On spring break, we went to the Boma restaurant in Florida. It was an African buffet and a little pricey (almost $30 per person) but worth it! Great atmosphere too. It was so amazing! They had a large amount of vegetarian food, but also had carnivore stuff too. They had this one dish that was so good, I decided to try to find a recipe for it online after we got home.
- prepackaged polenta (I've found this in the refridgerated section where the biscuits are and also in the produce section where the tofu is, so it might take some looking around, you could also make your own, but I haven't tried doing that b/c I think it's probably difficult. Oh! There is a brand I've tried that is called Corn Mush, but it's the same exact thing.)
- cut into 1/2" slices then quarter each slice so you have bite-sized peices.
- saute' about 3 mins on each side in a skillet with non-stick spray until golden on both sides.
- 1 large onion, chopped (about a cup)
- 3 cloves minced garlic
- 16 oz. can diced tomatoes with juice
- 6 oz. can tomato paste
- 2 tsp. brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp. salt (or to taste)
- saute' onion and garlic with a dash of olive oil. when softened, add other ingredients and cook until hot and thick. serve over cooked polenta. you can serve this with rice or alone.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Sweet and Sour Tofu with Pineapple
-1 block of extra firm tofu, drained and cut into large bite-sized chunks (the smaller the chunk, the chewier it is, which isn't really a great thing so maybe like 1/2" pieces here)
-large amount of cornstarch, not sure of the exact amount, maybe a cup or so, just be prepared to need more
-1 fresh pineapple (you can tell if the pineapple is ready if it smells like a really good pineapple.. yeah, you have to sniff the pineapple in the store - be prepared to be looked at weird, lol. if you can't find a good pineapple, resort to a can of all natural pineapple in its own juices, not the weird syrupy junk)
- you can buy good sweet and sour sauce or make your own. if you are making it, the ingredients follow: juice from 20 oz. can of pineapples, probably about 2/3 c., 3 Tbsp. seasoned rice vinegar, 4 Tbsp. brown sugar, 1 Tbsp. ketchup, 1 Tbsp soy sauce, and 1 Tbsp. cornstarch mixed with 4 Tbsp. warm water until dissolved. Boil softly in small saucepan until thickened slightly. Play around with it until it tastes the way you like it. It will thicken a bit more after it cools.
In a skillet, heat whatever kind of oil you want, cover the pan by 1/8". Cover your tofu cubes in cornstarch and saute' in oil until light golden brown and drain on paper towels. Fry in small batches. This can sometimes be risky as I found out when I made this on our recent trip to Florida. After a while, the oil started smoking so bad, we had to stop and air out the room. It was horrible! That certainly never happened when I've made this at home.
Wipe out pan and saute' pineapples until darker yellow and warmed through. You can also add sauteed green bell peppers if you'd like.
Combine all with sauce and serve over rice!
-large amount of cornstarch, not sure of the exact amount, maybe a cup or so, just be prepared to need more
-1 fresh pineapple (you can tell if the pineapple is ready if it smells like a really good pineapple.. yeah, you have to sniff the pineapple in the store - be prepared to be looked at weird, lol. if you can't find a good pineapple, resort to a can of all natural pineapple in its own juices, not the weird syrupy junk)
- you can buy good sweet and sour sauce or make your own. if you are making it, the ingredients follow: juice from 20 oz. can of pineapples, probably about 2/3 c., 3 Tbsp. seasoned rice vinegar, 4 Tbsp. brown sugar, 1 Tbsp. ketchup, 1 Tbsp soy sauce, and 1 Tbsp. cornstarch mixed with 4 Tbsp. warm water until dissolved. Boil softly in small saucepan until thickened slightly. Play around with it until it tastes the way you like it. It will thicken a bit more after it cools.
In a skillet, heat whatever kind of oil you want, cover the pan by 1/8". Cover your tofu cubes in cornstarch and saute' in oil until light golden brown and drain on paper towels. Fry in small batches. This can sometimes be risky as I found out when I made this on our recent trip to Florida. After a while, the oil started smoking so bad, we had to stop and air out the room. It was horrible! That certainly never happened when I've made this at home.
Wipe out pan and saute' pineapples until darker yellow and warmed through. You can also add sauteed green bell peppers if you'd like.
Combine all with sauce and serve over rice!
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