Buffalo Tofu with Celery Salad

Telling someone you have a blog is like telling them you have a foot.  Almost everyone has at least one.  That's why I kept quiet about it when I was chatting with television personality, Ted Allen last week.  I don’t usually chat with Ted Allen, but was lucky enough to exchange a few words with him during his book signing at Greenlight Bookstore in Brooklyn...

He was witty and approachable and happily agreed to join me for a quick photo…

In other news I spent last weekend at a gorgeous outdoor wedding near Montpelier, Vermont.  The highlights were:

- Drinking a “Lawnmower”, a greens and lemon infused Prosecco cocktail, at Kismet Kitchen
- Finding Swiss Petite Fruits, a long lost favorite candy of mine at the local sweet shop
- Throwing back 3 spectacular basil lemonades at the wedding (spiked with gin I later found out)
- Rowing boats, playing ping pong, dancing and eating a dinner made of local Vermont veggies in this setting…

 And now for the recipe portion of today’s program.  A friend of mine recently requested some tofu recipes and since I’m obsessed with Buffalo flavor lately, I put the two together.  This dish should remind you of spicy wings at a sports bar, minus the sticky fingers.

Makes 1 serving

To make the tofu:
1 1-inch slice firm tofu
1 tablespoon bottled Buffalo wing sauce
1 teaspoon olive oil

To make the salad:
1 large stalk celery, sliced thinly
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar (any other white vinegar is ok too)
1 pinch coarse salt
Freshly cracked black pepper

Wrap the tofu slice in a paper towel and press firmly to release all the water.  Heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil in a saute pan over medium high heat and sear the tofu on each side for 2-3 minutes or until browned.  Transfer the tofu to a small bowl and add the Buffalo wing sauce, turning to allowing the tofu to marinate on all sides.  Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, toss together the celery, olive oil, vinegar, pinch of salt and a few turns of pepper.  Serve the tofu drizzled with all the sauce it was marinated in and place the celery salad right alongside.