Tofu Satay with Coconut-Peanut Sauce

This marinated and baked Tofu Satay was absolutely delicious! On tiny skewers with cucumber and sweet baby tomatoes and served with a coconut peanut sauce. Can you say yum?

The recipe comes from The Candle Cafe Cookbook, a cookbook based on the food served at The Candle Cafe, a vegan restaurant in New York. I had to buy two new vinegars, brown rice vinegar and umeboshi vinegar to make the marinade, but the rest of the ingredients were standards in a veggie kitchen.

This recipe is my contribution to this week's Sweetnicks ARF/5-A-Day Tuesday (ARF=Antioxidant Rich Food). Tofu, of course, is high in protein, but its also an excellent source of iron, copper, and manganese. Tofu also contains those important Omega-3 fats and the antioxidant Selenium. Cucumber offers more than a fresh taste; its also a good source of vitamin C and good for your skin.

I think this is my favorite tofu so far, and I love the fact that its baked rather than fried. I marinated it for 8 hours in the fridge. There was a separate recipe for the Coconut-Peanut Sauce, but as many of the ingredients were the same as the marinade, I simply mixed the leftover marinade with peanut butter, chopped jalapeno, a little coconut milk and some extra cilantro - it was great!

Tofu Satay with Coconut-Peanut Sauce (adapted from The Candle Cafe Cookbook):

Marinade:
1 tbsp brown rice vinegar
1 tbsp umeboshi vinegar
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
1/8 cup soy sauce
1 tbsp cilantro, chopped
1 tsp mint, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced

8 oz firm tofu, cut into cubes
1/3 English Cucumber, cut into 1 inch rounds, then quartered
Sweet cherry or pear tomatoes

Sauce:
Leftover marinade
2 tbsp peanut butter
1 1/2 tbsp coconut milk
1/3 jalapeno, finely chopped
1-2 tbsp cilantro, chopped


Combine the marinade ingredients in a mini-prep and blend until smooth. Place the tofu cubes into a tupperware and pour the marinade over the tofu. Put the lid on the tupperware and shake until all the tofu is coated. Put in the fridge, shaking, occasionally for 8 hours (the cookbook recommends 1-24 hours).

Preheat the oven to 350. Place the tofu on a baking tray and bake for 10 minutes. Turn the tofu over and bake an additional 8-10 minutes. It should be nicely browned. Remove and allow the tofu to cool.

To make the sauce, add the peanut butter, coconut milk, chopped jalapeno, and extra cilantro to the leftover marinade and whisk until well combined.

Serve the tofu on a small skewer with a chunk of cucumber and a cherry tomato.

Serves 3 as a main along with rice and steamed veggies.