Our Veggie Kitchen

For the first time, a couple months ago, I started making unbreaded, marinated, pan fried tofu.  I stumbled across this tofu recipe which used leftover cranberries in a marinade for tofu steaks.  I tried it and was hooked.  I love the texture for sandwiches.  That experience set me off and, a few iterations later, I came up with this recipe.  The marinate is sticky sweet, a little tangy and has just a hint of heat.  The steaks make an amazing sandwich, but they're also great in a salad or sliced for sushi.



Sweet & Spicy Tofu Steaks
1 lb tofu
2 tbs vegetable oil
Marinade:
1 cup vegetable broth
1/3 cup agave syrup
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tbs mirin (or other vinegar)
1 tsp red pepper flakes

Drain the tofu and cut into 1/2 inch steaks.  Mix together the marinade ingredients.  Pour into a lidded container and stack the tofu slices, making sure that the marinade covers.  Refrigerate for at least several hours; overnight is better.  I've kept the tofu marinading for as long as two days and the flavor is better the longer it sits, but at some point, you get antsy and you just want to eat it.

When ready to cook, oil in a saute pan over medium-high heat.  If you don't have a large enough pan, you may have to cook in a couple batches.  Place the tofu in the pan and ladle a couple spoonfuls of marinade over the top of each slice.  Cook, gently moving the tofu to avoid sticking, until the steaks are fully browned.  Flip, adding a couple more spoonfuls over the slices again (you will use less than half the marinade).  Also spoon a little into the pan.  When the steaks are fully browned on both sides, remove from pan and allow to cool a little.  Add to a covered container and refrigerate.

4 servings:  122 cal (6g fat, 1g cabs, 7g protein)
Note:  I figured 50% absorption of the oil and 1/3 use of the marinade.