Pad Thai Grilled Tofu/Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day from Wine and Vegan Cheese! Today my mother got the wonderful gift of my sister coming home from college to spend the summer here.  I mean, she already has me living at home as a 22 year old and she does all of my laundry, so I feel like I am just the gift that keeps on giving.  Just in case that isn't enough, I also got her this cute little chicken pitcher from Deruta, Italy.   

My family (aka actually my Dad) also got her a swing because our old one was a little decrepit and she likes to sit outside in the sun and read.  I really wish that my mother would give me the Mother's Day gift of telling me where my bottle of Pinot Grigio is because I need it.  (update: there is no wine left, she drank it all)

New swing!

 The weather has finally been nice for more than 3 days at a time!  I have the next three days off and I am looking forward to sitting in the sun in my bathing suit and reading The Fall of Giants by Kenneth Follett.  His books are addicting.  I already preordered the third book in the trilogy and I am so psyched, even if it doesn't come out for a few months.

The only place I want to be until I leave Naples

In other news, tonight my family is grilling.  I never eat dinner with them but Tara is back and it's Mother's Day so I though, why not?  They're grilling steaks or ribs or something.  I scoured Pinterest for a good grilled tofu recipe because I have a few blocks in my fridge and I've never done it before.  I was feeling wild, so I whipped up this tofu! It's inspiration was Pad Thai!

Pad Thai Inspired Grilled Peanut Butter/Lime Tofu

1 block of tofu
1/2 cup of lime juice (the original recipe says use fresh, but I'm not made of limes so I used store bought)
1/3 cup of agave nectar
1/4 cup of low sodium soy sauce
2 heaping tablespoons of smooth peanut butter (I had to use chunky because it was all that I had)
3 tablespoons Sriracha (I think I ended up adding more)
3 cloves of garlic (minced)
2 tablespoons of fresh cilantro (set aside)

Press your tofu.  I use the tofu EZPress but you can always just use paper towels.  Cut it into strips and lay it in a tupperware container or baking dish so it is all laying flat in one layer.

Mix together all of the ingredients.  Pour the sauce over the tofu and cover.  Let it sit in the refrigerator for at least four hours.  I put some cilantro on top.
 
When you're ready to grill, take it out and put it on an oiled grill.  Ten minutes each side!  Make sure you watch it though just in case because I'm sure times will vary.  Serve hot and pour the rest of the sauce over it if you'd like! Garnish with the cilantro!

The tofu ready to marinate!

This was really tasty.  Grilling the tofu gives it a smoky flavor but because it's marinated in lime juice, it also tastes really smoky.  It's sweet because of the agave but it's salty because of the soy sauce.  Overall this was a really great dish.  

Unfortunately there was a miscommunication in the kitchen and my mother threw away my leftover sauce so I couldn't eat the finished product with it, but honestly, it didn't even need it because it was that flavorful!  

 I sat in the sun for a few hours in my bathing suit, and I just examined my body and I am still the exact same shade of porcelain as I was before.  I'm determined to at least get a little tan before the summer is over.  

Overall, a really great day off! 

ciao ciao! -Katelyn