Katherine Takayasu, MD, MBA, Center for Integrative Medicine & Wellness

I love to host friends at our house. Almost nothing brings me more joy then enjoying gorgeous weather with my favorite friends!

Grilling is one of the easiest ways to make a delicious meal without a lot of mess in the kitchen. The key to great grilling is using a tasty marinade. Sometimes I get inventive and make my own, but this past weekend I couldn’t muster up the energy. Part of finding balance, after all, is honoring my body’s desire for rest! Take a tip from this girl and find yourself Trader Joe’s Soyaki marinade. Sure, it’s not as healthy as homemade, but it’s delicious and goof-proof. And no high-fructose corn syrup!

I use Soyaki marinade on almost any vegetable. It also works wonder on tofu that’s been pressed. Pressing tofu is simple. Just remove the tofu from the package, wrap it in a bunch of paper towels and then place something heavy on top of it for a little while. I usually repeat this process at least once. The drier your tofu, the more marinade it can soak up.

Soyaki marinade is pretty potent, so I often dilute it a bit with extra virgin olive oil or water.

Grilled Teriyaki Tofu With Vegetables

Serves 4. 

• Active prep time: 30 minutes
• Inactive marinade time: 1-4 hours
• Grill time: 30 minutes (start grilling about 10 minutes before guests arrive - they love walking into the back yard and smelling their dinner!)

Ingredients:

• 2 packages organic extra firm tofu, pressed
• 1 medium-large eggplant, sliced about ½ inch thick
• 2 heads of broccoli, cut into large florets
• 1 red or sweet onion, sliced about ½ inch thick into rings
• 2 zucchini, sliced about ½ inch thick on the diagonal or 1 package baby zucchini, sliced in half length-wise
• 2 yellow squash, sliced about ½ inch thick on the diagonal
• 2 sweet potatoes, sliced about ½ inch thick
• Trader Joe’s Soyaki marinade + 1-2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) or water to dilute, if desired
• Black sesame seeds

Directions

1. Remove tofu from package and wrap each block in 6-8 paper towels. Place on top of a cutting board and weight down with something heavy, like a cast-iron skillet or your old Biology text book from undergrad. Repeat at least once. You’ll know it’s ready when the paper towels are not sopping wet and the tofu is more compressed.
2. While tofu is pressing, cut up all vegetables and place in a large bowl. Pour on enough Soyaki marinade (diluted with EVOO or water, if desired) to coat. Stir mixture every hour or so for even marinating.
3. Slice tofu block into slabs about ½ inch thick. Then I like cutting those rectangular slabs into triangles. Place in a baking dish and pour on enough Soyaki marinade (diluted with EVOO or water, if desired) to coat. Flip after 1 hour and sprinkle with black sesame seeds.
4. Grill vegetables over medium heat until tender. Grill tofu until browned with grill marks.

Enjoy!

Katherine Wehri Takayasu, M.D., M.B.A. practices Integrative Medicine combining traditional Western medicine with evidence-based complementary modalities at Stamford Hospital in Connecticut. She helps patients heal naturally with acupuncture, mind-body medicine, botanical medicine, nutrition, and lifestyle optimization. She is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine at Columbia University/New York Presbyterian and teaches the next generation of doctors about healing the whole patient mind, body, and spirit. For her own wellbeing, Dr. Katie practices what she preaches. She engages in yoga and meditation regularly and enjoys experimenting with plant-based cuisine in the kitchen.