On Sundays, I pick up two cubes of fresh, locally made tofu at the farmers’ market. This comes in a baggie and does not last long, so I’m always making different tofu dishes on Monday/Tuesday evenings. And on weeknights, the boyfriend and I discuss dinner via text–today’s suggestion was tofu and soba noodles. A good combination.
So I made:
- Baked tofu in homemade spicy teriyaki marinade
- Shredded raw vegetable salad with cashew-sesame dressing
- Soba dressed simply with chives and toasted nori
That’s two sauces, with a splash of things in noodles that isn’t really a sauce.
First, the teriyaki tofu.
Marinade (which I did not actually measure, so this is approximate):
- Two cloves garlic, microplaned
- 2" piece of ginger, microplaned
- One tablespoon of toasted sesame oil
- Two tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
- One tablespoon mirin
- One teaspoon agave nectar or maple syrup
- One teaspoon hot sauce
Other ingredients:
- About half a cup of thinly sliced red onion (I used a leftover half of a large onion, sliced into quarter moons)
- Half a pound of fresh tofu, sliced to fit in your baking dish (I put mine in an 8" glass square dish, which fits four thick slices perfectly)
- Black sesame seeds to cover
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Mix the marinade in the bottom of the baking dish, then toss in the onions to cover with sauce. Move aside the onions and dredge the tofu slices so each side is covered and place them in the baking dish, with the saucy onions gently layered on top. Sprinkle with black sesame seeds. Bake for about 20 minutes, flip, and bake another 20 minutes.
Shredded vegetable salad is up next.
You can make this with any vegetables you like, though firmer ones hold up better–more crunch, less wilt. This is the balance I had:
- Red cabbage, about ¾ of a medium head (it’s what I had sitting around) – thinly shredded
- Half a long cucumber, julienned to the core (I tossed out the seeds)
- One carrot, julienned
- One red bell pepper, seeded, quartered, and sliced thinly
Dressing (again, all approximate, because I’m a degenerate):
- Quarter cup raw cashew butter (toasted would add too much of a strong flavor–soaked and pureed cashews would do instead)
- Tablespoon seasoned rice wine vinegar
- Teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- Splash soy sauce or tamari
- Water to thin out to desired consistency
I just whisk this all together in a little bowl and pour over the shredded vegetables, then use tongs to combine.
