My cousin, Christina is back on Oahu. This time I put her to work. She is a vegetarian and knows a thing or two about tofu. I have little experience in the tofu department so I wanted to watch her prepare it this evening. I picked up a package of extra firm tofu because the softer stuff, in my opinion, is just nasty. Anyway, Christina instructed me via text how to whip up a quick marinade before her arrival.
Super simple tofu marinade:
1 lemon, juiced
2 Tbsp oil
1-2 tsp vinegar or soy (I used balsamic)
1 tsp dried rosemary
1/2 tsp dried thyme
Plus water to cover
Combine all ingredients in a small shallow dish (an 8×8 brownie pan would be perfect). Slice tofu width-wise so you get the most surface area exposed to absorb marinade. Place tofu in dish and add water until covered. Refridgerate 1 hour (flip it on the half hour).
When she got here, I asked her to cook it as she would at home. She said there are lots of ways to cook it, but since it was already past 7:30, she decided on the quickest route. Here were her steps:
1. Drain off marinade and press tofu to release excess liquid (this will help make it firm).
2. Cube tofu
3. Pan fry it in a touch of oil or cooking spray until brown and firm
Pretty easy!
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While she continued to brown the tofu I assembled the rest of the pizza. I made a pumpkin-sage sauce for the base which sounds complex but isn’t at all.
Pumpkin sage sauce:
1 Tsp oil
3/4 can pumpkin purée
1/2 onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp dried sage
1/2 tsp dried thyme
pinch of ground nutmeg
2-3 Tbsp non-dairy coconut milk (I had unsweetened but I think sweetened would’ve been delicious)
salt and pepper to taste
In a small sauce pan, sauté onions and garlic in oil for 10 minutes or until softened to your liking. Add in pumpkin, sage, thyme, and nutmeg and mix with spoon. When heated through, add coconut milk and let simmer on low for 5 minutes. Ta-da!
**We decided that cinnamon and cloves would have been great additions too. Get creative! And you could use whatever milk/cream you want. No need to go out and but coconut milk.
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Pizza:
Mama Mary’s thin crust
Pumpkin sauce
Brie
Feta
Spinach leaves
Pepper
Chicken or tofu
Assembly pre-tofu
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Daniel’s slice with leftover chicken:
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I’m totally going to experiment with more tofu recipes – it absorbs flavors so well and is incredibly versatile. A chef’s blank canvas!
For dessert, Christina brought us some interesting and tasty fruits that I’ve never seen nor heard of. When I figure out how to spell their names,I’ll tell you all about them …
candlefit 
