STEAAAKKKKKKKSSSSSSS! Gloriously good vegan 'steaks'!

Now to be fair, tofu is not something that people get heavily excited about because its perception is that it is bland. In fact, we don't half blame you if you think that. But we're firm believers of don't judge a book by its cover, or in this case, don't toss the ingredient before trying it in a kick-ass recipe. Tofu need not be bland when you pair it with some amazing ingredients and completely transform it. Here, we happily arrive at this: Spiced Coconut Crusted Tofu Steaks. Its a vegan incarnation of the old 'meat and veg' dinner that'll provide not only a couple serves of vegetables but a whole lot of protein, healthy fats and most importantly, FLAVOUR.

Just look at these golden crusted steaks! The key component to this masterpiece is the Turmeric, Ginger & Lime coconut chips. Not only do they provide MCT (medium chain triglycerides) healthy fats and texture but also some much needed flavour to counter the tofu. We simply grabbed a large handful of the chips and crushed them into smaller pieces with a pestle and mortar. If you don't have one of these handy though you can easily cover the coconut chips in a tray with some baking paper and bash them lightly with a rolling pin. Don't worry about getting the chips to too fine a consistency, you want the 'crumb' a little bit more course for the crunch factor!

To finish off our 'meat' and veg recipe, we served our tofu steaks with baby carrots and red capsicum roasted in extra virgin olive oil and salt. Coconut oil would also work well too though. This recipe is perfect to throw together last minute with minimal prep involved. All flavour, no fuss!

SPICED COCONUT CRUSTED TOFU STEAKS

GLUTEN FREE - VEGAN

SERVES: 2-4

PREP & COOK TIME: 20 min

 

INGREDIENTS

1 red capsicum, sliced

handful Baby carrots

1 red onion, sliced

Fresh baby spinach leaves

Olive oil

1 cup Turmeric, Ginger & Lime coconut chips

2 tbsp tomato paste

1 tbsp maple syrup

1 tbsp tamari sauce

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tbsp water

1 block extra firm tofu

2 tbsp coconut oil

 

MAKE

1. Place the sliced vegetables (apart from spinach leaves) on a lined baking tray, drizzle with oil and bake in the oven at 175°C for 15 minutes.
2. Using a mortar and pestle, crush the coconut chips until they resemble crumbs, then place in a bowl and aside.
3. Add sauce ingredients to a bowl and mix well to combine.
4. Slice the tofu into slices and dip each slice into the sauce mixture, then into the coconut crumb mixture, repeat this step with all the tofu slices.
5. Heat a large saucepan with coconut oil, place in the crumbed tofu and fry until both sides are golden and heated through, approx. 5 minutes on each side. Once they have cooked place them on a paper towel.
6. Remove the roasted veg from the oven and combine with baby spinach leaves, toss together and drizzle with olive oil and serve with crumbed tofu.