Quick & Easy Tofu

Hello, my name is Lyndsay and I am addicted to Periscope. It's true, this new wave of social media has me entranced!  If I'm not watching awesome live broadcasts from potters around the world then I'm broadcasting myself, and if I'm not watching or broadcasting I'm THINKING about what I will broadcast next. So there's your warning. If you've not already discovered Periscope, DO IT!  Grab your smartphone, head to the app store and download the app, set yourself up with a handle (username, mine is @ArtsAndWellness ) follow me by searching The Vegan Potter or @ArtsAndWellness and check out my broadcasts. You can interact with written comments, give hearts and share on FB, Twitter and with your followers. It's amazing the array of folks from all over the world who have something to say! I've had a blast connecting with others who are passionate about clay and I've done over a dozen clay broadcasts in under two weeks, but today......I decided it was time to talk about FOOD! 

I've been a vegan for over 20 yrs and one of the most often asked questions is "what do you do with that tofu stuff?"  Truth is, I wasn't a fan of tofu for several years until I had it prepared, pan fried with spices and over a stir fry and then I was hooked. I quickly realized that this not overly impressive, bland looking and tasting food could actually BE the star of the show!  There are so many ways to prepare tofu and several different sorts so here are the basics:

Silken tofu: this is good for smoothies, cakes, pies and desserts

Firm/Extra Firm tofu: this is the stuff you want to get for main course dishes

You can typically find tofu in the produce section of your grocery store, it comes packed in water so you will need to drain the water out and some folks like to slice and press the blocks or even freeze their tofu before cooking with it (freezing dries out the texture). Personally I'm often short on time and I choose the quick and easy route (which you can see by watching the youtube video replay of my periscope broadcast. ) I sometimes press and dry the tofu when I'm marinating and baking but you can just as easy drain the water and then crumble up the stuff in a frying pan over medium heat and drizzle with the same ingredients used for a marinade (see recipe below) and just toss and cook until thoroughly browned and firmed up. It's THAT easy!  So I hope you enjoy the video and the recipe below. Leave me some comments and let me know if you try it out! Find me on Instagram and post your food pics!  @theveganpotter.

*The YouTube video was shot directly from periscope (@ArtsAndWellness) live feed so you will hear me interacting with viewers but you will not see their comments in the video. Apologies for the portrait view but Periscope is often shot in portrait and when I've shot in landscape my videos are turned sideways when they save to my computer.....not being super tech savy I do my best!  Enjoy!

Part II of the finished product is below

Here's the finished roasted tofu. This was originally a periscope broadcast so you will hear me answering questions but you will not see the comments come up on the screen. Feel free to question or comment on the blog post at www.theveganpotter.com where you can download the full recipe!

Here's the recipe!

Quick & Easy, Yummy Marinated & Roasted Tofu

Ingredients:

Finished tofu on a Vegan Potter Mandala Plate!

1/2 cup orange juice

4 Tbl sesame oil

1 tsp smoked paprika

1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper

2 tsp or to taste of your favorite hot sauce

1/8th cup liquid aminos or soy sauce

3 Tbl maple syrup

4 Tbl water

2 packages of extra firm tofu

Preheat the oven to 425

Slice into the tofu packages and drain water over the sink. Slice tofu into 1/4" thick rectangles and layer into a single layer on a thin kitchen towel (can use paper towels in a pinch) fold the towel over and continue to layer and fold until all pieces are covered with towel and then press by hand to squeeze the extra moisture out of the tofu. Layer tofu onto a baking sheet (preferable non stick, or parchment paper) in a single layer.

Mix all other ingredients into a mason jar and shake it up good (you can use a whisk and a bowl in a pinch) pour 1/2 the marinade over the tofu (it should cover the bottom of the pan a bit). Place the pan into your preheated oven and set the timer for 25 min. Check your tofu and if it's begun to shrink up and absorb some of the marinade then flip it over but if not, then put it back in and check back in about 10 min. Flip and re-baste with marinade and bake for another 25-35 min until golden brown and no liquid left in the pan. The slices should not be floppy but more firm.

Ideas for plating:

With veggies in a stir fry (chop into smaller pieces)

in a breakfast scramble with veggies and potatoes

over brown rice with broccoli

refrigerated and chopped into a cold salad

cold sliced and dipped in hummus for quick lunch or snack