Balsamic Tofu

Eat it by itself or add it to a pasta dish or salad!

Prep Time: 15 minutes + marinade time (at least 2 hrs for best results!)
Cook Time: ~30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 block firm or extra firm tofu, excess water pressed out
• 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 cup water (optional, for more diluted taste)
• 1-2 tsp garlic salt

Instructions:

1. Slice tofu block into six wide slices, place in a dish 
2. Whisk together balsamic, olive oil, garlic salt, and water if using it
3. Pour marinade over tofu, and let sit for 2 or more hours in the refrigerator 
4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
5. Place tofu on baking sheet and cook for 15 minutes
6. Flip pieces over and back for another 15 minutes (watch it toward the end so it doesn't burn!)

Pesto, Spinach, and Pepper Jack Cheese Wontons

A perfect snack or light meal

Prep Time: 15-20 min
Cook Time: ~25 minutes

Ingredients:

• 10 wonton wrappers (I have a super easy recipe on the blog if you don't have any!)
• 10 1-inch wide slices of pepper jack cheese
• a small bunch of spinach (to your liking)
• pesto
• red pepper flakes (if you want extra spice!)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F
2. Lay wonton flat, place cheese, pesto, spinach, and pepper flakes on it
3. Roll the wonton length wise, then fold over each end
4. Place on baking sheet and cook for roughly 25 minutes, flipping half way through

Sweet and Sour Tofu

Prep Time: 10 minutes (1 day if you haven't pre-prepared the tofu)
Cook Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 block firm tofu, frozen and then thawed out (important to get the right texture!)
• 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 cup lemon juice (fresh works best)
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1 tbsp red pepper flakes

Instructions:

1. Press the water out of the tofu, then cut into 1 inch cubes
2. Toss tofu in whole wheat flour til the pieces are covered in a thin coating
3. Mix the lemon juice, brown sugar, soy sauce, and red pepper flakes in a small bowl
4. In frying pan, warm the oil
5. Once the oil is warmed, place the tofu in the bowl and brown
6. Once browned, add the sauce and let it cook down so that the tofu is thickly coated, roughly 5-10 minutes

Cream Cheese Swirl Brownies

De-lish. I personally cut mine up and froze it to make it last longer and have a go-to dessert when I wanted one!

Prep Time: ~10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hr 10 minutes

Ingredients:

Brownie Portion:

• 10 tbsp butter
• 3 oz chocolate chips (I guessimated it from a 12 oz bag and it worked out great for me...can't have too much chocolate!)
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder

Cream Cheese portion:

• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1/3 cup sugar
• pinch of salt
• 1 large egg
• 2 tsp vanilla

Instructions:

1. Preheat over to 350 degrees F. Prep a 8x8 pan by spraying or putting parchment paper down
2. In a double broiler melt chocolate chips and butter until smooth
3. In a bowl beat eggs, vanilla and sugar, slowly add in chocolate mixture until well combined
4. In a small bowl sift together cocoa, salt, and flour. Then add to the other mixture.
5. Pour batter into prepared pan
6. Beat ingredients for cream cheese portion together until smooth.
7. Pour over brownie batter and use a knife to swirl together
8. Bake 1 hr and 10 minutes, or until set. Poke with a knife to see if done, should come out clean when it is!