples look wonderful. squash lie around in abundance.
and, of course, there is no better time to enjoy the wonderful, autumn-appropriate flavor of pumpkin pie.

if you know me or my cooking style at all, i never can seem to just leave well enough alone. i enjoy finding ways to make things more healthy, or perhaps just slightly more interesting. so when i came across the following recipe for pumpkin pie, i was sold on both counts.

tofu pumpkin pie
adapted from morinu.com

* 18 ounces lite extra-firm tofu
* 2 cups canned (or cooked) pumpkin
* 2/3 cup honey
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1.5 teaspoons ground cinnamon
* 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
* 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
* 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
* 1 9" reduced-fat prepared graham cracker crust

1) preheat oven to 350°
2) drain tofu. place in a food processor and process until smooth
3) add remaining ingredients. process until well-blended
4) pour into pie crust. bake for about an hour
5) remove from oven and chill until firm

this pie is ridiculously easy to make (especially when using a store-bought crust). throw everything into a food processor and . . . you're pretty much done. it's even easier if you choose to use 1 tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice instead of the individual spices listed above. i went with the individual ones and i have to admit, something seemed slightly off. if i make this again in the future, i will probably make sure to have the pre-mixed pumpkin pie spice on hand first.
aside from that, i thought this pie was very pleasant. i ate it with vanilla goat milk ice cream (the best ice cream i have come across to date). the combination was wonderful. the pie on its own was very tasty-- forget flour and sugar and evaporated milk or whatever ingredients a normal pumpkin pie will generally include. tofu and honey are apparently all you need to produce a nicely-textured and delicious pumpkin pie dessert. this is dairy free and quite good for you, between the tofu and the pumpkin. i see no faults with this whatsoever, and would even consider serving it as the main pumpkin pie at thanksgiving.

t.g.i.f. - thank goodness it's fall!

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Fast & Easy Dinner: Tofu Sandwich With Peanut-Ginger Sauce

partysugar — Thu, 07 May 2009 07:50:55 -0700

Tonight, be inspired by Tom Colicchio's philosophy to "craft a sandwich into a meal and a meal into a sandwich" and make this complex vegetarian dish. It combines char-broiled vegetables with crisp, golden brown tofu.

A peanut butter sesame oil sauce ensures that the sandwich is moist and delicious. Even if you don't put it together for dinner, it's an awesome portable lunch, so get the recipe and read more.

Tofu Sandwich With Peanut-Ginger Sauce
From Whole Living

Ingredients

1 medium onion, cut into 1/2-inch-thick rounds
1 red bell pepper, cut into 4 long panels
2 teaspoons olive oil
6 ounces Thai-flavored baked tofu, cut into 1/2-inch slices
2 tablespoons natural unsweetened peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon honey
1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
3/4 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1 (4 ounces) 8-inch whole-wheat baguette, or wholegrain baguette , halved horizontally
Radish sprouts for garnish (optional)

Directions

Heat broiler with rack 4 inches from heat source. Place onion slices and pepper, skin side up, on a broiler pan. Broil, turning onion over halfway through cooking time, until peppers are blistered and onion is lightly browned, 12 to 15 minutes. When cool enough to handle, peel skin off pepper. Cut pepper into thick strips.
In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Saute tofu until golden brown and crisp, about 2 minutes on each side.
In a small bowl, combine peanut butter, honey, 1/4 teaspoon sesame oil, and ginger. Toss reserved vegetables with remaining 1/4 teaspoon sesame oil.
Spread peanut-butter mixture on bottom side of bread. Top with tofu and vegetables. Place other piece of bread on top. Cut in half to make two sandwiches. Wrap tightly in foil and refrigerate for up to two days. Serve with radish sprouts on the side, if desired.

Serves 2.

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