Last week I had the honor of speaking at the Michigan Academy of Nutrition and Dietetic Annual Meeting in Bay City (if you were there, make my day and say hi in a comment!). The whole 2 days was amazing — meeting RD’s from around the state, learning (because let’s face it, I’m a total nerd), and truthfully, getting away from the daily grind…if only for a few days. Who knew I could be presentable and on time with a mere 20 minutes in the morning? I factor in at least an hour of “other” time in my mornings and somehow, I don’t see how that could be less with the duties of home life.
I know, I know…that will be 2+ hours of “other” time once baby comes!
I presented with Colleen of Nutrition Rendition – she’s a Michigan State grad and going on to complete her dietetic internship. Our breakout session was very well-attended and there were people even lining the back wall. We were expecting 80, but it sure seemed like more! I don’t normally get overly nervous with presentations, but I was. Very much so.
But, the presentation went great. Attendees asked great questions. And best of all, I got to share with other nutrition professionals something I’m so passionate about: being a credible online voice for nutrition in the way of blogging and communicating nutrition messages online in general. It’s hard to believe I’ve been contributing to this little blog of mine for nearly FIVE YEARS. Time really does fly.
As I transition back into the work groove, you know, by the way of returning 241 voicemails and emails today (that was supposed to be an exaggeration, but…it very well may not be), I also transitioned back into this thing called cooking (sadly, the dishes, too). And with that, the endless questions regarding, “What’s for dinner?”
Per the usual, I was able to win over Mr. Prevention with the protein he “hates” most: tofu. With as much flavor (and sadly, sodium) that this dish encompasses, it’s hard to not love this one. Next time, I’m throwing some edamame in with the sauce mixture – I think it’d be the perfect, healthy touch to up the protein, stretch the calories, and add some color, too.
- 1 brick extra firm tofu
- olive oil cooking spray
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 3 Tbsp hoisin sauce
- 3 Tbsp rice vinegar
- 3 Tbsp ketchup
- 2 Tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce
- ½ cup water
- 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 Tbsp sesame oil
- 3 Tbsp fresh ginger, finely chopped
- Preheat oven to 400 F. Drain and soak excess moisture from the tofu by placing it between several layers of paper towel and gently applying pressure. Repeat as needed. Once dry, cut tofu into ¾-inch cubes. Mist a baking sheet with olive oil, arrange tofu in a single layer on the baking sheet and mist tofu with remaining olive oil. Bake for 35-40 minutes, turning tofu once. Tofu should be slightly golden.
- Meanwhile, combine the remaining ingredients, sugar through ginger in a sauce pan; bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low and allow to simmer, whisking regularly, until thickened, about 10 minutes. Add baked tofu to the sauce pan and carefully stir to coat. Serve over rice and top with green onions, if desired.
The amount of sauce in this recipe is adequate for serving over rice and adding flavor. As stated above, next time I'll add some edamame to up the protein and nutrition.
Tomorrow looks to be much kinder than this Monday shaped up to be.
Be well,
Hi 😉 This looks awesome. I made nachos with seasoned, crumbled tofu and pinto beans for dinner. It was pretty tasty but did not look appealing enough for photos. This tofu looks amazing!
i love going to these conferences and such too…and coming back to real life always is a struggle 🙁 on a different note, these look delicious and i love the simplicity of it too.
I’ve got way too much tofu in my fridge right now (Costco…) that I need to use. I’ll definitely be making this!
This sounds fantastic Nicole. It looks so saucy…I love tofu and the flavors on this are amazing. Asian cuisine is my ultimate favorite food to eat!
The only way I could get my husband to eat tofu is if he’s had a stroke and we are wearing matching jackets. Looks delicious!
Tony was in the hospital last week, so I am a bit behind in my blog reading – hope you are still feeling great!
Hi Nicole,
This looks delicious! I’ve been trying to find recipes that incorporate tofu so that I can up my protein intake. These flavors look amazing.
I’m sharing this on my Best Healthy Recipes Pinterest board right now 🙂
Thanks!
Karen
I always say I am going to cook more often with tofu but then I always forget about it. This looks awesome.
Hey Nicole! I’ve been super busy and just recently started catching up with your blog posts. I introduced myself to you at the Dietetic Conference, and since then, I’ve started blogging! If you by chance have some time and wouldn’t mind checking out my site, I would totally appreciate! It’s cravenwellness.com.
Oh and the recipe looks fantastic, as per usual.
Author
Hi Sarah!!! That’s AMAZING! Congrats to you on taking the leap! Are you loving it?? The site looks WONDERFUL…I’d never know you just started blogging. I love the arrangement of the recipes, especially. And your photos are LIGHT YEARS ahead of where mine started 😉 Keep at it! I will definitely be back and will share your site on my Facebook page now 🙂
This looks amazing, but 1/3 cup of sugar is keeping me from making it. That’s almost 2 tablespoons per serving! Has anyone reduced the sugar with success?