Ellen Britt's Mashed Potatoes & Tofu

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I planned this meal on my own over the weekend and was super excited to try the finished dinner.  It was a huge success and total comfort food.  You can’t go wrong with mashed potatoes and bacon!  Below is my cooking creation at Ellen Cooks – ellencooks.ca  

Mashed Potatoes  

4 peeled medium russet potatoes  

2 tbsp of melted butter  

1 cup milk  

6 slices of crispy bacon  

½ cup green onions chopped  

Salt and pepper to taste 

Peel and cut into medium sized pieces the potatoes.  Cover them with water and bring to a boil and cook until tender.  This takes approximately 15 minutes.  Once cooked drain.  

Add the melted butter and milk and using either a potato masher or an eclectic beater mashes the potatoes.  I find the electric beater gives you smoother mashed potatoes.    

Next chop the bacon and green onion into small pieces and add to the mashed potatoes. 

Seasoned Tofu  

1 500-gram package of firm tofu.  This makes 4 cups of chopped tofu.  Remove 1 cup for the Miso Soup  

2 tbsp of olive oil  

1 43-gram package of dried Beef Stew from Club House.  

2 tbsp of yeast flakes  

1 tsp crushed garlic.  

Cube the tofu and thoroughly mix with the olive oil, dried beef stew seasoning and yeast flakes in a medium sized bowl.  Marinate for about 2 hours.  

Once marinated cook your seasoned tofu in a frying pan over medium heat and add crushed garlic.  You will start to smell the amazing aroma of your seasoned tofu and garlic.   

Miso Soup   

4 cups of water 

3 to 4 tbsp of miso paste 

1 cup pf cubed tofu 

6 sheets of dried kelp 

2 tbsp of chopped green onion  

Bring water to boil and add the miso paste and dried kelp.  Stir the miso paste until fully dissolved.  The dried kelp is done when tender.  The final touch is to add the green onions to give a splash of colour and extra flavour.    

Add 1 cup of your miso soup to the cooked and seasoned tofu.  The miso soup adds extra flavour. 

Vegetables  

1.5 cups of slivered carrots  

3 cups of snap peas  

Add carrots to a pot of boiling water and cook until done.  Because they have been cut into slivers they won’t take long to cook.    

Three to four minutes before serving add the snap peas to a pot of boiling water.  They only take a couple of minutes.  You want them to be hot but still crispy.  You can also do them in a frying pan with a small amount of virgin olive oil. 

Plating  

Choose a bowl and shape your mashed potatoes into a nest.  Fill your mashed potato nest with the seasoned tofu and surround the bowl with carrots and snap peas   

Serve with miso soup on the side.