By Jen, on July 1st, 2011%  
It’s hard to believe that I’ve never posted a tofu recipe on my blog. I absolutely love tofu and cook with it all the time. The problem is I immediately eat it instead of photographing and writing about it. Today I exercised some restraint and snapped a few photos so I could share a basic recipe for baked tofu.
There are many different styles of tofu. I prefer extra firm tub-style tofu…the kind soaking in water. I’ve found that silken tofu is too delicate to make baked tofu with. (Silken tofu does work well in many dessert, smoothie and soup recipes.)
The first step is to drain and rinse the tofu. Then gently but firmly press to release extra water from the block of tofu. Then slice the block into 8 slices. (You can also cube the tofu. I prefer to simply slice and then cut-up into cubes or triangles after baking, depending on the recipe I’m making.)
Place the tofu slices on an oiled shallow baking sheet. Coat both sides of the tofu with a flavorful sauce. I like to use a mixture of tamari soy sauce, white wine, sriracha, hoisin and sesame oil. The sauce absorbs into the tofu during baking.
Baked tofu is great served with brown rice and veggies, on salads, in a sandwich or even by itself as a high protein vegetarian snack.
Easy Baked Tofu
1 package (12-ounces) tub-style extra firm tofu
1 tablespoon tamari (soy sauce)
1 tablespoon white wine, mirin, sake or orange juice
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons sriracha sauce
1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Oil a shallow baking pan.
Drain and rinse tofu. Press tofu brick to release excess water. Slice tofu brick into 8 slices. Place tofu slices in a single layer in baking pan.
For sauce, stir together tamari, wine, hoisin, sriracha and sesame oil. Spoon and spread sauce over both sides of tofu slices. Bake tofu 25 to 30 minutes until sauce is absorbed and the edges begin to brown, carefully turning halfway through baking. Serve warm or cold. Store in the refrigerator.
Makes 4 servings (2 slices each)
Tip: For easier cleanup, line the baking sheet with foil or parchment paper.
Recipe Links for more tofu recipes around the web:
Tofu Steak with Miso and Ginger from The Kitchn
Grilled Tofu and Pepper Vegetarian Tacos from Herbavoracious
Tofu Burgers from 101 Cookbooks
Product Links:
Vegetarian Times Magazine Subscription
Get Vitamix 5200 Blender with Free Shipping Code
By Jen, on May 28th, 2011% 
Cooked brown rice is the perfect base for an easy dinner- just add some veggies and sauce to make a quick rice bowl. The more veggies the better, especially when adding greens like kale.
Since kale stems are tough, only the kale leaves are used in this recipe. Once the stems are removed, the kale leaves are blanched until they begin to get tender.
Kale Fried Rice
1 bunch fresh kale
6 cups water
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon safflower oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 jalapeno or Serrano chile pepper, seeded and chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 cups cooked brown rice, such as basmati or jasmine
2 tablespoons sake or white wine
2 tablespoons tamari soy sauce
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon pure maple syrup
2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds
Rinse and drain kale; remove and discard stems. Combine water and salt in a large (5-quart) pot; bring to boiling. Add kale leaves to pot; return to boiling. Cook kale for 5 minutes. Drain and cool kale. Squeeze water from kale and coarsely chop; set aside.
Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add onion; cook and stir 5 minutes. Add jalapeno and garlic; cook and stir 1 minute. Stir in kale; cook and stir 3 minutes. Add rice; cook and stir until heated through.
For sauce, in a small bowl stir together sake, tamari, sesame oil and maple syrup. Add sauce to skillet; bring to boiling and cook 2 to 3 minutes until sauce is absorbed. Stir in sesame seeds.
Serve with additional tamari and some sriracha sauce. A squeeze of lemon juice is another great addition to this fried rice dish.
Makes about 3 1/2 cups
Tip: Orange juice can be used in place of the sake or white wine.
Product Links:
The Eat-Clean Diet Cookbook 2: More Great-Tasting Recipes That Keep You Lean
Get Vitamix 5200 Blender with Free Shipping Code
By Jen, on March 20th, 2011% 
What makes this veggie soup my favorite? Memories of my favorite cookbook, the fifteenth anniversary (1992) edition of Mollie Katzen’s Moosewood Cookbook. It was the first cookbook I bought with my own money. The first cookbook I read like a novel…the story got better with each turn of the page. Using the Moosewood Cookbook helped me learn how to cook new and delicious vegetarian dishes.
