Tofu Ricotta Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

I adapted parts of a White Pizza Grilled Cheese recipe over at Kitchen Treaty. This is a great grilled cheese compromise for those of us who must avoid cheese or all dairy.

Ingredients:

Tofu ricotta:

• 1 pkg firm tofu (16 oz)
• 1/4 c. rice milk...or any kind of milk really (regular, soy, etc)
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 Tb. lemon juice
• 2 tsp. dried basil (or you can use 2 Tb. fresh, minced basil)
• 1 tsp. salt

 The sandwich filling:

• 1 cup of the tofu ricotta above
• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tsp dried basil (or 1 Tb fresh)
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano (or 2 tsp fresh)
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• fresh ground black pepper to taste
• Your favorite bread--I recommend Ciabatta bread sliced thin, but it also tastes great on whole wheat sandwich bread too 
• margarine or butter replacement (for spreading on the outsides of your bread before grilling)

Directions:

1. Make the tofu ricotta by placing all the ingredients in a blender. Blend till creamy.
2. Take 1 cup of the tofu ricotta and mix with the rest of the ingredients.
3. Warm a skillet over medium heat. Take your bread slices and butter the outsides. Then add a thick layer of the tofu mixture to the inside of the bread. Close the sandwich and place on a skillet. Flip until both sides are a nice crispy brown.

Note about this recipe:

1. Let it cool for a good 5 minutes. The tofu retains it's heat very well!

Tofu Spinach Lasagna

(Don't mind the cut down the middle of my piece of lasagna...I was really excited to start eating it and then decided I should probably snap a picture before I forgot.)

I made a post about this amazing lasagna way back in July 2011. Since then I have adapted it, which means now I can post it on the blog without copyright issues. I adapted it from a recipe found in The Vegan Table Cookbook by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau.

Seriously, this lasagna is so good (as in, my hubby and toddler both devoured it). Lactose intolerant friendly, and might I mention, a whole lot cheaper to make than the other meat and cheese types. (Meat and 3 kinds of cheese add up v.s. buying a package of tofu.)

Ingredients:

• 9 lasagna noodles (about half of a 1 lb pkg), regular or no-boil...either is fine
• About 9-12 oz. of fresh spinach, chopped, blanched, and drained
• 1 pkg firm tofu (16 oz)
• 1 Tb. sugar
• 1/4 c. rice milk...or any kind of milk really (regular, soy, etc)
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 Tb. lemon juice
• 2 tsp. dried basil (or you can use 2 Tb. fresh, minced basil)
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1-24 oz. jar of spaghetti sauce, I prefer a tomato and basil type but any kind will work

Directions:

1. Cook lasagna noodles according to package.
2. Meanwhile, blanch spinach.
3. Next put the tofu, sugar, rice milk, garlic powder, lemon juice, basil, and salt in a blender and blend until thick and smooth. This is going to be your "tofu ricotta," as the author Colleen Patrick-Goudreau calls it.
4. Put the "tofu ricotta" and the blanched spinach together in a large bowl and mix together.
5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (my oven heats up really fast...so to make it less hot for me in the kitchen I wait until I absolutely have to before turning it on. If it takes your oven a while, then turn it on as step 1 in the directions.)
6. Now it's lasagna assembly time. Use a 9 by 13 baking dish. Start with a little bit of the spaghetti sauce and cover the bottom of the pan. Then put 3 noodles down, covered with 1/2 the "tofu ricotta." Repeat the layers with about 1/2 of the remaining sauce, 3 more noodles, and the rest of the "tofu ricotta." Last put on 3 more noodles and use the rest of the sauce to cover the noodles up.
7. Bake for 40 minutes.

Tofu Lo Mein

I adapted this recipe from the Chicken Lo Mein recipe in the Joy of Cooking cookbook. It was so tasty there were no leftovers.

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 6-8 oz of tofu, pressed and cut into small cubes (probably 1/2 inch cubes)
• 1/4 c. water
• 2 Tb. oyster sauce
• 1 Tb. soy sauce
• 1 1/2 tsp sugar
• 6 oz angel hair pasta (I prefer wheat), or Chinese egg noodles
• 3 Tb. olive oil
• 4 oz. (or 2 1/2 c.) bok choy, cut into 3-inch pieces, (see here for info on how to work with bok choy)
  
• 1/4 c. (or 8 oz can) canned bamboo shoots, rinsed, drained, and sliced (I like to buy them already sliced.)
• 1/4 c. sliced mushrooms
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• Optional add ins: scallions, bean sprouts

Directions:

1. Stir cornstarch, salt and 1 tsp of sesame oil together in a medium bowl. Add the tofu and stir to coat. Let sit for 10-20 min.
2. Put pasta water on the stove to boil. In the meantime, stir together the water, oyster sauce, soy sauce, and sugar. Set aside. Add noodles to boiling water and cook according to directions on packaging.
   
