It’s been a while since I actually posted food. We ate out a lot while Dad was here (it just gave me brilliant ideas for things to make at home, and homesickness for Jasmine Deli in Minneapolis) and there have been a lot of repeats, too. Luckily I cooked tonight!
Not only did we get over three pounds of broccoli in this week’s CSA share, we still had some left in the fridge. Half of us in this household like broccoli, and half of us are my husband. The division of labor for eating the CSA veggies is not quite evenly divided.
First I considered making yet another batch of broccoli and cheddar soup, which is so tasty and would have been great on this rainy evening. Then I got sucked in to the multitude of unread posts in my Google Reader and suddenly realized that it was getting late and I was hungry. A rice bowl sounded good, but I’ve had a lot of stir fry lately. A typical dish is beef with broccoli, but what to swap out for the beef?
A quick sauce, some tofu triangles, and 20 minutes in the oven gave me a flavorful protein. While the tofu baked I cooked the rice and steamed some broccoli. A drizzle of sesame oil and some sesame seeds finished it off and I had a hearty, healthy bowl in under half an hour. Not bad for a Tuesday.
It was a bit of an experiment, so I would make some minor changes next time. I had two types of tofu in my fridge: soft silken tofu (best for soups) and super firm. The super firm block is great for frying up golden brown with virtually no draining, but for baking (a technique I had never gotten around to trying) it was too dense. You want firm tofu so it holds its shape, but it needs enough water to drain out that it can absorb the sauce while baking. The super firm tofu was coated in it, but it didn’t stick that well.
The other change I would make is simply serving the meal in a shallow dish. The deep bowl I used made it too difficult to eat the rice until the tofu and broccoli were gone. Silly, but annoying.
Baked Tofu and Broccoli
Serves 4
Ingredients:
1 pound firm or extra firm tofu
3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1/2 tablespoon molasses (or packed brown sugar)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons brown or Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon chili oil (less if desired)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 medium head broccoli, cut into florets
sesame oil and sesame seeds for topping
Directions:
1.) Preheat oven to 450F. Place tofu in between two plates and place a heavy object on top. Let drain. Pour off the excess liquid. Slice the tofu into two thinner sheets, then cut into triangles.
2.) Combine hoisin sauce, vinegar, molasses, soy sauce, mustard, chili oil, and garlic in a bowl and stir well. Place about 1/3 of the sauce in a shallow baking dish. Place tofu triangles in the pan and top with the rest of the sauce. Bake a 450F for 15-20 minutes.
3.) While the tofu is baking, heat 2/3 cup of water (enough to cover the bottom) in a large pan with a lid. When water boils, add broccoli and cover. Let steam about 3 minutes until bright green and tender. Pour off excess water and drizzle with sesame oil.
4.) Serve broccoli and tofu over rice if desired, sprinkled with sesame seeds.
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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
I’m so bad about tofu. I like it; I just don’t cook with it very often. This looks great though, especially since both my husband and I love broccoli!
This combines two of my favorite things in the world…flavored tofu and broccoli! If you cook with tofu that is not firm or extra firm I’d love to see more of those recipes. I’ve never tried making anything with those other varieties…it scares me.
Kate, you always leave comments like you’ve read my mind. I bought the soft tofu last time because I never use it either and wanted to try it. I will keep you posted once I figure out what to make!
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