Play With Your Tofu!
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Show of hands…how many of you out there keep thinking “I should eat more healthy, like salads and tofu and stuff.” And so you buy a block of tofu and it sits there in your fridge, sadly neglected because actually you have no idea what to do with it, or aren’t sure you really want to do anything with it anyway. Wow, that many of you? The rest of you who already know and love tofu in all its incarnations, well, you can just skip the next couple of paragraphs.
And for those who raised their hand, well, I’m here to help. Tofu can be fun! It can also be very tasty; I happen to love the stuff. You can buy it in shelf-stable cartons or you can buy it in the refrigerated section; both versions come in soft, firm, extra firm... think mattresses here.
This would be extra firm, I think.
The point is, you can do all kinds of yummy things with tofu. I use the soft variety to make my astonishingly good hummus, and I marinate the firm version and bake these very tasty bites to snack on, add to stir-fries or just play with.
It’s good for you, it’s lowfat, lo-cal, and easy to work with. Now you have no excuse not to use that block of tofu that’s been sitting in the fridge since New Years. It’s still good. Well, maybe you better buy a new one.
Marinated, Baked Tofu Bites
1 (16 ounce) package firm or extra firm tofu
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 dash hot sauce
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon liquid smoke flavoring (optional)
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly spray a non-stick baking sheet with oil.
Slice tofu into 1/2-inch slices, and gently press excess water out of tofu. Cut sliced tofu into 1 or 1/2-inch cubes.
In a bowl, stir together the soy sauce, maple syrup, ketchup, vinegar, and hot sauce. Stir in sesame seeds, garlic powder, black pepper, and liquid smoke. Gently stir tofu cubes into sauce. Cover, and marinate at least 5 minutes.
Place the tofu on the baking sheet in a single layer. Bake in a preheated oven for 15 minutes. Turn tofu, and bake until the tofu turns golden brown, about 15 minutes more.
