What's For Dinner? Tofu Picatta

in my 3 years of being a vegetarian, i've learned a thing or two about meals.

1) it's either a hit or miss with vegetarian dishes.  and trust me, there can be some pretty bad vegetarian meals.

2) when going out to eat, you have to be ready for either

a) a limited menu.  you learn to LOVE salads

or

b) being the really annoying, difficult person who changes up the entree

"hi, yes, I'd like the chicken bacon salad with no chicken and no bacon."

3) sometimes, grilled cheeses and french fries from five guys is a suitable dinner option

4) ice cream is most certainly a suitable dinner option.  its dairy. 

in my three years, i have found a few favorite dishes.

this being one of them.

it's a spin off of my favorite chicken dish from my meat loving days.

tofu picatta

you'll need:

extra firm tofu

olive oil

white wine

butter

flour

salt & pepper

baby tomatoes 

mushrooms

lemon

capers

1) skin one large lemon.  thinly slice and take out seeds and pit.  set aside.

2) slice tofu.  sprinkle each side with salt and pepper.  then, drench each side throughly in flour.  set aside on platter.

3) in a large saucepan on high heat, simmer the two tablespoons of olive oil.  place slices of tofu into pan.  cook each side until golden brown, about 1 minute on each side.

4) take tofu out of pan and set aside on a platter.

5) lower the heat.  add 1/3 cup white wine.  be prepared for a lot of simmer.  (now would be a good time to turn on the fan)

6)  add mushrooms and let them sautee in the pan.

7) add about 3/4 of a stick of butter to the pan.  the "brown bits" from the white wine and olive oil should still be in the pan.

8) once butter is melted, add capers and lemons.  stir.

9) add tomatoes.  stir until both mushrooms and tomatoes are soft.  

10) add a splash of olive oil.

11) add salt and pepper to taste.  

12) add tofu back into pan.  keep on low heat for 2 minutes.  serve. 

*makes 2 servings, although you may want to double the sauce recipe if you like extra sauce like me*

this is perfect with some nice rice pilaf or potatoes!

i mine this tonight, and all you need to do is add some nice parmesan cheese and you have a meal!

*i didn't have any mushrooms, so those were sadly eliminated tonight.  it was still amazing though!*

(with my iphone, not my new camera.  i'm still figuring that thing out)

enjoy:)