Creamy Tofu Alfredo
Serves: 8
Prep Time: 80 minutes
Total Time: 140 minutes
A delicious pasta dish with the creaminess of Alfredo sauce without all the calories.
Calories: 260
Fat: 12g
Cholesterol: 21g
Sodium: 826mg
Total Carbs: 29g
Dietary fiber:4g
Protein: 11g
Calorie: 260, Proteins: 11 g, Total Fat: 12 g, Fiber: 4 g.
Preparation
Remove the tofu from the packaging and drain. Cut the tofu into small squares (about 16-20) in all. Soak in vegetable broth for at least an hour. If you want to help absorbency, wrap the tofu in a towel and place under a heavy book for an hour to drain out excess moisture before putting it in the vegetable broth.
Remove tofu squares from the broth and set broth aside. Lay out on a foil lined baking sheet with raised edges. Ladle a small amount of the broth over the tofu squares (about 4 tbsp worth). Sprinkle on top of the broth covered squares the black pepper, 1 tsp of salt, and 2 tbsp of the basil. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.
While the tofu is baking, set up the pasta pot and the vegetable saute pan. Begin heating 5 quarts of salted pasta water to a boil. In a large skillet, heat 4 tbsp of olive oil at medium-low heat.
Chop the garlic fine and add to the olive oil (be careful that it doesn't burn). Chop the onion and add that to the olive oil. Add the parsley, oregano, cayenne, remainder of the basil and salt, and a dash of pepper to the sizzling garlic and onion.
Raise to medium heat and begin adding vegetables, starting with the hardest ones first. After the carrots cook for about ten minutes, add the green beans. Add any other vegetables you have in order of descending hardness EXCEPT the leafy ones such as spinach. Stir and make sure all the veggies are coated in the olive oil, herbs, and spices.
Add cornstarch to the sauteed veggies and cook for five minutes or until the cornstarch is sufficiently absorbed into the oil and coating the vegetables. Add the vegetable broth and milk and raise heat to medium high. Keep stirring the mixture until it starts boiling. Once boiling, lower heat so that the milk doesn't burn and let simmer.
By this time, the tofu should almost be done cooking and the pasta water should be boiling. Once water boils, cook pasta according to package directions. When pasta is done, drain and add to the vegetable-creamy sauce mixture. When tofu is done, also add to mixture. Blend thoroughly and serve warm.