Ingredients 1 (14 oz. drained) block extra-firm tofu
1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste
1 3/4 cup water
3 TBSP honey {or agave syrup for vegan}
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp lemon juice1 tsp liquid smoke
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp hot sauce
1 TBSP olive oil
1 bell pepper, diced {about 1 cup}
1 carrot, diced {about 1/3 cup}
1 onion, diced {about 1.5 cups}
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 oz. mushrooms, diced
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp salt
6 whole wheat hamburger buns
Instructions Drain the water off the tofu and squeeze it dry. {You want this as dry as possible. It's OK if it crumbles when you're squeezing it; you're going to be doing that anyway.}Crumble the tofu into pieces, and put in the freezer.In a medium glass or plastic bowl, whisk together tomato paste, water, honey, red wine vinegar, Dijon, lemon juice, liquid smoke, garlic powder, and hot sauce. Set aside.Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet or Dutch oven. Sauté peppers, carrot, and onions until softened, about 7 minutes. Stir in garlic.Push vegetables to the side and add crumbled {slightly frozen} tofu. Stir all together. Add in mushrooms and stir-fry everything for about 3 minutes. Season with chili powder, paprika, and salt.Stir reserved tomato paste mixture into tofu-vegetable mixture. Scrape up any bits that are stuck to the bottom of the skillet. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 35-40 minutes.Taste and adjust seasoning if needed {you may want to add more liquid smoke, garlic powder, hot sauce, and/or chili powder depending on your preference.}Serve warm on whole wheat hamburger buns. Make sure you have extra napkins; these things are messy!
By Meme Inge, Living Well Kitchen