The one legged chef likes the Whole Foods Tofu Bake

Woe is me.

I've been training for a half marathon for so long that I've forgotten what it's like to have free time. With my annoying/debilitating ankle injury, and corresponding walking boot/cast (please heal quickly, ankle and tendons), I've been spending less time working out (I <3 you, stationary bicycle) and more time looking for new recipes.

I found a recipe for what seemed like an interesting tofu pasta bake using Veronica, my IPhone, and the Whole Foods Recipe app and decided to give it a try the other night.

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces whole wheat pasta shells
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cups pasta sauce
• 1 (14 ounce) package soft tofu, drained
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup soy or rice Parmesan-style cheese
• salt and pepper

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Cook pasta in boiling water. Drain and transfer to 7X11 baking dish.
3. Stir in olive oil and 1 cup pasta sauce.
4. Put tofu, basil, garlic, and half of the cheese in a food processor, or mash by hand until mixture has Ricotta cheese texture/consistency.
5. Spread tofu mixture over pasta and top with remaining sauce (1 cup).
6. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cheese.
7. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes until bubbly.

My result (note: I made this recipe for 2 vs. 4):

I used real cheese on top and in the tofu mixture, although I'm sure it would have been fine with non-dairy cheese. (I was sharing this side with my meatatarian boyfriend and didn't want to weird him out too much.) If I were to make this again I'd definitely use fresh basil and more of it. I added waaay more garlic than the recipe called for, and I think fresh basil would have helped the overall flavor. I still thought it was pretty good, though, and I was proud of myself for getting my boyfriend to eat tofu...along with his hamburger. Baby steps to healthier living, right?