Do you read Weelicious? If not, you should start.  Weelicious is one of my favorite food blogs, written by busy model-turned-mom Catherine McCord.  Almost every day she posts new, healthy recipes that feature fresh produce.  Since the focus of the website is family-friendly food, the recipes are usually very simple to prepare.

Tofu Packets are a perfect recipe to make use of the peppers, onions, and mushrooms in our local box this week.  I adapted Catherine’s recipe to include a few more adult flavors, with a Thai focus. The veggies and tofu are steamed with a spicy Thai inspired sauce inside a “packet” of baking parchment.  This low-fat flavorful recipe has replaced WanFu in our rotation of weeknight meals.

Thai Tofu Packet (serves 4; more with rice)
14 oz. packet extra firm tofu
2 bell peppers
1 jalapeno pepper
1 onion or 4 scallions
1.5 cups sliced mushrooms
2 Tbs. low sodium soy sauce
2 Tbs. fish sauce
2 Tbs. rice vinegar
1 Tbs. honey or agave
1 Tbs. minced garlic
1 Tbs. fresh grated ginger
2 tsp. sesame oil
1/4 cup cilantro

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Open tofu and drain off liquid. Wrap tofu block in a kitchen towel and place on a plate.  Set a heavy pan on top to drain as much liquid as possible from the tofu.

Meanwhile, julienne all the veggies.  Mince the jalapeno and garlic.  Measure all liquid ingredients in a bowl and stir with garlic and jalapenos to combine.

Put a 16 inch piece of baking parchment on a cookie sheet.  Mound all veggies in the center of the parchment.

Next, remove the tofu from the towel and cut it in fourths.  Then cut each fourth into 5 even pieces.  Place the tofu on the mound of veggies and pour the liquid over top.  If you forgot about the cilantro until now (like me), go ahead and tear about a fourth cup into bite sized pieces over the top.

Now we’re going to make the packet.  Tear another 16 inch piece of baking parchment and lay it over the top of the first sheet.  Use your fingers to fold the edges of the parchment paper onto each other, crimping an airtight seal along the perimeter of the mound of veggies.

The packet does not need to be pretty.  Just crumple the edges together until it’s reasonably airtight.  Put the whole shebang in the oven and bake for 20 minutes.

Cut open the packet (careful! it is steaming!) and serve with rice or on its own.  The best part of this recipe is the cleanup.  The cookie sheet should still be clean, so all you’ve got to wash are the serving pieces, one cutting board, and a knife.