Tofu leek cake
2 cups organic firm tofu, crumbled
1 cup thinly sliced leek
4 cups loosely packed baby spinach
6 tbsp rolled oats
½ cup nutritional yeast
1 tsp camelina oil
1 small garlic clove, crushed
1 cup rice milk
½ tsp kosher salt
Freshly cracked black pepper
Canola oil to coat the pan and prevent sticking
Buttercup squash crumble
4 cups buttercup squash, diced
1 tbsp camelina oil
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary, whole
2 garlic cloves, crushed and chopped
⅓ cup apple cider vinegar
⅓ cup maple syrup
Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
½ cup panko breadcrumbs
¼ cup freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley
Parsnip purée
2 cups parsnip, peeled and sliced
1 small garlic clove, crushed
1 sprig of fresh thyme, whole
1 tsp camelina oil
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
½ cup rice milk
Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
Roasted heirloom carrots
8 to 10 small heirloom carrots
2 sprigs of fresh thyme, whole
1 garlic clove
Crushed kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
For plating
2 tbsp microgreens
18 paper-thin slices of red radish
Preparation
Step 1 – Pre-heat oven and prep
Pre-heat the oven to 350˚F / 180˚C. Then line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray a muffin tin with canola oil or cooking spray. Set both aside for later.
Step 2 – Prepare your tofu and leek cake
- Fry your the camelina oil, garlic and leek in a frying pan over medium-low heat. Then sauté for about 10 minutes or until the leek becomes tender without browning.
- Season with salt and pepper and add your spinach. Sauté for another 3 minutes.
- Transfer everything to a blender and add your tofu, rolled oats and nutritional yeast and blend. While the blender is running, add your rice milk and blend smooth.
- Divide the mixture equally into your muffin tins and cook for approximately 30 minutes, until the cakes are slightly firm and slightly browned.
Step 3 – Prepare your roasted squash
While the tofu cakes are in the oven, prepare the sweet and sour roasted squash.
- In a bowl, combine squash, camelina oil, rosemary, garlic, vinegar, maple syrup, salt and pepper. Toss everything together and transfer onto your baking sheet.
- Place in the oven and bake for about 30 minutes, or until slightly browned.
- Once cooked, divide it into two different bowls and set it aside.
Step 4 – Prepare buttercup squash crumble
- Sauté your panko breadcrumbs with a little camelina oil over medium heat, until browned. Add chopped parsley and season with salt and pepper.
- In a bowl, mix half of the roasted squash you just made with the seasoned panko. Set aside in a warm place until plating.
Step 5 – Prepare parsnip purée
- In a small saucepan, add camelina oil, apple cider vinegar and sliced parsnip; cook without browning for about 2 minutes over medium heat.
- Add rice milk, garlic clove, thyme, salt and pepper, then cover and simmer on a low temperature until the parsnip becomes very soft.
- Transfer this mixture to a blender and blend smooth.
Step 6 – Prepare buttercup squash purée
- Place the second bowl of squash in a blender and add rice milk. Season with salt and pepper and blend smooth.
Step 7 – Prepare heirloom carrots
- Preheat your fry pan with a bit of camelina oil.
- Add your carrots, 1 or 2 sprigs of fresh thyme, 1 clove of crushed garlic, salt and pepper and sauté on medium heat to brown a little.
- Place everything in the oven (350°F /180°C) for about 10 minutes.
Plating and presentation
To add a little crunch on the tofu cakes, preheat a fry pan with camelina oil and pan-fry the cakes for about 2 minutes on each side. Place 1 tofu cake in the centre of each plate and top it with the buttercup squash crumble. Add about 3 to 4 dots of different sizes of parsnip purée around the cakes; repeat with the butternut squash purée. Place 2 roasted carrots on top with 3 slices of radishes. Add microgreens around the plate and finally a drizzle of camelina oil.
Check back next month on Concordia’s Food Services page for a new recipe.