Thursday, May 20, 2010

Press It Out, Tofu Style

Did anyone watch this weeks Glee yet? Who knew Neil Patrick Harris had a singing voice? I certainly didn't. Even though Glee can be a little corny with some of their dance numbers, I'm totally into it. I just eat it all up. Danny literally feels awkward sometimes when he watches it, but I just love it. Kind of glad I watched it alone this week, cause I don't know how he would have felt about the Dream On duet. 

Danny worked late last night and I had to make AND clean up dinner and watch a crazy amount of tv from my DVR. Isn't it funny how I purposely only used 1 frying pan and 1 cookie sheet when I have to clean up, but when he's home I used as many as I want....like the 6 I used two nights ago. I'll just chalk it up to not being as creative when I'm cooking for one?  That sounds good. 

A couple of weeks or months? ago I received a tofu press from Tofu Xpress. I had seen it on a couple of blogs and was excited to be sent one as well. You can use this not only on tofu but on cheeses too. (Also you can use this to get water out of frozen spinach, for spinach dip...SCORE!) 

Honestly before I saw this on blogs, I had no clue you were even supposed to press the extra water out of tofu. I always just cut it up and stir fried it, as is. 

Basically you put the tofu in this contraption and the spring presses down the on tofu and all of the extra water comes out. I stuck it in the fridge for an hour and then voila...water was out! 
I just cut it into slices and then poured the sauce over it. I could have marinated it, but I was pretty hungry, so I just did it the quick and easy way. 


Soy Ginger Marinade
1/3 cup light soy sauce (or tamari)
2 tsp maple syrup
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp grated ginger


Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a small bowl mix together the soy sauce, maple syrup and ginger. Spray a cookie sheet with olive oil spray. Arrange the tofu slices on the cookie sheet. Pour the marinade over the tofu. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook the tofu for 15 minutes, flip and then cook for 15 minutes more.




I served this with a quick stir fry. I used cabbage in it because I have a ton from my organic delivery basket, it went perfect in this! 


Thanks for all of the vegetarian options! I can't wait to try all of them, especially that quinoa and bean recipe (thanks Jacks!). 


What's your favorite way to cook tofu?

23 comments:

Jessica (Healthy Exposures) said...

Looks like a super handy gadget to have - pressing water out of spinach is SUCH a pain!
And i'm the same way with pots and pans - I think the majority of my meals end up being some sort of one-pot thing because it's always late (ish) and i don't want to spend forever cleaning up! haha. can't wait to see your upcoming new veg recipes :) i bet you'd love the chickpea-qunioa pilaf i've got my mom addicted to! let me know if you want the exact recipe.

Sarena Shasteen - The Non-Dairy Queen said...

Ugh, I love tofu that is pressed really well and then seared in a nonstick pan with salt and pepper. I used to eat that on salads because it kind of reminded me of cheese. I have since discovered I am allergic to it...but I do love it! Yours looks delicious! I know what you mean about Glee. I watch it on hulu though because my husband would not find it enjoyable at all. Have a great day!

Simply Life said...

whooops! I just drain the water out before using it - looks like I might need to make a few adjustments :)

pegasuslegend said...

I have yet to try this, amazing how good you made this look~ wow

Katie @ Health for the Whole Self said...

I like the idea of using a tofu press!

I love baking tofu with a marinade similar to the one you mention here. I also love it with BBQ sauce!

Estela @ Weekly Bite said...

I wish I enjoyed tofu more! I can eat it in restaurants... but have no desire to make it at home. I love this gadget though!

Abby said...

I wish I liked tofu.. it's a texture thing. It looks good tho!

Kat said...

I want to try tofu...but im so nervous...Im pretty crazy aboout my food lol And for p90x you do need equipment, which is why insanity is prob a better deal. But p90x is really awesome. You need a pull up bar, weights of different sizes or resistance bands and some stuff for yoga. It is pretty crazy tho!!

Lindsay @ http://pancakesnpajamas.blogspot.com/ said...

I made tofu one time and one time only. I missed the "little" detail to press it out. Needless to say...it didn't turn out so well.

hbobier @ Basil Vodka said...

I had zero idea that tofu pressers even existed. Which makes sense. My DIY move is to layer several paper towels together, wrap it around the tofu, then put a book on it to weigh it down. I'm always passive aggressive about how many paper towels I waste during this process.

Conclusion: I need a tofu press.

She-Fit said...

I've yet to try tofu. I need to try it out. I keep reading about it all over the blog world.

fitandfortysomething.com said...

had no idea a tofu press even existed! i need one!

Emily (A Nutritionist Eats) said...

I love the tofu press! Such a great gadget!

Jennifer said...

I have two confessions to make: I have never seen Glee & I have never eaten Tofu. Am I missing out here?!?!

Megan D said...

Whoa this tofu press look awesome! I usually just put tofu cubes in my stir fries but am going to try using it on sandwiches as well. And to answer your question about the perfect foods bars- I got them as a box of samples but I bet Whole Foods has them! They're so yummy and very filling too!

Trix said...

I want that tofu press! I always end up using a clean dishtowel and a heavy book, which inevitably falls over.

Michelle said...

Hey there!! Just found your blog and so far i'm lovin' it. :) You have a tofu lover here, and one of my favorite ways to eat it is slathered in BBQ sauce and baked! Thank you for this alternative Asian inspired sauce...and tofu xpress huh? I just take my block out of the container and bake it. I don't even notice that there might be er...a little too much liquid in there. :)

Lindsay said...

I have never tried tofu, I don't dare. I am a food wimp!

Jennifer said...

Hey! I just emailed you about Insanity! :)

Christine @ Grub, Sweat and Cheers said...

I really have to start watching Glee don't I?

I had no idea you were supposed to do that to tofu. Mind you I don't cook it as the hubby refuses to eat it. I use an almost identical marinade on prawns btw!

Melissa @ For the Love of Health said...

hahaha! love the comment about the dishes! so true!
Tofu looks great! I unfortunately do not know my favorite way to cook it yet because I have not cooked it many times- need to add more to my diet!

Averie (LoveVeggiesAndYoga) said...

youre such a tease, you didnt even say if you thought the press helped! i have almost bought one many times but havent, youll have to LMK if you think it makes "Whole Foods"-like tofu. That's one thing they do that i swear cannot be replicated in terms of texture..sigh.

lynn @ the actors diet said...

i love my tofu press - it's changed my life!

Post a Comment

Subscribe via email

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

LinkWithin

Related Posts with Thumbnails