I have a thing for magazines.
People always say that print is dead and that the internet has replaced magazines and newspapers. Well, clearly these people do not know me. Because I will take a print magazine over the internet any day. There's something about magazines that gives me a warm, fuzzy feeling inside.
It's probably because I grew up reading magazines. My grandma subscribed to just about every publication under the sun--Cosmopolitan, Allure, Good Housekeeping, Lucky. But my favorite were the tabloids. Once a week, my grandparents would drop off a big shopping bag full of old magazines for my mom to read and I'd immediately rifle through them, pull out The National Enquirer, and bring it up to my room. I was quite possibly the only third grader who knew all about Jessica Hahn or that Kitty Dukakis was drinking rubbing alcohol before her stint at Betty Ford. And when I grew up, it was kind of fitting that I was a periodicals librarian. For a while, at least.
Although I still love tabloids, most of my magazine subscriptions are food-related now. If it's a magazine and it involves food, you can bet I probably get it delivered to my mailbox once a month. Years ago, I used to tear out all the vegetarian recipes, but lately I gravitate towards the recipes made with meat. It's more of a challenge! And so many of the vegetarian recipes in magazines are similar--vegetable lasagna is nice, but I don't need 20 recipes for it, you see.
I clipped out a recipe for a Grilled Thai Chicken Sandwich from the most recent issue of Eating Well because I thought it would be good with tofu instead. I ended up making a lot of changes, but the resulting meal was super tasty.
If you read my tofu for tofu haters post, you might remember this cooking technique--I cut the tofu into 16 triangles and then fry it in a tablespoon of oil. It gives the tofu a crunchy exterior and a bit of a nutty flavor. But the real nutty flavor comes from peanut sauce. Delicious ginger peanut sauce!
(I also have a thing for peanut sauce.)
Ingredients
Crispy Tofu
- 1-14 oz. package extra-firm tofu pressed for 30 minutes (you can use a tofu press)
- 1 tbsp. vegetable or peanut oil
Ginger Peanut Sauce
- 6 tbsp. creamy peanut butter
- 2 tbsp. rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp. soy sauce
- 2-3 tsp. light brown sugar to taste
- 1 tbsp. ginger juice see note
- cayenne to taste optional
- 1 tbsp. lite coconut milk or water
Sandwiches
- 1 small carrot peeled and shredded
- 1 small sweet red pepper sliced
- ¼ c. sliced green onion
- 2 tbsp. chopped cilantro
- 4 sandwich wraps pitas, tortillas, or naan (if you don't eat dairy, make sure the naan is vegan if you use it!)
- lime wedges optional
Instructions
Crispy Tofu
- Cut tofu crosswise into 8 slices; cut each slice into two triangles. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high eat. Carefully place tofu in skillet (the oil may spatter a little!); cook about 5 minutes on each side, until golden and crispy. Transfer tofu to plate lined with paper towels to absorb any extra oil.
Ginger Peanut Sauce
- Whisk together all ingredients. Add additional coconut milk or water, one tablespoon at a time, to thin sauce if necessary. (Some peanut butters are thicker than others, so the amount you need depends on the type of peanut butter you use.)
Sandwiches
- Heat sandwich wraps, tortillas, pitas, or naan according to package instructions--you want them to be pliable so they can be folded over without breaking. Top each with 4 pieces of tofu, shredded carrot, red pepper, green onion, cilantro, and peanut sauce and fold. Serve with lime wedges, if using.
[email protected] says
Your pics are mouthwatering!
I will try this recipe, but I'm going to substitute the tofu with Paneer cheese. I'm one of those tofu haters))) Maybe that's because I can't cook it right. As for Paneer cheese it always taste great!
Kiersten says
My husband loves paneer! I've never tried cooking with it myself, though.
[email protected] says
You'll be surprised how easy it is to make it. It takes about 30 min. The fatter the milk you use the tastier the paneer is. Check out the recipe here http://www.veggykitchen.com/home-made-curd-cheese-panir/
Aleisha leonard says
So yummy. Thanks for adapting, and sharing. I added lots of fresh grated ginger instead of ginger syrup.
gem says
That looks so good. I LOVE tofu and I'm usually just eating it the same way - so love finding new recipes!
Sharon says
Thanks for the recipe it is excellent-highly recommended! Made some minor adjustments and found this flavorful with the right balance of creamy, crunchy, zesty, and smooth.
Kiersten says
I'm so glad you liked it--thanks for letting me know! 🙂
Eric says
How long will the Peanut Sauce keep for?
Genevieve says
I love the sounds of this recipe! Of course I love the sounds of anything that has peanut sauce haha...I love the combination of tofu, carrot, red pepper and peanut sauce, but I've only tried it as salads or noodle dishes - I bet it would make an amazing sandwich!
Kiersten says
This is my favorite peanut sauce recipe. Oh, it is so good!
