Roasted Broccoli with Cheezy Sauce

And Baked Tofu, Too

I just opened the fridge, and then I winged it. (Wung it, the kids say.) I had fresh broccoli. My pre-veg brain filled in “with cheese sauce?” and I thought, why the heck not?

The cheezy sauce is inspired by the one from Forks Over Knives, though I switched out a few things. It can be used for any number of fantastic creations.

I’ve been experimenting a lot with sauces lately, but I can’t do much better than the recipes I’ve found in the Engine 2 Cookbook, The Warrrior Woman Cookbook, and the Forks Over Knives Recipes app. That app is free at the app store, by the way.

Roasted Broccoli with Cheezy Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1 head fresh broccoli, cut into florets

• 1 yellow onion, chopped

• 1 red bell pepper, chopped

• 1 cup nutritional yeast

• 1 teaspoon tamari

• Several shakes of garlic powder (optional)

• A few shakes of salt

• Freshly ground pepper

Method

Cut the broccoli to bite size and put into a large bowl.

Mash all the other ingredients together in a high powered blender, adding about 1/3 cup water a little at a time as you process it.

Pour some of the sauce over the broccoli, reserving about half for later. Stir it all up, and then pour onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and pop into the oven.

Bake at 400 degrees or use the air fry setting until the broccoli is fork tender

Serve with additional sauce spooned over the top.

Baked Tofu

Ingredients

• 1 block extra firm tofu

• 1/4 cup reduced sodium tamari

• 1 tablespoon garlic powder

• 1 tablespoon onion powder

• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper

• 1 teaspoon paprika

• 1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper

• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

Method

Slice the block of tofu the short way, into slices about 1/3 inch thick. Do not press the tofu, we want the moisture! Arrange on a fine mesh or wire non-stick baking rack, or use parchment paper.

Mix all the spices. Be creative and add more of some, less of others, mix in new ones. This blend was my attempt to mimic Montreal Steak Seasoning, which is very high in sodium and contains oil. Mine’s less salty, no oil.

Cover each slice of tofu with seasonings. The dampness of the tofu should lock the seasoning mix in place.

Place in the oven on the air fry setting for ten minutes.

Remove from the oven, and brush each tofu slice with tamari, using a basting brush. Just dab some on, without distubing the spices too much. Return to over for another ten minutes.

Serve with Cheezy Sauce as a dip.