Teriyaki Tofu over Shirataki Noodles

 

I have a lot of travel scheduled this month so I have been a bit lax in stocking my fridge. That said, I always have tofu and shirataki noodles on hand so this recipe was a cinch to whip up last evening when I needed a quick meal. Added bonus - low carb & low fat!

 

Ingredients:

 

1 block of tofu
1 bag shirataki noodles

 

Teriyaki Marinade:
 

1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons dry sherry

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 garlic cloves, crushed with a garlic press or minced

1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger

1 teaspoon red pepper flake

 Combine all ingredients to make the teriyaki sauce.

 

Drain, press, and cube a block of tofu. I wrapped the block of tofu in paper towels and place a firm cutting board with a few canned goods on top for 30 min to drain/press the tofu.
 

 Marinate the tofu in the teriyaki for at least 1 hour. Line a baking sheet with tinfoil and preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place tofu pieces on baking sheet and bake for 35 minutes, shaking tray a few times during the cooking to loosen. Reserve the remaining marinade. Drain the shirataki noodles and microwave for 1 minute. Drain again. Add 1 tbps of the remaining marinade to the noodles and combine. Add tofu and sprinkle with sesame seeds. I added some sriracha to mine as well.

 

 

 

Baked Tofu over Edamame, Corn, & White Bean Salad

I got this tofu marinade from Caitlin, over at her Healthy Tipping Point blog.  

I paired the tofu with a salad of white beans, edamame, and corn - dressed in a equal ratio of olive oil, soy sauce, and red wine vinegar. ( I used 1 tbsp each).

This is going on my list of my favorite baked tofu recipes!

 

Ingredients:

• 2/3 block extra firm tofu
• 2 tablespoons EVOO
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1/2 tablespoon chili powder
• 1/2 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Directions:

• Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.
• Press excess liquid from tofu. Wrap several paper towels around tofu, and place tofu in between two plates. Let stand for 15 minutes.
• Cut tofu in 1 inch by 1 inch pieces.
• In a small, microwave-safe bowl, mix EVOO, honey, chili powder, black pepper, and paprika.
• Microwave marinade for 35 seconds and stir thoroughly.
• Spray cooking sheet.
• Coat each piece of tofu in marinade and place on cooking sheet.
• Sprinkle sesame seeds on top of tofu.
• Cook at 375 for 30 minutes, turning once.

Garlic Mustard Baked Tofu

I whipped up this marinade before I went on a long run last night. When I got home, I put the tofu in the marinade while I showered and popped it in the oven when I was out.  Served over instant brown rice it was an easy filling meal. Even better, I ate the leftovers in a whole wheat pita with some lettuce for lunch today!

The marinade recipe was inspired by one I found on SmittenKitchen, modified to suit my preferences and what I had on hand.


2 tablespoons whole grain mustard
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon Honey mustard
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoons Spanish paprika
1 teaspoon sriracha
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Whisk together all of the ingredients in a small bowl, cover, and let sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes while you press a block of extra firm tofu. I usually drain the block of tofu, wrap it in a towel or paper towels, place on a cutting board, and place a heavy object on top.

Slice the tofu into long strips or triangles. Cover in marinade and let sit for at least 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 350. Place strips on a baking sheet coated in non stick spray, making sure the marinade covers the entire exposed surface, and bake for around 20 minutes. Turn strips over and cook for another 15 minutes.

Serve over rice, salad, or in a pita.

Baked Orange-Teriyaki Tofu with Stir Fried Broccoli and Red Peppers

This baked tofu recipe was adapted from Vegan Bites by Beverly Lynn Bennett. It can be eaten alone, on salads, in a stir fry, or with a side of vegetables. Tonight I used broccoli and peppers, along with some reserved sauce, to make a stir-fry base to add the tofu to.

Ingredients:

1 lb extra firm tofu, drained and cubed

¼ cup tamari

2 tbps apple cider vinegar

1 tbps orange marmalade

1 tbps orange juice

4 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

4 teaspoons maple syrup

1 tbps minced garlic

1 tbps minced fresh ginger

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1 tsp sriracha

2 heads of broccoli, cut into small florets

2 red peppers, cut into strips

Sesame Seeds for garnish

Directions:

Gently squeeze tofu to rid of excess water. Cut tofu into small cubes and place in a shallow baking dish.   

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place all remaining ingredients in a small bowl and whisk them together until well combined. Pour sauce over the tofu pieces in the dish and flip over each piece until evenly coated on all sides. Reserve 2 tablespoons of sauce.

Bake tofu for 20 minutes. Flip pieces over and bake for 15-20 additional minutes, until most sauce is absorbed.

Meanwhile place broccoli in a covered microwaveable container with tbps of water and cook for 2 minutes on high. Then heat the remaining sauce in a wok and add steamed broccoli and sliced peppers. Cook until lightly wilted. When tofu is done, add to wok, heat, and serve. Sprinkle sesame seeds over plate.

Baked Tofu with Dipping Sauces

I'm up to five miles on my training runs now...which is great but also means that my nights are cut significantly shorter because I spend 1+ hours at the gym. My fridge also tends to be a bit bare by the end of the week. So last night I wanted a meal that was fast and easy, using what limited ingredients I had on hand.

I had a block of tofu (I seem to always have tofu)...and a stirfry was the first thing that came to mind as a quick and easy dish. However last night I really wasnt feeling it.

I decided instead to try cooking the tofu in a different way - baking it. I drained the block of tofu and then let it sit for 15 minutes between two plates and paper towels (to remove excess moisture).

I then cut the tofu into small, two/three inch pieces and let them sit in a soy sauce/olive oil marinade for another 15 minutes.

After that I baked the tofu bites on a baking sheet covered in tinfoil for 20 minutes at 400', turning once at the ten minute mark. 

They came out looking (and tasting) great. For fun I whipped up two "dips" for the tofu slices. The dips made the very healthy meal of tofu (and some green pepper slices) fun!  

I used the same base for the two dips (soy sauce, rice vinegar, water, garlic) and added peanut butter to one and some leftover harissa paste to the other. The peanut sauce was definetly the winner!

Peanut Sauce:

2 tbps peanut butter

2 tbps water

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 cloves garlic, minced and crushed

1 tbsp rice vinegar

1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Harissa Sauce:

1 tbps of harissa paste

2 tbps water

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 clove garlic, minced and crushed

1 tbps rice vinegar

Preparation:

For both dips, combine all ingredients in a saucepan over low heat until ingredients are combined and mixture is smooth.