On my continued quest to turn tofu into a regular staple in our house I went hunting for a new recipe to test last night. I came across this Tandoori Tofu recipe on EatingWell.com and thought it would be a good one to try, despite not having all of the ingredients, since I would be able to try out the grilling method.

Tandoori Tofu (adapted from Eating Well)

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 2 14-ounce packages extra-firm or firm water-packed tofu, drained
• 2/3 cup nonfat plain yogurt
• 6 tablespoons sliced scallions or chopped fresh cilantro for garnish

Preparation

1. Preheat grill to medium-high.
2. Combine paprika, 1/2 teaspoon salt, cumin, coriander and turmeric in a small bowl. Heat oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add garlic, lime juice and the spice mixture; cook, stirring, until sizzling and fragrant, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat.
3. Slice each tofu block crosswise into 6 slices; pat dry. Use about 3 tablespoons of the spiced oil to brush both sides of the tofu slices; sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. (Reserve the remaining spiced oil.)
4. Oil the grill rack (see Tip). Grill the tofu until it has grill marks and is heated through, 2 to 3 minutes per side.
5. Combine yogurt with the reserved spiced oil in a small bowl. Serve the grilled tofu with the yogurt sauce, garnished with scallions (or cilantro), if desired.

Tips & Notes
Kitchen Tip: To oil a grill rack, oil a folded paper towel, hold it with tongs and rub it over the rack. (Do not use cooking spray on a hot grill.)

We didn’t have yogurt (and I was WAY too lazy to go to the store) so I skipped that step. I also had to substitute chili powder for the paprika because we were out of that too. I grilled the tofu over the stove on a super hot griddle, grill side up. It turned out fantastic, which is an awesome discovery as the temps fall outside and true grilling gets less appealing. I plated the tofu on top of quinoa and steamed organic spinach, and topped it all off with fresh avocado slices and a splash of Annie’s Lite Goddess dressing to make up for the lack of yogurt.

The result? Another tofu clean plate club! The dish was absolutely delicious and indoor-grilled tofu will likely become a winter dinner regular.Seriously, this whole meatless (plus fish) deal is not that hard. It takes some extra prep and thought – and a willing husband – but we’ve never eaten healthier. Go meatless people!