Tofu Enchiladas

I've posted this recipe before, but it was a really long time ago. It's one of the husband's favorites, and I had most of the ingredients for it recently. I'd forgotten how much I like it, although I think it's a lot better when it's fresh as opposed to the leftovers. The husband had no problem eating the leftovers, but I just didn't care for them as much. This is a great recipe for disguising tofu because you really have no idea it's even in there. My college roommate, Joanne, made this for me one time while she lived here in Phoenix, and I immediately fell in love with it. This was also one of the first--if not the actual first--meal I made for the husband when we were first dating.

Tofu Enchiladas

1 package firm tofu
2/3 cup plain yogurt
1/2 tsp tumeric
1/4 tsp paprika
1 cup sliced mushrooms
3-4 green onions
1 cup sliced olives
1 can drained black beans
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
Mexican seasoning
12 corn tortillas
2 cans mild enchilada sauce
1 cup grated cheddar cheese

Mix together first 10 ingredients. Divide filling between tortillas, following diections for rolling on can. Top with 1 cup grated cheese and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

*****

The only thing I did differently was to use whole wheat flour tortillas instead of corn because I had them on hand and didn't feel like making my own corn tortillas. I had some filling left over--not enough to fill another tortilla but too much to just throw away--so I spread it on the top of the enchiladas before pouring the sauce on there.

We all really liked this. The boy doesn't like mushrooms, but he picked them out. The baby ate just as much of this as I did! He's an eater for sure, but it always amazes me when he eats an adult size portion! I'll have to get this in the dinner rotation more often since we all enjoy it.

Enchilada filling:


Mmmmm...saucy, cheesey enchiladas:

Peanutty Udon Noodles with Tofu

A couple weeks ago Jen B. and I found ourselves at Whole Foods. Neither of us make it there very often, so we decided to have a good coveting session while we walked around. Of course, it would have been much more enjoyable had the boy not been hitting her son all the time and if the baby hadn't been screaming. Sigh. It's probably for the best as I could easily blow my entire food budget in one trip there. It was getting to be lunch time while we were there, so we decided to get us lunch there and get Happy Meals for the boys. We each got a tray of sushi to share and then each got 3/4 pound of their spicy udon noodle salad. Lordy mama was it ever tasty!!

I liked the salad so much I thought I'd try to create something similar on my own. Did you know the Whole Foods website has recipes on it? It does. So, I searched on there and found this recipe, although I'm modifying it somewhat based on what I have on hand. This sounded like what I wanted, so we'll see how it goes.

Peanutty Udon Noodle and Tofu Salad
1/2 cup natural peanut butter
1/4 cup honey
6 to 7 tablespoons tamari
1 teaspoon brown rice vinegar
1 teaspoon garlic chile sauce (optional)
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons sesame oil
20 ounces tofu, drained and cut into 1/2-thick slices
10 ounces dried udon noodles
3 cups chopped napa cabbage, green part only
3 carrots, sliced
1 bunch red radishes, quartered
1/3 cup dry roasted peanuts

In a food processor, mix together peanut butter, honey, 3 tablespoons of the tamari, vinegar, chile sauce, garlic, and 2 tablespoons warm water and puree to make a sauce. Set aside.

Heat oil in large skillet over medium high heat. When oil is hot, cook tofu on first side for approximately 7 minutes. Carefully sprinkle tofu with half of the remaining 3 or 4 tablespoons tamari and cook for about 4 more minutes or until the first side is golden brown. Flip tofu and sprinkle second side with the remaining tamari. Cook until golden brown, then transfer tofu to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside to let drain.

Cook udon noodles according to package directions, drain and transfer to a large bowl. In a large pot with a steamer basket, steam cabbage, carrots and radishes for 5 to 7 minutes or until crisp-tender. Combine noodles with vegetables and mix in reserved peanut sauce. Top with peanuts and serve.

