Seaside Tofu

The rest of my immediate family are mostly vegan, but they do enjoy the odd fish & chip night. On such occasions, which are usually Friday nights when everyone's tired and can't be arsed to cook, I'm often left with 20 minutes to whip something up for myself that can be my "main" to have with some chips on the side. There's been many a I don't have the brain power to think of/make aNyThInG! moments, so I really wish, I'd thought of this recipe sooner as it's the PERFECT thing for such occasions. One pan, crispy tofu with lots of dill, capers and lemon which gives this (if not a fish flavour) a very 'seaside' flair. Tis' really really good.

Ingredients

• olive oil
• 300g extra firm tofu
• 2 spring onions, sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, diced/crushed/finely chopped
• handful beans
• handful asparagus spears (optional)
• zest and juice from 1/2 lemon
• small handful dill, chopped
• a heaped tbsp capers, drained
• celery salt (or sea salt) & pepper

Method

1. Prep the tofu first by slicing it into 1/2cm strips, then press these between paper towel or a clean tea-towel to remove some of the excess water. Chop the tofu into bite sized pieces.
2. Heat a glug of olive oil in a fry pan, then topple in the tofu pieces. Let them crispy up on both sides for 5+ minutes. Once a few minutes away from golden perfection, add the spring onion and garlic. Stir around with the tofu for a couple of minutes to sauté a bit.
3. Meanwhile, top and tail the beans and slice the asparagus in half, lengthways as well as width-ways. Topple these into the pan and cool for a few minutes with everything, so they soften, but still have a bit of bite.
4. Add the zest, juice, dill, capers, celery salt and pepper to the pan and stir to combine. Serve with some chips for the full experience should you wish.