We celebrated Ben's birthday last weekend - the big 32 for him. Or is it 33? I think it is 32. Ben turned 32. Yes. To celebrate, we had a family brunch at the Publican. We had contemplated doing a family dinner, but after a Jeff Tweedy concert on Friday night for Andy and I and Amy's wedding on Saturday night at Fulton's on the River, Sunday morning seemed to be the only option for us. I had never been to the Publican before, but had always wanted to go. I am a big fan of brunch, so you didn't have to ask me twice if those plans were ok for the day. The outcome? Better than I could have anticipated, and I went in with high expectations.
Bloody Mary's and mimosas were ordered all around - both very good. I grazed on a homemade buttermilk biscuit with honey butter and cherry preserves as a brunch starter. I was slightly worried that the vegetarian options would be hard to come by at a restaurant known for it's pork products and extensive meat offerings - but the menu didn't let me down. Mom and I both had omelets with sauteed artichokes and golden raisins. The French toast with rhubarb compote also looked very tempting. We split an order of frittes at the table, and let's be honest, what's not to love about frittes? Even at brunch. So good. All in all, you could say the meal was pretty fantastic. It is always nice to celebrate special occasions with a fantastic meal like that. Did I feel slightly guilty that Andy had to miss out on brunch and bike 60 miles and run for a half hour? Sort of. But I did treat him to Mom and I's leftovers.
I'm trying to find ways to actually make tofu taste good, and these vegetarian cookbooks are slowly helping. In all honesty, tofu sometimes tastes like a spongy, tasteless mess. What exactly is tofu anyways?
Andy: So what is tofu made of?
Me: I don't know....soy I think.
Andy: Just soy?
Me: I guess.
Andy: How do they get it into that into block form?
Me: Hmm...good question. Maybe we should Google it.
I took the liberty of looking it up on Wikipedia. What did people do before there was Google and Wikipedia? Did everyone just walk around the world not knowing the specifics about things? I Google things all the time. In the past, I guess you were just ok with not knowing things at the click of a button.
According to Wikipedia, "tofu is a food made by coagulating soy milk and then pressing the resulting curds into soft white block. (oh yumm) There are many different varieties of tofu, including fresh tofu and tofu that has been processed in some way. Tofu has very little flavor (such a true statement) or smell on its own, so it can be used in either savory or sweet dishes, and it is often seasoned or marinated to suit the dish. Most tofu producers begin by making their own soy milk, which is produced by soaking, grinding, boiling and straining dried soybeans".
I had never sauteed tofu before. It definitely helps with giving it some flavor. I don't know why I had never considered doing that before - probably because I didn't know any better. I usually just ate it raw, cubed up, and added to some steamed vegetables. No wonder it never tasted all that good. I wouldn't say that tofu sautes up quickly, but give it 10 minutes, and it does start to generate some golden brown color. I've since made this dish a second time, and got the tofu even more golden brown than it shows here in the picture. More color = more flavor.
There are many great things about this dish.
1. It is healthy and relatively low in calories.
2. You get a lot of protein from the edamame and tofu.
3. It is quick and easy to put together.
4. You can easily double it to have plenty of lunches for the week.
5. And thanks to Whole Foods, shelled soybeans are readily easily available in the frozen section.
The soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, and honey are what really give the dish some flavor here. Andy and I both thought it was a winner for a meal, and have since made it again. I hope to continue to find dishes to make tofu taste good, flavorful, and edible. I'll keep you posted.
Any thoughts on tofu that you would like to share with me? Is it technically a processed food? Is it good for you? How else can I make it taste good?
Edamame & Tofu Stir Fry
adapted from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian
3 tablespoons oil
8 ounces firm tofu, cut into 1/2 inch cubes and drained on paper towels
1 onion, chopped
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon peeled and minced fresh ginger
1 jalapeno, stemmed, seeded, and minced
1/3 cup rice wine vinegar
2 teaspoons honey
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 cup vegetable stock
2 cups shelled edamame, thawed
Put oil in a skillet over high heat. When hot, add the tofu and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly golden brown, about 8 minutes. Remove from the pan.
Add the onion and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, pepper. Cook for another minute or two while stirring. Stir in the vinegar, soy sauce, honey, and stock mixture and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to low and add the edamame and browned tofu. Cook at gentle simmer until the edamame is tender, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add salt and pepper. Serve.
2 comments:
i would consider tofu a processed food. i eat it occasionally but prefer beans (lentils, adzuki, garbanzo, and black beans mostly) for my daily protein. in terms of soy, you are better off with tempeh or edamame which are closer to their natural state and a healthier option. there is a lot of controversy about soy and i don't know who to believe, but as long as you're eating it in moderation, i think it's ok. that being said, i do enjoy tofu. but after trying fresh tofu from the farmer's market, the store bought stuff tastes like cardboard. go to the green city market, get the fresh stuff, and saute with olive oil, salt and pepper. tastes like magic.
Anna - thanks for the input. I would say we are only eating tofu about 2-3 times per month. Most protein is coming from chickpeas, black beans, nuts, and quionoa. I kind of thought tofu seemed a bit processed, but never really knew for sure. I do love that bag of shelled edamame. So easy to use. I can't wait to try the fresh tofu. And I've never had tempeh before but will try it when I'm at the store next week.
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