It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas: Sesame Maple Ginger Tofu

As soon as we got home from Thanksgiving with my family it was time to get ready for Christmas.  We had a trip planned for the first week of December, so in order to enjoy our Christmas decorations as much as possible, we got right to it.  By the time Thanksgiving weekend was over, our home looked like this:

It's bright all right!  There are other houses decorated on our street, but ours glows like the sun.  We continued the light show inside:

We poured hot chocolate, turned on Frosty the Snowman, and decorated the tree.  Thatbaby was especially helpful this year, as the lower right corner of our tree can attest.  He loves every ornament on the tree, declaring each his favorite.  And he loves to turn on the tree every night when we get home from school. 

The one thing our new home is missing is a fireplace.  Which makes me a little sad, because I do love to curl up in front of a nice fire.  But it's especially detrimental during the holidays.   How do you hang your stockings by the chimney with care if there is no chimney?

I made my own stocking holder!  So not so much "by the chimney with care" but now at least they're hung!

Thatbaby got into his own holiday crafting.

Last night I made this tofu dish that is on our regular rotation.  And I realize I've never shared it here.  It's not even mine to share really, it's one of Cara's dishes.  To give you some perspective, she posted this back in 2010, and we've been eating it regularly since then.  It's a tofu dish that even my picky tofu eaters like.  Thatboy likes the fact that it's not mushy, and Thatbaby likes the fact that it's soft and flavorful.  I like the fact that it's easy.  I usually toss it with some vegetables that I roast with the tofu.  Just throw some brussels sprouts or broccoli on the baking sheet before you pop it in the oven.

Sesame Maple Ginger Tofu (From Cara's Cravings)

1 block extra firm tofu, pressed, cut into 1 inch squares
1/4 tsp salt
1 TBSP tahini
1 TBSP soy sauce
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1 TBSP pure maple syrup
1 tsp cider vinegar
1 TBSP sesame seeds
pinch of ground ginger
pinch of red pepper flakes

1. Preheat oven to 475.
   
2. Line a baking sheet with foil, spray with nonstick cooking spray and add the tofu cubes.
3. Lightly spray the top with more nonstick cooking spray and season with salt & pepper.
4. Roast for 10-12 minutes, or until the pieces of tofu are lightly browned on the bottom. Turn the pieces over, and roast for another 10 minutes.
5. Whisk tahini, soy sauce, sesame oil, maple syrup, vinegar, sesame seeds, ginger, and pepper flakes in a small bowl until combined.
6. Remove the tofu from the oven, and toss with the tahini mixture.
7. Pour the the tofu back on the sheet, and drizzle the remaining sauce on top. Return the sheet to the oven and roast for another 5-7 minutes.