Yeah I never thought I would say those words but here I am breaking my own rules. And seriously who thinks of "damn good" and "tofu" going together in the same sentence. But in this case it is very true!!! This is probably the best tofu recipe I have ever made!! And I have actually made quite a few tofu recipes...I know it's wacky but growing up in Humboldt and having a hippie Mom you just take some of the granola with you wherever you go. I see tofu and I think home.

Last night I made Citrus Marinated Tofu with Onions and Peppers. This recipe came from Bon Appetit so seriously you know they aren't going to publish a mediocre tofu recipe, right? This recipe was also very cool because the entire meal is cooked via roasting in the oven so it was easy and low maintenance. However, back to the tofu it is marinated and roasted and so it dries it out and gives it a more substantial texture. The marinate also has amazing flavor and since tofu takes on the flavor of whatever it is in this worked out well for this recipe. (TDM you seriously need to try this recipe)

The recipe did call for medium tofu which I could not find. It actually specifically says no firm tofu, but my options were firm or extra firm (scary description) so I went with firm and in my opinion it worked out fine. However, I did have to google tofu consistency to figure out what and how the different consistencies occur. I guess tofu is made by blending hot soy milk and some type of stuff that makes it form a curd. I was afraid to do too much research into what makes soy milk into a block of smooshy stuff....so I glossed over that part. Anyway for soft tofu when the soy milk and "coagulant" are blended this mixture is poured directly into its package and hence soft tofu is born. Now for medium to extra firm tofu the mixture is poured into a mold, covered with cotton, pressed to form a block and then cut and packaged. I guess the firmness of the tofu will vary depending on the type of recipe you are trying to accomplish. So if you are trying to use tofu in a dessert or smoothie you would use soft tofu and if you are trying to use it in a stir fry or for roasting you would go with a firmer consistency. Wow now you learned something about tofu!!








Ok now focusing and getting back to the recipe. So first you make the marinate which consists of cilantro, lime juice, garlic, cumin, paprika, salt and pepper. I have recently become a garlic purist so I get fresh garlic and peel and dice it myself to enhance the flavor. But holy heck this recipe called for a 1/4 cup of garlic so let me just say I was peeling and dicing for awhile. Pout 1/2 cup marinade in a bag and let the tofu slices sit for about 15 minutes. The marinade has a great flavor from the citrus of the lime, the spice of the cumin and the earthy flavor of the cilantro.

Put the rest of the marinade in a blender and add additional cilantro, olive oil, honey, salt and pepper. This will be the sauce that you spread on top of the tofu/vegetable mixture.

Meanwhile slice your onions and red bell peppers. The recipe says to toss the peppers with cumin and smoked paprika, however I will be honest I ran out of cumin with the marinade so I used chipotle red pepper. It was actually really good and gave the vegetables a little bit of a kick.

Once the tofu is done marinating put the vegetables and tofu on a cookie sheet covered in foil and roast in a 450 oven for 25 minutes. So I plated this dish with the vegetables on the bottom, the tofu and then a layer of the sauce and a garnish of fresh cilantro. I also had this for lunch and it was actually even better the next day.

Here is the link to the full recipe if you want to be brave and conquer your tofu fears:
http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/quick-recipes/2012/03/citrus-marinated-tofu-with-onions-and-peppers

Here is the Spanish white wine I served the tofu with and it was a light citrusy wine that complimented the lime and spices perfectly:




Cheers my friends!