I have so many Asian Greens coming out of the garden, and I wanted to make a tofu dish to go along with my greens. I remember ordering Tofu with Black Bean Sauce in the Chinese Restaurant and loving it, but they use fermented black beans to make that and I didn’t have any. What I did have was a big jar of my homemade sauerkraut, and I thought I could combine that with some black beans and come up with a dish that would resemble my memory of the Black Bean dish from the restaurant. What I came up with is certainly different, but equally delicious and so quick to make. Enjoy this dish and let me know what you think!

Post any of your iEat Green recipes either on Instagram using the hashtag #iEatGreenRecipes and tag @ieat_green  or on Facebook.

Follow iEat Green on Instagram and Facebook for more healthy & delicious recipes!

Ingredients:

For the Medallions

1 cake extra firm organic tofu, sliced ¼” thick, into 10 slices, then cut on the diagonal to form a triangle

¼ cup nutritional yeast

1 t. onion powder

1 t. garlic powder

1 t. ginger powder

1 t. 5 Chinese Spice Powder

¼ t. cayenne powder

¼ t. salt

Splashes of Tamari

For the Sauce

2 Tbs. canola oil

1 onion, chopped 

1 jalapeno pepper  ( ½ red, ½ green)

1 t. minced garlic

1 t. minced ginger

1 can black beans

1 cup sauerkraut

1 Tbs. tomato paste

1 t. 5 Chinese Spice Powder

1 Tbs. Brown Rice Vinegar

1 t. sesame oil

1 t. hot sesame oil

1 t. salt

¼ cup boiling water

1 Tbs. chopped cilantro for garnish

Instructions:

1. Lay out tofu slices on a dry towel, cover with another towel, and press lightly to dry.

2. Cut on the diagonal to form triangles.

3. Combine ¼ cup nutritional yeast, onion powder, garlic powder, ginger powder, Chinese Spice Powder, cayenne powder, and ¼ t. salt in a shallow dish.

4. Cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper and spray or wipe with oil. 

5. Lay out tofu medallions onto the greased parchment paper. Sprinkle the nutritional yeast mixture on both sides of the tofu medallions, and bake at 375° for 10 minutes, until the bottom is golden brown. 6. Turn tofu slices over and bake for another 5 minutes.

7. Remove from oven and lightly splash tofu with Tamari on both sides.

8. Meanwhile, cover bottom of heavy skillet with oil.

9. When oil is hot, add the onions, ginger, and garlic. Cook for a few minutes, and then add the peppers. Cook for 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and let that cook for another 5 minutes.

10. Then add the black beans, sauerkraut, Chinese 5 spice, salt, vinegar, and sesame oils.

11. Puree with an immersion blender.

12. Add the boiling water, 1 Tbs. at a time until you reach the desired consistency. Taste and adjust spices if desired.

13. Arrange tofu cutlets on platter and cover with sauce. Garnish with chopped cilantro.

14. Serve with sautéed vegetables and your favorite grain.