100 posts tagged “tofu”

I have made so many different versions of tofu scramble.  For a vegan, tofu scramble is definitely a staple food, something that I can simply whip up when I am feel really lazy.  It is the ultimate comfort food with the benefit of fast food.  You can practically add anything into the tofu scramble to make it Italian, American, Chinese, Indian, or whichever way you want.

But the recipe I used this time is simplicity itself.  I found it on Bryanna's blog and it is Julie Hasson's Yummy Tofu Scramble.  I cooked it in 15 minutes and it is yummy without too many additions or spices.  Sometimes, keeping it simple is the sure way to make it tasty.  This tofu scramble sure beats all the other versions I tried in any restaurant so far (and we have tried many across the country).

I finally made the Pumpkin Baked Ziti with Caramelized Onions and Sage Crumb Topping from Veganomicon (page 194).  I mean, really, everybody has made it, and I finally caught the drift.

Needless to say, it was seriously good.  If you have Veganomicon, and have been waiting just like me, it is high time that you opened it and made this baked pasta dish.  The sage crumb topping mixed really well with the pumpkin flavor and you can never do wrong with the caramelized onions.

The pop overs might just put me over the top and get that popover pan in the store.  I saw a really good one the other day, but thought to myself I would have very little use of it.  Who knew that I came straight home and wanted to make breakfast popovers all of a sudden?  And I fell in love immediately (even though I had to use my muffin pan).  The recipe is by Susan of She's Becoming DoughMessTic.  Kudos to Susan!  The only change is that I used Ener-G egg replacers to replace eggs.

The Daring Cooks July challenge certainly managed to take me completely out of my comfort zone.  I have barely heard of Molecular Cuisine before this challenge, and now I was actually asked to produce something befitting the much-misunderstood-and-little-known art of cooking.  The biggest obstacle for me is to make a vegan fish dish that remains moist and will blend well with the powders.

Sketchy from Sketchy's Kitchen is the host for the Daring Cooks July challenge.  He hopped between a MC (Molecular Cuisine) dish and a classic rustic Italian dish, and opted to skip the 400 year old dish in favor of something that would be new and daring.

The Challenge: Skate, traditional flavors powdered (slightly altered)

This is a dish from Grant Achatz, found in the Alinea cookbook - page 230.  Our host picked a recipe that could be completed without having to order a bunch of specialized chemicals or powders. Just a little work and you can make this, the techniques are not very hard and only require a few tools.

  4 skate wings (I made Tofu Fish Sticks instead, see below)
  * Beurre monte
  * 300g fresh green beans
  sea salt/kosher salt
  1 banana
  454g butter - 4 sticks

  Powders - prepare ahead of time
  caper / onion (total failure on my part)
  lemon powder (skipped and subbed more tofu fish breading powder)
  cilantro/parsley powder
  'brown butter' powder (skipped the cream powder)
  (I also added paprika powder)
 
* For green beans, slice each beans into very thin rounds (2 mm)
* Beurre Monte - 454g butter (4 sticks, 1 pound) cubed and cold, 60g water. In a small saucepan, bring the water to a boil, remove from heat and whisk in the butter 1 cube at a time. This should from an emulsion. Keep this heated, but under 195 degrees. The emulsion will not break - this is your poaching liquid.

I made the Tofu Fish Sticks - a famous recipe from Vegan Lunch Box.  This was a huge success, and we really loved the flavors of the tofu fish sticks.  I even used the leftover breading powder as one of the powders to be served on the plate with the fish sticks.  Unfortunately, I found drying the herbs and other things in my microwave oven is very difficult.  I completely failed in making the onion powder because my microwave doesn't have high or low temperature settings.  When I left the onion in the microwave for 2 minutes each time, the onion wouldn't dry.  When I used 3-4 minutes each time, the onion started burning.  Drying in the oven would be better, I suppose, but I really couldn't find enough time to sit in front of the oven to watch.

The plating was fun to do, but obviously, I could have made some nice pattern of the powders to make it more presentable.  The whole challenge was a new thing to try, and I might study a little further on Molecular Cuisine, but overall, I really think having a dehydrator is rather critical in this case.

