Favorite Recipes: Baked Tofu with Peanut Sauce and Coconut-Lime Rice

Baked Tofu with Peanut Sauce and Coconut-Lime Rice

Photo by Elaine Kinnaird

While we are sheltering-in-place with nowhere to go, it is a great time to try some new recipes.

This delicious recipe was featured in the New York Times Cooking. I don't have a paid subscription, so I was not able to get the recipe there. Instead, I went searching online and found it at Dining and Cooking.

If you don't have all the ingredients, don't let it bother you. I had a new bottle of lime juice, so I didn't go looking for fresh limes. This meant that I didn't have the lime zest to fluff into the rice. Even though it was missing that extra flair, the dish was still hearty and delicious.

Also, I used some local honey that was already in my cabinet instead of buying molasses. And instead of hunting down red miso, I used the miso that was in the fridge. The sauce was still excellent.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil, plus more for brushing the pan and drizzling
• ⅔ cup lime juice (from about 5 limes), and zest of 1 lime
• Kosher salt
• 8 baby bell peppers or 1 medium bell pepper (any color will do), stemmed and thinly sliced lengthwise
• Black pepper
• 1 cup smooth, natural peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons buckwheat honey or molasses
• 1 tablespoon red miso
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce (optional)
• 2 teaspoons chopped habanero pepper, stem and seeds removed, or 1 tablespoon sambal
• 1 tablespoon grated ginger
• 2 (14-ounce) package extra-firm tofu, drained and sliced crosswise, 1/4-inch thick
• 1 cup long-grain rice like jasmine or basmati
• ½ cup full-fat coconut milk
• 2 scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced
• 3 cups peppery greens, like arugula, mizuna or baby mustard greens

Preparation:

1.      Heat the oven to 450 degrees and lightly brush a large rimmed sheet pan with oil.

2.    In a small bowl, combine 4 tablespoons lime juice with 1/2 teaspoon salt and stir to dissolve the salt. Add the sliced peppers, a few cracks of black pepper and set aside.

3.    In a medium bowl, use a whisk to combine 4 tablespoons lime juice, peanut butter, 1 tablespoon honey, miso, fish sauce (if using), habanero, ginger, 2 tablespoons oil and 3/4 cup water. Stir until smooth and season to taste with salt.

4.    Arrange the tofu pieces in a single layer on the oiled baking sheet and season with salt. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the peanut sauce over each. Be sure to cover the top, allowing the sauce to run down and coat the sides. Drizzle the tops with some oil, and roast until glaze is set, deep brown and caramelized along the edges, about 18 to 20 minutes. Use the remaining sauce in the bowl to make the dressing by whisking in the remaining lime juice and 1 tablespoon honey, and set aside.

5.     In a small pot, combine the rice with 1 cup water and the coconut milk. Season with salt and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook over medium-low heat until the rice is just tender, about 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow the cooked rice to sit covered until you are ready to serve. Just before serving, add in the lime zest, half of the sliced scallions and fluff with a fork.

6.    Divide the greens among bowls, and top with the rice and tofu. Spoon the peanut dressing over everything, and garnish with the drained pickled peppers and remaining sliced scallions.

Tip

• Peanut sauce can be made 2 to 3 days in advance and stored refrigerated until ready to use

•        Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

733 calories; 55 grams fat; 14 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 24 grams monounsaturated fat; 13 grams polyunsaturated fat; 40 grams carbohydrates; 9 grams dietary fiber; 21 grams sugars; 33 grams protein; 206 milligrams sodium

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A Great Veggie Burger for the Grill

Here's another post from my archives (you'll find the original post under the "Recipes" tab at the top of my blog page). Time to fire up the grill!

I saw it in The New York Times last week – a recipe for “The Ultimate Veggie Burger.” The recipe is by Melissa Clark. When I saw it, I wanted to try it, but there was just one problem. My daughter is vegan, and this recipe calls for eggs and cheese, both of which are by definition not part of a vegan diet. So I altered the recipe to make it vegan by using an egg substitute as well as a cheese substitute. I put all the ingredients together on Friday night, placed the mixture in the refrigerator overnight, then fired up the grill on Saturday.

Photo by Andrew Scrivani
for The New York Times

The results were great! It satisfied the vegan as well as the meat eaters in the family. My daughter said it had a texture that was better than any of the frozen varieties of vegetable patties available in the stores.  Everyone said that this recipe is worth making again. I am including Melissa Clark’s original recipe below, then I’ll tell you how I made it. There is even a video on You Tube if you want to see Melissa Clark making this recipe herself.
 

