Napa Cabbage and Tofu Salad with Sesame Dressing

(recipe from Food & Wine magazine)

Dressing:
1 Tbsp. minced fresh ginger
1 large garlic clove, coarsely chopped
1/2 large jalapeño, seeded and chopped
1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. tahini
1 Tbsp. sesame oil
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil (I used flax oil)
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 Tbsp. rice vinegar
1/2 tsp. light brown sugar (I used honey)
3 Tbsp. chopped cilantro
1 Tbsp. chopped mint
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Salad:
1 lb. soft tofu, drained and cut into 1-inch cubes
4 cups finely shredded Napa cabbage (about 1/2 large head)
2 cups spinach leaves, finely shredded
1 cup finely shredded red cabbage
1 medium kohlrabi or small jicama, peeled and cut into matchsticks
5 large radishes, cut into matchsticks
1 large carrot, shaved into thin curls with a vegetable peeler (or matchsticks)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 Tbsp. black sesame seeds or toasted white sesame seeds, for garnish

Make the dressing: Combine all of the ingredients except for the cilantro and mint in a mini food processor and puree until smooth.  (I pureed the cilantro and mint too.)  Transfer to a bowl and stir in the cilantro and mint.  Season with salt and pepper.

Make the salad:  Bring a medium saucepan of water to a gentle simmer.  Add salt.  Put half of the tofu in a small strainer and ease it into the water.  Simmer over moderate heat for 2 minutes, then transfer to paper towels to drain.  Repeat with the remaining tofu.

In a large bowl, toss the cabbage, spinach, red cabbage, kohlrabi, radishes, carrot, and tofu.  Season with salt and pepper.  Spoon the dressing over the salad and garnish with sesame seeds.

Okra, Corn, and Tofu Gumbo

(recipe from The Vegan Gourmet by Susann Geiskopf-Hadler and Mindy Toomay)

1/4 cup unbleached flour
3 cups uncooked long-grain white rice (or brown rice)
Pinch plus 3/4 tsp. salt.
1 lb. fresh okra
2 cans (4oz. each) whole green chiles (or use several (5-6) small fresh chiles)
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2 medium white onions, coarsely chopped
2 medium carrots, coarsely chopped
1 medium red bell pepper, finely diced
1 cup chopped celery
1 lb. firm tofu, diced
2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels
1 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. cayenne
2 tsp. filé powder (I omitted this)
2 medium fresh tomatoes, coarsely chopped

Place the flour in a dry, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat and brown for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.  You must keep the flour moving to prevent it from burning.  If the flour begins to blacken (not brown), turn down the heat a little and begin again with fresh flour.  When the flour is uniformly dark tan in color, remove it from the pan and set aside.

Cook the rice according to the package directions

Meanwhile, trim off the stem ends of the okra and slice the pods crosswise into 1-inch pieces.  Set aside in a bowl.  Remove the stems and seeds of the chiles and slice them into long, thin strips.  Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a stockpot.  Saute the onions, carrots, bell pepper, and celery for 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until they begin to brown.

Add the tofu, corn kernels, okra, green chiles, chili powder, 1/2 tsp. salt, and cayenne to the browned vegetable mixture.  Lower the heat to medium.  Stir and saute for 10 minutes, then distribute the browned flour evenly over the vegetables and tofu and stir it in.  Add 3 1/2 cups of hot water, the remaining 1/4 tsp. salt, the filé powder, and the tomatoes.  Increase the heat to bring the mixture to a rapid simmer, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes.  Serve hot over hot rice.

Chopped Miso Salad

(recipe from 101cookbooks.com)

1 1/2 cups shallots, skinned and thinly sliced
splash of olive oil
pinch of salt

2 Tbsp. miso
1/2 tsp. powdered mustard (or a bit of whatever mustard you have around)
2 Tbsp. brown sugar (or honey or agave)
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/3 cup olive oil
1 tsp. sesame oil (optional)

1/2 of a medium-large cabbage
1 cup silvered almonds, toasted
1/2 medium red onion, sliced
3/4 cup chives, minced
8 oz. extra-firm tofu, or baked tofu, room temperature (tofu cooked in a skillet for a few minutes to take on some color is great)

Stir together the shallots, splash of olive oil, and big pinch of salt in a large skillet over medium heat.  Stir every few minutes, you want the shallots to slowly brown over about 15 minutes.  Let them get dark, dark brown (but not burn).  If needed, turn down the heat.  Remove them from the skillet and onto a paper towel to cool in a single layer.  They should crisp up a bit.

