Category: Tofu

Curry Marinated Tofu Bowl

Leave a comment

Happy Monday everyone! I have an awesome recipe for you guys that’s great for lunch, dinner, or meal prepping. It’s fresh, full of flavour, and so healthy and filling!

I haven’t had tofu in a while, but a few blocks have been in my freezer, waiting to be cooked up. I read an article recently that says frozen tofu is actually more easy to use and better to eat. The freezing expands the pores in the tofu because the water in it expands, which makes it more receptive to marinades. It’s also easier to press; you just have to give it a couple of presses with a plate to get the majority of the water out. Plus, freezing generally gives tofu a firmer texture. That’s great for what we’re doing with it today- pan searing!

I had my tofu already portioned out into three blocks which were about 85g each. Then I added them to a Ziploc bag with curry powder, coriander, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes, along with olive oil and lemon juice. The tofu is marinated for at least three hours, although you can go for six or eight if you have the time! After marination, I fried up my tofu “steaks” until they got a nice, crispy exterior. So tasty and a great source of plant based protein!

The other components of this bowl are just as flavourful. We have some couscous cooked in coconut milk, and a delicious olive, tomato, cucumber and avocado salad!! So, you’ve got your protein, your carbs, and your veggies. A perfectly balanced meal! Of course, I couldn’t resist throwing some hummus on top of there too😂 Definitely feel free to add some to your bowl as well, along with any other condiments you like:)

Enjoy this awesome bowl!

Curry Marinated Tofu Bowl

Serves: 3

Total Time: 195 minutes

Ingredients:

For the Marinated Tofu:

  • 3 85g blocks of firm or extra firm tofu, thawed from frozen (if using fresh, follow steps to properly press your tofu before hand, and disregard step 1).
  • Juice of 1/2 a lemon
  • 2 tbsp olive oil + 1 tbsp (for cooking)
  • 2 tsp curry powder
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1/2 tsp ground ginger
  • 1 tsp red pepper flakes
  • Salt and pepper to taste

For the Couscous:

  • 1 400ml can of light coconut milk
  • 1 cup of golden couscous
  • Salt and pepper to taste

For the Salad:

  • 1 tomato, diced
  • 1/2 a cucumber, diced
  • 12 black olives, pitted and cut in halves
  • 1/2 a ripe avocado
  • Juice of 1/2 a lemon
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. Place your blocks of tofu on a flat cutting board lined with paper towel. Use a plate or another cutting board to press down on the tofu and remove any excess water. Repeat a few times until most of the liquid has been pressed out.
  2. Add the tofu to a bag with the rest of the marinating ingredients (except the 1 tbsp of olive oil for frying). Mix everything together in the bag and make sure that the blocks are evenly coated in the marinade. Place the bag in the fridge and let the flavours soak into the tofu for at least 3 hours; go 6-8 if you can.
  3. While the tofu is marinating, bring the can of coconut milk to a boil in a small pot. Add in the couscous, remove from the heat, and stir. Cover the pot and let the couscous stand for 5 minutes, until the milk had been absorbed. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and set aside.
  4. In a medium sized bowl, mash the avocado and add in the rest of the salad ingredients. Mix to combine, then set aside.
  5. Once the tofu is done marinating, remove each block from the bag and cut it in half.
  6. Heat the remaining 1 tbsp of olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add in the tofu “steaks” and cook until nice and browned, about 3-4 minutes. Flip over and cook on the other side for an additional 4 minutes. Then remove from the heat.
  7. To assemble each bowl, put some couscous on the bottom, followed by some salad, and then finish with two slices of tofu. Top with hummus or another condiment of choice:)

Hope this recipe brightens up your Monday! Have an awesome rest of your week, and I’ll see you on Wednesday with another great recipe:)

Yours Truly,

Olivia:)))

Easy Tofu Scramble

1 Comment

‘Sup people? I’ve been meaning to make a tofu scramble for a while, and this afternoon I finally got down to it. I still love a good old egg scramble, don’t get me wrong. But if you want something plant-based, tofu is a great egg substitute. This Easy Tofu Scramble is awesome in wraps or bowls, on toast, or by itself. It’s also perfect for every time of day- breakfast, lunch or dinner!

Tofu is actually really easy to cook, and in this recipe I just drained it and proceeded to fry it up. But if you’re a first time tofu eater and want to know a little more about it, you can check out my post Soy Marinated Tofu, where I explain what it is and share another awesome recipe as well. To liven up this scramble a bit, I added some tomatoes and green onions, as well as paprika and garlic powder. Tofu can be a bit bland, so you want to make sure you add a lot of flavour.

Lastly, have lots of fun customising this scramble! If you want to add more veggies and different spices feel free to. Tofu is such a great blank canvas! Enjoy this recipe;))

Easy Tofu Scramble

Serves: 1

Total Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 tbsp olive oil
  • 85g of Extra Firm Tofu
  • 1/2 a tomato, diced
  • 1 green onion or chive, chopped
  • 1/2 tsp paprika
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add in the tomato, green onion, and tofu.
  2. Break up the tofu with a wooden spoon, until it resembles scrambled eggs. Cook for about a minute.
  3. Add in the garlic powder. paprika, salt and pepper and cook for additional two minutes, stirring often.
  4. Remove from the heat and enjoy!

Hope you like this recipe! Have a great weekend;)

Yours Truly,

Olivia

Tofu Sandwich

Leave a comment

I promised I’d be back with more sandwiches, and I keep my promises. Today I have a delicious tofu sandwich for you that’s a bit simpler to make than my Epic Veggie Sandwich, but no less epic. It’s delicious and satisfying and will definitely have you looking forward to lunchtime. I like using sprouted grain bread, but any bread will do. This sandwich would be great on rye:)) Hope you enjoy!