The Ultimate Veggie Burger

By Melissa Clark

You make a veggie burger because you want the hamburger experience without the meat. This one

delivers. It’s got a firm, beefy texture that takes on the char and smoke of the grill, but is adaptable

enough to cook inside on your stove. The enemy of a veggie burger is mushiness, which stems from a

high moisture content. To combat that, the very watery ingredients – mushrooms, tofu, beans and

beets – are roasted to both dehydrate them somewhat and intensify their flavors. Yes, the ingredient

list here is long; you need a diverse lot to make a good veggie burger. And each one adds something

in terms of flavor and/or texture. Garnish this any way you like, and don’t forget to toast the buns.

TOTAL TIME: 1½  hours, plus at least 2 hours to chill

INGREDIENTS

• 4 ounces extra-firm tofu, drained
• Olive oil
• 1 /2 pound cremini mushrooms, trimmed and sliced
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, more as needed
• Black pepper, as needed
• 1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans, drained
• 1 medium beet, peeled and coarsely grated (3/4 cup)
• 3/4 cup tamari almonds or cashews
• 1 /3 cup panko bread crumbs
• 2 ounces Cotija cheese or queso blanco, crumbled or grated (about 1 /2 cup)
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 2 scallions, sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 3/4 teaspoon dulce pimentón or sweet smoked paprika
• 4 ounces tempeh, crumbled
• 1 /2 cup cooked brown rice

PREPARATION

1. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Slice tofu into 1/4-inch-thick slabs and pat dry with paper towel.

   Arrange tofu on one half of a rimmed baking sheet; brush both sides with oil. Spread mushrooms

   on the other half of the baking sheet; toss with 2 tablespoons oil and salt and pepper.

2. On a second rimmed baking sheet, toss beans and grated beet with 1 tablespoon oil and salt and

    pepper, then spread the mixture into one layer.

3. Transfer both baking sheets to the oven. Roast bean-beet mixture, tossing occasionally, until

    beans begin to split and beets are tender and golden, about 15 minutes. Roast mushrooms and

    tofu until golden and most of the liquid has evaporated, about 25 minutes. Let everything cool.

4. Place nuts in a food processor and pulse until coarsely ground. Add cooled bean-beet mixture,

    mushrooms, tofu, panko, cheese, eggs, mayonnaise, scallion, garlic, pimentón and 3/4 teaspoon

    salt. Pulse until ingredients are just combined. Pulse in tempeh and rice but do not overprocess.

    You want small chunks, not a smooth mixture. Scrape mixture into a bowl and chill at least 2

    hours or up to 5 days (you can also freeze the burger mix).

5. When you are ready to make the burgers, divide mixture into 6 equal portions and form each

    portion into a patty about 1 inch thick. Return to the fridge until just before grilling. They grill

    better when they start out cold.

6. Heat the grill. Cook the burgers over a low fire until they are charred on both sides and firm

    when you press on them, 4 to 6 minutes per side. If they start to burn before they firm up, move

    them to the sides of the grill to finish cooking over indirect heat. Alternatively, you can cook these

    on a grill pan or in a skillet over low heat.

YIELD: 6 Burgers

*    *    *

When I made this recipe, I made two changes – I replaced the eggs and cheese to allow for a vegan diet. For the eggs, I used an egg substitute called Egg Replacer by Ener-G. I recently discovered this product at The Golden Temple Natural Grocery and Cafe on Birmingham's Southside and have had good success with it in baking. Eggs serve as a binder, and Egg Replacer uses potato starch and tapioca flour to do the same thing. For the cheese, I used a cheese substitute that I found in the supermarket in the vegetarian section (Go Veggie is the brand name) . The product is made of soy protein and claims to have the same melting and stretching qualities as cheese.

The burgers did fine on the outside grill. I cooked them a little longer than the recipe suggests, but I think that is because my grill is higher off the coals than some. The only word of caution I will add is that in my experience, the burgers sank a little bit below the grid on the grill. My first attempt at flipping a burger sheared of the portions that were below the grill spindles. I found that by moving the spatula parallel with the grill lines, I could lift the end of burger slightly and hold it up while I moved the spatula under the burger. With that adjustment in technique, the grilling proceeded with success.

[Addendum (July, 2016): In making my vegan version of these veggie burgers, I have found a better egg substitute -- chia seed. While the Ener- G Egg replacer is excellent for baking, chia seed does better for these burgers. Just use one tablespoon of ground chia seed mixed with 3 tablespoons of water (so for this recipe, I used 2 Tbls of chia seed in 6 Tbles of water). I used a mortar and pestle to grind them. Let it sit for about 5 minutes and you have a nice gel to add to the mix. Using chia seed not only added more nutrition to the burgers, it also made them firmer and easier to handle on the grill.]

