Telling Our Stories, Psalm 107 + Marinated Tofu

Praise for Today

 When I’m going through rough times, I find a lot of encouragement from Psalm 107. It’s all about God saving me from distress. Psalm 107 reminds me to stop and recognize all God has done for me and to praise Him for it. Tell the story!

When you’re hungry and thirsty, when you sit in the darkness in the deepest gloom, when there is no one to help, if you’re in chains, when your courage is melted away, when you’re at your wits end, Psalm 107 encourages you to cry out to the Lord.

Verses 1 and 2 remind us to praise God, to tell our stories.

 “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his love endures forever.
Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story—
those he redeemed from the hand of the foe.”

When we’re in the middle of a raging storm, we can remember verses 28-30.

“Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
and he brought them out of their distress.
He stilled the storm to a whisper;
the waves of the sea were hushed. “

This Psalm also encourages us while walking the path toward good health. We don’t have to use food as a crutch when we’re feeling sad, mad, frustrated, or betrayed. Instead, we can turn to God for deliverance from life’s problems. Consider verse 9.

“For he satisfies the thirsty
and fills the hungry with good things.”

When things aren’t going well, I mean when things are bad and completely hopeless, remember Psalm 107. The Lord will lift us out of our distress if we call to Him. Let’s cling to Psalm 107 when life gets rough, and remember God’s amazing love.

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 Recipe for Today

The recipe I am most frequently asked for is Marinated Tofu with Chicken-Style Seasoning. I learned how to make this during a health and cooking seminar with Mary Bernt. She is my favorite vegan chef, because she took the time to teach me and many others attending the seminar how to make healthy food taste good without, meat, eggs, or dairy. Here is her Veggies Web site, in case you want to buy one of her cook books.

Marinated Tofu, with Chicken-Style Seasoning

Ingredients

• 3 packages Westsoy® extra firm tofu (*See note)
• 1 and ¾ cups water
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 6 T. Chicken-Style seasoning (see recipe below)
• Cooking Spray

*Note: I use 3 packages (14 ounces each) of Westsoy tofu. If you can’t find Westsoy extra firm tofu, you can use another brand of extra firm tofu. The recipe works well with 2 – 2.5 pounds (32 to 40 ounces) of tofu. However, before proceeding with the recipe, first remove tofu from carton and place it on a cutting board with 3 or 4 paper towels placed underneath the tofu and 3 or 4 paper towels placed on top of the tofu; place a heavy book on top of the paper towels on top of the tofu and let it sit for several minutes, up to 30 minutes depending on how much time and patience you have. This squeezes additional liquid out of the tofu; you can replace the wet paper towels with new ones mid-way through this process if the tofu is very wet.

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Spray 9 x 13 pan with cooking spray.
3. Cut tofu into cubes (1/2-inch or so) and place in pan.
4. Add water, olive oil, and 6 T. Chicken-style seasoning to blender and blend.
5. Pour mixture over tofu.
6. Bake uncovered in 350 degrees oven for about 60 to 70 minutes, until most of the liquid has been absorbed (at about 45 minutes, I carefully flip pieces over before finishing baking).
7. Refrigerate overnight. You can eat it immediately, but it’s best the next day.

Chicken-Style Seasoning

Ingredients

• 4 cups nutritional yeast (I find this at Natural Grocers or Whole Foods; if you don’t have one near you, check for online sources)
• ¾ cup granulated onion (I find this at Natural Grocers or Whole Foods)
• ½ cup + 2 T. sea salt
• ½ cup Italian seasoning
• ¼ cup Sucanat (dehydrated whole cane sugar) I find this at Natural Grocers or Whole Foods; but general grocery stores also carry it, check Wal-Mart too)
• 3 T. granulated garlic (I found at Sam’s Club)
• ½ cup parsley flakes

Steps

1. In a dry blender, add the 4 cups of nutritional yeast and blend.
2. Add remaining ingredients and blend.
3. Stir in (don’t blend) ½ cup parsley flakes (stirring it keeps seasoning from turning green).
4. Note: This makes a large amount. You will use 6 T. of this mix for the Marinated Tofu recipe; save the rest to use in other recipes.

Why eat tofu? Tofu is one of the highest food sources of the amino acid tryptophan, according to Dr. Neil Nedley. Dr. Nedley published an informative book on depression. He explains that neurons in our brain cannot make enough serotonin unless we have enough tryptophan in our diet. We need serotonin to avoid depression. So, why eat tofu? The answer: To get more tryptophan, to make more serotonin, to be more happy.

I hope you enjoy the Marinated Tofu with Chicken-Style Seasoning. Let me know if it makes you feel happier.