Thursday, August 18, 2011

Tofu Xpress = Awesome!



Ack. My how time flies! Life has been so crazy with the move. I feel like we are finally settled in our new house. My eating has been all over the place and I am trying to clean that up and get more into cooking. Being a vegetarian I have gotten really boring with my eating. Think lots of frozen veggies and pasta. Whenever we eat out I always hit up asian places b/c I love to get their stir fried wok tofu. Love it! But every time I try to make tofu at home it is an epic fail.
So, I did a little research and found out about tofu presses! voila. I am a tofu making genius. Here's a little blurb from their site-

"The TofuXpress is designed to be the vegetarian’s kitchen tool! It presses water effectively from a standard size brick of commercially made tofu so you can change its texture and add flavoring. Tofu is a great source of vegetarian protein. By using tofu as a substitute for meat
protein we can conserve the amount of natural resources needed to produce our protein sources. It is estimated that every family that replaces 1 pound of meat for 1 pound of tofu will conserve 20,000 gallons of water per year."

Using this little doohicky is what
was missing. It shrinks the size of my tofu and makes the texture so much better. I've been making my favorite tofu recipe which I am pasting below from Peas and Thank you, my absolute favorite website. She just came out with a book, you must get it.


Hoisin Ginger Tofu with Smoky Tahin

Slaw

by Mama Pea

Prep Time: 45 min.

Cook Time: 12 min.

Ingredients (2-4 servings)

    For the Tofu:
    • One 15 oz. package extra-firm tofu, pressed and sliced into 1 x 2 inch slabs
    • 2 T. reduced sodium soy sauce
    • 2 T. hoisin sauce
    • 1 t. lemon juice
    • 2 T. water
    • 2 t. minced ginger
    • 2 t. minced garlic
    For the Slaw:
    • 4 c. shredded cabbage
    • 2 carrots, shredded
    • 1/2 large bell pepper, julienned
    • 2 T. lemon juice
    • 1 1/2 T. tahini
    • 2 t. minced ginger
    • 1 t. agave or stevia to taste
    • salt and pepper to taste
    • 3 slices tempeh bacon, cooked and chopped into pieces

    Instructions

    • To make the tofu, drain and press and cut into slabs.
    • Prepare the marinade, by combining soy sauce, hoisin sauce, lemon juice, water, ginger and garlic.
    • Reserve half of the minced ginger for the slaw, if you are making it as well.
    • Add tofu to the marinade and lightly toss.
    • Allow tofu to marinate for anywhere from 30 minutes to overnight.
    • Meanwhile, prepare slaw by placing cabbage in a large bowl.
    • Add shredded carrots and bell pepper strips.
    • For the dressing, in a small bowl, whisk together lemon juice, tahini, ginger, sweetener of choice and salt and pepper.
    • Drizzle dressing over the top of the slaw and toss until evenly coated.
    • Top with tempeh bacon, if using. Cover and refrigerate until serving.
    • Preheat broiler to prepare tofu.
    • Remove tofu from marinade and place on a cookie sheet that has been spritzed with oil or sprayed with cooking spray.
    • Drizzle tofu with any remaining marinade and broil for 5-6 minutes on each side.
    • Plate tofu with slaw and serve.

    3 comments:

    Anonymous said...

    Sweet - that looks soooo Iron Chef-y. I have been eating vegetarian for about a month (not sold on it yet...still experimenting) and just buy my tofu from Heinen's - I actually found one made locally (of course). I'll have to try this recipe!

    Cadry said...

    Isn't the Tofu Xpress great? When I first got it, I wasn't totally sold. I already had a pressing system of my own involving a weight, books, and kitchen towels. However, since its arrival, I haven't used that method again! It's just so simple to pull the Xpress out of the cupboard and pop in a block of tofu. It presses the tofu quickly (when time is short), and then it can just be popped into the dishwasher. Love that!

    Mandie said...

    wow looks yummy. Nice post. Would you please consider adding a link to my website on your page. Please email me back.

    Thanks!

    Mandie Hayes
    mandie.hayes10@gmail.com

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    Mnowac
    distance runner attempting to run a marathon in every state, vegetarian foodie, mediocre triathlete, sucky swimmer, mommy to Harper, tea lover, coffee drinker, animal saver, hubby snuggler, race addict, full time working 31 year old living in cleveland
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    Marathons so far

    • Sept 2012 - Corning, NY - TBD
    • April 2012 - Louisville, KY - TBD
    • Sept 2011 - Erie PA - 4:25
    • June 2011 - South Bend IN - 5 hrs+ (it was 98 degrees!)
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