Sweet and Spicy Grilled Tofu with Pineapple and Herbed Cauliflower Rice

Sweet and spicy grilled tofu and pineapple with herbed cauliflower rice is a super fresh, satiating, and very flavourful vegan main course.

Course Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine BBQ, Dairy-free, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Diet Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword cauliflower, ginger, lime, pineapple, summer, tofu

Prep Time 25 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Servings

Calories 247kcal

Author Laura Wright

Equipment

Grill
Food Processor

Ingredients

12 oz (350 grams) extra firm tofu
⅓ cup ketchup
1 tablespoon tamari soy sauce
2 tablespoons oil of choice, plus extra for grilling
1 tablespoon adobo sauce (see headnotes for substitutes)
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon finely minced ginger
1½ lbs (680 grams) cauliflower florets (from roughly ½ head large cauliflower)
1 cup mixed leafy herbs (such as cilantro, parsley, basil, or a combination)
2 green onions, sliced
1 tablespoon lime juice
sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste
2½ cups fresh pineapple chunks (from roughly ½ of a standard pineapple)

Instructions

Press the tofu for 15 minutes. While the tofu is pressing, mix up the sweet and spicy sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together the ketchup, tamari, 1 tablespoon of oil, adobo, garlic powder, and minced ginger.
Prep your cauliflower rice: finely chop the cauliflower florets into rice-sized pieces. You can also do this quickly by pulsing the florets in a food processor. Your choice! Finely chop the herbs and green onion.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Pour in the remaining tablespoon of oil and swirl it around. Add all of the cauliflower at once. Season with salt and pepper, stir, and cover with a lid. Let it sit for 1 full minute. Remove the lid and stir in the chopped herbs, green onions, and lime juice. Stir to combine. Once the cauliflower has softened slightly, remove it from the heat. Keep warm.
Preheat your grill to high.
Once the tofu is done pressing, blot it with a clean towel. Cut the tofu into 2-inch cubes. Arrange the tofu and pineapple chunks on skewers. Set the finished skewers on a plate and set aside. Lightly brush the skewers with oil.
Place the skewers on the grill, close the lid, and let them sit for 4 minutes. Then, flip the skewers and let them sit for another 4 minutes. You should see some char marks. Brush half of the sauce on the exposed parts of the skewers and then give them a flip. Let them cook for 2 minutes or until some of the sauce has caramelized. Brush the remaining sauce on the exposed parts of the skewers. Flip them one more time and cook for another two minutes, or until you get an even amount of caramelization.
Serve the sweet and spicy grilled tofu and pineapple skewers with the herbed cauliflower rice!

Notes

If your grocery store sells pre-riced cauliflower, you will need roughly 4 cups of it for this recipe.
If you don’t have adobo sauce hanging around, you can substitute any hot sauce that you like. Maybe start with 1 teaspoon and work up from there if you’d like more. Feel free to add a pinch of smoked paprika or a drop of liquid smoke to make up for that smoky essence that adobo marinade has.
This is my favourite ketchup in the entire world. Tastes amazing and is sweetened with dates!
If you’re using wooden skewers, make sure that you soak them for 30 minutes before grilling.
To make this without a grill: preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Toss the cubed tofu and pineapple chunks in the ketchup and tamari-based sauce mix to coat. Then, space all the pieces out on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Roast the tofu and pineapple for 25 minutes, flipping the pieces over at the halfway point.

Nutrition