COLORFUL CORN SALSA In anticipation of the summer season, add a dish of Colorful Corn Salsa to your table to complement the Grilled Peaches and BBQ-Style Baked Tofu. Food for Life instructor Katherine Lawrence shows you how easy, delicious, and colorful this recipe truly is. View video >> Did you enjoy last week's Mexican Quinoa recipe? Katherine Lawrence's dish was inspired by Spiral Diner Vegan Restaurant in Ft. Worth, Texas. Visit their website >> Barbeques don't have to be daunting on a vegetarian diet. There are plenty of foods to cook and have available at your next BBQ. For tips on how to switch to a vegetarian diet, click here.

Grilled Peaches with Sweet Balsamic Glaze

 In this delightful recipe, two techniques—grilling and reduction—create a dessert that is bursting with flavor, bringing out the best of each ingredient. When grilled, peaches become almost caramelized, creating a sensationally sweet flavor without added sugars. By boiling the balsamic vinegar and reducing it by half, the vinegar transforms to smooth flavorful syrup. With just five ingredients, this dessert is a spectacular finish to any meal.

Ingredients

Makes 4 servings

4 ripe peaches, halved and pitted
nonstick cooking spray
1/2 cup good quality balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon agave or other liquid sweetener (maple syrup, brown rice syrup, etc.)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon almond extract
fresh mint sprigs

Directions

Place peaches cut side down on the grill and grill for about 4 to 5 minutes per side until grill marks appear and peaches are slightly softened.

While peaches are grilling, prepare the glaze. Add vinegar to a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Boil vinegar until it is reduced by half and looks thick. Add agave, lemon juice, and almond extract.

Remove peaches from the grill and place cut side up on a dessert dish. Drizzle with balsamic glaze and garnish with a mint sprig.

Nutrition Information | Per serving (1/8 recipe)

calories: 88; fat: 0.1 g; saturated fat: 0 g; calories from fat: 1.2%; cholesterol: 0 mg; protein: 1 g; carbohydrate: 20.1 g; sugar: 16.6 g; fiber: 2.6 g; sodium: 15 mg; calcium: 16 mg; iron: 0.9 mg; vitamin C: 6.7 mg; beta-carotene: 524 mcg; vitamin E: 1 mg

Recipes from The Get Healthy, Go Vegan Cookbook by Dr. Neal Barnard and Robyn Webb

Barbeque-Style Baked Tofu

This is the perfect dish to make for your Memorial Day lunch or dinner and its subtle heat is a perfect accompaniment to this balmy spring weather. The tofu in this dish is best grilled but can also be baked easily. You'll find that making your own barbeque sauce is both easy and economical. To add even more heat to the barbeque sauce, throw in some chipotle peppers in adobo sauce.

Ingredients

Makes 6 1/4 slice servings

1 pound firm fresh tofu
1/4 cup ketchup (or substitute 1/4 cup tomato paste)
1/4 cup apple juice concentrate
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 scant pinch cayenne pepper, or more to taste

Directions

Press tofu if necessary: Line a baking sheet with a clean dish towel. Cut tofu into 6 equal-sized slices (each slice should be about 1/4-inch) and place on the dish towel in a single layer. Cover with a second clean dishtowel and top with a cutting board. Place several heavy objects (canned food, books, jars of beans) on the cutting board. Let stand 30 minutes.

In the meantime, prepare barbeque sauce. Combine ketchup or tomato paste, apple juice concentrate, vinegar, soy sauce, onion and garlic powder, black pepper, and cayenne pepper in a small measuring cup or mixing bowl.

Remove tofu from the press and pat dry. Carefully arrange in a sandwich-sized zip-top bag and add marinade. Seal the bag, then carefully massage it so that all the tofu slices are coated with marinade. Refrigerate 4 hours or more (overnight is ideal), turning the bag occasionally to keep all the slices coated.

Preheat oven to 375 F. Remove tofu from bag and place it in a glass baking dish. Drizzle with any remaining sauce and bake, uncovered, until dry and deep golden brown, about 35 minutes.

If you are grilling the tofu, cut the tofu into equal-size slabs. Using two wooden skewers per tofu piece, skewer tofu separating skewers about 1/2 inch from each other.

Coat a grill rack with cooking spray. Preheat gas grill to medium-high heat. When grill is ready, add tofu and grill for 1 minute. Brush some of the barbeque sauce on the top side and cook for 1 more minute. Turn the tofu and brush with more barbeque sauce. Cook for 2 additional minutes, until the tofu is browned.

Nutrition Information | Per serving (1/4 inch slice)

calories: 87; fat: 3.3 g; saturated fat: 0.7 g; calories from fat: 33.6%; cholesterol: 0 mg; protein: 6.7 g; carbohydrate: 9.4 g; sugar: 6.9 g; fiber: 0.9 g; sodium: 212 mg; calcium: 159 mg; iron: 1.5 mg; vitamin C: 2 mg; beta-carotene: 60 mcg; vitamin E: 0.2 mg

Recipe from Jennifer Raymond, M.S., R.D. found in Healthy Eating for Life for Children by Amy Lanou, Ph.D

Please feel free to tailor PCRM recipes to suit your individual dietary needs.