Oven Barbecued Tofu

This is an old favorite of mine. My mum made it growing up and I have used it to change many people's mind about tofu. It's delightfully tasty and really simple.

This recipe will make enough to feed two people...unless you're like my husband and I! We love it so much that I can never make less than a double batch. :) Go ahead, make a double batch. You'll regret it otherwise.

Here is what you will need to get started:

1 package of firm tofu (*Side note!* I always freeze my tofu before using it. Then thaw it out that morning. This helps the tofu hold together better, even if you purchase extra firm. So freeze your tofu!)
3 Tbl peanut butter
1/3 cup oil (I use olive but vegetable or canola will work too)
1 Tbl paprika
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1 bottle bbq sauce (I use a regular flavor)


1/4 cup oil (approximate for the baking sheet)


Preheat your oven to 350 degrees! Also take a baking sheet and spread about 1/4 cup of oil on it. You just want to make sure that there is a thin layer of oil across the sheet. If you really want to be healthier, you can replace the oil with cooking spray but the tofu will end up a little crunchier.


First you need to cut your tofu into 1/3-1/2 inch slices. Make sure you squeeze out as much of the liquid as possible from it! This is where freezing your tofu really comes into play. If you've ever had your tofu just fall apart when you cut it or squeezed it, freezing it prior to using it will take care of this issue!

Set your tofu aside. Gather up the rest of your ingredients and put them together in a bowl

Whisk these together until the mixture is smooth.

Now it's time for the sauce to meet the tofu. You can pour it over the tofu or do what I do and dump the tofu in the sauce you've made.

Kind of push the strips into the sauce and make sure that you completely cover them with the sauce.

If you're more organized than me you can allow the tofu to marinate for an hour. I'm usually running two hours behind though so this never happens!!!

When your tofu is ready, lay it out in a single layer on your baking sheet.

Bake the tofu for about 25 minutes. Then pull it out and flip it over. The bottoms should be browned.

Now take your BBQ sauce and brush some over the top of the tofu. 

Put it back in the oven and bake another 25 minutes. Pull it out and flip it over again. Put BBQ sauce on the top again...which will be the side that doesn't have sauce on it! Put it back in the oven and bake it for about 15 minutes. Pull it out and you are done!!! 

Enjoy!

*Baking note!* The times I've given you may need to be adjusted. They are for a thicker (closer to 1/2") slice that turns out fairly crispy. If you make thinner slices or don't want it really crispy, cut the time down. For example you could cook it 20, 20, and 5 minutes. My husband doesn't like his very crispy, I do. So I pull some out for him early and then crisp mine up!

Shrimp & Avocado Bowl

I'm surprised I haven't already done this recipe. This is one of our favorites and a regular in our household. I copied it from a fitness magazine a couple of years ago and can't remember which one. My husband loves this! It's really simple and it's very tasty! This serves 4...or 2 really hungry people.

Here is what you will need:

1 lb medium shrimp, thawed
2 tsp sesame oil
1 1/2 teaspoon honey
cayenne
1 Tbl soy sauce
1 Tbl rice wine vinegar
2 eggs (If they're small I often use 3)
1 cup shelled edamame (we often substitute snap peas in their place...in or out of the pod!)
2 tsp toasted sesame seeds
1 1/4 cup short grain brown rice
1 avocado

First things first, throw your rice in to cook according to the directions on the package.

Preheat the broiler and put your edamame or peas in boiling water to warm

Heat a small pan over medium heat and toast your sesame seeds. You can find directions here. Keep your pan handy because you'll need it later.

If you're like me, you purchase frozen shrimp and forget to thaw them. Easy! Put some cold water on a bowl. Put the shrimp in a strainer and set it down in the bowl. They'll thaw out quickly and no one will ever know you weren't prepared! =]

In a medium bowl, combine 1 tsp sesame oil & 1 tsp honey with a pinch (or more!) of cayenne.

Toss the shrimp so that it's completely coated. Set aside.

Combine the soy sauce and rice wine vinegar with the rest of the honey (1/2 teaspoon). We actually like a lot of sauce so we'll often make a double batch. Set the sauce aside.

Grab your avocado and slice it into thin strips lengthwise. Don't forget to take the pit out. =]

Take the shrimp and lay them out flat on a broiler pan or cookie sheet. Broil for about 2 minutes per side. Don't worry if you don't get each shrimp perfectly turned over, you're really just making sure you've cooked them and warmed them.

Grab your small pan again and heat the last teaspoon of sesame oil over medium heat. (I usually do this while the shrimp are cooking.)

Take your eggs and lightly beat them. Put them into the skilled and cook until they are set. About 2 minutes on the first side and a minute on the second one.

Transfer your cooked eggs to a cutting board and cut them into strips.

Now take all of your ingredients and gather them together!

