Growing up, my sister was the experimental one of the family when it came to food. She convinced my family to try whole wheat pasta. She got me started on the obsession known as peanut butter. And she introduced our house to tofu.
My brother and I were less than happy about this intruder. We conspired together to come up with a plan, which involved walking around the house with picket signs “we hate tofu.” My mom, trying to be supportive and understanding for my sister’s sake, helped my sister make a batch of vegetarian stuffed shells made with silken tofu. My brother and I still complained. It was a trying time for my family. 😉
However, much to my brother’s horror and disgust, I sneaked in a bite of the stuffed shell. And I liked it. A lot.
Over the years, tofu has quickly become a weekly meal in my house. I love how versatile it is. It’s a great lean protein choice, and goes well with everything from spring rolls to stirfries to sandwiches. And now that there’s a TofuXPress in my life (thanks Richard!), pressing it doesn’t requjre a gajillion paper towels or messy plates or heavy cans. 😉
Pressed overnight and ready to go!
I sliced the block in half, and then cut it again, which formed 4 slices. Followed by a pop in the freezer for a good 4 hours in order to give it a firmer texture.
After freezing, I dethawed it in the microwave. Time to marinade!
I chose a Thai peanut sauce and my dad went with the Bone Suckin’ sauce. We ended up taking one of each flavor, and I honestly have to say that the Bone Suckin’ Sauce was my favorite. It was spicy, but only mildly. And I could pronounce the ingredients (that’s always a good thing 😉 ). We also cooked up a portobello mushroom with some balsamic and olive oil. Plus brown rice and a broccoli dish which deserves a name of its own (so good!)
Grilled Tofu
- Follow procedures of pressing, freezing and dethawing tofu (freezing is optional, but it does give a wonderful texture!)
- Marinade for an hour or so in your favorite sauce/marinade.
- Spray a sheet of foil with cooking spray. Throw tofu on the foil and cook over medium grill heat until browned (about 5 minutes).
- Flip and cook until browned on other side (about 5 more minutes
The Broccoli Dish That Deserves A Name
- 1 head broccoli, chopped
- 2 tsp olive oil
- garlic powder
- 1/2 avocado
- 1/2 tomato
- salt and pepper
- lemon juice (a splash or so)
- Heat oven to 425.
- Mix broccoli with olive oil and a liberal amount of garlic powder. Pour on cookie sheet and cook for 15 minutes, flipping halfway through.
- Meanwhile, mash together avocado, tomato, lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste and more garlic powder if desired.
- When broccoli is browned to liking, combine with avocado mixture and serve.
“I never thought I would be grilling tofu on my Weber grill.” —Dad
Me neither.
And yet we both found ourselves mmm’ing over a delicious meal of grilled tofu. Twas a perfect meal.
Vacation is calling! I’m off to finish up with this…
Question: Have you ever tried tofu? Do you enjoy it? What is your favorite way to eat it?
(as an aside, my brother is now vegetarian and doesn’t think twice about ordering tofu when he goes out to eat 
)
Running To Slow Things Down 