Lemon-agave tofu shish kebabs (for another birthday!)

You know how sometimes you plan a dish in advance, research a recipe, take time to prepare it, and then it isn't really that great? It might be okay (or it might not...), but overall, it just isn't worth the time you put in?

The flip side of those experiences are the times when the opposite happens. You throw something together with minimal planning or thought, with intuition and convenience guiding what ingredients are used, and with a hefty dose of hope when predicting how things will turn out...and then things turns out brilliantly.

That, dear readers, was my experience with these kebabs.

I think we have established that my approach to cooking tends to be more of the 'adapt' / 'make it up' variety than the 'strictly follow a recipe' variety. With these kebabs, though, I had intended to plan them. I was making them to take to my Dad's birthday celebrations last night, to accompany a variety of other kebabs being made by my sister and her boyfriend (seafood, chicken, and red meat). I'd had plenty of time to figure out what my kebabs would involve.

When I got home from work yesterday, about an hour before we needed to leave again, I had absolutely no idea what would be going into these. I knew I had a block of tofu, I knew we had vegetables, and that was it.

It turns out that keeping things simple is a more reliable method than you might think. With three ingredients in the marinade, and seven ingredients overall, these provide a ratio of effort to output that is really quite remarkable.

In all, I strongly recommend this recipe if you find yourself needing to prepare a dish at short notice with no advance planning!

Lemon-agave tofu shish kebabs

An easy dish perfect for barbecues

You can adapt the vegetables to those you have on hand

Makes 8 to 10 kebabs

Vegan and low fat

Print recipe

Ingredients

1 block (~350g) firm tofu, sliced and pressed and then cut into squares

1 red capsicum (bell pepper), cut into strips or squares

1 small zucchini (courgette), cut into slices

1 brown onion, cut into quarters and then small slices

2 tbsp agave nectar (honey or maple syrup would work too, but the flavour would be different)

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp soy sauce

8 - 10 wooden kebab sticks

Method

Thread a piece of tofu onto a kebab stick, followed by pieces of capsicum, onion and zucchini. Repeat three times to create a full kebab. Repeat for the other kebab sticks. Set kebabs into a shallow dish.

Combine the agave, lemon juice and soy sauce in a small bowl or jug. Whisk to combine. Pour over the kebabs and then use a marinade brush to ensure all kebabs are coated. 

Allow to marinade for at least 20 minutes before cooking on a barbecue, grill or hot plate for 3-5 minutes on each side, until browned.

Clockwise from bottom left: meat kebabs, seafood kebabs, chicken kebabs, and these tofu kebabs.

Happy birthday to my Dad, too, whose celebrations provided the opportunity for these!

Submitted to Healthy Vegan Friday #33.

What was the last thing you made at short notice that turned out well?

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