3. While the noodles cook, chop up your veggies and set aside.
   
4. When the noodles finish, drain and rinse with cold water, and then drain again. Toss the noodles with 1 tsp of sesame oil.
5. Heat a wok or large skillet over medium high heat with 2 Tb. of the olive oil in it. When it is hot add the tofu and stir-fry, cook until the outsides start to get crispy looking.
   
6. Then add last Tb. of oil, along with all the veggies. Stir so all the veggies get coated with the oil (about 45 sec). Then add the water/oyster/soy sauce mix. Stir again and cover to steam the vegetables, about 2-3 minutes. Uncover and add the noodles. Stir, so it all gets mixed together and covered with sauce. Cook for another 1-2 minutes. Then serve!
   

Notes about the recipe:

1. Make sure you don't overcook your noodles. And serving right away is best. We had a little diaper rash emergency right as I was in the last few stages of this recipe, so my noodles were in the pan for a while, which made them start to fall apart. It was still tasty, but probably could have been better if we had gotten to eat it right away.

Peanut Sauce Baked Tofu

(Image from Love Veggies and Yoga)

This recipe was sent in by Liz D. She found it at the blog Love Veggies and Yoga. Both she and her husband gave the recipe a thumbs up. If you like picture steps for your recipes, check out the link because she has a pictoral guide for her recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 package tofu, pressed (select firm or extra firm)
• 1/3 c orange juice
• 3 tbsp peanut butter
• 3 tbsp sesame oil
• 3 tbsp agave (or honey/maple syrup or combo)
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• Pinch of cayenne (more to taste, if desired)
• Pinch of chili powder (more to taste, if desired)
• Optional: 1 Tbsp EVOO or use more sesame oil

Directions:

Press your tofu (use a tofu press or press between heavy plates/objects and get the paper towels handy), and slice pressed tofu into 1/4 inch strips.

Whisk all marinade ingredients together in a bowl (it will not be pretty) and allow tofu to marinate for at least 20 minutes but a few hours or overnight is ideal. The longer the better. Reserve a couple tablespoons of the marinade that’s likely at the bottom of the bowl.

Line a cookie sheet with foil to save on cleanup time and spray with cooking spray.

Broil the marinated tofu for 5-6 minutes on the first side.

Flip, and broil for another 3 to 5 minutes on the second side. Apply what’s remaining of the reserved marinade to the top side of the flipped tofu.

The author of the blog recommends NOT leaving the kitchen during the broiling process, because of how quickly peanut butter can be burnt in the broiler.

Yield: About 19 strips out of 1 block of pressed tofu.

Mock Chicken Soup

(Photo from Fabulous Foods)

This recipe was submitted by Tracy G. She found it at Fabulous Foods.

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 large celery stalks, finely diced
• 3 medium carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
• 2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small onion, minced
• 6 cups water with 2 vegetable bouillon cubes
• 1 teaspoon salt-free seasoning, such as Mrs. Dash brand
• 1/2 teaspoon dried dill
• 4 to 6 ounces short, fine noodles (see note below)
• 4 to 6 ounces baked tofu, finely diced
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a large soup pot. Add the celery, carrots, garlic, onion, and about 2 tablespoons water. Cover and sweat over medium heat for about 10 minutes, or until the vegetables begin to soften.
2. Add the water with bouillon cubes, seasoning and dried dill. Bring to a rapid simmer. Lower the heat, cover, ad simmer gently for 15 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.
3. Raise the heat and bring to a more vigorous simmer. Add the noodles and simmer steadily for 5 to 8 minutes, or until al dente.
4. Stir in the diced tofu, then season with salt and pepper. Serve at once. As the soup stands, the noodles quickly absorb the liquid. If you plan on having leftovers of the soup, add a cup or so additional water before storing, and adjust the seasoning. This way the soup can develop more flavor as it stands.
5. Note: You can use vermicelli or angel hair, broken into 1 1/2 inch pieces; soba noodles are good too, if you want something a bit more nourishing or assertive. Fine, round noodles such as anellini are also good.

Notes about this recipe:

I omitted the Dash Seasoning and dill and used salt, pepper, thyme and oregano instead.

I replaced the spaghetti noodles with whole wheat egg noodles.

I sauteed the tofu cubes in olive oil and thyme instead of baking it.

Spaghetti with Tofu Sauce

This recipe is adapted from a recipe called "Tofu Balls with Greens Spaghetti" found on The Cancer Project website. It was tasty, and tofu was a perfect replacement for ground beef.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound dry whole-grain spaghetti or other pasta
  
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 pound firm tofu
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 15-ounce cans tomato sauce or canned diced tomatoes or one of each (I prefer to do one of each.)
  
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• salt, to taste (optional)
• black pepper, to taste
• 1 teaspoon sweetener of choice
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 2–3 cups chopped fresh kale, spinach, or arugula

Directions:

In a large pan, sauté onion.

Drain tofu and use paper towels to gently sop up extra moisture if necessary. Crumble the tofu into tiny pieces. Add to the onion in the pan.

Add basil, oregano, tomato sauce &/or tomatoes, bay leaves, garlic, salt (if using), black pepper, and sweetener and stir. Allow sauce to cook for 20 minutes.

