Almond Crusted Tofu

Are you a tofu person? I am very much a tofu person. I know that some people still think tofu is not so great or that it doesn’t taste like much or my favorite, that it doesn't taste like meat. And with that I say, well tofu isn’t meat so duh and yeah, it doesn't have a super powerful taste but it does taste good (especially really good fresh tofu) and tastes even better when you make it with tasty ingredients. But If you are a tofu person you already know that.

This tofu is good. I mean really really good. It is dredge and breaded in almonds and then baked until crispy., like a tofu nugget of sorts. I mixed mustard and vinegar into the dredge for some tang and added garlic and red pepper flakes to the almond coating to give it a bit more flavor but if you were feeling something different, say curry or Italian flavoring, well by all means, give it a go. I think the next time I make these (probably tonight) I am going to add a shit ton of cumin and chili powder and way more red pepper flakes. My stomach is rumbling already. And hopefully they will be to spicy for the mr so I don’t have to share. Its my craving. He can eat something else. Ha!

Now to the almond crusted tofu!

The stuff. A brick of firm tofu (which I have smooshed out a lot of liquid), whole almonds, and oats. Then there is flax meal, mustard, vinegar, almond milk, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper.

Cutting up the tofu. Fist cut brick in half. Then turn each half on its side and cut into three equal pieces. flip back down each piece then can be cut into 4 triangles. And if you want to cut it up differently well then who am I to tell you otherwise.

Make the almond crust mixture. Almond and oats along with garlic powder, red pepper flakes, and sat and pepper go into the food processor and pulses utlil a crumbly. You don’t want it to fine but also not to chunky. Think bread crumb consistency.

Now make the dredge. Combine mustard, flax, vinegar, and plant milk in a wide shallow bowl until completely combined. Let it sit for a few minutes to really thicken.

Now you are all ready to go.

To coat the tofu just drag each piece through the wet mixture making sure it is evenly coated then drag with through the almond mixture.

Once all the pieces are crusted and on the baking sheet pop it into the hot oven and bake. 20ish minutes at first then flip eat piece and another 10ish minutes after that.

Baked and crispy.

Now you eat. Grab some dipping situations (I grabbed some guac and tomato sauce) and get at it.

So good.

-C

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Almond Crusted Tofu

makes 24 pieces

• 1 brick firm or extra firm tofu

• 1/2 cup almonds

• 1/4 cup old fashion oats

• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

• 1/2 cup warm plant milk

• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

• 1 tablespoon mustard

• 1 tasblepoon ground flaxseed

• salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 450

Remove tofu from package and gently press out as much liquid as you can. Cut the tofu brick in half then flip each piece onto it’s side and cut each half into 3 equal pieces. Flip back down and then cut each third into 4 triangles. Or just cut the tofu into 24 each sizes pieces of your choice. Set aside on a dry towel.

Make the dredge. Combine flax seed, mustard, vinegar, warm plant milk and a inch of salt and pepper in a shallow bowl until completely combined.

To make the almond crust place the almonds, oats, garlic powder, red pepper flakes and a good pinch of salt and pepper into a food processor and pulse for about a minute or so until the texture is a small crumb the consistency of semi fine bread crumbs. Pour into a shallow bowl.

When all parts are ready to go, line up the dredge, the almond mixture, and get a baking sheet ready with either a baking mate or a little oil to keep the tofu from sticking. Take each piece of tofu and dip it though the dredge making sure to evenly coat it and then lift it out and let the excess drip off. The drop the tofu into the almond mixture and gently toss flip ti coat each side. Place coated onto baking sheet.

Once all the tofu is coated place it into the hot oven.Bake for 20 minutes then flip each piece and bake for another 8-12 minutes or unit crispy.

Once baked, remove from oven, place on a plate and eat. Want something to dip it in? I recommend guacamole. and or tomato sauce. Mustard and hummus are also fantastic!

Tofu Veggie Pot Pie

Pot pies. I grew up on them. But not real pot pies, no, it was those little frozen, single serve, terribly terrible nasty things. Yup. All you needed to do was turn on the oven or better yet, open the microwave, poke a few holes in the frozen pie, and 10 minutes later, food. The ultimate in afterschool snacks. Oh those days. What the heck was I thinking? But my best or, most vivid memory of those pies was when I was like 10 and was stabbing one of those frozen pot pies with a very sharp knife (again, the directions stated to add a vent hole) that went threw said pie and right into the palm of my hand. I remember screaming, blood everywhere, and thinking I just cut my hand off. Luckly, it was just a big gash and the knife didn’t go all the way threw my hand so that was good. And I think that was the last time I made a pot pie. Ha.

This pot pie is nothing like those pot pies. First off, it is not frozen which is good because you won’t accidentally stab a hole into your and. Secondly, it is not nasty. And third, it is freaking awesome. There are other things that make them vastly different, but you get the idea. This pot pie is full of good veggies and tofu that are nicely spiced with a creamy oat sauce that is alll wrapped up in a easy hot water pastry crust. Everything and more a real pot pie should be. Sure, it is definitely not as quick and easy as opening a cardboard box, stabbing, and tossing the contents into the microwave but screw that, we are here for the good stuff.

