My only hope was that it involved peanut sauce, and neither of my children could live without peanut butter.

I was encouraged when I arranged this on a platter with the cute baby bok choy, and my daughter actually said that it "looks yummy." But the store-bought peanut sauce, instead of being my salvation, did me in. It was too spicy, and put both kids off. I tried quickly giving them a bowl of natural peanut butter mixed with a little soy sauce to drizzle on the tofu, but by then they'd decided against the whole thing, and ate grudgingly.

Live and learn. Next time I make my own peanut sauce. My husband and I really liked this dish, though, and it's very easy. It's a handy option if you have vegetarian guests coming over for a summer barbecue. If you don't have time to fire up the grill on a weeknight, a grill pan works beautifully. And if your kids have peanut allergies, a Thai chili sauce can be substituted for drizzling.

Grilled Tofu with Baby Bok Choy and Peanut Sauce

Serves 4 to 6

2 pounds extra-firm tofu, drained

8 heads baby bok choy, halved lengthwise

½ cup plus 2 tablespoons canola or grapeseed oil

2 teaspoons Asian sesame oil

Kosher or sea salt

Store-bought Thai peanut sauce and/or natural peanut butter for drizzling

Prepare a hot fire in a charcoal grill or preheat a gas grill on high, or oil a grill pan and heat on high.

Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with a double thickness of paper towels. Cut each cake of tofu into four 3/4-inch thick slices. Arrange the slices in a single layer on the paper towels. Place a double thickness of paper towels on top of the slices and press lightly to absorb the moisture.

While the grill heats, prepare the bok choy. Arrange bok choy in a single layer on a large, rimmed baking sheet. In a small bowl, combine the 2 tablespoons canola oil and the sesame oil and mix well. Brush both sides of the crisp white stalks (not the green leaves) of the bok choy with the oil mixture. Season the stalks lightly with salt.

If using a grill, oil the grill grate. When ready to grill, remove paper towels from tofu and brush both sides generously with the ½ cup canola oil. (Be careful when you turn the slices.) Using a spatula, transfer the tofu slices to the grill or grill pan, arranging them directly over the hot fire. Grill, turning once, until grill marks appear on both sides and the tofu is heated through, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove tofu and keep warm.

If using a grill, place a long strip of foil, about 6 inches wide, across the length of the grill. Arrange bok choy cut side down, so white stalks are more directly over the fire and green leaves are resting on the foil, protected from the fire. (If using a grill pan, just place the bok choy direcly on the pan, cut side down.) Grill until light brown grill marks appear, about 1 ½ minutes. Turn and do the same on the other side until bok choy is crisp tender when pierced with a fork.

Arrange tofu and bok choy on a platter and drizzle with peanut sauce, or serve with a dipping cup of natural peanut butter for little ones.

--Adapted from “Grill Every Day,” by Diane Morgan

Per serving (without peanut sauce or peanut butter): 503 calories, 32 grams protein, 36 grams fat, 3 grams saturated fat, 27 grams carbohydrate, 12 grams fiber, 0 milligrams cholesterol, 740 milligrams sodium. Analysis by registered dietitian Jodie Shield.