For more beautiful plates in this July challenge, check out the Daring Cooks blogroll.

I made three types of pancakes in Vegan Brunch.  From left to right: banana flapjacks (with optional vegan white chocolate chips), perfect pancakes, and pumpkin pancakes.  They were all extremely good and versatile for any kind of sauce you fancy.  They are also excellent with just the classic maple syrup and butter combo.

I planned to make a lot of the savory goodies in the book, but so far only managed to make the shiitake-dill frittata which was an instant favorite in our family.  More to come in the near future...

We are huge dumpling/potsticker lovers.  You can eat dumplings/potstickers for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  So when our June host Jen from use real butter chose this challenge, I was super excited.  I have always been fond of making Chinese dumplings/potstickers from scratch, but sadly I don't make them often enough.  This time I got my perfect excuse.

Jen from use real butter is our host for the Daring Cooks June 2009 challenge.  It's a basic concept: a filling inside a dough wrapper, sealed, and cooked.  This delicious theme runs through many cultures and is among the more popular bites at Chinese restaurants - especially dim sum.  The recipe she provided is based on her family recipe.  There is a lot of room for exploration and creativity.

Chinese Dumplings/Potstickers

dough: (double this for the amount of filling, but easier to make it in 2 batches - or just halve the filling recipe)
2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (113g) warm water
flour for worksurface

dipping sauce:
2 parts soy sauce
1 part vinegar (red wine or black)
a few drops of sesame oil
chili garlic paste (optional)
minced ginger (optional)
minced garlic (optional)
minced green onion (optional)
sugar (optional)

Combine all filling ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix thoroughly by hand.  Cover and refrigerate until ready to use (up to a day, but preferably within an hour or two).

Make the dough, Method 1: Place the flour in the work bowl of a food processor with the dough blade.  Run the processor and pour the warm water in until incorporated.  Pour the contents into a sturdy bowl or onto a work surface and knead until uniform and smooth.  The dough should be firm and silky to the touch and not sticky.  [Note: it’s better to have a moist dough and have to incorporate more flour than to have a dry and pilling dough and have to incorporate more water.]

Make the dough, Method 2 (Jen's mom’s instructions): In a large bowl mix flour with 1/4 cup of water and stir until water is absorbed.  Continue adding water one teaspoon at a time and mixing thoroughly until dough pulls away from sides of bowl.  We want a firm dough that is barely sticky to the touch.  [My note: I used a little more water than the 1/2 cup listed in the recipe.  The dough is not supposed to be soft, but not too stiff either.  Use your own judgement and you might have to just trust your instinct and see what happens.]

Both dough methods: Knead the dough about twenty strokes then cover with a damp towel for 15 minutes.  Take the dough and form a flattened dome.  Cut into strips about 1 1/2 to 2 inches wide.  Shape the strips into rounded long cylinders.  On a floured surface, cut the strips into 3/4 inch pieces.  Press palm down on each piece to form a flat circle (you can shape the corners in with your fingers).  With a rolling pin, roll out a circular wrapper from each flat disc.  Take care not to roll out too thin or the dumplings will break during cooking - about 1/16th inch.  Leave the centers slightly thicker than the edges.  Place a tablespoon of filling in the center of each wrapper and fold the dough in half, pleating the edges along one side (see images in Jen's post for how to fold pleats).  Keep all unused dough under damp cloth.

To boil: Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add dumplings to pot.  Boil the dumplings until they float.

To steam: Place dumplings on a single layer of napa cabbage leaves or on a well-greased surface in a steamer basket with lid. Steam covered for about 6 minutes.

To pan fry (potstickers): Place dumplings in a frying pan with 2-3 tbsp of vegetable oil. Heat on high and fry for a few minutes until bottoms are golden. Add 1/2 cup water and cover. Cook until the water has boiled away and then uncover and reduce heat to medium or medium low. Let the dumplings cook for another 2 minutes then remove from heat and serve.

