26 Weeks of Meat Independance

It's the last week of June and July is just around the corner which means summer is half over – yikes where has the time gone. It's also been 26 weeks since I started this vegetarian adventure and I'm still committed to at least 26 more weeks.

So far there are only 2 things I miss; a nice turkey, onion and garlic burger on the grill and Dan's specialty almond coconut crusted tilapia – other than that I'm good. In all of this I've learned a couple things; first, in the days before no meat I ate things that I didn't really love (because if I did I'd be craving them right). And second - it's a good think I like to cook because eating healthy takes more planning and prepping than before - but I feel so much better that it's worth it.

Anyway, I was rummaging around in the fridge and came upon the last package of tofu (remember the great deal from a while ago?) so I decided it was time for a spicy baked tofu to go on top one of our large salads. The hubby said the last batch of spicy tofu could have been spicier so I took him seriously and I think I hit on just the right flavor.

I started by putting the block of tofu on a plate and placing paper towels below and on top of the tofu, then I took the heavy Panini press from my Pampered Chef grill pan and put it on top. I  checked on it and drained the plate and swapped out the paper towels at 2 – 30 minute intervals.

While I was getting the water out of the tofu I mixed up the spicy marinade which consisted of; 3 Tbsp. of Siracha, 2 Tbsp. of soy sauce, 1 Tbsp. of rice wine vinegar, 1 tsp. of sesame oil, 3 cloves of garlic minced and 1" of grated ginger.

When the tofu was drained I sliced it and put it in a container and poured the marinade over it and let it set for an hour in the refrigerator. Preheat the oven to 350 and place the marinated tofu on a metal cookie sheet and bake for 45 minutes turning twice.

The salad consisted of; arugula, green leaf, bok choy, cilantro and mint from the garden. To that I added, mushrooms, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, avocado, radishes, blueberries, pumpkin seeds, kalamata olives and goat cheese. 

Topped the salad with the spicy tofu and served with a slice of multigrain bread – a delicious summer meal indeed.

The 4^th of July usually signals bbq – I'm definitely thinking the cauliflower "potato" salad will be on the menu and baked beans (of course) – if you've got any favorite vegetarian bbq recipes please send me the link.

Happy Independence Day!