Make the dressing by whisking the miso, mustard, and brown sugar together.  Now whisk in the rice vinegar and keep whisking until it's smooth.  Gradually whisk in the olive oil, and then the sesame oil.  Add two pinches of fine grain salt.  Taste and make any adjustments if needed.

Cut the cabbage into two quarters and cut out the core.  Using a knife, shred each quarter into whisper thin slices.  They key here is bite-sized and thin.  If any pieces look like they might be awkwardly long, cut those in half.

Gently toss the cabbage, shallots, almonds, red onion, chives and tofu in a large bowl.  Add a generous drizzle of the miso dressing and toss again - until the dressing is evenly distributed.  Add more dressing a bit at a time, until the salad is dressed to your liking.

Millet Tofu Stew

(recipe from Christina Cooks)

1 cup millet, rinsed well
1/2 cup tofu, cut into tiny cubes
1 cup winter squash, cubed
5 cups water
1 tsp. miso

Millet tends to hold on to dust, so be sure to rinse it well, until the water running off is relatively clear.  Layer squash and then tofu in a heavy pot, top with millet, gently add water, cover and bring to a boil.  Lower heat to low and cook for about 30 minutes, until liquid is absorbed and millet takes on a lovely creamy texture.  Dissolve miso in a small amount of warm water and gently stir into millet.  Simmer 2-3 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir briskly.  Squash will break apart slightly and incorporate throughout the dish.  Serve hot, garnished with minced parsley, scallion, or toasted nori strips.

(Amazingly delicious flavor for a macrobiotic dish!  I used a whole block of tofu and quite a bit of butternut squash, extra millet - you don't need to be too exact on measurements, just add water to cover everything.  Creamy and yummy.  Be sure to salt and pepper to taste.)

Tomato-and-Peach Salad with Crisp Tofu

(recipe from Food and Wine magazine)

2 serrano chiles, thinly sliced
1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
1 tsp. sugar (I used honey)
1/2 tsp. kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
1 Tbsp. minced fresh ginger
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 cup plus 3 Tbsp. canola oil (I used olive oil)
6 oz. extra-firm tofu, drained well and cubed
2 heirloom tomatoes, sliced
2 peaches, cut into wedges
1 cup arugula or mizuna
1/2 cup basil leaves

Put the serranos in a small heatproof bowl.  In a small saucepan, bring 1/2 cup of water to a boil with the vinegar, sugar, and 1/2 tsp. of salt, stirring to dissolve the sugar.  Pour the brine over the serranos and let stand for 15 minutes, until cooled to room temperature.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk the soy sauce, lime juice, ginger, mustard and 3 Tbsp. of the oil.

In a large cast-iron skillet, heat the remaining 1/2 cup of oil until shimmering.  Add the tofu and cook over moderate heat, turning, until crisp, 5 minutes.  Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.  Season with salt.

Arrange the tomatoes, peaches, arugula and serranos on a platter.  Drizzle with the soy-lime dressing, scatter the tofu and basil on top and serve.

(This is a kick-ass salad.  There are many steps, but worth it!  Tangy, sweet, spicy.  I kept all of the components separate and was able to eat several salads over several days, though the sliced tomatoes don't keep too long in the fridge.)

Tofu-Cashew Mayonnaise

(recipe from fatfreevegan.com)

One 12.3 oz. package firm silken tofu
1/2 cup raw cashews (about 2 oz.)
3 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. prepared mustard, any variety
1/8 tsp. granulated onion powder
salt to taste

Drain water from tofu and place it and all other ingredients except salt in a high-speed blender.  Blend at highest speed until light and creamy.  Add salt to taste and blend again.  Seal tightly and keep refrigerated.  Stir before each use.

(I tried this recipe because I needed mayo for the neighboring japanese pancake recipe and thought I'd give it a try.  Not crazy about using tofu, as I've been trying to steer away from using so many legume-based products.  But I found this to be a nice mayo substitute.  I did not drain the tofu first.  I also added more onion powder and lemon juice than called for, because I like a tangy mayo.  It kept well in the fridge for about a week, and was good both by itself spread on toast as well as mixed with other ingredients for a spicy dip.)

Tofu Mayo

(recipe from Christina Cooks)

8 oz. firm tofu
3 Tbsp. stoneground mustard
2 tsp. umeboshi vinegar
3 tsp. brown rice syrup
sea salt
juice of 1 lemon
3-4 Tbsp. corn oil (I used 2 Tbsp. canola oil)

Bring a small pot of water to a boil and cook tofu for 5 minutes.  Drain well.  Puree all ingredients in a food processor until smooth and creamy.