Tofu Sandwich

Serves: 2

Total Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 4 slices of sprouted grain bread, toasted
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 175g block of extra firm tofu, drained (see Soy Marinated Tofu for more info on tofu)
  • 1/2 an avocado
  • 1 tomato, sliced
  • handful of sprouts
  • 2 pickles, sliced

Directions:

  1. Cut the tofu lengthwise to create four tofu “steaks”. Heat the olive oil in a pan and place the tofu in it. Cook until browned on one side, about 2 minutes, then flip and cook for an additional 2 minutes on the other side. Remove from the heat and let cool.
  2. Mash the avocado in a bowl. Scoop half of it onto a piece of bread and spread it around. Place two of the tofu “steaks” on top, along with half of the sliced tomato, half of the sprouts and one sliced pickles. Place another piece of bread on top.
  3. Repeat step 2 to make another sandwich, then enjoy!

Now you have another awesome veggie sandwich added into your repertoire!! These are my new favourite thing to make for lunches;))

Yours Truly,

MyDayIsBooked;)))

Stuffed Mushrooms

3 Comments

Hi guys! I’m back at school again, and back to making lunches. On my Instagram story you can see what I’m eating for lunch each day, which will hopefully give you some inspiration. I’d also like to do some more lunch recipes in the future;)

Today, however, I’d like to feature one of my favourite veggies: Mushrooms!! I love mushrooms so much- they have a great earthy and deep flavour that is rich and delicious. They’re great any way you prepare them; sautéed, roasted, fried, or even raw with some hummus! I have a tasty stuffed mushroom recipe for you guys that also packs in some protein because it uses soft tofu in the stuffing. If you’re new to using tofu or would like to learn more about it, I give sort of the run down on this soy protein in my previous post, Soy Marinated Tofu.

From the sautéed onion to the splash of balsamic vinegar and fresh thyme, everything about these mushrooms screams homey deliciousness! Hope you enjoy;)))

Stuffed Mushrooms

Serves: 3-4

Total Time: 50 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1 tbs olive oil
  • 1/4 of a large onion, diced
  • 1 clove of garlic, minced
  • 12 medium sized white mushrooms
  • 1 tsp dried Thyme leaves (or 1/2 tsp ground thyme)
  • 2 tbs balsamic vinegar
  • 1 block (85g) soft tofu
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. Wash the mushrooms and remove the stems by gently pulling them out. Set the mushroom caps aside and dice the stems.
  2. In a small bowl, mash the soft tofu until it resembles cottage cheese. Set aside.
  3. Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add in the onion and cook until translucent, about 6 minutes. Add in the garlic and mushroom stems, and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
  4. Pour in the balsamic vinegar and add in the thyme. Let the mixture cook for about 4 more minutes, until most of the liquid has cooked off.
  5. Add in the soft tofu and stir, combining all of the ingredients before letting them cook for an additional 4 minutes, then remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper.
  6. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
  7. Place the hollow mushroom caps on a parchment lined baking sheet. Scoop about a teaspoon of filling into each.
  8. Place in the oven and bake for 20 minutes.
  9. Enjoy!!

Have a great week everyone!

Yours Truly,

MyDayIsBooked;)

Soy Marinated Tofu

3 Comments

Hey there! This year I’d like to start eating more plant-based, and exploring different kinds of plant protein. Although everything that I post on MyDayIsBooked is usually vegan, I’m not a vegan or vegetarian myself.

I feel like tofu is a little intimidating to a lot of people, because it’s not something that they cook very often. I cooked it for the first time a few weeks ago, and it’s actually super easy and delicious! In this post I’ll give you the run down on how to cook tofu, plus an awesome marinade to get you started.

Tofu

Tofu is a plant-based protein source made from soy beans. The varieties of firmness range from silken to extra firm. Silken and soft tofu are usually blended up in desserts, and medium to extra firm are used fried, sautéed, baked or steamed. This is because the firmer types stand up better to marinades and being cut into cubes and cooked. Pressing tofu is a common technique that gets rid of extra water in the tofu, letting you achieve a crispier texture. If you’d like to press your tofu, place a block of it on a folded dish towel on a sheet pan, and place another folded dish towel on top. On top of that dish towel, put something heavy such as a book or pan weighted with cans. Leave the tofu to be pressed for about a half an hour. The recipe in this post does not call for you to press your tofu, and it is by no means necessary.

Soy-Marinated Tofu

Serves: 2

Total Time: 40 minutes +

Ingredients:

  • 1 175g block of extra firm tofu
  • 1 tbs olive oil
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • Juice of 1/2 a lime
  • 1 clove of garlic, smashed

Directions:

  1. Cut a slit in the package of tofu and drain all of the water out. Remove the block from the package and cuto it into one centimetre cubes. Place them in a large ziplock bag.
  2. Add the soy sauce, lime juice, and garlic into the bag. Squeeze all of the air out and then seal, giving it a shake to combine the soy and lime juice, then placing it in the fridge for at least thirty minutes, and up 4 hours.
  3. When the tofu is finished marinating, heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Pour the marinade form the bag into a bowl, and dump the cubes of tofu into the pan. Cook until slightly browned on each side; about 1-2 minutes per side.
  4. Eat in a bowl with quinoa, in wraps, or in a stir fry, and use the leftover marinade as a sauce. I ate mine in a bowl with sprouts, avocado, roasted sweet potato, quinoa and kimchi;)

I hope that was helpful and that you’ll try tofu sometime!

Yours Truly,

MyDayIsBooked;))