To freeze: Assemble dumplings on a baking sheet so they are not touching. It helps to rub the base of the dumpling in a little flour before setting on the baking sheet for ease of release. Freeze for 20-30 minutes until dumplings are no longer soft. Place in ziploc bag and freeze for up to a couple of months. Prepare per the above instructions, but allow extra time to ensure the filling is thoroughly cooked.

To serve: Serve dumplings or potstickers hot with your choice of dipping sauce combinations.

I made dumplings in the soup, deep-fried dumplings, and the traditional potstickers.

My Filling (for 14-16 dumplings):

1 recipe Tofu Ricotta (PPK)
1 medium-size eggplant, peeled and sliced across to 1/4-inch pieces
1 zucchini, sliced to 1/4-inch pieces
1 large portobello mushroom, sliced
15 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 1/2 large tomatoes, sliced
1/4 cup freeze-dried chives
1/2 tsp. red curry paste
1 tsp. black bean chili sauce
A dash of Hungarian paprika
3 water-packed baby artichokes, well drained and squeezed dry, roughly chopped
1/4 cup walnuts, finely chopped
20 capers, drained and finely chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Deep all vegetables from eggplant to tomatoes (one type of vegetable at one time).  When done, dry on paper towel very well.
2. In a large mixing bowl, mash deep-fried vegetables, tofu ricotta, all spices, and everything else together until creamy and well-combined.

Seaweed Soup:

10 cups water
1 cup dried konbu
3 large cabbage leaves
1/2 cup fresh scallions, sliced
2 Tbsp. white miso
Salt and pepper to taste

Put everything in a large pot and cook on medium heat for 5-7 minutes before adding the boiled dumplings.

Verdict: Once you get the hang of making your own wrappers, you can make your dumplings in no time.  It's a fun way of eating and certainly a one-pot-meal.  Regarding the pleating part, I thoroughly had fun.  It may seem difficult at first, but if you are patient enough to try a couple more times, you will get the hang of it pretty quickly.  It's really not so hard.

For more dumpling/potsticker variations, check out the Daring Cooks blogroll.

First of all, I must share the exciting news: the Daring Kitchen has begun another wonderful traditional - the Daring Cooks Challenge.  Now we don't just bake things in the daring manner.  We also cook things in a daring manner.  I am super excited to be both a Daring Baker and a Daring Cook, having plenty of opportunities to dare myself to finish the next challenge.
Lisa of La Mia Cucina and Ivonne of Cream Puffs in Venice happily inaugurated the first Daring Cooks challenge, and they have chosen a ricotta gnocchi recipe from the stunning cookbook by Judy Rodgers, named after her restaurant, The Zuni Café Cookbook.  Now I have never made gnocchi before this challenge.  Isa has a potato gnocchi recipe in VwaV, but I never tried it, because we don't like the potato-dough ball combo.  But the light and delicate ricotta gncchi is completely another story.

To make the vegan ricotta gnocchi, I followed the instructions by Shellyfish of Musings From The Fishbowl.  I made one recipe of the classic Tofu Ricotta (recipe on PPK) but used 7 cloves of garlic to have a garlicky flavor and also added a little bit of rubbed sage.  The tofu ricotta was made 24 hours in advance and sat in the fridge to allow the flavors to take hold.

The gnocchi dough was made by mashing the tofu ricotta to paste and adding 1/3 cup of vital wheat gluten flour.  The key is to really mix well and allow some time for the gluten to develop and really knead and squeeze between your fingures the gnocchi dough a few times to shape each little gnocchi.  This method yielded 25 gnocchi for me.

Flouring the gnocchi was critical too, so as to prevent the gnocchi from sticking to the pan when they sit in the fridge for an hour to firm up.  Testing if the gnocchi is ready (dry enough) is important.  Before putting all of the gnocchi into the fridge, make sure that you cook one as a test to see if the gnocchi floats to the top eventually (3-5 minutes).  If the gnocchi disintegrates in the boiling water, it is still too wet.

To serve the gnocchi, I made the simple butter sauce in the original recipe.  I find it very satisfying and goes extremely well with the garlicky ricotta gnocchi.

