I LOVE TOFU part 1

Many people tell me that they could never be vegetarian and especially not vegan because they can't stand tofu. That's because they haven't had GOOD tofu. I do have to be honest though and admit that I love tofu so much that I eat it raw while I am preparing it for other dishes.

I am going to offer you a variety of ways to prepare tofu so that hopefully you will enjoy this great source of protein. And no, it does not cause breast cancer or man breasts or any other hormonal problems. Look at the Chinese - they are not a culture of breasted men and they eat a lot of tofu. Worried that your tofu might be made with GMO soy beans? Then eat organic tofu. Either way, man breasts aren't going to bud overnight (or ever) if you add tofu to your diet.

Easy Grilled Tofu with Peanut Sauce (or any sauce you want to make!)

one package of extra firm tofu
If you have the time, put the tofu on a a plate with a lip, put another plate on top and put something heavy on top of that (I used a bag of navel oranges today but a big can or cookbook or whatever you have on hand)

Turn on your broiler to high.

While your tofu is pressing, make the peanut sauce:
1 small can of light coconut milk (about 150ml)
1/3 cup chunky peanut butter
3 tsp sambal oelek or other chili paste
1/2 tbsp half-salt soy sauce
1/2 tsp tamarind paste (I am sure this can be optional - how much can 1/2 tsp affect the taste?)
1 tsp minced ginger
1/4 tsp ground coriander (go to Abby's Spice and Tea Store on Kirschner for the best and freshest spices)
freshly ground back pepper

Put all the ingredients in a saucepan and on medium-high heat, stir while it comes up to a boil. Turn down the heat to just below medium, stir one minute then remove from the heat and let cool. You can add water or more coconut milk if it's too thick when it's cool.

Now for the tofu.

Cut the block into 1/4 inch slices - I can get 16 slices out of a tofu rectangle. You can spray your cookie sheet with Pam or use parchment paper or a silpat mat or if you are not afraid, just place the tofu on the cookie sheet. Place under the broiler. When it starts to turn light brown, flip. The tofu may require a bit of convincing if you've just put it on the sheet but it should be flip-able. Brown the other side. The outside will be crispy and the inside will be soft.

Dip the tofu in the peanut sauce. YUMMY! And if you don't like tofu, you won't even be able to taste it.

My Search for the Perfect Vegan Pad Thai - Recipe #1

I LOVE pad thai. It is my favourite dish at the Mon Thong by the movie theatre. I always ask for no shrimp and extra tofu (and no green onions either - yuck) but I am sure that there must be shrimp paste lurking in there anyway. Almost all my vegan recipe books have pad thai recipes. It was my goal to have a pad thai week over the Christmas break where we would eat nothing except pad thai until I found the ultimate recipe but I never ended up even making one. Finally tonight I decided to try. I was going to be lazy and use a bottle of vegan pad thai sauce that I had bought at the Asian supermarket but (1) it had expired 2 months ago and (2) there was more sugar than anything else. I decided to not be lazy, cooked a package of flat rice noodles, and went in search of my first pad thai recipe in my cookbooks.

Pad Thai #1 - Modified from The Tropical Vegan Kitchen by Donna Klein

1 package of dried, flat rice noodles cooked according to directions then drained and rinsed in cold water. These cook fast so don't leave them for more than 5 minutes.
1/2 tbsp tamarind paste mixed with 1/2 cup water
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 tbsp tomato ketchup
2 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
1 1/2 tbsp ketjap manis (if you have none then add another 1/2 tbsp each of soy sauce and brown sugar)
2 tbsp canola oil
1/2 tsp crushed red chili flakes
1 tsp minced ginger
1 pkg firm or extra firm tofu cut into 1/2" cubes
1 cup snow peas or cabbage or peppers or carrots or a mix of them all
1 cup bean sprouts rinsed and blanched in boiling water to wash off any salmonella yuckies
1 green onion (yuck - this is entirely optional)
1/4 dry roasted peanuts

Mix the tamarind, water, soy sauce, ketchup, lime, sugar, sesame oil, and ketjap in a bowl and set aside.
Heat oil in a wok and when the oil is hot, toss in the chili flakes and ginger. Stir that around a few minutes then toss in the tofu and let the sides brown a bit. Add the veggies, toss, cover and let them steam cook themselves until they are of your desired crunchiness. If water develops in the bottom of the pan, let that evaporate before adding the tamarind liquid mixture. Mix into the veggies and bring that up to a boil. Toss in the noodles and mix it all together.

In your individual bowls, place a pile of bean sprouts. Serve the Pad Thai on top. Garnish with green onions (yuck - really, you don't have to) and the peanuts. Eat with a fork. The Thai don't use chopsticks.


My review... yummy but not the pad thai taste I am searching for. It's the right texture although it's a little too wet. I could have let the sauce cook down more. I would certainly make it again and Corey really liked it. He isn't a pad thai fanatic so his ability to compare to restaurant versions is limited.