All right, y’all. This meal had so many great components that I’m not even sure where to begin! So I’ll pick a spot – let’s go with the smoky tofu – and unpack it from there.
Early this afternoon, I sliced a block of tofu into half-inch rectangles (about 8 in all) and placed them in a sturdy zip-top bag. I doused the rectangles with olive oil and then added a new spice rub I found at our local Safeway – a smoky-barbecue blend. I massaged the tofu, flipping the bag around to ensure that each rectangle was covered and nicely seasoned, and put it in the fridge until cookout time (some 6 hours away).
As we approached dinnertime, I snapped the ends off of some beautiful, thin green beans from Great Country Farms, placed them on a sheet of aluminum foil, added some vegan bacon bits, chipotle powder, and olive oil, and sealed the packet up. Next I hulled several ears of corn, put them each in their own foil packet with a pat of butter and some garlic powder, and wrapped them up tightly.
Soon it was time to fire up the grill! Once the coals were hot, I placed the green beans on the grid and, about 10 minutes later, added the corn as well. While the veggies cooked, I prepared an apple and pear salad – more on that later this week, since I think it deserves its own post! – and when I had about 15 minutes left in the cooking time, I added the tofu strips as well.
One thing about the tofu: The strips tend to stick to the grill grate no matter how soaked in olive oil they are. I think the remedy to this going forward is to flip them more frequently, sacrificing a bit of the sear in order to keep the strips intact, but no matter – we didn’t mind eating little tofu bites instead of full-length pieces! The seasoning turned out beautifully, the outsides of the tofu perfectly firm and golden, the insides still maintaining a little bit of chewiness. The smoky rub was a wonderful way to bring out some of the tofu’s best features!
The green beans, corn, and fruit salad also held up very nicely. As I mentioned a week or so ago, I’ve taken to adding vegan bacon to the green beans, and this decision has been met with rave reviews! The corn was as sweet as ever, as well; a wonderful way to round out the plate.
Fall is decidedly on its way in now – soon we’ll start playing with the smoker again as the temperatures drop! I’m looking forward to that, to be sure, but for now I’m enjoying squeezing all the goody I can get out of the charcoal grill until it gets too cold for our al-fresco dining. We’ve got a few weeks at our disposal still, and I intend to make the most of them!
:)