2/6/11

Almond Tofu with Snap Peas and Soba Noodles

Today is day 6 of a 21-day vegan challenge. Maybe you're wondering: What's a vegan challenge? Well, for me, it's when a friend challenges you to be a vegan for 21 days and you accept! So far, it's been interesting, and while it's too early to draw any major conclusions, I know one thing is for sure: I prefer my vegan meals to be as lucid as possible. And by lucid, I am talking about meals from the cookbook Lucid Food by Louisa Shafia, which, to be clear, isn't a vegan cookbook. It's not even a vegetarian cookbook, but rather one that focuses on making "great food in ways that will sustain you and the environment."

I'm picky about the cookbooks I choose to purchase and find space for in my little apartment, but after browsing Lucid Food on numerous occasions and having eaten this meal before (thanks, Heather!), I went ahead and bought it, knowing I could rely on it for some vegan/whole foods/eco-conscious inspiration. Plus, I knew it would be one I would use long after the vegan challenge is over and done with.

Lucid Food's version:

our version:
I love baked tofu, though this was my first attempt at baking it myself, which brings us to my knife skills. Can we talk about my knife skills? I have none. The below is the result of me trying to accomplish the ridiculously simple task of cutting the tofu block into 1/4-inch-thick slices. No big deal, I thought. It'll still be super lucid.
Especially with this mix of almond butter, soy sauce, maple syrup, and sesame oil on top.
And I was right. Except those little fragments of tofu that burnt to an abso-lucid crisp.
The recipe calls for a tablespoon of ginger, but alas, I got to this step and realized I had used all of it earlier in the v.c. (vegan challenge) making Gwyneth's carrot and ginger dressing. Remembering how it tasted—soley of ginger and shallots—I heaped that on top of the tofu in place of the ginger.
And fortunately, these little ef-ups didn't stop these noodles from reaching their full lucid capabilities. In the words of Matt, "I would eat this even if you hadn't roped me into being a vegan for 21 days!" A vegan success story, indeed.
Almond Tofu with Snap Peas and Soba Noodles via Lucid Food

14 ounces extra-firm tofu, drained and sliced crosswise 1/4 inch thick
6 tablespoons almond butter
2 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon sesame oil, plus more as needed
5 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for the baking sheet
3 scallions, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups snow or snap peas, ends trimmed and halved
8 ounces soba noodles
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
Sriracha or other hot sauce (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Lay the tofu slices on a well-oiled baking sheet and season with salt.
Combine the almond butter, soy sauce, maple syrup, and sesame oil and whisk until smooth. Rub 1/2 teaspoon of the almond butter mixture on each piece. Try not to get the sauce on the pan. Bake for 25 minutes. Flip the pieces and season lightly with salt. Rub the second side of each tofu slice with 1/2 teaspoon of the almond butter mixture, reserving the extra. Bake for 25 minutes more. Let cool.
Slice the tofu lengthwise into strips. Heat a saute pan over high heat and add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Add the scallions, cook for 1 minute, and add the tofu and ginger. After a minute, add the garlic and 1/2 cup water and stir well while cooking. Spoon in the remaining almond butter mixture and stir well to combine. Cover.

Put the peas in a colander in the sink. Bring a lare pot of salted water to a boil. Add the noodles and return to a boil, then simmer, uncovered, for 6 minutes, until the noodles are just cooked through. Pour the noodles on top of the peas in the colander and drain out the water. Immediately pour the noodles and peas back into the pot. Add the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil and toss to prevent the noodles from sticking. Stir in the tofu, rice vinegar, cilantro, and salt to taste.
Serve immediately with the Sriracha alongside.

18 comments:

Matthew said...

Can we have this for dinner tomorrow??? It's sooooo LUCID.

jeana sohn said...

i want to eat that!!!

Heather Taylor said...

your knife skills frighten me. FRIGHTEN me. but i love this post :) closet.

Amelia Morris said...

@jeana: I'll make it for you!

@heather: i'm scared too.

sara said...

That looks super delicious. I might make it with peanut instead of almond - think that would work? I have a love affair with peanut sauce.

Mary Anne said...

I have to agree with sara about peanuts. Yum. Peanuts.

That looks great though! Good luck with the vegan challenge.

I ate a vegan donut this morning and that in and of itself was challenge enough for me.

Megan Taylor said...

a. I will make this

b. I love vegan challenge...which I'm not doing but love that you are all doing it

c. love the "ef-ups"

d. love 1st name basis with Gwyneth

e. xoxo

Anonymous said...

a few things:

1) love that you're doing this as i was a vegan at one point in my life, but i love dairy too much so i had to get back to the other side.

2) i did g.p.'s goop cleanse and became obsessed with that carrot and ginger dressing. still love it.

3) do you visit 101cookbooks.com? it's my favorite healthy food site and there are so many great vegan/veggie recipes on there.

4) if you are in need of more vegan recipes i would be happy to suggest a few. : )

so awesome of you to do this! i love it! xo

r.f. said...

I am not a vegan but I have a vegan cookbook recommendation for you, Bryant Terry's Vegan Soul Food is brilliant! You can find a bunch of his recipes on line if you need them during your challenge. Good luck!

Amelia Morris said...

@keepfeeling and r.f.: THANK YOU!! i am in total need of vegan recommendations.

moonui.. said...

this looks delicious!!
yummmmmmmmmmmmmm<3

Mel said...

This is great, I love all things soba..You’ve inspired me and some friends, we are now doing a vegan cleanse until the end of the month, posting some recipes...not as hard as I thought it was going to be.

Amelia Morris said...

@Eso Meliae: LOVE to hear that!!!

Alex said...

Mmmm lucid dreamy looking dish. This peanut baked tofu recipe (http://n.pr/8y1GrU) has been my go-to tofu recipe for months but I'm excited to give the almond tofu a whirl.
Thanks for another great idea Amelia!

Sara from Vienna said...

Use a silpat non-stick sheet on your cookie sheet and make the recipe exactly as written and the tofu is perfect. Have made it many times and it is a family favorite.

Lindsey Joy said...

This is such a yummy recipe. Thanks for the recommendation! We've made it twice in the past two weeks. Last time we improvised with hot sesame oil and it was even more delicious. Your blog has become my go to dinner resource! Thank you for everything you do @Amelia.

Amelia Morris said...

Thank YOU, Lindsey!!

And thanks for reminding me it's time to make this again. :)

The Hungry Lovers said...

Hey there! Thanks for posting this recipe; it's fabulous, and I included it in a recipe roundup of Meatless Monday meals on my food blog The Hungry Lovers. I'm going to try it with peanut butter, too.