Tasty Tofu: 5 Yummy Ways to Include More Tofu Into Your Diet

Hey guys! Below is a guest post for you from Virginia Cunningham, all about the different ways you can ease tofu into your diet! I think she's got some pretty nifty ideas, so check it out!

When many think of tofu, they may not see it as having much personality, but it's bland appearance makes it deceptive!

Pressed curd extracted from ground soy beans, tofu has an almost endless variety of applications. It's high in protein -- more than 2 grams per ounce -- for some varieties, and contains an abundance of healthy fats. Besides the more common dishes tofu can be used in, like stir fry, it can be used in salad dressings, tacos and quesadillas, pesto, curry, marinade, desserts, smoothies and so much more! It's also an effective thickening agent, which makes it a great substitute for cream, eggs and cheese.

{Wanna learn a cool way to press tofu? Click here to see the pressed tofu I made!}

Here are some unique and simple ways to incorporate tofu into your diet:

Pumpkin Tofu Curry

I absolutely love pumpkin season and this recipe is delicious! To make this dish, saute an onion in olive oil then add 2 cups of vegetable broth, a can of coconut milk, a can of pumpkin (15 ounces), 2 tsps of both cumin and curry and pepper to taste.

Afterwards, mix up the cubed, sauteed tofu and enjoy. You can also add carrots and potatoes or any other veggie you’d like and serve over rice. Mmm delicious! This looks gorgeous, and really yummy, especially presented in an empty pumpkin shell, and it's also amazingly simple.  

Tofu Quesadillas

 No matter what time of the day it is, a warm quesadilla is a meal or snack I always crave. To make this, marinate strips of tofu for several hours (the marinade can be anything you like; I prefer to use olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic, pepper and a splash of soy sauce), then broil (flipping once) until the edges are crispy. Throw them into a tortilla and add your favorite cheese, heated black beans (add some cumin and hot sauce to heat things up), then fold it all up and heat in an unoiled frying pan until the tortilla gets crispy and the cheese is melted! Absolutely delicious, and loaded with protein and fiber!  

As an alternative to marinating strips of tofu, try chopping it up into tiny tiny pieces, then saute at high temperature with onions, garlic and other spices. The consistency will end up resembling taco meat, which works incredibly well in a quesadilla or burrito.

Marinade

 Another one of my favorite ways to add tofu into my diet is to use extra firm tofu. Once you have pressed all of the water out, you can then make your own marinade with fresh pressed ginger and garlic, soy sauce, and a splash of spicy szechuan sauce. An easy way is to just pan fry it with veggies and sometimes veggie dumplings (I like the ones from Trader Joes... but will learn to make my own someday).

Tofu Fingers 

(similar to chicken fingers)

 For this snack, I use tofu that's been frozen. Once it’s thawed, slice it into triangles, rectangles or whatever shape you prefer. Next I dip them in egg, cover them with bread crumbs, cumin, garlic and onion powder, or whatever flavor I'm in the mood for, then bake them in the oven until the edges turn into a nice brown.

They taste great dipped in barbeque or honey mustard sauce or whatever you prefer. They have the texture of chicken fingers and are extremely tasty!

Salad Dressing

 This is one of the easiest ways I've found to use tofu. Purée silken tofu with basil and a clove of garlic, then drizzle on your salad and you're done!

The examples used above are great ways to incorporate this protein packed food into your diet. It absorbs the flavors of the ingredients it’s paired with, and works in a variety of cooking methods. It's amazingly versatile and adaptable nature makes it one of my favorite foods!

Virginia Cunningham is a health enthusiast and mother of three living in Southern California. As a health writer, and in collaboration with NorthWest, she loves being able to share recipes, fitness tips and educate others about their personal wellness. 

WIAW #36 + Paleo Chocolate Chip Pancakes

Hey friends! I hope everyone had an EXCELLENT Thanksgiving! 

I'm going to apologize right off the bat - I forget to take pictures of my Thanksgiving meal for WIAW this week. So, instead, you can read what I ate on Thanksgiving below!

Gardein's Holiday Roast...and some real turkey as well :)

Green Bean Casserole - The Post Punk Kitchen

Pumpkin Tiramisu - Chloe Coscarelli

Shredded Brussels Sprout Salad - FitSugar

Mashed Cauliflower 

Here's a look at some other things I ate this week.....