For the gnocchi sauce:

8 tablespoons (227 grams/1/4 pound/4 ounces) butter, sliced
2 teaspoons water

When the gnocchi float to the top, you can start your sauce while you wait for them to finish cooking.

Place the skillet over medium heat and melt the butter. Swirl it gently a few times as it melts. As soon as it melts and is incorporated with the water, turn off the heat. Your gnocchi should be cooked by now.

Besides being easy and fun to prepare, the gnocchi freeze very well.  I made a second batch and froze all of the gnocchi for a few days.  After they were cooked, they tasted like freshly made again.

A side note: I have still been settling into my new kitchen and all the stuff in it.  So more cooking and baking will come shortly, I hope.

This is my first attempt at the Chinese steamed buns.  I used this recipe from Kat of "A Good Appetite".  My filling was some leftover tofu and veggie bake.  Obviously, I still have to work on the cosmetics, but the texture and taste were really really good.  I made these steamed buns right before we left Florida to travel north.  We are on the road again, so I won't have much desire to cook or bake until we settle down in the middle of next week.  Till then, take care and God bless!

I don't make cheesecakes often.  The reasons are simple: we don't love cheesecakes that much, and I don't get the same satisfaction from making a cheesecake as from a loaf of good bread.  When the Daring Bakers April challenge was revealed - a cheesecake, I wasn't too excited; however, having the total freedom of making whatever flavor and topping we want did seem very appealing, as well as challenging.  We happened to have several containers of Tofutti cream cheese laying around in the fridge.  So I actually found myself making the cheesecake right after I read through the challenge.

The April 2009 challenge is hosted by Jenny from Jenny Bakes.  She has chosen Abbey's Infamous Cheesecake as the challenge.

I made a vegan lemon cheesecake with lavender-infused chocolate ganache and cashew butter sauce.  The recipe is a combination of several long-time favorites, so I totally loved the end result.  It was a very fun challenge to complete and it did make me appreciate cheesecakes more.

Vegan Lemon Cheesecake with Lavender-Infused Chocolate Ganache and Cashew Butter Sauce
(Makes one 9-inch round cheesecake)

CRUST (recipe from Vegetarian Times)

1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. vegan butter or margarine
2 Tbsp. canola oil
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 Tbsp. water
1 tsp. vanilla extract

FILLING (recipe adapted from Nicole of Bakingsheet)

1 1/2 packages 8-oz Tofutti better than cream cheese
1 pacakge 12-oz nori-nu silken tofu
1/2 package 8-oz sour cream
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
2/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. almond extract

LAVENDER-INFUSED CHOCOLATE GANACHE (half recipe from Vegan Chef)

3/4 cup soy milk, rice milk, or other non-dairy milk of choice
1 1/2 Tbsp. lavender flowers (the original recipe doesn't call for this, but I thought it was a nice touch)
1/4 cup soy margarine
12 oz. vegan chocolate chips (or chopped vegan chocolate)

CASHEW BUTTER SAUCE (The Voluptuous Vegan, page 260) - half recipe

1/2 cup maple syrup
2 tsp. arrowroot powder
1/2 cup original flavored soy milk
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
2 Tbsp. creamy peanut butter (used cashew butter instead)

WHAT TO DO

1. Preheat oven to 350F.  Coat 9-inch cake pan or springform pan with cooking spray.

2. To make Crust: Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in mixing bowl.  Using electric mixer, beat butter, oil and sugar in second mixing bowl until smooth.  Add water and vanilla to butter mixture; beat until smooth.  Add dry ingredients, and mix with rubber spatula until dry ingredients are moist.  Transfer dough to baking dish, and use piece of plastic wrap to press it into even layer on bottom.

3. Bake about 20 minutes, or until puffed and brown around edges.

4. Meanwhile, to make Cream Cheese Filling: Using electric mixer or food processor, blend cream cheese, tofu, sour cream, lemon juice, sugar and cornstarch until smooth and creamy.  Add vanilla and almond extracts; beat or process until smooth.  Pour cream cheese batter over the crust, spreading evenly.  Gently tap the pan to let the air bubbles surface.

