Thursday, April 14, 2011

Comfort Food

Ah, the rediscovery of an old favorite! Perfect for a rainy day; comfort food that is healthful and satisfying.

Baked Tofu Pesto Sandwich with a salad of mixed greens, pears and walnuts. Delicious!

Want to make it? The recipe is Vegan but I can assure you that meat eaters like it too.

*Baked Tofu Recipe:
1 block (package) firm tofu
1/3 cup vegetable stock
3 Tablespoons Soy sauce
1 Tablespoon dark sesame oil
2 teaspoons brown sugar, or honey, or brown rice syrup
1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

Drain and rinse the tofu. Cut into 6 equal slabs. Place the tofu on a clean folded tea towel on a flat surface. Cover with another folded tea towel and place a cutting board or other flat object (cookie sheet) on top. Place a moderate weight on the board (a heavy pot or canned food items) and leave to drain for 30 minutes.

In a baking dish just large enough to hold the tofu, stir together the remaining ingredients. When the tofu has drained, place the slabs in the baking dish with the marinade in a single layer. Place in the refrigerator for a couple of hours. Turn the tofu pieces over half way through the marinating time.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (204 C). Place the baking dish uncovered in the oven. Bake for 30 minutes, then turn the tofu over and cook for an additional 30 minutes. The liquid should be completely absorbed and the tofu should have a nice dark "crust."
You can eat this immediately or it keeps in the fridge for a few days.
*Recipe adapted from The Complete Vegan Cookbook by Hadler & Toomay.

To make the sandwich I use a sprouted grain english muffin that is hearty and delicious but, you can use a roll or bread of your choice.
I toast my bread, spread with pesto (I am not including a recipe for pesto since there are thousands available, easy to find if you don't already have your own recipe). Add the baked tofu, a thick slice of a good tomato, some avocado and ta da!
Other additions that are tasty: Sweet bell pepper, sprouts, grated carrot, lettuce, etc.

I paired this with a nice salad of mixed baby greens, sliced pear, and walnuts with a simple vinaigrette.

Yum!

13 comments:

Vintage Tea Time said...

Wow - that looks like one of the nicest recipes I've ever seen!! I'm veggie, not vegan, but it's not always easy to find really tasty stuff. I shall give that one a go next week. Thanks! Abby x

Janee Lookerse said...

Now I'm not really the tofu sort...but that looks good enough to try. One bite at least. Actually if it had beef on it instead of tofu, it would be really really tasty. And also not nearly as healthy. Now I'm hungry, thanks alot. :)

xoxo
Janee
yellowbirdyellowbeard.blogspot.com

Wendy said...

Sounds absolutely delicious! Now, if only I had some tofu in the house!

greenrabbitdesigns said...

As a veggie, all I can say is mmmmmmmm. :)
Vivienne x

Unknown said...

Mmm. The sandwich looks good, but I've been loving salad lately. The pear (or apple) + walnut combo is one of my faves! I usually add a little blue cheese and some dried cranberries, too. :)

Itchin' Stitchin' said...

This post made me really hungry :) YUM

Vic said...

Noice!

Sabrina said...

I'm not a huge tofu fan, but this has my mouth watering. MMMM

raining sheep said...

Mmmm, that looks pretty scrumptious. I am a big fan of your photos on flickr :)

Cathie said...

ummm, yummm!!
enjoy ♥

. said...

Yum indeed... I have to say it's the salad that really appeals, x

diane said...

looks good. can i add bacon? ; )

Pomona said...

Thank you for your lovely comment - it's good to be back! Hope all is well with you and yours.

Pomona x