Meatless Monday: Baked Tofu

I have a Meatless Monday post! Actually I have two! I'll save one for next week :-)

This one is Baked Tofu. The recipe is from Natural Noshing. It's very very simple and delish, but I'm going to go into detail here about how I prepare my tofu. I think some people may be put off by preparing tofu because they don't know how to prepare it, or they've cooked it before without pressing it and maybe the dish wasn't as good as it could have been. So, here's how I do it:

You'll need 2 cookie sheets, two towels, paper towels, and a weighty object for pressing.

Line one cookie sheet with a dish towel. I always lay a sheet of paper towels on top of the towel to avoid lint on my tofu. Slice your tofu.


Layer your slices on the paper towel and cover them with another paper towel and dish towel.


Place the other cookie sheet on top (making sure it all makes good contact with the tofu) and place a heavy object on top to press the water out. I always just use my tea kettle with a fair amount of water in it.

Let it press for at least 15 minutes. Longer wouldn't hurt. When the time has elapsed you'll have nice, somewhat dry, tofu that is ready to take on the flavors of water marinade you're using.

This recipe was quite yummy, but I accidentally overcooked it because I sliced mine smaller than the recipe called for, but did not adjust my cooking time to compensate. So, while it was still delish, I did not take a picture, because it didn't look all that appetizing! Oops. So, here's the pic from Natural Noshings:

Easy Baked Tofu (adapted from Allrecipes.com)

Ingredients

1 16 oz package organic, non-GMO extra firm tofu
3 Tbsp gluten free low sodium soy sauce, tamari or Bragg’s liquid aminos
2 Tbsp honey (agave or maple syrup can be subbed for vegan)
1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp garlic powder
couple dashes of cayenne pepper or crushed red pepper

olive oil spray
chopped green onions/scallions for serving

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly spray a non-stick baking sheet with oil or use a silicone mat.
2. Slice tofu into 1/2-inch slices, and gently press excess water out of tofu (use tofu press or place between paper towels and put heavy weight on top for 10 minutes). Cut sliced tofu into 1/2-inch cubes.
3. In a bowl, stir together the soy sauce, honey, vinegar and oil. Stir in ginger, garlic powder and red pepper. Gently stir tofu cubes into sauce. Cover, and marinate at least 5 minutes.
4. Place the tofu on the baking sheet in a single layer. Spray tops with olive oil (I use the Misto) and bake in a preheated oven for 20 minutes. Turn tofu, and bake until the tofu turns golden brown, about 20 minutes more or until develops a nice crisp crust. Enjoy!