Asian Grilled Tofu + Bento Box Lunch

Hello!  I hope ya'all had a great weekend.  I did a lot of baking and cooking this weekend, and found some amazing new recipes.  I used to work downtown Minneapolis, and when I did one of my absolute fav. lunch spots served a Tofu Veggie Bento Box.  It is one of the things I miss most about working down there! I have cooked a bit with tofu, and it really never works.  But I decided to try ONE more time to create a copy of this dish and it worked great! I enjoyed this very healthy and filling bento box for lunch yesterday AND will be enjoying it for lunch today. 

Servings: 2
Serving Size: 6 oz tofu, 1/2 cup brown rice, steamed broccoli
Point Plus: 9pp
Prep Time: 1 hour (including marinating time)
Cook Time: 1 hour (including cooking brown rice)
Level of Difficulty: Medium

Ingredients
12 oz extra firm tofu
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
1 t sesame oil
1 1/2 t brown sugar
1 small garlic clove, minced
1/4 t red pepper flakes
1 t olive oil
1 cup brown rice
1 head broccoli
Salt + pepper to taste
Sriracha

Directions
To prepare tofu
Using a serrated knife, cut tofu into small pieces.  I like the pieces about 1" by 1 1/2".  The key to cooking tofu that doesn't fall apart is getting as much water out of it as possible. To squeeze the water out, I cleared off my stove and put down a triple layer of paper towels. I set the tofu on a single later over the towels and covered them with another triple layer of paper towels.  I then set my very heavy Le Creuset Dutch oven over the tofu to press it down. I let it sit for about five minutes, and then repeated the process three more times.  Really, try to do this pressing step at least four times for best tofu grilling results!

Next make the marinade. Mix all remaining ingredients in a shallow flat bottomed dish and whisk around.  Add tofu and let it marinade for at least 30 minutes, flipping it every 5 minutes or so.  Again, the longer you marinate the tofu the better it will be!

To prepare. Heat a grill pan (or non-stick skillet) on your stove over medium heat and allow it to get hot. You will know it is not enough when you drop a tiny drop of water on it and it sizzles and evaporates right away.  Having a really hot pan will allow the tofu to sear off and get those lovely grill marks that you see above.  It also creates a slightly crunchy crust on the tofu. Working in batches and using a tongs, gently place each piece of tofu on to the grill pan, and let each side cook for about 2-3 minutes. After one side has cooked, give it a flip and cook the other side.  Tofu is done when each side is golden brown.  Remove the tofu from your grill pan and set it on a plate until you are ready to assemble this dish.

To prepare brown rice
Follow the package instructions on your brown rice to make 1 cup unprepared.  I love to use a rice cooker, so I added one cup of uncooked rice and 2 1/4 cups of chicken stock to my rice cooker and turned it on. Brown rice takes a while to cook in a rice cooker, about 45 minutes, so I would actually suggest making the brown rice before you start the tofu.

To prepare broccoli
Cut a large head of broccoli into small pieces. Set a medium sauce pan with about 1/4 cup of water on your stove and turn on.  Add broccoli and cover, allowing the broccoli to steam for about 3-4 minutes. Check broccoli after 4 minutes and if you can pierce it with a fork, it is done!

To assemble
Place 1/2 of the broccoli, 1/4 cup cooked brown rice and 6 oz of grilled tofu on a plate. I love to add Sriracha at this point, so feel free to add that or your fav. hot sauce! I packed a separate Tupperware container to bring for lunch!

Tip
You could easily double this recipe and make four lunches out of it! Do all your prep on Sunday for a week of stress-free eating.

UPDATE!!! Microwaved, reheated tofu is NOT good.  I suggest eating this recipe fresh or the leftovers cold :)

XOXO - Katie