Nutrition
Per serving (about 11oz/314g-wt.): 510 calories (200 from fat), 22g total fat, 3.5g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 1390mg sodium, 59g total carbohydrate (6g dietary fiber, 19g sugar), 24g protein

*****

I bought some Thai peanut sauce at Costco, so instead of making my own sauce I'm just going to use that stuff. And I'm going to heat up a bag of stir fry veggies instead of the cabbage, carrots, and radishes. So really the only parts I'm keeping are the tofu and udon noodles.

I have my tofu draining right now, I like to give it at least 30 minutes to drain. I put some paper towels on a plate, then put the tofu block on that, then put another plate on top with something heavy resting on it to drain the excess liquid out of the tofu. You want to make sure it's drained really well, otherwise it won't brown up nicely when you cook it. I generally like to use extra firm tofu for something like this, but my store was out of it yesterday, so I had to settle for regular firm tofu. I hope it does okay.

*****

WOW. This was yummy!!! I wish my camera(s) had been downstairs so I could have taken a picture, but they were both up here in the office since I had recently uploaded pics from the boy's birthday weekend. This was super easy to put together, which I love. The firm tofu held up well, and I think I may have actually liked the cooked texture of it better than extra firm. I used about 3/4 cup of the bottled sauce (this is the website for the stuff I bought) which was plenty. This could easily be made using regular pasta, like spaghetti or linguine. This is definitely something I will make again. Yum!

Tofu Lo Mein

Hope everyone had a nice weekend!! Ours was GREAT! We did nothing on Sunday except lounge by and play in the pool. It was awesome. Totally what I needed. We got home from our staycation on Monday, but we didn't have much in the house to make for dinner, and I didn't really feel like cooking anyway, so we all had grilled cheese sandwiches. Exciting.

Last night I was going to make this recipe, but I think I upset the baby and overdid it with stuff around the house yesterday because if I'd stand up for more than a minute or two, my baby belly would get awfully uncomfortable! So I resorted to laying on the couch and drinking water, and the husband stopped and got Little Caesar's pizza for us. I've told you it's our universal dinner back-up plan!

I had an OB appointment today and was up seven pounds from last month. Ouch. I need to get on the ball with some healthy dinners. I only gained 27 when I was pregnant with the boy, so I want to keep it around that. I'm up 20 pounds total with 11 weeks to go, so I need to watch it. I blame it entirely on having eaten out all weekend. Anyway, I'm extra glad we're having this for dinner tonight because I need a good healthy meal. I had planned on having it a couple weeks ago, but the tofu was past its date when I took it out of the fridge.

Tofu Lo Mein
1 (16 ounce) package extra firm tofu
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 (3 ounce) packages Oriental flavored ramen noodles
1 (16 ounce) package frozen stir-fry vegetables
1 1/2 cups water
1 tablespoon soy sauce, or to taste

Press tofu between paper towels to remove some of the water; cut in to bite size cubes. Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add tofu, and fry until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent burning.

Meanwhile bring water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add noodles from ramen packages, reserving the seasoning envelopes. Boil for about 2 minutes, just until the noodles break apart. Drain.

Add the stir-fry vegetables to the pan with the tofu, and season with the ramen noodle seasoning packet. Cook, stirring occasionally until vegetables are tender, but not mushy. Add noodles, and stir to blend. Season with soy sauce to taste and serve.

*****

Totally easy and super yummy. Even the boy usually eats it, so that makes it a winner in my book. I'm sure if you have kids--especially toddlers--you know how that goes. Just make sure you start draining your tofu early enough. I let mine drain for an hour or so, sometimes more.

Tofu Lo Mein

This was our other vegetarian dish for the week. The husband is getting antsy for me to finish up so we can start our shows, so no fanfare, just the recipe.

Tofu Lo Mein
1 (16 ounce) package extra firm tofu
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 (3 ounce) packages Oriental flavored ramen noodles
1 (16 ounce) package frozen stir-fry vegetables
1 1/2 cups water
1 tablespoon soy sauce, or to taste

Press tofu between paper towels to remove some of the water; cut in to bite size cubes. Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add tofu, and fry until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent burning.

