Cooking: Pan-Fried Tofu and Grilled Zucchini for a Healthy and Satisfying Meal

Whenever I'm feeling kind of bloated and want to have a light meal (especially dinner), I whip out tofu from my fridge. I always like to stock up on tofu because they last at least 1-2 weeks if unopened and they always make for a quick, healthy and satisfying meal.

Take it out of its container and dry the block of tofu with a paper towel to get the liquid out. Even though it's already cooked, I like to fry it in a pan for more flavor. If you don't dry it completely, it will splatter as the water will react when it hits hot oil so be careful. I like to slice them just under 1/2-inch thick, heat a pan to medium-high with vegetable oil and place the fat squares on the pan. You should hear a sizzling sound. Sprinkle some salt. When the squares have browned (about 3 minutes), flip them and salt them again.

One vegetable I don't mind eating over and over again is zucchini. It's so sweet and flavorful I don't get sick of it and it's good for you.

A very simple way to prepare these is to slice them lengthwise about 1/4-inch thick and grilling them.

I don't use my real grill but I do love my Le Creuset cast iron grill that I just place over my stove and it does the trick perfectly. Check out the grill marks on those babies!

I preheat the grill on medium-low heat for a few minutes, brush some oil on the grill, place the zucchini slices, add salt and pepper. When you see grill marks using thongs, lift the zucchini, brush some oil on, and grill the other side. Then add salt and pepper. They'll be done in about 3-5 minutes. The zucchini don't have to be completely translucent for it to be fully cooked. They're a great pairing.

Wait. Did I really just sing the praises of a meat-less meal?! I hardly recognize myself anymore. But seriously, this was good and good for you.