Tag Archives: baked tofu

Building Block Recipe: Lemony Baked Tofu

Slices of Lemony TofuInspired by my blogging buddy, Susmitha at Veganosaurus, I signed up for a How Do account about a year or so ago.  Susmitha has a great voice and her How Dos are cute, concise, and helpful.  So, I made one (Hot Chocolate Mocha),” back in 2012, and while the process was fun, a negative review I got took the wind out of my sails and it was a long time before I tried again.  But every time I watched one of Susmitha’s it nagged at me: I wanted to try again.

Lemony Baked Tofu (in turn inspired by Oh Mai in Salt Lake City – but that’s another blog post) seemed like a good candidate for the How Do treatment. It’s a simple recipe that can easily be broken down into short steps.  I’m still working out the How Do kinks (Martin Scorcese, your job is safe), but I think these little “videos” are a great idea and add a nice dimension to a blog post.  Incidentally, my freebie WP site won’t allow for me to embed the video, which would be super-nifty, but clicking on the image will get you to the same place.  (I shared this recipe on Healthy Vegan Friday at The Veggie Nook.)

Watch my How Do video by clicking the image, or you can follow the recipe below.

How Do ImageLEMONY BAKED TOFU a micro guide by Annie on HowDo

Lemony Baked Tofu
Makes ~20 slices

1 14 oz. block extra firm tofu
1/2 cup vegetable broth
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
zest of 1 lemon
1 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. lemon oil
1 garlic clove, minced

Make the marinade:
Whisk together all of the ingredients and store in the refrigerator until needed.

Prepare the tofu:
Press tofu for several hours or overnight.  I splurged for a TofuXPress and I’m so glad I did.  It does a fantastic job of squeezing out all of that water – but use your own tried-and-true method.

Layer a baking sheet (I used a quarter sheet) with paper towels.  Set aside.  Cut the tofu into very thin slices.  You should get about 20 per block of tofu. Place the slices of tofu onto the paper towels; stacking layers is fine.  Cover slices with more paper towels, top with another baking sheet and place in the freezer overnight.

When you’re ready to bake the tofu, remove the pan from the freezer and let the slices thaw.  At first the slices will be dark yellow, but they’ll return to their regular white color once thawed.

Preheat the oven to 425F.  Place the slices into a baking pan (I used Pyrex) and pour the marinade over top.  Again, don’t worry about having the slices in one layer.  Bake the tofu for about 20-25 minutes or until the marinade is nearly gone.  The edges of the slices should be brown and the tofu should be fairly dry.  Let the slices cool; they’ll firm up even more.  They are now ready to use in sandwiches (like the Lemony Baked Tofu Sandwiches I’ll be featuring here soon), salads, and in Asian-inspired soups.

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Vegetable Fried Rice with Tofu Made With No Oil

Wok with Fried RiceFor a long time, I thought that good fried rice was available only in Asian restaurants.  But my problem with restaurant fried rice is that it’s loaded with added fat, salt, prepared with white rice and I can’t really feel sure that it’s vegan.  So if I want fried rice, it has to come out of my own kitchen.  Enter Mark Bittman.  I modify his recipe for fried rice from How to Cook Everything Vegetarian.  I omit the oil (and egg) and use baked tofu and the veggies I have on hand.  That’s the beauty of a dish like fried rice.  Not only can you tweak it to your own tastes, but also to what you have in the refrigerator and cupboard.

Vegetable Fried Rice with Tofu

Serves 4

3-4 cups cooked brown basmati, brown jasmine or regular brown rice (~1 1/2 cups dried)
vegetable broth or water as needed
Brown Basmati Rice, Cooked1 onion, chopped
2 cups asparagus, cut into 1″ pieces
1 bell pepper, cored, seeded and chopped
2 cups baked tofu, cut into 1/2″ pieces
1 tbsp. garlic, minced
1 tbsp. fresh ginger, minced or microplaned
1/4-1/3 cup dry sherry
4 tbsp. soy sauce or tamari
salt & pepper to taste
cilantro, chopped
scallions, chopped
roasted peanuts, chopped
limes, quartered
hot sauce

Have all of your veggies and liquids ready to go before you fire up your skillet or wok.

