Panda Express Style Eggplant and Tofu

All the goodness of Panda Express without all the processed, MSG laden, sugar injected "vegetarian"  food.  Yes, even their vegetables are cooked in a chicken broth...  Try this instead!

I apologize for the lack of pictures.  It looked amazing!  Unfortunately, I couldn't get a good one before if was devoured...  

Tastes better than this looks

2 lbs. mixed Eggplant (Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Italian)
1 lb. Ex. Firm Tofu
1 Serrano Pepper
3 Green Onions
1 tbsp. Canola Oil
1 clove Garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. ginger, minced
2 tsp. Chinese 5 Spice Powder

First, prepare tofu by pressing out the excess moisture between two plates lined with paper towels and weighed down.  After tofu has been pressed, cut into triangles.  Heat a skillet over high heat.  Add tofu  to dry skillet and let brown on each side (it helps if you weigh it down with a lid or something.  This process also helps to extract any remaining moisture and give a nice crust on the tofu).  After the tofu has browned on both sides, place in the marinade for at least 2 hours.

Now time to grill!  Cut the eggplant into 1" thick slices (skewer anything that may fall through the grill grates).  Skewer the tofu.  Coat the vegetables with an oil cooking spray.  Grill the eggplant, tofu, serrano pepper and green onions over high, direct heat until browned (all have different cooking times, so keep an eye on them).  Remove from grill.  Cube eggplant, slice green onions, peel and dice serrano pepper.

Heat oil in a wok over medium heat.  Add in garlic, ginger and chinese 5 spice and cook 30 seconds.  Lower heat and add in sauce, cook for another 30 seconds.  Add in grilled vegetables and tofu and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally until sauce has thickened, about two  minutes.  Serve over brown rice.

MARINADE
1/3 c. Soy Sauce
1/4 c. Rice Vinegar
1 tbsp. Sesame Oil
1 clove Garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. garlic, minced
1 tsp. Chinese 5 Spice Powder


Combine all ingredients in a small bowl

SAUCE
Remaining Marinade
1 tbsp. Mirin
2 tsp. Cornstarch

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl, making sure that the cornstarch has been fully whisked in and no clumps remain.

Aloo Gobi (Cauliflower & Potato Curry)

This recipe looks like it contains an incredibly large amount of ingredients, but when it comes down to it, its actually a very quick dinner.  Most, if not all of the work, is prepping your ingredients. If you don't have all of the spices below, you can just substitute a pre-made curry powder along with fresh garlic and ginger.  For a spicier version, you may use tomatoes stewed with chilis or more red pepper flakes, but I found it to already be pretty spicy and a good balance of flavors.

1 tbsp. Canola Oil
1 Onion, chopped

2 cloves Garlic, minced
1 tsp. Ginger, grated
1 tbsp. Coriander
1 1/2 tsp. Cumin
3/4 tsp. Turmeric
1/4 tsp. Red Pepper Flakes

1 medium head Cauliflower, broken into bite size pieces
1/2 lb. Fingerling Potatoes, halved
7 oz. Extra-Firm Tofu, pressed and cubed
1 15 oz. can Stewed Tomatos
1/4 c. Vegetable Broth

1/2 c. Frozen Peas
Juice of 1/2 Lemon
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Pepper

Begin by prepping (chopping) all of your ingredients.  Combine all of the spices in a small bowl with the juice from the stewed tomatoes and stir until it forms a paste (this will prevent the spices from burning).

Heat oil in a large skillet.  Add onion and saute 5 mins. over med-high heat (you may add a little salt if pan becomes too dry, as it will release moisture from the onions).  Lower heat slightly and add in the spice paste.  Stir constantly for 1 minute.  Add in vegetables, tofu, tomatos and broth.  Stir until completely combined.  Bring to a simmer, cover and lower heat.  Simmer for 20-25 mins. until vegetables are pretty tender.  Add in the peas, lemon, salt and pepper.  Re-cover and simmer another 5 minutes until vegetable are completely tender and heated through.

