Butter Tofu, my love
You won’t miss out with this vegan buttery tofu recipe.
Soy comes in many forms. Tofu is one that most of us turn our noses up. And to be very honest, I had always been the first vegan in the room to say “I don’t like tofu”. Until I learned how to cook it. Well, let me clarify that, until my daughter perfected it. She’s a tofu master. You can read more about tofu down below and why soy may be better than you think.
Estimated time: 45 minutes
Effort/Skill: Medium
Preheat oven to 425 F
Categories: Vegan, Recipe, Plant-based, Gluten-free, Soy, Dinner
Ingredients & Directions
Oven-baked Tofu
1 pkg of extra firm tofu
1/3 cup corn starch
⅓ cup plain unsweetened plant milk
½ tsp salt
Press your tofu for 20 minutes. Not sure how to press it?
Unwrap the tofu and lay it flat on its widest side. Then slice it down the middle so you have two palm shaped pieces that lay flat on their widest sides. Palm-sized.
Place some paper-towel on a flat surface and lay the two tofu pieces on top of the paper towel. Top the tofu with more paper-towel.
Top the paper-towel “wrapped tofu with a cutting board that lays flat on top. And place a heavy object on top (big textbooks or canned goods work well)
Let it sit and drain off some water for 20 minutes.
Pat your tofu dry slightly and slice into bite-sized cubes. Toss the tofu in a bowl of cornstarch and salt. Once each piece is well “powdered” with cornstarch, drizzle some oil on a parchment-lined baking sheet and evenly space the pieces out on the sheet. Drizzle oil on top of the tofu and bake for 25-30 minutes at 400F. Flip the tofu half-way through. While the tofu bakes, start making your sauce.
If you prefer to use the air fryer, drizzle oil on the tofu and bake at 400F for 15 minutes, flipping half-way through.
Vegan “Butter” Sauce
2 tbsp of vegan margarine or deodorized coconut oil
1 large onion, finely diced
1 tbsp fresh grated ginger (or 1 tsp dried)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp garam masala
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp ground coriander
Dash cayenne pepper
1 tsp salt
156 ml can of tomato paste
400 ml can of coconut milk
In a skillet, melt the butter (or coconut oil) over medium-high heat. Add the onion and fry until translucent. Add ginger and garlic and cook for another minute. Add the remaining ingredients and whisk until smooth. Simmer over medium heat for 5-10 minutes, whisking frequently.
Add the baked tofu to the sauce and serve with rice and/or naan bread. Top with cilantro. Enjoy!
NOURISHED FACTS
Nasty rumours about soy and tofu have been floating around well before the internet was a thing. “You’ll get man-boobs!” “You can’t eat soy if you’re a woman!”
There’s always an advocate and an enemy for just about anything on the menu these days. So, let’s learn a bit about soy and tofu and why you might be surprised how nutritious they can be.
Soybeans have been in a human diet for thousands of years. Domesticated first in China over 3000 years ago, soybeans have been used in a variety of applications. Today, soy is largely grown for agricultural feed. As the beans can provide nearly 20 times the amount of protein per acre compared with raising cattle on that same land mass. Soybeans contain little to no saturated fats and provide a complete protein. (Source: National Library of Medicine, 2009).
How do soybeans make their way into tofu? Tofu is nothing more than a fermented soybean curd. Its versatility to take on flavours and form is what makes it so easy to use in a vegan or vegetarian diet. From stews to desserts.
But what about estrogen? Soy contains phytoestrogens, or more specifically, isoflavones> Isoflavones are different from the estrogen found in the human body. In fact, soy isoflavones can bind to estrogen receptors in the body. When this happens, isoflavones can prevent natural estrogen from binding to the estrogen receptors. Our gut flora is responsible for modifying these phytoestrogens which are believed to interrupt cancer development by binding to estrogen receptors or blocking or altering estrogen function.
In the case of breast cancer patients, it is always best to check in with your doctor before adding soy to your diet.
Be sure with anything you choose from the shelf to look for the organic and non-GMO symbols. Locally sourced is always on the list as well, but not always possible for us Canadians.
