Cornmeal Crusted Tofu

Some weeknights I’m all geared up to cook lot of dishes and some days I’m so down that warming up leftovers also seem to be stressful. So I made this meal on one of those days when I was in the mood to cook. Menu included Cornmeal crusted tofu with broccoli polenta, sautéed garlicky bok choy and my quick pan gravy.

Recipe adapted from Veganomicon.
Ingredients:
Extra firm Tofu – 1 lb., drained and pressed
Soymilk – ½ cup
Corn Starch – 2tsp

For the cornmeal crust:
Cornmeal – ¾ cup
Garlic – 2 cloves, minced
Ground cumin – 1tsp
Chili powder – 1tbsp
Cayenne pepper – ½ tsp
Salt – 1½ tsp (or to taste)
Lemon zest – 1tbsp

Method:

• Cut tofu into 8 pieces widthwise; then cut each piece diagonally to make 2 long triangles.
• Pour milk in a shallow bowl; add corn starch and whisk with a fork to combine. In another shallow bowl, add all the ingredients for the cornmeal crust and mix well.
• Pour oil to about ¼“ in a skillet and heat until very hot, but not smoking.
• With your left hand dunk tofu in milk, roll it around and drop it into the cornmeal mixture. Now with your right hand, roll it around and make sure all sides are uniformly coated. Slowly place in the hot oil. Repeat with rest of the tofu pieces.
• Cook them in two batches to make sure that the skillet is not over crowded. Cook for 3 minutes on one side, flip with tongs and cook for another 2 minutes. Your nose would know when the time’s up. Drain on paper towels and serve warm over broccoli polenta.
  

For the pan gravy, I added a cup of tomato-basil pasta sauce (I used my fav. Bertolli brand) along with ½ cup of low-fat milk. Brought it to a low simmer, seasoned with salt & pepper and finally sprinkled in some nutritional yeast.