Tofu: one million options and counting

Tofu, tomatoes, and Couscous

I love tofu. It takes on whatever flavor you cook it in and never gets boring. It seems to be the one food that can adapt to many dish and fit into anyone's taste. I use tofu almost everyday in some form or another and I never get tired of it. In this case the tofu picks up the tomatoes flavor.

For this tofu recipe, I put it in the cast iron pan that was coated with a little bit of canola oil. Then I sprinkled on my Chef Prudhomme Magic Seasoning Blends. I flipped the tofu when it was brown and then added the tomatoes. I added more seasoning, basil, and garlic powder. I cooked untill the tomatoes where soft and added it to the couscous. Simple, easy, yummy.

I say avocados, you say one love

Spicy tofu, tomato, and avocado sandwich on whole wheat bread

I had a perfectly ripe avocado just begging to be thinly sliced and placed comfortably atop a bed of juciey tomatoes and spicy tofu. The whole wheat bread is from Cost Co and is actually really yummy and wonderfully chewy (go figure).

I have been experimenting with the many possibilities of flavors tofu has to offer and I tried a dry rub of spices from Chef ____ (Chef Bob or Tony or somthing) and stir fried it in my cast iron pan. It came out amazing.

Dessert (It's about time!)

Chocolaty goodness of yummy gooey magic

So I think it's about time for some treats on here. I made brownies for fathers day and only let a few people know they were veagn. Everyone loved them and noone questioned the ingredients.

I got the recipe from here (vegweb.com is an amazing vegan website FYI)

I used whole wheat flour (*gasp*) and they still came out gooey and moist; not gritty like I was expecting. I used powdered sugar for the top to make them pritty)















Fresh out of the oven. A dark chocolate lovers dream.

It's not delivery...it's just the wok

Tofu, broccoli, and spinach stir fry

If you do not have a wok, but love Chinese food, it is probably one of the best cooking investments you can make. It gives you the peace of mind that no animal products are mixed into your dish (which makes some vegans wary of chinese food places). You can also find all kinds of recipes online so you can re-create take out at home.

This stir fry is with spinach, broccoli, and tofu in soy sauce and sesame oil.

If you prefer a thicker sauce, then you can add corn starch.

The tomatoe gift that keeps on giving...

Semolina pasta with spinach and tomatoes

With this being my 5th consecutive my tomatoe dish, I think it is time to mix it up a bit. Expect some desserts in the near future...

This is again a very simple light dish from the healthy vegan. I used semolina pasta to get a nice hearty texture. Then I cooked up the spinach and tomatoes with some basil in the cast iron pan. I put them together and added some garlic powder and some more basil for taste.

Fire up the grill, and throw on the tofu?

Grilled tofu over a simple green salad

Yup, I said grilled tofu. As you can see I love throwing anything on the grill I can get my hands on. Tofu is a meat alternative so it is only natural to test it out on the grill. Note the sweet grill marks.

Start by marinating the tofu in balsamic vinegar and sesame seeds for as long as you deem fit. Put it on the grill and grill each side for about 8 minutes each (you can do it for more or less time depening on your preference and your grill)

The salad can be made with what ever you have laying around. This one was made with lettuce, spinach, carrots,cucumber, and tomatoes (as you may have noticed, I have a lot of tomatoes on hand and I love them). Then I dressed it with balsamic vinegar, garlic powder, basil, salt, and pepper.

Grilled Pizza

Whole wheat grilled pizza w/ spinach, tomatoes, peppers

Betcha didnt know it was possible to grill pizza did ya? I have been playing around with pizza crusts for a while and I now have a perfect whole wheat dough recipe.

whole wheat dough:
2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 (1/4 oz.) package of yeast
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons sugar
1 cup luckwarm water
(115- 125 degrees)
2 tablespoons olive oil


Combine flour, yeast, salt, and sugar in a large bowl and mix with a wooden spoon. Add the water and olive oil and mix until dough forms. Knead the dough for ten minutes. Oil a bowl. Put the dough in the bowl and cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let rise for 45 minutes.

In the meantime:
Cook your choice of veggies (I used spinach, peppers, (in a frying pan) and tomatoes(set on broil in the toaster oven with a little fresh picked basil from my basil plant, yum yum) With your left over time you can clean up, start the grill, and even do a little dance if feel the urge. I mean come on, your only minutes away from amazing grilled pizza, you should be happy!
When 45 minutes is up, take the dough out of the bowl. The trick is to break the dough into four personal size pizza balls then roll them into circles on oiled pieces of foil. The one at the right is about 8 inches in diameter.
Put half of the coals on one side of the grill (thats your direct heat) and leave the other half without coals (thats your indirect heat). Put the pizza dough side down on the direct heat side of the grill (go ahead and put it direcly on the grate, it wont burn if the grate is oiled, I swear) and then slowly peal the foil off. Cover the grill untill the dough looks chared. Flip the pizza over and put your sauce, veggies, and soy cheese (or your choice of any vegan cheese, or no cheese) on top. Cover and cook untill the cheese is totaly melted or the crust feels crispy. Remove the pizza and be prepared to change the way you view all other pizzas forever.

This recipe can be altered in many ways. There are a million different topping, sauce, and cheese combos to test so go crazy.

Couscous with spinach and tomatoes

Couscous with spinach and tomatoes

I recently bought a cast iron pan and decided to try it out. I have never cooked couscous before so I decided to play around with it (10 grams of protein for one serving!).

I made the couscous in the microwave and added salt, pepper, and a splash of balsamic vinager. I cooked the spinach in the pan until wilted. That gives it a light crunch and ensures it will not be soggy when added to the couscous. I have been experimenting with different tomato dishes and I found that putting the tomatoes on foil in the toaster oven, and setting the oven to broil, cooks them fast and gives them very good flavor. I combined the spinach, couscous, and tomatoes in a bowl and added basil and garlic powder for seasoning. I think I might try it with some mushrooms and peppers next time. It's a pritty simple dish and good for protein.