Peanut-y Tofu Triangles

(Sorry about the lack of a picture! Guess it slipped my mind again... But on to the post, regardless.)

I happen to love tofu. It can be baked, fried, sauteed, or even grilled. it can be made into a variety of tastes and textures. And, excitingly for such a versatile and healthy product, it's also quite inexpensive. As a fish-eater, I frequently pile up a lot of expensive proteins in my cart so it's nice to get a cheap alternative at times that always hits the spot while still satisfying my fiance's need to always include a protein at dinner.

Here, I prepared the tofu in a well-known triangle form, crusted with peanuts and pan-fried to be just a little bit crispy. Luckily, peanuts contain a lot of flavor so it doesn't take too many of these fat-filled treats to give great flavor. I served this along with garlic mashed potatoes and some roasted festival squash. The squash and the potatoes came from my local farmer's market, of course!

Difficulty: easy
Time: 45 min (nearly entirely tofu pressing time)
Cost: $11.50

Recipe and nutrition below the jump!



Peanut-y Tofu Triangles
Ingredients:
Extra-firm tofu (1 container)
1 free-range egg white
1/3 c lightly salted peanuts
3/4 tsp garlic powder
3/4 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp peanut oil

Slice your tofu block in half height-wise. Cut the tofu into triangles. You'll have 12-16 triangles total, most likely. Lay down several heavy duty paper towels and put the tofu triangles on top. Place another layer of heavy duty paper towels on top of the tofu. Place a cookie sheet, baking dish, or some other waterproof item on top of the paper towels and stack a few books on top. Let the tofu sit for 30-40 minutes. This will press out all of the excess moisture so you can crisp up your tofu later.

Meanwhile, combine the egg white and 1 tsp of water in a bowl. Lightly beat with a fork just enough to make sure it's evenly mixed.

You'll also need to make the coating mixture. Place your peanuts in a food processor (or in my case, I found it easiest to use a coffee bean grinder since it was just about the perfect size) and process until ground. Put the peanuts in a shallow dish and add the garlic powder and ginger. Mix well.

When the tofu is finished pressing, get a pan heating over medium heat. Add 1 tsp of oil, swirling to coat. Taking one triangle at a time, dip one entire side in the egg white. Lightly shake off the excess and then dredge into the peanut mixture to evenly coat. You want a good coating, but again, lightly shake off any extra. Place the tofu into the pan, bare side down. Repeat with half of the triangles.

Let the tofu cook for 2-3 minutes. Then, carefully flip the triangles. Cook for an additional 2 minutes, watching for burning since the peanut crumbs will burn fairly easily. Remove and put on a plate, peanut side back up.

Heat the remaining tsp of oil in the pan and repeat the process with the other half of the tofu. Serve right away.

Servings: 4
Serving size: 3-4 triangles (depending on size you cut)
Nutrition: calories 164; carbs 8g; fat 21g; protein 17g; sodium 129mg; iron 12mg