Cornmeal and Macadamia Nut Crusted Tofu Steaks over Smashed Peas with Tarragon

Gail Ingram Photography

Even if you don’t like tofu (or think you don’t like tofu) you’re guaranteed to like Cornmeal and Macadamia Nut Crusted Tofu Steaks. This is a dish that truly everyone loves. The center of the tofu is so toothsome and tender and the crust so crispy and crunchy. Mmmmm….

As for the smashed peas. You’ll love these too! Andy scorns peas, but even he happily eats them like this. Actually, when I first made this dish Andy wasn’t even sure exactly what the green stuff was, he just knew it tasted really, really good.

Cornmeal and Macadamia Nut Crusted Tofu Steaks over Smashed Peas with Tarragon

Serves: 4

Smashed Peas with Tarragon

• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon
• 1/4 cup raw macadamia nuts
• 3/4 teaspoon raw honey
• 1 tablespoon cold pressed extra virgin olive oil
• 4 cloves crushed garlic
• 2 shallots, finely chopped
• Unrefined sea salt, to taste (such as Real Salt)
• 1 package (1 pound) frozen organic petite peas, thawed

1. In a high speed blender (such as a [intlink id=”8564″ type=”page”]Vitamix[/intlink]), add the tarragon, macadamia nuts, raw honey and ¼ cup water. Process until smooth and creamy. Set tarragon-nut mixture aside.
2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the garlic and sauté 15 to 30 seconds. Add the shallots and sauté several minutes, until shallots are soft. Season lightly with salt to taste. Add the peas and sauté briefly, 1 or 2 minutes, or until peas are warm. Add the tarragon-nut mixture to the skillet and cook for an additional minute or so. Season peas with a bit more salt to taste. Transfer peas to a large bowl.
3. Use a handheld stick blender to puree the peas. Scoop a serving of smashed peas on individual serving plates. Top with Cornmeal and Macadamia Nut Crusted Tofu Steaks (recipe below.)

 

Cornmeal and Macadamia Nut Crusted Tofu Steaks

**A vegan option is to dip the tofu in hemp milk instead of the egg—but it won’t be as crispy

• ¼ cup raw macadamia nuts
• ¼ cup cornmeal (medium grind)
• 1 package (14 ounces) organic extra firm tofu, drained and patted very dry with paper towels (such as Nasoya)
• Chili powder, to taste
• Unrefined sea salt, to taste (such as Real Salt)
• 1 organic pastured egg
• Cold pressed extra virgin olive oil (for oiling skillet)

1. Place macadamia nuts and cornmeal in a high speed blender (such as a [intlink id=”8564″ type=”page”]Vitamix[/intlink]) or a food processor. Process into crumbs. Transfer crumbs to a large plate and set aside.
2. Slice the block of tofu into 8 thin triangle shaped “steaks” (Note: Slice the block of tofu in half diagonally. Then slice each half in half again so that you have 4 triangle segments. Slice each of the 4 triangle segments in half so that you end up with 8 thin triangle shaped tofu “steaks”.)
3. Sprinkle chili powder lightly on both sides of the triangle steaks; use your fingers to gently rub the chili powder into the tofu. Lightly season both sides of the tofu with salt to taste.
4. Lightly oil a large heavy skillet with extra virgin olive oil (use a paper towel to wipe a thin layer of oil over the bottom of the skillet.) Heat the skillet over medium-heat.
5. Meanwhile, crack the egg into a shallow dish and whisk with a fork. Working with only two tofu steaks at a time, dip the tofu in the egg and then dredge the tofu in the cornmeal-macadamia crumbs. When the oil in the skillet is hot, transfer the tofu steaks to the skillet. Raise the heat to high and cook tofu for about 2 minutes each side, or until tofu is lightly browned.
6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 with remaining tofu steaks (make sure to wipe the skillet clean and re-oil before adding tofu.)
7. Arrange tofu steaks on top of smashed peas.