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Recipes My Daughter Likes: Butternut Squash Skillet Lasagna

Now that we are getting a hint of autumn in the air, here is a great fall recipe that is simple and easy to make. I found last year at Winn Dixie Supermarket. In fact it is from their Flavors recipe magazine that is free to WD customers. 

The first time I tried it, the family declared it to be worthy of making again, so it went into my recipe file. Just last week, when my wife brought home a butternut squash from the farmers' market, I served it up again.

This vegetarian recipe can easily be adapted to vegan, which is the way I prepare it. Instead of heavy cream, I substitute coconut creamer. For the Parmesan  cheese, I use Follow Your Heart brand "Dairy Free Parmesan Style Shredded Cheese Alternative." 

Here is the recipe as it appeared in the Winn Dixie Flavors magazine:

Butternut Squash Skillet Lasagna

Preparation time: 15 min.

Cooking time: 40 min.

Serves Four

VEGETARIAN INGREDIENTS:

• 1 small butternut squash (about 1 lb.), peeled, seeded, and cut into ½" pieces
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh sage
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• Salt and pepper
• 3 cups vegetable broth
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 10 curly-edged lasagna noodles, broken crosswise into 2"-long pieces
• ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• ½ cup walnuts, toasted and chopped coarse

SAUTÉ squash in oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high until golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in shallot, 1 Tbsp. sage, garlic, and ¾ tsp. salt and cook for 30 more seconds.

STIR broth and cream into skillet, bring to a simmer, and cook until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Scatter pasta over squash, but do not stir. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until pasta is tender, about 25 minutes.

SPRINKLE with cheese, walnuts, and remaining 1 Tbsp. sage and serve.

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Recipes My Daughter Likes: Polenta with Speckled Butter Beans

Anything I file under "Recipes my daughter likes" will by definition be vegetarian and vegan. This one is quick and easy and has a Southern flavor. It is a recipe that I threw together the other night with things that we had on hand. It turned out very well, being healthy, filling and it even had a gourmet flair.

Here is what I had on hand to prepare the dish:

Ingredients:

• Fresh frozen speckled butter beans, 10 oz.
• Field Roast brand Vegan Italian sausage (1 link)
• One roll of packaged polenta
• Vegetable bouillon 

Here is what I did:

Using one cube of Knorr's Vegetable Bouillon, prepare 2 cups of broth in a medium sized boiler.

Add about 10 oz. of fresh frozen speckled butter beans (I used about 1/3 of my 32 oz. bag in the freezer). Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for about 45 minutes, until beans are tender. Add water as needed.

While the beans are cooking:

• Unwrap the polenta and slice if into ½ inch rounds 
• Unwrap one of the Field Roast Vegan Italian sausages and slice it into ½ inch rounds. 

Have these on a plate ready to cook when the beans are done.

Cooking the polenta and sausage:

In a large skillet, dissolve another cube of Knorr's Vegetable Bouillon in about an inch of water. Use this broth to cook the polenta slices as well as the sausage slices in. (I have cooked polenta in the oven and I have tried frying it in a skillet with some oil, but the best method I have found is to simmer the slices in a skillet with some broth instead of oil. This way, there is no sticking to the pan, and the polenta is nicely flavored by the broth)

Over medium heat, sauté the polenta in the skillet with the broth for about six minutes, turning each slice over halfway through (about 3 minutes per side). When the polenta is cooked, remove them to a serving plate and then do the same preparation with the sausage slices, sautéing them in the broth for 3 to 4 minutes on each side. 

By the time I put the sausages in, the broth had cooked down and I needed more liquid, so I added a little sherry to the skillet to finish cooking the sausages (of course, on should always have some sherry at the ready in the kitchen).

When serving, place three or four slices of polenta on a plate. With a slotted spoon, dish out some butter beans on top of the polenta. Scoop up some sausage rounds ad scatter then on top of the butter beans. Enjoy!

Yield: This recipe produced three good servings. Adding another sausage link would have stretched it to four good servings servings. You could increase the amount of speckled butter beans as well, depending upon how many people you are serving.

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Recommended Recipes: Apple Ginger Pancakes

I found a new recipe online by Adrianna Adarme at the Fresh Tastes blog. It was fun to make and I was able to adjust it to make it into a vegan-friendly recipe.  In addition to making it vegan, the other divergence I made from the recipe was that instead of using an iron skillet, I used a saute pan to prepare the apples, then I used a stove top griddle to cook the pancakes.

