1 packet extra firm tofu
Sliced almonds

Marinade
Juice of two lemons plus zest of one of them.
Raw sugar to taste
Splash of Agave syrup
1/2 teaspoon Ground ginger
Pinch of Turmeric
Splash of olive oil
Mix together the marinade, and pour into a ziplock bag

Chop up the Tofu into smallish squares,

Pop the Tofu into the bag

Put in the fridge to marinade during the day.

When I got home tonight I cooked the tofu on the stove top over a mediumheat, turning it over until it was golden brown and slightly crunchy on eachside. I then placed oh so very stylishly some sliced almond on top.

I had mine tonight with a brown rice and vege stirfry – delicious.

Just to make up for the fact that I have approximate amounts for myingredients, and I have to admit a rather blurry photo – here are a few morerecipes for marinades you could use for tofu.

Asian Tofu (Veganomicon)
1/2 cup mirin
3 tablespoons tamari
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 teaspoons Asian chile sauce
1-inch chunk of ginger peeled and chopped coarsely
2 cloves garlic smashed

Thai Curry
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons mirin
2 tablespoons Thai curry paste
¼ cup unsweetened coconut flakes
2 cloves garlic, minced

Cumin Tofu (from 101 Cookbooks)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon garam masala spice blend
6 medium cloves garlic, crushed then chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1 tablespoon lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1 7 or 8-ounce container of Greek yogurt

Question: Are you a fan of Tofu or not, andif so what is your favourite way to cook it.

Being a newly proclaimed vegan I startedto feel the pressure to produce outstanding fare for the other guests. It feltto me all of a sudden that my single dish could be the deal breaker thatconvinced the others that a vegan diet was delicious and tasty, or made themthink that they were right all along in imagining it to be tasteless andboring. The weight of their dietary future was suddenly on my shoulders.

(This is seriously what I was thinking. AsI say to my husband often – “Try living in my head!!” )

After a few deep breaths, and possibly aglass of wine or two – I relaxed, pulled out my beloved Veganomicon cookbook, and decided to go for something incredibly simple andtasty.

And can I say – it does not get much moresimple than this.

It does need a food processor – andfor those of you who don’t know how traumatic this would have seemed to me afew months ago – do read this post.

For the salad you will need

About 3 average sized beets peeledand shredded
about 3 average sized parsnipspeeled and shredded
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint

For the Pineapple dressing you willneed

2 cups pineapple juice
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup grapeseed oil
2 tablespoons of pure maple syrup oragave nectar(I used the agave)
1 clove garlic grated very thinly orwell minced
1/4 teaspoon salt

Mix together all of the dressingingredients in a large mixing bowl. Then add it to the shredded beetroot andparsnips, thoroughly mixing them together. I found that I did not need to useall of the dressing described in the original recipe, as it was looking like atmight become a bit soggy.

Let it all sit together for about 15minutes, and then add a bit more dressing if you feel it still looks a bit dry.Add the mint and mix again. Cover and let sit in the fridge for at least 30minutes.

The pink and green mixed together inthis looks amazing!

So why you may ask would I bewanting to add beetroot to my diet?

I hopped online to researchbeetroot, and I will be having more of it. Beetroot is a superfood!!

As well as being packed with vitaminC and iron, The beta cyanin inbeetroot can help detox your liver, which I certainly need after the holidayseason. And even better, it has been shown to contain the compound betaine,which enhances the production of the body’s natural mood-lifter seratonin. Soeating this salad really can make you smile.

In case you wondered – the salad was agreat success. Even the multitude of children present ate it. (This couldpossibly be though because we told them that eating beetroot makes your peebright pink!)

So – it makes you smile, it is easy tomake, kids will eat it, and best of all it is bright pink.

QUESTION – Would you take a simple and safe dish to a barbeque, or take a risk and show off something mindblowing.

cheers

Ali