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Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Veggie Night

At least once a week we try to do a vegetarian night. Sometimes it coincides with pizza night, as many of our homemade pizzas are all veggie, and other times we do something creative with tofu and lots of great fresh vegetables. Made from soybeans, tofu is a great protein food to add as a stand in for the typical meat main dish. A light, healthy meal that is a great way to detox after a weekend of indulging. (In fact, it is so healthy and virtuous, it affords you an extra glass of wine.) Tofu itself really does not have much flavor. But, that's part of the beauty, it can be seasoned/marinaded to whatever you so desire. As with everything, I tend to go with Asian flavors as my first thought. Many times doing a soy sauce or stir fry marinade. Tonight was something with a tropical flair. I had a cup of orange juice left in the refrigerator, so to use that up, I combined it with with a few chunks of fresh mango, coconut rum (yum!) fresh grated ginger and a dash of soy sauce. I let it marinate for about 6 hours, before we grilled it. Luckily I reserved the marinade and reduced it, as it made a delicious finishing sauce.

We tried a new grain with this dish...amaranth. This whole grain reminded me a lot of polenta or grits as it had a similar texture. I didn't add anything to it, and next time I think I'd stir in a little parmesan or goat cheese to spruce it up. A few pieces of grilled squash and eggplant on the side round out "veggie night."

We had a disappointing Pinot Grigio with this that I'd rather not talk about, but I did take the extra glass none the less. ;)

Tropical Tofu

1 lb extra firm tofu

1 cup orange juice

2/3 cup coconut rum

1/4 fresh mango (pineapple would be great as well), chopped finely

1 Tbsp. soy sauce

2 tsp. fresh ginger, minced

Cut, the tofu into approximately 6 rectangles. Mix the rest of the ingredients and add tofu to marinade. Marinade 6-8 hours, or overnight. (the longer it marinates the better flavor you will get.)

Grill or broil, reserving marinade to reduce and use as a finishing sauce.

UPDATE on FOOT/ANKLE

Here are the photos 9 days after the sprain and fracture. Still hobbling around enough to cook!IMG_1537

IMG_1542

4 comments:

LucyinStLou said...

Your poor foot! Wow, it looks like it still hurts a lot.

I love the idea of doing something tropical with tofu. I've only made it in Asian dishes. Thanks for the inspiration!

Anonymous said...

Oh my ouch...that was a heck of a fall! Glad it's getting better!

Claire Uncorked said...

OW!!! That foot looks like it hurts! Sending healing vibes your way....

I would die if I had to be vegetarian. That's another story. Having said that, your recipe does sound good. Perhaps it's the rum?

Oh, & as an aside, I find almost all Pinot Grigios disappointing. I keep tasting them, hoping to find exceptions. It happens, occasionally.

Chrissy said...

holy crap! How did I miss the whole foot fiasco!? That looks mighty painful and you're brave for continuing to cook! I dont think I could ever get Dave to eat Tofu as he is so opposed to just the idea of it. But this would be good when I'm all alone one night!