Barbecued Tofu Pizza

Basic Pizza Dough recipe - see Pesto Pizza, September 2009
http://casseroleclub.blogspot.com/2009/09/pesto-pizza.html

Prepare pizza dough - you'll need to plan time to let it rise. I've found that letting it rise on the pizza pan after you stretch it out makes the dough have a really nice texture (an additional 30 minutes once it's stretched out.)

Kansas City-Style BBQ Sauce
Adapted from Get Saucy by Grace Parisi
Makes enough for 2-3 pizzas

3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1 small onion, minced
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon pure chile powder, preferably ancho or New Mexico
½ teaspoon ground coriander
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 ½ cups ketchup
¼ cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons unsulfured molasses
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons tomato paste, mixed with ¼ cup water
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce (I used soy sauce)
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

1. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
2. When the foam subsides, add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the chile powder, coriander, ginger, cayenne, and cloves and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
3. Add the ketchup and brown sugar, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
4. Stir in the molasses, vinegar, diluted tomato paste, and Worcestershire/soy sauce and bring to a boil.
5. Season with salt and pepper and simmer over low heat until thickened and flavorful.
Will keep, tightly covered, in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.

For pizza – assemble in this order:
Pizza dough
BBQ sauce
1 lb tofu, drained, cubed, and browned until crispy
½ red onion, caremelized in a little oil
4 ounces shredded extra sharp cheddar
4 ounces shredded fontina cheese

Bake fresh at 500-525 for about 10-14 minutes - check frequently at the end. It depends how golden you like your cheese. I bake on the bottom shelf of the oven.

I pre-baked the dough completely without toppings (pierce dough with fork so it doesn’t bubble up.) Bake the frozen pizza at 400 degrees, directly on the lowest oven rack for about 10 minutes until heated through and cheese is melted. Check frequently.

Hearty Korean pancakes

Didi Emmons – Vegetarian Planet

A substantial dinner, these pancakes are filled with brown rice, grated carrots, scallions, and tofu. Their crisp, crunchy outsides balance a soft, chewy inside. This is a great meal for novice tofu eaters.
Don’t hesitate to substitute other vegetables – such as grated zucchini, daikon radish, or sweet potatoes, or chopped spinach – for the ones I’ve chosen here.

Pancakes:
1 egg
1 1/3 cup water
1 cup unbleached white flour
1 cup glutinous rice flour (available in Asian markets and many supermarkets), or an additional 1 cup white flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup cooked short-grain brown rice, or 1 cup glutinous (sweet) rice (available in Asian markets)
8 ounces firm tofu, cut into ½-inch cubes
2 large carrots, grated
6 scallions, both green and white parts, chopped fine
3 tablespoons canola or corn oil

Dipping Sauce:
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 pinch chile flakes, or 1 dash hot chile sauce
1 pinch sugar (optional)

1. Make the pancake batter: In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and water. In a large bowl, stir together the flours and salt. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture, and add the egg-water mixture. Stirring slowly with a whisk, gradually incorporate the flour into the liquid. Stir until the batter is smooth. Add the cooked rice, tofu, carrots, and scallions to the batter, and stir well. Set the bowl aside.

2. Make the dipping sauce: In a small bowl, whisk together all the of the sauce ingredients except the sugar. Taste the sauce, and add a pinch of sugar, if you like.

3. In a well-seasoned skillet at least 10 inches in diameter (do not use a nonstick pan; the texture of the cakes would be quite different), heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat. Pour 1 generous cup of the batter into the middle of the pan. Turn the heat to medium-low, and spread the pancake with a spoon. Cook the pancake for about 5 minutes, or until it is lightly browned on the bottom. Turn the pancake with a spatula, and lightly brown the other side for 5 minutes. Slide the pancake onto a plate. Keep the pancake warm in a slow oven while you make the two more in the same way, using 1 tablespoon oil for each.

4. Pour the dipping sauce into small individual bowls, and serve the sauce with the hot pancakes.

Variation: For a wonderful texture and flavor, add 3 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds to the batter.

Note – I haven’t yet found glutinous rice flour, so I use 1 cup of rice flour and 1 tsp gluten (you can buy in the flour section). I don’t know if the gluten makes a difference or not. Make sure to drain the tofu well. I usually make a double batch so I can use a whole pound of tofu.

Stir-Fried Tofu with Spicy Lemongrass Sauce

2 packages extra firm tofu
veg oil to fry tofu (optional)

3 Tablespoons veg oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
½ jalepeno pepper, minced – keep seeds if you want it hot
6 stalks lemongrass, bottom white part only, finely chopped
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
1 can vegetable broth (I used Swansons)
4 teaspoons soy sauce, or to taste (I used low sodium)
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
cornstarch - optional


1. Brown tofu using a little oil, to desired texture. Set aside.

2. Heat oil in large pan over medium heat. Add garlic, jalepeno and lemongrass and stir until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add onion and broth and cook until the onion is soft, about 10 minutes.

3. Stir in the tofu, soy sauce and brown sugar.

4. If you want the sauce to be thicker, mix some of the liquid with some cornstarch and stir into sauce – heat thoroughly.