Apple Ginger Pancakes

Yield: 8 pancakes

Photo from Fresh Tastes blog

Ingredients

For the Apples: 

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 honey crisp apple, diced (about ¾  cup)
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• ¼  teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½  teaspoon grated fresh ginger

 For the Dry Mix: 

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ¼  teaspoon salt

 For the Wet Mix: 

• 1 ¼  cups buttermilk, shaken
• 1 large egg

 Other:

• Butter or vegetable oil, for the skillet

Directions

1. In a cast iron skillet (we’ll use the same one later), melt the butter over medium heat. When melted, add the diced apple, brown sugar, cinnamon and fresh ginger; mix until coated. Cook until fragrant and apples have cooked slightly, about 1 to 2 minutes. Remove and set aside.
2. To a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a measuring cup or small bowl, measure out the buttermilk. Add the egg and beat until thoroughly combined.
3. All at once, add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. The batter should have some small to medium lumps. Gently fold in the sautéed apples and allow the batter to stand for 5 minutes.
4. Preheat your skillet over medium heat and brush with a teaspoon of butter or a teaspoon of oil. Using a 1/4-cup measure, scoop the batter onto the warm skillet. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes until small bubbles form on the surface, and then flip. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook on the opposite sides for about 1 minute, or until golden brown.
5. Transfer the cooked pancakes to a baking sheet and place in a preheated 200 F oven to keep warm. Repeat the process with the remaining batter, adding more butter or vegetable oil to the skillet when needed. Serve immediately with maple syrup and a pat of butter.

Making it Vegan 

• Substitute the 1 ¼ cups buttermilk with ONE CUP of almond milk (I used Silk Vanilla Almondmilk)
• Substitute the egg with Egg Replacer, following the directions on the package for the equivalent of one egg.
• Substitute the butter with Earth Balance Original Buttery Spread (I do not recommend vegetable margarine due to its hydrogenated oil which is not healthy for the body).

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Recipes My Daughter Likes: The Ultimate Veggie Burger

I saw it in The New York Times last week – a recipe for “The Ultimate VeggieBurger.” The recipe is by Melissa Clark. When I saw it, I wanted to try it, but there was just one problem. My daughter is vegan, and this recipe calls for eggs and cheese, both of which are by definition not part of a vegan diet. So I altered the recipe to make it vegan by using an egg substitute as well as a cheese substitute. I put all the ingredients together on Friday night, placed the mixture in the refrigerator overnight, then fired up the grill on Saturday.

Photo by Andrew Scrivani
for The New York Times

The results were great! It satisfied the vegan as well as the meat eaters in the family. My daughter said it had a texture that was better than any of the frozen varieties of vegetable patties available in the stores.  Everyone said that this recipe is worth making again. I am including Melissa Clark’s original recipe below, then I’ll tell you how I made it. There is even a video on You Tube if you want to see Melissa Clark making this recipe herself.
 

The Ultimate Veggie Burger

By Melissa Clark

You make a veggie burger because you want the hamburger experience without the meat. This one

delivers. It’s got a firm, beefy texture that takes on the char and smoke of the grill, but is adaptable

enough to cook inside on your stove. The enemy of a veggie burger is mushiness, which stems from a

high moisture content. To combat that, the very watery ingredients – mushrooms, tofu, beans and

beets – are roasted to both dehydrate them somewhat and intensify their flavors. Yes, the ingredient

list here is long; you need a diverse lot to make a good veggie burger. And each one adds something

in terms of flavor and/or texture. Garnish this any way you like, and don’t forget to toast the buns.

TOTAL TIME: 1½  hours, plus at least 2 hours to chill

INGREDIENTS

• 4 ounces extra-firm tofu, drained
• Olive oil
• 1 /2 pound cremini mushrooms, trimmed and sliced
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, more as needed
• Black pepper, as needed
• 1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans, drained
• 1 medium beet, peeled and coarsely grated (3/4 cup)
• 3/4 cup tamari almonds or cashews
• 1 /3 cup panko bread crumbs
• 2 ounces Cotija cheese or queso blanco, crumbled or grated (about 1 /2 cup)
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 2 scallions, sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 3/4 teaspoon dulce pimentón or sweet smoked paprika
• 4 ounces tempeh, crumbled
• 1 /2 cup cooked brown rice

PREPARATION

1. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Slice tofu into 1/4-inch-thick slabs and pat dry with paper towel.

