Soy Sauce Marinade - vegan

Is there a word for "drop dead gorgeous" that applies to the weather? Because if there is, that's what we've been having here. Mornings have been dawning bright and clear, afternoons celebrate with endless blue skies, and the evenings bring it home with cool breezes.

It didn't take too long for Mr Official Taster and I to readapt to having beautiful weather almost year round (though from what I see on FB and my weekend trip, Seattle is doing much better this year, weather-wise). And as I briefly mentioned, we finally got a grill the other week. We have been grill-less since leaving San Diego, and we're both glad to have one again. I'm glad because on grill nights, I don't do the cooking, Mr OT does, albeit one-handed right now. (He's never lonely out there, don't worry) He's glad because it's manly and gives him (another) excuse to have a beer. I mean, grills might not even work properly without one nearby, right? Plus, it's a nice change for our tastebuds. We even usually remember to close the door to keep the smoke, uh, flavor outside.






For this particular incarnation, I cut up 1 1/2 red bell peppers, 1 small onion, and 1 package of extra firm tofu. If you're going with the skewer approach, make sure you don't cut things too small, or they may disintegrate when you push the skewer through. I also minced a couple cloves of garlic and a bit of green onion, chopped up some fresh basil, combined them with the soy sauce+oil, and topped the whole thing off with some fresh ground pepper. I figured the soy sauce took care of the salt.



I also marinated some portobello mushrooms (separately because they didn't fit well), and Mr OT grilled them alongside the skewers. Turns out I should have taken off the stems before marinating/cooking. whoops. But you'll learn from my mistake, yes?



This is a bona fide, straight-from-her-mouth Mom Recipe, so you know it's gotta be good.


Soy Sauce Marinade - vegan, vegetarian
This is one of my non-recipe recipes. Use what you have in the pantry and don't worry about exact measurements. This is simply what I used for a grilled dinner for two.


I asked the nice people over at TheKitchen about reusing this, and here's what they have to say.

1 C lower sodium soy sauce
1/2 C oil (I used avocado, but olive or any other kind will work)
fresh ground pepper to taste
fresh herbs, chopped
1-3 garlic cloves, minced

Combine everything. Mix well and pour over whatever it is you're marinating (meat, veggies, tofu). I let mine sit for a few hours in a flat-bottomed glass bowl, but a glass baking pan or a plastic bag would also work. Every once in a while, stir contents of bowl so that the marinade gets distributed happily. You can let things soak for as little an 1/2 hour or as long as overnight, depending on your schedule, level of organization, etc.

I skewered the veggies and tofu, grilled them, and served them over quinoa. Because I didn't marinate any meat, I spooned some leftover sauce over my bowl for extra flavor. If you marinate meat, throw away the marinade. Do not reuse. It's got nasty bacteria and things in it.