Over the years I added at least 100 cookbooks to my collection, but my battered Moosewood Cookbook still had a prominent place on the shelf. You can imagine my disappointment when I somehow lost the book in a move. Since my edition of the cookbook was long out of print, I was out of luck. That is until I found a used copy at Powell’s Books in Portland. You should have seen the smile on my face.
Anyway, I’ve been paging through the book again and came across a vegetable soup recipe I used to make. I always loved the name, Gypsy Soup. What I liked most about it was the combination of sweet potatoes, chickpeas, tomato and paprika. (That was pretty exotic when I first started cooking.) So, today I cleaned out the vegetable drawer and made a pot of soup inspired by my trusty Moosewood Cookbook. I improvise when making soup, throwing a bit of this and that in the pot, so it’s not the same recipe as the one in the book. But, it reminds me enough of Gypsy Soup to make it my new favorite veggie soup.
Favorite Veggie Soup
1 tablespoon canola or safflower oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium green or red bell pepper, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
8 ounces white button or cremini mushrooms, sliced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
6 cups water
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
2 teaspoons curry powder
1/2 teaspoon mild paprika
Dash cayenne pepper
1 can (14.5 ounces) petite diced tomatoes (do not drain)
1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
Juice from half of a fresh lemon
1 to 2 tablespoons soy sauce
In large pot (5-quart), heat oil over medium heat. Add onion, bell pepper and carrot; cook 8 minutes, stirring frequently. Add mushrooms and garlic; cook and stir 2 minutes.
Add water, sweet potatoes, salt, curry powder, paprika and cayenne pepper. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 to 15 minutes or until vegetables are just tender.
Add tomatoes and chickpeas. Return to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes more.
Stir in lemon juice and soy sauce. Taste and adjust seasoning, if needed.
Makes about 11 cups soup
Serving Tip: Top each serving with a sprinkle of fresh chopped cilantro.
Recipe Link:
Curried Squash, Mushroom and Orange Soup by Mollie Katzen
Product Link:
The New Moosewood Cookbook (Mollie Katzen’s Classic Cooking)
By Jen, on February 21st, 2011% 
It’s a snow day here is Minneapolis. Over a foot of snow is on the ground and my car is stuck and buried. I should have a pot of soup on the stove, or a loaf of bread in the oven. But no, as an act of weather defiance I just made a big batch of salad. Take that old man winter. I’m fighting the winter blahs with this quinoa and black bean salad recipe that’s dressed with a bright and fresh lime and ancho chile vinaigrette. I made the dressing with equal parts lime juice and extra virgin olive oil, but it could probably take more lime juice. (I only had 1 lime and running to the store in a snow storm was not an option!). The ancho chile adds nice flavor, but no heat. If you like a bit of spice add a dash of cayenne pepper or a chopped fresh jalapeno pepper.
Quinoa Black Bean Salad
1 cup uncooked quinoa
1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 medium red or green bell pepper, chopped
1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes, quartered
4 green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon ancho chile powder
Fine sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Cook quinoa according to package directions. Place cooked quinoa in a large mixing bowl; cool slightly. Stir in black beans, bell pepper, tomatoes, green onions and cilantro.
For dressing, whisk together lime juice, olive oil and ancho chile powder. Pour dressing over quinoa mixture; stir to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Salad can be served immediately or covered and chilled for several hours. Store in refrigerator.
Makes about 7 cups salad
How to Cook Quinoa
1 cup uncooked quinoa
2 cups water
Place quinoa in a fine mesh strainer. Rinse and drain quinoa. Combine quinoa and water in a medium saucepan. Bring to boiling. Cover and reduce heat to a gentle simmer. Cook 10 to 15 minutes until the water is absorbed and the quinoa is tender. Makes about 4 cups cooked quinoa.
Recipe Links:
Lemon Quinoa Salad with Chickpeas
Lemon-Scented Quinoa Salad from Heidi at 101 Cookbooks
Product Link:
Ancient Harvest Quinoa INCA Red Organic Gluten Free – 12 OZ
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Welcome Hi there, my name is Jen. Eating Clean Recipes is my healthy recipe blog. It's a place where healthy meets delicious. All recipes are created by me and made in my Minneapolis kitchen. I follow a plant based diet, so fresh and natural foods are my ingredients of choice. I hope you enjoy these healthy vegetarian recipes and easy vegan recipes. Thanks for visiting.
All text and photos © 2009-2012 Food Fix, LLC
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