Monday, April 11, 2011

Spice-fried Tofu with Grits n' Greens (vegan)

Hey friends!  Have some vegan food!  

I've been itchin' to make Joy the Baker's Shrimp and Grits, but between the bacon and the shrimp and cheddar cheese, it seemed more decadent than we normally do around here for weeknights. So, I was pumped when I found I found this recipe.  I'm not going vegan or anything  (I mean, we have brats just about every other week and pizza's my fave food), but I like trying non-standard ingredients.

The one unusual ingredient here is nutritional yeast, which is a cheese substitute.  I've used it a couple times before and like it pretty well.  Just an FYI, you'll find it in the dried foods / bulk section and it kind of looks like flour.  There's really no limit to what you can do with it, use it just like cheese!  Just don't use too much, because then you'll remember you're not really eating cheese :(

Hope you like this!  We did!  
Spice-fried Tofu with Grits n' Greens
adapted from Food & Wine, serves 2

[Cajun-fried Tofu]
12 ounces extra firm tofu
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dried minced onions
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed
1/4 cup peanut oil
s&p

Cut tofu into strips and pat dry.  Combine all the spices in a plastic ziploc bag. Drop the dried tofu into the bag and shake vigorously, to coat the tofu. Let it sit for a few minutes while heating the oil in a frying pan. Cook for 3-5 minutes on each side. Then ...

[Grits n' Greens]
2 2/3 cups water
2/3 cup quick-cooking grits
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
3/4 cup frozen chopped spinach
s&p

In a medium saucepan, bring the water to a boil, then gradually add the grits and a big pinch of salt. Cover and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the grits are thick, about 7 minutes. Season with s&p, stir in the nutritional year and spinach. Top with fried tofu and serve immediately.

No comments:

Post a Comment