Tofu Musubi

Adapted from my
Spam Musubi recipe


Picture from Bread without Butter blog
 
INGREDIENTS

Half package of firm tofu
1/4 cup tamari / soy sauce (low sodium is best, if you have)
1/4 cup loosely packed brown sugar
1 1/2 cup cooked sushi rice
2 sheets of roasted seaweed, cut in half


DIRECTIONS

In a small saucepan, begin dissolving sugar into tamari/soy sauce. Remove from heat once sugar is completely integrated.

Slice tofu into 1/4 inch thick pieces and press excess water out using paper towels. Heat up a frying pan on the stove top with one tbsp of vegetable oil. Lightly salt pressed tofu and pan fry over medium heat for 5 minutes each side, or until just starting to brown.

Add generous amount of the sauce to the tofu and cook off for another 2-3 minutes, until the sauce begins to reduce. Remove tofu slices from heat and let marinate in the sauce.

Using a bamboo sushi mat, or any non-stick flexible surface, lay down the halved seaweed sheet. Place a 1/4 inch thick layer of sushi rice, covering about 1/3 of the seaweed sheet. Place a tofu slice on top of the rice.

Wrap the seaweed around the rice and tofu, using water or extra sauce to seal the seaweed. Use the mat to gently press musubi into a rectangle.

Easy Sushi at Home

A number of years ago now, a couple of friends of mine went "WWOOFing" (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms – an organization that connects volunteers with farms all over the world in need of assistance, often in exchange for room and board) in Japan. One of the farms they stayed with introduced them to a way of preparing sushi for a large, busy family without someone having to spend hours assembling all the rolls or cones. When they came home, they introduced this technique to our group of friends:

First, get your sushi rice cooking. For how to make the sushi rice, see this recipe.

Sushi ready for assembly: Steam broccolini stems, avocado, baked sweet potato sticks, cucumber sticks, and homemade tamago.

Second, prepare all the ingredients you like to have in sushi rolls. We like veggie rolls of various kinds, so we cut tofu, avocado, and cucumber into sticks and grate a bit of carrot and/or radish. We also lightly steam asparagus or broccolini/broccolette stems and bake yam sticks. You may also want to get more adventurous and add raw or cooked mushrooms, spinach, bell peppers, mango, green onions, baked squash, homemade tamago, tofu (plain or marinated), or, of course, shrimp, crab, and sushi-grade fish. For condiments, in addition to soy sauce or tamari, you may want wasabi, pickled ginger, mayonnaise, cream cheese, toasted sesame seeds or gomasio. Check out the online menus of sushi restaurants for inspiration.

Third, cut your sheets of sushi nori into square quarters.

Finally, when your rice and other ingredients are cooled, lay out all the ingredients on the table. Just like having a taco night, everyone grabs some nori squares, add some rice and their favourite ingredients and condiments, roll it in their hands into a rough cone shape or just hold it like a taco, and eat!

Add in bowls of miso soup to complete the meal.

Balsamic Glazed Chickpeas with Mustard Greens

INGREDIENTS

10 oz mustard greens
4-6 Tbsp vegetable broth, divided
1/2 large onion, sliced thinly
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 pinch red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp tamari
1/4 tsp agave
1 cup chickpeas, drained and rinsed

DIRECTIONS

Remove the mustard leaves from the large stems and discard stems. Tear the leaves into bite size pieces.

In a deep pot or wok, saute the onion in 2 tablespoons of vegetable broth until onion is translucent. Add in the garlic, red pepper flakes, and 1 tablespoon of vegetable broth and cook for another minute, stirring constantly.  Add the mustard green leaves and 2 more tablespoons of vegetable broth. Cook and stir until greens are wilted, but still bright green. Stir in salt.

Remove the greens and onions from the pan with a slotted spoon and place in a serving dish, leave the remaining liquid in the pan. Add in the balsamic vinegar, tamari sauce, and agave to the liquid in the pan. Add in the chickpeas and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until liquid is reduced by half.

Spoon the chickpeas over the greens and drizzle with remaining sauce.

Serves 2.

Honey-Grilled Tofu on Bok Choy

INGREDIENTS

1 package pressed tofu, drained
1/4 cup tamari
1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
1/3 cup honey
1 Tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 cups baby bok choy or baby spinach

DIRECTIONS

Cut tofu crosswise into 6 slices and set aside.

Stir together tamari, sesame oil, honey, ginger, garlic, and red pepper flakes in a glass pie plate or other shallow dish. Add tofu slices in 1 layer and marinate, turning over every couple of minutes, for 10 minutes total.

Lightly oil a grill rack or grill pan. Heat grill or grill pan to medium heat. Remove tofu slices from baking dish, reserving marinade. Grill tofu slices 3 to 4 minutes on each side, or until browned and crisp on the outside.

While tofu grills, heat a large skillet over moderately high heat and add olive oil. When hot, but not smoking, add bok choy or spinach. Toss the greens with tongs until beginning to wilt, about 1 minute. Add the reserved marinade and continue to toss until greens are just wilted. Lift greens from skillet with tongs, letting excess marinade drip off, and divide between 2 plates. Top with hot tofu slices.

