Garlic & Chive Tofu Cheese Croquettes

    By
    Ann Gentry
    -
    Garlic-&-Chive-Tofu-Cheese-Croquettes_183895280

    Ingredients

    • 1 (14-ounce) block extra-firm tofu
    • 1/4 cup miso (available at health food and Asian grocery stores)
    • 1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
    • 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
    • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
    • 1 tablespoon chives, finely chopped
    • 1/2 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
    • 1/4 cup soy milk
    • 1 cup panko breadcrumbs (available at Asian grocery stores)
    • canola oil

    Directions

    1. Slice block of tofu horizontally and drain on a paper towel pressed between two cutting boards.
    2. Crumble tofu into food processor. Add miso, olive oil, garlic and salt. Process until smooth. Transfer to medium bowl and stir in chives. Cover and chill for at least 4 hours before breading.
    3. Set up a breading station, placing the flour, soy milk and breadcrumbs in separate containers.
    4. Shape tofu mixture into 2-inch patties. Dredge the patties in the flour, then dip in the soy milk, then dredge in the bread crumbs. Place breaded croquettes on sheet trays lined with parchment paper.
    5. Pour a 1/2-inch of canola oil into a large sauté pan and heat over medium to medium-high heat. Oil is ready for frying when it begins to shimmer and a drop of water splatters. Pan fry the tofu croquettes in the oil, one side at a time, until the croquettes are golden brown. Place the fried croquettes on sheet trays lined with parchment paper and cool before serving.

     Accompaniments

    Gorgeous Greens Salad

    Ann Gentry
    Ann Gentry, host of Naturally Delicious, has spent the past 20 years raising the standard of vegetarian cooking. As a chef, restaurateur, food educator and visionary, she has succeeded in combining macrobiotic food preparation with the richness of her southern upbringing to create a gourmet vegetarian cuisine even meat lovers covet.As the executive chef of Vegetarian Times magazine, Ann creates original vegetarian recipes and contributes articles on healthy eating and living. Ann also writes her own bimonthly column about food and children for the British magazine Junior: The World’s Finest Parenting Magazine.Ann is the creator, founder and operating owner of Real Food Daily, the only restaurant in the Los Angeles area that serves a 100 percent vegetarian menu using foods grown exclusively with organic farming methods. Bon Appetit magazine wrote that “Ann Gentry, the creator of Real Food Daily, has taken two different California trends — vegetarian foods, and the organic seasonal cooking popularized by Alice Waters of Chez Panisse — and come up with a cuisine that is as interesting and delicious as it is healthful.” With two California locations, in Santa Monica and West Hollywood, Real Food Daily has “developed a loyal following.” Its patrons range from the someday to the everyday vegetarian, to celebrities, to trendsetting young eaters with sophisticated palates or the mature diner seeking gourmet, health-supportive cuisine. Ann’s first cookbook, “The Real Food Daily Cookbook,” published by Ten Speed Press, is available for purchase on her website www.realfood.com and at bookstores. As the spokesperson for SOYJOY, an all-natural nutrition bar made with whole soy, Ann has appeared on many radio and television shows as well as various food lifestyle shows promoting a healthy lifestyle. She has also been a guest chef at Canyon Ranch, Pritikin Longevity Center, Robert Mondavi Wine Center, L.A. Times Festival of Books, the Environmental Media Awards, North American Vegetarian Society and Central Market. In the spring of 2008, Ann will be a featured guest chef on a Caribbean cruise ship, in the program “A Taste of Health” on Holistic Holiday at Sea. Ann lives in Los Angeles with her husband, Robert Jacobs, and their two vegetarian children, Halle and Walker.