Now I know that many people have a negative connotation with tofu, especially many of my own family and friends from Montana. It reminds me a little of my own view of olives a few years back. My first experience with olives was on my mom’s favorite pizza, ham and black olives from the Airport Inn. I remember trying that first bite and it was not one of pleasure. In fact, I am pretty sure I spit it out and from that point forward I would pick off every olive I saw on my food. Black, green, brown…. Color or variety did not matter. I did NOT like olives. This continued up until about 3 or 4 years ago. I had learned by then, that I REALLY liked martinis and Steve and I loved to have one together particularly on a Friday night after a long work week. But when we would go out for that drink, we would have to carefully explain to the server or bartender that I wanted a dry martini but not with olives rather with a lemon twist or really anything else. Finally, I told Steve one day, “You know, I should probably try olives again. I haven’t touched them since I was really young and tastes do change.” Next, time we ordered olives in our martini and WOW, I was hooked. In fact, I am eating a snack of leftover quinoa right now and I had to mix in some Kalamata olives because well, why not?! I truly can’t get enough of olives now. Back to Tofu….
I’m guessing that many people have a similar first experience with tofu. They probably tried it once and haven’t touched it since. I know my parents are that way. Because in all honestly tofu sometimes does need to grow on you and it is rather tasteless until you either mix it with amazing vegetables or combine it with something else where it takes on that flavor. And that is one reason I think tofu is fantastic because it is so versatile. Normally we chop it up and add it to a stir fry or curry. But this summer I read somewhere that you can grill tofu and we had to try it.
Now because tofu is rather bland, we decided to marinate it before putting it on the grill. We let it sit for about an hour in the marinade, but next time we will probably aim for overnight. But it was still fantastic grilled. There is just something about that smoky grill flavor on anything really. (You may have noticed that we are fans based on all of our grilled recipes this summer!) This tofu would be amazing standing alone with a side of rice and veggies or like we chose to do by adding sweet caramelized leeks, lots of fresh vegetables, and humus (olive hummus, of course!) and stacking it between two crusty pieces of bread. We had a loaf of rye bread but I would actually not recommend it for this sandwich. The rye is just a little to overpowering and the tofu is not able to stand out as it should. After I realized this, I took off the top piece of bread and ate it as an open sandwich so the veggies and tofu would really shine. Next time, we will probably use a sourdough.
As always, this recipe can be adapted for your own tastes. If you still don’t like olives you can swap out the hummus for any flavor. I think roasted garlic would be amazing! And store-bought hummus would work great too if you need to save a little time. But I wouldn’t skip the caramelized leeks. They add such a nice contrasting flavor to the tofu. It’s one of those irresistible sweet and salty combinations that just works so well. Finally, just be sure to stack any favorite veggies and you will have an amazing savory and smoky grilled tofu sandwich. Hope you enjoy as much as we did!
Also, next up on my foods to try again…. GRAPEFRUIT! I will let you know how it goes in a future post and you may even see it in an upcoming recipe, who knows! Additionally, we would love if you would comment on your own food aversions down below and tell about your first experience. Do you blame it on your mom too? Haha. (Just kidding mom, I Love you!) But if we receive any great responses, we will try and incorporate your disliked fruits and veggies in future recipes, and hopefully win you over too! Thanks, and happy cooking!
- Sandwich:
- Any bread, sliced
- 1 package extra firm tofu, pressed to remove excess water and sliced lengthwise into ½ inch slabs
- 3 large leeks, halved and finally chopped then submerge in water to remove sand granules
- Swiss chard or other lettuce
- 1 tomato, sliced
- Sprouts
- Spicy Marinade:
- ¼ cup Soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp Rice Vinegar
- 3 Tbsp Vegan Worcestershire Sauce
- ¼ Cup Chili pepper sauce
- 3 dashes of liquid smoke
- Juice of 1 lime
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp salt
- Kalamata Olive Hummus:
- 1 can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed with liquid reserved
- ½ cup Kalamata olives, pits removed
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 2 Tbsp tahini
- ½ tsp black pepper
- Add all the ingredients for the marinade into a large bowl and mix with a fork. Next place the tofu into the bowl and cover with marinade. Allow to stay submerged for at least an hour but any additional time is helpful and recommended.
- Wash and prepare all of the fresh vegetables as directed. Place your chopped leeks into a large bowl of water and stir to remove any dirt/sand that might be in between the layers.
- Next, light the grill and allow any lighter fluid to burn off and allow coals to get hot.
- Prepare the hummus while the grill is heating. Add all of the ingredients for the hummus into a food processor and blend until smooth. If you think the hummus is too dry you can add some of the reserved liquid and blend some more. It is done when it is a nice smooth consistency.
- Coat a frying pan with a little oil and heat it over medium heat. When hot drain and add the leeks. Allow to cook for approx. 25-30 minutes stirring often. Leeks will become soft and brown which means they have caramelized.
- Take your tofu out of the marinade and place on the grill. Allow to cook for about 10 minutes per side or until tofu looks dry and has a firmer consistency. Remove when done.
- Build your Sandwich. Spread hummus on one side of each slice of bread. On one side, add a layer of sprouts on top of the hummus. Follow with tomato, swiss chard and some of the caramelized leeks. Next add a couple pieces of the grilled tofu. Finish by placing the other piece of hummus covered bread on top. Reference photos if needed. Enjoy!
