During the summer, I like to grill as often as possible.  In fact, when I am a t barbecue, I am often appointed grill master for the evening and take over all grilling duties.  When I became vegan, I didn’t think I would be grilling again, aside from vegetables anyway.  But I loved my grill and I was not giving it up. I just needed to figure out what to grill.  Tofu was a logical thing to try. It just needed a good marinade. I got some tofu, put in into my teriyaki marinade and voila!  Success.  My days of grilling were far from over.  This recipe will even get the “I don’t like tofu” people to love tofu. The longer you let this marinate, the better. You want the flavors really getting into the tofu.

Prep Time: 10 miuntes, plus at least 1 hour to marinade
Cooking Time: 8 minutes if grilling, 30 minutes if baking
Servings: 4

Ingredients:

2 blocks extra firm tofu, pressed and sliced in half for 4 thin slabs
½ cup light soy sauce
¼ cup mirin
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons canola oil
½ teaspoon sesame oil
3 cloves garlic
1 inch fresh ginger
1 tablespoon sliced green onion bottoms
1 tsp wasabi paste

Directions:

1. Place tofu slabs in a sealable plastic bag.

2. Place all remaining ingredients in a blender and process until completely combined.

3. Pour the marinade over the tofu. Seal the bag, removing as much air as possible. Place in refrigerator at least an hour to marinate. The longer it sits, the better. Flip the bag occasionally to make sure all sides get marinated.

4. When ready to cook, remove the tofu from the marinade and keep the marinade for basting.

Follow the directions below for which ever cooking method you are using.

Grill along with Michael.

1. To grill: heat grill or grill pan to high. Give the tofu a light spray with cooking spray to prevent sticking. When the grill is ready, put the tofu on the grill. After 30 seconds, use a spatula to slide each piece about 1/4 inch up or down. Do not lift the slices to do this, just slide them.  This wil help you get those awesome grill marks. To get really fancy, after 2 minutes, rotate the tofu 90 degrees and grill for 2 more minutes.  Grill for 4 minutes total. Flip the tofu and repeat the sliding after 30 seconds, and rotating after 2 minutes. Grill for 4 more minutes. Removed from grill and serve.

2. To bake: Preheat oven to 350F. Put tofu on a baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, flip the tofu and bake 30 more minutes.

This goes great with all the traditional barbecue sides like corn on the cob and grilled sweet potatoes.