By Shiu Injr @ Tumblr

 

Instead of partying this Halloween, I drank appletinis and ate homemade snacks with a few of my favourite people; it was so much fun.

These recipes are a feast of sweet and savoury goodness. They definitely weren’t in the Halloween spirit, but they do taste incredible!

The kebabs are going to be a summer staple at my house, for sure! Skewers are stacked with courgette, pineapple chunks, button mushrooms, and pieces of Tangy marinated tofu, then drizzled with maple-balsamic dressing, and grilled into juicy deliciousness.

The fresh salsa is packed with vibrant, summery flavours to celebrate the warming weather and long, hot days to come. Serve leftover salsa alongside a bowlful of corn chips and you’ve got munchies for a handful of friends.

 

Shish Kebabs feat. Tangelo Baked Tofu with Roasted Capsicum & Pineapple Salsa

Ingredients:

1 recipe Tangelo Baked Tofu (recipe below)
1 – 2 cups fresh pineapple chunks
20 small brown button mushrooms
2 courgettes, cut in half lengthwise, then into thick chunks
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp maple syrup
olive oil
10 kebab skewers

For the salsa:
2 medium red capsicums, cut in half, membranes and seeds removed
2 small tomatoes, roughly chopped
1/2 cup pineapple chunks
1/4 red onion, chopped roughly
handful fresh basil leaves
handful fresh coriander leaves
1/8 tsp sea salt

 

What to do:

To make salsa:

Preheat oven to 200 C. Roast capsicum halves on a lightly oiled, foil-lined baking tray for 25 minutes, drizzling them with a little olive oil beforehand, and turning after 15 minutes. Set aside for ten minutes to cool.

Slice capsicum pieces into large chunks. Add capsicum, tomatoes, pineapple, onion, basil, coriander and sea salt to a blender and pulse briefly until salsa is well combined – be careful not to over-blend; you want it nice and chunky!

Spoon into a small bowl, cover and refrigerate until needed.

To prepare kebabs:

Preheat oven grill to 210 C. Line a baking tray with foil and oil it lightly. Submerge kebab skewers in water for 10 minutes. Combine maple syrup and balsamic vinegar in a small glass/mug/jar and mix well.

Now comes the kebab-building part. You can add the ingredients in any order you like; here’s how I roll: courgette, pineapple, tofu, shroom, courgette, tofu, shroom. Yum. Once you’ve threaded each kebab, place them on the baking tray and drizzle with a generous amount of olive oil and maple-balsamic dressing. Grill ’em for 3-5 minutes on each side.

Serve with a little Roasted Capsicum & Pineapple Salsa on the side.

Makes 10 kebabs and a whole lotta love salsa.

 

The following is a mind-blowing marinade – adapted from Veganomicon by Isa Moskowitz and Terry Romero – that will leave your tofu bursting with flavour. This is my new favourite tofu marinade! I LOVE it. The poking-holes-to-infuse-flavour technique for baked tofu is a total keeper, too. I think of it as the Stabbing Method 😀

 

Tangelo Baked Tofu

Ingredients:

250g extra-firm tofu, pressed
2 tsp tangelo zest
1/3 cup freshly squeezed tangelo juice
3 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp pure maple syrup
1 tbsp peanut oil
1/4 tsp cumin
1 tbsp spiced rum
Fresh black pepper

 

What to do:

Preheat oven to 200 C.

Slice tofu widthwise into 8 pieces, then cut each piece into four bite-size chunks.

In a small bowl, whisk together all marinade ingredients. Pour into a 11 x 7″ baking dish. Place the tofu chunks in the dish and, using a fork, poke a few holes in each chunk, then flip them over and do the same on the other side.

Marinade for at least an hour, flipping the tofu pieces every 30 minutes. Bake the tofu for 30 minutes, flipping every 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Refrigerate any leftover tofu in an airtight container.