   Arrange tofu on one half of a rimmed baking sheet; brush both sides with oil. Spread mushrooms

   on the other half of the baking sheet; toss with 2 tablespoons oil and salt and pepper.

2. On a second rimmed baking sheet, toss beans and grated beet with 1 tablespoon oil and salt and

    pepper, then spread the mixture into one layer.

3. Transfer both baking sheets to the oven. Roast bean-beet mixture, tossing occasionally, until

    beans begin to split and beets are tender and golden, about 15 minutes. Roast mushrooms and

    tofu until golden and most of the liquid has evaporated, about 25 minutes. Let everything cool.

4. Place nuts in a food processor and pulse until coarsely ground. Add cooled bean-beet mixture,

    mushrooms, tofu, panko, cheese, eggs, mayonnaise, scallion, garlic, pimentón and 3/4 teaspoon

    salt. Pulse until ingredients are just combined. Pulse in tempeh and rice but do not overprocess.

    You want small chunks, not a smooth mixture. Scrape mixture into a bowl and chill at least 2

    hours or up to 5 days (you can also freeze the burger mix).

5. When you are ready to make the burgers, divide mixture into 6 equal portions and form each

    portion into a patty about 1 inch thick. Return to the fridge until just before grilling. They grill

    better when they start out cold.

6. Heat the grill. Cook the burgers over a low fire until they are charred on both sides and firm

    when you press on them, 4 to 6 minutes per side. If they start to burn before they firm up, move

    them to the sides of the grill to finish cooking over indirect heat. Alternatively, you can cook these

    on a grill pan or in a skillet over low heat.

YIELD: 6 Burgers

*    *    *

When I made this recipe, I made two changes – I replaced the eggs and cheese to allow for a vegan diet. For the eggs, I used an egg substitute called Egg Replacer by Ener-G. I recently discovered this product at The Golden Temple Natural Grocery and Cafe on Birmingham's Southside and have had good success with it in baking. Eggs serve as a binder, and Egg Replacer uses potato starch and tapioca flour to do the same thing. For the cheese, I used a cheese substitute that I found in the supermarket in the vegetarian section (Go Veggie is the brand name) . The product is made of soy protein and claims to have the same melting and stretching qualities as cheese.

The burgers did fine on the outside grill. I cooked them a little longer than the recipe suggests, but I think that is because my grill is higher off the coals than some. The only word of caution I will add is that in my experience, the burgers sank a little bit below the grid on the grill. My first attempt at flipping a burger sheared of the portions that were below the grill spindles. I found that by moving the spatula parallel with the grill lines, I could lift the end of burger slightly and hold it up while I moved the spatula under the burger. With that adjustment in technique, the grilling proceeded with success.

[Addendum (July, 2016): In making my vegan version of these veggie burgers, I have found a better egg substitute -- chia seed. While the Ener- G Egg replacer is excellent for baking, chia seed does better for these burgers. Just use one tablespoon of ground chia seed mixed with 3 tablespoons of water (so for this recipe, I used 2 Tbls of chia seed in 6 Tbles of water). I used a mortar and pestle to grind them. Let it sit for about 5 minutes and you have a nice gel to add to the mix. Using chia seed not only added more nutrition to the burgers, it also made them firmer and easier to handle on the grill.]

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Recipes My Daughter Likes: Luxurious Potato Broccoli Soup

Today I tried a recipe my daughter sent. It is a delightfully hearty vegetable soup. I am calling it "luxurious" because of its creamy texture. It is also vegan since it uses coconut creamer rather than milk to achieve the light and creamy base. It was definitely a delicious hit, and an excellent healthy food choice. I would add that though the recipe states it is one serving, I got about four servings out of it (but then again, my concept of a serving may differ from yours).

A note about the ingredients: quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wah) is a grain from the Andes. If you haven't tried it, it is a nutritious dish that is a good substitute for rice. Just rinse it before cooking because it has a natural protective coating that is bitter. Coconut creamer is a great dairy substitute. I have found it at Whole Foods as well as The Fresh market.

Potato Broccoli Soup (1 serving, scale for more people)

Ingredients:

• 1 potato
• 1 handful of baby carrots
• 1/4 cup diced onion
• 1/2 cup chopped kale
• 1/2 cup chopped broccoli
• 1vegetable bouillon 
• 1/8 cup quinoa
• 2 cups water
• 1/3 cup coconut creamer
• salt and season to taste

Preparation:

Put bouillon, seasonings and quinoa in pot with two cups water and bring to boil. Chop potato, carrots and other veggies to a small dice and add everything into boiling water. Cover and simmer for 25 min. Remove cover add creamer and cook down to desired consistency. 



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