Italian Baked Tofu

I am back in Chicago after spending 9 days home in Indianapolis. I had a great time in Indy seeing family and friends. Life seems a little slower in Indy. I missed Chicago, the neighborhood feel around my apartment, walking places (well, maybe not so much now that it is FREEZING), having ample things to do, and taking public transit instead of driving everywhere. John and I made good time coming back. We went in and out of snow, but had no problems. I didn't cook last night because we had zero food, a lot of unpacking to do, and I was tired. We went to a restaurant called Taco Joint. I get their vegetarian tacos and guacamole. I have since gone to the store and am ready for lots of cooking! I had a very cooking centered Christmas. I got new baking sheets, a pizza stone, a spaghetti spoon, a cutting board made out of recycled materials, a cookbook, Trader Joe's gift card, and a book about being vegan! I still have this week off so I am enjoying flipping through cookbooks, prepping for school, and reading.

I bought a huge bag of spinach and needed to start using it before it goes bad. I decided I would make an Italian baked tofu recipe I found in Veganomicon. I decided to place the baked tofu over sauteed spinach and tomatoes on top of basmati rice.  I also decided to roast carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower in an balsamic dressing.

Italian Marinade 

Combine all the following into a shallow bowl

2 cloves garlic

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup white wine

large pinch of marjoram, basil, and thyme

Tofu

Rinse and pat dry

Slice into 1 1/2 inch strips

Soak in the marinade for 30 minutes

Flip and soak the other side for 30 minutes

Baking the Tofu

Preheat oven to 400

Place on a baking sheet 

Cook for 20 minutes

Flip and cook for another 10 minutes

Place under broiler for 3 minutes

Halfway through cooking

Finished Product

Basmati Rice

I used Trader Joe's Rice

Rinse the rice

Add 2 cups of water to a stockpot and boil

Add 1 cup rice

Return to a boil and then down to a simmer

Simmer for 30-45 minutes

Let stand 5 minutes afterwards

*I used the leftover marinade to drizzle over the rice

Sauteed Spinach

Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to a skillet

Place skillet on medium heat

Add 2-3 cloves garlic and cook for 2 minutes

Dice 2 Roma tomatoes add to the skillet

Cook tomatoes for 3 minutes

Add 1/2 a bag of spinach to the mixture (2 cups)

Let the spinach cook down

Add more spinach if you desire

*I prepared this last since it takes the least amount of time

By cooking the tomatoes before the spinach, they became creamy and added a nice texture to the tofu

Roasted Vegetables

Place a small bag of mixed vegetables (carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower) in a glass baking pan

*You can always cut up your own veggies

Cover the vegetables in a balsamic dressing of your choice. I used Annie's Balsamic Dressing

Place vegetables in oven at 400 degrees

Cook for 40 minutes

*I timed it so I placed the veggies in 15 minutes before the tofu so they would be ready at the same time

Before Cooking

Assembly

Dish the vegetables to the side

Lay rice on one side

Put spinach mixture over

Top with 3 slices of tofu

This meal turned out very nicely. John loves when I make the roasted vegetables with Italian dressing. He was very surprised by the tofu. It was cooked just right. Too often tofu can become soggy or not quite cooked all the way.  I didn't broil it for the added three minutes like the recipe called for. It is a filling dinner fit for two. John said it was a "repeat worthy dinner."

Happy Cooking!