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Alex Caspero is a Registered Dietitian, New York Times Bestselling Plant-Based Chef and mom of two. She aims to cut through the nutrition noise by providing real-life, nourishing tips for body and mind. Learn more about Alex.
Grilled Tofu Kebobs with Mint Pesto! A healthy and easy main dish for summer. Vegetarian and Gluten-Free.
Sometimes I think that my purpose is to show how incredibly delicious tofu can be. It’s no secret that I love the stuff, for it’s versatility, it’s texture and it’s nutrition. But, I know for many of you- tofu is weird.
I’ve shared the story of my mom and I trying tofu for the first time before, so I understand where this apprehension comes from. A white, jiggly block of bean curd sitting in water doesn’t exactly scream, eat me.
Let me teach you how to love it. There are a few tips and tricks to getting tofu right. The first is that you must, must press it. Tofu straight out of the bath is water-logged and will only leave you with a flavorless, watery mess. My tofu-press is one of my most-used kitchen tools, but you don’t need anything except a paper towel and a heavy object. Wrap the tofu up, place the object on top and let the water drain for at least 15 minutes.
Essentially, you’re creating place for flavor to go. Water goes out, flavor goes in. I think this mint pesto will do just fine.
I’ve been trying to experiment with different herbs this summer that don’t rhyme with masil. A little out of trying to work outside of my culinary comfort zone and a little because my basil plant is almost dead and my mint is thriving.
Seriously, who knew gardening could be so complicated? After having BL build the boxes, spending a small fortune on a fence, organic soil, compost and plants, I’ve enjoyed 2 meals of home-grown salad and a few herbs. Gah. My visions of heading out to the garden every morning to pick our bounty has turned into a fantasy. But, I know these skills take time. Patience, grasshopper.
So, mint pesto it is! (though any pesto will work).
This recipe is so, so easy and a perfect introduction to tofu. Slather on lots of the yummy pesto on each of the tofu squares, thread on a skewer and grill to perfection. Then, cover with more sauce and eat.
It’s a simple, hearty main that pairs well with any summer salad (corn, tomato & mint or greek potato come to mind). The best part? Once you learn this recipe, mix and match with other sauces! That’s the great thing about tofu, after understanding how it prefers to be cooked, the possibilities are endless.
Enjoy your weekend! I hope it involves lots of frozen mojitos, belly laughs and skewers of tofu.
We are heading down to Nashville this evening for a quick weekend in Music City! Any recommendations on where to go, see and eat!?
If you try this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, and tag your Instagram photos with #delishknowledge . I absolutely love seeing your creations. Happy cooking!
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Grilled Tofu Kebobs with Mint Pesto
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 6 minutes
- Total Time: 21 minutes
- Yield: 3 -4 servings 1x
- Category: main, vegetarian, vegan, tofu, dinner
Description
Grilled Tofu Kebobs with Mint Pesto! A healthy and easy main dish for summer. Vegetarian and Gluten-Free.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 6 minutes
- Total Time: 21 minutes
- Yield: 3 -4 servings 1x
- Category: main, vegetarian, vegan, tofu, dinner
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 6 minutes
- Total Time: 21 minutes
- Yield: 3 -4 servings 1x
- Category: main, vegetarian, vegan, tofu, dinner
Scale
Ingredients
- Wooden skewers, for grilling
- 12 ounces extra-firm tofu, rinsed, drained and [url:1]pressed[/url]
Mint Pesto:
- 1/4 cup sliced almonds
- 1 large garlic clove, roughly chopped
- 1 cup packed fresh mint
- 1/4 cup packed fresh parsley
- Grated zest of 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- salt/pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes (can omit for less heat)
Instructions
- Soak the skewers in water for at least 30 minutes before using. If you are using metal skewers, you can skip this step.
- Remove tofu from package and gently rinse off. Press tofu using a [url:2]tofu press[/url] or wrap in a towel/paper towel and place a heavy object on top. Let sit for at least 15 minutes until the towel is soaked.
- Remove the towel and cut tofu into large chunks, big enough that they will fit on a skewer.
- Make the pesto: place the almonds and garlic in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add in the mint, parsley, lemon juice and zest and pulse until finely ground.
- Remove the mixture from the processor and place in a bowl. Slowly whisk in the olive oil and season with salt/pepper and red pepper flakes, if using. If the mixture is too thick, loosen with 1 tablespoon of water.
- Remove 1/3 of the pesto and toss to evenly coat.
- Preheat a grill or grill pan to medium high. Skewer 3-4 chunks of tofu onto a skewer and place on the grill.
- Grill 2-3 minutes per side, until lightly browned and grill marks appear.
- Transfer cooked skewers to a platter and serve with remaining pesto.
did you make this?
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(5 comments) leave a comment
I definitely need to grill tofu! Haven’t tried that yet and it’s so summery and perfect – yum! Love this mint pesto too, but I’m the opposite right now – my basil plant is going crazy 🙂
Haha, you are the tofu queen!! All of your recipes are so delicious. My fiance actually requested tofu with our fried rice the other night. All because of your recipes, I’ve learned how to cook it correctly! 🙂
Haha, you are the tofu queen!! All of your recipes are so delicious. My fiance actually requested tofu with our fried rice the other night. All because of your recipes, I’ve learned how to cook it correctly! 🙂