Grain and Veggie Salad with Tangy Tofu Dressing

I've actually got three posts lined up to make!  I'm just having a hard time finding the time to actually make them. Baby happily takes up a lot of my time.  However, now he's sleeping peacefully in his wrap on my chest, and I have a few minutes to blog.

Last week, Drew brought home something like six dozen yellow squash from work.  Someone's garden had an explosion.  Now, I love squash, but I usually buy them about two at a time, and I had no idea what to do with all that squash.  I chopped it up and put it into omelets.  I diced it and ate it in wraps with hummus.  I steamed it and ate it salted for a snack.  Then, in my sleep deprived, brain-dead state, I completely ran out of ideas. So...

I turned to the lovely world of the internet and Googled "What the hell do I do with all this summer squash?" (yes seriously), and I found about eight gazillion recipes.  However, I'm so damned picky that I only liked about three of them.  I found a recipe for Millet and Veggie salad over at Melomeals that I thought I would like a lot after I tweaked it to my satisfaction.  You guys know me, after all of my "tweaking", it wasn't really even remotely the same.  However, the inspiration definitely was not my own; that came from Melody's amazing blog.

Like many of my posts, this is more of a guideline than it is a recipe.  There are so many possible variations to make it suit your own tastes (for example:  I used enough garlic to bring down all of Salem's Lot!).  The possibilities are endless.  The thing that brings it all together and really makes the whole dish is the dressing. The really amazing thing about this is that even the kiddo liked it.  He ate more of it than I did, I think.  This surprises the heck out of me considering it had lots of vegetables in it.  And grain.  And health.  Go figure!

Yeah, it's not terribly aesthetically pleasing, I know, but it sure does taste good, and it's SO healthy!

Grain and Veggie Salad with Tangy Tofu Dressing

Ingredients:


Salad:

• 1/2 cup dry grain of choice.  Like Melody, I used Millet, because I had it and I LOVE it.  Next time I think I'll use quinoa.  You could use pretty much any grain that tickles your fancy.  You could also probably use whole wheat cous cous or even small legumes, like lentils.
• 1 small to medium summer squash, seeded and diced
• 1/3 cup shelled edamame
• 4 spears asparagus, chopped
• 2 to 3 cloves garlic, pressed
• Salt and pepper to taste

Dressing:

• 1/4 cup pureed tofu
• 2 TBS nutritional yeast
• 3 TBS sesame tahini
• 1TBS lemon juice
• 3/4 cup cold water
• 2 cloves pressed garlic
• 1 TBS good brown mustard
• liberal shake nutmeg
• liberal shake (or three, if you're like me!) dried dill

Directions:


Salad:

1.  Cook grain of choice according to package directions.

I toasted mine first.  

Try not to notice that my burner needs cleaning!

2.  Saute desired veggies, or you can use the dry fry method.  That's what I did, saving the calories from the oil to use in the dressing instead!

3.  Let grain and veggies cool to room temperature.

4.  While you're waiting for everything to cool off a bit, you can go ahead and multi-task

Yeah.  In fact I do love to show him off!

Dressing:

1.  Puree tofu to very smooth, almost liquid state.

2.  Add all other ingredients and whisk whisk whisk until very well mixed and frothy.

The Whole Shebang

1.  Mix cooled grain and veggies.

2.  Pour half of dressing over grain and vegetable mixture and mix well.

4.  Let chill for several hours, ideally over night.  The longer it melds the better it tastes.

5.  When ready to serve, drizzle more dressing over the top and salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy!

Now, what the heck do I do with the rest of these?!

How to Bake Tofu

Yes, seriously; it's a baked tofu tutorial.  It's really easy, but there are about a bazillion different opinions on how it should be done.  Just Google "how to bake tofu", and you'll see what I mean.  I'm fond of tofu, and I'm not terribly picky, but Drew likes his "chewy like they make it at the Thai restaurant".  This is easier said than done when you're working with packaged white tofu, as opposed to the home made yellow stuff that they're using at the Thai restaurant.

Through much trial and error, I finally managed to produce baked tofu that suits everyone in the house.  This is how we eat it all the time now. 

First you need a block of extra firm tofu that has been frozen/thawed/pressed and drained.  Then you cut the tofu into whatever shape suits you.  Make cutlets for sandwiches, sticks for dipping or "wings", cubes for salad toppings or stir fries, etc.  I made mine into cubes, because I'm going to serve them on top of Sesame Peanut Noodles.  When choosing the size of your cut, keep in mind that they shrink up considerably during the baking process.

