Wasabi-crusted tofu with bok choy

Ah, tofu, the old vegetarian standby. It's a great source of protein, but gets a bad rap. It often elicits an "ew" from non-veggie friends, and those who do eat it are often at a loss as to how to prepare it. Duh, deep-fry it. Everything tastes better deep-fried.

Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on the perspective of taste buds vs. health), I don't deep-fry at home. But I have experimented quite a bit with different ways to prepare tofu. Last week it was cooked in the pan with just cooking spray, and in the past I've dehydrated and frozen it, coated it with nuts, baked, and broiled it. The cool thing about tofu is it takes on the taste of any sauce/spice you use to prepare it, so it really is quite versatile.

This time around, I made my own wasabi spice blend in a coffee grinder, crusted the tofu with it, and served it over bok choy with ginger, garlic, and tamari.

Wasabi-crusted tofu with bok choy
Serves 3-4

Spice blend:
2 tsp mustard seeds
2 tsp black peppercorns
1 tsp coriander pods
1/4 cup wasabi peas
Super-easy. Just throw it all in a spice/coffee grinder, and add/subtract to taste.

1 package extra-firm tofu
2 heads bok choy
9 oz spinach
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp minced fresh ginger
tamari to taste
2 tbsp canola oil

1. The first thing you need to do with tofu is get some of the water out, or you'll have a soggy, crumbly mess. I just put a dish towel on a plate, cut the tofu into 1/3 inch slabs, and place another dish towel on top of the tofu. Let it sit for 20 minutes or so, occasionally pressing out the water. Then, you can cut the tofu into cubes.

2. Pour the spice blend into a small bowl, and coat the tofu cubes in the spices. Cook the tofu in 1 tbsp canola oil 2-3 min. per side. Transfer tofu to a plate.

3. Saute ginger and garlic in the other tablespoon of oil. When they begin to brown, add the bok choy and spinach and stir-fry until greens are cooked down, then add tamari to taste (or soy sauce, if you prefer). Serve over udon noodles or rice.