5. Bake 40-45 minutes, or until filling has set.  The surface should be light golden.  The edges should be firm but the center might still be jiggly.  Keep the oven door slightly ajar and let cool inside the oven for an hour to 90 minutes.  Then let cool completely on wire rack in room temperature.  When completely cooled, cover and transfer to the refrigerator and chill overnight before adding the topping.

6. (Continue when the cheesecake has been chilled overnight and ready to be topped.)  To make the chocolate ganache, in the top part of a double boiler, place the soy milk and lavender flowers, and heat together until lukewarm.  Let lavender flowers steep in the soy milk for 10 minutes and then strain the flowers out.  Add the margaine, and heat until the margarine melts completely.  Add the vegan chocolate chips, continue to cook while stirring constantly until the vegan chocolate chips have melted completely and the mixture is very smooth.  Remove from heat and set aside.

7. While the chocolate ganache cools in the room temperature, make the cashew butter sauce.  Heat up the maple syrup in a small sauce pan until slightly bubbly.  Add arrowroot powder and soy milk.  Mix well and cook on medium heat.  When it boils, lower the heat a bit to a simmer.  Stir constantly until the mixture thickens.  Remove from heat, stir in vanilla extract and cashew butter right away and mix well until the whole mixture is smooth.

8. Pour the chocolate ganache on top of the chillded cheesecake.  Smooth out evenly.  Pour the cashew butter sauce across the surface gently.  Use a toothpick or a small knife to swirl across the surface to create whatever pattern you feel like.  I simply did an abstract version.  Return the cheesecake to the refrigerator and chill for at least two hours before serving.

* Cooling the cheesecake after baking is critical.  The key is to let the temperature fall gradually, therefore, leaving the cake in the oven and then cool in room temperature completely is the only way to prevent cracks if you don't want to attempt the water bath (which is rather difficult, and unnecessary, in my humble opinion).

I also made these Chicago "Red Hot" Poppyseed Buns (recipe by Sandy Smith of At the Baker's Bench).  The buns are light yet substantial and the poppyseeds really shine in them.  These buns are perfect for a good veggie burger or you can simply slather them with butter or jam.

Mu quiche-making passion has taken a new turn.  I have realized that the crust is really not the thing that I love so much about quiches, but the filling is the very thing that requites my love for all kinds of vegan quiches.  Instead of making a quiche, I have made a mixed vegetable and tofu bake, which is almost exactly like a quiche filling, except that it is a little less firm.  It will be a good companion for any greens or pastas, and it tastes great on its own.

Mixed Vegetable and Tofu Bake
(Makes 4 large servings)

What you need:

Veggie Mix:

2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
6 cloves garlic, minced or finely chopped
1/2 large green bell pepper, finely chopped
1 large yellow bell pepper, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups mixed gourmet mushrooms (baby bellas, chanterelle, shiitake mushrooms)
1 cup green beans, ends discarded and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. Italian herb seasoning
1/4 tsp. dried oregano
2 cups water-packed artichokes, or roasted artichokes packed in oil, drained well and roughly chopped
3 large tomatoes, seeded and diced

Tofu Mix:

1 pound extra firm tofu, drained
1/4 cup plain soy milk
1/4 cup vegetable broth
1 Tbsp. tahini
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
2 tsp. sea salt (or to taste)
Healthy dose fresh cracked black pepper
1/4 cup nutritional yeast

What you do:

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Saute the garlic, peppers, mushrooms, and green beans for about 12-14 minutes until the mushrooms have released some juice and green beans a bit softer.  Add the herbs and continue to cook for a minute.  Add artichokes and tomatoes and mix well.  Cook for 3-4 minutes.  When done, remove from heat and set aside.

In a food processor, blend smoothly all the ingredients for the Tofu Mix.  When done, mix this mixture with the Veggie Mix very well.  Taste to adjust the seasoning.

Pour the mixture into an oiled casserole dish and bake for 40-45 minutes until slightly brown on the edges and on top.  It should be rather firm.  Cool for at least 20 minutes before digging in.  Serve warm.