Posts Tagged Tofu
Cmac’s Crispy Tofu Bites
Posted by Cmac in Appetizers, Food, Main Course, Tofu on August 20, 2010
….Two words – Writers Block. My recent days in the kitchen have been full of new ideas and creations unfortunately I have been unable to motivate myself to one: Take a good picture and two: take it from a sticky note to a blog post. My life is still full of multiple distractions from cooking, and yet I have still managed to come up with 3-4 new creations waiting to be posted here. So bare with me as I try and knock off some blog posts. For now here is a simple creation I made with limited time, that actually turned out way better than I expected.
Vegan Zucchini Fritters
Posted by Cmac in Food, Main Course, Tofu on July 19, 2010
I have a bad habit, when i’m at the farmers market I almost always leave with 2 or 3 zucchini. I just can’t seem to resist buying them. The problem with this is the day before the next market I always find last weeks zucchini sitting in the bottom of the crisper waiting to be used. I usually end up just marinating and grilling the zucchini but this week I wanted a change. I found the original recipe for these fritters on Ruhlman’s blog, with some variations in herbs and a Veganization we have the final vegan zucchini fritter. This is a pretty simple recipe that requires little advance planning and pairs well with a Mango Slaw (recipe to follow). In the end I was pleasantly pleased, in fact I think this is a great reason to buy more zucchini. Enjoy.
Vegetarian Won-Tons
Posted by Cmac in Appetizers, Pasta & Grains, Tofu on July 12, 2010
….As a test for my new pasta maker and an upcoming potluck with an Asian theme I decided to have a go at making won-tons. They were originally planned to be gluten free but the gluten free pastry dough was a failure. During this experience I learned that one its worth the investment in buying a $7 press, and two these were more like dumplings than won-tons. I am still going to call them won-tons since all the ingredients were won-ton based, and i’m sure if i call them dumplings someone else will have another name for them. Most important point of all this is that they tasted great, and I would definitely make them again. The pasta maker I purchased after a lot of research, I was originally going to get the kitchen aid attachment for my stand mixer but I have read many mixed reviews. Finally I decided on the CucinaPro 150 which is actually made in Italy so I figured I couldn’t go wrong and has many great attachments available. Anyways on to the recipe.
Cmac’s 100th Post — Tofu Kabobs
Posted by Cmac in Food, Main Course, Tofu on June 1, 2010
…..It’s been a crazy year or so since I started this blog both geographically and with life in general. The blog started in Ithaca, and is now based in the San Francisco Bay Area, it went from a little bit of carnivorous recipes to a nearly Vegan blog. In the beginning I was using it as an outlet to post recipes I occasionally came up with, and now I am posting 2-3 times a week, and if I miss a few days I hear about it from my readers. Anyways my 100th post is a simple one that I came up with while driving to Lowe’s, though the simplicity is far overcome by the mouthwatering results. The inspiration came from a deep discussion about Lebanese cooking and ended with a fusion of Lebanese and plain ol’ Test kitchen style. Enjoy.
Cmac’s Vegan Ceviche
You may have already noticed the developing pattern of my recent recipes, and if you haven’t I’m sure you soon will. I have been struck with citrus fever; every where I go I see trees full of oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruit, and more. Unlike my past homesteads where all I saw this time of year was the white snow, and evergreens. There are two inspirations I am following at this moment; the easy affordable supply of fresh citrus and the wide variety of true Spanish ingredients available to me. So for the next while I will be cooking my way through the San Francisco Bay Area, taking common specialities of the area and making them my own. To start I made a vegan Ceviche, I cannot say I’ve ever tried a true Ceviche but only heard about it through friends. So lets get down to the recipe, and please do share your suggestions or complaints if you try your hand at it.
Panko Crusted Tofu with a side of Citrus infused Garbanzo Salad
I had tofu, plenty of fresh local citrus, and very little herbs or spices on hand. I am still in my temporary housing where the only handy dandy kitchen utensil I can put my hands on is my brand new Henckel Classic 8″ chef’s knife that I had to buy so I could cut anything. It has been hard and almost depressing to be stuck in a kitchen the size of my old master bathroom with one of each utensil including a roast fork? I am seriously wondering if the planners behind these furnished units actually cook themselves. Anyway enough complaining (for now). I will be back with my very own kitchen artillery and plenty of space for creativity soon enough. Now lets get back to the recipe, this dish uses mostly basic flavours and very few complicated ingredients, really showcasing that fresh citrus flavour. As with all my recipes this is one you can really play around with adding or removing, or just replacing parts. Enjoy.
Cmac’s Simple Pan Seared Lemon Tofu
Posted by Cmac in Food, Main Course, Tofu on October 28, 2009
With the slow process of going Vegan I’ve been playing around with delicious ways to use tofu, the problem I’ve been finding is most of my tofu recipes take a lot of time and prep. So here is my first installment of quick and simple Vegan dishes, for the last minute chef. With just 5-10 minutes, a block of prepared tofu, and a few common vegetarian pantry ingredients you can have yourself this zesty crispy tofu that almost resembles battered fish.
Hickory Maple Smoked Tofu
Posted by Cmac in Food, Main Course, Tofu on September 8, 2009
Curing and smoking tofu has got to be the best thing I’ve ever done with it. Originally I smoked the tofu to use in my Tofu Bacon for the BLT from Scratch Challenge. But then after making the bacon and feeling a bit nibbly, there sat a half block of my smoked tofu right off the BBQ. It looked similar to smoked Gouda so I had a little bite. The Result: so good I thought it was worthy of an individual post. Of course this is the tofu I used in the BLT from Scratch and that post will be here soon.
BLT from scratch final update before the finale.
Posted by Cmac in Other Stuff on August 14, 2009
Green beefsteak tomatoes
Its getting closer to the BLT from scratch original deadline (August 28th) and even though they have extended the deadline to September 15th, I am still aiming for the original date. If I put in my head I have more time then I’ll just procrastinate and be rushing around at the last minute. The reason they have extended the date is because many people have complained that their tomatoes are still green (I suffer the same dilemma). My green tomatoes are getting bigger and we have 4 days of sunshine and 90 degree temperatures, hopefully that will be enough to jump start my tomatoes. Now as for my Romaine lettuce, I can’t say the same.
Tofu from scratch
Homemade tofu BBQ'd with mexican rub and a mix of maple syrup and honey bbq sauce
Making your own tofu is not only pretty easy but its cost comparison to store bought tofu is unbeatable. Another great reason to make your own is fresh tofu has a better texture and flavor then the store bought that has been packed in water and preservatives. I have been making my own tofu for about a year now and only buy commercial brands when I don’t have the time or energy to make my own. One of the hardest parts of making your own tofu is finding good soybeans and coagulants. I have included links to places where you can find these if there not available in your local supermarket. This batch of Tofu is being made for the BLT from scratch challenge, after pressing the blocks I will be marinating them whole and smoking them with hickory wood chips, then slicing and frying like bacon.
Artisan Batard Bread
Sweet Quinoa with Garbanzo and peppers
Making homemade yogurt is easier than you think.