by Sean Murphy

Created on: May 17, 2008   Last Updated: May 19, 2008

Tofu has gained popularity in the home kitchen and has made its way to the grill. Tofu is high in protein and a great substitute for the health conscious. This technique enables he vegetarians at your cook-out to feel like equals.

Tofu is preserved in water. A few simple steps will enable your tofu to be grilled without crumbling or breaking. Always use extra firm tofu when possible. Make sure your tofu is not silken. This is very difficult to grill. Tofu packed in water is usually found in the produce section of your grocery store or in larger grocery stores the refrigerator vegetarian section. Trade Joes has the best version that I have been able to find.

You will need two cookie sheets or baking pans, paper towels and a sharp chefs knife. Remove the tofu from the package. Cut evenly lengthwise to create to pieces as even as you can. Place one cookie sheet flat on your counter. Place two layers of paper towels on cookie sheet enough to cover tofu. Place tofu side by side flat on the paper towels. Place two layers of paper towels on top of the tofu covering tofu completely. Place second cookie sheet on top and place about 10 lbs on top. I have used a coffee maker, soup cans and my wife's work out weights. Allow to press for 20 minutes. Your tofu is now ready to grill.

Tofu is an excellent medium for cooking because it takes on the flavors of what you add to it. Marinating for at least thirty minutes will give the tofu enough moisture to keep from drying out and give it plenty of flavor. I am not a fan of bought marinades because they contain alot of unnatural ingredients.

A simple marinade that I use is as follows:

-juice of one lime
-juice of one lemon
-one garlic clove minced
-1/4 cup of olive oil (pomace or x-tra v)
-1/2 cup of rough chopped fresh cilantro
-1 tsp of fresh ground pepper
-pinch of kosher of sea salt

Place all ingredients in a glass baking dish. Place tofu in pan coating all sides with marinade. Place in refrigerator turning half way though marinating process. You can marinate up to 4 hours in advance.

On medium hot grill brush grate with oil. Place tofu on grill and brush top side with marinade from pan. Cook for two minutes. Turn 180 degrees and cook for two more minutes to create grill marks. Flip tofu and cook for two to four more minutes brushing with remaining marinade. Remove from grill and transfer to a platter. Serve as is or with tropical salsa's.

Learn more about this author, Sean Murphy.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.