Crustless Leek and Aspargus Quiche

A quiche might sound fancy, and therefor extra complicated, but this recipe is actually super simple. Just stir all of the treated parts together and throw it in the oven. Relax with a nice glass of wine while you wait or prep a salad to go with it. I served these mini quiches with a sweet arugula salad.

1 lb. Firm Tofu
1/4 c. Nutritional Yeast
1/4 c. Cornstarch
1 tsp. Dijon Mustard
1 1/2 tsp. Soy Sauce
1 tsp. Onion Powder
1/4 tsp. Pepper

2 tbsp. Olive Oil
1 lb. Asparagus, 1/2" slice and tips reserved
2 leeks, sliced (white and light green parts only)
1 tsp. dried Dill
1 tsp. dried Thyme
2 tsp. dried Basil
4 cloves Garlic
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/4 tsp. Pepper

Cornmeal or Breadcrumbs to coat pan
Large muffin pan (you can use a small one or a large pie pan, but baking time may differ)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Drain the tofu between two plates and paper towels. Weigh it down with something heavy until the tofu feels dry, about 20-30 mins. After the tofu has been pressed, combine it with the remaining ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth. It should resemble a custard.

To prep the vegetables, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add in everything except for the salt and pepper and cook for 7-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the asparagus is tender and leeks have slightly browned. Season with salt and pepper.

Boil a small pot of water and add asparagus tips. Boil for 30 seconds to a minute, depending on the size. Drain and reserve tips for decorating.

In a bowl, combine the tofu mixture with the vegetable mixture. Coat the muffin tin with non-stick spray and sprinkle the bottoms with cornmeal or breadcrumbs. Fill the muffin tins 1/2-2/3 of the way full with mixture. Arrange asparagus tips on top. Bake in a preheated oven for 30 minutes (test doneness with a toothpick, it should come out clean like when baking a cake). Let cool for ten minutes before removing from pan.

Easy Angel Hair Pasta

2 tsp. Olive Oil

2 Shallots, sliced

3 cloves Garlic, minced

2 tsp. Dried Basil

1/2 c. Marinated Artichoke Hearts

1/4 c. Sun Dried Tomatoes, in oil

6 oz. Angel Hair Pasta (I use whole wheat, as white has absolutely no nutritional value)

Freshly Chopped Parsley

Salt

Cook pasta according to manufacturers' directions and drain.  Do not rinse!!! Rinsing your pasta washes away all of the starch, which is what your sauce will adhere to.  No starch= plain pasta with watery sauce running all over your plate... ick!

In the meantime, heat oil over medium heat in a skillet.  Add shallots and cook 3-4 minutes, until soft.  Add in garlic and basil and cook another 30 seconds.  Toss in marinated artichoke hearts and sun dried tomatoes and cook until just heated through.  Lower heat and toss in pasta and fresh parsley.  Serve immediately.

*I served this pasta with an italian marinated tofu for an extra bit of protein!

Italian Marinade

1/2 c. Vegetable Broth

2 tbsp. Balsamic Vinegar

2 tbsp. Olive Oil

1 clove Garlic, minced

1 tsp. salt

1 tbsp. each freshly chopped Basil and Parsley

7 oz. Extra Firm Tofu

Press tofu until dry.  Combine all marinade ingredients and toss with tofu in a freezer bag or bowl.  Let marinate 2-8 hours or do a quick marinade by simmering the tofu in the marinade for 10-15 minutes. Bake, broil, or grill.

Morrocan Millet

The saffron in this recipe gives the millet its beautiful, bright amber color.  The  flavor is very complex and has a nice, slightly sweet flavor that compliments the spiciness of the tofu it is pictured with.  Feel free to swap out the millet with couscous or rice if you can't find it, just be sure to cook the grains according to package directions!





