Paul Cooked Tofu ... Twice!

BREAKING NEWS!!!! My carnivorous boyfriend bought tofu all by himself, cooked it all by himself, and ate it all by himself. Twice in one week.

Yep, that's Paul cooking tofu.

About a week ago, Paul and I stopped at Kroger to grab a couple things. We entered the store and went our separate ways, and then we met back up in the produce section. Paul often declares that he's going to start eating better, and he'll stock up on cucumbers, carrots, bell peppers, and romaine. He's always liked salads. So he's grabbing that stuff in produce while I'm squeezing avocados, looking for the perfectly ripe ones.

And then he walks up to me and says, with a proud smirk on his face, "Where's the tofu?" Just like that. I pointed him in the right direction and advised him to buy extra-firm. Then we went home, and he got to work making little tofu nuggets to dip in barbecue sauce. He's seen me cook tofu enough times to have a clue what to do, but I did have to remind him to press it first. Then I left him to his own devices.

Paul's always been good at seasoning things. When we make spaghetti together, he's in charge of sauteed mushrooms because he does it better than me. I didn't guide him on how to season tofu, and you know what? He did a great job! He used a mixture of Dale's Seasoning (a very delicious, very high-sodium marinade), garlic salt, seasoned salt, and lime juice. And then he fried the tofu on very high heat until it developed a crispy, golden exterior. He dipped his tofu nuggets in super-spicy Trinidad Scorpion BBQ sauce (because everything Paul eats has to be so spicy it'll make your tongue fall off).

A couple days later, Paul went to Kroger on his own and came back with more tofu, fresh mushrooms, spaghetti, and jarred spicy red pepper marinara. He made a similarly seasoned tofu and sauteed the cubes with mushrooms. And then he topped his pasta with the mixture.

I'm quite proud of him! He's not pledging to go vegan or anything. But baby steps, right? Over the years, he's tried various things: vegetarian until 6 p.m., breakfasts of vegan protein smoothies, etc. So it's not the first time he's dipped his toe into veganism. But learning to cook and love tofu is a big step for an omnivore! And since he's good at it, I may just put him in charge of cooking tofu for me too.