Real Food, Really Fast Review + Tofu Shakshuka Recipe

Of all the cookbooks I got over holiday break, Real Food, Really Fast MIGHT be my favorite.

This beautifully photographed recipe collection has some incredibly impressive, and complex looking dishes, that actually only ten minutes to put together. 

TEN!

And I know a lot of cookbooks claim that. Super easy and fast recipes, that never actually come together that perfectly. But Real Food, Really Fast nails it. And skips pretty much all the overporcessed vegan meat and dairy substituions that I’m trying to cut back on in the new year…or at least in January 😉

Every recipe is gorgeously shot, which is my favorite thing about most cookbooks. The ones that have a pretty picture to entice me to cook each dish. And especially with some of this book’s unqiue recipes like wasabi pea fritters, island breeze ceviche and summer corn queso, the stunning pictures, help motivate me to get cooking, especially when it includes ingredinets I;m not super familiar with.

The hash brown waffles, s’mores baked Alaska and instant kimchi noodle soup will 100% be on my cooking list over the next few weeks. 

But this tofu shakshuka. Wow, wow, wow, WOW.

For someone who’s not a huge fan or tomato sauce OR tofu, I was completely impressed with this almost prep-less recipe. It looked so warm and comforting and I already had all the ingredients stocked at home. I thought using the blended tofu as almost a dumpling was absolutely brilliant and a cinch to put together. These tofu balls would likely work simmered in ANY soup and I will definitely be using them in other dishes from here on out. They’re high protein, creamy and have a deliciously subtle cheesy texture I really enjoyed simmered in the sauce and spices. 

Here’s the recipe-THANK ME LATER AFTER YOU TRY IT!

1 cup roasted red peppers

2 cups organic marinara sauce

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp ground coriander

1/2 tsp ground paprika

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1 tsp sea salt

Minced fresh parsley (I also threw in about 2 cups chopped spinach)

POACHED TOFU

8 oz firm tofu, drained (about 1/2 package)

1.2 cup chickpea flour

2 tbsp nutritional yeast

2 tbsp cornstarch (I used arrowroot powder)

1/2 tsp black salt (I didn’t have any so I used 1 tsp garlic powder)

• Add all ingredients for the stew into a saute pan (spinach included if using) and warm on medium heat for about 10 minutes
• Blend all poached tofu ingredients together until creamy
• Drop about 1 heaping tbsp of tofu batter into simmering sauce and cook about 3-5 minutes on each side, turning over the cook through on both sides