Barbecued Tofu (serves 2)

It takes a bit of time to prepare the tofu. But you can always press and freeze several boxes of tofu in advance and have them on hand for later. The first pressing will remove about half a cup of water; but it is really important to press it once more after thawing. The second pressing will remove up to another half cup of water and will cause to tofu to absorb nearly all the marinade. A two inch thick cake of tofu ends up slightly less than an inch thick. Once the frozen tofu is thawed, and pressed once more, you only need to add the marinade and let it sit in the fridge until you are ready to grill or bake it. Most barbecue recipes are extremely high in sugar, but this one uses just 1 tbsp of molasses, which adds color and depth as well as taste. And the 1 tsp of oil is necessary if you are grilling the tofu but can be omitted if you are baking it in the oven. This goes really well with potato salad and grilled corn, or with whatever you might normally serve at a cook-out. The barbecue/marinade is best with fresh ginger and garlic, but in a pinch, the powdered variety will work — perhaps with a bit of liquid smoke, too. ~ Glyn and Will

Ingredients
14 oz extra-firm tofu, pressed, frozen at least 12 hours, and thawed
1 tbsp molasses (unsulfured)
2 tbsp. rice wine vinegar
1 tsp freshly grated ginger
1 tsp. finely minced garlic 2 tsp. prepared spicy brown mustard
1/8 tsp. salt
1/16 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 tsp. vegetable oil
1/4 tsp tamari (gluten-free) or Bragg’s Aminos

Procedure
1 Thaw the pressed, frozen tofu.
2 Press once more — for one hour.
3 Meanwhile combine all the ingredients for the barbecue sauce and mix well.
4 Cut the pressed tofu in half lengthwise.
5 Combine the tofu and the barbecue sauce in a zip-lock bag, expelling as much air as possible.
6 Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.
7 Remove from the marinade, reserving any marinade for basting.
8 Grill on medium-high on an oiled grill for 3-5 minutes per side or bake at 425 for 20 minutes, turning once.

Servings: 2
Yield: two tofu steaks
Degree of Difficulty: Easy
Oven Temperature: 375°F
Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 15 minutes
Inactive Time: 24 hours
Total Time: 24 hours and 45 minutes
Nutrition Facts
Serving size: 1/2 of a recipe (8.3 ounces).