Tofu and Swiss Chard Stacks

This little layered dish is almost like a lasagna, except with tofu in place of the noodles!

In a bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons soy sauce (I always prefer using a low sodium variety), 1 tablespoon mirin, 2 teaspoons rice vinegar and 1 teaspoon agave nectar (in place of honey).

Cut 12 ounces of reduced-fat firm tofu into 4 equal slices, lengthwise. Place the slices in an 11x7-inch baking dish, and pour the soy sauce mixture over the slices. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes to marinate, turning the tofu over halfway through.

Place the tofu slices on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray, and discard the marinade. Broil the tofu for about 10 minutes on each side - I originally had mine on the rack directly under the heat, but it looked like it was browning too quickly, so I moved it to the center rack.

While the tofu broils, heat 1 teaspoon dark sesame oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add 1 cup thinly sliced shiitake mushroom caps, 1 and 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger, 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper, and 2 minced garlic cloves; cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently.

Add 4 cups thinly sliced Swiss chard and 1/2 tsp. sesame seeds (toast them first, if you like); cook until the chard is wilted and tender, stirring frequently. The original recipe said you'd need about 3 minutes, but I must have had a particularly tough bunch of chard, as mine took twice that time. Stir in 2 teaspoons soy sauce at the end of cooking.

On each of 2 plates, arrange 1/4 cup of the chard mixture. Top with 1 tofu slice. Repeat the layers, ending with a tofu slice. You'll have 2 servings of 160 calories each - or make this a larger entree for 1! Round out the meal with some rice and stir-fried vegetables.

Cost:
reduced-fat firm tofu $2.00
Swiss chard $2.99
sesame seeds $2.69