Fresh Spinach With Tofu Dressing Food

SPINACH, TOFU AND SESAME STIR-FRY

Steps:

• Heat the canola oil over medium-high heat in a large nonstick skillet or wok, and add the tofu. Stir-fry until the tofu is lightly colored, three to five minutes, and add the garlic, ginger and chili flakes. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, about one minute, and add soy sauce to taste. Add the spinach and stir-fry until the spinach wilts, about one minute. Stir in the sesame seeds, and add more soy sauce to taste. Remove from the heat.
• Using tongs, transfer the spinach and tofu mixture to a serving bowl, leaving the liquid behind in the pan or wok. Drizzle with the sesame oil, and add more soy sauce as desired. Serve with rice or other grains, or noodles. You may also use it as a filling for whole wheat pita bread.

SPINACH AND TOFU SALAD

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375 degrees. Slice tofu into 1-inch-by-2-inch pieces about 1/4-inch thick and place in a deep bowl or on a platter.
• Make the marinade: In a medium bowl, whisk together soy sauce, sesame oil, vinegar, sake, brown sugar, ginger and cayenne. Pour marinade over tofu slices to coat well. Leave in marinade for at least 15 minutes. (You may marinate the tofu up to 24 hours in advance.)
• While the tofu marinates, pick over spinach leaves and remove any tough stems. Swish the spinach in a deep bowl of cold water. Lift leaves from water into a colander. If you see any sand in the water, repeat up to 3 times, using fresh water each time. Drain well and dry spinach, then wrap in a kitchen towel and refrigerate until ready to use. (You may wash the spinach up to 24 hours in advance.)
• Make the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together lime juice, brown sugar, sesame oil, vegetable oil, soy sauce, miso, garlic and ginger.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and arrange the tofu pieces in a single layer. Spoon remaining marinade over tofu. Bake, uncovered, for 15 to 20 minutes, until slightly crisped. Remove and leave at room temperature.
• To make the salad, arrange spinach in a low, wide salad bowl or on a deep platter. Scatter cucumber, daikon and edamame over spinach, then sprinkle with sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds and peanuts. Tuck slices of tofu here and there.
• Sprinkle a pinch of salt over everything, then drizzle salad with dressing and serve.

SESAME TOFU WITH COCONUT-LIME DRESSING AND SPINACH

Steps:

• Prepare the dressing: In a medium bowl, whisk together coconut milk, lime zest and juice, sambal oelek and brown sugar until sugar dissolves completely. Slowly stream in the sesame oil and whisk until the mixture is emulsified and creamy. Taste and season with salt as needed; set aside. (You'll have 3/4 cup dressing. Save any extra in an airtight container in the refrigerator.)
• Prepare the tofu: Pat the tofu dry with a clean kitchen towel or paper towel. In a medium bowl, whisk together panko, sesame seeds and black pepper. Season the mixture generously with salt. In a second medium bowl, lightly whisk the egg whites. Using a pair of kitchen tongs, dip the tofu slices one at a time in the egg whites and coat well. Transfer to the bowl with the panko mixture, coating well on all sides, then move to a clean plate. Repeat with remaining tofu slices.
• Line a large plate with paper towels. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a medium (10-inch) cast-iron or stainless-steel skillet over medium-low. Working in batches to avoid crowding, pan-fry the tofu until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. (Don't overcook, or the sesame seeds will turn bitter.) Transfer the fried tofu slices to the prepared plate. Repeat with the remaining tofu, adding oil and wiping out the pan as needed.
• Prepare the spinach: Wipe out the skillet, and heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium. Add the shallot and sauté until translucent, 2 to 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, 45 seconds, taking care not to scorch the garlic. Add the spinach by the handful, increasing the heat after the first handful and allowing the greens to wilt before adding more. Sauté until wilted and most of the liquid evaporates, about 10 minutes. Add the soy sauce and black pepper, and fold to coat well. Taste and add salt as needed. Remove the skillet from the heat.
• Place spinach in a serving bowl. Add fried tofu on top, and drizzle with half of the coconut-lime dressing. Sprinkle the chives over the tofu, and serve immediately, with more dressing on the side.

SAAG TOFU (TOFU WITH SPINACH, GINGER, CORIANDER AND TURMERIC)

Steps:

• Drain the tofu on paper towels. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium-high heat in a wok or a large, heavy lidded skillet and add the tofu. Stir-fry until golden brown and remove from the heat.
• Combine the shallot or onion and the ginger in a food processor or mini-chop and blend until finely minced, almost a paste.
• Heat the remaining oil over medium-high heat in a wok or skillet and add the cumin seeds, fennel seeds and whole chiles. Cook, stirring, for about 15 seconds, or until the spices are fragrant and reddish-brown. Add the onion and ginger and stir-fry until it is lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Add the coriander, salt, cayenne and turmeric, stir for about 10 seconds and add the spinach in batches, adding the next batch after the first batch wilts and stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan to deglaze.
• Stir in the tofu, cover, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 2 to 3 minutes, until the spinach is uniformly wilted and the tofu is warmed through.
• Whisk the cornstarch into the yogurt. Remove the pan from the heat, remove the chilies, and stir in the yogurt. Taste, adjust salt and serve with rice or other grains.

SPICY BAKED TOFU AND SPINACH WRAP

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Prepare a baking sheet with cooking spray.
• Pour Buffalo wing sauce over tofu in a large bowl to cover completely and toss gently to coat; marinate tofu at least as long as it takes for your oven to reach temperature.
• Remove tofu from the bowl and spread onto the prepared baking sheet. Coat top of the tofu cubes with extra sauce and spray with cooking spray.
• Bake tofu in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Flip the cubes, spray tops again with cooking spray, and continue baking until firm, about 10 minutes more.
• Put 1 slice Swiss cheese atop each tortilla; heat in microwave oven to melt the cheese, about 30 seconds.
• Divide tomato slices between the tortillas; top with about 1/4 of the baked tofu and 1/4 of the spinach. Wrap tortillas around the fillings.

REALLY GOOD VEGAN SPINACH TOFU DIP (EVEN IF YOU HATE TOFU/VEGAN

Steps:

• Defrost spinach and squeeze out as much liquid as you can.
• Drain tofu of any excess liquid.
• Place tofu and oil in a large bowl. Use a hand mixer on high speed to combine them until creamy.
• Add pepper, vegetable bouillon powder, dried basil, garlic powder, soy sauce, and lemon juice. Blend on high speed for 1 minute.
• On low speed, mix in onion, spinach, and olives.
• Taste and adjust seasonings to your preference.
• Cover the bowl and place in the fridge. Let it sit for at least 8 hours for the flavours to meld, preferably overnight.
• Serve with crackers, bread, chips, or vegetables for dipping.