As I was making this recipe, I was convinced that I had never once cooked tofu in my life.
And then I started cooking it and remembered.
I’ve cooked with tofu once before. And it was such a hot mess of a situation.
During my senior year, my college decided to host a “Chopped” competition in our main dining hall. It was an awesome event; they brought in a food writer from our city paper and a chef from one of the many ultra-foodie restaurants in the city to judge, they filled the baskets with weird ingredients, and there were free shirts involved. Being able to cook or not, I would have done anything in college for a free t-shirt.
But the appetizer round was a real head-scratcher. I mean, so was the dessert round where a Smiley Cookie and bag of Swedish Fish were both part of the mystery basket (insert eye-roll emoji here), but it was the appetizer round that really threw my team through a loop. Among other ingredients like peanut butter and spinach, there was a brick of tofu in our baskets.
Once we got a game-plan – it’s hard cooking with two other teammates who you’ve never cooked with before! -, we finally settled on making a Thai peanut salad that was inspired by this salad.
However. That dang tofu. I thought it was way firmer than it actually was, so I literally put my entire body weight on top of it in the hopes of squeezing out some of the water. Little did I know that it would crumble into a billion pieces because it was a soft variety. *face palm* We ended up just sprinkling it over the salad as if it was some feta cheese.
It was such a sad excuse for a salad if I’m being completely honest. But we did end up coming in second.
Luckily, this tofu is much much better than that unseasoned, uncooked nonsense I threw on top of a salad a few years ago.
Emilie, of Emilie Eats fame, is one of my very best blogging friends. She runs a ridiculously successful food blog, she balances like…a million different jobs, and she’s just an all-around awesome and positive person. Oh, and she was crowned Miss LSU. nbd.
Emilie recently wrote a vegan eCookbook/meal plan called “Vegan on a Budget,” and I think it’s just the coolest thing ever. I think veganism sometimes has this stigma that it has to be expensive and difficult. That’s so not the case, and Emilie’s book shows you how to do it the right way, all while packing a ton of flavors and nutrients into your snacks, meals, and desserts.
Recipes like Banana Peanut Butter Baked Oatmeal (omg), Mexican Lentil Stuffed Sweet Potatoes, Chocolate Brownie Mug Cakes, and this Sriracha Tofu are all made with whole food ingredients that will keep you feeling awesome, all while helping you save some moola. Not only that, Emilie includes some of her best money-saving tips and a two week meal plan in the book!
“Vegan on a Budget” is an awesome and delicious resource for anyone who is interested in workin’ that whole food vegan diet without spending your whole paycheck at the grocery store. You can check it out here!
Emilie serves this four ingredient Sriracha Tofu on top of some cauliflower fried rice, but I just couldn’t pass up an opportunity to serve it with my beloved Protein Fried Rice.
Mark and I really enjoyed switching up our protein game with this Sriracha Tofu, and it’s bound to be delish with whatever you decide to serve it with. Enjoy!
Sriracha Tofu
https://www.fooduzzi.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/sriracha-tofu-protein-fried-rice-6.jpg
| Prep: | Cook: | Yield: serves 3 | Total: |
A sweet and spicy baked tofu that requires only 4 ingredients! A perfect vegan and gluten free protein served alongside some fried rice or stir fry.
You'll Need...
- 1 14-ounce block extra-firm tofu
- 3 tablespoons Sriracha sauce
- 2 tablespoons organic soy sauce or liquid aminos (I used gf tamari)
- 1/2 tablespoon coconut sugar
- Protein Fried Rice or Cauliflower Fried Rice for serving
- optional toppings: sesame seeds, green onions, Sriracha
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Wrap tofu in paper towels, place in the sink and set a heavy object on top. Let drain for 10-15 minutes.
- In a medium bowl, add Sriracha, soy sauce and sugar. Cut the tofu into 1/2-inch chunks; toss in the sauce.
- Place tofu on the baking sheet. Cook for 20-25 minutes (After 25 minutes, I increased the temperature to 415 degrees F, and baked the tofu for an extra 10 minutes because I wanted it to be a bit crispier. If you go this route, keep an eye on it to make sure the sauce doesn't burn).
Additional Notes
To reheat, I threw the tofu in a single layer in a skillet with some oil and cooked until hot and slightly crispy.
Recipe from Vegan with a Budget. Reprinted with permission from the author.
I was provided a free copy of Emilie’s ebook, “Vegan on a Budget.” All opinions are my own.
I know the struggles of cooking with tofu too, the first time I tried it I burned the tofu AND my pan. Aka I didn’t squeeze out the water beforehand…*smacks forehead*. But I LOVE sriracha so yummmmmm!!
Ahh tofu can be super tricky to prep – but I just loved it like this!
LOVE tofu..I love it so much I actually eat it right out of the package cold sometimes haha! I’ve found letting a heavy object drain the water before cooking it is the key for crisp tofu–can’t wait to make this!
HA! I don’t know if I’d be able to eat tofu raw from the package ;) but yes! I’ve learned draining is key!
Alexa this looks AMAZING! I only recently discovered that baking tofu makes it SO MUCH BETTER! that being said, I’ve only done it once. And it was SO GOOD. I can’t wait to try this recipe. I think I’ll add it to the list for next week :-)
:) I was so thrilled with how the baked tofu turned out! Enjoy!
I literally can’t believe this is only your second time preparing tofu, haha. I’m just so surprised!
Sarah
http://www.thesurznickcommonroom.com
I know! I am too, especially after tasting how gosh-darn delicious it is!
I don’t really like tofu usually but with sriracha it must different and good :)
It really is! I don’t really like tofu either, but add Sriracha to it, and I’m a fan :)