Meanwhile bring water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add noodles from ramen packages, reserving the seasoning envelopes. Boil for about 2 minutes, just until the noodles break apart. Drain.

Add the stir-fry vegetables to the pan with the tofu, and season with the ramen noodle seasoning packet. Cook, stirring occasionally until vegetables are tender, but not mushy. Add noodles, and stir to blend. Season with soy sauce to taste and serve.

Tofu Lo Mein

The boy and I are heading out of town on Wednesday to visit my sister-in-law and nephews in CA. We're so excited to see them!! I wanted something we had everything on hand for tonight, tomorrow I'm making lasagna. I'm toying with trying a new recipe...we'll see. Anyway, we haven't had this in awhile and I really like it. I have a "stupid Claire" confession I'll post after the recipe. No scrolling down to see that first!

Tofu Lo Mein
1 (16 ounce) package extra firm tofu
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 (3 ounce) packages Oriental flavored ramen noodles
1 (16 ounce) package frozen stir-fry vegetables
1 1/2 cups water
1 tablespoon soy sauce, or to taste

Press tofu between paper towels to remove some of the water; cut in to bite size cubes. Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add tofu, and fry until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent burning.

Meanwhile bring water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add noodles from ramen packages, reserving the seasoning envelopes. Boil for about 2 minutes, just until the noodles break apart. Drain.

Add the stir-fry vegetables to the pan with the tofu, and season with the ramen noodle seasoning packet. Cook, stirring occasionally until vegetables are tender, but not mushy. Add noodles, and stir to blend. Season with soy sauce to taste and serve.

*****

So, I've made this a few times and I thought the recipe called for one package of ramen noodles. You can even go back and read the reviews and I flat out say "this should have more noodles" or something along those lines. When I was copying the recipe to paste in here, I realized it DOES call for two packages. D'oh! I'm so dumb. So, if you've read this recipe in the past and thought, "What's she talking about, needing two packages of noodles?! That's what it calls for!" Now you know. I apparently don't know how to read numbers...strange since I used to work in finance and was good at my job.

My tofu is sizzling on the stove as I type this. I'm so hungry. Oooh...I need to see if I still have some egg rolls in the freezer!

Tofu Stir Fry

I had planned on making chicken stir fry for dinner on Wednesday night, but I used my last chicken breasts on Monday. I didn't want to have to come up with a whole new dinner, so I modified it and used tofu instead of chicken. I love stir fry for dinner--it's so easy! BTW, I buy Yoshida's teriyaki sauce at Costco, so I usually always have it on hand. We like things saucy, so I tend to add quite a bit of sauce.

Tofu Stir Fry
1 package extra firm tofu
1 package (one pound) frozen stir fry vegetables
Teriyaki sauce
Rice

Drain tofu. Spray large skillet or wok with non-stick spray and heat over medium-high heat. Add tofu and cook until lightly browned. Remove tofu from pan, add stir fry vegetables and cover. Cook until veggies are heated through. Return tofu to skillet, add in teriyaki sauce. Stir and let teriyaki sauce heat through. Serve over rice.

Tofu Fried Rice

Those of you who have been reading my blog for awhile (i.e. my husband, brother, Jen A., and Joanne) may remember us trying this recipe before and not liking it. I didn't have enough soy sauce last time, so I figured it was worth another go. Plus all I needed to buy were the frozen peas and carrots.

Tofu Fried Rice
2 cups uncooked instant rice
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
1 (14-ounce) package reduced-fat firm tofu, drained and cut into (1/2-inch) cubes
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup (1/2-inch-thick) slices green onions
1 cup frozen peas and carrots, thawed
2 teaspoons bottled minced garlic
1 teaspoon bottled minced fresh ginger
2 tablespoons sake (rice wine)
3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
1/2 teaspoon dark sesame oil
Thinly sliced green onions (optional)

Cook rice according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. While rice cooks, heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add tofu; cook 4 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring occasionally. Remove from pan. Add eggs to pan; cook 1 minute or until done, breaking egg into small pieces. Remove from pan. Add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil to pan. Add 1 cup onions, peas and carrots, garlic, and ginger; sauté 2 minutes.