Next, mix up your marinade of choice.  Go easy on the sodium though.  I learned the hard way that too much of a salty ingredient makes the tofu inedible, because it really soaks up the marinade.  This can be tailored to meet your personal taste.  Use your imagination, or keep it really simple.  The marinade for this batch is a bit of garlic, ginger, chili, a couple of shakes of seasoned rice vinegar, a couple of shakes of soy sauce, and about a cup of water. 

Place the tofu in the marinade and leave it for at least two hours.  Gently shake it about or flip the tofu every so often so that all of the pieces get equal marinade time.  If you can, leave it over night.  The longer it sits in the marinade, the richer the flavor will be.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Cover a cookie sheet with aluminum foil or a silpat and spray liberally with olive oil or cooking spray.  Lay the tofu pieces out flat and bake them for 20 minutes, then flip them over.  Yes, one piece at a time.  Yes, I know this is a pain in the butt.  Yes, it is required! 

After flipping, return to oven and bake for 20 minutes more.  After the second 20 minutes, remove from oven and flip again.  Continue cooking and flipping, every TEN minutes, until tofu pieces are as done as you like them.  I cook ours for about an hour, sometimes just a bit more, to get the texture that Drew likes.  If it were just me, I'd call it good at about 45 minutes or so.  Just taste them, because it's a matter of personal preference as to when they're done.

Enjoy!

Tofu Breakfast Sandwich

It's like an Egg McMuffin except with no egg.  And no meat.  And no cholesterol!  This is totally my kind of meal right here, though I prefer to have it for lunch instead of breakfast.  I tend to stick to smoothies and oatmeal for breakfast. 

I've been craving this for a few days, but it takes some planning, and I'm still feeling rather scattered after our whirlwind weekend in New York.  While it's very easy to make, you've got to time it right, because the tofu needs to be frozen/thawed/drained, and then it needs to marinate for about eight hours or so.  I suppose you could skip the freezing/thawing step, but I prefer not to.  It gives the tofu a firmer, more toothsome texture.

Do I even need to say that if the tofu doesn't say "non-GMO" on the package, you shouldn't buy it?

This makes enough for two sandwiches.

Tofu (for) Breakfast Sandwich

Ingredients:

for marinade:

• 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons cold water
• 6 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1 tablespoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• Salt and pepper to taste

for sandwich

• 4 rectangle slices from block of extra firm tofu, frozen/thawed/drained
• Breakfast bread of choice (bagel, English muffin, biscuit)
• Extras of choice (breakfast "meats"--this would be a good place to try out the tempeh bacon, tomato slices, avocado slices, mushrooms, cheese, etc.)

Directions:

1.  Mix marinade  ingredients in a small plastic container with a lid.  The consistency should be a pasty liquid.

2.  Add tofu to container, close lid, and shake gently to cover.  Make sure tofu is covered completely, top and bottom.

3.  Refrigerate at least 8 hours.

next morning

1.  Spray non-stick skillet with olive oil and heat over medium heat.

2.  When oil is hot, place tofu in pan along with any non-absorbed marinade.

3.  Fry the first side four to five minutes.

4.  Prepare your breakfast bread in the toaster or toaster oven.

5.  Flip tofu and fry four to five minutes more.  It'd done when both sides are a light golden color.

6.  Remove bread from toaster and add fried tofu and any extras you desire.

I had mine on a whole grain English muffin with provolone, "bacon", and spinach.

Enjoy!

Scrambled Tofu with Grilled Vegetables

The kiddo has baseball practice tonight, so that means we'll be eating a late and light dinner.  I decided that a filling and hearty lunch was in order.  I've been cooking all day, so I also wanted something quick and easy.  This meal came together in mere minutes.

Scrambled Tofu

Ingredients:

• 1/2 block firm tofu, frozen/thawed/drained 
• 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• pepper to taste

Directions:

1.  Crumble tofu into small mixing bowl.

2.  Add all other ingredients and mix well with fork, making sure tofu is evenly coated.

3.  In an oiled skillet cook the tofu for eight to ten minutes over high heat.  It's done when the tofu begins to brown around the edges.
 

 
Because I live in Chicago and went from three feet of snow to never ending thunderstorms in the course of a week, I had to grill my vegetables inside.  I used the George Foreman Grill.  This is a fantastic invention and not just for meat eaters!
 

 
Anyway, cut your vegetables into uniform thickness.  I used zucchini, eggplant, tomatoes, and onions.  Spray George with some olive oil, lay out your veggies, mist the tops of the veggies with more olive oil, salt and pepper to taste, and then cook 'til grilled through.  Mine took about five minutes.
 

See, aren't they lovely?

 
Enjoy!