Vegan with a Vengeance

seeds
    Preheat oven to 350°F. In a 9 × 13-inch (preferably glass or ceramic) baking pan, turn the tofu in the peanut oil and tamari to coat on both sides. Bake for 15 minutes, then flip the slices and bake for 15 minutes more. Meanwhile, prepare the sauce.
    In a saucepan over medium heat, sauté the shallots in the peanut oil for about 5 minutes, add the garlic and five-spice powder, and sauté 1 minute more. Add the
broth and bring to a simmer. Add the rest of the ingredients (except for the pomegranate seeds) and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring frequently.
    At this point, your tofu should be done baking. Smother the tofu with the BBQ sauce, return to oven, and bake 15 minutes more. Remove from oven. Serve with Coconut Rice and garnish with the pomegranate seeds.
    Fizzle says:
    Pomegranates are delicious but a bit of a pain to eat. The only edible part of the grapefruit-size fruit is the outer casing of the seeds, which means you have to split open the fruit, take out the seeds, and remove the pits from the seeds to enjoy the sweet, tangy juice. They’re very yummy, though, and if convenience is your thing you can buy pomegranate juice, pomegranate sauce, grenadine (made from pomegranates), and other stuff.

Horseradish- and Coriander-Crusted Tofu
    SERVES 3-4
    Â 
    Most people are familiar with horseradish of the jarred variety, and that’s all fair and well, but it’s a whole other thing to experience this spicy root freshly grated. Briefly cooking the horseradish cuts down on the heat quite a bit, so don’t worry that it will be too spicy for you. I serve this with a simple tartar sauce (2 parts Vegannaise, 1 part sweet pickle relish) and Wasabi Mashed Potatoes (page 110).
    Â 
    FOR THE MARINADE:
    Â½ cup white cooking wine
    1 tablespoon tamari or soy sauce
    Juice of 1 lemon
    2 cloves garlic, smashed
    1 pound extra-firm tofu, drained and pressed for at least an hour, sliced lengthwise into eighths
    FOR THE CRUST:
    â…“ cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs; if you can’t find these, use unflavored, preferably whole wheat bread crumbs)
    â…“ cup very loosely packed chopped fresh mint
    3 tablespoons fresh horseradish, grated
    Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
    1 tablespoon coriander seeds, crushed (see page 21)
    â…› teaspoon salt
    A few dashes fresh ground black pepper
    1 tablespoon oil
    Prepare the marinade:
    Mix all ingredients together in a shallow bowl; marinate the tofu for at least 1 hour, turning occasionally.
    Prepare the dish:
    Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking pan with foil and lightly coat in oil or spray with nonstick cooking spray.
    In a shallow bowl, mix together the bread crumbs, mint, horseradish, lemon zest,
coriander, salt, and black pepper. Sprinkle with the olive oil and combine with a fork.
    Press each piece of tofu firmly into the mixture on both sides, one piece at a time. Take a small amount of the panko mixture and press it into the top side of the tofu (the underside will be less crusty because less crumbs stick to it; just a little sprinkle of crumbs should suffice on that side, otherwise too many will burn). Place each slice in the prepared pan.
    Bake for 15 minutes. Transfer to broiler for another 5 minutes. Serve.
    Fizzle says:
    Once the horseradish is grated be prepared to use it immediately; it will develop a bitter taste if left around for too long.

Mango-Ginger Tofu
    MAKES 6 SERVINGS
    Â 
    The summer that I invented this mango tofu little could stop me from bringing it to any function that would have me. We had it grilled on the Fourth of July on a rooftop in Brooklyn while watching fire-works over the East River. The next week I brought it to a Leonard Cohen tribute concert. And then we enjoyed it again on my Mom’s birthday. I started to get self-conscious that people might think it was the only thing I knew how to make, and they’d start calling me “Isa with the mango tofu,” but really it’s that good, you won’t be able to stop yourself. Choose mangoes that are ripe but not overripe; they should give only slightly if you squeeze them.
    Â 
    FOR THE MARINADE:
    2 teaspoons peanut oil
    3 cloves garlic
    Â¼ cup fresh ginger, coarsely chopped
    1 jalapeño, seeded and chopped
    2 large mangoes, peeled and coarsely chopped (see Punk Points, page 154)
    Â¼ cup pure maple syrup
    1 cup white cooking wine or vegetable broth
    2 tablespoon rice vinegar (use apple cider vinegar or