Friday, August 19, 2011

Grilled Tofu

"Have a mouth as sharp as a dagger, but a heart as soft as tofu."
 - Chinese Proverb

Hello my friend!  I was having my doubts but it looks like Friday has finally arrived!

It's another one of those days that I truly don't have much to share.  However, I have some pictures stored away when I last grilled some tofu.  I thought that I would share how simple grilling tofu actually is.  No, no magic involved.  It's... it's... it's as simple as tofu!

It's as simple as 1-2-3.  Slice, marinade and grill.

My picture represents one 19-ounce container of firm tofu.  There are four blocks in each container.  Here are the steps:
  1. Drain and rinse tofu blocks.
  2. Take an old newspaper section (or magazine to be tossed out).  Lay it on the counter.  Cover it with a clean paper towel.   Lay down the four tofu blocks on top.  Cover with another clean paper towel.  Cover this with another old newspaper section (or magazine).  And place cast iron skillet (or heavy pot) on top to press down on tofu.  Allow to rest for approximately 1/2 hour which allows tofu to drain.
  3. When drained, discard wet paper towels, magazines and/or newspaper.
  4. Slice each block to half thickness.
  5. Carefully lay tofu blocks into zip-lock plastic bags.
  6. Spoon over your favorite marinade.  I used BBQ sauce on half of my tofu and a miso-ginger blend on the other half.  Carefully turn over plastic zip-lock bag(s) and repeat marinade on opposite side.
  7. HINT:  I added a tablespoon of olive oil into each marinade and blended.  This helped to prevent the tofu from sticking when later grilled.
  8. Close the zip-lock bag(s) until it is almost sealed and slip in a plastic drinking straw.  Using the straw, suck out excess air from the bag until it appears somewhat vacuum packed.  Remove straw and complete the seal.
  9. Store manually vacuumed zip-lock bag into the refrigerator and allow the marinade to do its thing.
  10. Heat grill on high.  Oil grill surface before placing tofu pieces onto hot surface.  Grill for approximately 6 to 7 minutes per side.
What can I do with this grilled tofu?  I can dice it into cubes to be included into a salad.  I can place it onto a bun or bread slices as meat alternative.  I can freeze it for a later use.

And remember... "Tofu.  It's not just for breakfast anymore!"

Hi-dee hi-dee have-some-delicious-and-nutritious-grilled-tofu-tonight-ho my friend.

4 comments:

  1. What could we do with leftovers?? There wouldn't be any ...that would be gone in one sitting.

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  2. Thanks for the comment Elizabeth. Would you believe that there are those out there who have eaten nothing but poorly prepared tofu and will no longer eat it at all? But... This is good news! That leaves more for you and I. :)

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  3. We too were middle aged when we went Veg. I am 59 now and it has been 15 years- I make my own seitan which I have renamed Flarnn. Good luck and welcome to the brave new world of great cooking!

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  4. Thanks Sayward. Since converting as a vegetarian I have never eaten better and have never eaten such a diversity of delicious foods! Seitan, TVP, tofu, tempeh, Quorn, nut roasts, etc... I love them all!

    Can you share your "Flarnn" seitan version?

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