Cumin Grilled Tofu & Papaya Salsa Slaw
by Janel on July 13, 2009 · 2 Comments
in Fat Free Vegan Kitchen, Salad recipes, Side dish recipes | 
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When I was scanning my favorite food blogs last week for a good grilled tofu marinade recipe, I came across a super simple recipe at Fat Free Vegan for cumin grilled tofu, and it was paired with papaya salsa. I’ve pretty much narrowed down salsa as my all time favorite food. I’ve never met a salsa I don’t like, and use chips only as a means to devour big scoops of salsa. I mean it is made of veggies! So a recipe for papaya salsa obviously caught my eye.
I’ve been meaning to try the method of freezing tofu before you cook it, since I’ve heard the texture is really good and it soaks up more flavor. All you have to do is cut and slice your tofu, then freeze it. When you’re ready to use the tofu, let it defrost (I let mine defrost in the fridge all day), drain the water, pat dry, and it’s ready to go. This is a great way to store tofu if you’re not planning on eating a whole block all at once. I could tell just by looking at the tofu that this is probably how most restaurants prepare it, which is exactly how I like it. I marinated the tofu in the cumin mixture (below) which took only minutes to whip up. I love the texture from pre-freezing tofu and will be using this method from now on! The tofu had a great texture and really did soak up the marinade well.
Tofu:
1 pound tofu
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 tablespoon agave nectar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon cumin
The papaya salsa is where I took things into my own hands! I really butchered the recipe since I was missing a few ingredients, and wanted to make the salsa into more of a side dish. So, thanks to Susan at Fat Free Vegan for the starter inspiration. But here is my take on Papaya Salsa as a side:
Papaya Salsa:
2 cups papaya, cut into cubes – I used the entired papaya which was probably closer to 4 or 5 cups
2 tablespoons red onion, finely diced – I used a whole white onion, and since I don’t like raw onion very much, I sauteed it for a few minutes in some olive oil
1/2 cup red bell pepper, finely diced – I used a whole pepper
1 hot pepper, seeds removed and minced – I didn’t use a hot pepper. Instead I put in a few dashes of hot sauce so it was enough spice for me, but not too much for Funk.
1 teaspoon mint, minced – omitted, but it’d be tasty if you have it!
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar – I only had rice wine vinegar…worked just fine
1 teaspoon agave nectar – I ran out of agave in the tofu marinade, so I used date syrup. Since you’re only using 1 teaspoon, it was a minor swap and you couldn’t even tell, but both are equally sweet!
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 pinch cayenne
freshly ground black pepper — to taste
Then I cut up half of a head of cabbage to make this papaya into more of a salad or slaw. I wound up at least doubling most of the ingredients above so it’d be enough flavor to coat the cabbage too. I think the salsa would also be great over a bed of greens, or of course, with some tasty tortilla chips.
Once I plated this meal I yelled to Funk to, “Come quick! This is the prettiest meal I’ve ever made!” as I snapped plenty of photos for this blog to showcase it. I love how good my grill pan is at getting grill marks on food and the colors from the red pepper and coral colored papaya made this a nice looking summer dish, don’t you agree? It was pretty to look at, for sure, and delicious to eat! 
Below are the Fat Free Vegan directions, which don’t involve pre-freezing the tofu:
Slice the tofu into 8-10 slices and press each one lightly between paper towels (or tea towels) to remove some of the moisture. Mix the remaining tofu ingredients in a small bowl. Put the tofu into a large zip-lock bag, add the marinade, and turn to coat. Turn the bag every now and then, letting it marinate for at least 1 hour while you make the salsa and prepare the grill. (You can marinate it in a long baking dish, of course, but the zip-lock bag is easier.)
Papaya Salsa: Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.After marinating the tofu, cook it on a barbecue grill until lightly browned on both sides. (Or, heat a non-stick skillet, lay the tofu in a single layer, and cook, turning once, until brown on both sides. Just before removing from heat, add the marinade and cook until it’s absorbed by the tofu.)
Serve tofu topped with papaya salsa.
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