While vegetable mixture cooks, combine sake, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, and sesame oil. Add cooked rice to pan; cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add tofu, egg, and soy sauce mixture; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Garnish with sliced green onions, if desired.

*****

I don't use the instant rice, I had some white rice left from the gumbo so I made that instead of my usual brown rice. I have to say, I love the cooking time of white rice over brown rice, but I like the taste of brown rice better. I also don't have any fresh ginger, so I figure I'll sprinkle some ground up ginger in the pan. And since my two year old is going to eat it, I'm hesitant about using sake, so I'm going to use rice wine vinegar instead.

Tofu Lo Mein

Okay, getting more caught up. This was what we had for dinner last night. It's one of our favorites, and I had a package of tofu in the fridge. This is also one of my favorites because it's super cheap. Roughly $1.50 for a package of tofu, $0.15 for the ramen noodles, and $1 for the bag of frozen vegetables. Can't beat that!

Tofu Lo Mein
1 (16 ounce) package extra firm tofu
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 (3 ounce) packages Oriental flavored ramen noodles
1 (16 ounce) package frozen stir-fry vegetables
1 1/2 cups water
1 tablespoon soy sauce, or to taste

Press tofu between paper towels to remove some of the water; cut in to bite size cubes. Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add tofu, and fry until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent burning.

Meanwhile bring water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add noodles from ramen packages, reserving the seasoning envelopes. Boil for about 2 minutes, just until the noodles break apart. Drain.

Add the stir-fry vegetables to the pan with the tofu, and season with the ramen noodle seasoning packet. Cook, stirring occasionally until vegetables are tender, but not mushy. Add noodles, and stir to blend. Season with soy sauce to taste and serve.

*****

I remembered too late (i.e. as I was cooking) that the last time we had this we decided it needed two packages of ramen noodles because one wasn't really enough. Oops. Hopefully I'll remember that next time. This time also I waited until I had added the vegetables to start cooking the ramen, otherwise it gets really sticky just sitting there.

Tofu Lo Mein

Okay, so I lied and I did go to a store, but it was a small, natural type market, so it wasn't that busy. And they had tofu for only $1.09! Sweet! So tonight we're having tofu lo mein because it's easy, and I have everything else on hand for it. We've only had it one other time, but it was really good.

Tofu Lo Mein
1 (16 ounce) package extra firm tofu
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 (3 ounce) packages Oriental flavored ramen noodles
1 (16 ounce) package frozen stir-fry vegetables
1 1/2 cups water
1 tablespoon soy sauce, or to taste

Press tofu between paper towels to remove some of the water; cut in to bite size cubes. Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add tofu, and fry until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent burning.

Meanwhile bring water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add noodles from ramen packages, reserving the seasoning envelopes. Boil for about 2 minutes, just until the noodles break apart. Drain.

Add the stir-fry vegetables to the pan with the tofu, and season with the ramen noodle seasoning packet. Cook, stirring occasionally until vegetables are tender, but not mushy. Add noodles, and stir to blend. Season with soy sauce to taste and serve.

Tofu Enchiladas

Our vegetarian week continues with Tofu Enchiladas. This recipe was from my friend Joanne (Hi, Jo!) who I think got it from our friend Kate. If you didn't know there was tofu in it, you'd really have no idea. I was pretty skeptical the first time she made it for me, but it's awesome. Even if you don't like tofu, give it a go.

(Jane, here's the recipe you've been waiting for!)

