Garlic-Ginger Tofu with Mushrooms and Scallions

It's hot outside. None of us want to turn our stoves on, or exert much energy for making dinner besides maybe some chopping and stirring. Maybe.

I get it. But, if you're like me - meaning, without a grill - you sometimes get the urge to whip something up in the kitchen, no matter how high you have to blast the A/C. Am I right? However, that dish you're whipping up needs to be worth every drop of sweat. And that's where this recipe comes in.

Here, tofu is baked to crispy perfection (like the tofu in this recipe was), and then immediately marinated in an Asian-inspired dressing complete with soy sauce and plenty of fresh garlic and ginger. It's then tossed with 'shrooms, scallions, and more soy sauce, fresh garlic, and fresh ginger (and a drizzle or two of Sriracha, because...why not?).

The end result is a healthy, savory, incredibly flavorful dish that - despite having to turn your oven on for - doesn't take long to whip up. Take that, sweltering summer heat.

Garlic-Ginger Tofu with Mushrooms & Scallions
Yields: 4 servings

Tofu Marinade:
-1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
-Drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
-1 clove garlic, minced
-1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
-Salt and black pepper

Everything Else:
-16-ounce package of extra firm tofu, drained and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
-1 clove garlic, minced
-1/2 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
-8-ounces mixed mushrooms, chopped (or your favorite kind of 'shroom!)
-3 scallions, thinly sliced
-1 teaspoon low-sodium soy sauce
-1 teaspoon rice vinegar
-Drizzle of Sriracha (optional)
-Salt and black pepper, to taste

Directions:
1.) Heat oven to 425 degrees F. Spread the tofu on a non-stick baking sheet in a single layer. Drizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 25 minutes or until crispy on the outside and slightly browned, turning tofu at least once so it browns on all sides.
2.) While tofu is baking, whisk together soy sauce, a healthy drizzle of olive oil, garlic, ginger, salt, and black pepper. As soon as tofu is done cooking, transfer it to a bowl and pour over marinade. Toss to coat, and let sit for 20-30 minutes.
3.) While tofu marinades, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and ginger and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant (about 30 seconds). Add mushrooms and scallions, and cook for about 3-5 minutes, or until mushrooms begin to brown.
4.) Add soy sauce, rice vinegar, and Sriracha; season with salt and black pepper. Let cook until soy sauce and vinegar have reduced slightly. Add marinated tofu to the pan and toss to coat.
5.) Serve over rice, garnished with scallions and raw cashews. (Cashews are optional but highly recommended!).

That fried tofu, though. So crispy, and so willing to soak up every last bit of flavor. 

Trust me: It's worth turning your oven on for this.

The Bye and Bye | NE Portland

You know those restaurants where, before even taking your last bite, you vow to visit again soon? Yeah...that happened to us at Bye and Bye.

Located right up the street from one of our favorite Portland breweries, Bye and Bye features all-vegetarian eats in a casual yet oh-so-Portland setting. You order at the counter and take your order number to the table of your choice, which, for us on this sunny day, was at one of their outdoor, dog-friendly picnic tables.

Ice cold pints of Engelberg Pilsner - from Portland's own Upright Brewing - started the meal off right.

For our meals, I went for the Weeping Tiger Sandwich ($9), made with tofu cutlets, lettuce, tomato, onion, avocado, jalapeño, and Sriracha and miso mayo on Grand Central bread.

Z went for the BBQ Brussel Bowl ($9), made with BBQ tofu, Brussels sprouts, and brown rice - and he opted to add fresh avocado for a well-worth-it extra dollar.

Um...the only way to say this is that every bite - of both of our meals - was next to perfect. My tofu was seasoned and cooked perfectly, and everything down to the chips and salsa on the side was spot-on and delicious. Z also raved about his BBQ bowl for the remainder of the night, enamored with the well-seasoned rice (which he's typically not a fan of) and the ideally cooked and sauced tofu.

After our delectable meals, we took the quick walk over to Great Notion for a few more brews before Game of Thrones. Perfect Sunday indeed.

