[all aboard the] Tofu Xpress!
Posted: February 20, 2012 Filed under: All posts 20 CommentsI love long weekends- and I especially love having a Monday off so that the work week seems shorter when it’s time to go back!
I woke up Sunday feeling a little rough (from the … 3 drinks I had the night before? Pathetic) but had made plans to meet my friend Brie at the gym at 7:15 am! I slowly got out of bed and made my way to the gym to do a one on one Bodypump class with her. Brie and I have gotten into the habit of meeting on Sunday mornings before I teach Spinning to do our own private Bodypump class. The aerobics studio is empty, and I can always use the teaching practice (and the workout!) so it’s a win-win. We busted our butts in Bodypump and then made it through my very intense spin class and by the time I got home, I gave myself permission to be completely lazy for the rest of the day. The only thing that I had planned was to check out my friend Katie’s new house that’s being built. Before heading out to do that, I broke out something that arrived in the mail on Friday…
I finally caved and bought a Tofu press! I actually avoid cooking with tofu (even though I love it) because of what a pain it is to press. No more- in the words of my friend Jenny: this will change my life. 🙂
Check out the before and after (this was a 2-hour difference):
While this pressing was going on, we drove to Sykesville to check out Katie’s new house that is in the process of being built. Katie and her husband custom designed the entire house from scratch- and needless to say- are very excited for it to be complete!
Their kids loved playing in the huge piles of dirt. (Who wouldn’t??)
Here’s Katie in her enormous walk-in closet:
I am super excited for them, and can’t wait to see what it looks like when it’s all finished (which should be later this spring)!
Alright, back to the tofu. After it was pressed, I marinated it in a mixture of Bragg’s liquid aminos, agave, rice vinegar, ginger and vegetable stock. According to the Tofu Xpress recipe book, pressing a second time (after marinating) is highly encouraged, so I did just that.
Side note: I’m very much obsessed with Kombucha, but can not stomach this kind.
Ew. I should have known that it would taste just like vinegar (and nothing else).
But the tofu… that turned out beautifully. I cooked it in a little bit of coconut oil and served it along with some steamed veggies and freekeh. I heated up the marinade and let it reduce into a sauce to drizzle over the veggies.
Just look at this beautiful bowl!
I could eat this for dinner every single night and feel good. Greg loved it too (so glad I’ve made a tofu believer out of him!).
**
Today went by way too fast. Greg and I both slept in (til 7- alright!) and then went to the gym. I did some cardio circuit training and he lifted. After that, we headed out to Columbia to visit some of my favorite stores: Sephora, REI and Trader Joes. I was in need of some new loose powder and was curious about trying out Bare Minerals. The sales gal helped me pick out the perfect shade, and I came home with all this loot:
The concealer and eye-liner were items that I purchased as well. The lip stuff was a free gift for having a birthday since I last went in, and the mascara was my bonus gift for reaching a certain number of “points” with my rewards card. Yay for free stuff- especially from Sephora (where I spend wayyyyy too much money).
I got a new pair of cycling shoes from REI for $40 on clearance (down from over $100! Pearl Izumis!) that I am very stoked about and excited to try out tomorrow. Nothing too exciting from Trader Joes… I was actually kind of disappointed with their selection today.
**
It’s time to get into work-prep mode: packing breakfast/lunch/gym bag, etc… here’s hoping this week flies by!
Have you ever used a tofu press? What’s your favorite thing to purchase at Sephora?
Oatmeal after Spinning 
I am glad you posted about the tofu press. I love tofu and get it all the time at Costco, 2 packs for $3. I love it pressed (only have had it that way from the Whole Foods salad bar) so maybe I should invest in one. It’s completely different once it’s pressed.
And post update pics of your friends home, so exciting.
The Whole Foods salad bar tofu is the BEST. I love that tofu is so reasonably priced- I don’t think I’ve ever paid more than $3 for a pack of it anywhere!
I’m a tofu fan but haven’t cooked it myself in ages. What’s the deal with pressing it? What does it do? Hope that question doesn’t seem too silly, but I really am interested in the answer 🙂
That’s not silly at all- I didn’t know before I started making it more often. If you press it, it lets all of the water out and allows the tofu to absorb other liquid (like a marinade). It also changes the texture and makes it more “steak-like,” rather than soft and mushy. If I eat it raw (like in a mock tuna salad) I don’t press it- the soft texture if fine for that.
Cool gadget! I think you’ll love having it! Happy Tuesday!
I’ve never had tofu so no press for me. Maybe you should post a tofu recipe for beginners. I’m nervous!! I missed my daily golden retriever picture!!!! 🙂
Awww sorry- I’ll make sure that I make up for it and post some over the next few days. 🙂
Girl- you’ve got to try tofu. Here is my suggestion: go to Whole Foods and get it at the salad bar. They usually have a few different types. That way, if you don’t like it (and you WILL) at least you only had to try a little piece!
They look so happy in that dirt! 🙂
and I love my Tofu Xpress. It really makes the tofu prep so much easier. I’m sad that I can’t really eat much tofu anymore with the hypothyroidism though. Boo.
What’s the connection between tofu and hypothyroidism?? It is because of soy in general? I don’t know anything about that…
WHat a fun press!! I’d never even heard of ’em until my friend bought one last week! Must be useful 😉
And yes, the work week WILL fly by, I am sure. It already is!
ahhh kombucha!! its so good and good for you. You need to try GTs Synergy, any berry or mango flavors. K? I know you will like that better.
Lindsay, I am OBSESSED with Synergy- it’s my favorite!! I limit myself to buying it very often though because it’s so expensive! I love the green and the trilogy the most!
One of my plans this year is to make my own… we’ll see how that goes.
This bottle in the photo above was HORRIBLE. Tasted nothing like Synergy at all!!
I’ve never used a tofu press or seen that brand of Kombucha. I like the GT’s brand, but there’s also a brand called Buchi that’s from Asheville (they sell it here too) that’s really good.
I buy Bare Minerals eye shadow but always make a huge mess with them.
Synergy is my fave, but it’s so expensive!
I love the Bare Minerals shadow but have only bought it once. And it made a huge mess. I stick to the solid stuff now (Shadowbox is my favorite).
I’m so lazy with tofu that I hardly ever press it though I’d think about it if I had a nifty tool 🙂 And your tofu bowl looks delicious.
I use to be obsessed with Bare Minerals but I’ve switched a liquid foundation because I get better coverage. Be careful with the bronzer (I can’t remember what it’s called) because it’s very easy to apply too much and then you look orange.
Sarah- do yourself a favor and buy one! i thought about it for months and then finally did. It was SO easy to use and it’s amazing how much water it gets out!
It’s funny that you said that about the bronzer, because that’s EXACTLY what happened! I was furiously scrubbing my face with tissues at the gym when I was getting ready!
Nothing beats chewy tofu! I can never make it as tasty and hard as the ones at Whole Foods…maybe they have a fancy presser too! I love Sephora but I’m a cheapo. I only go to replenish my Smashbox primer!
I NEED to learn Whole Food’s secret to making all of their meatless proteins taste outstanding!
I LOVE Smashbox. I use their eyeshadow- it is the best EVER.
Never used a tofu press…but it looks interesting! I love experimenting with tofu in my meals…although boyfriend is not a fan 🙂 I call it one of my healthy guilty pleasure meals.
You can always change his mind… I made my husband a believer!
I love that tofu is your guilty pleasure! Ha!