Romancing the Plate, A Valentine's Tale

Three women became hopelessly infatuated with the same man. He was a world-class chef, and they believed him to be the most handsome, the most noble, the most intelligent, and the most sensitive man they had ever met in their whole lives (and they had met a lot).

The first woman was an accomplished scientist, who valued the man's intellect most of all. She devised a plan to capture his heart by impressing him with her vast knowledge. The man was duly impressed, and invited her to his restaurant to have his famous breakfast. She excitedly accepted, but as the morning wore on, the man realized that although she was very intelligent, she was also a snob, a bore, and treated people as inferiors. Needless to say, she did not receive a request for a second date.

The second woman was a glamorous heiress, who valued the man's nobility and appreciation for the finer things. She put on her best designer outfit and had her makeup and hair done by the best professionals money could buy. He was mesmerized by her sparkling beauty, and invited her to his restaurant to have his famous lunch. She happily accepted, but as the afternoon wore on, he realized that although she was very beautiful, she was also very shallow, kind of a ditz, and treated people like property. Needless to say, she did not receive a request for a second date.

The third woman was beautiful, but in a quiet way. She was a waitress, who valued the man's sensitivity most of all. She worked in his restaurant, but only dared to admire him from afar. After the first two women, the man thought about his own prejudices, and decided to invite the meek waitress to dine with him. He wasn't expecting much, as he knew little about her. But as the night wore on, he realized that although she was shy and thought little of herself, she was also intelligent, beautiful, talented, and had a wonderful heart. But alas, she didn't believe she was good enough to belong in his world, and sadly refused his request for a second date.

The man was devastated, for he believed that he had just met the love of his life, but the woman would rather run away from love than believe in herself.

That night, the man racked his brain. How could he change her mind? How could he inspire her to feel differently about herself? After tossing and turning and getting little sleep, he finally decided he would do the only thing he knew how to do... cook.

So the next evening, he persuaded the woman to stay late to test a new dish. Little did she know that he had worked on it all day, tasting, embellishing, and perfecting it, until it was a masterpiece worthy of his restaurant.

The woman looked down on her plate, and marveled at the beautiful presentation. She took a bite, and her eyes closed as she savored the amazing flavors and textures. She had never tasted anything so wonderful! When she asked what it was made of, the man paused and looked deeply into her eyes.

"It's tofu," he said.

It was tofu. Simple, plain, and unassuming tofu, transformed into a beautiful work of art.

Her eyes welled up with tears, as she blushed and tried to look away. He reached gently for her face, and redirected her gaze back to his.

"You are a work of art, waiting to happen," he whispered.

She smiled and fell into his arms, as they shared their first kiss. Needless to say, she accepted his request for a second date.

Almond Encrusted Tofu on Top of Seasoned Quinoa Rice, Roasted Red Pepper Ring, and Red Pepper Coulis

Almond Encrusted Tofu for Two:
Drain and press extra-firm tofu, then marinate in salt water for half an hour (taste for desired saltiness), drain and press again. Slice tofu into two 1/2" thick, 3 inch wide slices and set aside. In a small bowl, mix together in these proportions: 2 tsp. nutritional yeast flakes, pinch of salt, 2 T. sliced almonds, pinch of black pepper, 2 tsp. all purpose flour, dry seasoning of choice, and a little water to form a paste. Mix together, smear a thin layer on top of the 3 inch tofu rounds, then arrange some almond slices on top (they should stick). Fry in a non-stick skillet with a thin layer of vegetable oil, 2 minutes per side (carefully flipping with spatula). Press down with a spatula to flatten a bit.

Quinoa Rice:
Cook half quinoa, half medium grain rice. Take about 1 cup of rice and season with fresh parsley, lemon juice, salt, olive oil, nutritional yeast, and roasted minced garlic. Oil a 3" ring form about 1/2 deep, and set on top of plate. Press in rice mixture with the back of a spoon, then lift mold.

