Do you love celebrity recipe makeovers? You'll love this one! Tiffani Thiessen's Honey-Ginger Wings turned vegan!
Mother-daughter bonding time
My daughter and I like to lay around and watch the Food Network like it’s our own makeover challenge. If we see something that looks awesome, but isn’t plant-based, we vegefy it. Our newest creation is Dinner At Tiffani’s Honey-Ginger Chicken Wings – Vegefied! Meet Agave-Ginger Tofu Wings.
Remember Saved by the Bell?
You’re probably wondering which Tiffani this is. You remember Saved By The Bell and Beverly Hills 90210 right? The food networks have realized that if they bring in old celebs, singers and sit-com stars it will reel people in, in a way that feels sort of behind-the-scenes in their life. In reality it’s probably a kitchen studio.
In the episode, Tiffani was whipping up some pork sliders, potato skins, a beer cocktail and these wings for a football game. Bill Belamy even stopped by to taste some of her creations.
Wherever you are on your journey, this is a delicious plant-based meal
Whether you’re trying to go 100% plant-based or are trying to add one veggie meal per week, this will work perfectly. The marinade can also be used as a dressing. In fact, I liked it so much I had to stop myself from drinking it straight from the marinade container. (You can do that when there’s no raw meat involved.)
It’s tough to get crispy tofu without frying it, but this marinade worked great. Before we get to that though, we need to talk about pressing your tofu.
How to press tofu
Learn how to press your tofu in this video, then get yourself a tofu press. Totally worth it, and one of my top five gadgets for plant-based cooking (Ooo! Another blog post idea!). I’ve had mine for years and years.
It's a battle of the proteins! Chicken and tofu go head-to-head
I know what you’re thinking now. I wonder what the difference in protein and cholesterol is between the two types of protein. I wondered that too! (Keep in mind that Tiffani suggests 4-5 servings out of 14 wings, but for comparison’s sake, I calculated equal number of servings.)
The Substitutions
In this recipe we’re using two blocks of pressed, extra-firm tofu which is 4.5 servings per block. I rounded down to 8 to make the portion size a bit bigger. If you go with 8 servings of chicken wings, you get 1.75 wings per person.
I promise you'll love it, or your money back
If you decide to try the Honey-Ginger Tofu wings, you won’t be disappointed. The pressed tofu sucked up the marinade making it crispy on the outside and tender and flavorful inside. We’ve decided this will be added to our bi-weekly rotation.
Agave-Ginger Tofu Wings
Serves 8
Ingredients
1/2 cup agave (for vegan) or local, sustainably harvested honey
1/4 cup citrus juice - I used a mix of lemon, lime and orange, because that's what I had on hand
1/4 cup liquid aminos, tamari or soy sauce
3 tablespoons sesame oil*
2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
3 cloves garlic, minced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 pounds extra firm tofu, pressed
Parchment paper, or you can use coconut oil or cooking spray to prevent sticking if you choose
*For a whole food, plant based version, try blending 3 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds into a paste as a sub for the sesame oil. This version has not been tested yet.
Directions
Press the tofu to remove the water; meanwhile, mix your marinade - add the agave or honey, fresh citrus juice, liquid aminos, sesame oil, fresh ginger, garlic, salt and pepper to a medium sized bowl; tear the tofu into bite sized chunks with your fingers and place in the marinade. Put the container in the refrigerator to marinate overnight. Remove from refrigerator before cooking to bring to room temp.
Preheat the oven to 400F; line a baking sheet with parchment, or spray with cooking spray, or rub a little coconut oil to prevent sticking; add the marinated tofu bites, reserving the marinade; bake for 20 minutes, flip the tofu wings and rotate the pan and bake for another 20, or until the outside is crisp and agave is caramelized.
Cook down the remaining marinade in a small sauce pan until it coats the back of a spoon - about five or so minutes; remove the tofu wings from the oven and coat with the reduced marinade.
By Dawn Hutchins
Adapted from Dinner at Tiffani's Honey-Ginger Chicken Wings
Nutrition Facts Honey-Ginger Tofu Wings
8 Servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 201.3
Total Fat 9.8 g
Saturated Fat 1.3 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 5.0 g
Monounsaturated Fat 3.2 g
Cholesterol 0.0 mg
Sodium 30.0 mg
Potassium 10.7 mg
Total Carbohydrate 20.4 g
Dietary Fiber 1.2 g
Sugars 16.0 g
Protein 11.5 g
Vitamin A 0.0 %
Vitamin B-12 0.0 %
Vitamin B-6 0.8 %
Vitamin C 0.7 %
Vitamin D 0.0 %
Vitamin E 1.1 %
Calcium 7.2 %
Copper 0.3 %
Folate 0.0 %
Iron 9.5 %
Magnesium 0.2 %
Manganese 1.1 %
Niacin 0.1 %
Pantothenic Acid 0.1 %
Phosphorus 0.2 %
Riboflavin 0.1 %
Selenium 0.2 %
Thiamin 0.2 %
Zinc 0.1 %
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie nee