Indian, Basketball and Tofu - Oh My!

It's Sunday night...already?! I had a really great weekend, so perhaps that's why it seemed to go by so quickly. Friday night I went out to dinner with my friend, Kristen. She and I share a LOVE of Indian food - a new discovery for me. So we hit up a local Arlington restaurant to binge on naan and amazing Indian dishes. Then we made a stop at Trader Joe's (because what else would two hot ladies do on a Friday night, but grocery shop?!). I like Trader Joe's, but am not part of it's cult following. It's a more affordable Whole Foods, really. Great spot for veg-friendly foods, but they're so small, that I find their produce is limited. Namely, I can never find my absolute must -- kale! Although, I stocked up on tofu, since it's so cheap there....more on that later.

Then yesterday was a fun day, because I met some college friends out at a bar to watch the Syracuse vs Villanova game. Big game for us -- meeting another top 10 Big East team...and with some other big teams losing, it looks like we may be ranked #1 tomorrow. I can't wait for the NCAA tourney...I'm not that avid of a sports fan, but having been a junior when SU won the tourney in 2003, I love 'cuse basketball! That was such a great part of my college years. Ah, the memories!

Anyhow, with my week ramping up, I used Sunday night to make a batch of asparagus soup and prepared some baked tofu and brown rice for my salads this week (I bring a big salad for lunch every day). I'm new to the baked tofu idea - I use it in stir-frys all the time (fried), but never thought to bake it and use it in salads. It's SO GOOD. And with it being a source of protein and carbs, I bring a little tupperware of them and pop them on my drive home post-CrossFit. Such a great treat. Give the recipe below a try -- good addition to a meal to beef it up a bit and make some veggies more filling! (And, yes, my salad is in a Halloween-themed tupperware. I am my mother's daughter. *sigh*)

Marinated and Baked Tofu

• 1 (16 ounce) package firm tofu
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon white pepper or black pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Cube tofu.

Mix all ingredients into a large bowl.

Let marinade in the fridge for about one hour.

Preheat oven to 350.

Place tofu on a cooling rack with a baking pan underneath to catch excess liquid.

Bake for 10 minutes, turn tofu and bake for another 15 minutes, or until the edges start to brown.