Stir the edamame (or peas) in with the rice and divide the rice among bowls. Top it with the shrimp, eggs, sesame seeds, and avocado. Take your sauce (soy/vinegar) and drizzle it over the top. Enjoy!!

Energy Bars!

I love making our own energy bars. So I know exactly what is going into them. And the options for ingredients are endless. Just remember that they'll only last for around 4 days unless you freeze them.

Here are the ingredients that you will need:

1 cup quick oats
1 cup bran
1/4 cup flour (I use whole wheat because it's a lot healthier!)
1/2 cup nonfat dry milk
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/4 cup honey
2 eggs
(here's the part you get to adjust for yourself!)
1 cup raisins
1 cup chopped almonds

I've made this recipe with all different types of "fillers". I love macadamia nuts and mini chocolate chips when I'm feeling naughty!

Start off by preheating the oven to 350 degrees! Spray a rectangular baking pan (around 9x13) with cooking spray.

Get your ingredients ready! Start by putting your oats, bran and flour into a mixing bowl.

Then mix in the 1/2 cup dry milk. If you purchase the box with packages in it, this is about 1/2 of a package. I then put the other half in a baggie for next time!

Next add in the cinnamon and ginger

Now is time for your almonds and raisins (or what ever you have decided upon). If you use something like dried figs, you may want to put them into a food processor so that they're cut up into small enough pieces. Or you can just do it by hand. :)

Mix these together well.

Get your eggs and crack them into a small dish. Give them a quick whisk to break them up slightly.

Now add your eggs and the honey

Mix everything together really well. I usually end up using my hands to make sure it's well mixed.

Once that is done, you simply put the mixture into the baking pan and spread it out with your fingers. Throw it in the oven and cook it for 20 minutes. The edges will have a slight brown to them when they're done.

When they're cooked, pull them out and allow them to cool. Then cut into which ever size bars that you want! Enjoy!

Lovely Granola!

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I love this granola. I now have to make it weekly or the husband will get upset. :)

This is my granola recipe:

3 cups rolled oats
1/4 cup flax seeds
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds (or sunflower if you prefer them)
1/4 cup oil (I always use olive, but canola would work too)
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes (you can also use sweet)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 Tablespoon cinnamon
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup (chopped) toasted nuts (I usually use almond slivers & walnuts)
1 cup dried fruit of your choice (optional)

First off, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Get a regular sized baking sheet and cover it with aluminum foil.

Then make sure that you toast the nuts. You can refer to my entry here for directions. Just make sure you do toast them! :)

Next you're going to take all of the ingredients except the fruit and mix them together. I usually start with the dry ingredients: rolled oats, flax seed, pumpkin seeds, coconut flakes, nuts, cinnamon, brown sugar, and the salt. Mixing these together well first will help.

Next I add the wet ingredients: oil, vanilla, and honey. Make sure that you mix these together really well. 

Spread the mixture evenly on your baking sheet. 

Now comes what I consider the hard part. You have to keep an eye on the granola while you're cooking it because it can go from perfect to burnt in a minute! This is the schedule that I have discovered works the best:

I start off baking it for 7 minutes. Then I pull it out, stir it, and put it back for another 7 minutes. Stir it again and then set your timer for 4 minutes. At this point it's just about done, so I stir it (again!) and bake it for just another 2 minutes. :) Just watch it and make sure to stir it often. You want it to be a nice golden brown, lighter or darker to your taste.

Once the granola is baked, allow it to cool all the way in it's pan. Once it has cooled you can add in the dried fruit. We use craisin pomegranates.

Now, it's ready to eat! Just try not to eat it all the first day. I usually hide it away. :) Our favorite way to eat it is with vanilla yogurt for breakfast. Yum!

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My other love

We try our hardest to eat healthy. Although some days the healthy meal does get thrown to the side and pizza gets delivered. We aren't perfect. Actually we're far from it. We don't keep ice cream in the house because we'll sit down and eat the entire carton. Seriously. It doesn't matter how big it is. Just talking about ice cream makes me want to go buy some. If I ride my bike to the store will that cancel out the calories? I've actually investigated this numerous times and if I go to the second closest grocery then it does.

For the days where you do want to eat healthy, it's often hard to find a recipe that offers taste. And I don't mean the taste of cardboard. When cruising the world wide web one day I accidentally came across this website from Food Network and this particular collection of recipes. It was love at first site. I printed off seven recipes and had that week's meals planned. The first one I conquered was the Chicken Divan--healthy style. It was love at first bite. These recipes are fantastic! They offer healthy alternatives to meals we love. And they don't leave out the wonderful flavor.

So if you're looking for inspiration, look no further. Browse this collection and then look further at the site. I personally can recommend most every single one of these recipes. (There were a few we didn't make simply because we don't like that meal). Everyone we cooked, we loved. Now go forth and print off Food Network recipes. And use the time you saved searching for an idea for dinner taking a nap.