When Avrohom (Abraham) Our Father was traveling in the desert, he would make sure to position his tent at the crossroads and make entrances on all four sides, open to travelers coming from every direction. He would then treat them to a sumptuous feast, making sure every guest was offered food of his preference. After a splendid five star meal, guests would thank him profusely, but Avrohom’s response was, “Thank not me, but Him Who provided the food and blessed us with the ability to enjoy it” (Midrash Rabba).
Here is my husband, whose middle name is Avrohom, building our Sukkah under the rain. Rain is a source of all blessings; in fact, the word Brochoh (blessing) also means “wellspring,” or source.
“Now all the trees of the field were not yet on the earth, and all the herb of the field had not yet sprouted, for God had not sent rain upon the earth, and there was no man to work the soil.” (Genesis 2:5)
Nothing, it seems, came to life until the first rainfall! Midrash Haggadah relates that man had to pray for the blessing of the rain so that when the rain fell, he would appreciate every drop and all the plant life that flourished as a result.
None of us sing or dance like Gene Kelly, but tonight we will make all the appropriate blessings in the Sukkah, rain or shine, including blessings for all the people of the world, specific to this holiday. Since some of our guests are of vegan persuasion, I made a plant-based variation of Honey Chicken Bites (click here for recipe), which is only fitting after all this blessed rain. I used extra firm tofu, cut it into bite size cubes – yes, my tofu can bite, too! – made sure to drain, press, bake, and drain again as much liquid as possible out of it, and used the same honey ginger sauce as the one that worked so well with chicken.
Even though our Sukkah has only one entrance, I try to accommodate every guest’s preference and taste, without making anyone feel singled out. Hag Sameach, a Freileche Yontef – happy holiday and blessings to all!
INGREDIENTS
- 1 block Extra Firm tofu (14 oz)
- Remaining ingredients listed here.
PROCEDURE
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly mist baking pan with oil. Cube tofu, press and drain liquid.
- Bake uncovered for 10 minutes. Press and drain liquid again. Bake uncovered for 10 minutes.
- If there is no more liquid, pour sauce over tofu bites, bake uncovered for 10 minutes.
- Serve hot.
Enjoy!
Thank you for pingback.
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Reblogged this on Die Erste Eslarner Zeitung – Aus und über Eslarn, sowie die bayerisch-tschechische Region!.
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Thank you for reblogging.
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Thank you! I had learned much more once again. And the recipe with tofu sounds great. Michael
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Thank you so much, Michael, for your kind comment! It was a big hit with our vegan friend.
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I can’t wait to try making this for my vegan friend. Thanks.
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Thank you, dear Ali! I can report that our vegan friend loved it, which made me very happy. If you make it, please let me know how it comes out.
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[ Smiles ] You can’t go wrong with Tofu!
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Absolutely – the most versatile food in the world. Thank you so much, Renard!
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How very touching and loving.
Thank you once more for your heartfelt, heart-filled sharings.
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Thank you so much, dear Ren! It’s always great to hear from you – I hope you are doing well! 😻
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Thanx Dolly! I am doing fabulous! I am happy, healthy and full of life!
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My days are so very busy with joy and sunshine. My time allowed on this old computer gets shorter these days. I miss being able to read my favorite blogs (like yours) on a daily basis. I miss being able to post as often as I would like. I miss searching for new bloggers to read/follow. And Everything for a reason 😀
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I envision you are doing well also? Hugz!
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I am so glad to hear you are doing well! You are one of the rays of sunshine in the blogosphere! 😻
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Thanx! So heart warming to read that! Hugz
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Much love! 😻
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Happy holiday to you! May the meal and company you keep be amazing ❤
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Thank you so much, dear Christy, for your lovely wishes and comment! Sharing with friends is always awesome! 😻
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💛 I love what I learned about the word brochoh meaning wellspring as well as blessing. & the thought that the rain brought everything to life…after prayer! I had never thought about the scripture in that way. 💡 Thank you for sharing your wisdom. 🙂
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Thank you so much, dear Kimberly, for your wonderful comment! A heartfelt prayer brings everything to life, I believe. I am so glad you liked my post! 😻
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Sounds like a great idea! I am getting regular honey tomorrow to try this with chicken. I love tofu.
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I hope you had a nice Yom Tov! Both the chicken and tofu bites were smash hits, so I highly recommend them! A gutn Mo’ed and Shavuah Tov!
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I love Yom Tov. The weather was perfect and the food came out well. It’s like an oasis in time. Gut moed and shavua tov!
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Gut Mo’ed and Shavuah Tov to you and yours!
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A tasty recipe to go with the write up that accompanies it, Dolly. Thank you for sharing!
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Thank you so much, dear; I am so glad you like it!
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I bite back, when it’s tofu! LOL
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Good for you, girl friend! 😻
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😉
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Hello Dolly (no singing or dancing pun intended 😉)!
I see you cut the tofu before pressing it. My oldest son, although not a vegetarian, has become an expert (so his sister says) at pressing tofu. But I believe he does it on the whole block, and overnight. Anyway, this is a nice recipe and of course an inspiring story about being both welcoming and thankful.
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Dear Joelle, thank you (and thank your son) for the idea of pressing tofu overnight. I simply had not thought of it, so I pressed it as a block, then cut it and pressed it again. From now on I will follow your son’s method.
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I enjoy your history lessons very much my friend and I thank you for the recipes as well. Some I like, some I don’t but you never know until you try them out. Even if I don’t care for a particular recipe I still get an education from tapping into your wide ranging knowledge base.
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Thank you so much, Ted, for your wonderful comment. Your support is invaluable to me!
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Reblogged this on Truth Troubles.
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Thank you for reblogging.
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I really love tofu, but confess I’ve never tried baking it. And pressing it is new, too, which JOËLLE mentioned. I take it that help remove some of the water, and makes it hold together better. Falling apart is something I’ve just come to accept, as I’ve only grilled it with veggies. I’ve got to try this recipe!
I love your writing. Thanks for reading JonahzSong and for all the likes. L-RD Bless, Keep, Shine upon you and your family and friends.
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Thank you so much for your lovely comment and your constant support! Many blessings to you and yours!
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You are a sweetheart!
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Thank you so much, Carol! I am truly honored to be included in your post.
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Thank you so much! So the verdict was like Spain vs. Morocco match: so-so. I’ll take that, and thank you for trying.
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The first time I have cooked with tofu I didn’t like the texture my grandson son who eats tofu loved it . His words were OMG this is fantastic…I think it is just we are not used to eating tofu…I will persevere 🙂
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I am glad your grandson enjoyed it, and my advice regarding texture will be: drain it well under weight, and if it is still not firm enough for you, cut it and pre-bake it.
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I did pre-bake it but maybe not long enough it was my first effort so I think practice is called for …Lots of it..lol x But Aston loved it so all was not lost 🙂 x
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It’s a trial and error process, adjusting it to your taste, but I am so glad Aston loved it!
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Reblogged this on koolkosherkitchen and commented:
This year, it seems, we have plenty of sunshine, even while we are praying for rain. But rain or shine, we are planning to fully and enthusiastically fulfill the commandment TO ENJOY this happy holiday!
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Honey ginger would suit me nicely
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Thank you so much, Derrick.
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