Crispy Tofu Fingers

Sweet baby cheezus these are tasty.

Suuuuuper tasty.

I was in a serious pickle trying to name these.

Tofu cutlets?

Tofu nuggets?

Tofu fingers?

Tofingers?

Toes and fingers with tofu?

All I know is that they’re chock full of healthified crispy deliciousness and you should probably buy some ‘fu and make them ASAP.

Try them with chicken if you’re feel carnivorous.

-serves 2-3

Ingredients:

• 1 pound of tofu, drained
• 1 1/2 to 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup egg whites (or a couple eggs whisked together)
• Whole wheat Italian bread crumbs (recipe below)

Whole Wheat Italian Bread Crumbs:

• 2 slices of whole grain bread, toasted
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp basil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp paprika
• pepper to taste

First, let’s clarify how to drain tofu in order to achieve that fabulous chewiness. Draining tofu helps to remove the moisture that makes tofu mushy.  The more water drained, the more flavor and chewiness.

1)  Drain the water out of the pack of tofu.  Wrap the tofu in a layer of paper towels/dish cloth and place on a plate.

You will probably have to change out the paper towels two or three times (maybe every 30 minutes to an hour) to get out as much water as possible.

2) Put another plate upside down on top of the tofu. Place a few heavy objects on top of the plate. I used a heavy pot with tomatoes inside.

Directions:

1. Drain and press tofu (see above for tutorial).
2. Make bread crumbs: Toast bread.  Place toasted bread in food processor/blender along with garlic powder, salt, basil, oregano, and paprika.  Blend until the mixture resembles bread crumbs.
3. Set up your dredging assembly line.  Place whole wheat flour, egg whites and bread crumbs in three separate large bowls.
4. Slice tofu into 1/4-1/2 inch slices.
5. Heat a large skillet with a tbsp of oil over medium heat.
6. Dredge tofu in flour, then egg whites, then bread crumbs. Make sure to really press on those bread crumbs on both sides!
7. Once pan is hot, add tofu slices.  Cook a few minutes on each side, until brown and crispy.
8. Add more oil between batches to ensure even crispiness.

Dip in pesto or my favorite Trader Joe’s organic ketchup.

If you think you don’t like tofu, I really think these may make you a believer. But I’m sure these would be awesome with shrimp or chicken as well.

I love love love these tofingers with spicy sweet potato fries.  I discovered that it’s actually possible to make crispy ones, which is rather-earth shattering.

More on that later this week!

First Pealightful “Recipea”

I didn’t eat lunch today until about 3:30, which is NOT normal.  I usually stare at the clock until 11:30am, when I feel it’s socially acceptable to start noshing on everything in sight.  I scarfed down deeelish leftovers before picking up the kiddies from camp.  Leftover hoisin ginger tofu (courtesy of Mama Pea) with brown rice,  chick peas, steamed broccoli, and mmmm sauce.  AMAZING.  The good thing about cooking for one is that there are leftover for almost a week. 

con Siracha

Broccoli is loaded with folic acid, vitamin C, and potassium. Score!

And hey, when I get sick of them, there’s always Nikki.

me and the bestieroomie (aka Nikki)

When it came to the kiddies, LiaBanana and Saun-Baun wanted hummus after camp.  Sabra roasted red pepper hummus. YUMMUS.

That's my girl!

 The acorns don’t fall far from the nanny-tree.

It was hard to pick a recipe for dinner, but  I wanted something easy, so I flipped through the new cookbook.  Of course Whole Foods was out of whole-wheat hamburger buns, TJ’s was too far away, and although I love Target dearly, they don’t really believe in selling packaged food with less than a hundred ingredients.  I settled on one without HFCS and with only a couple things I couldn’t pronounce.  Beggars can’t be choosers.  Sigh.

I made the “better than ever black bean burgers” with some roasted brussel sprouts and carrot fries.  If you want the recipe, buy the book!! Bestieroomie, bestieroomie’s friend and I ate until we could eat NO more …except for  chocolate-chip zucchini muffins we inhaled for dessert.  Who would have though you could get so full on veggies? Fabulous.

Back up.   The three of us finished off a whole pound of carrots, a feat we could not have accomplished had they not been roasted into the disguise of carrot fries.  The kiddies love these, too.  They are a great way to squeeze in Vitamin A, shine-ifying your skin, bones, hair and eyes. Double score.

Carrot Fries:

-serves three, with the risk of turning orange

• 1 lb. of organic carrots
• Canola Oil Spray
• 1  tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp sea salt

These measurements are estimates because I eyeball the spices, so go crazy! Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Wash carrots.  Using a sharp knife, carefully cut carrots into “fry” spears and spread onto a cookie sheet sprayed liberally with cooking spray or canola oil. Sprinkle with desired seasoning and then spray the fries once more.  Toss to coat.  If you’re feeling sassy, try coconut oil.   Roast for 20-25 minutes, turning if neccesary, until fries look crispy and spotted(or when it’s 9:00 and you told bestieroomie that dinner was at 8:00).  EAT!

Organic Kosher Dill Pickle Spears were on sale at Whole Foods today.  Home run.