I have been a subscriber to Vegetarian Times magazine for a little over a year now.  I enjoy reading through the articles and browsing the recipes, but overall it is only mediocre, in my humble opinion.

The magazine is geared toward vegetarians of all kinds, which means that only some of the recipes are vegan-friendly.  The articles cover a range of topics beyond just food (environmental issues, for example). 

But the main reason I subscribed originally was for the recipes.  I enjoy trying new recipes on a regular basis, so I am always searching for ideas.

This month, a section on tofu caught my eye, with a vegan recipe for Grilled Sesame-Tofu Skewers With Ginger Peanut Sauce.

This recipe was photographed and looked pretty darn scrumptious, so I was eager to try it.  My first issue was with finding SMOKED TOFU.  I tried traditional grocers as well as my local co-op, with no luck.  I assume an Asian market might carry this, but I did not have time to find out.  Plain tofu was substituted.

I happened to have all of the ingredients on hand except for orange juice (for the marinade), so I was extra excited (I am cheap, by nature, so I hate trying recipes that call for a dozen ingredients I do not have). 

To go with this, we decided to make fried rice.  (Fried rice is a favorite of my son!)  I prepared the marinade ahead of time and let the tofu cubes soak in it.  I also steamed the rice ahead of time.  This made it much easier for my husband to throw dinner together last night while I was at school. 

It took him about 15 minutes to assemble and prepare the tofu skewers and fried rice, and here was the end result:


Unfortunately, none of us were impressed with the flavor of the tofu or the dipping sauce.  Granted, I didn't use smoked tofu, so who knows if that would have made much difference.  It was just OK in our estimation, so none of it went to waste, but it certainly isn't something I plan to make again.

I will probably keep my subscription to Vegetarian Times, but to be honest, I rarely make use of the recipes in it.

* Your comments, questions, and suggestions are always welcome and appreciated!  Be sure to read ChaCha's other food blogs (link available on right side of page) for great recipes and suggestions for healthy, organic cooking!