Panfried Tofu with Asian Caramel Sauce

I am always looking for new ways to cook tofu - we like the taste and are both vegetarian sympathizers (we prefer eating vegetarian meals, but I will never turn a good steak down). I found this recipe and was intrigued by the prospect of making caramel sauce. I have only made caramel once - when I made praline for Thanksgiving and kind of burned it - but I was armed with experience this time and knew to watch the sugar more closely.

If you have never had Vietnamese-style caramel sauce, here is your chance. It is not anything like candy caramel, if you are concerned about that. It is a nice mix of sweet and savory. I didn't have shallots so I substituted the white parts of scallions, which turned out just fine. I skipped the fried shallots/scallions and didn't miss them. I also skipped the fresh basil and mint - I usually have those growing out on my patio, but I got lazy this year. I steamed the bok choy for about five minutes. I have always wanted a steamer but have never gotten around to buying one - then I read a tip online to just use a metal strainer over a pot of water - why didn't I think of that? Well, whoever did - genius! Thanks for saving me money.

We both really enjoyed the flavor of this dish. The bok choy goes wonderfully with the tofu and sauce - I have never made bok choy but I love the flavor. I would make this again, but unfortunately the recipe failed the dishes test. There were too many pots and pans that my husband had to clean, and he was not that thrilled with that. One pot for the sauce, one pot for the bok choy, and two skillets for the tofu (I don't have one that's big enough for all the slices). And of course a chopping board or two. So - when we live overseas and have a househelper to clean our dishes, yes, I would make this one again. Until then I think my hubby would prefer my one-pot meals.

Couscous with Spiced Zucchini and Tofu

I was given a large, green, round summer squash a week ago, and I decided to make this recipe with it. It kind of looked zucchini-like so I thought I could just substitute it. This was just okay. The squash didn't taste at all like zucchini - it was more, I don't know, squashy - and the skin was a lot tougher. I threw in some pan-fried tofu to make it more of a substantial meal - I used a different brand than I usually do, and it was just okay. I can tell when a meal bombs when my husband goes to the fridge and gets out the barbecue sauce. Oh well. At least it wasn't turnip soup bad. It was okay, it just wasn't that flavorful.

Tofu Stir Fry

I've made a few things this week and have to catch up on blogging. I made a quick tofu stir fry this week which was actually pretty good. Walmart sells bags of frozen veggies that you can use for stir frying. Of course they aren't as good as fresh, but in a pinch on a weekday they will do. We almost always have a carton of extra firm tofu in the fridge, so I cut them into strips and panfried them. All I used was a heavy spray of cooking spray on the pan, then fried the tofu strips until they were brown and crispy. I then stir fried the vegetables, and then added the tofu and a bottled stir fry sauce to them. It was a good, easy, healthy meal and it's nice to have on days that I don't feel like making a big production but am tired of spaghetti!

Tofu Fajitas

One of our friends in Wisconsin works for the publisher of Taste of Home, and gave us a couple cookbooks. Their Chicken Fajita recipe in one of them is one of my husband's favorites. I don't often make recipes out of cookbooks - I like to get them online, where I can read people's reviews of the recipe and see how many stars/forks it gets - but this is one I keep coming back to. We try to eat more healthy (especially after this season's holiday butter/sugar/egg gorge), so I usually substitute tofu for half of the chicken. Last night I made them with only tofu and they were great. I felt my body detoxing as I ate them. :) I used green peppers, onions, and green onions for the vegetables. I like red peppers in it too, but those are so much more expensive than green, and I'm cheap.

Panfried Tofu on Sesame Watercress with Soy-Orange Dressing

I made this tonight for dinner. I subbed spinach for the watercress, and doubled the sauce except for the soy sauce. I also marinated the tofu for about 15-20 minutes in soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, and garlic. Then I dipped the tofu slices in cornstarch to give them a crispy coating. This was pretty good - my husband really liked it. I think he likes his flavors a little stronger than I do though. Next time I would not marinate the tofu or try less soy sauce in the marinade. The cornstarch gave the tofu a crispy outer layer, but the inside was still pretty soft, so I don't know if I would try that again. I should have taken a picture since it makes a lovely presentation - maybe next time! The nice thing about this recipe is that I had all the ingredients in my kitchen and didn't have to make a special trip to the grocery.