ever since mike and i began avidly cooking and subscribing to vegetarian times to obtain new, delicious recipes, we rarely repeat a recipe. if we do repeat a recipe, it’s usually over a span of a month or two, while the produce it utilizes is fresh and available – but that recipe rarely makes it to the next year when the season rolls around again. this recipe, for honey tofu and couscous, is one of the rare exceptions to our constant desire to try new recipes and experience new flavor combinations. we stumbled across this recipe shortly after thanksgiving, when nothing sounded good to eat because we were still reeling from our veggie tday feast. we made it once, then the next week, then the next one after that. and before we knew it, we were both making it for our respective family’s christmas celebrations.
since then, it’s become our go to recipe, the one we pull out when we want something quick and comforting, and i’ve never gotten tired of it – which is really unusual! this is mostly because it’s so incredibly tasty, combining the cloying sweetness of honey with salty and savory couscous with vegetables and the homey taste of sage. it also works with any season – the original recipe calls for carrots and frozen edamame beans in the couscous, but we tend to add fresh season vegetables as we see fit – this time we added fresh home grown corn (thanks, j!) and mayan squash in addition to the edamame and carrots. (i should also thank aunt b and uncle j for the wedding present of the two amazing pans utilized in this recipe and almost every recipe we make – we love them!!)
possibly the best thing about this recipe is that it quickly and easily makes six filling servings. so it works well for a group of people or provides lots of leftovers, which mike and i love packing to take with us to the office for lunch the next day. while the tofu is a little better when it first comes out of the pan, the whole dish keeps and reheats really well. so what are you waiting for? cook up a batch of this honey glazed tofu with couscous and enjoy!
honey glazed tofu with couscous
adapted from vegetarian times
yields 6 servings
- honey glazed tofu
- 20 oz extra-firm tofu
- 2t cracked black pepper
- 2t dried sage
- 1t salt
- 1/4c olive oil
- 1/2c honey
- couscous
- 2c vegetable broth (we use water and bouillon cubes)
- 2 medium carrots, chopped (approx 1 c)
- 1c frozen edamame
- 2t olive oil
- 1t salt
- 1½c whole wheat couscous
- 1/2c toasted pumpkin seeds (optional)
- (this is where you should feel free to add any seasonal veggies, plus a little extra water to make sure they’re cooked)
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- cut tofu into 12 slices
- combine pepper, sage, and salt in small bowl, then coat tofu slices with this mixture
- next, start couscous by boiling broth, carrots, edamame, olive oil, and salt (plus other veggies)
- once the mixture above boils, remove from heat, stir in couscous and cover
- let the couscous steam 5 minutes, then fluff with fork
- meanwhile, heat oil and honey in large saute pan over medium high heat until bubbling
- place tofu in pan, and cook 3 minutes per side
- if using, stir pumpkin seeds into couscous, then serve onto plates, and top with hone glazed tofu
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August 22nd, 2008 at 6:47 am
Yum! I’m gonna try this with stevia instead of honey.
Love the pic of your lunchboxes all lined up. Do you or Mike carry those glass containers to work via bike? If they work well for that, I want some.
August 22nd, 2008 at 9:27 am
Ooh. I got to partake in this at one of the above mentioned Christmas feasts. It was delicious and I had forgotten about it. I will have to bring it into my rotation. I love the sweet and savory vibes it has.
August 24th, 2008 at 3:24 pm
remind me in December that this is what I want for my bday
August 24th, 2008 at 5:59 pm
@jessi: would you add water to stevia? i’ve only seen it in powder form, but i’m quite naive in this area. and yep, mike bikes them to work.
@laura: i wish i could have been at both christmases to enjoy both the company and this dish twice, a la those old stovetop commercials!
@jen: we don’t have to wait til december – you bring the wine (and maybe some more delicious corn), and we’ll make it for you any time!
August 24th, 2008 at 6:02 pm
hey jessi,
yes i take these with me on my bike ride to work–and they are great! they snap on the sides, creating a seal so nothing can leak out. i wish i knew where we got them–one of emilie’s coworkers got them for us in san jose, i believe.
August 25th, 2008 at 5:46 am
Hi Em, I use liquid stevia. It’s very concentrated. In an unfamiliar recipe, I’d add it drop by drop and taste till it’s right.
You’ll find it in the supplement section of the health food store (for some arcane reason it’s only approved as a supplement and not as food or sweetener). A small bottle costs around $10, but it lasts a long time, so it’s really not expensive.
August 25th, 2008 at 7:17 am
@jessi, you’ve got to love the fda’s food approval power :-\ i had no idea stevia was also sold in liquid form – i’ll have to check that out! and yes, my coworker’s husband got the glass containers at some korean store in san jose for $5 each. i can find out more info if you’d like – let me know!
August 25th, 2008 at 10:16 am
@em, I’d be obliged if you would find out more about the containers, thanks!
By the way, the liquid stevia even comes in flavors, like chocolate, toffee, raspberry, etc.! I like the toffee stevia in my oatmeal – it’s a teeny bit like brown sugar.
August 28th, 2008 at 12:25 pm
Now I don’t have to go searching for the recipe! I had sort of forgotten about this one so nice to be reminded.
August 28th, 2008 at 1:49 pm
there are requests that in a future blog you post the recipe for butternut squash enchiladas…speaking of holidays…do you have it?
August 29th, 2008 at 5:55 pm
@bb: i’m glad this one will be put to use!
@lp: yes, i have the butternut squash enchilada recipe and i will definitely make it for you/the blog! i also have a request for butternut squash lasagna – i’m just waiting for butternut squashes to be in season and i’ll make both!
September 2nd, 2008 at 2:43 pm
Is this the most commented post ever or what?
September 5th, 2008 at 6:53 am
@mike: yep, it totally is!
September 11th, 2008 at 10:50 am
[...] it feels like we’ve been making these rice bowls from vegetarian times for years (like the honey glazed tofu), they were published in may 08, so i guess that makes them a newish recipe, albeit very much [...]
July 25th, 2009 at 12:37 pm
Is this still the most commented piece? I’m looking at it because we’re making it this week.
January 11th, 2010 at 10:01 pm
Just to add to the comments we made this last night and it was great. Bryan loves LOVES the honey!
January 12th, 2010 at 10:44 am
@kate: I’m glad it turned out well! I got an idea of how much BTZ loved the honey at Jen’s bday dinner thing. :)