Rainy Days & Mondays. . .
Couldn’t describe today better than The Carpenters this morning. After over a week of rain and overcast skies, I am going to cook the blahs away. To be honest there is nothing like a good thunderstorm when you have a deep porch and a cozy chair to sit and watch the lightening flash but when you are cooped up in your home it can be dismal. My garden is loving it, no doubt, but my furry companion and I are done with it.
Being that it is Monday tonight is Meatless Monday in my home. The menu this evening is a yummy sheet pan supper. Thai Peanut Marinated Tofu Cutlets w/ roasted Veggies. Using a sheet pan in the oven is fast and easy AND so much less to clean up. To round the meal out I will make brown rice or farro to serve the tofu and veggies over.
A serious game changer for me when cooking with tofu has been the purchase of a tofu press. (Thank you, Amanda & Shari, for recommending this.) For years I have pressed tofu between two plates weighted with canned goods. The cans usually end up toppling over and the pressed tofu isn’t very evenly pressed and often not as pressed as I would like. A tofu press changes that completely. No fumbling or searching for something to weigh the plates down with. The press has a built in reservoir to collect the excess water and because you are tightening screws to apply pressure between two bamboo boards the tofu is pressed to the firmness you want, and it is evenly pressed. I am loving this new addition to my kitchen gadget collection.
So let’s get to it! The recipe is below but you do need to start a few hours ahead so that the tofu has time to compress and drain and then to marinate. You can set the press up in the morning and then plop the tofu into the marinade an hour before you plan to cook or press and marinate starting the night before so the tofu can sit in the marinade longer.
Thai Peanut Marinated Tofu Cutlets
The Out of Town Cook
Serves 2
Ingredients:
14-16 ounce block of tofu, pressed
¼ cup of peanut butter
1 ½ tablespoons soy sauce
1 ½ tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon of rice wine vinegar
2 teaspoons of maple syrup
2 cloves of garlic minced
2 teaspoons of fresh grated ginger
Instructions:
Using a tofu press or two plates and a heavy weight to press the tofu. I like to press my tofu until it is half the original thickness. This will take a few hours. Once the tofu is pressed slice it into four slices creating four cutlets. Set aside while you make the marinade. Mix all of the marinade ingredients in a gallon sized ziploc bag. Add the tofu and make sure that all four cutlets are immersed in the marinade. Place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or more. Using a sheet pan covered in foil (to make cleanup easier) spray well with vegetable oil spray place tofu cutlets on the pan along with vegetables and place sheet pan I. A preheated 350° oven. When tofu starts to brown flip it over and cook until the second side is lightly browned. Serve tofu & veggies over rice or other grain.