To the pot pie!

The stuff. Tofu, an onion, a couple carrots and a couple mushrooms, some frozen pies, garlic, oats, spicy mustard, and spices. Also salt and pepper, oil, flour, and some boiling water.

Start with the tofu. Grab a skillet, add a dash of oil and set o the stove on median heat. Cut the tofu into small cubs and pat as much of the liquid out as you can. Place tofu into skillet, sprinkle with a little salt, and let cook.

Whle tofu is cooking, cut up veggies into small, not tiny, pieces. And mince the garlic too.

Browned and tasty tofu.

Remove tofu from skillet and place into a bowl. Add all the veggies you just cut up into the skillet along with the spices and another pinch of slat ans lots of pepper. Keep on heat and cook.

While veggies are cooking, place water and oats into blender and blend until smooth. Making oat milk to thicken the whole shebang.

Once the veggies start to soften just a bit, add the tofu back in and add the mustard too. Then dump in the oat mixture you just blend up. Mix it al up and cook for a until it just start to thicken.

Now add in frozen peas, mix, and remove from heat. Set aside. It’s now time to make the crust.

FLour, hot oil, boil water and salt.

Add all the stuff together and mix until dough forms.

Dump hot dough onto counter and kneed for a minute of two. It shouldn’t be too hot to handle, but if it is, just wait a minute.

Once kneaded and unicorn. cut 2/3 of dough off and roll out about 1/8 inch thick either on a piece of parchment or a splat mat. IT is way, way easier to deal with then trying to roll it directly on the counter.

Place rolled out dough into spring form pan. It is going to rip and tear but guess what, no big deal. Just mush and patch the holes. That is the beauty of hot water crust. Once crust is all nice and uniform and all in the pan, dump in the filling.

Now roll out the top.

Place top on, seal it up, add some vent hole and make a few little hearts with any scraps you have (only if you want too!) Now into the oven this baby goes, about and hour, until a nice golden brown.

Done and beautiful and yeah, it sprang a little leak, but thats quite all right with me.

Remove he spring form. And probably do it on a pan. Any little leaks will well, leak out a bit. But again, it’s all good.

And now all you heave to do is eat it.

A pot pie in all its glory!

-C

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Tofu Veggie Pot Pie

makes one 8 inch, 2 inch deep, pie

For the filling

• 1 medium sized yellow onion

• a few white button mushrooms (about a 1/2 cup diced)

• 1/2 cup frozen peas

• 2 small carrots

• 1/2 block (8oz) firm tofu

• 1 teaspoon each thyme, dill, rosemary, and ground ginger

• 2-3 cloves garlic

• 2 heaping tablespoons spicy brown or dijon mustard

• 1/4 cup old fashion oats

• 1 1/2 cups water

• salt and pepper

• a splash of oil

For Hot Water Crust

• 1 3/4 cups flour

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/3 cup coconut oil,warmed

• 1/3 cup neutral oil,warmed

• 1/3 cup boiling water

Before you start cooking know that you need to make the filling first and can even make it ahead of time. The crust needs to be used right away so don’t make that in advance!

Start with tofu. Cut into small 1/2 inch cubes then press as much liquid out as you can. Place a drop of oil into a large skillet and turn onto medium heat. Drop in cubed tofu and sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Cook until browned.

While tofu cooks, dice up carrots, onion, and mushrooms. Mince the garlic. Once the tofu is browned, dump it in a bowl then add the veggies and garlic to the skillet. Also add in all the spices and another good pinch of salt and lots of pepper. Stir and then cook until veggies are slightly tender.

While veggies cook, place the oats and 1 1/2 cups water into blender and blend until smooth.

And after the veggies are slightly soften, add the tofu back in, along with the mustard and the oat mixture. Stir it all around and keep on medium heat for another few minutes until the oat milk just starts to thicken. Add in the frozen peas, stir, then remove from heat. Give it a taste and season with more salt and pepper if needed.

Preheat oven to 375

Now for the crust. Place flour and salt in a big bowl and mix. Then add in warm oil (either heat on stove or in microwave) and boiling hot water. Mix unit it all comes together. Dump dough onto counter and knead for couple minutes until dough is uniform and smooth.

Cut 2/3 of the dough off and roll out in between parchment paper or on a splat mat to about 1/8 inch thick. Place into a spring form pan. It’s going to fall apart a bit but that is ok, just mush and patch up all the rips and tears so there are no holes. This dough is like play dough, very easy to manipulate. Once bottom crust is in, dump in the filling. Take the remaining dough and roll out the same way you did bottom and place on top. Seal the bottom and top crust by pinching it together. You want to try and avoid any holes so the filling doesn’t leak out. Once the crust is sealed, cut a little vent hole into the middle of the top then place pie into oven. Bake for an 60 -70 minutes or until crust is a nice golden brown.

