BREADED TOFU WITH A CREAMY SPINACH, TOMATO AND
BELL PEPPER SAUCE

Serves: 3-6
INGREDIENTS
Tofu
1 14-oz tub extra firm tofu, cut lengthwise into 6 steaks
1.4 C tamari or soy sauce
1/2 tsp Worcestershire
2 tsp tomato sauce
1 Tbs yellow or red miso
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
1 tsp agave
1 C panko
1/8 C nutritional yeast
Salt and pepper

Sauce
1 Tbs olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 orange bell pepper, diced
3 Tbs vegan margarine
6 Tbs flour
1/2 C white wine
1 C almond milk
1/2 to 3/4 C vegetable broth
1/2 tsp sage
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
2 tomatoes, diced
4 C spinach, chopped

The rest
1/4 C pine nuts, toasted

DIRECTIONS
I recommend having all of your ingredients prepped and ready to
go before proceeding; it'll help out a lot.

Start with preparing the tofu. In a shallow bowl, whisk together
the tamari, tomato paste, miso, Worcestershire sauce, sesame oil
and agave.

In another shallow bowl, combine the panko, nutritional yeast, salt and pepper.

Next, heat the olive oil in a large skillet and add the garlic
and bell pepper over medium heat. While the pepper is cooking,
finish preparing the tofu. Coat the tofu steaks in the tamari
mixture, then coat well in the panko mixture.

Spray a grill pan with some olive oil cooking spray and heat
over medium. Lay the six tofu steaks in the pan and cook for
about 8 minutes per side.

While the tofu is cooking, check the bell pepper. (You should
also make sure you're toasting those pine nuts---just a few
minutes in a dry skillet, stirring often.)

Once the bell pepper softens and browns, transfer to a bowl.

Using the same skillet, add the vegan margarine and let it melt
completely. Whisk in the flour and blend well over medium heat.
Slowly whisk in the white wine until the mixture is smooth.
Next, add the almond milk, but just a little at a time. The
sauce will gradually thicken as you go.

(Check the tofu; you may need to turn it by this point.)

Once the milk is all incorporated and the sauce is getting
thick, add the vegetable broth. I used somewhere between half
and three-quarters of a cup. I'd whisk a little in, let it
thicken, then added more. I continued to do this until I was
happy with the consistency. Season with sage, salt and pepper.

Next, I folded in the tomatoes. The liquid from the tomatoes may
thin out the sauce a little, but it ought to thicken back up
with no problem. Your tofu ought to be finished about this time,
so stir in the spinach.

Serve the tofu with a ladle or two of the sauce on top.
Sprinkle with pine nuts and enjoy!