grilled tofu cutlets with warm carrot dressing

This is an awesome dish to serve to your non-meat eater friends and their admirers. It requires some planning ahead as you need to marinate the tofu cutlets overnight or at least for few hours so they soak up all the flavors. Other than that it’s a breeze to make and looks and tastes gorgeous.

some key ingredients for grilled tofu cutlets with warm carrot dressing

grilled tofu cutlets with warm carrot dressing

¾ lb high protein tofu, cut into ¼ inch thick slabs

For the marinade:

1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
½ tsp chili garlic paste or ¼ tsp siracha sauce
1 tbsp date molasses or brown sugar
1 tsp black bean paste
4 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp cilantro leaves chopped
2tbsp dark soy sauce
1tbsp grated fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves grated

For the carrot dressing:

1lb carrots, peeled and chopped
1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
1 cup fresh orange juice
1 tbsp vegetable bouillon
1tsp soy sauce

Prepare the marinade by whisking all the ingredients together. Place tofu cutlets in baking tray sitting slightly slanted. Pour marinate over them. Refrigerate overnight. Flip cutlets a few times so they absorb the marinade more evenly.

To make the carrot dressing, add carrots, orange juice, ginger, vegetable bouillon, and soy sauce to a pan. Cook until carrot is soft. Remove from heat. Using a stick blender, purée carrots till smooth. Set aside and keep warm.

Remove tofu from fridge and bring to room temperature. Drain marinade into a sauce pan and cook for about 5-10 minutes to reduce it a bit in volume. Set aside.

Bring grill temperature to 600F (or higher). For diagonal grill marks place cutlets sideways over the grill and grill for 3 minutes, flip and cook for another 2-3 on the other side.

Remove tofu from grill and arrange them on a serving dish, spoon carrot dressing over it. Serve with sides of extra carrot dressing, reserved marinade and more chili sauce.