Agave walnut tofu

A favorite from my youth. I mainly liked it because it was like candy that I could eat for dinner. Crisp, sweet, tangy, creamy, crunchy, all rolled into one. It's traditionally made with mayonnaise (and shrimp and honey), and while I did have a jar of vegennaise handy, I figured I would try it from scratch for those of you who might not have vegan mayo around.


Yes, I photograph food on my rug.

Candied walnuts
1 c. walnuts
1/2 c. unrefined cane sugar
1 tsp. sesame seeds

Preheat oven to 350F. Spread walnuts on a baking sheet and bake for about 5-6 minutes, until lightly toasted. Keep an eye on these! They can go from toasted to charred in no time at all.

Combine the sugar and walnuts in a saucepan over med-high heat, and stir. As soon as it begins to caramelize, sprinkle in the sesame seeds. Once everything is evenly coated, pour the walnuts back onto the sheet pan to cool. Make sure to spread them out, so you don't end up with a giant, rock hard cluster of walnuts.

Creamy agave sauce
1/4 c. aseptic extra firm silken tofu
2 tbs. soy milk
1 1/2 tbs. agave nectar
1 tbs. canola oil
1 tbs. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. mustard
pinch of garlic powder
pinch of salt, to taste

Blend until smooth, then set aside. An immersion blender is great for this if you have one.

Tofu
1 lb. extra firm tofu
1 1/2 tbs. soy sauce
1/3 c. cornstarch
canola oil

Slice the tofu into half inch cubes and marinate in the soy sauce (ideally overnight, but at least 30 minutes).

Scoop the tofu (leave behind any liquid!) into a large bowl and toss with the cornstarch until all cubes are lightly dusted.

Heat 1/4" of oil in a skillet over med-high heat and fry up the tofu cubes until golden. (Or deep fry if you want to get wild.) Drain the tofu on a paper towel or bag. It helps to do it in batches, then once your last batch is almost finished, add all of the tofu back in to heat it up again. Drain quickly, then while still hot, place it in a large bowl. Pour the sauce on top and fold the tofu until all of the cubes are coated.

Plate with walnuts and garnish with additional sesame seeds. Excellent with brown rice!