Sesame Tofu

I'm starting to see a pattern with how I prepare tofu. Tofu + sauce = dinner. However, there is a little more work involved with this once since I wanted to create a crispy coating around the tofu. I ate this dish at a restaurant recently and I wanted to see if I could mimic it. In my humble opinion, it turned out really well. And yeah, I'm a bad Asian since I used ketchup in the sauce again. Heh. I served it with some steamed veggies (green beans and baby corn) and brown rice.

1/2 cup cornstarch

1/2 cup wheat germ

2 tablespoons sesame seeds

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 15 ounce package extra-firm tofu, drained and pressed and cut into 1-inch cubes

3 cloves garlic, minced

3 green onions, trimmed and thinly sliced

1/3 cup ketchup

1/3 cup plum sauce

1/4 cup soy paste

1/2 tablespoon sesame oil

2 teaspoons sesame seeds

2 tablespoons water

In a food processor, pulse the cornstarch, wheat germ, 2 tablespoons of sesame seeds and salt together until smooth. Put this into a large Ziploc bag. Add the tofu cubes, close bag and shake until cubes are well coated. On medium-high heat, add enough oil in a large non-stick pan to cover the bottom. Fry the tofu until the sides are brown and crispy. Drain on a paper towel. In a medium bowl, whisk together the ketchup, plum sauce, soy paste, sesame oil, sesame seeds and water. Heat 1 tablespoon of fresh oil in the same pan (removing the old oil since it probably has chunks of burnt batter) on medium-high heat. Add the garlic and green onions and sauté until fragrant (about 2 minutes). Pour in the sauce and heat through until bubbling. Pour this prepared sauce over the fried tofu. Yield: 3-4 servings

"Sausage" and Corn Casserole

I recently stumbled upon this amazing stuff called Gimme Lean Sausage. It's fat free, vegan, packed with protein and seriously delicious. I was in the mood for some comfort food, so I came up with this casserole dish. Like many of my creations, this makes a lot of food, but your taste buds will thank you everyday at work when lunchtime rolls around.

Casserole Filling:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 large onion, chopped

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon salt

1 large russet potato, skinned and diced into small cubes

1 14 ounce package Gimme Lean Ground Sausage

1 15 ounce can black olives, drained and roughly chopped

1 15 ounce can yellow corn, drained

1 large tomato, diced

Cornbread Topping:

1 1/2 cups corn meal

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 tablespoons liquid sweetener (honey, maple syrup, agave nectar etc.)

1 1/2 cups unsweetened soy milk

Preheat the oven to 350. Heat the oil in a large pan on medium high heat. Saute the onions and garlic together until fragrant (about 2-3 minutes). Add the spices (oregano to salt) and potato and mix well. Let cook until potatoes begin to brown (5-6 minutes, as you are waiting prepare the cornbread by mixing the dry and wet ingredients separately then pouring the liquids into the dry and mixing thoroughly). Crumble the sausage into the pan and let it heat through. Pour this entire mixture into a large casserole dish. Add the olives, corn and tomato and mix thoroughly. Pour the cornbread batter over the top of the filling and spread evenly with a spatula. Bake for 25 minutes or until cornbread is done baking. Slice and serve with a sweet salsa (pineapple, peach or mango salsa works well). Yield: 8 servings

Green Beans and Gluten With Black Bean Sauce

So some of you may be asking, "What the heck is gluten?". I have included a handy-dandy picture of the stuff I buy at the Asian market. They look like wrinkly, brown...well, turds. But they certainly don't taste like it! They may be an acquired taste, and in that case, you can just omit them. This made a delicious side-dish!

1 pound green beans, ends trimmed
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 cloves garlic
3 green onions, trimmed and thinly sliced
1/2 large onion, thinly sliced
1 jar Chinese fried gluten, drained
2 tablespoons Black Bean Garlic Sauce

Bring a pot of water to a boil and boil green beans for about 3 minutes, then drain the beans and set aside. In a large sauce pan, heat the oil on medium high heat. Saute the garlic, green onions and regular onions for 4-5 minutes. Add the gluten, sauce and green beans back into the pan and thoroughly mix everything. Continue to saute for 3-5 minutes until everything is heated through. Yield: 4 side-dish servings

Black Bean Garlic Sauce:
Chinese Fried Gluten: