Pesto Paradise

Hello fellow popsicles of America!

Today I left my class ravenous, as always, day dreaming about what I would make for lunch as the cold air threatened to take my extremities on the walk to my car.  I remembered I had some tofu left over from the other day.  And if you are new to tofu there are three things you should know:

1. When you first open it, put it between two plates with paper towels on the bottom plate, and something heavy  on the top.  You need to squeeze most of the liquid out so when you cook it the rest of your food doesn't drown in tofu juice.
2. If you don't eat it all at once, save some of the juice it came in for your tupperware when you store the leftovers in the fridge.
3. Tofu does not last long once opened, you need to finish it within a few days or so.
4. (BONUS!) Only buy organic tofu, GMO's are NOT your friend.

As I was saying, I realized I needed to cook that tofu and I came up with a delicious idea!  I made grilled cheese (with vegan Daiya cheese), homemade pesto, onion and this tofu I had.

Here is how I mad the magic happen:

First I cut the tofu up into long, 1/2 thick pieces (this is just an estimate), and I fried it in some olive oil with a bunch of spices I found in my cabinet.  I actually used a "Montreal Steak Seasoning" that my roommates have (a bit ironic don't you think?)

While that browned and spiced up, I made my pesto.  I have no measurements for you because I just kept adding stuff to my new food processor (so amazing) until I liked the taste and had enough.  In this pesto I put a handful of walnuts, a handful of basil leaves, a clove of garlic, salt, pepper and nutritional yeast.  It was great but would have better if I had some parsley to throw in there; I need to remember that for next time.

 So once the tofu was done, I made 2 grilled cheese with sour dough bread smeared in pesto (on the inside obviously), a slice of Daiya provolone in each,  a little bit of sweet onion, and then I put the tofu in one of them.  It was really hard to keep the sandwich together while cooking so I only tried it in the one sandwich.

The results were a delicious melody of complimenting flavors snuggling up to my taste buds in the most savory way possible.

I even told my mom I felt sorry for her because she wasn't here to experience it all.

On the left is the sandwich open so you can see how I put the tofu in... now looking at it, it doesn't seem very appetizing but I promise you it really was and I will definitely make it again.
On the right is just the plate turned around to better see the tofu and pesto.

This meal is a good substitute to grilled cheese and french fries because it has a bunch of good green pesto, protein packed tofu, and it is much healthier than using a deep fryer.

Let me know if you try it out, and any changes you make so I can try them myself!