{Left to right} Snickerdoodle Cookie Dough Cake (recipe coming soon...)

Paleo Chocolate Chip Pancakes (recipe below)

Lunch at the Cincinnatian Hotel (items in picture: chocolate mousse cake and moscato)

Chocolate covered bacon

So....these Paleo Chocolate Chip Pancakes.

The recipe is THIS ONE, slightly modified. The recipe is good on its own, but EVERYTHING is better with chocolate. 

Paleo Chocolate Chip Pancakes

{Ingredients}

1 banana

2 eggs

Chocolate chips

Strawberries + sugar {optional}

{Directions}

1. In a small food processor, blend banana and eggs. You can mash the banana if you want, but I think the food processor is WAY easier. 

2. Allow to rest for a couple minutes (this allows the batter to thicken slightly).

3. Heat a lightly greased skillet to medium-high heat. Place one ladle of batter into pan. Sprinkle a handful of chocolate chips on top.

4. Cook until you see bubbles forming on the surface, and the bottom is slightly brown. Flip to other side. 

5. Cook for about 30 seconds and then place on a plate.

6. {optional} Slice some strawberries and sprinkle with sugar. Allow to sit for a few minutes to create a sweet syrup. Spoon strawberries on top of pancakes. 

7. Enjoy!

Pretty straightforward.... right?!

Here are some things that will soon come to Passing Daisies! Get excited!

{Advent Calendar printable}
{More holiday gift guides}
{Snickerdoodle Cookie Dough Cake}
{Whirlybird Granola review/giveaway}
{PASSING DAISIES BIRTHDAY LINKUP}*
{NuNaturals Review/giveaway}

*I'm looking for bloggers to participate in a link up with me and create a fun birthday recipe! I've got the details. EMAIL ME to find out more <3

Have a lovely week and let me know what you ate for Thanksgiving!

Soft Pumpkin Spice Cookies

Soft Pumpkin Spice Cookies

Makes 2 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

1/2 c. Earth Balance buttery spread

1/2 c. brown sugar

1/4 c. powdered sugar

3/4c. pumpkin puree

1/2 t. baking powder

2 t. pumpkin pie spice

2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour

1 t. vanilla

1 1/2 T. cornstarch

Dash of salt 

Pumpkin seeds for garnish (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 

2. In a large bowl, combine sugars and butter until light and fluffy. Add pumpkin puree and vanilla and mix well. 

3. Add dry ingredients and mix until just combined. 

4. Place tablespoon size balls of dough on baking sheet and bake for about 20 minutes. If you wish, you can press three pumpkin seeds onto each cookie. You could also press a hole in the top of each cookie with your finger and fill with pumpkin butter if you wish!

5. Allow to cool on a wire rack. 

These cookies are just lightly pumpkin flavored and delicious. Slightly spongy and very moist. Try them out for yourself!

What is your favorite kind of cookie?
Much love,

Pumpkin Seed Brittle

As I've mentioned before, fall is my new favorite season. Especially when the weather is cool, but not chilly or cold. When fall is here, I know it's time for one thing: giant corn mazes.

Although I still have yet to go to a corn maze this year, I always make great memories when I go. The first time I remember going was my sophomore year in high school. (5 years ago now...wow...I feel old!). I went with my friend P- and his girlfriend at the time, MBD, and my friend A-. I liked both A- and P-, but since A- was available, he was who I was going for. It was a beautiful night, it was cool, skies were clear, and I was in the company of good friends. And there was caramel apple cider. LOTS of caramel apple cider. 

I watched P- and MBD as they held hands and enjoyed their time on the hay ride. I sat with A- and we chatted and watched the stars. I thanked God for putting me here, in this place, in this moment.

Ever since that first trip to the giant corn maze, going to a corn maze has become somewhat of a fall tradition. We went nearly every year after that, and our usual group became P-, A-, my friend B-, and myself. It was our little clique.

We have since grown apart, although B is still one of my best friends and I talk to A- on occasion. Yet the idea of corn mazes lives on. Unfortunately, the farm we typically go to closed last year because of the drought, so we didn't get to go. I'm hoping it will be back and ready for action this fall (I still have to check).

