Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Home cookin'

Tonight I made chile-cornmeal crusted tofu from Veganomicon, broccoli, and mashed potatoes with a nutritional yeast gravy. For the tofu, I deviated from the recipe and used a frozen and thawed tofu that had been marinated with salt, garlic, water, and a bit of olive oil and vinegar. It turned out good, but next time I will marinate it longer (only had time for an hour today), and make sure to use a more finely ground cornmeal (possibly a flour or bread crumb coating instead). The cornmeal that I used was pretty coarse, and it was almost like chewing on crushed up popcorn kernels. I really liked the flavor though, and the texture of the tofu was interesting. I’ve never cooked with frozen/thawed tofu before, and it looks very similar to chicken once it’s cooked. I've also read that it will absorb more flavor than "regular" tofu.

I made the potatoes (with the skin on for extra fiber) by boiling chunks of them, and then mashing them up with soymilk, salt, pepper, and some vegan butter. The broccoli was just steamed/sautéed with onions, garlic, and a little bit of oil. The gravy was onions and garlic sautéed in oil, and then I added soymilk and nutritional yeast. It sounds like I used alot of oil, but I really didn't. I used just enough to cook the garlic and onions, and very little for the tofu. Everything went together nicely and it was a satisfying home style meal.

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