Mack hates tofu. I love tofu. This tends to put our meal planning a little at odds, particularly when I am craving tofu.
While Mack has been amenable to the deep fried cubes of tofu typically included in an Asian hot pot spread, my personal favourite variety are the firm yet silky squares of fresh tofu. We have a wonderful local producer of tofu – Ying Fat in Chinatown (which Brulee Blog wrote a great post about), and really, any easy-to-prepare alternative to meat protein is always a welcome addition to my kitchen.
I earmarked two recipes to experiment with in order to test the tofu waters, so to speak, with Mack. The first was a warm spinach salad recipe from Company’s Coming Cooking at Home.
I tossed some Edgar Farms spinach with sautéed brown mushrooms, a light vinaigrette, and cubes of tofu that had been marinated in the same vinaigrette for an hour. I had thrown the tofu into the skillet containing the mushrooms to warm it gently just before serving, which suited the dish as a whole better, in my opinion.
Warm Spinach and Mushroom Salad
The marinade didn’t seem to penetrate the tofu at all however, and I could have done without that step. I really enjoyed the vinaigrette though (made with olive oil, red wine vinegar, grainy mustard, honey, garlic, salt and pepper), and can see myself using it as a base for other salads. Lastly, some freshly grated parmesan would have provided a needed savoury aspect. Mack’s opinion: after his hesitant first bite, he said the texture was still a bit off for him. He did finish his plate though!
A light summer meal, this salad has a quick turnaround time, but is hearty enough to satisfy warm-weather hunger pangs.
Only Here for the Food 
Keep feeding it to him and he’ll eventually learn to like it … my husband Rob *hated* tofu when we first started going out, but after ten years of marriage, he now adores it – off-texture and all … 🙂
Thanks for the linkage!
I generally find that people who don’t like tofu dislike it because of the texture. Maybe try some of the other kinds, like tossing the flat, dried stuff into a stir fry or pan frying some egg tofu?
If you want the marinade to penetrate better, try pressing or dry-frying the tofu first to drive off some of the moisture. My husband is also not a fan, so anything that helps boost the flavour helps at our house!
I love the commitment Grace – 10 years and he adores it. I had to chuckle at that.
Grace – I’m as determined as ever :).
Bruleeblog and Alison – thanks for the suggestions!