Category: Sauces and Dressings

Chickpea Tofu with Harissa Sauce

Chickpea tofu?

I hadn’t heard of it until I watched a cooking demonstration by Chef Tony, the culinary director of Sodexo, a trusted partner of University Hospitals, where I work. Chef Tony made it seem so easy and, in fact, it was!

Why chickpea tofu?

I happen to love regular tofu made from soybeans but not everyone is a fan. If you are someone who does not dig the taste or are concerned with the fact that soybean tofu is processed (although minimally) then chickpea tofu may be the way to go. Both are an excellent source of plant based protein.

This recipe for chickpea tofu is Chef Tony’s with a few exceptions. Instead of using salt I used miso paste. Miso is fermented soy beans, water and a lot of salt. Wait a minute – I thought salt was something that should be avoided? Well in a randomized study of individuals with stage 1 or 2 hypertension that were given two bowls of miso soup a day, those that consumed the miso soup ended up with lower bedtime blood pressure. It is thought that the miso had a diuretic effect by increasing sodium excretion by the kidneys. In summary, miso paste is green light. Check out this great video on miso paste.

Also, I substituted table sugar for date sugar. Table sugar is refined meaning it has been processed and has a glycemic index of 100. Date sugar is less processed and still retains many of the nutrients of dates including fiber and has a glycemic index of 55.

Lastly, instead of pan frying the tofu I baked mine in the oven. Pan frying requires the use of oils which can have health risks including inflammation, effects on cholesterol and toxins when exposed to high heat.

Very much like soy tofu, chickpea tofu has very little flavor. The garlic powder does help but serving with harissa sauce makes it much more palatable.

Chickpea tofu served with harissa sauce is a must

Ingredients for the Chickpea Tofu

  • 1 cup chickpea flour (I make my own flour by running dried chick peas through a high speed blender)
  • 1 tsp. miso paste
  • 1/2 tsp. date sugar
  • 1/2 tsp, garlic powder
  • Pinch of tumeric
  • 2 3/4 cup water
  • Cornstarch

Directions for the Chickpea Tofu

  1. Whisk together chickpea flour, date sugar, garlic powder and tumeric in a bowl. Pour 1 cup water and the miso paste into the mix and stir into a smooth batter. Set aside.
  2. Pour remaining water into a saucepan, bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium.
  3. Whisk the chickpea batter 6-7 minutes stirring constantly. The batter should have the consistency of pudding.
  4. Turn off the heat and pour the batter into a silicone baking pan. Let cool 10-15 minutes at room temperature then transfer to refrigerator for at least 2 hours to set.
  5. Flip the set tofu onto a cutting board and cut into small cubes. Blot off any water or moisture with a paper towel.
  6. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
  7. Place the chickpea tofu on a pan covered with a silicone mat or parchment paper. Sprinkle a little garlic powder and a very light dusting of cornstarch.
  8. Bake for 40 mintues flipping half way.
The chickpea batter thick like pudding
I did not have a large silicone loaf pan so settled for using my pan with smaller individual loafs. I was able to make 4 little loafs.
Cut into little cubes.
The oven baked method is certainly not as crispy as pan frying but so much healthier.

Ingredients for the Harissa Sauce

  • 4 roasted red peppers
  • 1 red chili pepper (deseeded)
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 2 tsps. white miso paste
  • 1/2 lemon
  • 1 tsp. smoked paprika
  • 1 pinch cayenne pepper
  • 1 tbsp. coriander seeds
  • 2 tsps. caraway seeds
  • 1 tsp. cumin seeds
Roasted red peppers, red chili pepper, garlic, miso paste, lemon, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, coriander seeds, caraway seeds and cumin seeds

Directions for the Harissa Sauce

  1. In a small pan stir the coriander, caraway and cumin seeds over low heat for about 30 seconds until fragrant.
  2. Transfer all ingredients to a food processor and process until smooth. Add up to 1/4 cup water for desired consistency.
Harissa sauce is excellent with tofu but I also put it on veggie burgers, roasted vegetable and salad greens.

Garlic Caeser Salad Dressing

This is one of my favorite salad dressings. The recipe came from Dr. Greger’s “How Not to Die” cookbook. It is rich, creamy, flavorful and super easy to make. If refrigerated in a sealed container it will last up to one week.

The recipe calls for Dr. Greger’s “Savory Spice Blend” which is a mix of 10 spices. If you open up the link and follow the recipe it makes 1/2 cup. The blend can be stored in a covered jar and is an excellent medley of spices which can be used for just about any recipe. Dr. Greger advocates the use of a variety of spices on a daily basis. In addition to flavoring foods, each spice has their own powerful health benefits. If you don’t have the savory spice blend on hand – no problem – this salad dressing will still taste delicious. I do add black pepper to this dressing in order to reap the benefits of the tumeric. If you recall from my Healing Tumeric Banana Date Smoothie post, the piperine in the black pepper enhances the absorption of the curcumin in the tumeric.

For the blended peeled lemon, I learned a really cool tip a few weeks ago. Cut off the ends of a few lemons, remove the peels and place in blender. Put the juice and pulp in ice cube containers and freeze. Remove the frozen juice / pulp and place in freezer bags. Pop them out of the freezer when you need lemon. Simply genius.

Ingredients

  • 2 cloves garlic crushed
  • 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
  • 1 tbsp. almond butter
  • 1 tbsp. blended peeled lemon
  • 1 tbsp. miso paste
  • 1 tbsp. minced fresh parsley
  • 1 tsp. salt free stone-ground mustard
  • 1/4 inch grated tumeric or 1/4 tsp. ground powder
  • 1 tsp. savory spice blend

Directions

In a blender combine 1/2 cup of water with all the dressing ingredients and blend until smoothe.

Creamy Cilantro & Cashew Dressing

The possibilities are endless when making a whole food, plant based, no sugar, oil or salt dressing. The more I experiment the more I am able to whip up some awfully tasty creations that are actually healthy for you to eat. Imagine that – a dressing where the more you eat the healthier you are! It’s absolutely crazy. This creamy, oil-free, dairy-free, salt-free dressing is one of my favorites on salads, baked potatoes and roasted veggies. I hope you enjoy as much as I do.

Creamy Cilantro & Cashew Dressing

Ingredients

  • 1 cup raw cashews
  • 1/4 – 1/2 cup water (depending on your desired thickness)
  • 1 cup fresh cilantro
  • 3 cloves minced garlic
  • 3 tbsps lemon juice
  • 1/2″ serrano pepper
  • 1 tsp hot sauce
  • 1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Directions

  1. Bring a pot of water to boil. Toss in the cashews and cover the pot. Soak for 30 minutes. NOTE: The longer you soak in the hot water the softer they become. The softer they are the creamier your dressing.
  2. Add cashews and water to a high speed blender until creamy. Start off with 1/4 cup water. You can always add more add the end of the recipe if you prefer a thinner dressing.
  3. Add the cilantro, garlic, lemon juice, serrano pepper, hot sauce and black pepper. Blend until smooth and creamy.