To help with your Memorial Day Weekend meal prepping, we have assembled a delicious list of recipes you can create for the family this weekend, and all of the recipes use black garlic! Black garlic is a secret weapon when it comes to cooking, and if you haven’t tried it yet then you should shop our selection, enjoy the free shipping, and see why our black garlic is the new “go-to” ingredient for just about anything you make, bake, boil and buy!
Read moreEasy Vegetable Tagine Bowl
This easy vegetable tagine recipe combines juicy vegetables, warming spices, and magical black garlic from Black Garlic North America!
The black garlic in this recipe adds a depth of flavor and a whole new level of umami that you'll find impressively satisfying. Black garlic is a caramelized version of traditional garlic, and it is aged until it turns black; the result is a deep flavor that is less garlicky and sweeter.
Read moreHappy Grilled Cheese Day! Black Garlic Grilled Cheese Recipe!
Even if everyone agreed that the Grilled Cheese Sandwich was the best sandwich, we could expect that there would still be debate among fans about the best bread, spread and cheese to use in their melty creations! Sourdough or white? Pickles or tomatoes? Mayo or butter? Muenster or sharp cheddar? I could go on and on, but I would suggest that the best way to enjoy a grilled cheese sandwich is… any way you want! And, if you need some cheesy inspiration, follow this recipe for a savory Black Garlic Grilled Cheese Sandwich, and let us know how you revised it to make it your own!
Read moreRECIPE OF THE WEEK: Gluten-Free Black Garlic Chocolate Chunk Raisin Cookies by Craving4More
Black Garlic, like a raisin, starts as one food and becomes another through the process of aging and fermentation. Fresh garlic is our only ingredient at Black Garlic North America (this cannot be said of all Black Garlic producers). The pretty white bulbs of garlic that you are accustomed to seeing on the shelf at your local market are aged and fermented right here in Wisconsin, and over time they become something very different! When you view black garlic and fresh garlic next to each other, differences will be noted in the texture, color, size and taste. Fresh garlic is crisp and “spicy” and adds strong garlic flavor to recipes while black garlic is more mild, umami and balsamic.
Black garlic has multitudes of uses in the kitchen because it is both savory and sweet. During the fermentation process, the stored carbohydrates are broken down into simple sugars rendering a sweet flavor that can easily be paired with other sweet ingredients like chocolate, syrup or honey. This is why you may see black garlic in cookies, cake, and even in hot chocolate!
Read moreSweet Tips for Better Kids Treats
While school this year looks a little different, one thing hasn’t changed: snacks. Whether your kids head to the classroom or clock-in for lessons from home, they’re going to want something to eat at the end of the day.
And, kids love sugar. Unfortunately, sugar doesn’t always love them back. Sugar is a multi-billion-dollar industry, but it’s also not the best ingredient for humans. Sugar intake contributes to diabetes, obesity, heart disease, cancer and a host of other problems for kids later in life.
Black Garlic North America’s products are certified organic (our certifications can be found here), and we heavily focus on quality. We are North America’s largest producer of Black Garlic and all of our black garlic products are made with only one ingredient: Garlic.
Read moreBlack Pepper Tofu with Black Garlic Sauce
Black Pepper Tofu with Black Garlic Sauce
Living a vegan lifestyle is probably the best thing you can do for the planet. By shunning animal products, you’re supporting a more sustainable way of life that will provide future generations with a planet they can be proud of.
But while there are many benefits to becoming a vegan, it can be tricky (particularly when you first make the transition) to maintain an exciting and varied diet that doesn’t incorporate meat or dairy.
Thankfully, these days there are plenty of protein-packed substitutions that make dishes just as delicious – if not more so – than a carnivorous diet!
The humble tofu is our go-to when it comes to creating healthy and exciting dinners that are packed full of flavor and intrigue. Many of our meat-eating friends love it when we cook for them, as a vegan diet has encouraged us to become braver and more experimental with flavor profiles to create dishes that are a treat for the taste buds!
One of our absolute favorite ingredients at the moment is the elusive black garlic. It’s less common than the standard garlic cloves you might be familiar with and offers a delectably sweet and syrupy taste with hints of flavor that are reminiscent of balsamic vinegar and tamarind, perfect for Asian cooking.
Black garlic is much softer than fresh garlic, making it easy to transform into a paste, but Black Garlic North America provides a black garlic purée that can save you the time! This makes it absolutely perfect to create flavorful sauces or even transform into a marinade for tofu or any other meal.
