Meat-Free Friday: Korean Baked Tofu and Spicy Dandelion Greens

Don’t forget to submit your plum recipe for this week’s BSI! Deadline is this Sunday!
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I’ve gotten a few requests for more vegetarian “meat free Friday” dishes – this is one that everyone will be able to enjoy.

When I saw dandelion greens at the farmer’s market last weekend, I couldn’t resist. I remembered liking them a lot when I had Korean food in NYC and I thought they would be something fun and different to make at home. Mo always write about how much she loves Korean baked tofu, so I decided to give that a try too.

I loved the flavors on the tofu! The sesame oil gave it a slight sweetness that paired really well with the red peppers and garlic. Since tofu doens’t taste like much, this is really all about the sauce. I sliced the tofu into 8 pieces to get more surface area and made extra sauce, which I think was a good call. My husband was kind of indifferent toward this dish, but he’s not really a fan of tofu.

For the dandelion greens, I made something vaguely similar to kimchee. Or at least as similar as I could get with ingredients that I had on hand and less than an hour. I also served them warm. I liked them that way, but they’re also really good cold. I used sriarcha, which I don’t normally like because I find it too vinegary. It worked really well with this though (except I used way to much!! whoa spicy!!). My husband liked the greens a lot more than the tofu. I liked the tofu more, but that could have had something to do with the fact that my mouth felt like it was on fire! The flavor really was delicious, and I look forward to making them again.

Dandelion greens are also extremely healthy- 1 cup (chopped) has 500% of your RDA of vitamin k and over 100% of your day’s vitamin a. They also contain calcium and iron, and help support digestion, reduce swelling and inflammation. All for just 25 calories!

Spicy Dandelion Greens

• 1 bunch dandelion greens, rinsed well
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 Tbs sriracha (adjust to taste- this will be very spicy!!)
• 1-inch piece of ginger, grated
• 2 cloves garlic, grates

Cut green into 1-inch pices. Place in a bowl and toss with salt. Let sit 10-15 minutes to extract some of the liquid. Pour off/ squeeze out liquid. Combine remaining ingredients. Add to greens and let marinate for another 15 minutes. Transfer to a skillet and cook until thoroughly wilted and warmed through.

Serves 4.

Korean Baked Tofu

• 1 brick extra-firm tofu
• 4  Tbs low sodium soy sauce
• 2 Tbs crushed red pepper
• 6 green onions
• 8 cloves garlic
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 2 Tbs black sesame seeds

Place tofy under a heavy weight (a plate with a large can on top works well)to drain some of the water out. Let sit for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine remaining ingredients in a food processor. Process until a chunky paste is formed.

Cut tofu into 8 slices. Arrange on a baking sheet and top with sauce. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes.

Serves 4.