Roasted Black Bean Tofu-A High Vegan Protein Dish
Black beans and tofu are a surprisingly great pairing, and this recipe is so easy even the laziest of cooks will have no complaints (a little further down I’ve drawn up a schedule to allow you to binge watch while making your tofu). This roasted black bean tofu dish is not only easy, it’s super high in vegan protein and incredibly tasty. The sauce is slightly sweet and spicy and very savory. The beans have a soft, almost silky texture, and the tofu is firm and flavorful. Top with sesame seeds, scallions, chili peppers, and/or cilantro. Serve it as a side, or with rice or salad greens as a main dish. This black bean tofu tastes as good at room temperature as it does warm, and is a versatile, high-protein component to any vegan meal.
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You’re Vegan? But where do you get your Protein???
One thing vegans are constantly being asked is “if you don’t eat meat, how do you get protein?”. It’s a little funny how omnivores are never asked about protein, no matter how little meat they eat, yet the second someone makes the decision to avoid meat altogether everyone they know is suddenly deeply concerned- but not quite concerned enough to look up vegan, protein-rich food items. While the concerns for protein content are occasionally valid, most vegans are able to consume enough protein through plant sources without really trying. This dish is a great example of how easy it is- at around 30+ grams of protein in just a quarter of dish (and personally, I ended up eating half), you’ll likely find yourself close to your daily recommended protein intake.
Looking for Vegan Protein? Try one of these Protein-Packed Recipes
- Fried Hoisin Tofu with Peanut Sauce-Touched Udon
- Teff Vegan Burger with White Beans and Mushrooms
- Lion’s Mane Mushroom (Hericium erinaceus) in Cherry Tomato Sauce
- How to Cook Mung Beans: Easy 30-Minute Recipe
- Layered White Bean, Lentil and Kohlrabi Vegan Shepard’s Pie
What are Garlic Scapes
The only uncommon ingredient in this dish is the garlic scapes (although you may need to look for the garlic chili sauce and the hoisin in the Asian section of your supermarket). Garlic scapes are a biproduct of growing garlic bulbs- as the heads mature underground, the scapes shoot up in the spring. They are then cut, to encourage the plant to use its energy to grow the underground bulb rather than the stems. I got my garlic scapes on an adventure in Vermont- just off the highway there are signs with the word “garlic” or “garlic scapes” (depending on the time of year). If you follow them you’ll find yourself at a little red farm house with an open porch and no other people in sight. On the porch there are refrigerated garlic scapes, a board explaining the pricing and a box for money. They even have free recipes, in case you need help figuring out what to do with your scapes. If you don’t have access to garlic scapes, never fear, just one minced clove of garlic can take the place of the garlic scapes in this recipe.
Making Roasted Black Bean Tofu-A High Vegan Protein Dish
The most beautiful thing about this dish is how easy it is- chop a few things, mix a sauce (just 6 ingredients in the sauce!) and stick it in the oven. Watch an episode of something on Netflix. Take it out, stir, put it back in. Watch a second episode. Take it out for the last time, and enjoy (maybe watch a third episode). Roasted black bean tofu is so simple, it actually surprised me how delicious it was. I re-did the photos to this post in June, 2019, and was pleasantly surprised that the dish was as delicious as I had remembered, while still being so simple and affordable.
Roasted Black Bean Tofu
Ingredients
- 16 oz brick of tofu, medium or firm
- 15oz can of black beans, drained
- Two garlic scapes or one clove of garlic
- 2 TBSP soy sauce
- 1 TBSP sesame oil
- 1 TBSP vegetable oil
- 1 TBSP garlic chili paste (less if you don’t like very much spice, more if you like it spicy)
- 1 TBSP hoisin
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- Optional, for garnish: sesame seeds, scallions, fresh chili pepper, cilantro
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Chop the tofu into small cubes, about 1/2 inch in each direction. Drain and rinse the beans and set aside. Finely chop the scapes or garlic clove.
- In a jar add the soy sauce, sesame oil, vegetable oil, garlic chili paste, hoisin and apple cider vinegar and shake to mix. Add the garlic scapes, tofu and beans into an oven safe glass pan, top with the sauce, and toss to cover.
- Put the tofu in the oven for a total of around 40 minutes, stirring the tofu once about half way through. Remove from the oven- the sauce should be bubbling and have reduced and the tofu should have become a little golden. Garnish as desired, and serve hot or at room temperature alone, with rice, or over salad
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