1 tsp. Olive Oil
1 large Shallot, finely chopped
1/2 c. Millet
3/4 tsp. Coriander
1 c. Vegetable Broth/Water
Pinch of Saffron
1 whole Star Anise
Juice of half a Lemon
2 tbsp. Parsley, chopped
7-10 dried Apricots, chopped
Salt & Pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in a small saucepan over medium heat.  Add the shallot, and cook stirring occasionally for 2 minutes.  Add in the millet and cook, stirring constantly, another 3-4 minutes (Be careful not to burn the millet, you just want to toast it to bring out its nutty flavor.  If it starts to turn dark brown, you've burnt it.  You want a light golden brown color).  Add in the coriander and cook another 30 seconds.  Stir in broth, saffron, and star anise.  Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer 25-30 minutes, until all of the water has absorbed.  Let stand covered for 5 minutes.  Fluff with a fork. The millet should now have a vibrant copper color!  Add in the remaining ingredients and stir to combine.

*Serve with Spice Crusted Tofu.

Makes 2 servings

Spice Crusted Tofu

   

Tofu thats extra crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside and bursting with flavor!

MARINADE
12 oz. Extra-Firm Tofu

1/4 c. Vegetable Broth
1/4 c. Soy Sauce
1 tbsp. Red Wine Vinegar
1 tbsp. Olive Oil
2 cloves Garlic

SPICE CRUST
1 heaping tbsp. Cumin
1 tbsp. Coriander
1 1/2 tsp. Paprika
1/4 tsp? Pepper

Drain tofu and cut into into 1" thick squares or rectangles. Place between two plates lined with paper towels and weigh down with something heavy (large can of beans, full tea kettle, etc). Press tofu for at least 30 minutes until it feels pretty dry.

In the meantime, combine all of the ingredients for the marinade. Place marinade in a skillet just big enough to lay the tofu out in a single layer. Bring the marinade to a simmer and continue to cook tofu for 5-10 minutes. Flip tofu and cook another 5-10 minutes.

While the tofu is cooking, combine the spices.

Remove tofu from the heat and shake off any excess liquid.  Lightly press the tofu into the spice mixture and flip. Continue with the remaining pieces of tofu. Heat a panini press, George Foreman grill, something similar and grill tofu until browned and heavily marked on both sides, 4-5 minutes.

*Serve with Moroccan Millet

Sesame Crusted Tofu w/ King Trupet Mushrooms

Tofu Marinade
1 lb. Extra Firm Tofu
1/4 c. Soy Sauce
1/4 c. Rice Vinegar
2 tsp. Mirin
1 tbsp. Toasted Sesame Oil
2 cloves Garlic, minced
3/4 tsp. grated Ginger
1/2-1 tsp. Sirracha, depending on how spicy you want it.

Toasted Black Sesame Seeds
Olive Oil

Drain tofu and press for 20-30 minutes between two plates lined with paper towels and a weight on top to remove any excess moisture.  You want the tofu to feel pretty dry before you marinate it.  While the tofu is being pressed, combine the marinade ingredients.  Cut the tofu into squares (pictured). Pour the marinade over the tofu and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.  The longer you let it marinate, the more flavorful the tofu will be.

Sprinkle sesame seeds on a plate. Press one side of the tofu into the seeds (the marinade is enough to make them stick).  Heat  enough olive oil to coat a skillet.  Add tofu, plain side down, and cook over medium heat for 5-7 minutes, until browned.  Flip tofu and add a little of the remaining marinade to coat the pan.  Cook another 5 minutes.  (Some of the seeds may fall off in the pan.  Its okay, don't panic.  There's plenty on there to begin with!)

For the mushrooms,  I sliced them about 1/4-1/2" thick and tossed them with some sesame oil and salt.  Then roast them in a   375 degree oven for 25 minutes, tossing occasionally.

Oh and those weird looking star things.... they're called lotus root (told you this would get interesting)

Lotus root is the root of the beautiful lotus flower (looks very similar to a water lily).  It's taste is very reminiscent of a potato or water chestnut.  It is high in fiber, vitamin C and iron.  When using, be sure to toss with vinegar or lemon juice after peeling and chopping to avoid any discoloration. I sliced mine 1/4" thick and roasted them with the mushrooms, but added a little maple syrup to sweeten them up a bit.  The roasting time was also a little longer, about 30 minutes, flipping halfway through.