Through all of this, I come back to one thing: caramel apple cider. I think of fall and corn mazes and I think of caramel apple cider. 

My cafeteria recently had a pumpkin decorating contest and gave out free pumpkins to those who wanted to participate. I signed up, took my pumpkin back to my room, and started carving my pumpkin. Then I realized... I could save the pumpkin seeds! And what do I love about fall? Caramel! Why not combine the two?

Therefore, I leave you with my recipe for Pumpkin Seed Brittle. I hope it brings you all the fall-goodness and deliciousness in the world!

Pumpkin Seed Brittle
Ingredients:
2 c. raw pumpkin seeds
1 T. Earth Balance
1 T. unsweetened almond milk
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/3 c. apple cider
2 t. cornstarch
1 T. + 1 t. water

Directions: 
1. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine Earth Balance, almond milk, brown sugar, and apple cider.
2. In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and water until it is lump-free. Pour into caramel sauce, stir, and allow to come to a boil for a minute or two, then remove from the heat.
3. In a medium sized heat-proof bowl, combine caramel sauce and pumpkin seeds.
4. Pour pumpkin seeds onto a foil lined baking sheet that has also been sprayed with baking spray. THIS IS IMPORTANT. Grease your foil!!!
5. Bake in a 350 degrees oven for 30 minutes, or until the caramel has started to turn a dark brown and it sticky and thick.
6. Remove from oven and scrape seeds onto another cookie sheet that has also been lined with aluminum foil that has been greased. Flatten it out with a spatula and allow to cool until it hardens.
7. Once cool, cut or break brittle apart into pieces. It tastes like caramel popcorn! Delicious!

What is your favorite way to eat pumpkin seeds?
Much love,

Vegan MoFo #31: The Best of PD MoFo 2011

Oh my goodness! It's such sad news! Today is the LAST day of Vegan MoFo 2011! :(

I can't believe it has gone SO quickly. I feel like the month just started and everyone still has 31 more days of amazing, crazy mofo-ing! I don't know what I'm going to do with myself!

In honor of the final day of MoFo, let's recap on some of the best Passing Daisies posts of the month.

1. All About Nutritional Yeast
This post got a lot more page hype than I thought it would! I guess people really need to know about Nooch!

2. Pumpkin Mac & Cheese
Delicious, pumpkin-y, cheesy goodness all in one bite.

3. What's the Deal with Honey?
Might be a bit controversial/surprising for those of you who don't know what goes on in the honey industry. Queen bee artificial insemination is sad and shocking.

4. Award-Winning Pumpkin Donuts
I couldn't believe my donuts won a competition! So exciting. Go check them out for yourself and try making them! They are super delicious!

5. An Interview with the Sporkie Sisters
If you don't know who the sisters behind Spork Foods are, are you really should check out this interview. I love these girls, and their new cookbook!

6. Banana Whoopie Pies with Coffee Crumble
Creamy coconut banana icing smushed between two incredibly soft banana ginger cookies. Heaven in every bite.

7. Pumpkin S'mores Cupcakes
Pumpkin icing, Dandies marshmallows, chocolate syrup, and a graham cracker cupcake. Can you say YUMMY?

8. Individual Sweet Potato Casserole
Just in time for Thanksgiving! Perfect for those who don't want to make an entire casserole. And with no sugar, either!

9. Mango Coconut Pancakes
If only you could dive into a big stack of these right now. Tropical, fluffy, sweet, and devilishly good.

10. Carrot Cake Larabars
My most recent creation for Iron Chef Vegan MoFo. Carrot cake without all the trouble of baking. Couldn't get much simpler! (You'll notice I'm trying to make my pictures look better, too!)

What is your favorite thing that you've made this month? Or your favorite thing you've seen on PD, if you didn't partake in Vegan MoFo?
Much love,

Vegan MoFo #21: No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake

In college, we want cooking to be easy. Easy but delicious. 

You'll be happy to know that this little dessert is both!

Since I happen to be on a pumpkin kick, why not throw in another recipe? This time, for something extremely simple. Something that can be made in a mere 5 minutes. 

Seriously. 

No Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake
Ingredients:
Crust:
4 T. crushed cookie of choice (gingersnap, graham, etc.)
1/2 T. softened Earth Balance

Filling:
2 T. vegan cream cheese
3 T. pumpkin puree
1 T. maple syrup
A dash of allspice
A dash of cinnamon

Directions:
1. Place crushed cookies in a mug or small bowl and mix together with the softened Earth Balance.

2. In a separate bowl, combine all filling ingredients.

3. Pour filling on top of the cookie crust. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Enjoy!

What is your favorite quick dessert?

(P.S. - have you entered my Manna Bread giveaway yet?!)

Much love, 

Vegan Mofo #17: Pumpkin S'mores Cupcakes

Some things aren't meant to be shared. 

I absolutely love s'mores. Everything about them! But unless you make your own graham crackers (which is totally do-able, thanks to Isa Chandra's Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar), vegan graham crackers are hard to find.

Plus, I wanted to make something more original.

How about cupcakes?

These cupcakes are SO moist. Seriously. I was shocked with just how exceptionally good these cupcakes were! They also really resemble a graham cracker in flavor, thanks to the cinnamon and dark brown sugar (for that molasses-y taste). I also used Dandies vegan marshmallows, which are sugary goodness.

Want to try them yet?

Pumpkin S'mores Cupcakes
Makes 12
Ingredients (cake batter):
1 c. almond milk + 1 t. apple cider vinegar, mixed together
1/2 c. unbleached all purpose flour
3/4 c. whole wheat flour
 2 T. cornstarch or Ener-G Egg Replacer
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
1/3 c. neutral tasting oil
1/2 c. evaporated cane sugar
1/4 c. dark brown sugar
1 t. vanilla extract
1 t. cinnamon

Ingredients (chocolate sauce):
2 T. unsweetened chocolate powder
3 T. powdered sugar
4 T. almond milk

Ingredients (pumpkin icing): 
4 T. Earth Balance, softened
1 T. pumpkin puree
1/2 t. pumpkin pie spice
1 1/2 c. powdered sugar

Other Ingredients: 
About 3-5 Dandies marshmallows per cupcake, so 60 marshmallows max

Directions (cake):
1. In a large bowl, mix together oil, sugars, and vanilla until combined. Add milk mixture and stir.
2. In a separate bowl, combine all remaining ingredients (dry ingredients). Add this to the wet mixture in small batches, stirring each time until just incorporated. Don't over mix!
3. Spray a cupcake tray with baking spray and fill each about 3/4 of the way with batter.
4. Bake in a 350 degrees oven for approximately 20-25 minutes, until just golden brown. Allow to cool.
5. After cool, slice cupcakes in half through the middle, so the top and the bottom are separate.
6. Spread chocolate sauce on the bottom.
7. Place toasted marshmallows on top of chocolate sauce.
8. Place top of cupcake on top of marshmallows.
9. Pipe pumpkin icing on top and enjoy!!

Directions (chocolate sauce):
1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl until combined.

Directions (pumpkin icing):
1. In a mixing bowl, beat together butter, sugar, and pumpkin, and pie spice.
2. Beat until the icing until it is light and airy. It should turn a light orange color.

Directions (toasting marshmallows):
1. Place marshmallows in a single layer on a cookie tray and place under the broiler just for 30 seconds to a minute, until the marshmallows are lightly toasted and a golden brown.

Trust me, after you try one of these... you'll want to eat the entire batch! They are SO good!!!

(P.S. - have you entered my Manna Bread giveaway yet?!)
(What about my Fair-Trade Chocolate giveaway?! - IT ENDS TODAY!)

What is your favorite kind of cupcake?
Much love,

Vegan MoFo #11: Award-Winning Pumpkin Donuts

Remember that Great Pumpkin Cook Off I told you about?


Here is my entry for the sweet category - donuts with maple and cinnamon sugar!! What could be better than this? (Nothing...)

