grilled tofu with walnut-‘parmesan’ pesto.

It is HOT! (Don't you love it?! I am pretty positive I could live somewhere tropical year round and feel okay about it. All this sunshine! I am one happy camper these days.) I hope you're staying cool where you are.

This weather has been a great opportunity to dive into some seasonal eating, which works out well for two reasons:

being in touch with what our bodies intuitively want means we eat foods that support us in our particular climate (cooling foods in summer; grounding, warming foods in winter) -- and when food is more in line with the seasons, it can be more easily digested and assimilated. (We're not working against ourselves.)
it gives us an opportunity to explore the farmers' market and get creative with what's growing nearby right now
[Check out my previous post on Ayurveda and seasonal eating for a little more info]

I visited our local farmers' market yesterday morning with a good friend and picked up a beautiful stash of veggies for the week, including the parsley, broccoli rabe, and eggplant that we combined into the meal below. I was on a mission to find something light, cooling, and summery to make for Saturday night dinner [our first quiet dinner at home with nowhere to be and nothing to do since we moved -- heavenly!] The results are below: they were pretty darn yummy. I'd take this over steak + potatoes and any day (and yet it still felt like a little barbecue adventure).

Super quick, just a few steps, and extra delicious. Not bad for a 100F day! Happy grilling!

grilled tofu with walnut-'parmesan' pesto

2013-07-21 07:55:09

Serves 2

A light grilled option for summertime dinners. Fresh parsley and zesty vegan parmesan add a brilliant hit of flavor to these tofu steaks.

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Prep Time

15 min

Cook Time

10 min

Total Time

25 min

Prep Time

15 min

Cook Time

10 min

Total Time

25 min

Ingredients

1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 cup vegan parmesan (see link below)
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1 tbsp dried sage
1 clove garlic, chopped
5 tbsp olive oil + 2 tbsp olive oil, divided
salt and pepper to taste
1 package firm tofu, drained and quartered

Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients except tofu and 2 tbsp olive oil in food processor. Blend until thoroughly combined. Set aside.
2. Preheat grill (or grill pan or skillet, whatever you have).
3. Brush each side of your four slices of tofu with olive oil. Transfer to pan and cook about 3-4 minutes on each side until browned.
4. Transfer tofu to plates and top with pesto.
Serve with sauteed broccoli rabe or roasted eggplant.

Notes