My only gripe? I haven't visited here sooner!

Where was the last almost-perfect meal you had?

Panang Tofu Curry

Spicy Thai chile sauce. Creamy coconut milk. A truck-load of vegetables (basically). Protein-packed tofu.

This was one of those "winner of a dishes" in our house last week. I could easily make this on a regular basis, substituting whatever vegetables and proteins I have on-hand. It's super versatile, super delicious, and super easy to throw together. And, bonus: it's also super good for you.

Can I get an amen??

Panang Tofu Curry
Yields: 4-6 servings
-2 tablespoons olive oil
-1/2 large yellow onion (or 1 small), diced
-1 tablespoon finely grated peeled ginger
-3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
-1/4 cup crunchy peanut butter
-2 teaspoons turmeric
-1 teaspoon ground cumin
-Pinch of cayenne (optional)
-1 teaspoon Thai chile paste
-1 cup water
-1 14-ounce can light coconut milk
-Juice of 1 lime + 1 teaspoon finely grated lime peel
-1 tablespoon light brown sugar
-Salt and black pepper
-1 14-ounce package organic firm tofu, drained, and cut into 1-inch cubes
-3 medium carrots, peeled
-1 large red bell pepper, roughly chopped
-1 cup frozen peas
-1 1/2 cups cooked Basmati rice and fresh cilantro, for serving

Directions:
1.) Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add onion, ginger, and garlic; cook until onion is tender, about 6 minutes. Add peanut butter, turmeric, cumin, cayenne, and chile paste; stir until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes.
2.) Whisk in 1 cup water, then add coconut milk, lime juice and peel, and brown sugar; bring to a low boil. Season with salt and black pepper.
3.) Reduce heat to medium and add tofu, carrots, bell pepper, and peas; cook until carrots are tender, adjusting heat to medium-low if beginning to boil and occasionally stirring, about 20 minutes. Taste, and add additional salt and pepper as needed.
4.) Serve over Basmati rice and garnish with fresh cilantro.

Creamy, spicy, packed with flavor/nutrients/protein. AND super easy to throw together? This is the ideal [vegan] weekday meal, my friends.

What's your idea of an ideal weekday meal?

Vegetarian Sloppy Joes

Whenever I make Sloppy Joes, this song gets stuck in my head for daysss.

Growing up, I loved when my mom made Sloppy Joes for dinner. Granted, those Sloppy Joes were piled high with hamburger meat, but at the time, they were delicious, comforting, and, well, messy.

As a vegetarian adult, I've come to miss these satiating, spill-all-over-your-plate sandwiches, so I decided to come up with a version that I can eat now - sans the grease and animal parts. (On my former blog, I also came up with a lentil version, if you're interested. Just don't mind the missing photos).



Here, tofu is crumbled and loaded up with all of the Sloppy Joe flavors we know and love. And then topped with vegetarian baked beans. You know, to make them even sloppier (and more delicious). This recipe can also be vegan-friendly, if you opt out of the melted cheese and brioche buns.

Vegetarian Sloppy Joes
Yields: 8 servings
-1 16-ounce package extra firm tofu, drained
-3 tablespoons ketchup
-1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
-1/2 tablespoon maple syrup
-Salt and black pepper
-Chili powder
-Dried oregano
-2 tablespoons olive oil
-1/2 large yellow onion, diced
-1 large garlic clove, minced
-1 bell pepper, chopped
-Salt and black pepper
-1 heaping cup vegetarian baked beans
-Sliced bread and butter pickles, for garnish
-8 slices cheese (optional; we used Havarti)
-8 brioche buns (or your favorite vegan-friendly buns will do!)*

