Last night I had a good friend over for dinner, just the two of us to catch up on some girl talk, and there was a request for no meat in our meal. I found a great tofu-based recipe and then threw in some shrimp for good measure, for no other reason that shrimp is tasty. The below recipe is neither fancy nor the most amazing thing I've ever made, but yummy, filling, healthy, and easy. We all need some of those recipes in our lives, right?
First, a few notes on the below:
1) I have to admit this isn't 100% Au Naturale. I used traditional Kikkomon soy sauce and teriyaki which does include trace amounts of preservatives. Must... make... homemade... condiments!! Okay, that's two posts in a row about that. On the calendar for next weekend.
2) The recipe calls for 1/2 cup of shitake mushrooms. I love shitake and don't use it all that often, so I put in a full cup. My friend's reaction when I mentioned this to her: "There were mushrooms in here?" I couldn't agree more. Next time, probably closer to 2 cups of shitake will go in.
3) The shrimp! In a separate pan, I threw together some olive oil and a touch each of minced garlic and grated ginger (from what I had already prepared) and lightly cooked 6 peeled and deveined (sustainably caught) raw shrimp. If you do decide to use shrimp, be careful not to overcook them because they're going in the master pan with everything else and will cook a bit more in there. Oh, and 6 was an arbitrary number. I didn't want to overdo it with all the tofu. The recipe made enough for two servings of leftovers for us today at work, but without any shrimp. Do with that information as you will.
Thai Roasted Tofu with Chili and Basil
(makes 4 servings)
Ingredients:
1 pound(s) extra firm tofu, sliced into six 1/2-inch slices
2 spray(s) cooking spray
3 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
2 tsp olive oil
2 Tbsp ginger root, fresh, minced
2 tsp minced garlic, about 1 large clove
1 oz green hot chili peppers, or red, Thai-variety, thinly sliced (use 1 small pepper)
1/2 cup(s) shiitake mushroom(s), thinly sliced
1 small sweet red pepper(s), sliced into 1/4-inch pieces
1 cup(s) uncooked string beans, trimmed and cut in half
2 Tbsp teriyaki sauce
1/4 cup(s) basil, Thai or Italian, fresh, torn (plus a few leaves whole for garnish)
2 Tbsp scallion(s), thinly sliced on diagonal (for garnish)
2 cup(s) cooked brown rice, kept hot
Instructions:
· Preheat oven to 425°F. Place tofu slices on several layers of paper towels. Cover with more paper towels and top with a cookie sheet. Place several heavy objects (like a can or heavy pots or pans) on cookie sheet to press out water from tofu for 30 minutes.
· Coat cookie sheet with cooking spray. Cut tofu into cubes to yield 9 cubes per slice. Place on cookie sheet and brush with 2 tablespoons of soy sauce. Coat tofu with cooking spray and place in oven. Roast for 25 minutes, remove from oven and set aside.
· Heat oil in a large nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Add ginger, garlic and chili; cook until fragrant, about 10 to 15 seconds. Add mushrooms, cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add peppers and string beans; increase heat to high and cook until vegetables are cooked but still crisp, about 5 minutes.
Add remaining tablespoon of soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, basil and roasted tofu. Cook to warm through, about 1 minute. Garnish with scallions and basil. Serve with rice. Yields about 1 3/4 cups of tofu mixture and 1/2 cup of rice per serving
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