Tofu Enchiladas
1 package firm tofu
2/3 cup plain yogurt
1/2 tsp tumeric
1/4 tsp paprika
1 cup sliced mushrooms
3-4 green onions
1 cup sliced olives
1 can drained black beans
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
Mexican seasoning
12 corn tortillas
2 cans mild enchilada sauce
1 cup grated cheddar cheese

Mix together first 10 ingredients. Divide filling between tortillas, following diections for rolling on can. Top with 1 cup grated cheese and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

*****

Okay, I don't use tumeric in mine because I never have it on hand and have stopped buying spices that I only use in one recipe. I also forgot paprika and Mexican seasoning this time. We don't like corn tortillas, so I used flour this time and liked it a lot better, but use what you like. I had enough filling for seven burrito size flour tortillas. I placed the rolled tortillas seam-side down in a 9x13 pan and then poured one big can of enchilada sauce over the top of all of them, then topped with cheese.

Tofu Lo Mein

Okay, we're giving tofu another try. Thanks to my good friend Joanne, I think I know how to drain it properly now. When I tried the fried rice, I don't think I got enough water out of it, so it crumbled up instead of browning in little chunks like it was supposed to. So, fingers crossed that it works!

This is from allrecipes.com, but it's a new recipe for us. I'm hoping it's good because I don't really have a back up plan.

Tofu Lo Mein
1 (16 ounce) package extra firm tofu
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 (3 ounce) packages Oriental flavored ramen noodles
1 (16 ounce) package frozen stir-fry vegetables
1 1/2 cups water
1 tablespoon soy sauce, or to taste


Press tofu between paper towels to remove some of the water; cut in to bite size cubes. Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add tofu, and fry until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent burning.

Meanwhile bring water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add noodles from ramen packages, reserving the seasoning envelopes. Boil for about 2 minutes, just until the noodles break apart. Drain.

Add the stir-fry vegetables to the pan with the tofu, and season with the ramen noodle seasoning packet. Cook, stirring occasionally until vegetables are tender, but not mushy. Add noodles, and stir to blend. Season with soy sauce to taste and serve.

*****

I think this dinner is costing something like $3 to make, so even if it sucks, I'm not out that much money. Oh, and I didn't post last night because we just had tacos which weren't anything special. I've found Walmart has the Boca grounds for $2.96 a box, so I've been stocking up each time I go. I love tacos/burritos with that instead of ground beef. Out of curiousity when I was at the regular grocery store on Monday, I checked the price of the Boca grounds there, and on sale they were $3.99 for the box!

Tomorrow night we're going to a Family Night Out event with my MOMS Club, so I'm just heating up some frozen garlic chicken pasta mix I got at Costco awhile back. I'll be back on Thursday, then we're off to Mexico for the weekend. Ole! ;)

Tofu Fried Rice

Here's another one from my new Cooking Light cookbook. We aren't big tofu eaters, but after I found out at the grocery store yesterday that it was $1.27 for 14 ounces I think we'll start having it more often.

Tofu Fried Rice
2 cups uncooked instant rice
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
1 (14-ounce) package reduced-fat firm tofu, drained and cut into (1/2-inch) cubes
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup (1/2-inch-thick) slices green onions
1 cup frozen peas and carrots, thawed
2 teaspoons bottled minced garlic
1 teaspoon bottled minced fresh ginger
2 tablespoons sake (rice wine)
3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
1/2 teaspoon dark sesame oil
Thinly sliced green onions (optional)

Cook rice according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. While rice cooks, heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add tofu; cook 4 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring occasionally. Remove from pan. Add eggs to pan; cook 1 minute or until done, breaking egg into small pieces. Remove from pan. Add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil to pan. Add 1 cup onions, peas and carrots, garlic, and ginger; sauté 2 minutes.

While vegetable mixture cooks, combine sake, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, and sesame oil. Add cooked rice to pan; cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add tofu, egg, and soy sauce mixture; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Garnish with sliced green onions, if desired.

*****

So I'm going to use brown rice instead of Minute Rice because I just like it better and it's what I have on hand. I figure I'll make it earlier in the day so it's ready to go when I need it. I'm also going to use Egg Beaters instead of the real eggs since we don't eat real eggs. I think those are the only modifications I'll do. I'm excited to try it. I looked it up on the Cooking Light website, and it got really good reviews.