Knead to Cook

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The easiest crunchy baked tofu.

August 25, 2020 by Knead to Cook Filed Under: Air Fried, Brunch, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Wheat Free

Good morning sweet people! Last week, before my latest and greatest knee procedure, I experimented with making some crunchy baked tofu and it came out so good – I had to share. I’ve made 2 batches & my husband & I cannot get enough. You can easily prepare in a sauté pan, bake or even air fry. Even the leftovers are insanely good! I add to my salads pretty much daily. And I’ll proclaim the wonders of this specific brand of tofu. If you cannot locate it, you must purchase an extra firm block of tofu. That’s key!

Ingredients:

1 block (if you are making more just double or triple the recipe) of Wildwood extra firm tofu, sliced into 8 or 10 “steaks”
1/3 cup of dijon mustard
1/2 cup of cornmeal
1 tsp of smoked paprika
1 tsp of garlic powder
1 tsp of salt
1 tsp cayenne or chili powder (whichever you prefer)

Method:

Take a baking sheet lined with either a Silpat or parchment and set that aside. If baking, preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

I remove the tofu from it’s package and set on a paper towel before slicing. You don’t need to press this tofu. Slice and set aside.

Into a larger mixing bowl add your cornmeal, paprika, garlic, salt and cayenne or chili powder. Whisk to combine.

On my cutting board I laid out all of the tofu slices and with a pastry brush – brushed a thin layer of dijon on the one side of the tofu. I carefully placed the coated side down into the cornmeal mixture. While that’s down, brush the dijon on the other side and flip. Place the coated tofu on the baking sheet and repeat until everything is coated. Depending on the thickness of your coating (dijon) you may need more or less. I was pretty thin with it.

I sprayed the upward side with a bit of avocado oil. If baking, bake for about 12-14 minutes then flip. Cook for another 8-10. Remove and serve or store when completely cooled, in an airtight container in the fridge. When I go to reheat I will pop in the air fryer for about 6 minutes at 350 degrees.

I also eat these cold.

If air frying, I would go for 6-7 minutes at 375 degrees and flip. Keep a watchful eye. I feel like every oven and air fryer is so inaccurate with temps.

If you prefer to make this in cubed form, I would suggest slicing the tofu into cubes. Into a large bowl add your dijon and thin out a tiny bit with water. Add your tofu cubes and toss to coat. Then spoon in batched, into your cornmeal mixture. Then spoon onto your baking sheet. Bake for less time, but toss often to ensure even baking.

I apologize for not having pics of the dredging but I was alone and I needed both hands. The next round of making these I’ll recruit Bill to help.

Enjoy!

~ox

— Knead to Cook

Plant based meal prepping.

August 23, 2019 by Knead to Cook Filed Under: Air Fried, Breakfast, Brownies, Brunch, Chili, Desserts, Gluten Free, Lentils, Nuts, Pantry, Potatoes, Pressure Cooker, Salads, Snacks, Soups, Tofu, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Wheat Free

Since I’ve been working outside of our home for the past 15 months with a very demanding & crazy schedule – meal prepping has been a saving grace for me.

Meal prepping can be super easy & small or quite elaborate… its simply up to you. We keep ours very basic, but it allows us to throw lunches or dinners together in a snap – especially when you’re starving & can devour everything not nailed down while preparing dinner. Does this sound familiar? Yes, we’ve all done it.

So in this post I’m going to cover quick & easy ideas that will keep you afloat all week long without breaking the budget for time or money. Let’s get started…

The name of the game in our house lately is to use up all of our veggies from our garden that we’ve harvested. This week we’ve been inundated with plenty of tomatoes and green peppers. Being torn between salsa or homemade marinara… Bill voted for sauce. So I roasted all of my tomatoes, peppers, onions and garlic to make a marinara that we could use for dinner one night. Click here for one of my roasted tomato sauce recipes. You can easily go this route as well with a tomato soup. Honestly roasting these veggies and blending them down… it’s such a versatile sauce to use for dipping, atop of a vegan meatball hoagie or over zucchini noodles.

I rarely use salt or oil when roasting. Maybe a slight spritz of olive or avocado oil and tons of fresh herbs from the garden are all you need. In the winter, tap into your spice cabinet and experiment.

While roasting that goodness, I will always roast up in my second oven or use your second rack in you oven, potatoes. ALL the potatoes every single week! I always do yams/sweet potatoes and Japanese sweet potatoes (always organic and unpeeled). If you roast other veggies with it, try to keep the baking sheet separated because veggies will cook at varying times. But feel free to roast as many veggies as you can! Here’s one of my favorite recipes. Cold, cooked potatoes are a wonderful prebiotic fiber source. I normally eat them in my salads cold but feel free to warm before serving if you wish. Also fabulous topped with your favorite nut butter as a snack.

