Class #3 - We're Talkin' Tofu

Yep we're talkin' tofu, that scary white block of 'stuff' that many people are afraid of and don't know what to do with. But before we start talkin' tofu one comment about our ongoing Thankgiving entree auditions. Apparently if you don't want to have people invite themselves to your holiday dinner tell them you are planning a vegetarian meal.

My childhood friend Mary asked, "are you having Aaron's family for Thanksgiving dinner and if you are will you tell them first it's vegetarian?"  Well fear not, anyone crossing their fingers we don't invite them to our house, uncross them NOW..that's part of what prompted us to try a vegetarian Thanksgiving. Aaron suggested it because it is often just the 2 of us home having a meal and watching football. The only one who might miss the turkey most, Sam our cat.

Now, let's talk tofu. Christina, our instructor started off by talking about the 3 types of tofu and some of their possible uses. There is silken, firm and extra firm. She used some silken to demo a chocolate mousse.

Our pre-cooking demo also included a very simple pie crust which could be used for apple pie but tonight would be for a pot pie being made. The crust consists of 3 ingredients; flour, earth balance spread and water. Making my own crusts are something I've never really tried so I'm anxious to give this a try sometime soon.

Our  kitchen tonight was given the manicotti to make. Yes with tofu. The recipe included a simple tomato sauce to put over it but since it consisted of diced tomatoes I didn't partake of the sauce. I will say I really liked our manicotti and will definately be making it at home sometime soon. Here is a picture of one of our 2 platters ready for the buffet table.


Dishes made in the other kitchens included:



Veggie Quiche

No cheese was used in the recipe tonight but I could see adding some to the quiche. Vegan cheese of course.





Tofu Scramble
This is something I've been wanting to try.
Tasted was good but we were told its especially good with some sriracha on it. 

Pot Pie
The pot pie was interesting. There was not enough time to make a second with a crust so they made one without with differerent seasonings. Both tasted good, the no-crust one was very flavorful.

  

Final presenation of all our dishes on my plate with my naked, unsauced manicotti.  For some reason I don't have a picture of the curry by itself but it's shown on my plate (top center with large yellow cubes and carrot slices) equally tasty.

I liked everything and Aaron concurs. I probably should have taken a picture of the empty plate to prove it. I even got to have some seconds, yummy in my tummy.