Tofu and Alfalfa Sprouts Tacos

I normally post dinner recipes on here, but I just HAD to post today's lunch.  I eat this for lunch quite often, actually.  Especially after I make a fresh batch of tortillas (from this recipe).  When buying tofu, please buy organic. 

As with most meals I make, this one is completely adaptable to whatever you like or have on hand.  My basics are always roasted tofu and alfalfa sprouts.  Today I added baby sweet bell peppers.  I've also done cucumber slices, julienned carrots, sprouted sugar peas, and avocados.

Tofu and Alfalfa Sprouts Tacos

Ingredients:

• 1 block of organic tofu, drained and patted dry
• olive oil in a Misto
• Tastefully Simple Seasoned Salt
• 100% whole wheat tortillas
• alfalfa sprouts, rinsed and patted dry
• baby sweet bell peppers, sliced

Directions:

• Pre-heat toaster oven to 350 degrees, F.
• Slice the block of tofu in half, lengthwise.  Then slice it again, lengthwise, then again, lengthwise.  You should have 8 long thin pieces.  Pat them dry.
• Spray a toaster baking sheet with olive oil.  Arrange the tofu in a single layer on the baking sheet.  Sprinkle with TSSS.  Roast in the toaster oven until golden around the edges, about 15 minutes.  Remove pan from oven and set aside to cool slightly.
• Place a tortilla on a plate and arrange with sprouts and pepper slices.  Place two pieces of the roasted tofu on top, fold the tortilla in half and enjoy!

 If you like a little more kick, add a few drops of sriracha, tabasco, buffalo sauce, etc. 

Baked Tofu Parmigiana

The toddler and I love tofu, but the hubby doesn't.  When I came across this recipe, I thought I'd give it a try and see if hubs even notices that it's tofu. Well, he saw me making it so there was no tricking him involved, but he did eat his entire portion.  ;-) 

Baked Tofu Parmigiana
Adapted from this recipe.


Ingredients:

• cooking spray
• 2 blocks (12 oz. each) of firm or extra firm tofu
• 1 cup-ish whole wheat flour
• 1 cup-ish Egg Beaters
• 1/2 cup-ish whole wheat panko bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup-ish grated parmesan cheese
• Tastefully Simple Seasoned Salt
• Tastefully Simple Garlic Bread Seasoning (or other Italian seasoning)
• 1 jar marinara sauce (I use Trader Joe's)
• a cup of part-skim shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

• Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.  Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.
• Cut each block of tofu in half width-wise.  Then cut each piece in half again, thick-wise (so they're 1/2 inch thick instead of 1 inch thick).  You should have 8 pieces of tofu.
• Place each piece of tofu between a few layers of paper towels, to remove any excess water.
• Arrange three shallow bowls in an assembly line.  Add whole wheat flour to the first bowl, Egg Beaters to the second bowl, and a 1:1 ratio of whole wheat panko bread crumbs and grated parmesan to the third bowl.  Season the first and third bowls with TSSS and TSGBS.
• One by one, dredge each tofu piece into the whole wheat flour, then dip into the Egg Beaters, then press into the panko:parmesan mixture.  Place in a single layer onto the prepared baking sheet.
• Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes.  Flip, then bake for another 15 minutes.
• Remove baked tofu from oven and increase temperature to 400 degrees F.
• Spread a few spoonfuls of marinara sauce into the bottom of a small baking dish.  Arrange 4 pieces of tofu in a single layer over the sauce.  Ladle 1/2 of the remaining sauce over the tofu, as well as 1/2 of the shredded mozzarella and 1/2 of the remaining parmesan.  Repeat with the other 4 pieces of tofu and the rest of the sauce and cheese.
• Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

Instead of a double-layer, you can do it all in a single layer in a larger baking dish.  My baking dish just couldn't fit all the tofu pieces in a single layer, so I did the double.

If you want to conceal/minimize the tofu taste, cut each slice in half again thick-wise for thinner pieces.

Roasted Tofu and Okra

I came across these on the KERF blog.  Two different food items, but I thought I'd put them in the same entry since the method is exactly the same, and I served them both together today.  They came out DELISH!

I never would have thought to roast tofu or okra.  I usually just use tofu in soups or stir-frys.  It really is very good roasted.  I kept it in a little too long, next time I'll reduce the baking time to 25 mins as opposed to 30 mins, which I reflected in the directions below.

In the past, I've only ever had boiled okra (per my mom), fried okra (I grew up in TN and AL), and the occasional okra in gumbo.  I'm a fan of okra in general, but when you roast it in the oven, the flavors are concentrated and are so delicious.  The seasoning keeps the outside nice and savory, while the yummy slimy insides and seeds are sweet.  MMMMM!

Roasted Tofu and Okra
Tofu recipe from here and okra recipe from here.

Ingredients:

• 1 package (12 oz.) extra firm organic tofu, drained
• 1 lb. fresh whole okra (even better if it's from the Farmers Market!), washed and drained
• extra virgin olive oil
• Tastefully Simple Seasoned Salt

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Cut the block of tofu into bite-size pieces.  (I did approx 1" x 1" x 1/2").  Put tofu in a bowl, drizzle on some olive oil and sprinkle with TSSS.  Toss to coat.  Place i n a single-layer onto a baking sheet.
• Put the okra in a separate bowl, drizzle on some olive oil and sprinkle with TSSS.  Toss to coat.  Place in a single-layer onto a baking sheet.
• Bake tofu for 25 minutes and okra for 20 minutes.
• Serve immediately.