Veggie Medley with Pan-Fried Tofu

I've been experimenting a lot with cooking methods this break, and I think that this vegetable medley really takes the cake. It even got the omnivore stamp of approval from some Omnivores--my mom and my veggie-hating little sister :) Although, I think I might try this out next time with more tomatoes, because I think that the flavor of the tomatoes got overwhelmed by the amount of different types of veggies. I will say that I'm not a big fan of keeping track of my cooking times or measuring precisely when it comes to cooking (something I've resolved to do better, I swear! and baking is another matter. I'm quite the stickler for the rules in terms of baking...) so I usually judge the veggies on their done-ness by their color and texture.

They were still resistant to trying the tofu, though, which I thought was my best try yet. I love tofu. I think I've only ever seen one other vegetarian eat chunk straight from the packaging (after being drained, of course.) I love it baked for sandwiches, boiled in soup, breaded and fried...you name it, and I'll probably eat it. Admittedly, though, I haven't quite mastered the art of preparing tofu myself. After stumbling upon Vegan Dad's Ultimate BBQ recipe, I thought I'd give his method a whirl. Success! Is what I thought. I froze the tofu in Italian dressing, which gave it a meatier texture and allowed the marinade to soak in better.

I'd recommend this served over rice or polenta--I was a bit pressed for time so when I realized that a grain would be nice it was too late to start preparation :/

Ingredients

Tofu:

• 14 oz Extra firm tofu
  
• Italian dressing
• Juice of 1/2 a lemon
  
• Salt and pepper
  

Medley:

• 1 1/2 c button mushrooms, sliced
  
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
  
• 1 yellow pepper, chopped
  
• 1 orange pepper, chopped
  
• 1 zucchini, chopped
  
• 1 squash, chopped
  
• Salt and pepper
• Italian seasoning
• Italian dressing (which I completely forgot about until after publishing- see, I told you I didn't keep track of my ingredients!)

In a small bowl, mix Italian dressing and the juice of 1/2 a lemon. Add salt and pepper to taste. Slice tofu into rectangles. Place in a glass pan and cover in marinade mixture. Move to freezer while preparing vegetables.

Salt and pepper all vegetables. In a large skillet, fry mushrooms in 1 tbsp oil on high. Sautee until golden brown, adding in Italian seasoning. Add tomatoes to the pan and cook until golden brown. Reduce heat to medium and cover. Cook for 15 minutes or until wilted and squishy. Squish 'em up good! Add peppers, cooking them until tender--the color should be partially drained and the skins lightly browned. Stir in zucchini and squash, add a splash of Italian dressing, reduce heat to low and cover until tender.

In a small skillet, fry tofu slices in oil until golden brown. Serve over rice with veggies.