Bowls of Veggies

Heat skillet/wok over high heat.  Splash in a little vegetable broth and add the onion and bell pepper.  Lower heat a little bit and stir, adding more broth as needed.  Cook for about 5 minutes – letting the broth cook off so that you get a little browning on the vegetables.  Remove veggies to a bowl or plate.

Add more broth to the pan, then add the asparagus, cooking just until they get bright green.  Add to the onion and bell pepper.

Another splash of broth to the pan and now add the garlic and ginger, stirring just for about half a minute or so.  Start adding the rice a bit at a time, breaking up any clumps.  Stir and add broth as needed.  Once you have all of the rice in the pan, stir until it starts sticking a bit.  Now add the tofu and the cooked veggies to the pan along with the sherry.  Cook for about 1 minute.  Add the soy sauce, salt and pepper. Turn off the heat and add the scallions.

Divide rice between four big bowls and top with cilantro, peanuts and limes.  (Kel suggests also adding fresh chopped tomatoes and sliced cucumbers.  Too bad he suggested this after we’d finished eating!)

Bowl of Fried Rice


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The Virtues of Baked Tofu

Baked Tofu Sandwich w/ TomatoWhen you make the change to plant-based eating, you quickly realize what a big part soy plays in one’s diet.  From steamed pods of edamame to impersonating sausage and cold cuts; to grilled tempeh and silken tofu that transforms itself into mayonnaise, pudding or as a substitute for eggs in baked goods to soy sauce and salty, savory miso paste.

The humble block of tofu, flavorless and unattractive, is the unsung hero in the soy family.  Much maligned, underrated and abused.  But bake it slowly with a savory, herb-happy marinade and the pale, ugly blob becomes a chameleon-like meal-time hero.  Marinades can be as simple as soy sauce and minced garlic or as complex as adding cilantro, ginger, orange juice, lemon or maple syrup.  Any way you slice it, you have lots of options for delicious and simple meals.

I always press tofu before baking it by sandwiching it between two dinner plates and plopping a 32 oz. can of diced tomatoes on top.  Layering with paper towels helps absorb the liquid.  Let the tofu press for 15 minutes or more, then cut into eight slices.

Marinated Tofu Ready for Oven

Sandwiches: The sandwich pictured at the top is simple: slice a rosemary whole wheat roll in half and layer two slabs of baked tofu with paper-thin slices of red onion, a handful of fresh romaine lettuce and some ripe tomato.  Or add roasted eggplant, red bell pepper or zucchini, caramelized onions, baby arugula or kale and slather on lemon aioli tofu mayo (or vegan mayonnaise).  Other sandwich options abound – just look in your refrigerator for ideas.

Salad with Baked Tofu Salad Topping: Cube cooled baked tofu and toss with mixed greens and lots of raw veggies.  Top with no-oil salad dressing.

Stir-fry: Toss cubed baked tofu into the wok at the last minute – just as you’re finishing up the vegetables and thickening the sauce.  Ladle onto a generous mound of steamed brown jasmine rice and sprinkle with minced cilantro and Thai basil.

Soup: Use as a garnish on top of “creamy” tomato soup or chopped and dropped into a cup of steaming miso soup along with chopped scallions and thin slices of shiitake mushrooms.

Lemon and Herb Tofu
8 slices

1 14 oz. block of tofu (pressed as suggested above)
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
3 tbsp. soy sauce
2 tbsp. water
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried rosemary
dash smoked paprika

Preheat oven to 400F.  Slice tofu into 8 pieces and set aside.  Combine the remaining ingredients in a small bowl and pour about half of it into a 9″ x 9″ or 11″ x 7″ Pyrex baking dish.  Place the tofu slices in a single layer in the dish.  Pour the remainder of the marinade over the tofu.

Bake for 30-40 minutes, turning once or twice, or until tofu is dark brown and getting crispy on the edges.  Most of the marinade should have cooked off.  Remove from oven and serve immediately or store in the refrigerator for later use.

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