Red Pepper Coulis:
Roast about a cup of sweet red pepper and one garlic clove. Puree these with salt, a little water (a couple tablespoons), pepper, and a squeeze of agave nectar. Pour into a squeeze bottle, and decorate the plate as desired.

Tofu

Curried Cauliflower Chickpea Tofu Salad...On A Chip

It's tofu salad on crack.  The mashed chickpeas and cauliflower provide a rich creamy texture and flavor, and the spicy kick of curry gives it a nice twist.  Serve it on a crispy pita cracker (as shown above), in a sandwich, over salad greens, or off your finger... if no one's looking.

Ingredients:

1 head of cauliflower, cut into chuncks
1/2 yellow onion, cut into thirds
2 T. olive oil15 oz. can of chickpeas (or use fresh cooked if you have)
1/4 C. minced green onions

1/4 C. Vegennaise
2 T. Hot curry paste (I used Patak's) -use more or less to your liking
1/2 package firm tofu (about 7 oz.), @ 1/2" cubed salt to taste

Spinz:

Arrange cauliflower and onions on a prepared sheet pan.  Season with salt and drizzle with olive oil, then roast in a 400 degree oven for 10-15 minutes (lightly browned and fork tender).  Pull out of the oven and allow to cool to room temperature.  


Put the veggies and all the other ingredients except tofu and green onions into a food processor, and blend until creamy with small chunks.  Transfer to a mixing bowl, and mix in the tofu and green onions. Taste and add salt if needed.  Chill in the refrigerator for an hour or more.
 

Tofu Ceviche and Watermelon Pearls

Do you remember last season's Top Chef episode when Hector Santiago made Tofu Ceviche? It was a very warm day today, and I really didn't want to heat up the kitchen too much with hot food, so I looked online to see if that recipe was available, and viola!

The recipe is quite challenging, with the Mango and Cilantro Pearls, but I thought I'd give it a try- it was just too cool to pass up. It's made by heating juice with agar and then dropping it (drop by drop) into canola oil that's chilled in the refrigerator. I was missing the mango, so I tried it with watermelon. At first, the agar mixture just sank to the bottom of the oil and didn't form "pearls." So I stuck the oil in the freezer and tried it again, with some success but I would recommend letting the agar mixture cool a bit so it's not so hot and quicker to set.

The recipe that I found was a little hard to follow, so hopefully mine will make it a bit simpler. I opted to use pre-made tortillas and happened to have a really cool jar of habanero pickled garlic that Mark got from the Farmer's Market, and used it in the dressing instead of sprinkled on top. I changed a few things around, so you could say that mine is a variation... or one of my "spinz."

Ingredients

Marinated Tofu:

1 package extra firm tofu (14 oz.), drained and pressed to remove most of the water

1/3 C. orange juice

1/3 C. lemon juice

1/3 C. lime juice

1 T. tequilla silver (clear)

2 tsp. kosher salt

Cucumber Avacado Salad:

1 large cucumber (about 2-3 cups), cubed

1 ripe avocado (about 1 cup), cubed
1/2 C. fresh tomato, chopped

1/2 C. green onions, finely chopped

1/4 C. fresh cilantro, chopped

1 T. fresh jalapeno chili (minced)
Dressing for salad:

1 dried guajillo chili + 2 dried puya chilies (soaked in warm water to rehydrate)

3-4 cloves of pickled garlic (you can use the original recipe to make your own if you don't have store-bought)

1 T. extra virgin olive oil

1 T. agave nectar

1/4 C. water (or more)

salt to taste (I used about 1/2 tsp.)

Watermelon Pearls:

fresh watermelon (enough to make about 3 cups), cubed

pinch of salt

1 tsp. agave nectar

2 tsp. agar flakes

small bowl of canola oil, chilled in the freezer (won't solidify, so don't worry!)

