healthy living / cornmeal crusted tofu with mashed yams

Hello! As I mentioned in Tuesday's "Everyday Style" post, I'm excited to start adding new features to the blog. Aside from fashion, I'm also a passionate foodie and love living a healthy and wholesome life. I steer clear of sugar, gluten, dairy (although I will eat plain Greek yogurt), and choose vegetarian food as much as possible. However, in the past year I have started to eat fish here & there. Mostly wild salmon and sardines as both are incredibly nutritious. For ease of surfing, I've also added a visual archives page. Be sure to check it out... can't wait to watch it fill up with delicious recipes! Ok, here's what I made for lunch. Mmmm! I'm a huge yam fan, and the cornmeal was a nice switch up from my usual tofu preparation. If you have any questions, let me know in the comments below or tweet me.


You'll need: 

3 large sweet potatoes
1 14-ounce package firm or extra-firm tofu, cut into 1/4" thick slices
1/4 cup cornmeal
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. granulated sugar (I omitted)
3 Tbsp. canola oil (sub sunflower oil for healthier option)
3 Tbsp. butter
2-3 cloves of garlic

Peel yams (I cut mine into 3 inch squares), then steam on stove-top for 20 minutes or until soft.

Place tofu on a paper towel lined plate and cover with a few more sheets. Press down. Then cover with a heavy plate for 15 minutes. In a shallow bowl, mix your cornmeal, oregano, 1/4 tsp. salt, black pepper and granulated sugar. Coat tofu on both sides. Meanwhile heat your oil in a large skillet over high heat. Pan-fry tofu until golden brown or two minutes a side.

Now mash your yams with butter, 1/4 tsp salt, garlic and serve with tofu. Yum!

I found this recipe via Oprah.com. Although I altered mine slightly. Find the original recipe here: Cornmeal Crusted Tofu with Mashed Sweet Potato