Caramelized Tofu with Broccoli

Let me introduce you to my lunch this past weekend, Caramelized Tofu with Broccoli.

You know how you’re wandering around the grocery store and you pick something up because you know you will use it soon.  This is what happened to me two weeks ago when I picked up a block of tofu and last Tuesday when I decided I hadn’t had butternut squash in forever, and I must have it now.

Fast forward to last weekend and I was determined to use them.  Especially since the tofu had a ‘use by’ date for Saturday…

I usually try to not eat a lot of soy.  I’ve heard things about soy and how it acts like estrogen in your body produces, and it makes me a little wary.  Needless to say, I threw that caution to the wind this weekend out of necessity and a desire to not waste food.

Despite my reservations, I like tofu.  I like it’s versatility, and for some reason I really like its texture. When you roast it a crunchy exterior forms, leaving the interior still soft.  It’s like a perfect pizza crust!

Anyway, desperate to use the tofu and squash, I scoured some saved recipes and came up with the aforementioned tofu/broccoli concoction.

The original recipe calls for brussels sprouts but, brace yourselves, we didn’t have any. So I subbed in the next best thing that also makes your house smell like farts: broccoli.  It’s really unfortunate cruciferous vegetables smell pretty rank once they are sautéed/roasted/steamed.  I say light a candle and deal with it.  I did, however make an attempt at removing the smell by roasting some butternut squash with mild success.

Speaking of that squash recipe.  It’s amazing, but totally ugly.  Ugly = I’m not making a post about it.  Instead, look at Heidi’s post and be amazed at her ability to make everything edible look beautiful.  She can do no wrong ladies and gentlemen.  I’m pretty sure it’s proven on the internet in a scientific theorem… or something.

As a side note: I had to do some recipe tweaking because I totally don’t have miso.  Instead, I substituted 1 tsp soy sauce and 1 tsp mirin for the miso and tamari.  Easy peasy.

I had never thought of caramelizing tofu, but really it’s genius.  I would also suggest using the coconut oil at least once while making this meal- I used it with the broccoli.  It adds a nutty flavor to the dish that I really enjoyed against the sweet caramelized tofu.  When I was cooking my broccoli I ended up sautéing it in the coconut oil for a few minutes then threw in a tablespoon of water, covered the pan and let it steam for another few minutes. It’s just my preference to cook broccoli slightly past that crunchy/squeaky stage.

Sarah recommends serving the dish over rice or quinoa, but I couldn’t be bothered.  I just ate it as is, and found it plenty satisfying.  Do your thing.

Cranberry-pear tart

Let’s do this.

There’s pears.  There’s cranberries.  There’s no eggs or butter.  That’s right people, it’s….vegan.

Vegan and delicious!  You will need special ingredients that you probably wouldn’t normally have in your pantry, but I’ve developed a quasi-vegan pantry over the past few months and I’m diggin’ it.  Try it.  Maybe?

You know what else I’ve gotten in the past few months?  A food processor.  Yeah, I asked for that for Christmas.  I think that means I’m an adult.

This tart is officially the first time I’ve used it.  I then proceeded to use it two more times over MLK weekend.  I’m a food processor addict!

OK, back to the recipe.  It’s good, duh.  The tart cranberries with the sweet pears, and the hint of coconut from the oil?  Perfection.

I know it will probably take a separate trip to your local health food store or a Whole Foods, but I really hope you try it.  My family and I can’t be the only one’s enjoying this magic.  

To end, here’s a song:

Bon Iver, “Holocene”