Tortilla Chips:

(as many as you'd like) small corn tortillas, cut into quarters*

oil for frying

*You can use store-bought tortilla chips if you want, but fresh ones are SO good!

Spinz

First put your bowl of canola oil into the freezer to chill for a good hour.

Cut the tofu into small bite-sized cubes. Mix the marinade ingredients in a shallow casserole dish and add the tofu, spreading evenly. Put into your refrigerator to chill.

For the salad, put the soaked chilies, and the rest of the dressing ingredients into a blender or food processor, and blend until smooth. I didn't have 6 chilies as the original recipe called for, so I subbed fresh jalapenos for more heat, but didn't blend those- just added to the salad. Add more water if needed (should have the consistency of a thin salad dressing). Add dressing to the salad, and toss.

For the watermelon pearls, puree the pearl ingredients until completely liquified. Strain enough to make 1 cup of juice. Add the agar, and heat until boiling, then turn down to simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring. When agar is dissolved, take off the heat and let stand until warm but still liquid (not hot).

Drop droplets into the bowl of oil. It should float for a bit. If it sinks immediately, then let the liquid cool down a bit more. Put everything back into the freezer to set.

To assemble:

1. Place salad on the bottom of your plate.

2. Top with "ceviched" tofu cubes.

3. Scoop out watermelon pearls and strain out the excess oil, then place the pearls on top of everything.

4. Finish with a spoonful of tofu marinade, drizzled on top.

4. Place tortilla chips on the side.

Pressed Stuffed Tofu in Spicy Orange Sauce

I've always been lazy when it comes to pressing tofu. I usually try squeezing it like a sponge over the sink, only it ends up crumbling and I inevitably lose a chunk or two and eventually blot the whole mess with paper towels and call it "tofu scramble."

Now, thanks to the generosity of Jenn from Vegan Dance if You Want to Blog, I can press tofu like a pro with my new Tofu Xpress. She sent it all the way from NY... thanks for the hella cool gift, Jenn!
This is a simple gadget that really does the trick, making a block of tofu into a perfectly squished, water-free wonder! It allows for better marinating, better frying, and a meatier texture. Since I was curious as to what it could really do, I pressed the first block of tofu for about 3 hours, and the next block overnight.

The first block flattened to about half it's size, and was perfect for making the stuffed tofu. I cut it into thirds, then cut each rectangle into triangles. Then, I carefully carved out a hole for stuffing (as shown above).

The second block flattened even more and was too thin to make into stuffed tofu, so I cut it into cubes. Both were sprinkled with salt and dredged in a mixture of 1-part cornstarch and 1-part nutritional yeast. Then they were fried in a skillet with a little vegetable oil until just golden (too long and it gets more chewy than crispy). You'll also have to flip to get all sides golden.

Filling:
Minced carrots, green onion, garlic, cilantro, and crumbled tofu (excavated from the triangles). Salt to taste.

Spicy Orange Sauce:
Juice of 2 large oranges
1 T. orange zest
1 T. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp. fresh minced ginger
2 T. soy sauce
2 T. mirin (Japanese cooking wine)
2 T. vegetarian oyster sauce
3 T. sweet pepper & garlic sauce
1 T. arrowroot powder

Spinz:
Mix all ingredients except ginger and olive oil. Cook ginger in heated olive oil for a minute or so. Add the remaining mixture and whisk and simmer until thickened.

Set sauce aside, covering to keep warm. Heat filling ingredients quickly in a skillet with a little extra virgin olive oil until veggies are slightly wilted. Fry tofu wedges, then spoon in the filling. Drizzle the orange sauce on top.

Jerk Tofu & Pineapple Fried Rice

After two weeks of the flu, I'm ready to do more in the kitchen than retrieve instant soup from the microwave. And since it's getting colder- less than 80 degrees (yeah, California's a biotch), I thought I'd make something that'll warm you up!