Shirley says
I get my magazines on my e-reader and read my news online -- being in the newspaper business, I'm probably shooting myself in the foot. I prefer magazines in print, but I figured I'm saving trees and the e-version is cheaper. Yum, I love crispy tofu! Would never have dreamed of saying that 10 years ago. I like the flavors in this!
Kiersten says
Maybe if I had an iPad, I'd be more inclined to read magazines online. But my laptop is too huge (it's a widescreen) and my phone is too small. 🙂
Notorious Spinks says
These look good. I need to see if I can have tofu for my candida diet. I sure hope so.
Heidi @ Food Doodles says
Oh my, this looks so incredible! Beautiful colors and I love the flavors!
del says
I might try this with a Vietnamese bánh mì baguette type bread, since the ingredients seem to fit it well.
Kiersten says
That would definitely work well!
BusyWorkingMama says
Looks delicious, as usual! Such a colorful combination, too!
Anna Banana says
These are so ridiculously delicious! I broiled the tofu instead of frying it (to save myself the mess and to use less oil). I also threw some kale lightly sauteed with ginger on there, too. Incredible lunch! I can't wait to make them again (or to eat them again tomorrow since I have more tofu).
Kiersten says
Yay, I'm happy they turned out well! I love the idea of adding kale to them too!
Emma says
I made this tonight. SO good, very flavorful, and not complicated. (: Thanks!
Kiersten says
Thanks for letting me know--I'm glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Susan says
This was great AND an adventure as I dropped the glass jar I used to make the peanut sauce on the floor and had to remake it, thereby burning the last batch of tofu….
Kiersten says
Oh no! I've had my fair share of kitchen accidents too, so I can sympathize. 🙂 I'm glad the sandwiches still turned out well though!
Matt says
Me and the Mrs. loved these! The peanut sauce is extremely addicting. Also, thank you for introducing me to the wonders of pressing tofu.
Kiersten says
Woo hoo! Peanut sauce makes everything better, right? Thanks for the comment--someday you'll have to share your beer bread recipe with me. 🙂
Brooke says
Wow! I just made this tonight, and it was seriously one of the best things I've ever eaten. This is definitely my go-to peanut sauce recipe from now on!
Kiersten says
Thank you for the comment--I'm so glad you enjoyed the recipe! 🙂 It's one of my favorites too.
Melissa says
This sounds great! I have a similar idea on my list of foods to make - I want to make an Asian inspired po-boy type sandwich....With sesame slaw, and peanut sauce....mmmm, the options.
Anyways, I was wondering if you would share the names of some of your favorite food magazines. My husband asked if I wanted a subscription to the Vegetarian Times, but I have only seen one or two of theirs before, and I also do not want to end up with 20 versions for lasagna.
Kiersten says
I love Vegetarian Times! I think you will too--it has a lot of really creative recipe ideas. That's definitely my favorite food magazine. The others that I really enjoy aren't specifically vegetarian--Cooking Light, Eating Well, Martha Stewart Living. Whole Living used to be a favorite of mine, but unfortunately that ceased publication last year. A lot of the recipes from Whole Living are on the Martha Stewart website though!
...now you have me craving that Asian po-boy! 🙂
Cara says
These were amazing! We used leftover naan and before I cooked the tofu, I squeezed some lime juice over it and let it soak a bit. That really added to the flavor. We try not to have the same dish more than twice a month, but we're going to break that rule for these! So yummy!!
Kiersten says
Thank you for your comment--I'm glad to hear you enjoyed them! 😀
Simran says
This looks delicious, i will definitely be giving it a go! I've been a vegetarian all my life but still find it a struggle sometimes to find something to eat that's also healthy. Thanks for the post!
Kiersten says
This is one of my favorite recipes. 🙂 I hope you like it if you make it!
SwimEagle says
I love this sandwich! I've even made a chicken version for my meat-loving boyfriend (and myself, I'm a pretty morally loose vegetarian) and it was just as good. I make my own garlic naan for it and could eat this for days and days - and have!
Kiersten Frase says
Thank you for your comment! I'm so glad you enjoyed the recipe. 🙂 It's one of my all-time favorites too!
Sara says
Tried this today. I thought it was kind of bland and needed more heat to balance the blandness of the tofu and the sweet/ pungent mildness of the peanut sauce. I added a cranberry jalapeño salsa to it and liked it a lot more then.
Andy says
Ginger Peanut Sauce...wow...i am intrigued...is this recipe influence by any particular travel to a country?
Stacy Erenberg says
Loved this recipe! I have to add some more water and soy sauce to smoothe out the sauce, I also left out the chili to make sure it wasn't too spicy for my 4 year old. Goes well with a beet, and carrot slaw with fire cider dressing and olive oil on top. Over all Delicious! I have Celiac and it was good without bread too.
Shanda Justice says
This was truly amazing!!!??? I added tomatoes because I like tomatoes and a little bit of pepper and salt the pink Himalayan salt. I use this as a food prep for me. Thank you for sharing