First of all, happy Mother’s Day, especially to my own dear mama, who has been known to read these pages from time to time. I sure do love her. :)
If it’s Sunday, it’s Cookout Night, and tonight was no different. Unlike last night, which threatened to storm off and on for hours, today was clear and warm and beautiful, with blue skies and limited humidity. And no mosquitoes, LeeLee pointed out as we sat around on the patio reading magazines for hours! A wonderful night, indeed.
Earlier in the day, I’d marinated some sliced tofu in a bath of barbecue sauce, nestled safely within two separate zip-top bags to ensure the sauce wouldn’t make a mess in the fridge. (I learned that one from experience, believe you-me.) All the tofu had to do after that point was lie in wait until the grill was ready for it!
When we were about an hour out from dinnertime, I wrapped two potatoes in foil and placed them in a 375-degree oven, flipping them over about half an hour in (and adjusting the temperature to 400 degrees – these were some BIG potatoes!). As they baked, I lit the charcoal in our backyard grill and once the flames had died down and I’d dispersed the coal, I placed an aluminum container of English peas (seasoned with pepper) atop the grate, covered with foil.
As the peas warmed up, I proceeded to get my toppings – tomato, onion, and backyard lettuce for the sandwiches; chives, dill, and parsley for the baked potatoes – together on a serving plate. I’m loving the fact that our own little garden can now provide a few side items for dinner!
When I had about 20 minutes left in the potatoes’ cook time, I laid each strip of tofu out on the grill and closed the lid again, flipping the tofu (or trying to) after 10 minutes. I confess I did lose some smaller pieces to the coals below, which was a shame, but was the cost of doing business. The barbecue sauce causes the tofu to stick a bit, and wrestling with it is always fraught with disaster!
Once the potatoes were finished, I brought them outside to our patio setup and then took the peas off the grill, followed in short order by the tofu. In its place I heated up two steak rolls for just a minute or so on each side, and then dinner was ready! We topped our sandwiches with Vegenaise and all the fixins, and added a dollop of butter to our potatoes before adorning them with greenery. The peas were A-OK as-is! And we proceeded to mow down the entire plate of food in no time flat.
I’m thrilled to report that we’ve still got some barbecue tofu left for tomorrow’s lunch – since there’s only enough left for one of us, it’s going to be a race to the fridge before we go to work!
:)