Our habanero peppers are in peak ripeness, and what better way to use them than in a dish that invokes thoughts of warm breezes and sand between your toes? Ok, not much of a stretch since I'm in Cali, but not everyone here lives near the beach! Really!

Anyway... the jerk tofu is rather spicy, so if you want to tone it down, use less habanero.

Jerk Tofu
Ingredients:

14oz. block of frozen tofu, thawed (you can do 2 packages, but there won't be a lot of sauce left over)
1 C. orange juice
juice of 1 lime (about 2 tablespoons)
2 T. soy sauce
2 T. olive oil
2 T. brown sugar
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/4 tsp. ground allspice
1 tsp. fresh minced ginger
1/3 C. nutritional yeast
2 T. balsamic vinegar (I used a blackberry ginger flavored vinegar, which was a gift- Thanks, Annie!)
1/2 C. chopped green onions
pinch of ground black pepper
1 habanero pepper
all-purpose flour for dredging

Spinz:
Drain and gently squeeze out as much water from the thawed tofu. Slice into 1/2" pieces and place onto a towel to further drain. Throw all other ingredients into a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Be careful with handling the habanero- don't get any juice on your hands! Marinate the tofu for about an hour. Scrape off excess marinade and lightly coat with flour. Fry in a little oil in a skillet until both sides are golden and crispy. Save the marinade and heat until thick and bubbly. You can use this to drizzle onto your tofu as a sauce.

Pineapple Fried Rice
Ingredients:

Olive oil (or other veg oil)
Rice (amount of choice)
Vegetable Broth (low sodium)
Chopped pineapple
Green onions, chopped
Garlic, minced
Cilantro, chopped
Soy sauce
salt

Spinz:
Theres no measuring here- go on taste and instinct! Steam your rice with the vegetable broth instead of water. If you have leftover rice from take-out, you can use that, but add a veg bouillon cube to your skillet before adding the rice (low sodium or unsalted preferred). Put the pineapple in a towel and squeeze out all of the juice (you want it to be dry so the moisture doesn't turn your rice into mush). Heat the oil in your wok or large skillet until hot. There should be enough oil to coat all the herbs and to slightly coat your rice. Add the onions, garlic, cilantro, and pineapple and stir fry for a few minutes. Add your rice, add soy sauce and salt to taste, and mix well. Be careful not to burn the bottom.

Serve with fried plantains and greens.

Spicy Eggplant & Tofu With Garlic Sauce

I'm fortunate to be living relatively near Asian supermarkets, where I could probably spend all day looking in wonderment at all of the exotic ingredients that remind me of my childhood. As a 2nd-generation Asian, I don't make Asian food all the time, but still crave the flavors pretty often. Today, I made this dish using a black bean & garlic paste that may be found in regular supermarkets on the "Ethnic" isle if you're not close to any Asian markets. It is a blend of soy sauce, black beans, garlic, a little sugar and ginger. This is wonderful over rice, but I opted to put it over a bed of Korean vermicelli, which is a translucent noodle made of sweet potatoes... cool, huh?

1 T. oil
1 C. onions, chopped
3 C. eggplant, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 pkg. extra firm tofu, drained & cubed
3 T. soy sauce
3 T. black bean paste
1 T. hoisin sauce (should be more common in supermarkets)
1 T. red pepper flakes (adjust amount to your liking)
2 T. sugar
2 C. water + a little more to mix with cornstarch
1 1/2 T. cornstarch
3 green onions, sliced

Spinz:

Mix together the soy sauce, bean paste, hoisin, pepper flakes, and sugar in a small bowl. Saute the onions in the oil on high heat for a bit until just turning brown. Stir, and if it looks too dry, add a few tablespoons of water to help it along. Add eggplant, garlic, and pre-mixed sauce and stir to coat. Mix in 2 cups of water and let simmer. In a small bowl or cup, put in the cornstarch (first), then add a little water to dissolve. Add this to the mix to thicken it up. Lastly, add the green onions.