if that's more fake meat, i'm throwing it out!

When I first met Dan, he was open to all things new and different. He was used to eating meat and potatoes; his experience with Italian included the olive garden and pizza hut. On our first real date, we went to the Melting Pot where he learned the art of fondue. On our second date, we went to Jin Beh where he experienced the best fried rice ever made, hibachi-style. I was sure I’d hit a cuisine he didn't like, but that didn't happen until 3 1/2 years later.

Dan loved all things Indian, Thai, Chinese, Japanese, French, Spanish and even Irish! Since I love to cook, I introduced him to true Italian cooking, as can only be made by an east coast gal. I think the most important thing to note is that for the first year of our relationship, I tried to get Dan to eat as many different cuisines as possible. We had authentic Spanish tapas in New York City, a Moroccan 7 course feast in Philadelphia and Maryland crab cakes in Baltimore ... all during his first trip to the east coast.

He’s had East Coast, West Coast and Southern style Mexican and toured the delicacies of all of South and Latin American: Peru, El Salvador, Ecuador, Guatemala, Brazil, Argentina and even Columbia. Every time we ate something new, he just loved it more than what he'd had the day before! Each dish was carefully savored, each spice combination committed to memory and slowly recreated in our kitchen on cloudy Sunday afternoons.

I tempted Dan into my life by serving him carefully created dishes to tease the senses and have him begging for more: chicken cacciatore, my grandmother's lasagna, perfectly marinated pork tenderloin, a well-crafted meatloaf with mashed potatoes, rib-eyes on the grill, whatever he craved, I made. The holidays in our home were magical, the turkey that roasted slowly in the oven while the potatoes boiled on the stove; each plate so clean the dogs had nothing to look forward to when the meal was over.

Then finally came the day, the day we both dreaded: our once speedy metabolisms slowed down, family members younger than us began their blood pressure and cholesterol medications. We could no longer feast on mashed potatoes made with heavy whipping cream and big, fat, juicy steaks until our bellies were full (and then some). I started out slow and enrolled in 'boot camp' twice weekly. I threw away the butter, switched us to 1% milk, bought Splenda and banished all things beef. I took all of Dan’s favorite foods and cut the sodium, swapped ground beef for ground turkey, used non-fat evaporated milk instead of heavy whipping cream and that "smart butter" stuff wasn't all that bad. He didn't seem to mind, he liked that I was cooking more often (since I had thrown away all the take-out menus). Some of the new healthy recipes seemed to be even better than what I had been making before! He even pretended that he couldn't tell the difference when I used whole wheat pasta.

After the first 6 weeks of healthy eating and exercise, I wasn't noticing any difference in myself and was determined to lose this faux preggo pooch. I upped the exercise and started training for a half-marathon and insisted on one meatless dinner per week. The first meatless dinner was actually really good: fresh grilled veggies over whole wheat linguine with my homemade spaghetti sauce. Next week, we had black bean burgers topped with salsa and reduced fat sour cream. After that, the meatless meals became something Dan didn't even notice as anything different. I started to branch out and look for other meatless recipes, which was my downfall.

I found this fabulous recipe for panko-crusted tofu with fire roasted tomatoes (similar to chicken parmesan, without the chicken of course) and decided I would finally introduce Dan to tofu, what a great idea! That Sunday, I went to the grocery store as usual but this time had to ask for assistance, where in the world does one find tofu? Luckily enough, the produce guy knew the answer and helped me pick out the right kind for the recipe. I was all set to make our weekly Wednesday meatless dish.

I got home from work and went right to work, carefully following the recipe to ensure it turned out just right. Dan came in the door and greeted the dogs, came over to give me my hello kiss and told me "something smells great" then went out back to play ball with the boys. I called for him to come in, dinner was just about ready and he had to wash his hands and set the table. As usual, we sat down to dinner and Dan asked what we were having ... only this time, rather than giving me a big smile and digging in, he hesitated. He said it smelled great, took a big bite and stared blankly at me, not chewing, not moving. I could see on his face that he was having a tough time so I let him off the hook and told him it was ok. He quickly spit his mouthful into his napkin and tried to reassure me that it was him, not me. It was clear he was grasping and trying not to make me feel badly, told me it smelled great, had a fabulous flavor, but it was just a texture thing. The whole scene was actually pretty funny, he loved the spinach and zucchini and still left the table with a full belly; I promised never to try to make tofu again (even though I thought it came out great and had seconds).

It took 3 1/2 years, but it had finally happened, not only had I found something Dan did not like, but I had cooked a meal that Dan had not devoured!!! For the first few days, Dan gave me rave reviews on absolutely everything I made, overcompensating for that one meal he just didn't like. Weeks then months went by, every meal a success, every plate cleaned. Then came a regular Sunday grocery shopping …

As is custom in our house, I do the grocery shopping then Dan carries it all in from the car and we put it all away together. As he was helping me unpack everything, he came across the polenta I had purchased for a new meatless recipe. He picked up the tube, dropped it on the counter. A panic came over his face as he said "what is that? If that is more fake meat, I’m throwing it away!!!" Through my laughter, I calmed him down, explained that it's a cornbread-like product for Italian cooking to substitute for pasta, but he wasn't sold.

There are two things that I cannot prepare in my kitchen: tofu or polenta. So now as I enter into this new challenge, Dan has made me PROMISE not to make any tofu!!! Dan was quite pleased to come home tonight to black bean tostadas, meatless Wednesday had a triumphant return!


Recipe for panko-crusted tofu with fire-roasted tomatoes and zucchini chips (you’re not getting my famous spinach recipe just yet):
•Firmly-packed Tofu
•2tbsp skim milk
•Panko crumbs
•Italian seasoning
•2 cloves garlic, pressed
•1 can fire-roasted tomatoes
•2 zucchini
•2 tbsp olive oil
•Salt & pepper

Wrap the tofu in paper towels and try to squeeze out as much of the water as possible. Slice tofu in ½ inch slices and set aside.

Place milk in a shallow dish, you’re going to dip the tofu in the milk before you bread it … in a separate dish or plate, mix the panko and Italian seasoning (you can also add garlic powder and parmesan cheese if you want).

Dip the tofu in the milk then in the panko mix and place on a baking sheet. Bake tofu at 375 for 20-25 minutes until browned (but don’t do this just yet, wait until you do the zucchini).

Slice the zucchini into ¼ inch pieces, place on a baking sheet and lightly coat both sides with olive oil (I drizzle the oil over top, flip then drizzle the other side), season both sides with salt & pepper. Bake zucchini at 375 for 15-20 minutes until browned and crispy.

Empty the can of tomatoes into a sauce pan and add the garlic, simmer over low-medium heat. Serve tofu topped w/ tomato sauce, zucchini chips on the side. You can also top the tofu with a little bit of part-skim shredded mozzarella.