EDIT // My donuts won FIRST PLACE in the sweet category! Woohoo!!! They were the talk of the event, and the judges were raving about them. People were literally stockpiling them by the plateful (I'm not kidding. One lady literally ate like 4 donuts in five minutes). Now you have even more of a reason to try these babies! :)

Pumpkin Donuts with Maple Icing
Makes approximately 20 donuts
Ingredients:
1 T. flaxseed meal, mixed with 2 T. warm water
1/4 c. unsweetened almond milk, mixed with 1/4 t. apple cider vinegar
1 3/4 c. unbleached all purpose flour
2 t. baking powder
2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1 1/4 t. pumpkin pie spice
1/4 t. cinnamon
1/2 c. evaporated cane juice
2 T. Earth Balance butter
1 t. vanilla
1/2 c. cooked pumpkin puree
Oil for frying

Icing:
1 c. powdered sugar
5 T. maple syrup (more if you want a thinner, more drippy icing)

Topping:
Cinnamon sugar (mix 1/2 c. evaporated cane juice with 2 1/2 t. cinnamon)

Directions:
1. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices.
2. In a separate bowl, beat the butter and cane juice until evenly distributed.
3. Add the flaxseed mixture and mix until combined. Add vanilla, pumpkin, and almond milk mixture. Stir until combined.
4. Add the dry ingredients. I just dump it all in at once, but it's probably better to do this in batches.
5. Cover and chill for 1 hour.
6. Press or roll the dough out to 1/2 inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Using the top of a round glass, press down into the dough. You should make a nice little circle cut out. Then, take an apple corer (or just use a knife) and cut out a small circle in the middle. Now you have your donut and your donut hole!
7. Set holes and donuts on a lightly floured baking sheet until you have finished cutting all of your donuts out.
8. Heat several inches of oil (I used canola) in a heavy pot over medium heat. Once hot, slide donuts in the oil to fry. I would fry 2-3 large donuts or 3-5 donut holes at one time. Rotate the donuts until golden brown on both sides. Remove for oil, place on a rack lined with paper towels to drain, and allow to cool.
9. While cooling, mix together the powdered sugar and maple syrup to form your icing. Take each donut and dip one side in the icing. Make sure it's covered completely! Before the icing hardens, sprinkle the tops with a good amount of cinnamon sugar.
10. Bon appetite!

What is your favorite kind of donut?
Much love,

Vegan MoFo #6: Pumpkin Mac&Cheese

It's that time of year. The time of pumpkins and sage and cinnamon and apples and squash. Of romping in the leaves and smelling the autumn air. Chill breezes while drinking warm apple cider. 

I love it. 

One of my favorite things about the fall are all the festivals that are taking place. I LOVE festivals. I love the hay rides, the food, the animals, and just how much fun they generally are. So, when I got an email saying that Marvin's Organic Gardens was having a Fall Harvest Family Festival, I was in. And THEN I heard they were having a Great Pumpkin Cook Off. Count me in on the fun!

I will be entering two recipes: One sweet, one savory. My sweet entry? Pumpkin doughnuts with Maple Icing and Cinnamon Sugar (to be posted later). This, obviously, is my savory entry. It took a bit of experimentation, but I think it's delicious! Try it out and let me know what you think!

Pumpkin Mac & Cheese
Ingredients:
1 1/2 c. elbow macaroni (or any shape)
2 T. olive oil
1 T. unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 C. + 1 T. unsweetened almond milk
3/4 c. pumpkin puree
1 c. Daiya cheddar cheese
1/4 c. vegan cream cheese
1/2 c. diced onion
1/2 tsp. chopped garlic
1/8 tsp. paprika
1/8 tsp. pepper
dash of salt
1/2 c. bread crumbs

Directions:
1. Cook the pasta until al dente.
2. In a large sauce pot, add 1 T. olive oil and the diced onion. Saute until onion is soft.
3. Add remaining 1 T. of olive oil and the flour to the pot and stir constantly until thick but not brown (about 1 minute).
4. Add almond milk and stir constantly until thickened.
5. Add pumpkin, cheddar cheese, cream cheese, garlic, paprika, salt, and pepper. Stir until cheeses are melted and everything is well combined.
6. Once pasta is cooked, drain and add to the sauce. Stir until all pasta is coated.
7. Once placed in individual serving bowl, sprinkle with some breadcrumbs. Alternatively, you could pour all of the mac & cheese into a large baking dish, sprinkle with bread crumbs, and place in the broiler just until the crumbs have browned.

I'm telling you. This recipe is SO good. You should try it for dinner tonight!


What is your favorite type of vegan mac & cheese?
Much love,