Tag: whole food plant based eating

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.

Before You Eat Your Next Slice of Cheese

Everyone has at least one food weakness. Like if you were on death row and given your choice for one last thing to eat what would it be? Well for me that would be cheese. I am a cheese-aholic. Well, I should say, a reformed cheese-aholic. That’s right. I’ve been 3 years sober from cheese! Except for the occasional off the wagon for a party or something. But even then it is just a sliver or two.

The reason why cheese is so good is that it is loaded with fat. Saturated fat. The artery clogging kind of fat. And that is exactly the reason why it is a bad thing to indulge in.

So for the purpose of making a point I conducted a little food experiment. I melted 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese in the microwave allowing the fat to “oil off” from the protein mass. The result was pretty doggone disgusting.

Check out the first picture of the separated liquid saturated oil. Then the second picture of the oil that solidified at room temperature. Diets high in saturated fats drive up harmful LDL cholesterol which prompts blockages in the arteries.

Let’s face it, we all probably have some degree of plaque in our arteries. But switching over to plant-based eating can put the brakes on continued plaque formation and possibly even reverse the process.

The separated oil
Solidified at room temperature

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5466936/