Walnut-Crusted Tofu with Greens and Orange

WOW, this was good.  I found myself automatically looking for the gross parts because it was so much like chicken.  It was even better leftover.  It was a meal in itself, with a glass of red wine.  I think the Dijon mustard was a key flavor.

The recipe is from page 144 of Vegan on the Cheap by Robin Robertson.  She has quite a few vegan cookbooks, including Vegan Planet (international recipes) that's in our library.  I modified the recipe based on what I had and what I wanted to use.

Ingredients I used:

• extra-firm tofu, 1 block, pressed and sliced into 8 slices, salted & peppered, marinated 24 hours in a Japanese onion salad dressing (there was no marinade in the original recipe, but once I pressed it, I couldn't just let the dry tofu sit there until I was ready to cook)
• 2/3 c. dry bread crumbs (made these from whole wheat bread in a mini-Cuisinart processor)
• 1/3 c. cornmeal (original recipe called for all-purpose flour)
• 1/3 cup ground walnuts
• 2 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. pure maple syrup
• 1 Tbsp. tahini-miso dressing (recipe called for "Make your Own Mayo", but I didn't have time for that, so I had this improvised tahini-miso-water dressing in the fridge.  You could use a vegan mayonnaise or anything creamy, like a nut butter)
• 3 Tbsp. olive oil
• mustard greens (I didn't have spinach)
• 2 navel oranges, peeled and sectioned
• 1/2 tsp ground sage

Before starting, clear some counter space, pour some wine, and turn on Dora the Explorer (the babysitter.)  This was all much easier with my newly re-organized kitchen, tiered spice rack, and acrylic cookbook holder.
1. Preheat oven to 250 F (to keep cooked tofu warm as you sizzle it in batches)
2. Combine bread crumbs & walnuts in a shallow bowl.
3. In another shallow bowl, stir together soy sauce, mustard, maple syrup, and tahini dressing.
4. One at a time, dip the tofu slices into A) cornmeal, B) mustard mixture, C) walnut mixture (pressing walnut mixture into the tofu.)
5. Heat oil over medium-high heat in a skillet.  Add tofu slices and cook until golden brown on both sides (be careful if using cast-iron like I did; mine browned too quickly.)  Cook slices 2-3 minutes on each side.  Transfer to baking sheet and keep warm in the oven.
6. Toss spinach or other greens in the pan until wilted.  Stir in orange sections, sage, and salt & pepper to taste.  I used a fresh pan and oil for this, but Robin says to use the same pan.  My oil was too hot and used, and I've heard it's not healthy to re-use it.
7. To serve, top tofu with spinach mixture (mustard greens were just as delicious.)  Serve hot.