… and we’re back with another #MeatlessMonday (and only one day late!)

#MeatlessMonday Red Wine Braised Tofu and Seitan

So I got this idea off the Meatless Monday newsletter, which dutifully hits my inbox every week and gives me all kinds of delicious meatless recipe ideas.  On this week’s menu is a recipe for tofu coq au vin, which is mind blowing.

Coq au vin is a traditional French cooking liquid made from wine, lemon juice, lardons (which somehow didn’t make it into the meatless version…), mushrooms and garlic.  This liquid is then used to add a world of flavor to tofu which has been hard seared.  Pretty cool and certainly something I’d never thought of to do. 

So, I was thinking, if tofu could be made coq au vin style, what else could we do with wine and tofy?  And from those ponderings comes today’s recipe.  Well, that and I like seitan.

Red Wine Braised Tofu and Seitan Recipe

The key to this recipe, of course, is the red wine.  First, you definitely want to cook with something you’d like to drink since it will flavor both the tofu and the seitan.  Second, if you’re vegan or trying to eat vegan, make sure you check that your wine was produced without using any animal products.  Last,  you’ll probably want something a little dry for this.

Once you have the wine, all you need to do is add in some flavor and cook the tofu, seitan, and a few veggies.  Then, eat.

You will need:

• 1 package of tofu
• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, sliced
• 2 carrots, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 2 stalks celery, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 24 oz seitan
• 1 bottle dry red wine
• Juice of 1/2 lemon

If you can, about an hour before you start cooking, press your tofu, then cut into 1 inch by 1/2 inch pieces about 1/4 inch thick.  If you don’t have the time to press your tofu, cut it into those sized pieces and apply gentle pressure with your hands.

Get 4 tablespoons of olive oil very hot in a high-sided skillet and stir fry the tofu until golden brown.  Then set aside. 

Depending on how much oil is left, you may need to up to two tablespoons of olive oil back into the skillet so that you are starting with two tablespoons.  Set the heat to medium-high. 

Add all the vegetables and saute until the onions begin to turn clear (about 8-10 minutes.)  Then add the peppercorns, thyme, and seitan.  Saute the seitan for 2-4 minutes on each side or until it turns brown.

Add the red wine, lemon juice, and tofu into the pot.  Bring the wine to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium so it is just boiling.  Put a lid over the skillet and braise the tofu and seitan for 20 minutes so that they have time to soak up as much of the liquid as they can.

Serve with noodles and enjoy!

Thanks to access.denied for the picture.