Dahlicious: Veggie Tofu Stack

Friday, October 12, 2012

Veggie Tofu Stack

Veggie Tofu Stack... Last night was one of those Thursdays where I wanted to use up all of the perishables I had left in my fridge. I ended up creating a stacked meal, full of steamed veggies, tender lentils baked tofu, and sauteed onions. Random? Yes. Healthful? Yes. Dahlicious? Yes. Not sure if I will ever recreate this particular dish, as it really centered around the things I had left to use up, but in a pinch I always like feeling good about the meals I create from odd tid bits.

What I had:
1 yellow onion
A few cloves of garlic
1 red bell pepper
1 orange bell pepper
Asparagus
Tofu
TJ's pre-cooked lentils
Leftover puttanesa sauce

How To:

Tofu: Usually I chop tofu into small bite sized cubes and crisp up the sides with olive oil in a saute pan, but last night I decided to try a baking method. I cut the large block in half and let it sit wrapped in some paper towels for about 20 minutes to dry it out a bit. Then I let the tofu "filets" marinate in olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, and crushed dried oregano for another 20-30 minutes. Then in the oven at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes. Voila! Easy to make, easy to clean, easy to serve.

Tofu marinating

Onion: I was really in the mood for caramelized onions, so I took the low and slow approach. I sliced the onion into very thin half moons and sauteed them with a touch of salt, a liberal pour of olive oil, and 2 cloves of fresh pressed garlic. I put the onions and oil in the pan before it got hot, and then raised it to medium/high heat for just a few minutes. Then I brought the temp back to medium/low heat and continually stirred the onions for the next 30-40 minutes.

Slice into half moons

Low & Slow

Asparagus & Peppers: Super simple, I just cut them into bite sized pieces (~1.5 inches in length) and let them steam on the stove top. I figured I was getting plenty of olive oil in the onion so might as well go light with these veggies.