Sweet and Sour Tofu

While making the weekly menu this week, it was decided that it would be a week of favorite dinners. By favorite dinners, I mean the meals we do not cook as often because one of us loves the meal, while the other is just OK with it. That being said, I had first pick, which was Sweet and Sour Tofu. Although my husband enjoys this meal, he claims it is not in his top 5. That's fine! It is definitely a top 5 for me, and I hope you enjoy it too. I usually use store bought sweet and sour, but if you have extra time, there are some great recipes online for homemade sweet and sour sauce. Either way, it is the tofu that makes this dish excellent! Enjoy

Ingredients:
1 Block of tofu, drained and cut into one inch cubes
1/4 c. flour
1 1/2 Tbsp. cornstarch
4-8 Tbsp. of water
1 egg
1/2 c. oil
1 green pepper cut into large chunks
1 onion chopped medium to large
1 can of chunk pineapple drained
2 Tbsp. olive oil
Sweet and sour sauce
Rice for serving

Directions

1. Mix the flour, cornstarch, water, and egg in a large bowl. Begin with 4 Tbsp. of water. If the batter is too thick, add more water 1 Tbsp. at a time.

2. Heat the oil over medium/high heat in a large pan. Dip the tofu in the batter, and then gently place in hot oil. Fry until golden, flipping occasionally. Drain tofu on paper towel. Repeat with remaining tofu. Set fried tofu aside.

3. In a second large pan, heat the 2 Tbsp. of olive oil over medium heat. add the onion and green pepper and sauté for about 2-3 minutes. Pour in the pineapple and cook until heated. Add the tofu. Pour sweet and sour sauce over the tofu mixture until well coated. Remove from heat and serve with rice and additional sweet and sour sauce if needed.

Tofu Fish Sticks

So as a new mom of an infant who is now eating solid foods, I am finding it very difficult to find quick meals for when we are in a hurry. Many of the kids frozen meals are either meaty or full of preservatives. I started thinking about what I ate when I was a kid, and I suddenly had a fond memory of fish sticks. We are raising our daughter vegetarian, so I had to come up with something similar that she would enjoy. The nice thing about this is that it is quick to put together, and it can be thrown into the freezer and used by portion size when needed. This would also be good as fish sandwiches, just slicing the tofu into rectangle slices versus the "sticks." Enjoy!



Ingredients:

1 block of extra firm tofu drained and sliced into one inch sticks
1/2 c. of milk
1/2 of a lemon juiced
1 tsp. of soy sauce
1/2 c. of "Andy's" fish and shrimp breading
2 Tbsp. of kelp powder
Tartar sauce for serving

Directions:
Mix the milk, lemon juice, and soy sauce in one bowl. In a rimmed plate, mix the fish breading with the kelp powder. Dredge the tofu into the milk mixture, coat with breading, back into milk mixture, and finally add a second coat of breading. If not using immediately, place tofu sticks in a zip type bag and freeze until ready to use.

Preheat oven or toaster oven to 425 degrees. Place breaded tofu on baking sheet and lightly spray the tofu with cooking spray. Cook the tofu for 30 minutes or until heated through and the breading is toasted,  flipping occasionally and adding more cooking spray if necessary. Serve with tartar sauce and lemon wedges

Vegan Pantry Soup

In an effort to clean out my pantry and vegetable bin, I put together this soup. I was quite pleased with the outcome, as well as was my family. In fact, my husband stated that if this soup was at a restaurant, he would want to go back to that restaurant just for the soup. I know that is not an official critic's report, but I will take it! This soup is a simple crock pot recipe that can be made in advance, and sit in the crock pot on low for the day. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
4 c. of vegetable broth
2 cans of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/2 c. of chopped celery
1/2 c. of chopped onion
5 cloves of garlic chopped
1 inch of fresh ginger chopped
1/4 c. sliced sundried tomatoes
2 Tbsp. of olive oil
1 1/2 tsp. of curry
1/4 tsp. of cayenne pepper
1 tsp. of garam masala
1/2 tsp. of coriander
1/4 tsp. of cinnamon
Salt and pepper to taste




Instructions

1. Heat 2 tbsp. of olive oil in a large pan over medium high heat.
2. Once oil is heated, sauté the celery and onion until the onion is translucent (about 5 minutes)
3. Add the garlic and ginger and cook a minute more
4. Add the curry, cayenne pepper, garam masala, coriander, and cinnamon and stir into vegetables until well coated. Remove from heat
5. In a crock pot, add broth, chickpeas, sundried tomatoes, spiced vegetables, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook on low for 5-8 hours