Today for our vegan MoFo we hit on a very important food topic in our home-sandwiches. We love them! We are kinda picky about them though-we like them to be perfect as sandwiches are works of tasty art. Here is one of our very favorites from Veganomicon, Chile Cornmeal-Crusted Tofu Po' Boys!!
RECIPE:
2 (12") Baguettes sliced in half & split open
Sandwich pickles
Chile Cornmeal Crusted Tofu:
cor or veggie oil for frying
1lb. extra firm tofu, drained & pressed
1 cup soy or rice milk
2tbs. cornstarch
1 cup cornmeal
2tbs. chile powder
1tsp. ground cumin
1/4tsp. cayenne
1tbs. grated lime zest
1.5tsp salt
Creamy Coleslaw:
slaw:
3 cups finely shredded purple or white cabbage (or combo of both)
1 carrot peeled & shredded
pinch of dill
1/4 cup veganaise
2tbs. plain soy milk
1tbs. lemon juice
pinch of white pepper (to taste)
pinch of mustard powder
Chipotle Mayo:
1 canned chipotle (with a little of its sauce)
1/4 cup veganaise
Prepare Chipotle mayo by mashing ingredients together with a fork. Prepare slaw by mixing veganaise, soy milk, lemon juice, pepper & mustard powder together. Toss in cabbage & carrot. Taste & salt & pepper as needed.
Slice tofu widthwise into 8 slices, cut each of those in 1/2 diagonally (from upper left corner to lower right corner) so you end up with 16 long triangles. Set aside. Combine soy milk & cornstarch in wide shallow bowl. Mix vigorously with fork until cornstarch is mostly dissolved. In another shallow bowl toss together cornmeal, spices, lime zest, & salt. Heat about 1/4" oil in large skillet over medium heat. To test oil readiness sprinkle in pinch of batter, when it sizzles & bubbles form rapidly around it, oil is ready. Dip each individual triangle in milk mixture, then drop into cornmeal mix & use opposite to dredge it in mixture (use one hand for each mix to avoid the dreaded club hand!!!) & coat all sides. Transfer coated tofu to skillet in 2 batches as to not crowd the pan. Fry tofu for 3 minutes on one side, flip with tongs & fry other side for 2 minutes. Drain on paper towel or paper bag.
If you want to avoid frying (which we often do) you can bake these babies in the oven at 350 degrees on a parchment lined baking sheet for 12 minutes on each side. Just be sure to spray both sides with some oil until lightly coated.
Sandwich assembly is as follows: 1. spread chipotle mayo on bottom of baguette, 2. place 2 triangles of tofu on bread, 3. add slaw, 4. add pickles, 5. spread chipotle may to top slice, 6. close bread & slice diagonally, 7. scarf these bad boys down!!
REVIEW:
Alex: I am obsessed with this sandwich. I love it for dinner & lunch the next day! Plus if I am uber hungry I can eat some slaw on the side with the sammich! It's pretty easy to make and I like baking it even better than frying it as it tastes less heavy & allows us time to make the slaw and mayo whilst the tofu is baking. Joe usually does either the milk part of the mix or the cornmeal & I do the other so we don't get club hands-those are gross & difficult to work with!
Joe: Pretty simple and gratifying. I truly enjoy coleslaw, so virtually anything with coleslaw is great in my opinion. I find the breading is somewhat difficult to maintain on the tofu, but enough stays on to achieve a crunchy, delicious exterior! Overall, a great sandwich.
