Teriyaki Tofu Kebabs from Food Network's Hungry Girl

I've been thinking about how hard it is to make reasonably simple, healthy summer recipes on the grill (though I love veggies, I've never been taken with them on the grill).

Here's a recipe that I haven't tried yet, but it was sent to me by Lisa Lillien, a.k.a. Hungry Girl, the NYT bestselling author and famed Food Network and Cooking Channel TV star. She recommends House Foods America’s Premium Tofu which she says is ideal for grilling.

The kebabs are full of protein (which helps rev up the metabolism in the - ahem - over 50 body) so it sounds perfect for my next grilling adventure.


Teriyaki Tofu Kebabs 

Created by Hungry Girl

Serves 4

One 12-oz. block House Foods Extra Firm Premium Tofu

1/2 tsp. onion powder

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1 red bell pepper

1 medium zucchini

4 scallions

1/4 cup thick teriyaki marinade or sauce

2 tbsp. sweet Asian chili sauce

1 kebab: 155 calories, 5.5g fat, 539mg sodium, 16.5g carbs, 2g fiber, 10g sugars, 11g protein 

Directions:
If using wooden skewers, soak them in water for 20 minutes to prevent burning. (You'll need four.)

Pat tofu block dry. Lay it on a dry surface with the shorter sides on the left and right. Vertically cut into 4 even pieces. Horizontally cut each piece into 4 even pieces, for a total of 16 pieces. Transfer to a plate, sprinkle with seasonings, and refrigerate for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, cut bell pepper into pieces similar in size to tofu, discarding the stem and seeds. Remove and discard ends of zucchini, and cut in half lengthwise. Cut zucchini halves into pieces similar in size to the tofu. Slice off and discard root ends of scallions. Cut the solid part of each scallion into 3 even pieces. (Save the hollow ends for another use.)

In a medium bowl, thoroughly mix teriyaki marinade or sauce with chili sauce. Alternately thread tofu and veggies onto four skewers, tightly packing the pieces together.

Bring a grill sprayed generously with nonstick spray to medium-high heat. Lay kebabs on the grill and brush with about 1/3rd of the sauce mixture. Grill for 5 minutes with the grill cover down.

Gently flip kebabs. Brush with another 1/3rd of the sauce mixture. With the grill cover down, grill for 5 - 7 minutes, until veggies and tofu have slightly charred.

Serve brushed with remaining sauce mixture!

Healthy Girl Alternative! Cook your kebabs on a grill pan, and adjust cook times as needed. If the pan doesn't have a lid, just loosely cover it with a skillet lid.

Oranges help prevent stroke

If you are in favor of helping promote food that is worth eating, pass along this little "commercial" for the wonderful, edible orange.  It's from the HHS Healthbeat (a daily tip from US Department of Health & Human Services) :

Oranges help prevent the risk of stroke

People generally should eat more fruits and vegetables, and one study suggests a possible reason to have citrus on that menu. In collaboration with Harvard University, Aedin Cassidy at the University of East Anglia in England examined data on the risk of stroke in almost 70,000 U.S. nurses. She looked at what the women ate, especially forms of flavonoids, found in plants [and said that],

“Citrus flavonoids, called flavanones, seemed to be associated with a reduction in risk. So our data suggests that if you eat more citrus fruits, it may modestly reduce your risk of stroke.” 


Cassidy says more research is needed. But she does not recommend supplements, and she says whole fruits are best.

The study in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association was supported by the National Institutes of Health.

Some notes from me:  Many healthy-eating advocates believe that one reason more people don't eat fruits and vegetables is because there is no advertising campaign behind the humble, but genuine, food grown but not processed.

By and large, it's the pre-packaged and processed food that have advertising budgets and so that's what's top of mind for most people.  But if each of us would create our own "ad" campaign for real foods, maybe we could make a difference.  Maybe not. But really, does it hurt to try?