Monday, January 28 Baked Tofu (Appetite for Reduction) with Rosemary Mashed Potatoes and Roasted Brussels Sprouts Rating: 3.75

UGH! The sprouts the sprouts the sprouts! This dinner would’ve been about a 4.25 if it weren’t for the frakking sprouts! I don’t know what the problem was, but they were bad. Just, bitter and gross. This was day #2 of vegetable problems from the same store- we’ve never had this kind of bad luck before, but I don’t think I’ll be getting veggies there again any time soon. I steamed and roasted them as I always do, and they were just, well, bad. Anyway, sprouts aside, everything else was good. The tofu didn’t absorb the marinade as much as I’d have liked, but I broke my tofu press, which was also my marinating vessel and I have to improv until I can get a new one, so it was just a little too crowded in the dish I used. I make the Basic Baked Tofu from Appetite for Reduction on a pretty regular basis to use in salads for lunch and it’s awesome. I’ve only made it for dinner with gravy a couple of times. It’s really tasty and also makes great wrap sandwiches, if you like tofu wrap sandwiches, which I do. A lot. Too much. The only gravy recipe I ever make is the Brown Gravy in the Happy Herbivore cookbook (and on her site). It’s simple, fast and really tasty. I don’t use a recipe for mashed potatoes. I just sliced up 2 ½ small russets (because half of one was BAD WHEN I SLICED INTO IT! ugh - more vegetable trauma), boiled them & then mashed the with a little bit of butter, a few tablespoons of almond milk, a little salt & pepper and about a tablespoon of minced fresh rosemary. Easy peasy. (By the way, my mom the genius got me these herb keeper things for Christmas that remind me of the coffin they shot Spock into space with in “The Wrath of Khan” and they keep herbs fresh forever in the fridge – get some!)  And I’m still mad about those sprouts. But at least there’s tofu leftover for salads.