Once baked, remove from oven and let cook for a few minutes. Then remove from pan by place pie on something like a bowl or cup that fits underneath the bottom of pan. Unlock the pan and slip ring down while the pie stays perched on cup. You can even pop the bottom of pan off if you feel like you can, but I say, why risk it. That is up to you. And sure, the pie might have sprung a little leak, but that is very much ok.

Now basically all you need to do is eat it so place pie on a big plate, grab a knife, and fork, and cut yourself a big ass piece of pot pie.

Leftovers store great in the fridge for a few days.

Pineapple Broccoli and Tofu Stir fry

Pineapples have been on sale all week long. I think it's because Easter and I guess people need pineapples for Easter for some reason. Does Pineapple have anything to do with bunnies or Jesus? I think not. Pretty sure it has something to do with cake or ham or some shit, but I honestly don't care because I just like the fact that I can buy a few (like 3) pineapples without breaking the bank. (I think I am going to buy 3 more for the dehydrator) Plus it is always good to have a pineapple or 3 on the counter at home. You never know when you are going to need one. So lets give a shout out to the Easter bunny and  Jesus. Thanks for the cheap pineapples.  HA!

So now you are have those pineapples, you are going want to eat them. And maybe you don't want to eat them with cake or ham or some shit. You are going to want to eat it the best way...In a stir fry. 

This is by far one of my favorite stir fry combinations. Pineapple does amazing things when cooked a bit, especially with soy, broccoli, and tofu. This dish definitely let's pineapple reach it's full pineapple potential. It is so good that tI think I might even prefer my pineapple cooked along with savory stuff. It is just so right and seriously so freaking good. The mr even get excited for it and he is not the excitable kind of guy. Plus it's fast (especially if you have already cut up your pineapple) and easy because stir fry and that's what stir fries are. Fast and easy, just like..........(insert your favorite fast and easy person and then chuckle)

And don't try to use canned pineapple because no.  Just get the fresh one,even if it's not on sale. It's a must. 

The stuff. A pineapple (you are only going to need 1/3 of this, but you can never have too much fresh pineapple on hand), a big head of broccoli, a little cabbage, and some firm tofu.  Also need some soy, a few cloves of garlic, a little fresh ginger, a bit of oil, and pepper. 

Dice up the tofu into cubes and place on a clean dish towel to absorb some moisture. 

Grab the fresh pineapple. Cut it up the way you do, but the easiest way  for me is to cut in half the cut that half into fourths then cut the skin away. You are going to have a lot of extra pineapple so snack as you need too. I always eat like half of what I am cutting up and end up with pineapple gut. SO maybe watch yourself.  

Pour some soy into a cup and mince the garlic and ginger. 

Garlic, ginger, soy. Looking good.

Cut up about 2ish (or more if you want) pineapple into small mouth sized pieces. Break Broccoli head into small florets and shredded the cabbage. 

Tofu into a lightly oiled hot skillet with a splash of soy, cooked until a nice crisp brown on all sides.  Once it is cooked, remove from pan and set aside.

It's the broccolis turn. Add in the florets and a splash of water to start cooking down for a few minutes, it need the head start. 

Once the broccoli turns bright green and is slightly less raw, add in the pineapple and cook until the broccoli is slightly tender and the pineapple starts to caramalize which will take about 5-7 minutes. 

Add the tofu back in along with the shredded cabbage and dump the soy ginger garlic mixture all over.. Keep cooking and stirring around until everything is hot and the liquid has mostly been absorbed. 

That's some stir fry ladies and gentlemen. 

You might want some rice to accompany your stir fry so think about it and have it ready. Other then that, it's food to face time. 

Enjoy the best stir fry ever. 

Bye.

-C

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Pineapple Broccoli And Tofu Stir Fry 

serves 2

• 1/3 of a fresh pineapple (about 2 cups cubed)
• 1/2  block firm tofu
• a large head of broccoli (about 2 1/2-3 cups of florets)
• 1/4 head of red or green cabbage (about a cup shredded)
• 2-3 cloves garlic
• 3 tablespoons soy or tamari
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
• pepper
• Cooked rice to serve with (Optional)

Cube tofu into 1 inch pieces and either place on a dry towel to absorb the moisture or place the tofu into the microwave and heat for 2 minutes. When you take it out of the microwave there will be a lot of liquid...pour it off and pat the tofu dry. 

Cube fresh pineapple into similar sized pieces and break broccoli into small florets. Shred cabbage. 

Mince garlic and add to a bowl or jar with the grated ginger and soy sauce. 

Place a large skillet on the stove an medium heat. Drizzle in a little olive oil. Once oil is hot, place the tofu in with a splash of soy, cooking until all sides are a nice dark browned. Remove the tofu from pan and add the in the broccoli. Add a splash of water and cook for 5 minutes. Then add in the pineapple and cook for another 5-7 minutes or until the pineapple starts to caramelize and the broccoli os no longer raw.  Add the tofu back in along with the shredded cabbage and pour the soy garlic ginger mixture all over. Sprinkle with pepper to taste. Cook for another 5 minutes or until the liquid has cooked down. 

Serve with rice or quinoa and extra soy if needed.