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

Add parsley and greens. Stir and cook for 10 minutes more. Remove bay leaves. Serve over cooked pasta.

Makes 8 servings

Notes about this recipe:

1. I halved the recipe since I was only cooking for 3, however I still used a can of tomatoes AND added tomato sauce (I used almost half a jar of pasta basil and garlic pasta sauce).
   
2. I chose to use kale and it was yummy. I chopped it up pretty fine so the texture wouldn't be distracting or stringy.
3. My husband thought it was great with Parmesan cheese on top.
   

FYI: Tofu

(Picture courtesy of http://www.chiropractic-help.com/Tofu-Nutrition.html)

What is it?

Tofu is made from soybeans, water and a coagulant, or curdling agent.

There are 3 types of tofu:

1. Firm (or regular) tofu--pretty solid, will maintain shape, higher in protein/fat/calcium
   
2. Soft tofu--good for blending
   
3. Silken tofu--custard-like, good for pureed or blended dishes.
   

Why should I eat it?

Tofu...

• is high in protein
• is a good source of B-vitamins and iron
• is high in calcium (if the tofu is made with a calcium salt curdling agent)
• is low in saturated fat
• contains no cholesterol
• is low in sodium
  

What should I know about using it?

• It absorbs flavors like a sponge.
• Is usually located in the produce section of the grocery store.
• If you are using firm tofu, you will want to drain and press it. Learn more about draining and pressing here. (I personally just cut a slit in the top of the package and press it as all the liquid drains out.)
  
• If you open the package but don't use all the tofu, then rinse it and cover it with fresh water before storing it in the fridge. Be sure to change the water daily to keep it fresh and make sure you use it within a week.
• It can be frozen for up to 5 months.
  

Information from http://vegetarian.about.com/od/glossary/g/Tofu.htm and http://www.soyfoods.com/soyfoodsdescriptions/tofu.html#anchor695154. Please refer to them for more helpful hints.

Peanut SauceTofu Stir Fry

I used a peanut sauce recipe adapted from Food&Wine: Annual Cookbook 2010, and then I improvised the rest.

Ingredients:

For the Spicy Peanut Sauce

• 1/4 c. plus 2 Tb. creamy peanut butter
• 3 Tb. unseasoned rice vinegar (or regular)
• 1 1/2 Tb. sugar
• 3 Tb. soy sauce
• 1/8 c. water
• 1 tsp. crushed red pepper
• 1 Tb. fresh ginger root, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 1/2 clove garlic
  

Mix it all in a blender. (If you want your veggies to have more of the peanuty flavor then hold out about a 1/2 c. of the sauce.)

For the stir fry

• 1 pkg. of firm tofu, 16 oz
• 1 crown of broccoli, cut into stir fry size pieces
• 1 or 2 carrots, sliced

(You could also add celery slices, snap peas, mushrooms, scallion slices, water chestnuts, or whatever else you like to eat in stir fries. This time around I added a small can of water chestnuts.)

Directions:

1. Cut the tofu into 1/2 in. or 1 in. slices. Put the slices in a container and pour in the Spicy Peanut Sauce and let marinate for about 30 minutes. (You don't have to marinate it if you are pressed for time.)

2. Slice the carrots and cut up the broccoli (and any other veggies you plan on using) and set aside in a bowl. (If you want them to have more of the peanut flavor then add the 1/2 c. of peanut sauce to the veggies and stir to get them all coated.)

3. Heat large frying pan or wok. Add the marinated tofu. Cook on medium heat until the tofu starts to get crispy (between 10-20 minutes). Then add the veggies and cook a few minutes longer until veggies are crisp tender (not soggy).

I serve it up with brown rice, and a fruit side.
You can also use this peanut sauce on noodles (about 1/2 lb.) as a side dish for a different meal.

And if anyone can tell me why the last part of my post is smaller than the rest, even though I have resized all of the text to be "normal" size, I would greatly appreciate it!

Tofu Spinach Lasagna

The recipe is from The Vegan Table Cookbook. It is meatless and cheese-less, which is good news for our lactose-intolerant or milk allergy friends out there. Unfortunately, I can't post it here because of copyright laws, etc.

It's your basic lasagna, but instead of using cheese she blends up her tofu with milk (or milk substitute), garlic powder, lemon juice, and some other stuff---making a tofu "ricotta."

Please go check out the book from your library and try it out! If you do, I've added some notes on what I did.

A few things about this recipe:

1. When I used my 2.2 qt dish only 2 lasagna noodles fit per layer, and by the time I was done I had used 6 noodles.
2. If you aren't used to eating tofu, or have some tofu-phobia in your family use this recipe because you can't even tell you are eating tofu!

3. My layering got a bit off and I didn't end up with sauce on top, but it's lasagna and it doesn't really matter how you do your layering as long as it's not noodles on top.

4. Make sure you chop that spinach before blanching it! I tried using whole spinach once and chopped is much better (smaller pieces, not as stringy).