5. Serve over rice.

Chicken (Tofu) tikka masala

Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated
Serves 4-6

Note
For a spicier dish, do not remove the ribs and seeds from the pepper. If you prefer, substitute 2 teaspoons ground coriander, ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom, ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon, and ½ teaspoon ground black pepper for the garam masala.

Chicken/tofu tikka
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground coriander
¼ teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon table salt
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of fat (I used 2 lbs extra firm tofu, well-drained)
1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt (I used nonfat Greek yogurt)
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
1 Tablespoon grated fresh ginger

Masala sauce
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion, diced fine
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
1 serrano chile, ribs and seeds removed, flesh minced (see note) (I used a jalapeno with about ¼ the seeds)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon garam masala
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes (I used Tuttoroso brand)
2 teaspoons sugar
½ teaspoon table salt
2/3 cup heavy cream
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves (I didn’t add, forgot to buy)
Optional – I did add 1/3 red pepper, diced and about 3 ounces sliced mushrooms about 3 minutes after starting the onions.

For the chicken/tofu: Slice tofu in half lengthwise and drain slabs on paper towels. Combine cumin, coriander, cayenne, and salt in small bowl. Sprinkle both sides of chicken or tofu with spice mixture, pressing gently so mixture adheres. Place chicken or tofu on plate, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 to 60 minutes. In a large bowl, whisk together yogurt, oil, garlic, and ginger; set aside.

For the sauce: Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently, until light golden, 8 to 10 minutes. (Add peppers and mushrooms with onion) Add garlic, ginger, pepper, tomato paste, and garam masala; cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes, sugar, and salt; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in cream and return to simmer. Remove pan from heat and cover to keep warm.

While sauce simmers, adjust oven rack to upper-middle position (about 6 inches from heating element) and heat broiler. Using tongs, dip chicken into yogurt mixture (chicken should be coated with thick layer of yogurt) and arrange on wire rack set in foil-lined rimmed baking sheet or broiler pan. Discard excess yogurt mixture. Broil chicken until thickest parts register 160 degrees on instant-read thermometer and exterior is lightly charred in spots, 10 to 18 minutes, flipping chicken halfway through cooking. (I spread yogurt mixture on both sides of tofu, then broiled tofu for 12 minutes each side.)

Let chicken rest 5 minutes, then cut into 1-inch chunks and stir into warm sauce (do not simmer chicken in sauce). Stir in cilantro, adjust seasoning with salt, and serve. Serve with basmati rice.

General Tso’s Tofu with broccoli

Of course this is good with chicken too!

Sauce
Adapted from Now Eat This! Rocco Dispirito
Makes 1 ¾ cups sauce
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
¼ cup chopped fresh ginger (I grate it using a microplane)
6 garlic cloves, minced
½ bunch scallions (white and green parts), chopped fine
6 tablespoons soy sauce (I use lite soy sauce)
¾ cup vegetable broth
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
½ cup ketchup
2 tablespoons sugar
hot sauce, optional

Heat a large nonstick saute pan over high heat. When the pan is hot, add the sesame oil. Add the ginger, garlic and scallions, and saute, stirring often, until very fragrant, about 2 minutes.

Meanwhile, place the cornstarch in a medium bowl. Add the soy sauce, chicken broth, rice vinegar, and ketchup, and whisk to blend.

Whisk the cornstarch mixture into the saute pan and bring the sauce to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer, whisking constantly, until the suace has thickened, about 2 minutes. Stir in sugar and hot sauce, to taste.

2 packages of tofu (I use extra firm)
1 head of broccoli
toasted sesame seeds
rice
Cut tofu into cubes and drain out liquid on paper towels. Fry with a little oil in a non-stick pan. Drain on paper towels again.
Cook rice.
Steam broccoli.
Combine tofu, cooked broccoli and sauce and heat thoroughly.
Serve over rice, sprinkle sesame seeds on top.

Mushroom Tofu Stroganoff

Adapted from Horn of the Moon Cookbook, Ginny Callan

4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1 ½ cups finely chopped onion (this took 1 ½ medium onions for me)
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried dill weed
2 teaspoons dried basil
3 pounds of extra firm tofu
vegetable oil for frying
2 tablespoons tamari (I could not find so I used reduced sodium soy sauce)
10 ounces mushrooms, sliced (I used baby bella)
½ teaspoon salt (may not need if using soy sauce)
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 quarts water
1 lb curly noodles
1 cup sour cream
½ cup finely chopped fresh parsley
2 teaspoons poppy seeds

Cut tofu into cubes and drain on paper towels. Brown the tofu in a non-stick frying pan with a little vegetable oil, over medium/low heat. Wait until one side is brown before flipping – this took about 7 minutes per side for me, but it depends on your pan and heat. Set cooked tofu aside on paper towels and keep warm.

Melt 2 tablespoons butter into wok or large frying pan and saute the onions, garlic, dill weed and basil for 5 minutes or less, until onions soften a bit. Add mushrooms, salt (if using) and cayenne, and saute for a few more minutes. Don’t fry so long that liquid disappears – you want the mushrooms soft, but not dry. Add the soy sauce and stir to combine. After a minute, stir in the sour cream and parsley, then cover and turn off heat.

Meanwhile, boil the noodles until tender but not mushy – this took me less time than the package recommended. Drain and return to the pot. Add 2 tablespoons butter and the poppy seeds and stir to combine. Serve noodles with stroganoff on top.