Grilled Veggie Kabobs
I was very close to breaking up with our friendly neighborhood Subway because they were absolutely everything except friendly. Each and every time Alexis would order her bun with lettuce and tomato on it, the guy would glare at her across the counter and then shoot me his Judgey Eyes.
I don't like being judged for what my kid likes to eat. It's weird, but she's happy. If she's happy, I'm happy.
I was starting to rip up the Last Straw when we were there a few weeks ago. The Judgey Eyes came my way and I was all, "That's it. I'm done with you." But, uh, I kind of have a thing. I kind of have a thing where words fall out of my mouth without me being able to stop them.
"Do you really need to give her that look every single time she orders her sub?" I blurted out to the guy with the Judgey Eyes.
"She's the only kid I've ever seen not order nothing but meat and cheese. She gets veggies. That's the opposite of what I usually see!"
Well, then. I guess that guys Judgey Eyes could also be considered Amazed Eyes. WHOOPS.
So shoot me. My kid likes veggies. A LOT. That's how it is that we end up with Veggie Kabobs from time-to-time. I often make her some with faux pepperoni, cherry tomatoes, and black olives for lunch, but this time we went big. This time we got all wild and crazy and threw some Veggie Kabobs on the grill.
I KNOW. We lead such exciting lives!
The goal of the veggie kabob mission was to get tofu involved in the mix. We all three happen to love tofu. A lot. Like, if ever it were to be legal to marry tofu, we'd end up fighting for her undying love.
Tofu, of course, has to be marinated if you want it to taste like much of anything. I tried a simple marinade (recipe below!) and left the tofu to soak it all up overnight.
It worked out pretty nicely, thank you very much.
Once the tofu had marinated, it was joined by an array of vegetables. There were peppers, mushrooms, onion, tomato, and zucchini. All of my favorites, of course.
By the way, you may have noticed that I didn't mix and match the veggies and tofu onto individual kabobs. Tofu needs a long time to grill. Tomatoes do not. If you put them on the same skewer, somebody isn't going to be happy. Doing full kabobs of each vegetable alone helps maintain a level of world peace that I find comforting. No overdone veggies are going on my plate, thank you very much.
Other than that, the only real key to veggie kabobs is to make sure that you brush a little olive oil onto the vegetables to keep them from sticking to the grill (nonstick grill spray works, too). Since I had marinade around that contained olive oil, I used it as my anti-stick weapon of choice.
And then there was the tofu. Have I mentioned that I love tofu? Because I do.
Grilled Tofu Kabobs
1 block extra firm tofu, well-pressed
2 tablespoons olive oil
Juice from one lime (approximately 2 tablespoons)
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
2 teaspoons chili powder
Cayenne pepper to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
1. Thoroughly press the tofu to remove excess moisture and then cut it into cubes.
2. Place the tofu in a large resealable food storage bag.
3. Toss in the other ingredients, close the zipper, and shake, shake, shake.
4. Shake some more.
5. Allow the tofu to marinade at least 6 hours. Overnight is even better.
6. Stab a skewer through the tofu before throwing it on the grill. Turn occasionally. Cooking times will vary based on the temperature of your grill, but ours took about 20 minutes to get that crispy crusty stuff that we love so much.
And now that I've written all about a super healthy recipe, I think I need to recreate balance in the universe with a little bit of ice cream,
Recipe
Reader Comments (6)
Those look so yummy. I am not a fan of Tofu, its a tevture thing but the rest of it is mouthwatering. Just for the record, my niece was a veg head like your wee one. Never got the look though.
Have you put tofu in the freezer? I have a block that I'd like to cook this way but won't before it expires.
I might have to fight you for tofu's affections.
We went to a wedding once (my SIL's actually) and by the time we got to the reception (had to stop to nurse a baby) nothing was left on the appetizer trays except the garnishes - lettuce leaves, cherry tomatoes, olives...which is what my first born eats for lunch! He cleaned the trays! It was, uh, a bit embarrassing but he was STARVING! We still talk about it.
One tip I picked up from a cooking mag - you can coat the grill grate with olive oil before you light it. Also prevents sticking. Of course, you have to remember to do so BEFORE you light the grill. Not that it's ever happened to me or anything. Ahem.
Can you believe I have never tried tofu? I love veggies so this seems to be a nice way to try it.
all these tasty tofu tips are working. i've been ordering it more and more in restaurants. still not willing to attempt it at home, but that should really be no surprise as i don't cook much.