What to Make & Eat This Week

5-ingredient recipes for this busy time in late summer

This is a kind of neither here-nor-there time when it comes to meals; we’re past peak midsummer fare, yet it’s not quite time to think of fall meals. Still, if you’re anything like me, my palate is suddenly craving warmer foods despite my general aversion to heat.

Whether you’re on vacation, staycation, getting your children ready for school, delivering your college kids to campus, or are busy, lazy, or tired, who doesn’t love a recipe that requires just a few ingredients? These are also great options for when you feel you’ve overdone it with eating out and takeout.

This week we’ll be making recipes that combine fresh ingredients with shortcuts:

• Peanut Satay Golden Tofu Triangles

• Pan-Grilled Polenta with Spinach and Black Beans

• Hungarian Cabbage Noodles

• Easy Quinoa Pilaf with Salsa Verde

And make sure to scroll to the end for a link to a 2-ingredient recipe (!) for Date Caramel, an amazing sugar-free topping for frozen desserts, fresh fruit, brownies, etc.

Peanut Satay Golden Tofu Triangles

This simple preparation of golden tofu triangles, inspired by a Thai appetizer, gets its luscious flavor from bottled peanut satay sauce. This preparation just might inspire fussy eaters to give tofu a chance.

Look for peanut satay sauce in the Asian foods section of well-stocked supermarkets and natural foods stores. Of course, when you have more time, you can make your own Coconut Peanut Sauce.

What to serve with golden tofu triangles

• Serve with hot cooked rice, noodles, or rice vermicelli. A steamed green vegetable like broccoli or asparagus is a nice addition to the meal.

• Or, if you want to go a step further with a nutritious vegetable dish, Stir-Fried Collard Greens and Cabbage is a great option. Add a platter of cherry tomatoes and baby carrots and you've got a veggie-filled meal.

This makes 3 to 4 moderate servings. If you’re serving true tofu fans, you may want to double the recipe, since it goes down super easy. For even more tips and the printable recipe card, go to the full post.

Ingredients

• 14-ounce tub extra-firm tofu

• 1 tablespoons safflower or other high-heat oil

• 1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari

• 1/2 cup homemade Coconut Peanut Sauce (see link in Notes) or bottled peanut satay sauce, plus more for serving

• 1/2 teaspoon sriracha or other hot sauce, or more, to taste

• Shredded crisp lettuce as needed, for serving

Instructions

1. Cut each block of tofu into six slabs crosswise. Blot well between clean tea towels or several layers of paper towel (or use a tofu press ahead of time). Cut each slab in half to make two squares. Finally, cut each square on the diagonal to make triangles.

2. Heat the oil and soy sauce in a wide skillet. Arrange the tofu triangles in a single layer and sauté on both sides over medium-high heat until golden. Cook in batches if need be.

3. Drizzle the peanut sauce and sriracha into the skillet and stir gently with the tofu triangles, turning them over a few times until nicely glazed.

4. To serve, line a platter with shredded lettuce. Arrange the tofu triangles over it.

5. Serve at once, passing around extra peanut sauce and extra sriracha for those who would like more.

This week’s recipes are from my 2019 book, 5-Ingredient Vegan, a sampling of truly simple meals that still manage to satisfy. In these recipes, as in the book, the only ingredients that don’t count are oil (since some people don’t use it), salt, and pepper.