Hello, everyone!
This weekend I had my scheduled cooking experiment: I prepared a tofu spread with celery.
I am not very enthusiastic about the taste yet, probably because I did not use the right spices. Feel free to explore and add any spices and herbs that will make this otherwise nutritious spread more palatable.
The tofu provides protein, the sunflower seeds and olive oil add healthy fats, the seeds also contribute with fiber and magnesium, the celery adds more fiber.
The spread goes well with my home-made super-easy to bake bread.
Tofu-celery spread
Ingredients
16 oz firm tofu
4 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1.5 cups thinly slices celery
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 tsp salt
3 Tbsp olive oil
crushed garlic to taste
spices to taste
Directions
Divide the tofu into four pieces and squeeze these gently between your palms to remove the excess liquid. Mix all ingredients except for the celery and sunflower seeds in a food processor. After obtaining a smooth tofu spread, mix it with the celery and seeds and adjust the spices and herbs to taste.
Tofu with sunflower seeds spread
Ingredients
14 oz extra-firm tofu
½ cup raw sunflower seeds
2 - 3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp olive oil
crushed garlic (to taste)
salt (to taste)
dried basil (to taste)
Directions
Break down the tofu into handfuls and squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until smooth. The salt, garlic and basil are optional and to taste. You can try any herb that is in season. I am planning on using dill next time.
Spinach-feta cheese spread
Ingredients
14-oz can leaf spinach
2 Tbsp plain yogurt
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 - 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp olive oil
crushed garlic (to taste)
salt (to taste)
Directions
Combine all ingredients except for the feta cheese in a food processor and pulse until creamy and smooth. Remove from the processor and combine with the feta cheese. At this time, you may re-adjust again the salt and vinegar.
I have never cooked tofu until today; however, recently I have realized that I need more protein in my diet. After reading a few Internet concoctions with tofu, I invented my own.
Tofu with cauliflower and carrots
Ingredients:
1-2 heads of cauliflower, cut in small pieces
2 cups of baby carrots
extra firm tofu (size would depend on your preferences and the number of servings)
2 Tbsp of corn starch
1-2 Tbsp honey (I used raw)
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 ½ cups soy sauce
To taste: crushed garlic, hot red pepper flakes, onion powder
Directions:
Remove the excess water from the block of tofu by blotting it between paper towels and topping it with a heavy pan. I did this for 30 minutes, during which I squeezed the water out of the towels once. Cut the tofu into cubes (approximately an inch in each dimension). Arrange the cubes on top of parchment paper.
Wash the cauliflower and the baby carrots; mix them with some olive oil in a pan. Bake the veggies and the tofu at the same time at 400F. The tofu will be ready after 25-30 minutes and the veggies in 40 minutes. Midway baking, I mixed the vegetables; I also flipped each tofu piece.
The sauce was prepared with the rest of the recipe ingredients. I premixed the olive oil, soy sauce, honey, corn starch, garlic, onion powder and hot pepper flakes and heated the mix in a pan. After smoothing any clumps for 2-3 minutes, the sauce thickened and was ready to use.
Veggies and tofu were mixed together with the sauce and served!