Directions:
1.) Press the tofu for 20 minutes (if you don't have a tofu press, just place a heavy pot on top of the tofu). This will get a lot of the moisture out so it crisps up nicer in the pan. Once drained, crumble the tofu into a bowl and mix with the ketchup, Dijon mustard, maple syrup, salt, black pepper, chili powder, and dried oregano (aka, the marinade!). Place tofu in fridge for 30 minutes.
2.) Meanwhile, in a large saute pan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, just until the onions begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Add peppers and season with salt and black pepper (I also added some extra chili powder, for an additional kick); cook until peppers begin to soften, about 3-5 minutes. Add tofu and cook until tofu begins to turn golden brown, about 5-7 minutes.
3.) Lower heat to medium-low; add baked beans and stir. Cook until heated through, about 3-5 minutes.
4.) Toast your buns (if using cheese, place cheese slices on one half of the buns before toasting so they melt nicely). Pile each bun with a few generous scoops of the Sloppy Joe mixture. Top with sliced pickles. Grab many, many napkins and dig in.

*One note: For the non-vegans, I highly recommend using the brioche buns, if you can find them. They're a little sweet, super soft, and stand up to the sloppiness quite nicely. 

Packed with protein and flavor, these Sloppy Joes gave us dinner - and lunch! - for days. We ate the last bit of leftovers on our snowboarding lunch break this past weekend, and it was the perfect pick-me-up for a day on the slopes, too.

What was one of your favorite meals growing up?

Tofu Tikka Masala {Vegan}

Every time I wear white, I spill something red on myself. Wine, sauce, beet juice (true story). Every. Damn. Time. It never fails.

This time was no different. I was [stupidly] wearing one of my only white cardigans while I made the tomato-based sauce for this Tofu Tikka Masala. And it splattered everywhere...on me. I was out of Tide to Go pens, so I frantically doused my shirt in water in hopes that would remove the stains while I finished dinner.

Dinner ended up being too delicious to care, and in some sort of miracle, the stains were gone once I remembered the sweater in the other room. I'd call that a successful night (and meal).

Tofu Tikka Masala
Yields: 6 servings
-16 ounces extra firm tofu, drained and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
-4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
-Salt and black pepper
-1 yellow onion, diced
-6 ounces tomato paste
-4 cloves garlic, minced
-1 teaspoon ground ginger
-2 teaspoons ground turmeric
-1 teaspoon garam masala (optional)
-1 teaspoon ground coriander
-1 teaspoon ground cumin
-Pinch of cayenne
-Salt and black pepper, to taste
-28 ounces whole peeled tomatoes
-1 cup frozen peas
-1/2 cup coconut milk
-Chopped cilantro, for garnish

Directions:
1.) Heat oven to 425 degrees F. Spread the tofu on a parchment-lined baking sheet in a single layer. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 25 minutes or until crispy on the outside and slightly browned, turning tofu at least once so they brown on all sides. Set aside.
2.) Meanwhile, in a large pot over medium heat, heat the remaining olive oil. Add the onion, tomato paste, and garlic to the pot. Cook, stirring often, until the tomato paste has darkened and the onion has softened, about 5 minutes. Add the spices to the pot and cook, stirring constantly, until the bottom of the pot begins to brown, about 3-4 minutes.
3.) Add the tomatoes with their juices, crushing the tomatoes with a wooden spoon. (You can continue to crush the tomatoes gradually as the sauce cooks - the goal is to not have huge chunks of tomato in the sauce at the end). Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer, stirring frequently and scraping up any brown bits. Cook until sauce thickens, about 8 minutes. Stir in the peas and cook until warmed through, about 2-3 minutes.
4.) Add in the coconut milk and tofu. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 15-20 minutes. Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve with Basmati rice and warm naan. (We also served ours with Trader Joe's Mango-Ginger Chutney - not necessary, but definitely delicious!).

*Side note: I almost never measure my spices, but I included measurements above to give you an idea of how much I put in of each. Just taste along the way to make sure the sauce is flavorful and fragrant to your liking. 

This sauce is creamy and incredibly flavorful, without being overly heavy (like a lot of traditional tikka masalas can be). I loved the peas for the added nutrition and texture, but feel free to add your favorite vegetables as well.

This dish makes a cozy, comforting meal on a chilly night, without being full of guilt. So make yourself a big bowl and dig the heck in!

Do you also always spill on yourself when you wear white? Or am I just that clumsy?