I am madly in love with New Orleans, and it is actually not a long drive from where I live! My husband and I took our daughter to New Orleans a few months ago, and we had an amazing time. I had some amazing food, but couldn’t find a lot of Cajun food that was vegan. I was pretty jealous of all the spicy goodness my husband had. So here we are. Cajun spiced tofu and creamy grits with some super garlicky kale! This whole recipe is so quick and easy! The perfect weeknight meal!…
tofu
Vegan Red Curry Soup with Crispy Tofu
So here we are, what day is it? The 3rd of January? Okay, I am still at it. Clean eating that is. I decided to work on a soup since it is cold out(sort of) and I have also been craving something super spicy(probably since I have been so sick recently). What is the spiciest and most internally warming thing I could think of? Curry! I thought about green or red, and actually bought both green and red curry paste, but ultimately decided on red, but you can definitely use green curry if you want!
Let’s have a chat for a second, this soup is very spicy, so I put an option in the recipe for either 1 or 2 tablespoons of curry paste depending on how you like it. I added 2 tablespoons, and I loved it, but I could see how others might not like it that spicy, so ya know, just customize it for your tastes. I find with most soups, you have to keep tasting to adjust the seasoning, so just make it how you like it!
Let’s chat about one more thing, when I was perusing my local Asian market for curry pastes, several of them contained shrimp(and a bunch didn’t) so just make sure you are getting one that is vegan. I probably don’t have to tell you to check the label if you are vegan, that is probably something you do regularly, but I just want to make sure we were on the same page, are you picking up what I am throwing down? Great! You are ready to make one of the most delicious soups ever!
This soup is so surprisingly complex while still being quick and easy. I really believe if you can’t cook(or think you can’t), anyone can make soup. This is a great place to start, throwing everything in a pot is my kind of dinner. The crispy tofu also requires no skill. My husband found out a while ago that if you cut tofu thin, press it, and bake it at a high temperature for about 30-40 minutes, it becomes so crispy it is just like you fried it, but so much healthier!
This soup has everything, spice, sweetness, acidity, saltiness, it is so beautiful! I hope you enjoy!
- 1 Block of extra firm tofu
- 2 tsp. Salt
- 1 Tbsp. Coconut oil
- 4 Cloves of garlic,chopped
- 1 Tbsp. Fresh ginger,grated
- 1 Shallot,chopped
- 1-2 Tbsp. Red curry paste,vegan
- 4 C. Vegetable broth
- 1 C. Water
- 1 C. Coconut cream
- 3 Tbsp. Soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp. Agave
- 2 Tbsp. Rice wine vinegar
- Juice of 2 Limes
- 1 pk. Rice noodles
- Cut the tofu into squares about 1/8 inch thick. Sprinkle tofu with salt and press between 2 paper towels. Let sit for about 15 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees, and lay tofu in a single layer on a baking sheet that has been sprayed with non stick spray. Bake tofu for 30-40 until it is brown and crispy.
- While the tofu is baking, in a large soup pot, heat coconut oil on medium heat.
- Add the garlic, ginger and shallot. Stir and cook for about 2 minutes until the shallot starts to get translucent.
- Add the curry paste and stir.
- Add the broth, water, coconut cream, soy sauce, agave, and rice wine vinegar. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low.
- Stir and cook for about 20-30 minutes to develop flavor, stirring every few minutes and tasting to adjust seasoning, you can always add more soy sauce for salt and agave for sweetness.
- Add the lime juice and noodles.
- Finish cooking for as long as the noodles need to cook according to the directions.
- Once the tofu is done, serve the soup with the tofu on top!
- Garnish with cilantro, green onions and more limes!
- Remember while you are tasting during the long cooking process, that if it needs more acid, you will be adding lime juice at the end.
Vegan Sweet Chipotle Tofu Fingers
When I was a kid, my dad would experiment with different chicken wings. He would make up a bunch of different sauce combinations, and toss a few wings into each and give them a try. My dad loves to cook, and experiment, and from a very young age, he inspired me greatly. He instilled in me how amazing it is to eat whole foods, non-processed junk and to eat all my veggies! In the 80’s and 90’s, everyone was always so impressed that my dad loved to cook, was raising kids by himself, had a full time job and still managed to make most of our meals from scratch. My dad is a hardworking bad ass, who is madly in love with chicken wings, and this recipe is dedicated to him.
One of the best sauces my dad made, was his sweet and spicy sauce. However, from what I remember, he used ketchup and sugar. So, probably not the healthiest choice, and then there is the matter of the chicken. I thought about what protien I could get crispy and firm enough without frying, and tofu was my answer. Yes, these babies are baked not fried, with a refined sugar-free sauce. I felt pretty guilt-free downing a couple of these tofu fingers.
I dried and pressed the tofu for a good amount of time first, also pro-vegan tip, salt the tofu before you press it, it will draw out even more moisture! Then I baked the tofu sticks at a high temperature for a while, and bam! Super crispy, crunchy, so amazing, no one will know it isn’t fried tofu fingers! Then I tossed it in the best damn sauce you have every tasted, dunked it in some vegan ranch and holy crap! You will never look at tofu the same way again. Boring old tofu, hell no!
So, to make these tofu fingers so crispy and dreamy, besides the baking at a high temperature, the dredging process is key. Three bowls, three steps, vegan buttermilk, flour with salt and pepper and panko bread crumbs. My pro tip for this process, and to keep your sanity, use one hand for the wet and the other hand for dry ones! Makes life so much easier. I promise this is not a complicated process. You are on your way to one of the greatest things ever.
Yum, yum. In the oven they go. The sauce is a quick process done in a small sauce pan heated for a few minutes until thickened and you are ready to go! Hope you enjoy!
Vegan Sweet Chipotle Tofu Fingers
- Prep Time: 1h 30m
- Cook Time: 45m
- Total Time: 2h 15m
- Serves: 6
- Yield: About 20 tofu fingers
- Category: Entree
Ingredients
Tofu Fingers
- 1 Block Extra firm tofu
- 1 c All purpose flour
- Dash of salt and pepper
- 2 c Panko bread crumbs
- 1 c Almond milk
- 1 tsp. Lemon juice
- 1/4 c Coconut oil
Sweet Chipotle Sauce
- 1/2 c Tomato sauce
- 1/2 c Agave nectar
- 1 tbsp. Hot sauce
- 1 tbsp. Apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp. Garlic powder
- 1 1/2 tsp. Salt
- 1/2 tsp. Chipotle powder
- 1/3 c Cold water
- 2 tbsp. Cornstarch
Instructions
- Cut tofu into sticks, salt and press in between paper towels for at least an hour.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. With three large bowls, put flour and salt and pepper in one bowl, panko in another and almond milk with lemon juice in the last one.
- Line a baking sheet with foil and spread coconut oil or oil of choice on the bottom of the pan.
- Dip each tofu stick into flour,then almond milk mixture and then into panko. Make sure they are fully coated. Place each stick onto the baking sheet and repeat until all are breaded. Bake at 400 for 35-40 minutes. Flipping over each tofu stick half way through the cooking process so they brown on both sides. They are finished when brown and crispy.
- While the tofu is baking, in a small sauce pan, whisk all the sauce ingredients together, except the cold water and cornstarch. Bring the sauce to a simmer, and in a small bowl, mix together the cold water and corn starch. Add the cornstarch slurry to the sauce pan and whisk. Simmer for about five minutes until the sauce has thickened. Taste and adjust seasonings.
- Once the tofu is done, toss in the sauce and serve! I recommend a vegan ranch dressing to dip in, but plain ones are mighty fine as well!