Over and over I hear people say to me, “girl, you are melting away”. I don’t really notice it until I slide into a pair of size 2 jeans and say to myself, “what the”?!! Losing weight is not something I could’ve done without changing a lot of things about my life. First, I decided that I was done eating meat. Do I still crave meat? YES! But that feeling passes when I get excited about preparing vegetables in a way that is exciting. Also over six months ago I stopped drinking alcohol. The combination of these two things has changed my life in ways that are hard to describe in a sentence or two.
When I made the decision to stop drinking, I also dove head first into daily self-reflection, prayer, and meditation. These practices help me see everything more clearly including the way I view food and my health.
This recipe is completely Vegan, and the crispy tofu tastes like browned meat. I’m serious! I loved this dish so much I practically licked my plate. I mean just look at the colors! Let’s give it a go shall we?!
Whipped Caramelized Sweet Potato & Smoky Crispy Tofu
Ingredients: (serves two people – double recipe for 4)
Caramelized Onion Sweet Potato Mash:
Avocado oil
1/2 bulb of garlic
1 large yam
6 sprigs of fresh thyme
2 shallots
2 tbsp. maple syrup
1/2 tsp. five spice powder
kosher salt and pepper
Smoky Tofu Crumble
1/2 block of extra firm tofu (try the sprouted tofu at Trader Joes – they sell it in half sizes)
1/2 tbsp. smoked paprika
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. dried thyme powder
1/2 tsp. all spice
1/2 tsp. ground fennel (or whole fennel seeds toasted and ground with a mortar and pestle)
1/2 tsp. white pepper (you can use black if you don’t have white)
2 tbsp. nutritional yeast (makes tofu super crispy)
2 tsp brown sugar
2 tbsp. tamari (OR use soy sauce – soy sauce is not considered Vegan)
2 tbsp. avocado oil
cilantro or parsley leaves for garnish
lime – juice for garnish
Instructions:
- Preheat oven 425 degrees and line baking sheet with avocado oil or parchment paper.
- Remove tofu from water and place on a plate with a paper town on top and bottom and cover with a heavy bottomed pan. Press while you prepare everything else.
- Trim off top of the bulb of garlic and expose the garlic cloves. Place in a piece of tinfoil and drizzle with avocado oil, salt, and pepper and close up the foil. Place on baking sheet.
- Cut sweet potato in half, drizzle with avocado oil, salt, and pepper. Place fresh thyme on cut side of sweet potato and flip over onto baking sheet with potato resting on top of thyme.
- Peel and cut shallots in half. Drizzle with avocado oil and place cut side down on baking sheet.
- Roast 30 – 35 minutes or until sweet potato is tender.
- Let potato cool so you can handle it. Remove skin and scoop out flesh, then place everything from baking sheet into a food processor. Add five spice and maple syrup and salt to taste. Whip until smooth.
- Crumble tofu into a large bowl. Then add all spices. Stir to coat the tofu evenly. Place in a single layer on baking sheet and roast at 425 degrees for 15 – 20 minutes. Flip tofu and roast another 5 – 10 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes. Tofu will continue to crisp up while it sits.
- Spoon the whipped potato onto a plate then top with the tofu crumbles. Garnish with cilantro or parsley and fresh lime juice.
Enjoy immediately!
