Sunday, October 26, 2008

Orange Glazed Tofu with Acorn Squash and Whole Wheat Noodles

I have become on the fence about tofu.  Tofu-haters might say what took you so long.  But, I have always loved tofu in all its forms.  Recently, I have really begun to consider the ecological implications of farming soya beans.  And, tofu hater and meat-eaters shouldn't feel that they are out of this, soy has become so much part of our food economy, it is right after corn production-wise.  At some point, tofu was on the menu all the time at our home, and now, we eat it much less often--and use beans and lentils and quinoa as a protein source.  When it is on the menu, we are using organic to lessen the pesticides that impact them.  Alright, let me climb down from my soapbox.

I do love crispy oven baked tofu (as does Belle), so moderation my friend.  the other night, I sliced up some tofu, spritzed it with oil, placed it in the oven.  At the same time, I boiled some pasta and used some of the boiling water to steam some acorn squash.  I made a glaze of orange juice, sage, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, pinch of brown sugar, agave nectar, and water (basically, combine in a saucepot and simmer).  Then, at the last minute, sautee some garlic, toss in the al dente pasta, brown slightly, add tofu and acorn squash, add glaze.  Serve.  This meal was very low work and quick. I spent much of my time playing with Belle rather than cooking which was the goal on a night when Maybelle's Dad was working.  

10 comments:

Arundathi said...

that looks delicious! i'm on the fence too - I used to love it, but am not running out anytime soon to get some. being vegetarian, its a huge dent in my protein list though!

Anonymous said...

I am not a huge cooker of tofu, this looks so lithgt and easy to make that I'll have to give it a go. I just bought some agave nectar as well, serindipity?

La Cuisine d'Helene said...

I like tofu myself but no one in my family does. You are trying so many different recipes.

Anonymous said...

please add us to your list of tofu lovers. You really tickled out taste buds with this great, comforting dish!

Esi said...

I used to be a big consumer of soy products (was vegetarian for 2 years), but I am on the fence much like you are now. That said, this looks and sounds really delicious just like those rolls below!

grace said...

these tofu-haters don't know what they're missing. i'll bet most of them have never even tried it. this looks like a great, spur-of-the-moment concoction. :)

Dragon said...

Comfort in a cup. What more can one ask for. :)

Anonymous said...

I like tofu regardless of how it is prepared and this is really unique for me. The recipe looks great.

Anonymous said...

This looks delicious! Love the combo you used:-)

Anonymous said...

Hey, what's wrong with organic tofu!? Less of this tofu-bashing please ;-)

How hot do you do the oven? I like oven-baked tofu but it doesn't usually come out all that crispy, more simply firm and a bit crispy...