"Nutritious and Delicious"- Tofu Chocolate Mousse

I have been wanting to try this for quite sometime now. So easy to make...so lovely looking...and good for you too!!I came across many similar recipes for Tofu mousse all  over the 'blog world"....I thought how cool was it to eat your protein with the rich chocolaty flavor!
When I read the recipes..I thought the chocolate and the vanilla flavor will mask the 'tofuee' flavor from Tofu. But NO.....I could not take out the 'tofuee' flavor from tofu in the combination I tried.
However....it will be a Tofu lovers delight !!! It is smooth, Rich chocolaty and guilt free!!
I got a 50-50 appreciation at home. 'A' did not mind the tofu in the mousse...but 'E' said.."Mumma ..this mousse doesn't taste normal"!!! Hahaha!

 
Ingredients:
1/2 Package Nasoya Tofu (Use Silken Tofu for mild flavor)
2 tbsp Hershey Cocoa powder (use melted chocolate chips for richer taste)
1/2tbsp Hersheys Dark chocolate powder
2-3 tbsp White Sugar
1tsp Vanilla extract
1/4 cup milk
Dark chocolate shavings for garnish


Method:
1) In a blender, pulse together tofu, cocoa powder,milk,vanilla,sugar till smooth and without any lumps.
2) Pour into serving bowls. You know what I used here???? These are 'tea-light' candle holders!!
You can use shot glasses too!
3) Chill in the refrigerator for 30 mins atleast.

"Fusion Cuisine"- Tofu Tikka Panini

'Panino'/Panini' in Italian means 'small bread rolls'. They are filled with cheese, ham, salami etc and sometimes grilled.The bread is usually ciabatta or rosetta.
In the quest of 'What to make for dinner'...I put together this sandwich.I used what I had on hand thus creating a 'Indianized grilled Panini'.
Ingredients:
1 loaf Italian bread

For Tofu Tikka:
(This recipe will work great with Paneer too)
1 pkg 'extra firm' tofu drained and dried with paper towels
1 tsp yogurt
1tsp Kitchen king masala/Tikka masala
1/2tsp ginger garlic paste
1/2tsp chili powder(add more for spicy tikka)
1tsp Maggie hot and sweet sauce
1 tsp chopped cilantro
2tsp corn starch
salt
oil

For the toppings:
1/2 cup Sliced onions
1/2 cup Sliced green peppers
1/4 cup Broccoli florets
Black pepper
salt
Slices of Pepper jack/Jalapeno jack Cheese
Butter
Slices of tomatoes

Method:
1)Tofu Tikka: Mix together yogurt, kitchen king masala, chili powder, ginger-garlic paste, salt, hot and sweet sauce. Cut Tofu into bite size pieces.rub corn starch on the tofu.Marinate with the above sauce.
Keep aside for 1/2hr
2) Saute the marinated tofu in non stick pan till golden brown on all sides.Keep aside.

3) Saute onions,green pepper and broccoli with little oil, salt and pepper.Keep aside.
4) Cut the italian bread horizontally. Apply butter on the inside.
5) Lay slices of cheese, sauted onions,green pepper, broccoli and then tofu tikka and tomato slices.Add more cheese if you like.

6) Grill the sandwich on a hot grill pan with little oil. Press with heavy pan to get the 'pressed panini' or use a 'Panini Press'
Serve hot!

                              Enjoy the 'crusty' Panini with its Spicy Tofu tikka filling!

"Fusion Cuisine"- Tofu Makhani / Tofu Butter Masala

Few days ago, when I posted the recipe for 'Thai Stir Fried Tofu", my friend 'N' commented how he doesn't like Tofu and it feels like he is chewing on cardboard / eraser! Hahahha!
I can totally understand how he feels....becuase at home 'M' is not a big fan of Tofu either. He tries to avoid it each and everytime. But when I made this curry- "Tofu Makhani', he quite did not realize that there was Tofu and NOT Paneer in the curry and also ate a bowl full! Now that was a success!!! May be the 'Makhani/ butter masala' sauce masked the taste of tofu and it was as soft as Paneer. So all the ....'Non Tofu Fans'.....give this one try...may be you will like it!
Ingredients:
2 cups 'Extra Firm' Tofu , cut into bite size cubes
2 medium onions chopped
2-3 ripe tomatoes or 1/2 cup canned crushed tomatoes
1/4cup cashews
2tsp cilantro chopped
1 tsp Ginger garlic paste
1tbsp Cumin-coriander powder
1tsp Butter chicken masala
1/4tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2tsp Chili powder
1tsp kasoori methi
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2tsp sugar
2tsp butter
oil
Red food color(optional)...I did not use it in this recipe
salt
Almonds,cilantro for garnishing

Method:
1) Cut the Tofu and lay it on a paper towel to absorb extra liquid. Then shallow fry the tofu in oil untill golden brown on each side.Keep aside.

2) Meantime,fry onion,ginger garlic paste and tomatoes in 1tsp oil till nice and soft.Puree in the blender along with cilantro,cashews and kasoori methi.
3) Heat 2tsp butter,when it bubbles,add cumin seeds and the above paste and fry nicely.Add little water and the whole milk.Add butter chicken masala, cumin coriander powder,sugar and salt.The gravy should be little thick.This is a mild sauce and shouldn't be too spicy.It has a tender flavor ...little sour,sweet and smooth and silky.
4) Add the fried Tofu.Mix well gently.
5) Add garam masala to the gravy.Mix.
6) Turn off the heat,add cilantro and almonds.
7) Serve hot with Naan/Chapati/ Rice.

"Appetizers"- Thai Stir Fried Tofu

I am like the person who can eat 'Everything'...well almost! What I mean is...I like to try different foods and my palate is appreciative of various tastes. My little 'E' is learning to eat different foods and getting to know different tastes. I am surprised ( touchwood!) he even likes vegetables like cabbage, eggplant, cauliflower that I did not care for when I was a kid!!! I have seen, he likes well seasoned food......may that be Indian,Italian,Chinese or anything else. I was sure he wouldn't like plain Tofu or things like Tofu milkshake. So I made this tangy yummy appetizer and he loveeeeddd it! (Ofcourse without the peanuts...coz he gets a rash sometimes after eating peanuts)

Ingredients:
1 cup 'Extra firm' Tofu cut into bite size cubes
1/4 cup Onion cut into bite size chunks
1tsp Pad thai sauce
1tsp soy sauce
1/2tsp ginger garlic paste
1/2tsp ketchup
1/4tsp red chili paste/hot sauce/red pepper flakes
1 pinch black pepper
1tbsp coarsely crushed peanuts
cilantro for garnishing
salt
oil

Method:
1) Dab the cut tofu on paper towel to remove extra moisture
2) Heat little oil in non stick flat skillet. Lay the tofu on the heated oil.Let it brown on one side.Then turn on other side.
3) Add the ginger garlic paste, onions and stir fry on high heat.The onions should remain crisp.
4) Add all the sauces, black pepper and mix well.Turn off heat. Check for salt (as soy sauce is salty)
5) Garnish with peanuts, cilantro.

5) Serve warm as appetizer or as a side dish along with Fried Noodles/ Rice etc.