The Most Beautiful Meal of Them All

There may not be anything more pleasurable than flipping through a new cookbook for the first time. Luckily for my bank account, I have recently reunited with my local public library who has tons of "new to me" cookbooks! This recipe comes from a cookbook I picked up at the library a few months ago. The final product is quite good, but there are many different pieces to the meal and in order to get the timing down, it's probably best to make it with a friend. In addition, the recipe can be split into individual pieces and utilized as a part of another favorite recipe. I plan to utilize the tofu-cooking technique in the future and the ginger sauce would go great with some simple stir fried veggies and rice. The recipe as-is creates a truly impressive looking and tasting plate of food!

Tofu Steaks
    -1 package firm tofu, pressed and cut lengthwise into 4 slices
    -1/4 cup all-purpose flour
    -2 TBSP dry breadcrumbs
    -1/4 tsp dried thyme
    -1/4 tsp dried dill
    -1/4 tsp salt
    -1/4 tsp paprika
    -1/4 tsp black pepper
    -1 large egg, lightly beaten
    -2 TBSP olive oil
Ginger Sauce
    -1/3 cup rice vinegar
    -1/3 cup sugar
    -1/2 cup water
    -2 TBSP soy sauce
    -1 TBSP cornstarch
    -1/4 cup water
    -1 TBSP minced peeled fresh ginger
Stir Fried Veggies
    -1 TSP olive oil
    -1 yellow bell pepper, cut in strips
    -1 cup snow peas, trimmer
    -1 plum tomato, chopped
  
    -2 cups hot cooked angel hair pasta

I know that's an intimidatingly long list of ingredients, so let me distract you with this big picture of the finished product!

Directions

1. Combine flour, breadcrumbs and dry spices in a shallow dish. Dredge each tofu steak in flour mixture. Dip in egg; dredge again in flour mixture. Heat 2 oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add tofu steaks, cook 3 minutes on each side.
2. Combine vinegar, sugar, soy sauce and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, 3 minutes or until sugar is dissolved. Combine cornstarch and 1/4 cup water; stir into sugar mixture. Bring to a boil and cook 1 minute or until thick. Remove from heat, stir in ginger.
3. Heat 1 tsp oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Add bell pepper strips and snow peas; stir-fry 2 minutes. Add tomato; stir-fry 1 minute.
4. Serve vegetables, tofu and ginger sauce over pasta.

Mom's Sesame Tofu

Ryan and I seem to have amnesia when it comes to remembering meals that we've made, thus my secret plan for this blog is for it to serve as a running list of our favorite recipes. That list would be incomplete without sesame tofu, our favorite meal ever! The recipe was adapted from my mom's sesame chicken, which is just as delicious but twice as much work. This is also a great recipe for introducing tofu to your carnivorous friends.

Ingredients

Cornstarch-coated tofu

1 package firm tofu, pressed and cut into 1/2 inch cubes

4-6 TBLS cornstarch

Olive Oil

Sauce

2 TBLS soy sauce

4 TBLS sugar

2 TBLS rice wine vinegar

4 TBLS water

Dash of red pepper flakes

Directions

1. In a large bowl, coat the tofu cubes with cornstarch. Be delicate but don't worry if it gets a little crumbly.
2. Add the tofu to a hot pan with a bit of oil over medium heat. Cook until browned on all sides.
3. Mix sauce ingredients and add to pan. Stir and cook a few minutes until sauce thickens.
4. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and call your mother (at least that's what my recipe says)

I forgot to add sesame seeds...do as I say, not as I do

Tips  

-For a complete meal, serve with brown rice and broccoli (we like to stir-fry broccoli with a bit of the sesame sauce so it gets infused with deliciousness)

-4 TBLS = 1/4 cup. This comes in handy if you're doubling the recipe