Tofu Jerky

INGREDIENTS

2 packages smoked tofu
3 Tbsp tamari
2 tsp maple syrup
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
3 Tbsp BBQ sauce
2 tsp brown sugar or demerara sugar

DIRECTIONS

Drain the tofu well, then place it between paper towels or clean towels on a plate. Set another plate on top and put a can or other weight on top to press the water from the tofu.

In the meantime, blend the tamari, maple syrup, garlic powder, black pepper, bbq sauce, and sugar until smooth.

Slice the tofu into 1/4 inch thick slices and dip them in the sauce to coat. Place in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator for one to two hours.

Preheat the oven to the lowest temperature possible, around 200 degrees Farenheit, and put the oven rack in the lowest position. Line a cookie sheet or two with aluminum foil. Place the tofu slices on the foil. Bake for about 8 hours, turning the tofu slices every few hours. The jerky is done when it is hard and uniformly dark in colour.

Tamari Eggs

INGREDIENTS

4 hard boiled eggs, peeled
5 Tbsp tamari

DIRECTIONS

Pour the tamari into a 10-inch diameter pan and heat at medium-high. When the tamari starts foaming up, reduce the heat to medium and carefully add the eggs. Roll the eggs around in the tamari continuously until the eggs are a rich dark brown and the tamari has been reduced to a thick sludge.

Remove the eggs, letting any extra sauce drain off, and place on a plate to cool. Serve at room temperature or cover and refrigerate for a great snack on-the-go.

One Egg Tamagoyaki

INGREDIENTS

1 egg
1 Tbsp water
1 tsp tamari
1/2 tsp sugar
Sunflower oil for cooking

DIRECTIONS

Heat a small frying pan over medium heat.

Put all the ingredients in a small bowl and mix well with a fork or chopsticks.

When the pan is hot enough that a drop of water dances and evaporates immediately, pour in the egg. Stir gently with a fork or chopsticks until half-set. Use a spatula to fold the egg in half. Fold one third of the egg over with the spatula and press down. Fold the other third over and press the whole thing down.

Flip over and press again. Remove from heat promptly.

Simple Braised Chard with Garlic Scapes

INGREDIENTS

1 to 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 bunches fresh chard (about 8 cups)
1 to 3 garlic scapes, chopped
1/8 cup water or vegetable broth
Sea salt to taste
Optional flavourings: toasted sesame oil, ume plum vinegar, or tamari
Optional toppings: sesame seeds, chopped almonds or walnuts, toasted pumpkin seeds

DIRECTIONS

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chard and garlic scapes and stir to coat them both with the oil. Cook until chard is barely wilted - just a few minutes - while stirring occasionally.

Mix in the vegetable broth or water and cook, allowing the chard to steam until barely tender. Add salt and optional flavourings and toppings as desired and serve.

Udon with Bok Choy

INGREDIENTS

1 package dried udon noodles
2 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
1/2 cup tahini
3 Tbsp tamari
1/4 cup water
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 lb baby bok choy
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1 tsp finely minced fresh ginger

DIRECTIONS

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the noodles and cook for 5 to 8 minutes or just until tender. Drain and transfer to a large bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of the sesame oil and toss to coat. Set aside.

While the noodles are cooking, combine the tahini, tamari, water, and lemon juice in a small bowl and set aside.

Trim the stem ends of the baby bok choy and separate the ribs. Wash thoroughly and pat dry. Cut the ribs and leaves crosswise into 1/4- to 1/2-inch slices. Set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring constantly, until translucent. Add the bok choy and ginger and stir-fry for about 3 minutes, until the bok choy has wilted. Add the tahini mixture and the cooked noodles and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and drizzle with the remaining tablespoon of sesame oil. Serve immediately.

Tofu and Rainbow Chard Stacks

INGREDIENTS

Tofu:
2 Tbsp tamari
1 Tbsp mirin (sweet rice wine) (or balsamic vinegar)
2 tsp rice vinegar
1 tsp honey
1 package extra-firm tofu

Chard:
1 tsp dark sesame oil
1 1/2 tsp minced peeled fresh ginger
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups thinly sliced rainbow chard
2 tsp tamari
1 or 2 cups cooked rice

DIRECTIONS

Tofu: Combine the first 4 ingredients, stirring with a whisk. Cut tofu lengthwise into 4 slices. Carefully place tofu in a 11 x 7-inch baking dish. Pour the soy sauce mixture over tofu. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes, carefully turning once.

Preheat broiler.

Remove tofu from dish; save marinade for rice. Place tofu on an oiled baking sheet. Broil 10 minutes on each side or until tofu is lightly browned.

Chard: Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add ginger, pepper, and garlic; cook 1 minute, stirring frequently. Add chard; cook 3 minutes or until chard wilts. Stir in 2 teaspoons tamari.

Place 1/4 cup chard mixture on each of 2 plates; top each serving with 1 tofu slice. Repeat layers with remaining chard and tofu.