Grilled Marinated Tofu

With summer upon us and tanktop and short skirt season now in full swing, I've really started thinking about low fat meals. Further, I think that a lot of people eat too much meat, including Percy and I. But to a man that likes his meat for dinner, tofu can be a little bit of a challenge. So, I set out to make a tofu dish so good that he would not only be satisfied in eating it, but would request to have it again!

I picked up this particular tofu through my spud.ca delivery. Soya Nova is run by Debborah Lauzon who uses the traditional Japanese slow cooking method to make this delicious tofu in Salt Spring Island, BC. If you ever see this brand you should pick some up, it is truly delicious and puts all grocery store brands to shame. Plus, I love supporting small family run businesses. If you can't find this brand look for any other artisan made tofus. And if all else fails, the grocery store brand prepared the right way will taste just fine. Just try this recipe:

Grilled Marinated Tofu

• 1 lb firm tofu, drained and pressed, and sliced into horizontal slices about 1/2 inch thick
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• juice of 2 limes (if they are rather dry use 3)
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil
• 3 tbsp mirin (if you can't get this sweet Japanese rice wine you can substitute it with white wine (if using a dry wine add a little sugar), or sherry (if using a dry sherry add a little sugar)

In a shallow bowl combine soy sauce, lime juice, sesame oil and mirin and marinate tofu slices for 15 minutes.

Drain tofu and grill over medium heat for 1-2 minutes per side, just enough to leave grill marks and heat it through.

Serve with grilled sweet potato slices, vegetable skewers or a salad.

Wine pairing: Sake!! I am no expert on Sake (I better get drinkin'!) but from what I've read a milder Ginjo sake pairs well with many dishes. If any readers have a suggestion regarding the sake I am all ears! For those that prefer wine, I would suggest a white. Tofu doesn't have a very strong flavour on its own so you must consider the marinade ingredients when choosing a wine. I would opt for a crisp white like a Sauvignon Blanc or maybe a Reisling.

I am gone on vacation this weekend for 2 weeks! We're headed off to our cabin in beautiful Slocan, BC. I will post some great cabin/vacation recipes when we get back!

Enjoy!