If you’re ready to try a delicious Asian-inspired vegan dish that utilizes the versatility of the humble tofu with the incredible and complex notes of black garlic... Then look no further!
As with any tofu recipe, it’s vital to press the tofu before you start cooking to ensure you don’t end up with a flavorless white blob that’s impossible to enjoy. Taking a bit of extra time preparing your tofu will make all the difference in this dish, as will leaving it to marinate for as long as possible before you start cooking.
Black Pepper Tofu with Black Garlic Sauce
We infused our tofu with a black pepper sauce for a more in-depth flavor profile for this recipe and then created an incredible black garlic sauce to flow through the entire dish. We also added some broccoli for a touch of greenery and served it with perfectly cooked Asian rice noodles.
Ingredients
For the tofu
· 1 block extra-firm tofu
· 1 tbsp vegetable oil
· 1 tbsp rice vinegar
· ½ cup black pepper sauce (store-bought or you could make your own in advance)
· 1 tsp sesame oil
For the sauce
· 1 head Black Garlic North America brand Black Garlic
· 1 tsp fresh ginger, minced
· ¾ cups low sodium soy sauce
· 3 tbsp rice vinegar
· 1 tsp sesame oil
To finish
· 8oz rice noodles, cooked
· 2 broccoli heads, cut into florets and steamed
Method
1. Use a tofu press or DIY tofu pressing method to remove any excess moisture from your extra-firm tofu.
2. Once all moisture has been squeezed out, cut the tofu into 5 slices, and then cut each slice into 4 pieces.
3. Create the tofu marinade by combining the tofu ingredients (excluding the extra-firm tofu pieces) in a medium-sized bowl.
4. Add the tofu to your black pepper marinade and toss until it’s entirely coated by the sauce.
5. Cover and place in the refrigerator for 1-3 hours, or overnight.
6. Once the tofu has finished marinating, heat the sesame oil in a large skillet.
7. Add the tofu to the sesame oiled skillet and fry on medium heat for 6-8 minutes on either side. The tofu should be nice and crispy.
8. While your tofu fries, combine all the sauce ingredients together in a small saucepan and bring it to a boil before reducing down to a simmer.
9. Simmer the sauce for approximately 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, then pour it into a food processor and pulse until it’s smooth.
10. Add half the smooth sauce to the tofu along with the cooked rice noodles and broccoli.
11. Cook everything for 2-3 minutes, tossing to combine.
12. Serve in bowls with the rest of the black garlic sauce.
A Black Garlic Thanksgiving!
Black Garlic Stuffing, Black Garlic Corn and Black Garlic Puree-Rubbed Turkey Breast
As for Black Garlic North America, we have been celebrating Thanksgiving all week by sharing recipes and black garlic cooking tips for the holiday on our social media channels! Did you watch our Instagram stories recently? Did you see the latest post about black garlic stuffing? In case you missed all the Thanksgiving fun on the socials, we have listed some of the easiest ways to use Black Garlic this Thanksgiving without stressing out! Enjoy!
Read moreBlack Garlic Recipe of the Week: A delicious vegan side dish!
Those who follow the vegan diet do more than skip meat at the dining room table. Vegans also avoid foods that can come from animals themselves, such as eggs, milk and honey. One shouldn’t associate veganism with restriction, however! For example, eggs can be substituted with scrambled tofu, cow’s milk can be exchanged for plant-based milk (think Almond and Oat Milk) maple syrup can be used instead of honey, and you can still eat as much of our black garlic as you want!
Read moreBlack Garlic Recipe of the Week: Hermine's Smoked Salmon & Chive Soda Bread, from "The Great British Bake-Off"
Hermine’s recipe calls for one whole bulb of black garlic, like the bulbs pictured above!
Episode 3 of Series 11 (“Collection 8” on Netflix) celebrates Bread Week, and Hermine, an accountant from London, really impresses the judges with her two soda bread recipes - one of which includes a dill and black garlic butter (drool-worthy!) If you want to see the rare reaction to her savory recipe from one particular judge, you can watch the show on Netflix under Collection 8, Episode 3, though it has been called “Series 11” and will be listed under “The Great British Baking Show” - Not “The Great British Bake-Off.”
Read moreVIDEO: Black Garlic Puree Braised Chicken Wings Recipe, AKA "JEFFWINGS" by "Dad!"
We JUST launched our new Black Garlic North America YouTube Channel where we will bring you all things Black Garlic! When you SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube Channel you will get collaborations with home cooks, black garlic cooking tips from the boss himself, and black garlic recipes to try at home! Please, Subscribe to our channel!
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