ok, so i know we’re all fully into bbq season, right? these long, warm summer days are practically screaming at us to light up a grill and cook our food outdoors. but what do vegetarians grill? most of my life, i’ve bought pre-packaged veggie dogs and burgers for grilling season, but i inevitably get very, very sick of them after two or three bbqs.
at our fourth of july get together a few weeks ago (the most mandatory bbq day of the year, i think), my friends grilled portabella mushrooms, corn on the cob, bok choy, home made black bean burgers, and even pieces of cactus (nopal). it was amazing being a vegetarian at this event! even the meat eaters seemed to enjoy the variety of items coming off of the grills (yes, there were two grills). what was my contribution? tofu skewers!
i had never made tofu skewers for a bbq before, but after our fourth of july feast, i was left wondering why not. the tofu got nice and crispy on the outside, but stayed soft and flavorful on the inside. the one mistake i made – and one i will never make again – was not making the peanut sauce that this recipe suggests you pour over the top of the tofu after it comes off the grill.
why didn’t i make the peanut sauce? at the time, i was running a little late and just wanted to get to the party! but the party could have waited the extra 5 minutes it took to make the sauce, and it would have made all the difference with the skewers.
we wound up taking a fair amount of the tofu home with us, and after getting up way too early to clean up our local beaches from the fourth festivities, we went home, made some coconut rice, and whisked together the peanut sauce to pour over the leftover tofu. and it was amazing! so as you head to your next bbq, think about making these skewers and don’t leave out the peanut sauce!
and, if you wind up with extra peanut sauce, stay tuned, because i’ve got a great solution for that problem in my next post!
tofu skewers
adapted from vegetarian times
yields 6 servings
- 1c orange juice
- 4T soy sauce
- 2T toasted sesame oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1t red pepper flakes
- 20 oz firm tofu, cubed
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- whisk the oj, soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes together in a large baking dish
- place the tofu on skewers and allow to marinate overnight, rotating tofu at least once
- grill the tofu for 7 minutes per side, brushing with leftover marinade frequently
- optional – dice veggies and skewer them to grill next to the tofu, brushing them with the tofu marinade, then serve all with coconut lime rice
peanut sauce
adapted from vegetarian times
yields 6 servings worth of sauce
- 1/4c peanut butter
- 3T minced ginger
- 2T brown sugar
- 2T soy sauce
- 1/2c hot water
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- whisk all ingredients together and pour liberally over tofu and veggies