A garden-driven summer meal with smoky tofu, blistered snap peas, and deeply satisfying greens
There’s something so grounding and real about stepping outside, picking what’s ready, and grilling it up for dinner. That’s exactly what this meal is. The garden is overflowing right now — especially with snap peas and bok choy — and this is one of our favorite ways to enjoy it all while it’s fresh.
We started by marinating two pounds of tofu in a mellow chili crisp mixture (not spicy, just savory and rich). Skewered with chunks of red pepper and red onion, they went straight to the grill and were ready in about 10 minutes. Perfectly golden with a light char. They make a great protein base for all the veg.
Garden Freshness
Snap peas are one of the stars of this dish — they’re so abundant right now. We tossed them with a little chili crisp and cooked them in a grill basket until they were blistered and crispy. You could also broil them or sauté them if you’re not grilling. Either way, they bring a satisfying crunch and bright garden sweetness.
And then there’s the bok choy.
We grow two types: a smaller, fast-growing variety and a much larger one that takes longer to mature. For this dish, we used the larger variety — the kind that looks almost like a full head of romaine. Big, leafy, and incredibly satisfying when grilled. We halved them, cleaned them thoroughly, and brushed the cut side with black sesame oil. Grilled face-down first, they took about 15 minutes total to become tender and beautifully charred — much longer than lettuce, but totally worth it. The stems soften and caramelize, and the whole thing takes on this deep, smoky flavor that’s just incredible.
On our grill, we had to stagger the cooking — the kebabs and snap peas first, then the bok choy. You could reverse that if you’re doing smaller portions or using a larger grill. Either way, this meal comes together fast once it hits the heat.
We’ll be posting our homemade chili crisp recipe soon (we freeze ours so it lasts), but if you want to get started now, store-bought is totally fine. Look for brands like Lao Gan Ma, Fly By Jing, or Momofuku — they’re easy to find and pack a ton of flavor.
This meal is rich, hearty, and full of garden personality. It’s the kind of food you eat outside, while the grill is still hot and your bare feet are in the grass. We loved it — and we’ll be making it all summer long.
Grilled Tofu Kebabs with Chili Crisp
Equipment
- 1 Tofu press or heavy pan
- 2 Mixing bowl
- Skewers metal or soaked bamboo
- 1 Grill
- 1 Grill basket for snap peas
- 1 Tongs
Ingredients
- 2 pounds extra-firm tofu
- 2 tablespoons chili crisp not spicy
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup or agave
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 clove garlic grated
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger grated
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch optional, for crispiness
- 1 red bell pepper cut into 1½-inch pieces
- 1 red onion cut into chunks
- 4 baby bok choy halved or quartered
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil for bok choy
- 2 cups snap peas
- Extra chili crisp for snap peas
- Skewers metal or soaked bamboo
Instructions
- Press tofu for 20–30 minutes to remove excess water.
- Whisk together chili crisp, soy sauce, vinegar, maple syrup, sesame oil, garlic, and ginger.
- Cut pressed tofu into 1½-inch cubes and marinate in the mixture for at least 30 minutes or overnight.
- Optionally toss marinated tofu with cornstarch for crispiness.
- Thread tofu, red pepper, and red onion onto skewers.
- Toss bok choy with sesame oil. Toss snap peas with chili crisp and place in grill basket.
- Preheat grill to medium-high and oil the grates.
- Grill tofu skewers for 8–10 minutes, turning occasionally, until golden and charred.
- Grill bok choy directly on grates until stems are tender and lightly charred (takes longer than lettuce).
- Grill snap peas in basket until blistered and slightly crisp.
- Serve hot with extra chili crisp if desired.
Notes
Funny side note to end with:
We played in a disc golf tournament recently — a doubles event — and our team, Savage, was paired with another team whose name instantly caught our eye: Bok Choy Boy and Brianna Broccolini. You can imagine our curiosity. Sure enough, about halfway through the round, we got to talking and found out they’re plant-based too. We spent the rest of the tournament tossing discs and swapping vegan food stories in between throws. You don’t meet a lot of plant-based couples out on the course, so it was an unexpected and really fun connection. Just another reason we love this life.