So your oven is working away so let’s turn our attention to your stovetop. I’ve gone back to making my grains, mainly rice on the stove top as I cannot get the perfect texture in my instant pot for my long grain brown rice. So I will normally do one or two grains for the week. Quinoa and brown rice. We also use a ton for the dogs so double or triple the recipe if need be. Both serve as a wonderful base to curries, as a side dish, on a salad… whatever! Use the cooking instructions on the package.

Next up super simple overnight oats with chia. Ohhhhhh these are my favorite. They take NO TIME to prep and will stay perfectly in the fridge all week long. I use these jars and love the size/wide mouth opening.

It’s imperative that you buy organic rolled oats. Sadly the glyphosate aka Roundup contamination is a huge issue with grains.

My super simple recipe can be found here for this easy, healthy and delicious breakfast. Add your favorite nut butter, fresh or dried fruit in the morning.

Now for snacking… I always make a treat for the week. It’s healthy and I normally go for something portable like muffins, cookies, baked oatmeal squares etc. I have a ton of super easy recipes that can be found here. This week I was testing out a oat scone recipe I hope to be sharing in the future. Bill and my dad couldn’t get enough!

These were a lemon pistachio version.

Snack ideas are limitless. Here are some of my favorites… bites, muffin, or brownie.

Next up… savory proteins.

So if you’re looking for some meat-free protein options great for reheating or eating cold (like me) in a big bowl of greens – I’ve got some recipes for you. I always prep tofu. Bill and I go through a ton! Here is my favorite recipe which I’ve been cooking in my air fryer. More recipes you can prep ahead can be found here, here and here. My tofu scramble makes a great meal any time!

If you aren’t a tofu fan… here are some other great prep-ahead ideas. This tempeh recipe is one of my favorites. This salad recipe is great on sandwich bread or atop your favorite greens.

This bbq tempeh is so easy!

Soups or stews are another super easy, one pot meal that will serve you well all week. This one pot lentil stew is so good. I just made these lentil sloppy joe’s again and they are perfect on a bun or I add a big scoop to my salad. Or this double protein vegan chili made in your instant pot for the win!

And then finally, once a month I make my own nut butter combo deal. I’ve found it very hard to find organic nut butters that aren’t super spendy so I make my own. One batch lasts us at least a month and the recipe is super flexible.

This is a blend of cashews, almonds and walnuts.

Taking the time to food prep one or two dishes at a minimum helps to make your meals easier all week long. I hope this post helps you gain some helpful tips on meal prepping. Again, it can be a small or grand as you desire. Happy weekend friends!

— Knead to Cook

Air Fried Crispy Brussel Sprouts. Vegan and Gluten free.

June 20, 2019 by Knead to Cook Filed Under: Air Fried, Appetizers, Brunch, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Gluten Free, Italian-inspired, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Wheat Free, Your Life Edit Foundations

Hellllllllooooo! Yes, I know. I’ve abandoned my blog. However, as I’ve shared in the past I do have another job (just hit my 1 year anniversary there) and every other week is full-time for me so that leaves me pretty much no spare time for blogging. Now that I’m a bit more into a schedule, I’m committing to blogging every other week a new recipe. Fingers crossed I can maintain that. 🙂

So these… Bill got an air fryer for father’s day and although we’ve been terribly reluctant to purchase another kitchen gadget, this one has been awesome. Its not huge, fits nicely on the counter and we’ve been loving it for tofu and veggies!

This recipe, like most of mine, is super easy and quite flavorful. You can easily bake in the oven if you don’t have an air fryer too.

This is the link for the air fryer we have and recommend.

Ingredients:
1 lb of Brussel sprouts trimmed and halved or quartered if they’re large.
1/4 cup of a good quality aged balsamic vinegar
1 tbl of oil (I used olive oil but any other neutral oil will work)
1 tbl of a quality Dijon mustard
1 tsp of maple syrup

Method:
Into a bowl, whisk your balsamic, oil, Dijon and syrup until blended. Add your trimmed Brussel sprouts and toss to coat. I allowed them to marinade a bit in the sauce for about 20 minutes. In the meantime, preheat your air fryer to 375 degrees. Once ready, spoon the Brussel sprouts out and into the basket. Close and set the timer on the air fryer for 10 minutes. At that point, toss them around, then return for another 8-10 minutes or until crispy and perfect.

If you are baking, add the Brussel sprouts to a baking sheet and bake in a preheated oven (375 degrees) for 20-30 minutes, tossing occasionally, and remove when crispy brown edges are evident.

Remove and place on a platter. I drizzled a bit more balsamic over the top and sprinkle with parsley. Enjoy!

Hope you enjoy and try this recipe out. If you do, please leave a comment/review for me.


— Knead to Cook

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